John Mariani Profiles Philadelphia's Restaurants

It’s exciting when the Philadelphia restaurant scene receives national attention. National food and wine writers dine all over the globe, and so it’s always interesting to see how the depth and breadth of their palates inform their opinions of our little corner of the culinary world.

John Mariani is the latest to weigh-in on Philadelphia’s restaurant scene. He is one of the most seasoned and highly respected food and wine writers around. He is a columnist for Esquire, Wine Spectator, Diversion, Bloomberg News & Radio, and Restaurant Hospitality. He has also authored The Encyclopedia of American Food & Drink, The Dictionary of American Food & Drink, and with his wife Galina, the award-winning new The Dictionary of Italian Food and DrinkItalian-American Cookbook.

Mariani also publishes a free weekly newsletter on his site, JohnMariani.com (free registration required for archives). In the September 23 issue, Mariani profiles Philadelphia restaurants and reviews some of his current favorites: Rae, 707, Tinto and Susanna Foo in Radnor.

Like other outsiders, one of the things Mariani bemoans generally about Philadelphia is the high mark-ups on wine. However, despite the constraints under which our restaurants must operate, Mariani is impressed with what he sees. He calls Ryan Davis’ wine list at Rae “first-rate,” he recognizes Tinto’s 100+ bottle wine list and says that 707’s wine list “carries some of the best bargains for good regional bottling you’ll find in Philadelphia.”

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Plate Profile – The 707 Burger at Restaurant 707

It takes a lot for a burger to impress me. I’ve eaten more than my fair share of them over the years, and many of Philly’s celebrated burgers haven’t really lived up to the hype. But the 707 Burger at 707 Restaurant & Bar ($10) is one of the more distinctive burgers to come around in quite some time.



A lot of places build burgers from the top down, trying to dazzle you with toppings and treating the burger itself merely as any other ingredient. 707, on the other hand, starts from the inside out, working a little onion powder, some finely-chopped shallots and a hint of hot sauce into its hulking 10 oz patty. When cooked, these delicate flavors combine to create a stylishly upscale version of the burger your mom used to make.

707 also knows how to cook it. Ordering a burger less than well-done can be risky, but most folks roll the dice in order to get a juicy patty. So when my well-done 707 Burger arrived teeming with juicy goodness, I was pleasantly surprised. And if you opt for a side salad instead of the fries, you may not feel too guilty once you realize you just ate the entire thing.

707 Restaurant & Bar
707 Chestnut Street
(215) 922-7770

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