Spice End

2004 Chestnut St.
Philadelphia, PA ‎19103
(267) 639-9405
Website

Remember JoJo Place? Neither do I. That doesn't matter though, because it's no longer a Chinese food restaurant - it's now housing an Indian street-food establishment that serves up kati rolls.

Spice End is trying for a Bollywood glamour feel, but at the end of the day, it's just a fast food joint.

The menu is basic, with a few standard Indian dishes served in roll form. With an offer of $1 off any 2 rolls, I couldn't possibly try just one. Not to mention the fact that the prices are already very affordable.

Here's a little history lesson: kati rolls originated in Calcutta - the original form was a a kati kabab enclosed in a paratha (whatever that means), but today pretty much any filling rolled in Indian flat bread is known as a kati roll. Thank you Wikipedia.

They come with some sort of bland, tangy yogurt sauce, as well as your standard red chili, Sriracha-style hot sauce. Obviously you're supposed to blend them together for maximum dippability.

The rolls themselves are pretty sizable, one would definitely do the trick if you're in the market for a light-ish lunch. The flatbread was charred nicely, as one expects of a quality naan.

This is the aloo (potato) paneer (cheese) application.

It was said to come with 'spicy potatoes' but there wasn't much flavor in here at all. Sure, there was a mild curry tinge, but it was really only there in appearance - aka color.

The stand out was definitely the red onion. They may have had a light pickle, but I couldn't really tell. This thing was D-R-Y. I would have needed 1.5 of the bland yogurt sauce containers in order to cover just this one, but I had to ration this one container, considering I had a whole other roll to go.

Next up was the achari chicken roll, "marinated chicken with a hint of pickle." Now, when they say "hint" they really mean it to the smallest degree. There wasn't any pickle flavor here, save for those same red onions again. I don't know what the green stuff was doing, it added the tiniest bit of moisture and maybe a hint of mild cilantro?

This was another flavorless, dry roll. The flatbread was good, but all in all, the fillings fell very short.

Unfortunately for them, the Spice must have End-ed before they arrived on the scene.

Ye Olde Ale House

405 Germantown Pike
Lafayette Hill, PA ‎ 19444
(610) 825-2469 ‎

Roast beef and gravy is one of the most comforting of all the comfort foods. Though the best in Philly has already been tackled (I know that's a dirty word for us Birds fans right now) here, I was alerted to a suburban joint that might be a contender. Either way, I am always down for some beef.

Ye Olde Ale House is wood finished, and dated inside. Exactly what I like in a bar.

They also have some of the better wings I have eaten recently. And I have been eating more good wings than ever before in my life. These things are lightly breaded, have a nice spicy sauce, and retain their crispy texture.

I was not there just for wings, however, I had a great purpose on my visit. One that included peppery gravy and horseradish.

I asked for the more rare beef, and the "outs" which includes the seasoned, crispy outside. Hell. The beef was incredibly tender, the fatty outside was so crispy it was basically a cracklin. I was blown away.

Look at the crispy exterior on these things. I've never seen anything like it at a beef-and-beer type place.

I also tried the roast pork. This one I can't really recommend. The beef was sooo good, and the pork was sooo unremarkable. It was under seasoned, and dry. The gravy was bland. All over a big pass for me. That being said, the beef and wings were especially delicious, and I am already craving that crispy beef end. It will not be long before I am back in the company of beef fat, where I belong.

Pic-A-Lilli Pub

231 S. Tennessee Ave
Atlantic City, NJ 08401
(609) 344-1113
Website

Atlantic City is a lot of things. Notably, it's the dive of the two big casino towns in the US. Therefore I figured there had to be a dive bar there that was classic, not just terrifying. Although some of the patrons were preserved in ethanol, there wings were fresh and delicious.

They are also open 24 hours. I have been there late night/early morning, but I wanted to see if what I remembered about the place was correct. That the wings are as good as blurry memory served.

Beers were about $2 a mug, and if you texted some bullshit number they gave you a free one. Done.

There was actually something green in this place, and they served plenty of it. You can tell the wings rule the roost, because the celery was crisp and fresh.

The end bones were basically Frenched on these things, which gave you an extra handle to wrestle these saucy flappers into your mouth. The sauce was a thick, spicy, vinegary paste that was perfect for your wing cravings. And at $17 for 25, they didn't break the bank, unlike the craps table. . .

They were also served in an endearing clear glass casserole type dish. I must admit, I am a big fan of this place. It's nice to get out of the casinos, get something delicious, and not get robbed.

Free ticket contest for King of Prussia's Beerfest Royale!

Winner! Congratulations to R-Easy with Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout. Thank you everyone for entering! 

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