We arrived at the front desk of the Four Seasons Philadelphia exhausted & hungry: it was almost 10pm & we hadn’t eaten dinner yet. The woman behind the front desk smiled when we said that we were looking for something fun, local & authentic for our first Philadelphia meal. She pulled out a map & directed us to the Continental, Mid-town.
We walked a few blocks south & entered into a world of sleek, 1950’s-esque restaurant fabulousness. Around us were mid-century modern booths filled with hip, young Philadelphians just beginning their night. We were led upstairs to our table & took a seat in the basket chairs which hung from the ceiling – it was basically like eating dinner sitting in a hammock (which is a very, very good thing).
The friendly server came over & explained the concept of the Stephen Starr restaurant: tapas-style comfort food with a Southeast Asian flair – the website describes it as “global tapas.” We noshed on thai grilled chicken skewers, amazing Korean pork tacos (perfectly spicy!), lobster mac & cheese (oozing with a combination of orzo pasta, Gruyere & Fontina cheese), & cheesesteak egg rolls (a little weird – each bite was different: some beefy, some cheesy, some green pepper-y).
(C) Christina Saull – All Rights Reserved
(C) Christina Saull – All Rights Reserved
(C) Christina Saull – All Rights Reserved
(C) Christina Saull – All Rights Reserved
(C) Christina Saull – All Rights Reserved
The food was fantastic, the ambiance perfect & the atmosphere lively. The Continental is the type of place where I’d love to be a regular at, but probably, in my real, non-traveling life, am no where near hip enough to pull it off.
The Continental, Mid-Town
1801 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-567-1800
seating on a first-come, first-served basis, no reservations
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