(upbeat music) - Hi, I'm Kae Lani Palmisano.

Each week, three different guests recommend their favorite restaurants, then try each other's picks, and come together to tell us what they think.

Right here on Check, Please.

(music ending) Hi, I'm Kae Lani Palmisano and welcome to Check, Please, the show where regular people from all over the Philadelphia area recommend and review their favorite restaurants.

So, this is how the show works.

Each week we have three guests.

Each guest recommends their favorite restaurant and then the other two go check 'em out to see what they think.

This week, author Keisha Broomes says the Southern fare, at her recommendation is worth writing home about.

But disability life planner, Michele Lehee, loves both the food and the accommodating service at her Rittenhouse spot.

Up first though, Aman Goil is an associate director of student life and nothing livens him up more than the spicy dishes at his Chinatown pick.

For mouth numbing Sichuan cuisine, he heads to EMei.

- Aman, why did you pick EMei?

- I discovered EMei 10 years ago when I first moved to Philadelphia.

It instantly became my favorite spot.

It has the best spicy cuisine in the city.

Chinatown has a ton of gems and EMei's my favorite.

- You kicked off your meal with a classic, scallion pancakes.

- So good.

So flaky, like just the right amount of like spice to get you started.

If you get some other things with it, like the cold cucumber that I got, it's just like a perfect, balanced start.

- Michele, this was your first time trying scallion pancakes.

- Absolutely, I, and I loved them.

I mean they're on every Chinese menu, but I never had them before and I was like, "Oh wow!

they're so flaky."

I always think that appetizers are so much more interesting, sometimes than entrees.

- [Aman] I do.

But we got the shrimp rolls, - [Aman] Mmm-hmm.

and we got the pot stickers and it was just, it was just delicious.

I mean, the appetizers were amazing, you know.

- Of all those appetizers, was there one that stood out that you would definitely order again?

- Oh absolutely.

The scallion pancakes.

(laughing) - Keisha, you had wonton soup.

- I had wonton soup.

- What did you think?

- Right now, I'm wishing I had tried the scallion pancakes.

(laughing) It sounds delicious, but the wanton soup was really good.

It was my first time at the restaurant as well and I really thoroughly enjoyed the wonton soup.

- And tell me a little bit more about those?

What did you have, those like cucumber with garlic?

- The cold cucumber dish with like garlic sauce.

It's really good, really refreshing.

Especially 'cause I've been there so many times.

I know that the meal's only gonna get spicier and hotter.

- [Keisha] Yes.

- So, the cold cucumber kind of sets your palette, calms it down a little bit before the heat.

- And you had a pretty spicy chicken dish right after that.

- Yes.

The Chongqing Chicken, it's like a fried chicken dish, like really spicy, chili flakes all over.

You have to be careful of those.

But I love that dish.

It's a dry dish, which, you know, when you think of Chinese food you might think very saucy, different flavors, but this is like a dry pepper kind of spice.

- Keisha, what did you get for entree?

- I got the sliced pork belly with Chinese pickle.

- [Aman] Ooh.

- I chose it thinking I'm gonna get something completely different than what I would normally have.

And I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed that dish.

I took plenty home and I've never had a pork, it was succulent.

The flavoring was, was wonderful.

The Chinese pickle was spicy but, and it tastes a little different than maybe anything I'd ever had before.

But it all kind of worked together and I thought, oh, this is one of the best dishes I think I may have ever had, honestly.

- Oh my gosh, wow.

- It was, it was that good.

- I had a sweeter dish, which was, which was equally as good.

- [Kae Lani] But what was that dish?

- I had the honey walnut shrimp.

- [Aman] Oh, nice.

- It was delicious.

I mean, and it's big jumbo shrimps.

You don't walk out of there hungry, you know.

(others agreeing) They give you a lot of food.

- Aman, how are your entrees?

- So good.

So I just grabbed the Chongqing chicken, which is delicious.

And then I have two other dishes I always get as well, which is the eggplant dish.

Spicy as well.

Saucy, so with a little sauce on the side.

And then you also get the potato, the shredded potato dish.

And that was my original favorite dish there.

It's a rare dish to find at a Chinese restaurant generally.

It's a very, I guess they eat it pretty regularly in China.

I've never been, but they had it at this restaurant.

- What other dishes did you eat?

- I got the Mapo tofu and the bok choy.

EMei, you mentioned some really great meat options.

Both of you did.

But EMei has so many great vegetarian options.

Again, kind of rare for, you know, a typical Chinese place.

So I get some vegetarian options usually 'cause I'm with a bunch of friends and I know people have different dietary needs, so I try to order a bunch of things.

The Mapo tofu is very saucy, very spicy.

It's not the tingly spice, it's more traditional spice.

Just kinda like burn your mouth spice.

(laughing) But very good with the rice.

Again, I like anything that's a vehicle for rice, so that's really great.

And the bok choy's just like a nice pallet cleanser.

Just a little buttery, garlic-y, a nice break from spice.

- Michele, entering EMei was a little bit challenging for you.

What are some ways that they can make that a little easier?

- Well, I think that when you are going onto Open Table or making reservations, I think that it's automatic, that we automatically click that it's accessible 'cause we're just going down a list.

And I don't think that people are conscious of, of doing that.

So if they could do a really dry run to, to see if it's wheelchair accessible, if it meets ADA standards, because the ramp was, kind of felt like just a paved step that was like, I felt like I was going up, you know, a mountain and I would've flipped over if I didn't have my friend with me.

So literally I had to wait outside for my friend to go in to get somebody to come out to hold the door so he could have pushed me in.

And then with the double doors, it was just a little bit difficult to navigate.

I would go back, I mean like, and because the food was, you know, very different than I'm used to.

And thank you for taking me outta my comfort zone.

- Of course.

I'm so happy to hear you had such a good experience.

- [Michele] Yeah.

- Keisha, how about you?

- It did take quite a while before the server actually took my order.

If they improved on those things, that would've really enhanced the experience for me.

- And once you were seated and you were able to place your order, they bring out tea- - Oh yes.

- [Kae Lani] Which is a really nice way to begin the meal.

- They came right out and brought that and I really enjoyed that.

Enjoyed the look of it and, and having like a nice green tea experience.

And I had this passion fruit lime tea (Kae Lani moaning) that was out of this world.

I wanted to drink a bucket of it.

I was like, oh my goodness.

(laughing) I, if I could, if I didn't look bad, I would did like, carry out little drinks to take it with me, all just very delicious.

Very delicious.

- Did you like the tea?

- I did.

I think I had a rose tea.

It was on the sweeter side, so that was a little unexpected.

But I mean, but I ordered the iced tea, I didn't.

And then we got the pour, pour bowl, like green tea or, but I mean I was, I was a little bit more focused on my iced tea.

And then I had a Chinese beer, which is is something that, you know, you don't get everywhere.

So, it was nice.

- You tried a lot of new things.

- I did, I did!

Well, you know, it's, I like to do that, you know.

- Michele, you tried some dessert as well?

- I tried the brown sugar sticky rice.

- [Aman] Mm.

- And it was super sweet.

And then there was like a honey sauce on the side.

It was really good.

But you can't have a lot of it because, because it's like you're just, lips will purge from sweetness versus from spice, you know, it, it, and it was good.

But you, you just had to have that in moderation.

- Aman, you take friends here for your birthday, like every single year.

- Every single year.

- All right.

What's the vibe check?

- I love it.

I, they have some really great spaces in the back for big groups and it's like kind of closed off and it used to be very, like Midwestern Chinese restaurant, which I'm from the Midwest so I really liked it.

Felt like home, felt like a family was running it maybe.

But now they had a remodel, so it feels a little more modern.

But I love the ambiance.

I just think like the hustle and bustle.

A lot of people haven't been there before, and so I love taking people to new places.

So I just love the energy that comes with people trying something new.

- Aman, EMei was your pick.

Sum it up for us.

- If you wanna discover a hidden gem in Philly, Chinatown is the place to go and EMei is the spot to visit.

- Keisha, how about you?

What are your final thoughts?

- Go to EMei if you wanna have an outstanding Sichuan dinner and bring home great leftovers.

- Michele, bringing us- - I'm gonna steal your tagline.

(everyone laughing) - Michele, bring it on home for us.

- So, go to EMei for a very good meal and great leftovers.

- Plan your own visit to EMei.

Located at 915 Arch Street in Philadelphia.

215-627-2500.

They're open Sunday to Thursday from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM and Friday and Saturday from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM.

Reservations are accepted and the average tab per person without drinks is $45.

Michele Lehe is a big fan of the classic French Bistro dishes at her pick.

But on top of great food, what really puts her spot over the top is the service.

For thoughtful attentiveness with a side of pomme frites, she recommends visiting Parc.

(French music) - Michele, you are a big fan of Parc.

Tell us why you picked it.

- You feel like you're going into Paris.

Instead of the Seine, it is Rittenhouse Square and the ambience is just second to none and the food is just so consistent.

- [Keisha] Yes.

- [Michele] And just wonderful.

- This time around, you started off with the mushroom tart.

- Oh that's my, it's mushroom tart during the winter and tomato tart during the summer.

(laughing) 'Cause it's just flaky.

It's just a big pillow of butter.

(laughing) It's just so delicious.

It just melts in your mouth.

- Is that something that you would recommend first timers to get?

- Oh, absolutely.

- You also got the mac and cheese.

- Oh, well the mac and cheese is great.

I mean, when I go there, you're not going there for dieting.

I mean this is decedent food.

This is just absolutely decedent food.

The mac and cheese is like a Gruyere cheese and it just comes in this cast iron pan and it's just, it's hot forever, so it's not, it's like if you're eating other things, you can still go back to it 'cause it's still warm.

- Aman, you got the deviled eggs.

How were they?

- Deviled eggs are so good.

They're one of my favorite dishes.

Just generally these were a little more mustardy than they were like pickle-y.

So that was different.

I don't know if it's the French thing or if it's just how they make it, but it was very good.

- One thing that always comes out, as soon as you sit down, you're looking over the menu, they come out with this array of bread.

Did you have some of the bread, Keisha?

- I did.

I had too much of that bread.

- [Aman] Yes.

- Very decadent.

Me and my dining partner, we sat there and just dove right in.

It was nice and warm, loved it.

- I think one of the standout ones.

What were you gonna say?

- I was gonna say stand out is the cranberry.

- That cranberry walnut!

(everyone else exclaiming) - [Aman] I asked for extra at the, like in the middle of my meal.

I was like, "Can I have more of that cranberry?"

- Normally, we don't finish the bread basket.

That, I think we may have had two.

- Yes.

- Seriously.

- It was so good.

- Service will even tell you to take it home and make french toast the next day.

- That's amazing.

- Keisha, you got a Steak au Poivre?

- Au Poivre, Steak au Poivre.

Yeah, that was my entree and I was pleasantly surprised.

It was cooked perfectly.

And again, I had another experience where I could cut something with a fork.

It was that tender.

Enjoyed it 100%.

- Michele, you got the roasted chicken and roasted salmon.

How were they?

- My partner who's a pescatarian, he got the roasted salmon.

It's delicious every time.

And I never buy chicken out, because it's, you make it at home, super simple.

But I don't know how they get it so juicy and it's always juicy.

And then with the appetizers, you, you can't get anything too big for the entrees because you have no room for dessert and you need room for dessert.

- Yes, yes.

- Aman, what were some of the dishes that you tried?

- We ordered the scallops, which were really good.

The sauce that I came with was really delicious.

It was again, kind of mustardy maybe?

I really like that, I dipped the bread that I had endless amounts of into the sauce.

The scallops are a little small, I will say they were, you know, it was an entree, so I expected entree-sized scallops, like, you know, like almost bigger than a quarter.

But these were like, just about the size of a quarter.

So, that was like the only surprise, that scallops were just a little smaller than I wished they were.

- And how about drinks?

I feel like, who got the hummingbird?

- I get the hummingbird.

- Oh, you get you, you said I get the hummingbird, (everyone laughing) which implies that you had this before.

- Oh yes.

- Well, what makes you order it multiple times?

- Because it's so good and it has St. Germain in it.

It's, it's, and St. Germain is such an expensive liquor, so it, it's a treat when you go out, and it, between that and the champagne, it just feels very upscale.

You feel like you're dining.

- Keisha, how about you?

What drinks did you get?

- I got the Basilica, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

That came in a very pretty glass.

It was basil, it has this herbal taste all through it.

It tasted very fresh.

Didn't taste sweet at all.

It was the perfect dining drink for me to have.

And where I sat in the, in the building at the time, which was with the side with that, they opened up and you could see out toward Rittenhouse Square Park.

- [Aman] Oh, the windows were open?

- [Keisha] Oh, the windows right open.

- [Aman] Oh nice!

- I'm sitting right there.

I was like, yes.

I'm dining in the park with my wonderful drink.

It's amazing.

- Michele, service is key for you at Parc.

Tell us a little bit more about what makes Parc stand out in regards to its service.

- Whenever I go into restaurants, being a wheelchair user, I feel like there's this pregnant pause of where I'm gonna put you or, or I gotta figure this out.

And, and whenever I go into Parc, I feel like they got it covered.

I'm just treated like everybody else and they see me as someone who just wants to dine.

It's a very welcoming feel.

- Do you think it's really important for restaurants to kind of have a strategy put in place?

- Oh absolutely.

I go there with a lot of my wheelchair user friends.

When we go to other different restaurants, I own like, okay, we gotta make sure we tell them, we got, I mean there there's like a plan, you know, but when we go to Parc, yes, we put it in the notes, but it's not like a plan.

When you feel that way, like you're valued.

- Included, right?

- Included, absolutely included.

I just wanna keep going back.

- [Aman] Of course.

Yeah.

- Absolutely.

- I have a question, if you don't mind.

- Oh, go right ahead.

- It's your show.

- No, no it's our show.

- So, I work at a university and we have like a accessibility map.

So the buildings that are really accessible and some buildings that aren't, we locate them and we're working on them.

Is there a map that exists with just all the restaurants that are like highly recommended for accessibility needs or not?

And if not, let's do it.

- There's a, there's a couple different apps that are going around, but because it's based on personal experience, there's not this, you know, code of standards.

- Right.

- You, you know, the only thing that we could follow right now is the Americans with Disabilities Act.

- Yes.

- And I still have to call restaurants ahead of time to see if they're wheelchair accessible.

And I still get told no.

And it makes me feel less.

That's what's so difficult.

And I am, I mean, I won't be sitting in this at, Check, Please, if I wasn't a foodie.

- Absolutely, yeah.

- You know?

- Thank you.

- Yeah.

- Yeah, that's a, it's a really important thing for people to think about and yeah, thank you so much for sharing that perspective.

Speaking of being a foodie, desserts, a great sweet note to touch on.

Michele, you got the creme brulee, how was it?

- Yeah.

Oh, well I always get the creme brulee.

They have their own bakery on site, so, so they're gonna be good at pastries, you know?

- I was trying to figure out how much I would pay for that bread, like a loaf of it.

I think I would pay $25 for a loaf of bread.

(all laughing) If they had a window on the side of the building just selling their bread, I would go.

- Michele, this was your pick.

Sum it up for us.

- So Parc is in the middle of a city where you, where you feel special, and you feel it's a dining experience and where everybody is welcome, no matter who you are.

- Keisha, how about you?

What's your final thought?

- Oh my goodness.

Pleasant dining experience.

Take your friends.

- Aman, how about you?

Sum it up for us.

- I would say a quintessential Philly experience right on Rittenhouse Park.

You can't miss it.

The fresh air, the alfresco vibe of it all.

You have to go.

- Satisfy your Parisian cravings at Parc.

Located at 227 South 18th Street in Philadelphia.

215-545-2262.

Open 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM, Monday through Thursday.

11:00 AM to 11:00 PM on Friday.

10:00 AM to 11:00 PM on Saturdays, and 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM on Sundays.

Reservations are recommended and the average tab per person without drinks is $50.

Keisha Broomes's recommended restaurant has all the southern classics, but the fun doesn't stop there.

For gumbo and cornbread with a heaping helping of live music, she heads to South Restaurant and Jazz Club.

(upbeat music) - Keisha, you picked South.

Why did you pick this restaurant?

- South has been my favorite Philadelphia restaurant, I wanna say, for at least the last four years.

I can't rave about it enough.

The service is impeccable.

The food is amazing.

And the experience overall, the ambiance of the restaurant is, it's the type of place that you would want to go back to.

If I have any friend who's coming in from out town, I say we've never been to South, we're going to South.

Everybody here started the meal the way you're supposed to at South.

- Yes.

- With the cornbread skillet.

- Cornbread.

- What were your thoughts?

What do you, what do you like about it?

- The cornbread skillet.

Best cornbread ever.

It was just sweet enough, not overly sweet.

I know some restaurants make their cornbread kind of like a pound cake-y type of, that was not the case.

Like here, like I actually tasted the the corn.

- How 'bout that butter?

- [Michele] It comes out nice and warm.

- [Kae Lani] Oh yeah!

And the butter that it comes with.

I think there's like a little bit of either maple syrup or honey on top of it.

What did you think of it?

- I loved it and yes, it's perfectly sweet.

The butter provides some saltiness.

Anything in a skillet, honestly I will devourer.

(laughing) - It's fun, yeah.

That presentation of it being in the skillet.

- Yes, exactly.

It's like stays hot for so long.

- Oh, absolutely.

- It's crusty, oh it's delicious.

- And the mac and cheese comes in the skillet too.

- [Keisha] Yes, yes, yes.

- [Kae Lani] How was the mac and cheese?

- [Michele] It was, it was really good.

I was expecting just like classic creamy- - [Keisha] Yes.

- Mac and cheese, but it had a little kick to it.

It was delicious because it was creamy, with like this lovely crust.

But it wasn't just creamy.

It had nice texture, it had really nice taste.

It was just like, I mean, we just kept on going back.

- How about you, Aman?

- I had the tomato dish with shrimp remoulade.

It was delicious.

Tomato-y, spicy, acidic.

It provided just the right amount of like balance against the bread.

I just loved it.

It was spicy, you know.

As, as we've learned, I love spice.

- Love the spice.

Love the spice.

- And how about entree?

Did you try the fried chicken?

- Oh, I did the fried chicken.

- [Kae Lani] How was it?

- And it was, it was great.

And it was big.

I mean like they give you a half a chicken and then you have this sweet potato casserole with it, with collards on the side.

I mean, it's a hearty big dish.

It was just delicious.

- Did you try the fried chicken as well?

- I tried it, yes.

And I loved the sides on there.

The sweet potatoes, the collard greens.

Everything about it was delicious.

My entree though was the catfish.

- [Keisha] Yes.

- And that was really good.

A huge portion.

Usually when you order fish you get a little bit, but this was a giant portion.

I took some home, and it came with like a tomato sauce with corn chunks in it and I love that.

Again, very acidic, very spicy.

More shrimp on the side.

So I was, I was a big fan.

They talked about southern hospitality.

- [Keisha] Yes.

- Right when we walked in.

And it was consistent throughout.

- Consistent.

- And being able to see the jazz club on the inside and like the bread being warmed on the side.

Like they're just a very good ambiance with all the people, kind of making sure everyone had a really good experience.

- The service was exceptional.

I went with with you know, two friends.

One was a wheelchair user.

Even on their website, it has a blurb about wheelchair accessibility.

And I was like, okay, I just love this restaurant already.

- [Keisha] Yes.

- And 'cause, it was such a simple fix for me not to be nervous.

- The owners, the Bynum brothers, Robert and Benjamin, they are literally raised in the restaurant industry.

I don't know if you know too much of their history.

- [Keisha] Oh, a little, yeah.

- But their father is the owner of the Cadillac Club that was a jazz restaurant and bar in Philadelphia that had legendary acts come through, like BB King.

- Wow.

- Aretha Franklin, like a lot of the jazz scene of Philadelphia can really be credited to Benjamin and Robert's father and mother who ran Cadillac Club.

But their first restaurant together was Zanzibar Blue.

(everyone exclaiming) Yes, and you had the Ode to Zanzibar Blue.

- I had the Ode to Zanzibar Blue.

First of all, I remember Zanzibar Blue, gone to listen to music there.

I'd had meals there, it was a great restaurant.

The drink that I had, Ode to Zanzibar Blue.

I don't know because, because of bluesy jazzy, I don't know.

The way I was thinking, I was thinking it should be blue.

Like the color should be blue.

- [Aman] That'd be fun.

- And if blue had a taste, it should taste blue or kind of, no, this is very, very light, very citrus-y.

Not heavy at at all.

But it was the perfect companion to my food.

- You got a margarita, didn't you?

- Yes, I got the mango habanero margarita.

It was actually pretty good.

I love spice as we've discussed many times today.

It wasn't as spicy as I wish it was.

And it wasn't as mango as I wish it was.

I guess I'm a drink snob, because it sounds like it today.

But it wasn't either flavor enough.

It was very good.

And I'd been there for happy hour before and they have solid drinks, generally.

- What did you think of the ambiance?

'Cause it's, it's a beautiful space.

- Oh my gosh.

I mean you walk in and like, there's a patio with like a green wall.

You love that.

And then you get inside and there's this willow tree right in the middle.

- [Keisha] Yeah, in the middle - Of the space.

And you just feel transported immediately to like New Orleans.

That's what I got.

- Yeah.

- And then like the bottles hanging from it.

Like, it was just such a vibe.

And we were situated right next to the jazz club.

Not inside of it, but just right next to it, so we could hear the music, which was great.

And we could still talk to each other and like have a nice meal together and still enjoy the music just from the other room.

- [Keisha] Yes.

- I imagined being inside of the space.

But I loved it.

- What did you think of the prices?

- It's upscale and it's, you know, you're paying for entertainment, but it's, again, it's an experience.

- Experience.

- [Michele] It's an experience.

I mean, you're going out to dine.

- This is not fast casual.

(everyone agreeing) You're going out to have a good dining experience.

- Yes.

- I had eaten so much that when they came to us with the dessert menu, I thought no, I, I just can't.

(laughing) - Right, I thought about the cornbread.

I was like cornbread?

- Did anybody get dessert?

- I did.

(all laughing) - Okay, good, good.

How was it?

- Oh it was delicious.

It was pecan cheesecake.

- [Aman] Yum.

- And it was delicious.

And it had a ginger crust to it.

They even had like the, the whipped cream on the side that was like flavored and that was really great.

So you need to come with more people.

- [Aman] Yes.

- [Keisha] Oh yeah.

- Get a little bit of everything.

Sample things.

(all laughing) - [Michele] I agree.

- Keisha, South is your pick.

Sum it up for us.

- South is 100% Southern comfort.

All the way from the drinks to the entrees to the desserts.

- Michele, sum it up for us.

- I felt like it was upscale Southern food with a down-home feel.

- Aman, sum it up for us.

- If you wanna travel to the South without buying a flight, just go to South on Broad.

- Love it.

- [Aman] And you're there.

- Check out South Restaurant and Jazz Club for yourself.

Located at 600 North Broad Street in Philadelphia.

215-600-0220.

Open Thursday from 5:00 to 10:00 PM.

Friday and Saturday from 5:00 to 11:00 PM and Sunday from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM.

Reservations are recommended and the average tab per person without drinks is $40.

I wanna give a special thanks to my guests, Keisha Broomes, Michele Lehe, and Aman Goyle.

Join us next time for three new guests recommending their favorite restaurants, right here on Check, Please.

And feel free to tell us about your favorite spots.

Just visit whyy.org/checkplease to find out more.

I'm Kae Lani Palmisano and I'll see you next time.

- [All In Unison] Cheer!

Cheers.

(upbeat music) (music ending)