(bright 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!"

(bright upbeat music) Hi, I am 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, here's how it all works.

Every week, we have three guests.

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

This week, Public Works Director Bill Curry wants you to sidle up to the bar at his Croydon tap house, but data quality editor and food photographer Alicia Gray is a regular at her chic Center City happy hour spot.

Up first, though, content creator Jacob Fink knows where to find the crunchiest, crispiest, juiciest fried chicken.

For chicken shop classics done Ethiopian-style, he heads to Doro Bet in West Philly.

(lively music) - Salaam.

My name is Mebrika Kane.

I am the chef and co-owner of Doro Bet.

We opened in October, 2022.

I want it to be Ethiopian, but fried chicken is not an Ethiopian thing, so I wanted to make like a fusion.

(lively music) My kids are the reason for this.

They were younger and they like chicken, and instead of just buying it all the time from fast food, I wanted to make something for them.

(lively music) But I also want them to be familiar with their culture.

(lively music) (vocalist vocalizing) I added these spices that I grew up eating, a flour originated in Ethiopia, it's a grain that is gluten free and that's not something you find, especially in fried food.

Traditionally, we make injera out of it.

Injera is an Ethiopian spongy bread and that flour has this kind of like a nuttiness.

But for frying, it wasn't sticking and staying crispy, so we added chickpea flour in there, tapioca, to just like blended it together to bring it to that, like, nice crispiness.

(vocalist vocalizing) Doro Bet, it's not something fancy.

It brings me some sort of comfort and I feel like food is that.

It should be that.

It's my baby, I'm proud of it, and I hope, you know, people come and see us.

(lively music) - Jacob, Doro Bet is doing fried chicken with Ethiopian flavors.

Tell us why you picked it.

- I picked Doro Bet, I think, very simply 'cause it's the best fried chicken that I personally have ever had.

It's also different than any fried chicken that I've ever had.

Doro Bet translates to chicken house in Amharic.

They use a flour called teff flour, which is a grain grown in Ethiopia, Eritrea.

It makes the chicken just like ridiculously crunchy, very craggly.

They use a berbere, I believe it's pronounced berbere spice blend that's spicy and earthy and very flavorful.

There were no heat lamps in the entire restaurant, so they're frying every order.

You know, you're gonna wait 15 minutes, but it's so worth it and it's just the best fried chicken that I've had, not just in Philly, but anywhere.

- And what are your go-tos?

- I like the spicy fried chicken.

They also do a lemon turmeric, which is also very good, but I'm going spicy when I'm there.

And then, they also make phenomenal collard greens.

They're just like stewed for hours.

Super garlicky, very flavorful.

Sometimes there's like a little bit of an acerbic taste, but none of that and just like, just absurdly flavorful, yeah.

- How good could another chicken place be?

I think I live on chicken alley at home.

I mean, everybody seems to have chicken.

But you know, you immediately walk in and you just heard some of the patrons talk about how good it was.

So you're standing in line, smelling all the aroma, and it met every mark that Jacob just said.

I knew it was really good when my wife sat down and didn't offer me any of her platter.

So, I had a basic chicken sandwich and it was just absolutely delicious.

The collards were unbelievable and the mac and cheese.

So, every flavor that you could possibly imagine, I would agree with Jacob.

It was really delicious.

- Walk us through the chicken sandwich.

What's on there?

- Well, you have the lettuce, tomato, pickle, and there's a sauce on there that I can't really enunciate.

It's the perfect size, hand-width, so you can put it in and you just bite into it and it explodes with flavor.

- I got the, like, three piece spicy and I find that, like, the off-the-bone chicken is just so juicy to the point where, like, even you take the skin off and, like, you still see, hey, you still see the spice seep through to the actual chicken.

- I thought all of the fried chicken was incredible.

Just incredibly crispy, moist chicken.

And the lemon turmeric seasoning had this like earthy kind of acidic flavor that just complemented the chicken perfectly.

- My wife didn't share it.

(all laughing) - It's a good sign.

- You know, it is actually very, very... I got to try a little piece, a little bite off the bone and it's just all that.

- She gave you the scraps off the bone.

- I was lucky I got anything on that one.

- I actually went with a group of four people, so we got lots of things to try together.

The one that I chose was the chicken sandwich.

I was a little bit disappointed.

My chicken was a bit dry and tough, and I was surprised because when I tried the fried chicken, we got the berbere and the lemon thyme.

Both were fabulous, just like perfect fried chicken.

And I also got one of each of the sauces on the side, and so I was just like trying each of the sauces and they were all so good.

- The other thing that I've had there is the falafel wrap, which is really tasty.

Homemade falafel.

And that's where I use the hot honey sauce, which I'd never had that combination of falafel and hot honey, but they recommended it and it was really delicious.

- I also did really enjoy the beverages that we had, the hibiscus tea and the beer is fermented honey drink.

Absolutely incredible.

Like, so delicious and refreshing, and I wanna go back just for that, almost.

- You had a funny way of describing the fermented honey drink, though.

What did it taste like?

- [Alicia] Funky honey.

(all laughing) - Funky honey.

Tell us a little bit about the kerkede.

- Yeah, it's this hibiscus tea with a cardamom syrup, fresh mint.

It's really refreshing and delicious.

It is really awesome.

- Alicia, how was your dessert?

- The tiramisu was delicious and I love that they use the coffee from the sister brewhouse Alif up the street.

It was so rich and moist and you know, the coffee with cream, it was silky and it was just really satisfying.

- Bill, when you walked in, was it busy?

- It was a small line, but it was constant traffic coming in and out.

I wish I had the opportunity to engage the staff a little bit more, but they were busy, they were moving.

It was obviously a small mom and pop kind of operation.

You're not going there for the silverware and the China, you're going there for a good meal and a nice, cozy place to eat, and I enjoyed that.

It was all about the food, all about the chicken.

- And in terms of value, did you think it was a good bang for your buck?

- Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah, absolutely.

It was well-priced, not reaching for the secret credit card on this one.

It's something that you can also go back to and say, "Yeah, I wanna do this again."

Don't have to wait three months to save up your money.

And so, I think, well worth it.

- Jacob, this was your pick.

Sum it up for us in one sentence.

- The best fried chicken in Philadelphia.

- Alicia, what are your final thoughts?

- Excellent fried chicken in an energetic space in a gorgeous neighborhood.

- And Bill, what's the big takeaway?

- Big takeaway from a guy from New Jersey.

I'll be back.

(all laughing) - [Jacob] That's a win.

- It's a win.

- Try out Doro Bet, located at 4533 Baltimore Ave in West Philadelphia.

215-921-6558.

Reservations are not accepted and the average tab per person without drinks is $15.

Bill Curry likes to spend a casual afternoon at his local watering hole.

and the menu there is not to be ignored.

Let's grab a pint and a pub burger at Dog & Bull Tap House in Croydon.

(upbeat music) - The Dog & Bull started as a gastro pub at our foundation, but we've grown into a full service restaurant featuring all kinds of entrees and special events.

Something for everyone.

(upbeat music) There's a Croydon, England and so we're located in Croydon, Pennsylvania.

There's a Dog & Bull in Croydon, England and so, that's where the name originally came from.

(upbeat music) My cooking philosophy is simplicity, using fresh ingredients, cooking things from scratch, taking some traditional recipes and putting our own little seasonal twists on it.

(upbeat music) We've won multiple awards for Best Burger in both Bucks County and Philadelphia, so I think we have to start with our Cheddar Ale Burger.

(upbeat music) We've won a couple awards for best brunch in Bucks County.

We are running a fundraising event around our pancakes.

We call 'em Pancakes for Parkinson's.

(upbeat music) This is a cause that's close to our heart.

My partner Brian, his father passed from Parkinson's, so we're dedicating a portion of all sales from our short stacks to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's.

We do try to invite dogs.

(playful upbeat music) We actually have an entire sidewalk section that's dedicated and is dog-friendly.

We also make our own homemade doggy desserts called pupsicles.

Our signature appetizer is called the Dog Ear.

It is our little spin on cheesesteak egg roll.

(gentle upbeat music) It is the scratch dishes.

It is the craft cocktails.

It's the entire experience of what we have here that I believe is a city experience out in the suburbs.

And so, feeling inviting, feeling satisfied, I hope they feel like they're part of our family.

(gentle upbeat music) - Bill, Dog & Bull has a little bit of something for everybody.

Why did you pick it?

- Because it has a little bit of something for everybody.

It's the kind of place that you can take a variety of friends that may have different tastes and you can pretty much satisfy everybody's need.

It's kind of your local pub kind of feeling, at least for me.

And we really, myself, my wife and friends like the outdoors and they really have a nice outdoor area.

So, that's where the Dog & Bull kind of pull it together for us.

And then, also the brunches and things like that you can do.

- Bill, of course they have brunch, but they also do something special when you order pancakes.

- Dog & Bull contributes to Parkinson's disease if you buy the pancakes on the weekends for their brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.

So for me, it was near and dear to my heart and I think that it kind of resonates with other folks, so.

- [Kae] Yeah, that's a worthwhile stack of pancakes.

- Yeah.

- Yeah, it's worthwhile stack.

Buy two.

At the end of the day, the go-to for me, I mean, you can get anything from your wings, quesadillas, to traditional bar food.

For us, on a nice casual, if we're not going there for brunch, it is the hamburger, you know?

It is the traditional American dish, the hamburger.

That, to me, is freshly made, it's delicious, and you build your own burger.

So, from bacon to fried onions to mushrooms.

And I think if you ask the wait staff, they'll put anything else that you want on at the kitchen sink.

I'm a basic burger guy with a couple of extras.

Bacon's always good.

You gotta go bacon.

This is a piece of meat.

It's not, "Where's the beef?"

So, there isn't a lot of room left.

- How was your lentil burger?

- Delicious and I mean, I love a good hamburger, but I also get really excited about vegetarian food.

Sometimes, veggie burgers are an area where I think the kitchen really has a chance to shine.

So, I just find vegetarian food to be a little bit more exciting and telling of the quality of the kitchen, and I thought that the lentil burger was delicious.

- You got an Over The Top Burger?

- Yeah, the Over The Top Burger that is on their menu, it's made with like a cheddar beer sauce and crispy onions and crispy bacon, all in like this tall brioche bun.

I feel like smash burgers have really taken over the scene.

This is not that.

This is a pub style burger.

I prefer a pub style burger with like, you know, you can actually see, like when you order it medium rare, you can see the medium rare.

Very tasty, but I would say the thing that, like, really impressed me beyond the burger was the wings.

I think they're like twice fried, no breading on it, which is how I prefer my, like, chicken wings, a really good buffalo sauce that's like a little spicy, not that spicy, tangy, and then like a homemade blue cheese.

The wings were outrageous.

The burger was very good as well, but the wings were outrageous.

- Alicia, you kicked off your meal with the Cowboy Candy Brussels Sprouts.

- Yes, they were so good.

It was a deep fried Brussels sprout coated in a hot honey, a jalapeno honey, I believe.

So, they were a little bit spicy, they were sweet, they were crispy.

We also had the Cheesesteak Dog Ears, which I know were like a house specialty.

Definitely a crowd pleaser.

A little bit crispy, got that cheesesteak filling and a cheese sauce to dip in as well.

My husband had a horseradish patty melt, so I did get to try the beef.

It wasn't a build-your-own burger situation.

Excellently seasoned and just really crispy and delicious.

And my mother-in-law also got the beef and mushroom risotto, which was so indulgent, just creamy and cheesy, almost too much.

I took a bite and was immediately full.

(all laughing) - Let's dig into the drinks a little bit here.

You had a tequila, how was it?

- Yeah, I won't stay true to the beer end of this, but I've been trying to stay away from the beer just on and off.

But the tequila has been an area that I've been going to.

I think my wife ordered a mule flight, a tequila mule flight, so there were four or five different varieties of tequila that she enjoyed.

And it was just, you know, basic rocks, tequila, and a smile on your face, and that's your local pub.

- I had something on special that was a hibiscus and vodka cocktail.

Again, I love hibiscus.

No cardamom syrup in this one, but it was delicious and really expertly made.

I also had a gin and tonic afterwards that was also very good.

- It's a vibe.

There's definitely a presence there and especially that outdoor area.

Did anyone get a chance to check it out, at least?

- The fire pit that they have out there is really cool.

If I lived closer, it'd be a spot that I would take my dog to.

'Cause as the name suggests, they are dog-friendly in the outdoor area.

It feels like an environment where you want to be with your friends.

- Did anyone get a chance to try any desserts?

- So, we did get a basic cookie and ice cream.

Oh, how fancy could that be?

But let me tell you what, what was done to that cookie and that ice cream and I don't know if it just came at the right time.

I mean we had enough food that we ended up packing it and taking it home.

You know, we brought spoons out for everybody and so it was a communal kind of thing.

And then at the end of the day, it was just the end to an nice little meal at your local little pub.

- And Alicia, what did you think of the prices?

- I thought it was a steal.

Everything was reasonably priced and large portions.

We definitely had some leftovers to take home and enjoy, so it ended up being two meals' worth of food for the price and I think it's a good bang for your buck.

- Bill, this was your pick.

Sum it up for us.

- A place you wanna bring your friends, kick back, put a T-shirt on or you can dress up and enjoy really nice, casual pub food.

- Alicia, what is your final takeaway?

- It's a lively atmosphere that makes you feel right at home with a little bit of something for everyone food-wise and great for dog watching.

- And Jacob, what is your final thought?

- Yeah, super well executed, classic American bar food.

You will have leftovers and you will have fun.

- Check out Dog & Bull for yourself, located at 810 Bristol Pike in Croydon.

215-788-2855.

Reservations are accepted and the average tab of person is $30.

Alicia Gray loves this swanky, Center City cocktail bar and coffee roaster, and brunch place date night happy hour spot.

Anytime, any vibe.

Alicia recommends Enswell.

(upbeat music) - Enswell used to be Rival Brothers Cafe.

It's inspired by European style cafes where you can come in, get coffee, pastries, breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Cocktails as well.

We do a little bit of everything, (upbeat music) Not a very big place, sort of that mom-and-pop feel of starting small.

But you know, big dreams.

Do things the right way and stand out for doing it the right way.

- We do emphasize local producers and working with New Liberty distilling, putting flavor into cocktails that you wouldn't necessarily expect.

(sultry music) - [Andrew] Some of the inspiration for the food is just memories.

Especially in Philadelphia, people like what they like, they want what they want, and what we try and do is show them something or tell them something that they know and then present it well, like, in a way that they haven't had it.

- [Esther] When I create something, the first person who I go to is Andrew and I'm like, "Hey, what do you think of this thing?"

- Every time Esther comes up to me and says, "Hey, what do you think of this?"

You can see it on her face.

It's her putting herself into it, and that's something that you don't see a lot.

- It's about making people feel included.

It all really does start from scratch, from the plate.

(bright music) - [Andrew] Everybody's here together in this moment, whether it's a first date or a 50th anniversary or a business meeting.

Every single human being has some moment in their life that food is involved with.

That is the one thing that every single person has in common, and that's what I want this place to feel like.

(bright music) - Alicia, as their motto says, all's well at Enswell.

Why did you pick it?

- So, I have been trying to take myself out to different restaurants Center City every week as a treat to myself since I live in South Jersey now.

And out of all the restaurants that I've hit, Enswell has been my favorite.

It is consistently the best food, the best cocktails, and such a beautiful interior.

And it's really welcoming to be able to go and sit at the bar, chat up the bartender, or bring a date.

And I think there's just an extensive menu.

They change it often and there's something for everyone.

- Enswell, it's hard to say what are your go-tos because they're constantly changing the menu.

But what did you get this last time?

- This last time, the crab hash brown, which I believe is so popular that they have been keeping it on the menu, is so delicious.

You get this warm, crispy hash brown with this chilled creamy crab on top, perfectly seasoned and just like the most delicious bite.

I also had an escargot toast, super fresh, very succulent escargot in a buttery, nutty sauce with shaved truffles over toast, and the toast absorbed all that wonderful sauce.

- [Jacob] Oh wow.

And my favorite was the scotch egg.

Big fan of scotch eggs.

It was a perfectly jammy egg just wrapped in this really herby sausage, deep fried, obviously crispy, and served with a really bright, crunchy salad.

- I am such a caffeine head that I had two coffees there, three coffees there, one of which was a orange bergamot ice latte, which was outrageous.

And the other was something that I had never had before.

It was an espresso tonic with... So, the orange bergamot syrup, a shot or two of espresso, and then a cucumber tonic, and then you swirl that together.

It was delicious.

- Is that, like, a little bit effervescent?

- Yes, and, like, light and, like, playful, which is a weird thing to say about coffee.

And then, the breakfast sandwich was delicious.

It was like a homemade English muffin, a nice, like, lightly folded egg, Cooper sharp cheese, and then this like homemade hockey puck of sausage, that breakfast sausage, which had like sage and black pepper, which was delicious.

And then, these crispy home fry, like, potatoes with roasted red peppers in them that I was also recommended to get.

Dip that in some ketchup, you're having a good time.

- I went for breakfast, for brunch on a Sunday and I had to start off with an appetizer, what I called it, which was the cinnamon buns.

And that, to me- - [Alicia] Incredible, right?

- It is served in the skillet and everything that comes with the cinnamon, that melts and the icing on top of that is retained in that skillet, so at the end of the day, you are now dipping in that skillet trying to get every piece.

And that was just our appetizer, and it was just really well, well done and it was a good way to kick off a breakfast, and then we get into the traditional breakfast, - The sauce on top of the cinnamon buns, it just, so imbued with vanilla.

Like, normally you don't really taste the vanilla.

In this, you really, really do.

- Then, you followed that up with just a very classic traditional breakfast.

- Yeah, just a classic kind of breakfast.

Couple eggs, some home fries, some bacon, and also a mushroom scrapple.

- Again, with the vegetarian food, and the innovation around that, it's always really exciting.

- Compared to, you know, traditional meat-based scrapple, what did you think of the mushroom scrapple?

- Well, I'll give you the official decision from my wife who is the scrapple- - Aficionado?

- Aficionado, yeah.

Couldn't tell the difference.

Enjoyed both.

It was just flavorful, hit all the major- - Did it have that notable scrapple kind of crispy crust - Yep.

- on the outside?

- Looked just like scrapple.

- Wow.

- Absolutely did look like scrapple.

- And one of their most popular dishes is an avocado crost, which it's like an avocado toast, but like, instead of toast, it's on a, what is it?

On a croissant.

- Croissant.

- And your wife tried that.

- Yes.

Again, another dish I didn't get to try because she enjoyed it so much.

(Kae laughing) It was, first of all, the presentation was really nice.

It was there.

She enjoyed it.

It was, again, it was about quality, not quantity and worth every penny.

Yeah, worth every penny.

- Pretty much everything that I've had there has been excellent.

I tend to be a gin drinker.

So, the Odissi Negroni was what I had most recently.

And I had tried to order it one time before and they were actually sold out of it because it's popular.

It's a clarified chai and bitter persimmon liqueur cocktail.

And the clarified chai is just so interesting, has so much depth of flavor.

The fact that it's clarified through milk gives it sort of like a fuller mouth feel, which is really nice in a cocktail.

It makes it so much smoother.

- You also tried the For Whom The Bell Tolls cocktail.

- Yes, it was a delightful combination of gin, saffron liqueur which comes off just like this beautiful fragrant, not so in your face.

It's subtle, but with a bit of absinthe mixed in and some sparkling wine just levels it out perfectly.

- And in terms of prices, Alicia, what do you think of the prices?

- It is on the pricier side, and I would say portions can be small, but everything is so well executed.

I believe the menu is built for tasting, not indulging, you know, so you don't wanna fill up on a couple of bites.

You wanna be able to get lots of plates, get lots of tastes of things.

And it can be a bit of a splurge, but well worth it in my opinion.

And I've always felt like it feels like walking into a resort.

You know, you've got all of this French flair, but also a little bit tropical with the paintings on the wall.

It feels like a "White Lotus" resort.

(all laughing) - Alicia, Enswell is your pick.

Sum it up for us.

- It's a gorgeous escape from the hustle and bustle of Center City, an all-day cafe with a little bit of French flair, little Euro flair, with expertly made small plates and cocktails.

Jacob, what's the big takeaway?

- Yeah, the breakfast was so good.

It makes me want to go back for dinner.

- And Bill, bring it on home.

- It's a place to go to decompress.

Leave your troubles behind when you walk through the door and enjoy the atmosphere and the people and the staff that are there.

I think you'll enjoy it.

- Sip some cocktails for yourself at Enswell, located at 1528 Spruce Street in Philadelphia.

215-398-5919.

Reservations are accepted and the average tab per person without drinks is $35 at brunch and lunch, and 65 at dinner.

So on this week's show, we featured Doro Bet in West Philly, Dog & Bull in Croydon, and Enswell in Center City.

Special thanks to my guests, Jacob Fink, Bill Curry, and Alicia Gray.

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

And don't forget to find us on Instagram and TikTok.

We're @checkpleasephilly.

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

(glasses clinking) - [All] Cheers.

(bright upbeat music)