Sunday, November 12, 2006

King Ferdinand, es muy muy bien

Last night I made the commitment to go out in Northern Liberties. I say commitment because as much as everyone loves the starving artist "6th borough" feel of this perpetually up-and-coming neighborhood, no one can deny its isolation from the rest of Center City. If you find yourself unhappy with the venues NoLibs has to offer, there's most definitely a cab fare in your future to at least make it back to Old City. So as far as I am concerned, whatever happens in NoLibs, I stay in NoLibs. For the evening, that is. Sorry cabbies, but I am lazy and cheap.


So this evening we checked out Bar Ferdinand, the latest addition to the Liberties Walk community. Having spent much time in the glorious country of Espana, tapas are always on my menu. I can still remember late night bocadillos after a night out at the clubs in Malaga. And Bar Ferdinand brought me back to these noches calientes where the vino was tinto, the queso was manchego, and the Erino was drunko.

Bar Ferdinand, like many of Philly's Spanish restuarants (think Mixto and Amada) is a really attractive space. The design is flawless, and I loved the tribute to the black bull, one of Spain's most familiar emblems. The food was spot on, from the gambas al ajillo to the pinchos andaluz, it all felt the same as it did in the neighborhood bars in Jerez de la Frontera. The tempranillo wine was a perfect accent to all of the dishes we sampled (and we did dabble in quite a few). The only downside was that most of our dishes arrived almost immediately upon placing our order - definitely out of line with the far more relaxed, take-your-time attitude of an authentic Andalusian outpost.

Bar Ferdinand presents an inexpensive opportunity to experiment with the foods of Espana. Once you've savoured all the tapas you can stomach, head over to Standard Tap or Liberties for a few well-poured pints. And then hail your cab, one stop, straight home.

Bar Ferdinand, 1030 N. 2nd St. 215.923.1313

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