Address: | 124 S 18th St, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA |
Phone: | +1 215-558-2500 |
Site: | thedandelionpub.com |
Rating: | 4.6 |
Working: | 11:30AM–11PM 11:30AM–11PM 11:30AM–11PM 11:30AM–11PM 11:30AM–12AM 10AM–12AM 10AM–10PM |
MA
May Chan
I arrived last Friday evening early to drop off my friends birthday cake. The hostess informed me that there was a cake fee, which she didnt know exactly how much, she guessed that it might be $7. She started to walk away with my cake and I informed her that it is for my friend and his name is on the box since she didnt ask me who the cake belonged to. We ordered a bunch of appetizers to share and an entree per person so we can try all the different dishes. Deviled Eggs: any home-made ones were better than these. While there werent any special ingredients in them, we could not taste any yolk flavor, only mayonnaise, and a bit strong on the paprika. The Pickled beets and the oysters were the only two things there were good that evening. The gazpacho was salty and had no tomato flavor, the worst I have ever had. The dandelion salad was not bad, but there were only 3 pieces of dandelion. I understand that it is a very bitter green, but maybe it shouldnt be called a dandelion salad. The beef tartare was subpar: the complimentary greens and toast were better than the tartare itself. For entree, I had the rabbit pie. It wasnt much of a pie. It was more like filling with a store bought puff pastry cut in a circle and baked in the oven. Two of my friends had the Lamb Sherpherds pie and they were both unsatisfied. One friend had the chicken, which was good. We were ready for the birthday cake to be brought out and it was supposed to be a surprised, when my friend try to whisper to the waitperson about bringing out the cake, she said "cake?" very loudly. A few moments later, our waitress brings out our cake with the candle lit IN THE BOX I BROUGHT IT IN. Ive been dining out for many years and this is the first time Ive ever been served a cake in its box. I was so embarrassed, but luckily my friend was so grateful for the cake that he didnt notice or cared. Immediately after my friend blew out the candle, the cake was swept away. A few minutes later, we were served equal size pieces of cake. Again, this is the first time I have been to an establishment where they didnt offer our birthday person to cut his own cake. When the check arrived, I was curious at the cost of the cake fee. I was surprised to find that it was $4 per person, which turned out to be $20 for 5 of us. I didnt expect it would cost us per person. I assume it was like a cork fee and would be charged per bottle. Perhaps this is a new trend in dining like the new airline baggage fees. Summary: My friends and I had a bad experience. If the food was good or great, it might have overcame the crazy, bad, and unusual cake service.
MO
Monika Martin
We wanted to take my friend somewhere nice for her birthday so we made reservations at the Dandelion. The décor is incredible and if you are driving into the city, there is a convenient pay-to-park at the end of Sansom St. (bit of a walk, but it’s scenic and the lot doesn’t over charge). Definitely make reservations. When we showed up the place was packed (we went on a Thursday). The hostesses were amazing, we’d called and made reservations (which I definitely recommend) and every hostess wished my friend a happy birthday. Overall, stellar costumer service, I hope they pay them well! We had to wait a few minutes for our table, so our hostess gave us complimentary champagne. The wait was barely 5 minutes, nothing unreasonable, but the staff was so polite and apologetic. They sat us in an upper room which was really nice because the downstairs is noisy from the bar. Food was fantastic, definitely more than I would typically spend but well worth the value especially since you get a complimentary bread basket. I wish I remembered our waitress’ name because she was great, very attentive and answered all of our questions. Drinks were awesome! My friend had a “London Fog” (mixed drink made with egg yolks) that I definitely recommend. Between the three of us we had oysters, duck Bolognese and mussels, all of which were very good and nicely portioned. The waitress was very kind about putting a candle in our desert ice cream. Overall, the bill came out to about $100 for the three of us, including drinks, meals, appetizer and dessert which felt very reasonable considering the high level of customer service.
MI
Minh Chau
A Stephen Starr restaurant, Dandelion is a cozy, three-story gastropub serving, well, bland English food. We arrived for brunch starving because of the hour fallback, and so we both ended up ordering the everything English Breakfast. The dish is a mash up of "two eggs any style, cumberland sausage, black pudding, tomato, mushroom, smoked bacon, fried bread, and baked beans." When I first read this, I almost drooled. Unfortunately, the dish was rather anti-climatic. Given my recent run with a string of unhealthy foods, I had asked my eggs to be substituted with egg whites. However, it didnt seem like the chef adjusted his seasoning to the new ingredient - the salt stood out against the tasteless egg whites like an Asian in Moscow (trust me, I know from personal experience!). The baked beans was nothing extraodinary, and certainly something that can be bought out of a can. The tomato (only one small slice!), mushroom (only one piece), smoked bacon, and fried bread were the best parts of the dish. But, those things are really, really hard to mess up - especially for anyone working in a Starr restaurant. Things took a turn for the better with the Orange-Scented Madeleines. These are freshly made to order, and are paired with melted chocolate (over 50% cocoa). This was good (anything with chocolate is at a minimum good in my book), but nothing awesome. So, would I go back? Oddly enough, yes. There were a lot of other things on the menu that sounded enticing, and Id hate to write off an entire restaurant simply because of one or two dishes. Plus, the service was very friendly and prompt.
JO
Joe Maccarelli
~ This corky British, old-world styled establishment was a godsend cure to the ultimate wedding hangover. First impressions: In search of the Dandelion location I happened to walk by it twice. At first I thought it was due to my hangover repercussions, but then realized the blackened exterior surrounded by potted trees, & a small logo on the wooden door was the result. Now this is not necessarily a bad thing, as it adds a of blanket of mystery to the appeal of the Dandelion. The inside was very intriguing, each dining room had its own unique style. I started off with their version of a mimosa, which tasted mostly like champagne & a very minute amount of OJ. For lunch I went with the traditional burger & fries (pictured.) The bun was firm & held the perfectly cooked medium rare patty & co together. Now for the all-star of the meal, the large cut potato fries... Not too soft, not too crunchy, not too salty, not too not salty...they single handedly whisked away my whiskey based hangover. Recommendations: Enlarge the wooden serving boards when plating a salad on them (no one wants their salad dangling onto the table top.) Lukewarm water on a hot day as the waiter spills half of it due to milk-bottle shaped glass is not a good vibe. The Don approves of this establishment & will be back ~