Retro Week: Your Favorite Throwback Dishes In Philly

It being Thursday and us being in a retro kind of mood this week here at Foobooz World HQ, we decided to do our own little game of Throwback Thursday. But rather than asking for ridiculous photos of you passed out drunk in someone’s basement rec room with your parachute pants and Flock Of Seagulls hair, we’re looking for something better. What we want you to reminisce about are your favorite throwback dishes being served in Philly–what you like and where you go to get it today.

What’s that? You want some examples? We’re here to help.

Art likes the spaghetti and clams at Tre Scalini because he’s classy like that. And the meatballs at the new Triangle Tavern because they’re old school and simple and not stuffed full of ramps of blobby cheese goop. They’re made of animals–cow, baby cow and pig–like god intended. There’s no room for anything else.

Oh, and the steak frites at La Peg, too. Because what’s more throw-back-y than steak and potatoes with a French accent?

Me? I’m a fan of the quenelle at Le Cheri, the greasy, hot and perfect egg rolls at my neighborhood Chinese take-out place that taste like they were made in the 1980’s and brought to me via time machine, and the lobster rolls at Luke’s–which totally count as throwbacks since they’re actually done the way lobster rolls are supposed to be done and hadn’t been done in Philly for years before Luke’s showed up.

Also, I have long since grown weary of the parade of fancy-pants artisinal pizzas, all cracker-crusted and topped with cheeses more pedigreed than a show dog. Thus, I have a soft spot for the red top pizzas that come out of the ovens at Charlie’s in Norristown. And it doesn’t hurt that I can get a large pie, a six pack of Yuengling, and a meatball sandwich for the same price I’d pay for a single, jumped-up free-range pie in Center City.

So you get the game here? We’re talking about the old stuff (even if it’s being done by new hands) and the good stuff (even if it’s terrible for you, or considered terrible by all your foodie friends). We’re looking for the stuff that either isn’t done anywhere else anymore, or is done so well that it puts all other pretenders to shame. Let us know in the comments where you go for your tastes of yesterday.