• “Doofy” name aside, G-Ho neighborhood bistro SoWe showed some promise for Adam Erace. The chickpea fritters, which newly appointed chef Jenn Choplin carried over from her stint at Watkins Drinkery, was “suffused with garlic and charred poblano peppers, each crispy falafel sphere came embellished with a pink pickled shallot and leaf of cilantro in a way that was purposeful and smart.” The “untraditional” pork ribs and their “generously applied bourbon barbecue sauce” were more memorable. And the vegan Reuben “outperformed a real-meat” chicken tartine that was plagued by “disappointingly dry grilled paillards.” [Citypaper]
• In anticipation of the Kentucky Derby, Inky critic Craig LaBan checks in on Choplin’s Kentucky Hot Brown at SoWe, and reports back that it’s pretty legit. The “brunch hit” comes with a “couple of twists on tradition,” namely a French toast base, and “indulgent drizzle of Mornay cheese sauce.” [Good Taste]
• Trey Popp says his dinners at Chris Lee’s Sophia’s on East Passyunk Avenue were “incoherent and error-prone.” With no rhyme or reason, dishes arrived like “a bizarre palindrome: entrée, entrée, appetizer, appetizer, a Caesar salad smack in the middle.” “‘Fun’-sounding” plates, he adds were “flat and boring,” while larger ones “clashed rather than complementing one another.” [Phillymag]
