Let's Eat: Casting a net for seafood; I need a table TONIGHT

Philly used to be a seafood town, with a fine supply of reasonably priced fish houses. Not so much anymore. I scoured and I found some pearls. Also this week, check out delicious Korean food in a Dresher strip mall, deli sandwiches at Reading Terminal Market, and light bites from an Australian-themed coffee shop. And, mates, if you need a hand with a last-minute Valentine's reservation, I have advice. If you need food news, click here and follow me on Twitter and Instagram. Email tips, suggestions, and questions here. If someone forwarded you this free newsletter and you like what you're reading, sign up here to get it every week.

— Michael Klein

"A decent, reasonably priced seafood restaurant in the city?" Options, alas, are few. The restaurant biz runs tight margins, and fresh seafood's costs are flukey.

Seafood Unlimited (270 S. 20th St.), one of Philly's "sleeper" restaurants, has been around since the early '70s, first as a seafood market and now as a bar-restaurant jazzed up by an Isaiah Zagar mural and a killer $11.95 all-you-can-eat mussels special on Mondays.

Italian Market mainstay Anastasi Seafood (Ninth and Washington) also grew out a fish market to become a bar-restaurant with an emphasis on shellfish. Right inside a market — Reading Terminal — is Pearl's Oyster Bar, a no-frills counter that mixes traditional and more modern preparations.

Though it's changed hands, Gallo's (8101 Roosevelt Blvd.) still turns tables in Northeast Philly with cheerful service, to boot.

Two newer-comers are worth a throw: Pinefish in Washington Square West, whose happy hour features buck-a-shuck oysters and clams and there's a cleverly named Friends With Benedicts Sunday brunch. There's also the kitschy Bait & Switch, a bar that is killing it in Port Richmond across from Tacconelli's.

For the takeout and delivery crowd, solid options (and strawberry iced tea) abound from Captain Hooks, a hole-in-the-wall just north of the Temple campus in North Philly.

For Philly fish-house style and buck-a-shucks at happy hour, try two of the city's fancier seafooders: The Olde Bar (on the site of Old Original Bookbinder's at Second and Walnut Streets) and Oyster House (1516 Sansom St.).

A Fond Farewell, at Abe Fisher, Rittenhouse

Abe Fisher manager Brian Kane loves the Sazerac — so much, he remade it. For the new drink A Fond Farewell, he starts with Old Granddad, Ramazzotti Amaro, and a dash of orange liqueur.  He adds a bit of Galliano and Strega — fairly obscure Italian liqueurs that provide sweetness and herbal notes — then amplifies this with fernet-branca amaro, a bar spoon of ginger, and two dashes of Peychaud's bitters. The good times roll.

The quirky name Ra's Very Eatery matches the Japanese-Korean fusion offerings at this stylish BYOB next to an Acme (and a liquor store!) in a Dresher strip mall. It draws office workers by day, date-nighters and families by night. The menu satisfies those seeking authenticity (house-made soy sauce) as well as their more timid friends (tempura!). There's sushi, sizzling stone bowls (e.g. bibimbap), poke and hwe dup bob, and a full line of noodle dishes (udon, japchae). Service is sweet, too.

A hot pastrami on rye can't solve all of your problems — definitely not your high blood pressure or out-of-control cholesterol — but hey, it tastes glorious. Hershel's East Side Deli is smack in the middle of Reading Terminal Market, across the aisle from another best-in-class sandwich destination,  DiNic's. Hershel's sandwich makers don't spare the meat (corned beef, turkey, pastrami), and you can grab a stool at the counter to kibitz with the staff.

Toasts (or what we olds would call a "toasted open-face sandwich") are the thing at Bluestone Lane, the Aussie-themed coffee shop with branches across from City Hall, in Rittenhouse, and in King of Prussia Mall. Start the day with banana toast (with almond butter, honey, and cinnamon) or segue into turmeric-roasted sweet potato hummus or smoked salmon or avocado (brightened by lemon juice and chili flakes). Your cash is no good here, by the way. Like Sweetgreen, it's credit and debit only.

Bernie's Restaurant & Bar | University City

The Montgomery County pub opens Number 3 at 3432 Sansom St., taking the shuttered Doc Magrogan's Oyster House and onetime home of La Terrasse.

Chuck's BBQ | Bristol

Texas-style barbecue takeout comes to Bristol Borough.

Mama's Meatballs | Pennsauken

Food truck gets a brick-and-mortar location at 2673 Haddonfield Rd. in Pennsauken, opening Feb. 20.

Verbena | Kennett Square

Chef Scott Morozin, whose past includes Tangerine, Gayle, Rae, and Sola BYOB, has opened this homey BYOB at 102 E. State St. in Kennett Square.

The Living Room Cafe | Queen Village

Brunch spot at Fifth and Monroe Streets folds after 2½ years.

Mandarin Garden | Willow Grove

Feb. 18 is the finale after 32 years, as the restaurant and its surrounding buildings are being razed for new construction.

Reader: Don't hate me. I am a procrastinator. Where can I get a Valentine's Day table now? Isn't everything booked up?

Mike Klein, sitting in for Craig LaBan: I'll spare the lecture about how dining out on Valentine's Day is for masochists. Here's a little secret: You may think a restaurant is booked, but know that online reservation services do not lock up every seat in the house. Even if OpenTable or Reserve say that the coveted 7:30 p.m. time slot is gone, you'd be advised to call the restaurant and verify. Also know that many restaurants that take reservations leave some tables for walk-ins (though on Valentine's Day, they may not). If you lack a reservation and have a sense of adventure, go to a restaurant row (such as East Passyunk or 13th Street) and simply walk in.

Barbuzzo sends you away? Maybe you can slip into Lolita or El Vez or Vintage or Sampan, all steps away. A spot-check of OpenTable found prime-time availability at the very fine Nom Wah Tea Parlor in Chinatown (get the egg rolls), Aldine in Rittenhouse (new chef with lots to prove), Oloroso in Washington Square West (a romantic Spanish tapas bar), SuGa in Rittenhouse (Susanna Foo's Chinese restaurant), and Danlu in University City (Taiwanese). Reserve shows space at Tredici in Washington Square West, Rex 1516 on South Street West, and Res Ipsa and Audrey Claire in Rittenhouse. And there's always the 5 or 9 p.m. table.

For more Q&As, join critic Craig LaBan's food chat at 2 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the month at Philly.com/food. ​