I recently posted a message on Twitter (https://twitter.com/edw/status/32234616412708865) about the bar situation at Dandelion, Starr's new restaurant on the northwest corner of 18th and Sansom Streets, across from Tria in Rittenhouse Square. I sent that missive before I was seated on the second floor for dinner, and I have to say I had a completely different experience upstairs. It was cozy, which is European for "pleasantly tight". The food was good, especially the devilled eggs, which were made with curry. I can also report that the bread, fries, fish and chips, shepherd's pie, and coffee were all also excellent. This is the best Starr restaurant I've ever been to. He seems to have matured, as the decor doesn't self-consciously scream "I am a high-concept dining experience!" the way each of his previous establishments does. My problem was with the clientele at the bar. They skew toward old, loud, oafish white men with overdeveloped senses of entitlement. I passive aggressively asked the bartender, loudly, if perhaps some of his patrons mistook this new establishment for the Happy Rooster, which is only a couple of blocks away and specializes in serving these sorts of embarassments to manhood and humanity. But again, the second floor is a wonderful place. If I go again, and I probably will, I would refuse to sit anywhere on the first floor, where the bloviations of a mere half dozen bad apples can resonate throughout. Bear in mind that yhis is coming from me, an inveterate bar eater and bar book reader. Anyway, I wanted to set the record straight, or at least provide some more context, as Starr and his collaborators deserve a lot of praise for their efforts.

Here she is, in front of The Papery and its entry for the Old City window design competition.

I posted the full videos from my evening of bike rack adventures to YouTube:

I think this video speaks for itself.