A Review of Philadelphia's Tommy Dee's Cafe @ Woody's

My pal Skip takes a lot of grief. We pick on him about his advancing age (nearly dead-like 44 or something...), his Kohl's chachki addiction, and his adoration of the food at Woody's. Skip raves about the food at Woody's. I thought he had early Alzheimer's, so I ignored his babbling, concentrating on stealing his Hummel figurine collection.

I thought I would prove that old geezer wrong by reviewing Woody's for Associated Content. I took my pal Joe, who had told Skip he'd sooner eat lint then go to Woody's. We cackled like girls at the thought of proving in print that Skip's choice chow bag was not up to par. Little did we know that we'd be eating a fine meal and a portion of crow.

Straight up, the food at Woody's is surprisingly wonderful. Your thinking someone has a gun to my head or is bribing me? Honestly, try it. You'll be ecstatic. For the record, it's Tommy D's Café; named after exec. chef Tommy, a talented man with plenty of experience serving fine food. We went on a Tuesday, which is their special A Taste of Italy Night. I thought the theme had something to do with the cute waiter, but no...It was about the food.

We started with fried mozzarella ($6) served with a zesty homemade marinara. The fresh mozz was deep fried in just a light breading. I've ordered Mozzarella at restaurants from Minneapolis to Milan, I know my batter fried cheese. Like that golden oldie Skip had been preaching, Tommy D's is excellent.
For our main courses, Joey choose the veal marsala ($12). Thinly sliced tender bits of veal in a rich brown wine sauce with fresh mushrooms, was, to quote Joey, "Out of this world." Served with a side of spaghetti in delish gravy, the meal was clearly homemade and authentic. Joey normally attempts to be a dainty ingénue in public, but this plate got him licking his plate clean.

Sticking with my need for cheese, I went with the Fettuccini Alfredo with Chicken ($12). Fresh fettuccini noodles were tossed in a creamy three-cheese sauce, topped off with some perfectly-cooked strips of chicken. This, as any Italian knows, is a tricky dish. You've got to keep it creamy without getting to greasy. Tommy D's dish was fantastico.

For the finale, we split a South Philly style Canoli, draped in whipped cream and chocolate sauce. But this wasn't our true desert. Sure, the canolli was incredible, but we still had a large portion of "I told you so!" to eat. We'd have to face Skip, and admit that we had foolishly misjudged a great restaurant. It's awesome that we now have a new favorite foodery, but damn...Do we ever hate to admit we were wrong.

Tommy D's Café has an excellent wine selection, by the bottle or glass, to compliment your meal. (Wow! Clicquot too!) Since they are kind of smack-dab-next to a bar, they can also get you any of the classic Woody's drink selections. If Italian is not your thing, they've got a great pub menu served on the other nights, a really spectacular lunch menu (and they deliver), and their Sunday brunch is also worth checking out.

Stop by Tommy D's and prove your misconceptions wrong. If you see an older fellow with a walker who kind of looks like Tab Hunter, that's Skip. He knew what you were missing a long time ago.

Tommy D's Café @ Woody's, 202 South 13th St, $$, 11 am 215-545-1893, woodysbar.com.