Philadelphia's Most Popular Gay Bar, Bump, Gets Better with Fancy Food

Philadelphia's gay, metrosexual, lesbian, and glamorous elite have one bar they choose to frequent...Bump. I'm a huge fan of Bump's martinis. Love the atmosphere, can't get enough of the friendly staff, and I've spent more time in their bathrooms than my own bed. In fact, I actually subletted the middle bathroom from them in 2004. I'd occasionally put my glass down to eat, but honestly, I wasn't coming to Bump for the food. The food was good, often great, but it was tough to tear me away from spirits for too long.

Then Bump debuted a new menu. Executive Chef Al Whiteside and manager Rick McIntyre gave the first class bar first class fare. I had trouble picking out any single option as dinner, so I forced my dinner companions to play the tapas game. I'm paying girls, you're sharing!

We started with a serving of Philly cheese steak spring rolls ($10). We've had this gastro-pub appetizer before at other spots, an appealing homage to our town. Bump's version was excellent, not greasy or soggy, but hot and crisp with a tasty meat interior. (Like my last Manhunt date.) We also snacked on some Kobe beef sliders, tender mini burgers topped with caramelized onions. Think White Castle, but with cow beef and not cat beef. The sliders were topped with bacon and a choice of bleu cheese or cheddar.

After the tasty amuse bouche of beef, we were hankering for hunks of the real deal. The Korean steak frites were perfectly marinated grilled flat-iron steak ($18) served with some small greens and seasoned fries. I only noshed a little on this item, since the greedy bitches at our table scarfed it down with no regard to moi. As payback, we made sure to get the lion's share of the truffle mac'n cheese ($12). One of the outstanding winners of the night, the elbow pasta with cheddar and truffle essence clearly put the Kraft crap back in my cupboard to shame. Another favorite was the marinated grilled flank steak ($18) served with a side of guacamole, horseradish and chimichurri. To balance all that beef, we ordered a platter of the Wasabi pea crusted crab cakes ($12). Having grown-up on the Maryland shores, it is tough to impress me with crab cakes. But Bump rose to the challenge, with a spicy and moist little morsel. (Just like my last 1-800 Gay Live date.) Indulging in more seafood, we tried the roaring black tiger shrimp ($12) 'cause it sounded so butch. Wrapped in bacon, the tangy firm shrimp was gone in a flash. My suggestion, order more then one serving-you won't be happy having just one. (Sorta like my friends at Premier.) Embracing our inner carnivore, we finished off the feasting with an order of crispy-skinned chicken breast ($14). Perfectly cooked bird with a crisp exterior, accompanied by the most extraordinary mango-chutney, a sauce so good several people had to be restrained from licking the plate.

Since we're pigs, we opted for desert. Usually I'd settle for a gallon of vodka and one of the boys at the bar, but it was Monday, so we went with actual food. My bitchy friends claimed to be waistline watching, so instead of going hog wild, we restrained with two choices. We first savored the classic cheesecake platter ($8), simply done and delicious. Accompanying it was a wonderful plate of blueberry bread pudding ($8). While I'm no fan of blueberries, I love bread pudding. This was a delightful melding of a personal fav, and something I don't really care about at all. I'd order it again.

As we all relaxed in our booth, letting our after desert pitcher of Tokyo Ice Tea ($45 - vodka, gin, rum, tequila, kiwi, and 7-Up...shew!) wash down the crumbs, I realized Bump really had it all. Great location, impeccable staff, booze by the bucket, and now an incredible menu. If they only had beds, I'd never leave. Oh wait, isn't that upstairs space available? -Matthew Ray

Bump, 1234 Locust St, 215-732-1800, bumplounge.com.