Ida Mae’s For Breakfast, Lunch Or Dinner

In a review sure to get Philebrity riled up Craig LaBan drops “funky” three times in his review of Fishtown’s Ida Mae’s. But he finds the food good in the AM or the PM.

Ida’s chef and co-owner, Mary Kate McCaughey, always knew she wanted a “bruncherie” because of the sense of community that morning meal taps. And she’s a local, having grown up in Port Richmond and Fishtown, where as a girl she used to buy penny candy at the grocery Ida’s eventually replaced.

That corner space, most recently a coffee shop, was transformed by Mary Kate’s husband, Feargus McCaughey, into a charmingly cozy cafe, with a bustling counterside grill in front, and a rear dining room that feels like a well-kept parlor, with stained-glass windows, wooden banquettes, arty photos, and granite cafe tables.

Those seats hum to capacity on weekends. And though our mellow mop-topped waiter could have moved with more pep (and remembered the water, o.j., and cutlery), the kitchen works like a well-buttered machine (about a pound of it goes into the creamed chipped beef).

Two Bells – Very Good

Ida Mae’s [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Ida Mae’s [Official Site]