One local resident thinks nearby restaurants are worth exploring.
The traditional food favorite in Philadelphia is the cheesesteak, but North Philadelphia community member Ramisous MAAT-RA, said that he had only had a cheesesteak, “perhaps once.” Instead he enjoys foods served at his favorite local restaurants.
“The restaurants I do favor are Patterson’s Palace, which is at 1627 Cecil B. Moore and Atiya Ola’s Spirit First Foods,” MAAT-RA said. “[Atiya Ola’s Spirit First Foods] is a health food place, meaning that they serve raw and cooked, but only vegetarian foods. That’s on 4505 Baltimore Ave. over there in West Philadelphia.”
He is a fan of Patterson’s Palace located at 16th Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue, not too far from Temple’s campus. Patterson’s Palace is known for its soul and vegan foods as well as Italian, Caribbean, classic American and international food selection.
“[I enjoy] all of it. I am one that has, at any given restaurant, eaten off of the entire menu. In fact, at Patterson’s I have created my own meals with the different chefs that are there and they put it together,” MAAT-RA said. “People come in and they look and say, ‘oh my that looks good,’ and I say it’s not on the menu. You got to put in a special order.”
MAAT-RA has eating habits influenced by his diagnoses of gout and has added healthier food into his diet.
“I am not a vegetarian because I don’t think like a vegetarian,” MAAT-RA said. “I was brought up carnivorous, eating meat, brought up eating vegetables, so for me when the discomfort came, meaning gout, I had to change my eating habits just like that.”
What one can learn from MAAT-RA is to not stick to just the traditional Philly favorites, and explore lesser well known restaurants in Philadelphia.
Kierra Bussey can be reached at
kierrajb@temple.edu.
I see that dude all the time at Pattersons Palace. He might even work there, you might want to consider charging him for the shameless plug. Good Work.
Ramisous doesn’t work there.