Tria: The Best Philadelphia Restaurant for Beer, Wine & Cheese

The residents of Washington West might have been happy if a Blimpies had opened up on the dismal northeast corner of 12th and Spruce. Thankfully, instead they've been gifted with Tria, a sister-store to the popular Rittenhouse restaurant. Our visit to the wine, cheese and beer bar was highly anticipated. We'd monitored the construction for months, then were impressed with the non-stop stream of handsome locals who congregated at the simple and stylish bar or sidewalk tables. While Tria is ensconced warmly within the Gayborhood, the clientele is a fresh mix of young and old, fresh and funky, gay and straight. While we come to places for the food or spirits, we certainly stay longer if those assembled are interesting

Dinner started with glasses of the Prosecco ($9), an effervescent white with a slight peach flavor and a dry finish, and a Standing Stone Riesling ($9) also with a peach finish, but a bit more flinty. Both were suggestions of the Tria staff, and we urge you to utilize their experience when selecting. With the wine, we had a helping of the Parmesan olive oil potato chips ($2) and the bruschetta with balsamic-strawberries ($4). While I scarfed down the plate of homemade potato chips, my boy toy preferred the unique flavor combinations of the bruschetta. For our main courses, I chose the smoked chicken with Lancaster cheddar sandwich ($8). The tender and tasty chicken was laden with grilled spring onion, fresh lettuce and original apricot mustard. My companion enjoyed an incredible smoked chicken salad ($9). Crispy prosciutto, grape tomatoes and a fresh mix of greens served with goat cheese toast.