Uwishunu.com

top, Buddakan; bottom, James

Back in the thirties, forties and fifties, my family had a restaurant in Philadelphia. Called The Russian Inn, it was one of the few spots in the city that was appropriate for those special occasion meals that graduations, birthdays, promotions and anniversaries call for.

In the last fifty years, Philly’s restaurant scene has changed dramatically. Where there was once just a handful of places to go for a red-letter meal, these days it is impossible to count all the options on both hands. We’ve got upscale asian fusion, a Peruvian and Cantonese mash-up, elegant tapas as well as the more traditional but still lovely French, Italian and Contemporary American spots.

left, Waterworks; right, XIX

Yesterday, we asked our Facebook fans to name their favorite spots for special occasion meals. More than forty people offered up their favorite spots and the list runs nearly fifty restaurants long. It seems that people have a particular affinity for Buddakan, Le Bec Fin, Morimoto, James, XIX and the Waterworks. Smaller spots like Matyson, James and Friday, Saturday, Sunday also got several nods.

Where do you like to go for a meal when you’re celebrating something special? (Our complete list of suggested restaurants is after the jump, if you want to see all the spots that were recommended by our Facebook friends).

Dinner at Morimoto

Alma de Cuba
Amada
Asia on the Parkway
Barclay Prime
Buddakan
Butcher and Singer
Capital Grille
Chifa
Chima
Cuba Libre
Del Frisco’s
Distrito
Dolce
Estia
Fogo de Chao
Fork
The Fountain at the Four Seasons
Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Harry the K’s
Haru
Honey’s
James
Kabul Restaurant
Knock
Lacroix
Le Bec Fin
Marigold Kitchen (soon to change hands)
Marrakesh
Matyson
Melting Pot
Mixto
Morimoto
Moshulu
Paradiso
Paterson’s Palace
Relish
Rouge
Striped Bass (closed, replaced by Butcher and Singer)
Table 31
Tangerine (currently only open for private parties)
Tinto
Vetri
Waterworks
XIX
Xochitl
Zahav