Last week, my friend Kelly & I were brainstorming places for our next dinner date. We are two carnivorous women and decided burgers were the way to go. After a quick browse of Philly Mag’s Best Burger list, we were set on Jose Garces’ Village Whiskey (118 South 20th Street).

While Village Whiskey does not take reservations and was packed on the chilly Thursday night we chose to dine, we lucked out and were able to snag two seats at the end of the beautiful bar in under 15 minutes. If you’ve never been, the going rate for a table is an 1.5 hour wait.

While whiskey is not my first choice when ordering a drink, their bar menu looked fab. I went with the Havest Moon, which had apple brandy & warm spiced cider and was perfect for a chilly night. Kelly chose The Atomizer which she equally loved.

It’s not that the menu here is extensive, it’s that it makes you want every. single. thing. (PS: Sorry for the shotty photos. It was super dark inside and you know I was not going to be THAT girl that takes a photo with the flash. Been there one too many times…)

I chose the Village Burger, and obviously endless add-ons of cheddar cheese, carmelized onions, smoken bacon, and my favorite, a fried egg. Kelly went for the signature Whiskey King, and we were both in foodie heaven.

We couldn’t pass up on the duck fat fries, and while you’re there, you might as well… We went with the shortrib & cheddar french fries, and just, um, you need to get these in or around your mouth ASAP.

I even (lamely) took home half of my burger & the fries and had them for dinner the next night. I was debating bringing them to lunch at work on Friday but I was too nervous someone would steal my bag from the fridge. Loved our night, it was delicious & fun, and I can’t wait to go back!

Have you ever been to Village Whiskey or a Jose Garces restaurant? What did you think?