Can't see Series in person? Then try these spots

Restaurant critic Craig LaBan chats with readers about where to watch the Fightin' Phils. (This is an edited version; for the full transcript go to www.philly.com/inquirer/online_extras/LaBan.)

Question: A friend from my high school days is visiting from L.A. and would like watch the World Series. Could you please recommend a sports bar with an exciting ambiance and good enough food?

Answer: I wrote a story during the 2005 Eagles' Super Bowl run, featuring six good sports bars, and almost all are still up and broadcasting and pouring the brews: Chickie's & Pete's, Tony Luke's Beef & Beer, the Dark Horse, and PJ Whelihan's. These are still good bets. But a lot has changed in recent years. The proliferation of the flat-screen TV has made good game-watching far more ubiquitous - in coffee shops, burrito shops, and upscale restaurants, too. You can watch the games in some of the fanciest spots around: Brasserie Perrier, the Boat House Row Bar (next to Lacroix at the Rittenhouse), XIX, Distrito, Tequila's, and Maia in Villanova, just to name a few.

The biggest competition to the traditional sports bar is the gastropub scene, which keeps the vibe casual, but ups the quality of the grub. My best bets with good TVs might include St. Stephen's Green in Fairmount (as well as Rembrandt's, an old neighborhood fave); the New Wave in Queen Village; the Black Sheep near Rittenhouse Square (which has a host of other plasma havens - Smith's, Tavern 17, Drinker's - that could do just fine). In the Northeast, I'd be hanging around the craft-beer taps at the Grey Lodge Pub. In South Philly, there's the Ugly American, For Pete's Sake, the Devil's Den (stick with the mussels and awesome beers), and the South Philly Tap Room.

Q: I am a 23-year-old single Phillies fan and have been going to Chickie's & Pete's on the Boulevard for the past several games. Is there anywhere in Center City that comes close to the atmosphere at C&P's?

A: I think the vibe of C&P's is special - it manages to capture the energy of a big, traditional sports-bar venue, but also feels truly local. I don't think anywhere in Center City really quite does it like that, but there are some more intimate (and probably tastier) places to go and channel that Phillie feeling. Pitches from the Chatter Box:

I walk by Pub & Kitchen every night (dogs), and that joint's been hopping every game night.

Johnny Brenda's is showing it in the upstairs area on a movie-style screen.

I like the atmosphere and food at Good Dog, but their TVs are in odd spots.

The Comcast building is broadcasting all the games on the big screen in the lobby, which will be broken into four 4-by-7-foot screens. Nearby Table 31 will offer gourmet pizzas and Wagyu sliders to nibble on in front of their bar TVs.

The Druid's Keep in NoLibs is good for games, and they don't care if you bring in outside food.

Don't forget the Memphis Taproom in Fishtown.

My favorite spot for watching sports is at The Ugly Moose in Roxborough. The place is comfortable, they have a great selection of beers, great burgers made any way you want and fabulous wings. The staff there are real nice, too.

Nick's Roast Beef in Delco is always nuts.

In Delco, also consider Iron Hill Pub in Media and Quotations, which has a serious imported-beer list. If the Nick's Roast Beef in Delco is anything like the original at 20th and Jackson, that's where I'd set up for the game. Gimme a sloppy "combo overboard on the outs," a frosty mug, and a two-hitter from Hamels. I'll be happy.