Phillie Phoodie: Chickie's & Pete's

Outlet: Chickie's & Pete's, 1526 Packer Ave.

We were there: 5:20 p.m. (pregame)

We waited: We were seated immediately at the bar.

We ordered: Three hard shell crabs, lobster roll, crab fries.

Cost: See below.

The stats: It took almost five months of the 2012 baseball season, but the Phoodinator finally tallied a home run - but not for reasons you might suspect.

The story: My crab fries ($5.95) - Chickie's & Pete's trademark munchie - came out first, even though I had requested them with my lobster roll. They were overly crispy and dry.

A half-hour later, my three hard shell crabs ($16.95) arrived. They were among the best garlic crabs (garlic, not Old Bay, is the default spicing here) I've ever had. Chickie's & Pete's special Italian combo seasoning was bursting with garlicky goodness but didn't overwhelm the crabs.

It was bad enough the crabs took so long. But my $19.95 lobster roll didn't show up till 90 minutes after I'd placed the order. (Apparently the kitchen had run out of crustaceans.) Totally unacceptable. But the sandwich was excellent - a surprisingly generous mound of claw meat on a toasted New England-style bun. I especially appreciated the judicious use of mayonnaise, which kept the dish from being too soggy. Nonetheless, I was silently stewing over the long wait between courses.

Then something unexpected happened: I was presented a check for a mere $13.93. There was a "long wait" notation on the bill. They'd discounted it $10 and comped me the lobster roll - even though I never uttered a word of complaint.

Final score: Discounting my bill was the right thing to do. For this gesture of decency and smart customer relations, Chickie's & Pete's earns 2012's first Home Run.