L'Oca

REVISITED: This promising Italian BYO across from Eastern State Penitentiary offers the Fairmount crowd a decidedly Northern Italian menu, from sage-buttered dumplings to pappardelle with goose stew. The sunny corner room is an appealing new option for the neighborhood, and the kitchen has overcome some consistency problems at the initial review to earn its second bell in an October revisit.

At that revisit, the chef's penchant for earthy flavors and game sang through a succulent wild boar chop wrapped in crisped pancetta. A "tartufo" toast topped with shaved truffles, raw chanterelles and creamy cheese was like biting into a morsel of the Piedmont. Service has also relaxed and improved. Reviewed March 25; revisited mid-October.

Marshalton Inn

New chef and co-owner David Cox has brought some much-needed stability to this charmingly historic Chester County inn, in operation since 1814. Cox delivers some excellent French country cooking, much of it a cheese-centric homage to his tenure at Manhattan's Artisanal. If service and the wine cellar ever catch up, the old inn could soon relive its heyday. Reviewed Jan. 14.

Memdee's Restaurant

Discover the home-cooked flavors of Liberia at this humble but bustling little dining room, located in the middle of a Southwest Philadelphia neighborhood. Most of the small menu's items rotate daily, but the plantain fufu with spicy soup broth is a daily staple that is alone worth a visit for any adventure diner. Reviewed Oct. 28.

Miran

This simple storefront BYO offers some of the scant traditional Korean cooking to be found in Center City, with a broad menu of well-cooked classics ranging from dolsot bibimbap to seafood-laced pancakes and marinated meats cooked on your in-table grill. Reviewed May 27.

Modo Mio

Former Rembrandt's chef Peter McAndrews pays homage to his training in Italy with this bustling new BYO near Fishtown that has the feel and flavor of an authentic osteria. The four-course $30 turista menu is worth the visit, even if the cooking and service are still not quite yet perfetto. Reviewed Sept. 2.

The Oceanaire

REVISITED: This upscale fish-house chain brings both retro classics and contemporary inspirations to a soaring art-deco space. It's now on Chef No. 4 (David Wiederholt) since opening, but a recent lunch revisit brought consistently satisfactory results.

The prices are very high, and there were some subtle details to be improved (a so-so risotto; clams casino that needed some butter-soaking crumbs). But it also has genuine qualities to appeal to an older fish-house clientele. A fabulous raw bar, huge portions of pristine ingredients, some worthy chef signatures (scallops with braised house-cured bacon), and snappy service give this special-occasion chain a fair chance to float. Reviewed April 29; revisited December.

Onasis