Johnny Brenda's   

One of the most surprising dishes on the Philly cuisine scene is the grilled octopus at Johnny Brenda's. Not that octopus in itself is surprising; it's finding it at Johnny Brenda's -- a nondescript hole-in-the-wall -- that is astonishing. Inside and out, it's a corner bar in the up-and-coming Fishtown section of the city. Pool table, jukebox, dark corners and a handful of tables are scattered about. There's no bottled beer, just about half a dozen varieties on tap, which makes sense since JB's is owned by the same folks who run The Standard Tap. The menu is tiny but cool. Confined to a small blackboard over the bar, it consists of soup, hummus, falafel, a Caesar salad, fried shrimp, lamb chops, steak sandwich on a savory focaccia bread, shoestring fries, lamb or monkfish kebabs, and octopus, which is downright succulent. JB's is brooding, dark and just this side of hip. No need to worry about getting a seat -- for now. But there's no telling what'll happen when the Northern Liberties scene moves downtown.