FYI Philly: Southern comfort on the menu at new Old City restaurant

OLD CITY (WPVI) -- There's a brand new restaurant in Philadelphia's Old City neighborhood that's steeped in history.

The Little Lion is located at the corner of 3rd and Chestnut Streets - just across from upcoming Museum of the American Revolution - and the food is described as upscale southern comfort.

The restaurant may be new, but there's a lot of history in this old building, which has been there since 1847.

It was originally a nautical instruments company and a bank.

And the restaurant is named for Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, who was nicknamed "The Little Lion" for his tenaciousness on the battlefield.

"We're in Old City, Philadelphia and you know it's the birthplace of America and history is king here," said co-owner, Chris Younge.

While the north won the war, the south is king on the menu and Younge says there's nothing more country than fried chicken!

Chef Sean Ciccarone serves his secret buttermilk fried chicken recipe with a savory hotcake.

"It is savory, so there's corn flour and so it's basically a pancake version of corn bread with jalapeno, cheddar cheese, cream cheese and some scallions," said Younge.

You can also get a fried chicken sandwich or try the Mississippi blackened catfish.

"This is actually a cream sauce that has southern crawfish in it as well," said Younge.

And it's served on a bed of grits.

"There's grits all over the menu - we've got three different types. We've got cheddar grits and Stilton grits with our short rib and all kinds of different grits. So our grit game is on point!" said Younge.

When it comes to sides, the Brussels sprouts, made with pork belly, are big.

But the mac n' cheese rules. And for snacking, there's a mean cheese and charcuterie board.

To wash it all down, the classic tequila-based Paloma is spiced up with a slice of blood orange.

"That's been a very popular drink," said Younge.

There's coffee and raspberry sangria on draft as well as the Lion's Tea.

"It's completely 100% unique," said Younge.

Lion's Tea includes bourbon, brown sugar syrup, egg white and of course, tea.

There's a raw bar in the back where the wall is inscribed with one of Hamilton's famous quotes.

"It's actually a Latin term that Alexander Hamilton used quite often - Libertati aut ad mortem. Excuse my negative pronunciation but it basically means 'Freedom or Death'. So it's rooted in American history of the American revolution and Alexander Hamilton," said Younge.

You can see all of the hot new spots around town every Saturday at 7 p.m. on FYI Philly right here on 6abc.