Welcome to Mike Portnoy's Restaurants

Welcome to Mike Portnoy's Restaurants !! I am an avid foodie who loves eating, talking about food, and travelling. I'm located near Philadelphia so most of my restaurant reviews will be from the Philly area. However, I frequently travel to Boston and Washginton DC so you'll see them come up from time to time. Finally, I take several food trips a year throughout the US and will post my reviews of those restaurants as well.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this site, recent restaurant visits, and food in general - just send me a quick email at mportnoy@gmail.com.

Happy eating and I hope you enjoy ...

Osteria Opening in February

I just got done exchanging emails with Vetri today and they are now targeting February for the opening of their much anticipated Osteria, located at 640 North Broad Street. Here is a link to the sparsely populated website:

http://www.osteriaphilly.com/

Philadelphia Restaurant Week - January 2007

Once again it's my favorite time of the year -- Philadelphia Restaurant Week !! For those of you whom are not familiar with restaurant week, it is a six day period that occurs twice per year (once in January and once in September) during which many of the top restaurants in Philadelphia offer a discount $30 3-course prix fixe for dinner. Parking in the city is also discounted at many of the lots and garages. This time, 107 restaurants are participating including all of the usual suspects (notably excluding Matyson, which has participated in the last few Restaurant Weeks). As usual I am booked solid throughout the week.

As of now, I have reservations for the following:

Amada
Lacroix
Meritage
XIX
Susanna Foo

Most Disappointing Meals of 2006

The following ten meals were my most disappointing of the year. Not each of these meals was bad nor were these the five worst meals of the year. However, each of the following meals left me longing for something more, whether it was for better food, more attentive service, or just a better understanding as to why the restaurant garners so much hype. Ultimately, disappointing meals are a measure of the difference between my expectations and the overall experience of the meal.

Elisabeth's on 37th (Savannah, GA)
This was one of the worst meals I have ever had due to horrible service on several levels: our server was cold, offered no useful advice despite being repeatedly asked for dish recommendation, did not take our dessert orders instead sending out a bus boy, and we never received the coffee that we ordered. The fact that we were celebrating my parents' anniversary was mentioned at the end of the meal as an afterthought (it would have been better to have not mentioned it at all). In addition, the dishes were extremely overpriced for their lack of inventiveness and poor accompanying service. I simply do not understand why Elisabeth's is included on many best of restaurant listings (including being mentioned in "1000 Places to See Before You Die"). This dining experience was the waste of a meal and $150. (11/22/06)

Gotham Bar and Grill (NYC, NY)
Having heard and read so many positive things about Gotham Bar and Grill I very much looked forward to dinner. However, a terribly rude, off putting, and inattentive server ruined the meal. The food also lacked the magic that I had expected. (01/12/06)

Jardiniere (San Francisco, CA)
Patti and I went to Jardiniere late on a Friday night. Many positive reviews and a James Beard Nomination (at the time, Traci Des Jardins later won the award) placed Jardiniere reasonably high up on my wish list of San Francisco restaurants. However, we were severely disappointed with the food. For starters, we shared an appetizer and were given a sharing surcharge. This is just unacceptable in a fine dining restaurant. Each of our fish entrees was bland and badly overcooked. Finally, the accompaniments were forgettable and did not complement the fish that they were served with. (03/31/06)

WD~50 (NYC, NY)
WD-50 was one of the top five restaurants in the country that I wanted to try due to its incredible creativity (food presentations, flavor combinations, and savory desserts). However, I left feeling that many of the dishes were simply done for effect and that very few tasted particularly good or noteworthy. Furthermore, the dining room and our server lacked energy. (05/07/06)

Citrus (Philadelphia, PA)
Their no reservation policy is just absurd. My folks took me for my birthday since I had always wanted to try it out. We put our names on the waiting list and then proceeded to kill time on Germantown Avenue. Over one hour later we were finally seated (having lost our appetite in the meantime) and the meal was just simply not worth such a long wait. (05/26/06)

Radius (Boston, MA)
I had extremely high expectations for Radius but was disappointed with a lackluster lunch. My server was cold and disinterested in me and the room was completely devoid of energy despite being full. In addition, two of my dishes were uninspiring. (06/19/06)

Oleana (Boston, MA)
Despite a knowledgeable and spunky server, Dan and I were disappointed with many of our dishes. (06/16/06)

Reata (Ft. Worth, Texas)
Reata is one of the most popular restaurants in Ft. Worth but I just do not understand the hype. Each of my dishes was disappointing, from the overly fried alligator to the incredibly dry chocolate tamales. (04/12/06)

Redd (Yountville, CA)
Earlier in the day, DJ and I had dined at Auberge du Soleil. We were both blown away by the decor, top notch service, and food. Our server recommended that we try out Redd, which was a brand new restaurant from the former executive chef of Auberge du Soleil. Since his dish recommendations were excellent, we followed his recommendation and had the hostess make a dinner reservation for us at Redd. The food at Redd was good but not outstanding. Furthermore, the service was lackluster and some of the dishes were disappointing. Having adored Auberge du Soleil, I had much, much higher expectations for Redd. (03/31/06)

El Dorado Kitchen (Sonoma, CA)
I had read several positive reviews of El Dorado Kitchen and looked forward to DJ's and my lunch. However, an incredibly nervous, green server and incredibly boring menu left me wanting more. (03/30/06)

Ushering in the New Year

Happy New Year! I have decided to ring in the New Year by coming back from my food posting hiatus. Rest assured that during the past few months I have been trying just as many new restaurants, taking just as many pictures, and reading just as much about the national dining scene as I always do. I just have not been writing about it. That changes right now. Over the next few weeks, I will be posting old reviews that were never posted along with reviews of many upcoming meals. January is an exciting month for Philadelphia dining with both University City Dining Days and Restaurant Week along with the opening of Marc Vetri's new restaurant, Osteria.

North 3rd. (Philadelphia, PA)

Grand Gastronomy at North 3^rd

N. 3^rd seems to have everything going for it. Located in Philadelphia’s hottest, growing restaurant neighborhood, N. 3^rd is one of several gastro pubs that have opened in the last few years. Gastro pubs have been taking the city, and to lesser degree the country, by storm. Our very own Standard Tap was featured in a recent Food and Wine article about the recent proliferation of gastro pubs around the US.

Matt, Alexandra, and I decided to finally check it out to see what all the hype was about. Needless to say, I am eagerly awaiting my return to N. 3^rd since we all had an excellent time. This review could easily have been littered with qualifiers such as “good for a bar”. However, N. 3^rd is more deserving than that and I have no reservations about dropping all such qualifiers. N. 3^rd is just plain good.

At first glance, the décor of N. 3^rd looks like a standard Philadelphia bar. A small room, with a few tables and a bar opposite the door greet you as you open the door. However, upon further examination, one notices a wide variety of local art that is displayed on the walls (including some interesting paintings of human body). The dining room was packed on this Friday evening although we had no problem getting a table since the restaurant is fairly large (there is a second room in the back). Unfortunately, I was forced to wait for our entire party to arrive before being seated, which seemed unnecessary and slightly annoying due to the narrow entryway and frequent bursts of cold, winter air that chilled my body whenever the door was opened. As expected with a bar, the room was quite loud but we were able to hold a conversation at a reasonable volume level.

Upon being seated we were quickly greeted by a friendly server. Throughout our meal, I was constantly impressed with her knowledge of the menu and wine list, attentiveness to our table, and attention to detail. Matt and Alexandra each ordered a beer and I enjoyed a reasonably priced, $6 glass of 2001 Malbec ~ Valdivieso, from Central Valley, Chile. The wine was accurately described by the tasting notes on the menu: “plum and black cherry flavors with lots of structure and a long finish”. All of their wines cost $6 per glass and $20 per bottle so there are plenty of bargains for cost conscious diners.

Matt started out with one pound of the signature wings. He was quite impressed with the wings, which says quite a bit since Matt is a wings connoisseur. Alexandra and I both had a bowl of the French lentil soup with chives. We were both pleasantly surprised by the enormity of the bowls that were brought out. The soup itself could almost be a meal by itself. We both enjoyed the freshness and creaminess of the well pureed lentils. The soup was a little bland in my opinion and could have benefited from some additional herbs or a heavier hand with the chives.

Once again, we were impressed by the portion size when our entrees arrived. Matt loved his tuna burger piled high with French fries and Alexandra enjoyed her roasted chicken breast with mashed potatoes, vegetable of the day, and rosemary jus. I thoroughly enjoyed my grilled Florida Marlin with shrimp and scallion risotto and curry sauce. The marlin was perfectly cooked, moist, and meaty. The risotto was fragrant, had the perfect amount of creaminess and nicely complemented the marlin. Finally, the mild curry add nice flavor that pulled the dish together. This was a $19 entrée that easily could have been $5-$10 more expensive at other restaurants in town. I finished off the meal with coffee and then we headed home.

Overall, I recommend North 3^rd since it exemplifies all that is good about the Philadelphia gastro pub scene. With its polished, attentive service, excellent food, and reasonably prices, it should be on everyone’s speed dial.

The Facts
Name: North 3^rd
Address:
3^rd and Brown Street
Philadelphia, PA 19123
Phone: (215) 413-3666
Price: Appetizers $4-$9, Entrees $8-$19
Cuisine: Gastro Pub
Website: http://www.norththird.com/

Cravings Cafe (North Wales, PA)

Satisfied Hankering

When we were looking for a relaxed, local restaurant that could easily accommodate our family dinner party of 6, we selected Cravings Café in North Wales. Located in a generic looking strip mall, Cravings Café is a neighborhood restaurant that we dine in a few times per year. Having never posted a review, I felt that one was in order.

On this particular evening, the restaurant was surprisingly empty when we arrived. We normally never have trouble getting reservations but I was still surprised to see the restaurant so empty. Over the course of our meal, the dining room filled up but never to more than half of its capacity.

Cravings Café has a surprisingly large and varied menu. In addition, there are always a few, more creative specials and a large selection of beverages including excellent flavored, iced teas.

On this evening I decided to start with two specials, the cashew encrusted New Zealand lamb chops with minted raspberry and ancho chili glaze and the avocado, artichoke, goat cheese and crab salad. I loved the four meaty lamb chops, which were flavorful and well cooked. At $10, this was an excellent value. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed with the salad despite the freshness of its ingredients. On paper, this is the type of salad that I typically love. The presentation of the salad was excellent and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the goat cheese, avocado, and crab meat had been formed into an appealing looking cake. However, this presentation simply did not work. Each bite of the goat cheese, avocado, and crab cake was dry and glob like. A more straight forward presentation of the ingredients would have made for a much better salad.

I enjoyed my striped bass with grilled prawns over julienne vegetables and chive risotto. The generous portion of strip bass and prawns was fresh and well cooked. The chive risotto had an excellent flavor but was a trifle over creamy.

Overall, I recommend Cravings Cafe. The décor is minimalist and the service is unpolished but attentive. However, this is a neighborhood restaurant with above average food and culinary creativity. A smile always comes over my face when I walk in and see the newest specials. If you are looking for a very good, casual meal in North Wales, look no further.

The Facts
Name: Cravings Cafe
Address:
Bell Run Plaza
1222 Welsh Road
North Wales, PA 19454
Phone: (215) 855-4500
Price: Appetizers $6-$13, Entrees $14-$27
Cuisine: New American
Website: http://www.cravingscafe.com/

Ernesto’s 1521 Cafe (Philadelphia, PA)

Italian Comfort

It had been almost a year since I had last visited Ernesto’s 1521 Café (5/26/05 to be exact) and its proximity to the Kimmel Center made it the perfect location for our family pre‑theater meal before the concert. We drove down to the Kimmel Center with Fred and Trudy, parked, and then set out for the brief one block walk to Ernesto’s. The pouring rain put a damper on the walk but the friendly greeting we received upon Ernesto’s quickly diffused the dreariness of the weather.

We were quickly seated and presented with menus. While browsing the menu, fond memories of the calamari fritti and osso buco that I had enjoyed during my last visit came back to me; in particular, the pomegranate molasses sauce and mango chutney that accompanied the calamari and the tenderness of the veal. I was also unfortunately reminded of the high noise level that pervades the dining room. The high ceiling and bare walls do little to dampen the chatter amongst the diners. Our server was a little tardy in taking our orders but the full dining room and low presence of servers were most likely the cause. As usual, service was friendly and relaxed throughout our meal.

We began with the calamari friiti with pomegranate molasses and mango chutney that I had previously enjoyed. I was disappointed this time with the heavy handed breading of the calamari but still very much enjoyed the pomegranate sauce and mango chutney that provided a nice fruity contrast to the fried calamari. My Dad was particularly impressed with the mango chutney. I greatly enjoyed the carpaccio di pesce di spada, thinly sliced marinated swordfish with olives and capers. The swordfish was extremely delicate and tender. The fresh olives, olive oil, and capers were light and refreshing. It was also impressed with the generous portion.

Mom enjoyed pollo sienese, chicken breast with porcini mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes in a marsala wine sauce served with soft polenta. The chicken was tender and flavorful. The well‑seasoned cauliflower and broccoli was a pleasant surprise. Dad was thrilled with the torta di granchio, a crab cake with Dijon cream sauce served with soft polenta. The crab cake was full of fresh lump crab meat and light on filler. Furthermore, the well fried shell was nice and crisp. I was disappointed at the lack of variety of the sides since they were identical to the sides that accompanied the pollo siense. The polenta that came with both dishes was extremely disappointing. It was bland, lumpy, and gluey in viscosity. I enjoyed the Cioppino, a trtraditional Italian seafood stew with shrimp, scallops, clams and fresh fish served with toasted Italian bread. The stew was overflowing with a generous portion of fresh seafood. I enjoyed the fish variety which included some flounder and tuna. The tomato broth was light and refreshing and did not overpower the flavor of the seafood.

Overall, I recommend Ernesto’s 1521 Café. It is a cozy neighborhood restaurant that serves well prepared Italian fare. The friendly servers and warm room make for a relaxed and enjoyable meal. Its close proximity to the Avenue of the Arts makes Ernesto’s a perfect pre-theater restaurant.

The Facts:
Name: Ernesto’s Cafe
Address:
1521 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Phone: (215) 546-1521
Website: http://www.ernestos1521.com
Cuisine: Italian

Price: Antipasto ($6-$9), Salads ($6-$8), Entrees ($16-$29), Pasta ($15-$18), Dessert ($6)

Little Fish (Philadelphia, PA)

Small and Mighty Seafood Splendor

I have always wanted to try out Little Fish yet somehow had never managed to make it over to the corner of 6^th and Catherine. It had all the makings of a restaurant that I love – small, intimate, BYOB, with an attentive chef / owner in the kitchen. The restaurant’s proximity to the Wachovia Center made it a perfect pre‑Coldplay concert stop. I picked Kendra up at Penn and headed up Washington Avenue towards South Philadelphia. We got lucky and quickly found a parking spot on the street. We grabbed the bottle of Syrah 1999 Lodi from Chateau Thomas Winery that I had picked up during my last trip to Bloomington, Indiana and headed over towards the restaurant.

The first word that came to both Kendra’s and my mind when we stepped into the restaurant was adorable. The dining room is extremely tiny and seats about 20 people, which makes it the smallest full service restaurant in Philadelphia to the best of my knowledge. The tiny, cramped room also showcases John Tiplitz’s minute open kitchen which occupies roughly one third of the room. Little Fish is a one man show with only one chef and one server assisting Chef Tiplitz.

We arrived slightly early yet were still seated immediately. Our server apologized for not being ready for us and informed us that she would be with us in a few minutes. While we sat and waited, we enjoyed two particularly interesting events. The first was the handwriting and hand posting of the menu on one of the walls of the restaurant. Our server handwrote the menu on easel‑sized paper with a magic marker and then clipped it to the wall adjacent to the door. The menu was changing even while she was writing it out due to a boisterous phone call between Chef Tiplitz and one of his fish purveyors. Chef was hollering into the phone that the quality of the tuna that he received was unacceptable. He then hollered over at our server and the tuna was quickly removed from the menu. The phone exchange was entertaining and lasted over five minutes. During that time, our server apologized for the yelling. I immediately cut her off her and told her that I wished all chefs cared as much about their ingredients as did Chef Tiplitz. At the conclusion of the call, Chef reluctantly put the tuna back on the menu but cautioned his assistant chef that they would have to carefully cut the fish, discarding any poor quality pieces in the process.

Once the phone call ended, our server approached our table and took our orders. Kendra and I decided to split the mussels red. We both enjoyed the fresh, fragrant mussels and the bowl was quickly vanquished. I was thrilled with my asparagus and scallop polenta tart with truffle oil. Sitting atop a very creamy and delicate polenta were two enormous scallops. Unlike typical scallops, these were wide and thin. They were unbelievably soft and simply melted in my mouth. The truffle oil was lightly applied and did not overpower the dish.

I ordered the striped marlin with piperade and polenta after an overwhelmingly positive recommendation from our server due to the high quality and rareness of the marlin. The dish did not disappoint. The marlin was perfectly prepared with a nicely seared exterior and a tender medium rare interior. The peppers and polenta perfectly accompanied the fish. I was struck by the simplicity and the flavors of the dish.

Kendra’s swordfish paillard with olive tapenade and tomato salad was stellar. The heavily pounded swordfish took on a completely different character due to its dramatically different texture. It was surprisingly tender and refreshing, a contrast to its normal thick, steak‑like composition. The accompanying tomato salad was simple, refreshing, and nicely offset the blackened swordfish.

The only course that did not thrill me was dessert. We were only presented with two choices and settled on the warm apple crisp with whipped cream. The dessert was straightforward and enjoyable but I had hoped for more given how much I had enjoyed our previous two courses. Nonetheless, a few cups of coffee brought closure to an excellent meal.

Overall, I highly recommend Little Fish. The excellently prepared seafood is extremely fresh and the constant presence of John Tiplitz ensures its consistency. Reasonable prices and the ability to BYOB mean that a meal here will not break the bank. This restaurant is the very definition of a small, intimate, romantic, Philadelphia BYOB neighborhood gem and should not be missed.

The Facts
Name: Little Fish
Address:
600 Catherine St.
Philadelphia, PA 19147
Phone: (215) 413-3464
Cuisine: New American, Seafood
Price: Appetizers ($7.00 – $10.50), Entrees ($18 - $28), Desserts ($7)

Alison at Blue Bell (Blue Bell, PA)

Alison Astounds in Blue Bell

When Uncle Hal and Aunt Fran asked me where I wanted to go tonight, it took only a few seconds to select Alison at Blue Bell. Having achieved stardom at the Striped Bass during Neil Stein’s rein, Alison Barhsak was well known for her outstanding seafood dishes. Her seafood focused new American restaurant in Blue Bell had caught my eye for some time and it was finally time to see what all the fuss was about. I grabbed a bottle of Robert Mondavi Private Selection 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, a reasonably priced yet very drinkable red, and headed west across the PA Turnpike towards Blue Bell.

Alison’s surroundings are unimpressive. The restaurant is located in a nondescript strip mall in Blue Bell although the restaurant itself is quaint looking from the outside with it’s name emblazoned in gold lettering upon a bright blue awning. Upon entering the restaurant, you immediately notice the open kitchen situated directly opposite the doorway. Alison arrived shortly after we did and immediately engaged one of her chefs in a conversation about fish preparation. We were quickly seated by the hostess and settled into our table while our server opened the wine. The décor of the dining room was simple, yet upscale, and romantic. Throughout our meal, the service was extremely attentive, knowledgeable, and relaxed.

As a huge fan of calamari, I could not resist ordering the ginger fried squid, with a wasabi drizzle and mango. I was completely mesmerized after one bite. This was without a doubt the best fried calamari that I have ever had. The calamari was breaded and fried so delicately that the squid inside was completely moist (my thought at the time was that it was “wet”). The squid was so tender and moist that it simply melted in my mouth. After only a few bites, Uncle Hal immediately flagged our server and ordered a second one. It was simply that good. The wasabi sauce was light and flavorful and artfully drizzled across the calamari. I was likewise impressed with the generous portion.

We choose three different seafood dishes for our entrees: halibut, lump crab cakes, and the signature striped bass. Aunt Fran thoroughly enjoyed her lump Crab Cakes, potato hash, haricots vert, cauliflower, truffle and brie sauce. Uncle Hal and I shared the halibut, rapini‑wild mushroom risotto, truffled garlic broth and the striped bass, sweet potato ravioli, bacon, balsamic‑brown butter sauce. Both dishes were outstanding. The high quality halibut was fresh and perfectly prepared. The accompanying risotto was marked by bold flavors yet offset perfectly by the refreshingly light truffled garlic broth. The striped bass also delivered as expected with its perfectly crisp skin and moist flesh underneath. The sweet potato ravioli were likewise excellent but were gone all to fast. Additional ravioli would have further enhanced the dish. Once again, the haricots vert, cauliflower, and truffle and brie sauce were refreshing and apportioned well.

My meal concluded with the mango upside down cake with butterscotch‑vanilla ice cream, a rich cake that used a generous amount of brown sugar. The ice cream was creamy and tasty with a nicely balanced butterscotch-vanilla flavoring. The mango flavoring was a tad too vague for my taste but the moist cake was otherwise first-rate.

We received a pleasant surprise at the end of our meal, a personal visit from Alison due to my persistent picture taking throughout the meal. She was extremely friendly and relaxed and spent over 20 minutes at our table. We discussed many different restaurants including some local favorites as well as out of state favorites. We shared almost identical stories regarding our recent, outstanding meal at Jose Garces’s new hotspot, Amada, located in downtown Philadelphia. Alison also discussed some of her food trips to Paris and her meal at the world famous French Laundry in Yountville.

Overall, I highly recommend Alison at Blue Bell. The service is very professional, attentive, and knowledgeable. The simple, yet upscale décor of the dining room lends itself perfectly to the haute cuisine and relaxed meal that is to follow. The fresh seafood is stunningly prepared and overflowing with bold flavors, and impressive and inventive sides. Finally, Alison’s watchful eye and relaxed manner breathes fresh air into this Blue Bell strip mall goldmine.

The Facts
Name: Alison at Blue Bell
Address:
721 Skippack Pike
Blue Bell, PA 19422
Phone: (215) 641-2660
Cuisine: New American
Website: http://alisonatbluebell.com/index.html
Price: Appetizers ($7 - $13), Entrees ($17 - $28), Desserts ($6)