Mike Portnoy's Restaurants

Welcome to Mike Portnoy's Restaurants

2008-01-01T12:00:00.000-08:00

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

2007-01-08T18:15:00.001-08:00

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

2007-01-08T18:00:00.000-08:00

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

2007-01-07T23:00:00.000-08:00

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

2007-01-07T22:04:00.001-08:00

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)

2007-01-05T18:30:00.000-08:00

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)

2007-01-02T18:00:00.000-08:00

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)

2006-04-22T18:15:00.000-07:00

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)

2006-04-07T18:00:00.000-07:00

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)

2006-02-28T18:00:00.000-08:00

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)

Philadelphia Restaurant Week 2006

2006-02-18T21:00:00.000-08:00

It’s that time of the year again – my favorite week of the year, Restaurant Week in Philly !! This year’s lineup of restaurants is even more diverse than last year’s so I’m eagerly awaiting a fantastic combination of old favorites and newcomers. As of now, I’m planning on eating at the following places:

Mandoline
Le Bar Lyonnais
Old Original Bookbinder’s
Davios
Tangerine
Bistro St. Tropez
Sabor
Lacroix

Sovalo (Philadelphia, PA)

2006-02-04T17:00:00.000-08:00

Italian Gem

Due to the critical acclaim that it has been receiving recently, I have been quite eager to dine at Sovalo. Rob and my need for a post Philadelphia Auto Show dinner was the perfect backdrop for a visit to Northern Liberties and thus I made a reservation since Rob had spoken so highly of Sovalo, having enjoyed several prior meals. Sovalo is small and assuming from the outside with only a single small sign identifying the restaurant. Upon entering the small dining room, we were immediately seated by the window in the nearly empty restaurant by two gracious (and cute) hostesses.

Our meal began with bread accompanied by a fantastic olive puree spread. The spread was creamy with a noticeable but not overpowering olive flavoring. After a brief wait, our first courses arrived. We each decided to order a glass of red wine; Rob opted for a Beringer Merlot while I choose a Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon since I was impressed with the Mondavi Winery when I last visited Napa Valley. We each ordered an appetizer, pasta dish, and entrée and settled into our seats.

Rob ordered the mussels with roasted peppers, lemon and Calabrian sausage. The portion that he received was very generous. In general, our portions were very generous throughout the meal. The mussels were fresh, plump, and tasty. The sausage and roasted peppers added weight to the dish and were excellent compliments to the mussels. I thoroughly enjoyed my sweet breads and hedgehogs with apple mantecato and pomegranate sauce. The sweet breads were very palatable and extremely tender. The apple and pomegranate sauce added a strong, sweet fruit flavor to the dish which nicely offset the savory taste of the veal.

During the middle of our meal, we received a gracious tableside visit by Karey Scarpone (the co‑owner of Sovalo along with her husband and executive chef Joe) after Rob mentioned that he was a former roommate of Joe’s brother Mike. We spoke with her for several minutes before our pasta course arrived.

Rob enjoyed his ricotta gnocchi with shitake, butternut squash and duck ragu. My bartlett pear, onion and fontina filled ravioli with sage butter was strongly flavored with fresh mint and other herbs. I was slightly disappointed with flavor balance since the pear flavor was overpowered by the fontina and sage butter. However, I still enjoyed the dish due to the light, homemade ravioli shells.

After quickly finishing our pasta dishes, we received our main courses, monkish “Scallopini” with lentils, cotichino and dandelion greens and a grilled hanger steak, purple masers, pepperoni in padella. Rob’s hanger steak was excellent, with perfectly cooked medium temperature meat. The mashed potatoes had a beautiful purple color to them and a creamy texture. The dish was very hearty and the pepperoni provided some added depth to the dish. I was extremely happy with my fresh and perfectly cooked monkfish. The lentil and dandelion green bed gave the dish an earthiness that worked well with the fish.

When it came time for dessert, I could not resist the house made chocolate and Meyer lemon-pine nut gelato. It seems to be getting harder and harder to find homemade gelato given the recent proliferation of Capogiro across many Philadelphia restaurants. I am a big fan of their gelato but prefer restaurants that prepare their dishes in house. The gelato was simply delightful: dense, strongly flavored, and extremely fresh. The lemon-pine nut scoop was particularly interesting with its combination of tartness and crunchiness. The Illy coffee, a dark Italian brand, was an excellent capstone to the evening.

Overall, I highly recommend Sovalo. Its relaxed yet romantic setting and attentive service makes for an enjoyable experience. The kitchen’s dedication to high quality ingredients excellently prepared shines through many of the dishes. Finally, the reasonable prices and generous portions make for a very satisfying meal. I heartily agree with Craig LaBan from the Philadelphia Inquirer that this is easily the best Italian Restaurant to open since Vetri in 1998. In the continuously exploding culinary landscape that has become Northern Liberties, Sovalo easily shines as one of its brightest new additions.

The Facts:
Name: Sovalo
Address:
702 North 2^nd Street Philadelphia, PA 19123
Phone: 215-413-7770
Cuisine: Italian
Cost: Antipasti ($6.50-$10.50), Pasta ($13.95-$16.95), Secondi ($15.25-$21.95), Dolci ($5.50-$7.00)

Campton Place (San Francisco, CA)

2005-12-28T09:30:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately there was not enough time during this trip to have dinner at Campton place. However, I did manage to stop by for a quick breakfast while Mom and Dad did some shopping in Union Square. Campton Place has been receiving a lot of press lately due to the rising status of Daniel Humm with the California culinary scene.

Located in the Campton Hotel northeast of Union Square, the restaurant consists of one small rectangular dining room. The room is luxurious, elegant, and romantic. My server was excellent throughout my brief meal. After agonizing over the menu, I settled on a cup of coffee and the banana pancakes with macadamia nut butter and honey ginger bananas. The pancakes were out of this world. They were extremely light, moist, and had a uniformly bold banana flavor. The macadamia nut butter was rich and creamy. This is one of the best renditions of this type of dish that I have ever had.

I am eagerly awaiting the opportunity to fully explorer Campton place during dinner with one of their tasting menus.

The Facts:
Name: Campton Place
Address:
340 Stockton St.
San Francisco, CA 94108
Phone: (415) 955-5555
Website: http://www.camptonplace.com/dining/index.html
Cuisine: French

Chez Panisse (Berkeley, CA)

2005-12-27T18:00:00.000-08:00

Unique Divinity

I was at Chez Panisse tonight for dinner. So where were you?

Having researched many restaurants around the country, I have always been intrigued with Chez Panisse due to its combination of completely fixed menus, incredibly lofty reviews (top of many lists of the best restaurants in the US, 13th ranked in the world according to Restaurant Magazine), and significance to the California culinary scene. It has always been near the top of my list of restaurants to go to in the US and I had lucked into a reservation several weeks ago. It was with incredible anticipation and exceedingly high expectations that I embarked on this culinary odyssey tonight.

The Restaurant

As you approach Chez Panisse from the outside, you are immediately struck by its darkness. The building is a redwood cottage and is barely lit from the outside. Aside from the painted Chez Panisse sign above the entryway, the only other marker is a double pane glass enclosed bulletin board listing tonight’s menu for the café and the menu for the downstairs restaurant for the week. Chez Panisse offers two distinct dining options, an a la carte menu in the café, and a multi-course prix fixe, with no options, in the main dining room. Menus changes daily and no two menus are ever identical. The menu for each upcoming week is posted on the preceding Saturday. The menus grow in terms of the number of courses, complexity, and price as the week progresses. Both the café and restaurant are closed on Sundays.

Upon entering the restaurant, you see a set of stairs directly in front of you, with the host’s podium on your right. Chez Panisse Café is located upstairs, while Chez Panisse restaurant is located “downstairs” on the entry level. The restroom is accessible by an extremely narrow hallway to the top left of the stairs.

The first thing that I noticed as I entered the dining room was a very distinctive smell of redwood and a burning wood grill. The smell was fantastic and immediately transported me back to my favorite childhood campfire. The room is small with seating for only 50 people but the tables are well spaced apart. The room is earthy, elegant, and extremely romantic. Floral arrangements are on display throughout the room, including a large bouquet at the entrance of the room. The dining room is completely devoid of pretense, which can also be said of the food, the service, and the restaurant in general. The large, open kitchen is visible from the room so that you can watch the chefs create their masterpieces.

The Food

The overriding theme of the food is simple, earthy, and organic. The food honestly tastes as if it was just plucked directly from the ground or fished directly from the sea. Chez Panisse definitely proves the value of fresh, organic foods, which are supplied by a carefully constructed network of over 60 local farms. It is this unique network that makes San Francisco one of only a handful of metropolitan areas that can accommodate such a restaurant. Alice Waters defined California cuisine over 30 years ago when she opened Chez Panisse. She is intimately involved in with all aspects of the dining experience including everything from menu creation, to room lighting, to ingredient selection. In addition, the kitchens of many of the top restaurants in town are run by former Chez Panisse alumni.

The Service

The service was perfect. Simply perfect. We were completely taken care of yet never felt as if we were being waited on. Such a feat is far more difficult to achieve than the more stereotypical fine dining service. Our server intelligently answered all of my questions regarding the food and restaurant and he seemed thrilled to engage in our conversations. We also spent much time speaking with the host both before and during the meal and his graciousness and sincerity were wonderful. As we left the restaurant, we were thanked by multiple members of the staff. The host even asked if we were going to be in town on New Year’s Eve in an attempt to offer us a reservation that is otherwise impossible to get. The staff is the model of genuine, intelligent, caring, unpretentious, and unobtrusive service.

The Meal

After taking our seats, we quickly glanced over the take home copy of the menu that is printed daily and placed on each place setting. We were soon greeted by an extremely gracious server and were presented with a small plate of Nicoise olives. I ordered a glass of Pinot Noir, which was outstanding.

While waiting for our first course, we received a bread basket containing two loaves of bread from the Acme Bread Company, one traditional sourdough loaf and one pan fondue loaf. The pan fondue bread was unbelievably soft. During the course of our meal, we finished two whole loaves. Although the sourdough bread can be purchased from Acme Bread Company, the pan fondue is uniquely baked for Chez Panisse.

Our first course was roasted Atlantic cod with leeks and green garlic. The Atlantic cod was a substitution for warm Monterey Bay squid which had been listed on the menu that had been posted the previous night. When I asked our server about this, he informed that the availability of fresh fish is variable due to the season. This dish had an amazing vibrant green color and a fantastic fresh garden smell. I was impressed even before I took my first bite. As we took our first bite, all three of us began to laugh. It was simply that good. There is no better way to explain it. The cod just melted in our mouths, was incredibly light, and was devoid of any fishy taste. The green garlic and leeks beautifully complemented the fish and gave the dish a wonderful earthiness.

Our second course was a petite garbure, a cabbage and bean soup with goose confit that is common in the Pyrenes (the soup is also often made with duck confit). The beans were gigantic, impressively fresh, and soft. The broth was light and the cabbage was soft. The goose confit was moist and tender. Once again, this dish had an organic flavor to it that was present in all of the dishes that we had.

Our main course was a grilled Sonoma Poultry Liberty duck breast with orange sauce, citrus risotto, and curly cress. The duck was pristine, tender, and uniformly cooked. The risotto was very light and flavorful. Each bite unleashed a splash of citrus flavor that was amazing. By combining one piece of duck with a forkful of the risotto the dish was transformed into a complex combination of flavor and texture. The accompanying greens provided a textural contrast to the risotto and duck.

When our server brought out the dessert beverage menu, I was delighted to see that Blue Bottle Company coffee was being served. Mom and I had tried this coffee earlier in the day for the first time due to an article that I had read which enumerated the best coffeehouses in the country and we both loved it. Apparently, Chez Panisse has only been serving this coffee for two weeks but Alice Waters has already fallen in love with it. The coffee is served French press style and tonight’s blend was Ethiopian Yirgecheffe. My Dad was so taken with the coffee that he even had a cup. As far as I can remember, this is the first time in my life that I have ever seen my father drink coffee so it is saying quite a lot that he chose to indulge in it.

The dessert for this evening was a Sierra Beauty apple tart with glace aux epices. The tart consisted of a paper thin crust covered with finely sliced apple pieces that had been carefully hand arranged onto the crust. The apple tart was accompanied by a spiced ice cream that contained pieces of tangerine rind inside. Each bite into the rind provided a surprising contrast to the flavorful ice cream. All three of us adored the dessert and were impressed with its deep, rich flavor. Our meal concluded with petit fours consisting of cocoa powder dusted nuts and sugared orange rinds.

Overall the food was uniquely organic, light, and extremely flavorful. My senses of smell, sight, and taste were dazzled throughout the evening. Never before have I had a meal captivate my sense of smell as did this one.

Final Thoughts

So was each dish that I had tonight at the absolute top of my list of dishes that I have ever had? No. Was each dish incredible and unique? Absolutely. Is there another restaurant that could pull off these dishes? Possibly but I highly doubt it. Can I count on one hand the number of times that a dish (in this case the roasted Atlantic cod) has caused me to burst out laughing in sheer disbelief? Yes. Will I have other meals with comparable service? I hope so. Will I have ever another meal with this combination of uniqueness AND food quality AND service AND completeness of the dining experience. Not until the next time that I dine at Chez Panisse.

For those of you who know me, the answer to the obvious question is yes, Chez Panisse is better than Vetri. Each time that I leave Vetri, I am even more convinced that it is the best Italian restaurant in the country. However, having left Chez Panisse, I find it hard to imagine any restaurant anywhere in the world surpassing the unique combination of organic flavors, flawless service, and amazing atmosphere. In essence the entire night’s evening is wholly unique and seemingly unsurpassable. To quote Patricia Unterman, San Francisco’s leading food expert, “I’d rather eat here than anywhere else in the world.” At this point in my culinary life, I could not agree more.

The Facts
Name: Chez Panisse
Address:
1517 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, CA
Phone: (510) 548-5525
Website: Chez Panisse
Cuisine: Californian with Mediterranean influences
Price: Monday 3-course prix fixe ($50), Tuesday-Thursday 4-course prix fixe ($65), Friday-Saturday 5-course prix fixe ($75), 17% gratuity added for all parties

Lulu Petite (San Francisco, CA)

2005-12-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

A Ferry Sugary Beginning

As can be expected, one of the most important stops on my list for this trip to San Francisco was the Ferry Building. Having been renovated within the last few years, the Ferry Building has once again emerged as a cornerstone of the city. The building is now home to many culinary pleasures including restaurants, small eateries, shops, and wine bars. For this foodie, it was an outstanding place to go to and it did not disappoint. I could have spent an entire day here but we only had a few hours to spare.

We decided to start our morning at the Ferry Building with a light pastry breakfast. We grabbed three counter seats at Lulu Petite and placed our order. My and I started out with our usual coffee which was generic tasting. Dad ordered their specialty raspberry hot chocolate which was incredible. The raspberry flavoring was extremely bold and well balanced with the chocolate. Dad thoroughly enjoyed his apple galatoire. The sliced apples were plentiful and the pastry crust was light. Mom ordered a rather large dried fig and cherry scone. The scone itself was fairly bland and a little too dense but the fruit was excellent: moist and plentiful. I enjoyed my chocolate cherry brownie with white chocolate chunks on top. The brownie was moist and chewy although I was disappointed the white chocolate chunks which were surprisingly hard and bland. After consuming enough sugar to wake up a sleeping baby, we left the counter and continued our tour of the Ferry Building.

Ozumo (San Francisco, CA)

2005-12-26T20:30:00.000-08:00

High Style, High Prices, Mediocre Food

My original plan for this evening was to have dinner together as a family at Kokkari Estatario, a Greek / Mediterranean restaurant that possesses a gorgeous interior. With its inviting fireplace and excellent reviews, I had been eagerly awaiting our meal tonight. Unfortunately our plans fell through and Mom and I opted to eat locally to our hotel at Ozumo due to my love of Japanese and Asian Fusion cuisine. We drove over to Steurt Street, glanced longingly at Boulevard (the site of an upcoming lunch) and walked into Ozumo.

The restaurant is extremely chic, with primarily young and well dressed clientele. The décor is highlighted by high ceilings, modern wooden tables and chairs, and dark lighting. Our service throughout the meal was attentive but our server was pushy when it came time to order our dishes. Such service was very reminiscent of my recent meal at Okama at the Wynn Las Vegas Casino in Las Vegas. Many parallels can be drawn between these two restaurants with the notable difference being the quality of the food (Okama is vastly superior).

We started off with an order of edamame and ginger tea. The tea was some of the best ginger tea that I have ever had with a bold and very fresh flavoring. Curious as to what made the tea so good, I opened up the tea pot cover and was surprised to see pieces of small, diced herbs and ginger as opposed to the traditional assortment of loose tea leaves. The fresh herbs and ginger undoubtedly contributed to the overall freshness and beautiful golden color of the tea. Although I tend to feel that most edamame is similar, the edamame that we received tonight was disappointing. The soy beans lacked crispness and suffered from a dearth of salt.

Our first dish was the tempura crab salad with butter lettuce and a julienne of apples in a spicy garlic miso sauce. This was my favorite dish of the evening due to the outstanding tempura preparation. The crab pieces were delicately covered with batter and deeply fried resulting in crab tempura that was light, crispy on the outside, and moist on the inside.

I was very disappointed with the next dish, the hanabi, which consisted if slices of hamachi and avocado drizzled with jalapeno ponzu. The portion of hamachi and avocado was generous and the hamachi itself was fresh and delicately sliced. However, the accompanying salad was flavorless. The jalapeno ponzu was likewise bland and lacked the kick that I had been promised by our server.

Our third dish was Tanabata, which was Dungeness crab, scallop, salmon and cream cheese yuba rolls with a wasabi aioli. Our final dish was a fairly standard dragon roll. It must be noted that the presentation of all of our dishes was very good.

Overall, I do not recommend Ozumo. The hip décor and attentive service is not enough to save a kitchen that is hit or miss. With its extremely expensive dishes, such lapses in quality are not acceptable. However, the restaurant is a fun place to eat and watch the affluent young clientele commingle.

The Facts
Name: Ozumo
Address:
161 Steurt Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone: (415) 882-1333
Website: Ozumo
Cuisine: Contemporary Japanese
Price: $12-$18 Appetizers, $9-$18 Salads, $14-$45 Robata-Yaki

Fisherman’s Warf (San Francisco, CA)

2005-12-26T09:00:00.000-08:00

A Fresh Crab Beginning

Despite the many reports that I had read stating that Fisherman’s Warf was nothing more than a tourist trap, we decided to give it a try to see for ourselves. Regardless of whether or not it was a tourist trap, it was certainly a quintessential San Francisco experience that we did not want to miss. We woke up early, and walked to the southern end of the Powell¬ Hyde cable car line near Powell and Market streets. Fortunately, the weather was absolutely gorgeous for a change. The cable car ride was delightful due to the spectacular views of the bay that emerge as the car comes to the crest of Nob Hill. The ride ended at Ghiradeli Square at which point we headed east towards Fisherman’s Warf.

After perusing the different crab stands, I decided to order a whole cooked fresh Dungeness crab from The Crab Station at Fisherman’s Warf. The crab was amazingly fresh and flavorful. The tender meat was a delight to eat. Mom had a crab cake salad sandwich on a sourdough roll that was very good. The crab was fresh and the salad was light. The roll was excellent as was most of the sourdough bread that we had while in San Francisco. Their climate uniquely allows the yeast that is used to produce sourdough bread to flourish. After quickly finishing our crab breakfast, we grabbed a chocolate chip scone from Peet’s Coffee at Boudin Bakery and headed over to the Alcatraz boat pier.

House of Dim Sum (San Francisco, CA)

2005-12-25T16:00:00.000-08:00

House of Dim Sum is in the House

Having been disappointed with yesterday’s dim sum lunch a Yank Sing, I was hoping that I would find a real dim sum restaurant in Chinatown. During my walking tour of Chinatown, I came upon the House of Dim Sum and decided to try it out based on the strong recommendation in San Francisco Frommer’s guidebook. The rain that had plagued the entire day was really coming down and I welcomed this opportunity to dry off.

The restaurant itself was long and rectangular with two small floors. A medium sized counter occupied the left side of the restaurant. Upon entering the restaurant, I was greeted with a friendly smile and a checklist that listed all of the items that were available. Since no prices were listed, I asked the woman by the counter who informed me that each item was $0.50. Having been frustrated by the expensive dim sum at Yank Sing, I was overjoyed to have found an extremely cheap dim sum restaurant. I ordered eight items and handed over a five dollar bill.

I particularly enjoyed the shark’s fin dumplings and the shrimp dumplings. Each shrimp dumpling contained tender shrimp that were thinly coated with egg. The dumpling shell was light and soft. The shark’s fin dumpling was bursting with flavor and I quickly consumed all three dumplings. I also ordered a turnip cake and sweet rice with chicken wrapped in a lotus leaf. The only dish that I did not enjoy was the sponge cake that I ordered for dessert, which was extremely bland.

While I was eating, I was joined by an unlikely companion since all of the other tables were full; a man from Japan who was taking a tour of the US. He had already been to Las Vegas and Los Angelos and was in town for a few days. He had decided to spend his birthday in Chinatown and had likewise dropped in to the House of Dim Sum for a quick bite to eat. After a thoroughly enjoyable impromptu 30 minute conversation, I opened up my umbrella and headed back out into the pouring rain.

I highly recommend House of Dim Sum. With excellent quality food and friendly service this is a great place to go for cheap, simple, no frills dim sum.

The Facts
Name: House of Dim Sum
Address:
735 Jackson Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
Phone: (415) 399-0888
Cuisine: Chinese / Dim Sum
Price: All items ($0.50)

Waterfront Restaurant (San Francisco, CA)

2005-12-25T12:00:00.000-08:00

Stunning Views and Continental Comfort

Due to the limited selection of restaurants that were open on Christmas Day, I had chosen Waterfront on the basis of its stunning views of the bay and Bay Bridge and its well regarded Dungeness crab cakes. The weather was unfortunately not cooperating with us and we were stuck walking down Market Street and the Embarcadero in the rain.

Waterfront Restaurant has both an indoor dining area and a fully enclosed, tented outdoor dining area. Booth rooms are reasonably elegant and romantic. The view of the bay is gorgeous and includes the Bay Bridge, Treasure Island, and Yerba Buena Island. Despite the cold, damp day, we were kept dry and warm by one of many portable heated lamps that adorned the tented dining area were we were seated.

Our meal got off to an unfortunate start. After taking our orders, our waiter refused to let me keep my menu and yanked it out of my hands. In all of my eating around the country, I have never had this happen before. He had a change of heart after checking with the manager and returned later on with a copy for me. However, the damage had already been done and his coldness persisted throughout our meal.

Dad and I decided to start with the aforementioned Dungeness crab cakes with remoulade sauce. We both thoroughly enjoyed the crab cakes. The crab was extremely fresh and the cakes were fairly light on filler. The Dungeness crab meat had a distinctive taste that we both enjoyed. Mom had ordered the three course Christmas prix fixe, which began with butternut squash soup with Dungeness crab crostini. She greatly enjoyed the soup due to its vibrant flavor and use of light cream. Nothing ruins butternut squash soup faster than the overuse of heavy cream. The small Dungeness crab claw was excellent but it did not really contribute to the soup. Rather, it felt like a standalone addition.

Mom enjoyed the braised short ribs and mashed potato with caramelized onions. I also enjoyed the tender, well cooked meat but was disappointed with the sides which were unduly heavy. I love caramelized onions but could barely manage a taste of these due to their heft. Once again, Dad and I ordered the same dish, the Mesquite grilled Hawaiian escolar with asparagus, crab mashed potatoes and lemon nage. We had mixed reactions to the fish but were in agreement regarding the crab mashed potatoes and asparagus. Dad felt that the escolar had a tart flavor. I did not taste any tartness in my portion but was slightly disappointed by the simple preparation. However, we were both floored by the asparagus. This might sound strange to read since asparagus is not the type of thing that one typically comments on but this asparagus was just incredible. The stalks were huge, unbelievably soft, and had a rich flavor. This was easily that best asparagus the either of us have ever had. The crab mashed potatoes nicely complemented the fish.

For dessert, we all shared Mom’s chocolate fondant with raspberry coulis. The fondant was creamy, had a cheesecake‑like consistency, and was very rich. We quickly devoured it with only a few forkfuls.

Overall, I recommend Waterfront on the basis of its stunning views and well prepared California / Continental cuisine. The cooking is not innovative but this is not the place to go for a culinary adventure. Rather, it is a place to sit back, relax, and take in the beautiful scenery that San Francisco has to offer. I attribute our lackluster service to our particular waiter and am confidant that the service would otherwise have been fine.

The Facts
Name: Waterfront
Address:
Pier 7 The Embarcadero
San Francisco, CA 94111
Phone: (415) 391-2696
Cuisine: Continental / California
Price: Appetizers $11-$14, Entrees $20-$30, Desserts $7.50
Website: Waterfront Restaurant

Canteen (San Francisco, CA )

2005-12-24T18:00:00.000-08:00

Leary Surpasses All Expectations at Canteen

Our destination tonight was Canteen, one of the hottest restaurants in San Francisco and the home of rising star chef Dennis Leary, formerly of Rubicon. As of two days ago, I did not expect to be dining at Canteen. I received a surprise call last night confirming a reservation that I thought did not exist. I had called the restaurant a few weeks ago to see if it would be open on Christmas Eve and assumed the worst when I never heard back. Nevertheless, I accepted the reservation immediately, cancelled my reservation at Piperade and informed my parents of the great news.

Upon first glance, the restaurant is extremely unassuming. It is set just off of the lobby of the Commodore Hotel right in downtown San Francisco. The dining room looks like an old diner complete with counter seats, small booths, and an old worn clock. The restaurant has a maximum capacity of 20 so every meal is small, intimate, and personalized. Dennis’s work can be observed firsthand via the open kitchen and one certainly feels as if they have a personalized chef for the evening. For this Christmas Eve, he had prepared a special four course holiday prix fixe menu.

Having had an extremely hectic, line filled travel experience we were all desperately in need of a relaxing meal together. We arrived exactly at 6 PM and were seated after a brief wait. We were greeted by a very friendly server and I ordered a glass of the Borgo di Colloredo Aglianico, Italy 2001. The wine was a mixture of three different grapes, was full bodied, and had an extremely distinctive taste that I enjoyed.

Our meal began with a perfect piece of brioche. The soft, warm buttery bread simply melted in our mouths. The brioche was so rich it could have been served as a dessert and none of us would have complained. The amuse bouche that followed consisted of smoked duck, green tomatoes, orange puree, and a small piece of toast. This dish has an interesting combination of sweet and sour flavors as well as a mixture of different textures. The coarse toast, smooth orange puree, tender duck, and crunchy tomatoes complimented each other beautifully. The dish had an overall uniquely sour flavor that I greatly enjoyed.

Our first course was a spare rib salad with prunes, escarole, and cranberries. Both my parents and I adored this dish. My Dad, who normally does not like spare ribs, commented that this was the best spare rib meat he had ever had. The meat was unbelievably tender, had a strong smoked flavor, and was devoid of any fat. The cranberries could not have been any fresher and were a perfect match for the rib meat. The greens were crisp and fresh. This is one of the best salads that any of us have ever had.

After finishing another piece of brioche, we received our second course which was chanterelles soup pureed with walnuts and red wine. The mushroom had a fair amount of cream but it was deftly prepared so that the cream was barely detectable. The walnut puree gave the soup an extremely earthy flavor. I appreciated this different take on what is often a disappointing soup in my opinion. The large portion was also impressive. Overall, all of the portions that we received were generous and the meal provided an unbeatable value of quality and quantity.

Our final savory course was wild salmon with artichokes, Tuscan kale, and sauce “soubise”. This dish was a real standout due to its incredibly unique composition. The salmon sat on a bed of kale, pureed artichoke, and onion sauce with whipped cream. Thinly sliced pieces of fresh artichoke adorned the top of the salmon. This dish demonstrated a fresh, earthiness that was similar to the chanterelles soup that I likewise loved. These two dishes were very reminiscent of Bradley Ogden’s style which consists of extremely fresh, organic ingredients. I had enjoyed his cooking when I was in Las Vegas two months ago. The salmon was moist and strongly flavored.

Our meal concluded with gingerbread and caramelized pineapple, with whipped cream. All of three of us were floored by this dessert. The gingerbread was exceedingly moist and light, a pleasant contrast from the typically dense presentation of gingerbread cake that I am accustomed to. The caramel sauce, caramelized pineapple, and whipped were all excellent.

Canteen gets my highest recommendation. The ingredients are of the highest quality, the quality of the dish preparation is superb, and the dishes themselves are extremely creative. The small room and attentive service make for an intimate and personalized experience. The simple dining room is the perfect place for an unpretentious culinary odyssey.

The Facts
Name: Canteen
Address:
817 Sutter Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
Phone: (415) 928-8870
Cuisine: Californian
Price: 4-Course Holiday Prix Fixe ($40)

Yank Sing (San Francisco, CA)

2005-12-24T14:30:00.000-08:00

Dim Sum Disappoints

Our outstanding flight to San Francisco was unfortunately offset by the absurdly long wait for our luggage and for our rental car. Once we got our car, we quickly arrived at our Courtyard Marriot and checked in. We deposited our luggage, freshened up, and hurried over to Yank Sing for a light lunch. Our walk turned out to be longer than expected but we found the generic looking restaurant without much fanfare.

As soon as we entered the restaurant, we were assaulted by several servers with different dim sum carts. While I appreciated their desire to feed us, I was put off by their pushiness and lack of regard for pacing.

We sampled a variety of dishes during our brief meal, with each dish consisting of four pieces. I enjoyed the fried crab claws. The crab meat was extremely fresh and the portion was generous. The chicken and mushroom dumplings were disappointingly bland. The shrimp roll was outstanding due to a fine layer of egg that separated the tender shrimp meat from the fried batter. I also enjoyed the shrimp dumplings which contained more of the same tender shrimp meat. The chicken that we had was greasy and fatty. Neither my Dad nor I enjoyed it. My Dad was not a big fan of the shrimp toast but I enjoyed the dish. All three of us loved the jasmine tea which was strongly flavored and made fresh from tea leaves. Our bill for the seven items was $60, which is way too high for what we received.

Overall, I do not recommend Yank Sing. I was disappointed with the prices which were unjustly high. The dishes varied from bland to outstanding but lacked consistency overall. Finally, I did not approve of the manner in which food was hurled at us consistently from the second that we entered the restaurant. I have had dim sum elsewhere that consisted of better food in a more relaxed environment.

The Facts
Name: Yang Sink
Address:
49 Stevenson St
San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone: (415) 957-9300
Cuisine: Chinese / Dim Sum
Price: Dim Sum $6-$10

San Francisco

2005-12-23T21:42:00.000-08:00

Well the day that I thought would never come has finally arrived - I'm now only hours away from 8 days in San Francisco and I can't wait! I'm looking forward to a long relaxing week of site seeing, wine tasting, and eating at many of San Franciso's famous places. For those who are keeping track, here is the current list for SF in the order that I'm going:

Farallon
Canteen
Waterfront
Tommy Toy's
Town Hall
Kokkari
The Slanted Door
Sushi Ran
Chez Panisse
Rubicon
Gary Danko
Bouelvard
Coco500
Bistro Jeanty
Bouchon
Boulevard

I'm most looking forward to Chez Panisse, Gary Danko, Canteen, and Bouchon.

Happy Holidays and happy eating! I'll see you in San Francisco ...

Southwark (Philadelphia, PA)

2005-12-22T18:00:00.000-08:00

A New South Street Gem

The accolades for Southwark are quickly accumulating with its recent 3-bell review from Craig LaBan and a listing in the 2006 Zagat’s Top Restaurants in America guide. Kendra and I were hoping to partake of the magic as we entered the restaurant following our unduly lengthy parking search.

The restaurant is located right on the corner of 4th and South Street. A gorgeous wooden bar runs lengthwise through entry room which contains a handful of small tables. The main dining room is located in a separate rectangular room at the rear of the restaurant. The room is small, intimate, and very romantic.

Over the course of the evening, Kendra and I enjoyed three glasses of red wine (I unfortunately do no recall the wines that we had). Since we were both extremely hungry (as if there is a time that I am not extremely hungry), we each ordered an appetizer and entrée and decided to share an additional appetizer, the steamed clams with dry vermouth, shallots, tomato, dried chili butter broth. This was one of the more unique preparations of steamed clams that I have had. The inclusion of the dried chili butter gave the dish a surprisingly tangy flavor that I was not prepared for. I unsure as to whether or not I enjoyed the dish but I certainly appreciated the novel broth

Kendra and I each ordered one of the spinach salads with toasted hazelnuts, figs, red onion, and buttermilk blue cheese dressing. Kendra enjoyed the salad and I thought it was excellent. The ingredients were fresh and simply prepared. The figs were tender and the hazelnuts had just enough toasting to give them some additional character without tasting burned. Finally, the buttermilk blue cheese dressing nicely complemented the salad without overpowering the hazelnuts and figs.

Kendra ordered the steak special, which she enjoyed. I ordered the grilled squid stuffed with brandade, with smoke bacon, Brussels sprouts, grilled radicchio, and aged balsamic walnut oil and was absolutely amazed with its flavor, texture, and composition. The brandade, a puree of salt cod and potato, was uniformly creamy, flavorful, and light. The grilled squid was extremely tender and expertly grilled. Each knife cut into the squid unleashed a flow of the rich brandade and the combination of the two textures (squid and brandade) was sublime. The accompanying medley of smoked bacon, Brussels sprouts, and grilled radicchio had a wonderfully smokey flavor. This was one of the most enjoyable dishes that I have had in recent memory.

Still hungry after our first and second courses, we each decided to order dessert. All desserts cost $6, which is a bargain for the homemade treats. Kendra enjoyed a very rich and creamy chocolate pot de crème. I had the warm crepes with honey mascarpone and toasted nuts. I was slightly disappointed with the smallish portion and somewhat bland flavoring of the doughy crepes. My dessert was the only kitchen slip that we encountered.

Overall I highly recommend Southwark. The small intimate dining room is very conducive to a quiet, romantic meal. The excellent quality food and innovative preparations make for a culinary feast. Attentive service and a reasonably priced wine by the glass list further contribute to the dining experience and help to solidify Southwark as an outstanding new addition to the Queen Village dining scene.

The Facts
Name: Southwark
Address:
701 S. 4th St.
Philadelphia, PA 19147
Phone: (215) 238-1888
Cuisine: New American
Price: $5-$14 Small Plates, $18-$24 Large Plates, $6 Desserts

Balkan Express (Philadelphia, PA)

2005-11-16T20:00:00.000-08:00

Glimmering Gold and Balkan Sunshine on a Rainy Day

Tutankhamun. His name is certainly not thought of on a daily basis. However, this most famous of all Egyptian pharaohs was certainly on my mind as I headed towards the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. On this night, I was meeting my cousin Andy for a lecture on the upcoming King Tut exhibit followed by a culinary adventure at Balkan Express, a small neighborhood Balkan restaurant that has recently received positive reviews.

Due to the torrential rain, we both arrived late and hurried into the lecture hall. At the conclusion of the lecture, we headed over to Balkan Express. As we approached the restaurant, a look of panic appeared on both of our faces due to the darkened interior. As we entered the restaurant we were informed that it had closed for the evening by the owners, Radovan Jacovic and his wife. I was annoyed and angrily reminded them that I had called earlier in the night to inform them that we would be arriving at 8. They told me that they had decided to close due to the inclement weather. Fortunately, they agreed to cook for us in no small part due to my eagerness and insistence.

I started with sarma, a traditional meat stuffed cabbage appetizer. The dish was highlighted by the sweet sauce, rough texture of the softened cabbage, and the tenderness of the meat. I thoroughly enjoyed the spicy beef strips, pepper, tomato and onion stew served with Duvec rice entrée that I ordered (the dish is called muckalica). The dish had a tremendous amount of flavor and the meat was tender and moist. The dish is stew-like but not to be confused with a standard meat stew due to the thickness of the sauce and the large quantity of beef strips

We finished with Balkan style baklava. Having had baklava many times in my life, I was not expecting anything new. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I took my first bite. This preparation of baklava was dry and free from the typical drenching of syrup, which often overshadows the delicate phylo dough pastry. In addition, the phylo itself was denser and doughier than I am accustomed to and the nut flavoring was quite strong. Overall, I really enjoyed the dessert and appreciated their unique take on this classic dish. Despite their initial reluctance to serve us, I was very happy with the personalized service that we received. Radovan’s warmth and friendless was certainly the highlight of our meal.

The only damper on the evening was the miserable walk from 23rd and Grey’s Ferry to my car on 32nd and Walnut during the pouring rain. By the time we arrived at my car, we were both soaked and there was not a solitary dry spot on my pants. However, we had a wonderful night full of history lessons and food to remember.

The Facts
Name: Balkan Express
Address:
23rd and Kater Street
Philadelphia, PA
Phone: (215) 545-1255
Cuisine: Eastern European

Upstairs at Varalli (Philadelphia, PA)

2005-11-12T18:15:00.000-08:00

Mahlerian Vista at Varalli

I had attempted to dine at Upstairs at Varalli on one previous occasion but was unfortunately seated downstairs. To ensure that Dad and I were seated upstairs for our pre concert dinner, I added a note to our opentable.com reservation. When we arrived at the restaurant, we headed upstairs and were seated immediately. We both appreciated the fact that our hostess asked us if we were attending any performances tonight so that she could guarantee that we were finished on time.

The atmosphere at Upstairs at Varalli is outstanding. The view of the city is breathtaking though the panoramic window, especially at night when Broad Street is illuminated by street lamps. The dining room is very romantic with candle lit tables and low level ambient lighting. Our server was attentive and provided excellent dish suggestions throughout the evening.

I started with an octopus salad, which was one of today’s specials. Large, fresh pieces of grilled octopus were accompanied by mixed greens, olives, and scallions. The salad was refreshing, nicely portioned, and very flavorful.

Dad loved the seared jumbo scallops with a pumpkin butter sauce, wilted spinach, apple-smoked bacon and black truffles. The pumpkin butter was well balanced and nicely complemented the lightly grilled, moist scallops. The wilted spinach was too bland for my taste. I ordered the seafood risotto with lobster, shrimp, scallops, crab, mussels, tomatoes, saffron and basil after a very strong recommendation from our server. I was impressed with the large portion of seafood and risotto and found the dish to be particularly filling. The seafood selection included several pieces of lump crab meat, four mussels, three large grilled shrimp, two scallops, and a small lobster tail. All of the seafood was fresh. I enjoyed the risotto but must warn that the tomato and saffron flavoring is extremely strong; Dad was not a fan of my dish.

For dessert, I had the mango mouse with mango coulis while Dad had the key lime pie. Dad enjoyed the key lime pie although we both noted that it was by far the densest key lime pie that we had ever had. I was not a big fan of the pie although I loved my mango mouse. It was refreshing, light, and creamy. The strawberries were fresh and the mango coulis was flavorful. After paying the bill, we headed over to the Kimmel Center for what would prove to be an outstanding performance of Mahler’s 6th Symphony.

Overall, I recommend Upstairs at Varalli. The menu consists of well prepared Italian classics with a focus on seafood and risotto dishes. The view of the city is spectacular, especially once it becomes dark outside. The combination of the candle lit dining room and panoramic window makes for a very romantic meal. The service is also reasonably good.

The Facts
Name: Upstairs at Varalli
Address:
1345 Locust Street
Philadelphia, Pa 19107
Phone: (215) 546-4200
Cuisine: Italian
Website: Upstairs at Varalli
Price: Appetizers $4-$14, Entrees $9-$25, Desserts $5-7

Bluefin (Plymouth Meeting, PA)

2005-11-08T18:00:00.000-08:00

Hidden Sushi Knockout

My evening began with an early exodus from work as I headed to Blue Bell for an appointment with my dentist. Normally, one does not look forward to such engagements but it so happens that my Uncle Hal doubles as my dentist so my visits are always painless and provide a nice opportunity to catch up. At the conclusion of my appointment, I followed him home, we picked up my Aunt Fran, and we headed off for a relaxing evening of sushi and conversation. Our destination on this particular evening was Bluefin, a local BYO sushi restaurant that was the site of and outstanding meal for us one year ago.

As you walk towards Bluefin, it is impossible not to be under whelmed. Located in a small strip mall in Plymouth Meeting, Bluefin is the very definition of a hole in the wall restaurant. The outside of the restaurant is cold and uninviting. However, nice warmth emerges from the restaurant as you open the door and enter to a round of welcoming cries from the sushi chefs at the counter. The dining room is typical, understated Japanese style décor.

As we settled into our table, our server immediately took the 2001 Hogue Genesis Merlot that I had brought with us to remove the cork as we examined the menus. Having previously dined here with Uncle Hal and Aunt Fran, I was familiar with the sparse menu. Although there are numerous appetizers to choose from, the entree listing is quite short and is limited to standard teriyaki and tempura dishes. The nigiri and maki selections are likewise standard but are reasonably comprehensive. A few “concept rolls” round out the menu.

I received a rude awakening with my first sip of the Merlot, which left a bitter taste in my mouth despite its clean palate. However, as the wine began to breathe during our meal, the bitter aftertaste seemed to disappear and the resulting wine was easy to drink. The wine had a very noticeable aroma of herbs.

We decided to start our meal with a few appetizers: Aunt Fran and Uncle Hal both ordered salads with miso soup and I ordered the spicy tuna sundae. The sundae was served up in a martini glass and was a conglomeration of tuna, spicy sauce, roe, and avocado. The presentation was extremely colorful and the dish was nicely assembled. My first bite erupted with flavor and I quickly consumed the remainder of the dish. The tuna was very fresh and expertly cut. However, I was slightly disappointed at the somewhat skimpy portion of tuna that I received.

After finishing our appetizers we eagerly waited for our sushi to arrive. Fortunately, we had an excellent view of the sushi bar and admired the sushi chefs’ handy work as they assembled our first order of sushi which consisted of six maki: a dragon roll, a shrimp tempura roll, a California roll, an unagi roll with cucumber, a crunchy spicy roll, and a Scottish roll (salmon and asparagus). Our sushi arrived on a large clear, glass plate. Each roll was pristinely composed. The California and Scottish rolls were fairly standard. The unagi cucumber roll was very fresh and extremely flavorful. Eel is an excellent freshness benchmark since non-fresh eel often has a bitter aftertaste; this roll passed the test with flying colors. It was evident that a gentle hand was used to fry the shrimp and this delicateness persisted throughout all of our tempura dishes. I particularly enjoyed the crunchy spicy tuna roll with its extremely crispy tempura chips. The tuna had a marvelous combination of textures, and was extremely flavorful without requiring the typically overdone helping of spicy sauce. My favorite roll was by far the dragon roll. It demonstrated an outstanding balance of textures and temperatures. The eel was perfectly warm while the avocado was cool and refreshing. The creaminess of the avocado was matched by the gritty texture of the eel. This is my favorite roll in general and one that is often carelessly composed or ruined by poor ingredients. Bluefin carried out the dish extremely well and I was left extremely satisfied after our first round of sushi.

While waiting for our round two of our sushi, we were given a complimentary fish tempura appetizer. We all appreciated the gesture but were disappointed with the overly dry fish despite the excellent tempura preparation. Our second order of sushi consisted of our favorites from the first batch, another dragon roll, crunchy spicy tuna roll, and a shrimp tempura roll plus one spider roll, which we had not previously ordered. All rolls that we ordered for a second time were just as carefully prepared and tasty as the first time. The spider roll highlighted fresh, soft shell crab tempura and was easily one of my favorite rolls of the night.

At the conclusion of our meal, we were presented with a dessert sampler, once again complements of the chef. The sampler contained extremely ripe honey dew melon, orange slices and three pieces of banana tempura. The banana tempura was unusual in that there was no added sugar as is commonly done. I was put off by this at first but then came to appreciate the natural flavor of the banana and tempura that is too often smothered and masked by an over abundance of sugar. After Uncle Hal and Aunt Fran settled the bill (as they always very generously do), we headed back to their house.

Overall I highly recommend Bluefin. The sushi is outstanding: very fresh, expertly cut, and very flavorful. The décor is understated and the menu is sparse but it is more than adequate for a fine evening of sushi. In my opinion, Bluefin serves some of the very best sushi in the region and should not be missed.

The Facts
Name: Bluefin Japanese Restaurant
Address:
1017 Germantown Pike
Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462-2449
Phone: (610) 277-3917
Website: Bluefin
Cuisine: Japanese
Price: Appetizers $2-$9, Entrees $15-$26, Sushi a la carte $4-$8, Maki $5-$15

Audrey Claire (Philadelphia, PA)

2005-11-07T17:45:00.000-08:00

Local Mediterranean Comfort

As I sat at a small table for two and gazed through the window next to me, I thought about why it had taken me so long to finally dine at Audrey Claire. I had heard many good things about this cozy neighborhood BYO not the least of which was a strong endorsement from Kendra and Yehuda. However, thoughts of their cash only policy coupled with an earlier lackluster visit to Twenty Manning (Audrey Claire Taichman’s other restaurant) lingered in my mind as I waited for Eric. I was early for once; it seems that I am always late when I am meeting him for dinner.

Eric arrived shortly and we began perusing the menu. The menu is divided into “smaller dishes” and “bigger dishes”, which are essentially analogous to appetizers and entrees. The selection is varied and the prices are fairly reasonable. There are also a number of daily specials handwritten on a small blackboard near the kitchen. The kitchen itself is open and completely visible from the dining room. The dining room is small and cute but the tables are tightly configured, which makes for a cramped and noisy meal. Fortunately for us, the restaurant was exceedingly empty on this particular night thus rendering my 5:45 PM reservation completely unnecessary.

I started with the grilled octopus over mixed greens, olives, feta, and lemon after receiving a strong recommendation from our personable server. The salad was medium sized and extremely flavorful. The ingredients were fresh and well balanced. I enjoyed the tender octopus that was generously apportioned but was disappointed by the miniscule pieces that the octopus was divided into. I tend to prefer larger, more substantial pieces of octopus in my salads. Nonetheless, the dish was refreshing and a good meal starter; I will certainly order this dish again in the future.

For my entrée, I chose one of their specials, crab cakes over a citrus risotto, with spinach, and dijon aioli. As a huge fan of crab cakes in general, I order them frequently and use them as benchmarks with which to compare different restaurants. The crab cake dish that I had tonight was outstanding. The two cakes were seared instead of being breaded as crabcakes typically are prepared. The crabmeat was fresh, tender, and free of filler. The seared cakes had a lightness to them that was unique. The citrus risotto had more of a coconut flavor than a citrus flavor to me but I enjoyed it. The dijon aioli perfectly complemented the crab cakes and risotto.

After finishing our meal we decided not to order dessert since none of the dishes jumped out at us. Instead, we ordered coffee, chatted some more, and then settled the bill before parting ways for the evening.

Overall, I enjoyed my meal at Audrey Claire. The menu consists of reliable Mediterranean fare and the service is attentive. Only a lack of coffee refills marred the service. I will be making a return visit during the next few weeks and will make a firmer recommendation.

The Facts
Name: Audrey Claire
Address:
276 South 20th Street
(Spruce Street)
Philadelphia, PA
Phone: (215) 731-1222
Website: Audrey Claire
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Price: “Smaller Dishes” $6-12, “Bigger Dishes” $14-22

The Smoked Joint (Philadelphia, PA)

2005-11-05T18:00:00.000-08:00

Smoking Good Time

After having suffered through the dismal Penn football homecoming loss to Princeton earlier in the day, I was desperately in need of a pick me up. Matt and I had discussed meeting for dinner at The Smoked Joint and we thought that it would be a great place for our large homecoming Stouffer crowd tonight. I called and made a reservation for a party of 10 at 6 PM. The Smoked Joint normally has a no reservations policy but they make exceptions for large groups.

Our group arrived in several smaller subgroups, some via car, some via taxi, and some on foot (as was the case for John, Courtney, and I). The restaurant is located in a small shopping center on the south side of Locust Street east of 15th Street. A slightly gaudy neon sign identifies the restaurant but the décor inside is tasteful. The dining room itself is dark, extremely noisy, and has a relaxed atmosphere. We were seated at a long rectangular table that continued to grow in length by the addition of tables as more of our party members arrived throughout the evening.

The few of us that ordered soda received a pleasant surprise when each of our drinks came out in our own personal sized pitchers. Nonetheless, I still managed to require a refill of my diet coke. We ordered too many items for me to discuss so I will just focus on my three courses. A quick survey of our table indicated that most people were happy with their dishes.

I started with a smoked baba ganoush appetizer that was outstanding. Both the pita and baba ganoush had a very strong, wonderfully smoked flavor. This is one of the most unique baba ganoush platters that I have had in recent memory. For my entrée, I choose the slow smoked brisket dish, which is smoked for 18 hours. I was very disappointed with this dish. The meat was very tender but was devoid of almost all flavor. The generous helping of sweet barbecue sauce that I applied helped to compensate but there is no reason for the meat to be flavorless. Matt also had the brisket and shared my opinion. My included side dish of sweet potato fries was very good. The fries were thinly cut, crisp yet not greasy, and were well salted. Brooks and I decided to share the bourbon chocolate pecan pie topped with warm chocolate ganache with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. The slice of pie that arrived was small but nicely warmed. I enjoyed the gooey chocolate filling and was pleased with the dessert in general.

At the conclusion of our meal, we were pleasantly surprised with the total bill even after the included 18% gratuity due to our large party size. The bill was extremely reasonable and we were not charged for any of the sodas that we had ordered. After settling the bill, we headed outside, said goodbye to Tamy, Sara, and Ryan, and flagged 2 cabs. We soon arrived back on campus and headed to Brian’s room to continue our homecoming festivities.

I am reserving judgment until after my next visit. Overall, I enjoyed the vibe of the restaurant along with most of my dishes (aside from my disappointing brisket entrée). The service was extremely good especially given the large size of our party. The prices are also very reasonable.

The Facts
Name: The Smoked Joint
Address:
1420 Locust Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Phone: (215) 732-7500
Price: Appetizers $4-$14, Entrees $9-$25, Desserts $5-7
Cuisine: Barbecue
Website: The Smoked Joint

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon (MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV)

2005-10-28T18:45:00.000-07:00

Small Plates and Large Theater at the MGM Grand

As I glanced down at my match, a look of panic spread over my face as I realized that it was an hour later than I had thought. Normally this would not be a problem but DJ and I had tickets to see Ka at the MGM Grand and we needed some time beforehand to grab a quick bite to eat. We quickly hurried over to the MGM Grand and DJ went to L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon to get us a table while I ran off to the ticket window to claim our will call tickets. After securing the tickets, I met DJ at my counter seat and took a brief minute to pause and catch my breath.

As I gathered myself and began to look around, I was struck by the interesting layout of the restaurant. The dining room contains only a handful of traditional booths. The majority of the seating is located around the counter of the large, rectangular, open kitchen. The black, red, and white coloring of the room makes for an elegant, yet relaxed atmosphere.

We decided to order four small plates and settled on Le Crabe, La Crevette, La Morue, and La Volaille. Our server expedited our orders since we were running late for the show; our bread arrived soon after. The first two dishes to arrive were the jumbo prawn with angel hair coating served with an orange and jasmine dip and the avocado slices, seasoned crabmeat and a mild spicy oil. The angel hair coating on the prawn was extremely crisp and dense. It completely enveloped the prawn and contrasted the tender meat. The orange dip added a nice flavor to the dish and we were off to a good start. We both loved the avocado slice with seasoned crabmeat. The avocado was particularly thinly sliced and the crabmeat was fresh and flavorful.

Our second course arrived almost immediately after we finished our first course. The fresh cod with fillet in a vegetable broth was outstanding. The fish was unbelievably moist and the portion was exceptionally generous for a tasting small plate. The wonton shell covering that adorned the top of the fish was paper thin and extremely soft. Finally, the vegetable broth added just enough flavor and body to round out the dish. The free range chicken wings served with sweet and sour pineapple was the most unique preparation of wings that I have seen. Two small, in bone pieces of fried chicken each sat atop of a pineapple ring that was sauced with a sweet and sour sauce. The chicken meat was pulled toward one end of the bone which made for easy consumption. The meat was very tender while the skin was crisp, yet non-greasy.

A surprise serving of mashed potatoes, a house specialty arrived courtesy of the Chef. The mashed potatoes were extraordinarily creamy. When I questioned our server regarding their preparation, he informed me that the potatoes are not whipped; rather, they are pressed through very fine filter paper.After paying the bill and procuring a menu, we were escorted into the theater by the maitre’d thus bypassing the line that had formed. We arrived with five minutes to spare and settled in for what would prove to be an absolutely marvelous show. Ka should not be missed by anyone going to Las Vegas.

I highly recommend L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon. The food is absolutely outstanding and the small plate menu affords you the opportunity to sample many of Chef Robuchon’s dishes without having to pay for the more expensive entrees. The service is also topnotch. Finally, the counter seating and open kitchen configuration of the dining room makes for an interesting meal replete with people watching.

The Facts
Name: L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon
Address:
MGM Grand
3799 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
Phone: (702) 891-7925
Website: L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon
Cuisine: French
Price: Tasting Portions $9-$32, Appetizers $14-$54, Entrees $26-$54

Aureole (Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV)

2005-10-26T21:00:00.000-07:00

Unreal Aureole is Amazing

I enjoyed the best meal that I have had all year at Aureole in Mandalay Bay. Such praise does not come lightly given the large number of fantastic meals that I have enjoyed this past year across the country. However, no praise can do justice to the meal that DJ and I experienced. Everything was simply outstanding from the food to the service to the wine to the décor.

I had planned this meal long in advance and was looking forward to it but it was not on the top of my list. Due to the fact that it is an attempt to replicate Charlie Palmer’s New York landmark, I was skeptical at first. However, I was hopeful due in large part to Vikas’s strong recommendation of the New York location. I left John, Jake, and Bob at the Border Grill and made my way to the area outside of the restaurant where I waited for DJ to arrive from McCarran Airport. We met up outside the Red, White, and Blue Café and embarked on what I hoped would be an excellent 25th birthday celebration for him.

Upon entering the restaurant, you are immediately struck by its stunning décor. The high ceilings, formal table settings and extensive use of attractive tan wood make for an elegant and luxurious, yet modern dining room. The restaurant is set down a few stories from the rest of the casino. The stairway leading down to the restaurant encircles a multistory glass enclosed wine cellar that is visible from outside the restaurant. The view of the cellar is breathtaking and must be observed in person in order to fully comprehend its majesty. As you descend the stairs, you cannot help but be awestruck and you immediately sense that you are entering a special, unique restaurant. Even the facade of the restaurant is noteworthy with the name appearing in shadowed letters above three oddly shaped windows.

The hostess took DJ’s bags for storage during our meal and promptly seated us at a table in the middle of one of the dining areas. The main dining room is continuous but high walled booths help to divide the room into smaller, more intimate dining areas. Throughout our meal, our section of the dining room was fairly empty, which contributed to the intimacy of our meal.

After being seated, we were immediately presented with the menus and I asked to see the wine list. What proceeded was the most unique wine list presentation that I have ever seen. Our server came back a tablet PC instead of the traditional bound, paper wine list that we are all accustomed to receiving. We were informed that the wine list is simply too large to be printed in the traditional way and I do not doubt this at all. Aureole has arguably the city’s largest and best wine collection. The wine list was easily navigated using a program that was custom written for the restaurant. I was overwhelmed by the list and asked our server for recommendations after telling him my wine preferences (dry, peppery red wines). He strongly recommended a 1998 Colombia Valley D2 Cabernet Blend, which he described in detail, but decided to get the sommelier since he would be better able to discuss the wine by the glass selections with us. I appreciated our server’s proactive approach especially since I was not asking many questions. The sommelier quickly came to our table and gave us a wonderful five minute lesson on the differences between the oak barrels that are used to age some of the various wines that are offered by the glass. He likewise recommended the D2 Cabernet for its richness and worldliness. DJ and I each ordered a glass despite my general distaste for Cabernet blends. Our server returned with the wine and we quickly sampled it. We were both immediately stunned by its rich flavor and full body. It demonstrated a complexity not often found in wines that cost twice as much. This was certainly the best wine that I have had all year and might very well be the best glass of wine that I have ever heard.

After the wine ordering was complete, DJ and I each ordered the 7 course tasting menu and settled in for a night of what we hoped would be good food, good conversation, and some much needed catching up. A server soon arrived with a tray full of interesting breads. I choose a pretzel roll and a black olive roll while DJ chose an onion roll and a black olive roll. DJ absolutely loved the onion roll and it was clear that the breads were baked fresh; I enjoyed both of mine. The black olive roll had a very strong, distinctive flavor and the pretzel roll was extremely soft and tender. It served as an excellent palate cleanser between the various courses.

Our first course was a trio of ahi tuna “Mediterranean” flavors, which was a tasting of three different preparations of rare tuna: pesto infused zucchini blossom, fennel crusted loin 'Nicoise' style, and 'Olioe' dressed tartar. The fennel crusted loin was a standard wedge of seared rare tuna. The ‘Olioe’ tartare had a strong olive oil flavor but was well balanced. The final tuna preparation consisted of a pesto base. This preparation was extremely flavorful, very fresh, and new to me. These three different preparations covered a nice spectrum of textures and flavors and showcased the kitchen’s versatility with a single ingredient, rare ahi tuna.

Next from the kitchen was a delightful preparation of hand rolled potato-truffle gnocchi with English peas and fresh summer black truffles. The gnocchi was incredibly light and creamy. The truffle foam added a unique flavor and texture to the gnocchi. The other ingredients combined together nicely to form a dish that was more than the sum of its parts.

It must be noted that the pacing of our meal was outstanding all night long. Dishes were very evenly spaced and we always had just enough time to appreciate each dish without feeling that we were waiting for the next dish. All restaurants that serve tasting menus should take lessons from Aureole as it has been my experience that tasting menu pacing is never this uniform nor well timed.

The third course was the most traditional of the courses that were presented to us and consisted of citrus grilled escolar with white and green asparagus and a watercress emulsion. I loved this dish since I am a huge fan of escolar (my other favorite fish is skate). The escolar was moist and the watercress emulsion was surprisingly flavorful.

The fourth course, Moulard duck breast and crispy foie gras spring roll with herb spaetzle, balsamic Treviso, and glazed baby turnips was one of my favorite dishes of the evening. The duck breast was well prepared; the foie gras and duck that lined the inside of the spring roll were nice and crisp. Due to the variety of this dish, it easily had the most complex, layered flavors of the night.

The final savory course was a duo of filet mignon and oxtail marmalade with a medley of jewel potatoes “Lyonnaise”. This was the least memorable of the courses. The meat itself was very tender but the lagged slightly behind the others in terms of creativity and variety.

Having concluded our entrees, we looked forward to our cheese and dessert courses that were to come. The cheese course contained an interesting mix of three different kinds of cheese, a cranberry orange polenta cake, caramelized pecans, orange shallot vinaigrette, and a collection of greens. Our server recommended combining all ingredients at once as opposed to eating each item sequentially. This sounded extremely strange to us but we entertained his recommendation since he claimed that the dish was merely ordinary if eaten in the typical manner. Combining a little of each of the cheeses, the greens, and the cranberry cake, I thrust them into my mouth and began to taste. The taste was very strange due to the mixture of different textures but worked surprisingly well. The greens, cheese, and cake complemented each other beautifully although the individual flavors of the cheeses were lost.

Our dessert course consisted of a milk chocolate hazelnut parfait with tangerine sorbet, candied orange, and dark chocolate sauce. The sorbet was refreshing and was served in a hollowed out tangerine wedge. The parfait was rich, extremely flavorful, and very creamy yet managed to be surprisingly light. DJ adored this dish and I also thoroughly enjoyed it. This was one of the best desserts that I have ever had.

Our meal concluded with petits fours and handmade chocolates, most of which we took back to the hotel since we were extremely full. I do not think that I could have asked for a better meal to celebrate DJ’s 25th birthday. I would be a very happy man if every meal that I eat is as good as this one.

I give Aureole in Mandalay Bay my absolute highest recommendation. This was the easily the best meal that I have had all year. Service, décor, wine, and food are all outstanding. The tasting menu is sublime and is not to be missed. It is creative, expertly prepared and crafted, and perfectly well balanced.

The Facts
Name: Aureole
Address:
Mandalay Bay Hotel
3950 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
(Hacienda Ave.)
Las Vegas, NV 89119
Phone: (702) 632-7401
Cuisine: New French
Website: Aureole
Price: 7 course tasting menu ($95)

I'll See You in Vegas

2005-10-22T19:47:00.000-07:00

Many of you may be wondering why I haven't posted any new Philly reviews since I typically eat out in the city a few times per week. The answer is that I have been swamped at work since our most important industry trade show starts next Tuesday (the International Telemetry Conference, ITC). That's the bad news. The good news is that I will be in Las Vegas for 8 days and already have 10 reservations (8 dinner, 2 brunch). I am planning on trying out the following restaurants:

Nobu
Michael Mina
Fleur de Lys
Aureole
Picasso
Bouchon
Verandah
Valentino
Commander's Palace
Okada

As you can see from my list, I am trying a mixture different places. Some old classics and some new hits. Some New York and California transplants. I am very curious to see if Wynn Las Vegas lives up to the recent hype that it has been receiving. Many people have argued that this is the new culinary center of Las Vegas. We'll have to see ...

Stay tuned for my reviews - I hope to be posting on a near daily basis while I am out there. For those of you headed to ITC and friends / family that I'll be meeting there, I only have one thing to say --

I'll see you in Vegas !!

Old Homestead Steakhouse (Atlantic City, NJ)

2005-10-15T17:30:00.000-07:00

Slots, Steaks, and a Celebration

I hopped on the AC Expressway and made my way towards the Borgata, where I was going to meet Aunt Janice and Uncle Bob. It was Aunt Janice’s birthday so we were celebrating at the Old Homestead Steakhouse, our favorite restaurant at the Borgata. Our reservation was for 5:30 PM and I arrived fifteen minutes early. I met Uncle Bob and we headed over to the slot machine that Aunt Janice was seated at. No sooner had I arrived than did she hit the machine for $50. She cashed out and we headed over the restaurant, smiling all the way.

Each time that I walk through the immense doorways that run from the floor to the double height ceiling, I am impressed; the large multiyear collection of Macallan scotch that is on display behind glass as you pass the bar on your way to the host stand also always grabs my attention (and whets my palate). We were seated in a small, empty room immediately to the right of the host stand that none of us had previously eaten in. The friendly staff, whose service is always outstanding, greeted us as we took our seats. Having already enjoyed two outstanding meals here earlier this year, I was very much looking forward to tonight’s meal.

Since I had not previously reviewed the Old Homestead Steakhouse, I decided to only order dishes that I had already tried so that I would better be able to comment on the consistency of the kitchen. Having chosen different dishes during my previous visits, I had a fairly broad list of choices available. We placed our orders and waited for our beverages to arrive. Aunt Janice ordered her usual decaffeinated tea, Uncle Bob his usual pint of Guiness, and I chose a Bacchus Cabernet Sauvignon. The cabernet was fairly standard with neither a memorable aroma nor a memorable taste. However, its mellow flavor worked fine with most of my dishes.

As our meal progressed, our previously empty dining room quickly filled up with several large parties. Our appetizers arrived quickly – two jumbo lump crab cakes and a calamari salad. Aunt Janice and Uncle Bob split one crab cake and I had the other one. I must confess that I simply adore their crab cakes. Each crab cake is huge, very lightly fried, packed with fresh jumbo lump crabmeat, and completely devoid of filler. One can easily make a meal by simply ordering two of them, which is what my Dad chose to do during his last visit with me.

My fried calamari salad with field greens, hearts of palm, wontons, mango, and a spicy miso vinaigrette was also excellent as always. The portion is very generous and the salad can be shared by two people if desired. The calamari was fresh and nicely fried. Despite the description on the menu, I have never felt that the miso vinaigrette is spicy by any means but it is flavorful and compliments the rest of the ingredients in the salad. My only complaint is that they are fairly stingy with the sliced mango but the few slices they provided were excellent. I recommend a generous helping of freshly ground pepper with this salad.

Due to my ordering of two appetizers and a speedy turnaround by the kitchen, our entrees arrived before I finished my salad. However, our waiter handled the situation well by sending them back to the kitchen after asking me how I would like him to handle the situation. Once I finished my salad, our entrees and side order of sweet potato fries returned in short order. As with our appetizers, our entrée portions were extremely large. Aunt Janice thoroughly enjoyed her lobster tail (one of her staple dishes at the restaurant). Uncle Bob’s empire cut of prime rib on the bone weighed in at 32 ounces. Although I did not sample it, I can confirm that Uncle Bob loved it as it disappeared from his plate in record time. My New Zealand baby rack of lamb that arrived looked identical to the serving that I had during my last visit. The portion was enormous and it was perfectly cooked medium rare as I had requested (I always order my meats cooked medium rare unless the chef strongly recommends otherwise). The sweet potato fries were crispy on the outside yet extremely tender on the inside. It must be noted that the consistency of the kitchen is superior. All of my dishes were equally as good this time as the last time that I had them.

After we finished our entrees, we ordered our usual coffees (regular for Uncle Bob and I, decaffeinated for Aunt Janice). During my previous visits, the dessert course was the only course that I was not extremely impressed with. Its not that the desserts are bad, it is just that are not notable as is the rest of the menu. Last time, Uncle Bob and I both had the drunken bananas which suffered from too much sauce and not enough bananas nor ice cream. This time, we each ordered the sugar free gelato. I must compliment the restaurant for offering a sugar free alternative but was disappointed with the overly icy texture of the gelato. The vanilla and chocolate flavors were good and it made for a nice finish to my wonderful meal. Aunt Janice had the crème brulee, which arrived with a candle and a singing of Happy Birthday from some of our waiters. She enjoyed the crème brulee as always. We headed back out into the casino after settling the bill. My luck was non existent but Aunt Janice took another $50 out of a slot machine – Happy Birthday!

Overall, I highly recommend the Old Homestead Steakhouse at the Borgata. The outstanding service, quality meats and appetizers, and mammoth portions never disappoint. If you steer clear of the dessert course (or recognize that it will be ordinary but satisfying) you are guaranteed to have a thoroughly fantastic meal.

The Facts:
Name: Old Homestead Steakhouse
Address:
Borgata Hotel
Casino & Spa
One Borgata Way
Atlantic City, NJ 08401
Phone: (609) 317-1000
Website: Old Homestead Steakhouse
Cuisine: Steaks
Cost: Appetizers $8-$18, Raw Bar $2-$125, Entrees, $27-$95

Django Bombshell

2005-10-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

For those who have not heard the unfortunate news, Django, Philly's top BYOB and my 2nd favorite restaurant in the city, changed ownership this past Wednesday, October 12th. I am completely in shock. I knew that Bryan Sikora and Aimee Olexy only had a 5 year lease but I had always assumed that they would just extend the lease due to the popularity and critical acclaim that the restaurant has received. The new owners will supposedly keep everything the same as before with one key change -- the most important change of them all. Ross Essner will be taking over the kitchen from Sikora. I am extremely skeptical that the food quality will remain as good as it has always been but that remains to be seen. I will certainly make a return visit shortly to see how things are going but this is without a doubt a very sad day for the Philly restaurant scene.

Vetri - The Best Italian Restaurant in the Country

2005-10-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

Having recently reread Alan Richman’s article “Is This the Best Italian Restaurant in America?” in September issue of Bon Appetit, I felt compelled to comment. Reading this article brought a smile to face since Vetri is my favorite restaurant in Philadelphia (for those of you who haven’t yet heard me sing its praises). I could not agree more with Richman’s conclusion although he fails to make a completely explicit case.

So the question is why is Vetri my favorite restaurant and the best Italian restaurant in the country? What makes it so special that it warrants so much attention? Is it really worth the high price of admission? And why is it my favorite restaurant when Italian food ranks so low on list of preferred cuisines?

Here’s why:

Menu Uniqueness – Nowhere else will you see dishes such as “stuffed squid with sweet English pea ragu”, handmade “almond tortellini with white truffle sauce”, and their signature dessert “gelato with chocolate shell and warm olive oil”. The stuffed squid consists of rolled calamari steaks stuffed with purred calamari and topped with an English pea ragu. The almond tortellini is simultaneously sweet and savory and exhibits a perfect balance between almonds, pasta, and truffle sauce. The gelato is presented in a cup with a thin layer of chocolate covering the top. The hot olive oil is then poured on top thus melting the chocolate and encasing the gelato. It’s quite a site to behold if you have never seen it.

Best Seamless Small Dining Room Experience – Vetri’s setting is intimate and very romantic. Moreover the service is seamless. You are always perfectly taken care yet you never once feel as if you are being waited on. Dishes appear and empty plates disappear. Guidance through the menu is always informative and helpful. You feel completely at home despite the fact that you are out at a restaurant in downtown Philadelphia. Every restaurant should take lessons from the service at Vetri since it is the very definition of perfectly attentive service that is neither overbearing nor stuffy in any way. Craig LaBan of the Philadelphia Inquirer has made similar comments before and he is completely correct.

Consistency and Food Quality – The ingredients, food preparation, and service are always perfect. Period.

Charm / History – What better place for an intimate, romantic Italian restaurant than the brownstone that gave rise to the world famous Le Bec-Fin. Just a few blocks away from Broad Street, Vetri is located right in Philadelphia’s cultural and culinary center.

Marc Vetri – His creativity, technical precision, and attention to detail are a gift to the culinary world.

Boston Top 10

2005-10-05T19:00:00.000-07:00

While I'm still getting the site caught up with my recent Boston excursion, I thought that I would post my top 10 Boston restaurants with some of my quick thoughts on each:

No. 9 Park- Oustanding food, service, and location right on the Boston Common. For a true sampling, indulge in the multi-course lunch tasting menu without breaking your bank account.
Hamersley's Bistro - Killer new American food marked by extremely bold and powerful flavors (don't miss Gordon's signature chicken entree)
The Federalist - Oustanding service, gourgeous decor, imense wine list, and an outstanding brunch menu.
Blue Ginger - True Asian fusion and truly unique dishes (don't miss the foie gras shumai or butterfish).
Fugakyu - Best selection of maki I've ever seen (including extensive use of fruit such as mango, pineapple, etc.)
East Coast Grill - Best seafood in Boston (don't miss the swordfish or killer drinks).
Elephant Walk - French and Cambodian restaurant offers excellent food and and excellent value with multiple dinner prix fixes.
Franklin Café - Excellent New American bar / restaurant. Despite its small size, loud dining room, and long waiting times, the food more than makes up for it (don't miss the sauteed calamari)
Brown Sugar - Thai restaurant whose menu size beats most diners. Spicy dishes are served as they should be, with plenty of heat when requested.
The Helmand - Outstanding Afghani food served in an upscale restaurant with good service.

The Blue Room (Cambridge, MA)

2005-10-02T11:00:00.000-07:00

A No Blues Brunch at the Blue Room

I woke up to yet another gorgeous Boston morning, threw on some clothes, and jumped into Dan's car (with Melanie at the wheel) as we headed over to One Kendall Square. Being the huge brunch buffet fan that I am, I had been eagerly awaiting this meal ever since I made the reservation last week. Zagat's had a favorable review and their online menu hinted at a diverse, Mediterranean-focused meal. Finally, at $23 per person, this was one of the more reasonably priced, gourmet brunches that I had encountered in quite some time (compared to some of my favorites, Swann Lounge and Lacroix at the Rittenhouse).

As I approached the restaurant, I was impressed with the surrounding area. The Blue Room is part of a few buildings that encompass One Kendall Square and the enclosed area has a quietness to it that is relaxing. Upon entering the restaurant, I was ushered past the dessert table, which looked sadly ordinary, to my single table next to the window. One sip from my water glass added to my building concerns due to its strangely metallic aftertaste (having sampled Boston's finest many times, I can testify that this was not simply a case of normal tap water). The coffee was fine so I just avoided the water for the remainder of the meal.

The layout of the restaurant is very conducive to serving a buffet meal since there is an open kitchen area that is surrounded with a lengthy countertop. The format of the buffet was outstanding; all of food was served in small bowls or on small plates that were left unheated. The small size serving dishes ensured that the food was fresh and the absence of heated chaffers ensured that the cooked dishes would not be unnecessary overcooked / dried out. The selection was varied and fairly large. I decided to sample each dish (well almost every dish, no pork or standard breakfast foods for me) beginning with the salads, followed by the meats, moving then into the seafood, and finally concluding with the separate dessert table.

My extended salad course began with some Mesculan Greens a with Mango Vinaigrette. The greens were uninteresting but the mango vinaigrette was tangy and contained freshly cubed mango pieces. The Grilled Octopus Salad that I sampled next was outstanding. The octopus was extremely tender and the salad had a surprising amount of flavor. My next two salads, the French Lentil Salad and Fregola Sarda with Chick Peas and Roasted Fennel, had very similar textures but were each uniquely flavored. I was partial to the lentil salad but the chick pea salad was also nice. I was disappointed with the Asian Noodles with Soy, Sesame and Seaweed Salad which was essentially a cold version of a standard lomein dish. The Three Bean Salad was a simple mix of multiple types of beans but the Mediterranean Salmon Salad was divine. The salmon was shredded and mixed with a number of different ingredients including onions and corn. It had a strong, unique flavor and its mixture of textures made it a joy to eat and one of my favorite dishes. The Cucumber and Radish Salad that followed, however, was not notable. The Halibut Ceviche that concluded my salad / cold appetizer course was another favorite dish from the meal. The raw fish was extremely fresh but had been thoroughly marinated so as not to taste too fishy. It melted in my mouth but was not overly drowned in sauce.

Having just consumed to large plates of salad I was just getting started and was eager to sample the meats that were available. I chose to begin with a small taste of the Fresh Corn Grits. I did not enjoy the grits but you must take my comment with a grain of salt since I am not much of a grits fan in general. My first meat dish of the morning was the Cumin Rubbed Grilled Flank Steak. I enjoyed the meat despite its cooking preparation which boarded on well done (I prefer medium rare). The cumin rub was generously applied and enjoyable. The Moroccan Spiced Chicken Thighs with Harissa lacked flavor but the meat was perfectly moist and tender. After the chicken, I concluded my meat tasting with the Whole Roasted Lamb and Braised Brisket, both of which were ordinary.

Being the huge seafood fan that I am, I was eager to try the seafood offerings although I was disappointed by the small selection relative to the number of salad and meat choices. The Pickled Sardines that I tried first were fine. Unfortunately, the Grilled Salmon with Chunky Fennel Vinaigrette dish that followed did not come close to achieving the success that the Mediterranean salmon salad that I had early did due to its bland preparation and sauce that was neither chunky nor strongly flavored with fennel. I adored the Hot Salted Head-On Shrimp with Chipotle Ketchup but the dish seemed out of place with the rest of the buffet. The chipotle ketchup had a nice kick and the shrimp were large and just properly cooked. My hands were stained from the ketchup after picking at the shrimp but it was well worth it. A few Sweet Plantains started warming up my sweet taste buds before I delved into the meat of the dessert course.

I began my dessert course with a dish that I have recently become incredibly sick of -- bread pudding. Having indulged myself with New Orleans finest bread puddings during my last trip there, I have yet to find a bread pudding worth eating outside of Louisiana until now. The actual pudding was unremarkable. However, the pudding was topped with a quarter inch thick brownie that transformed the dish. The Apple Tart Tatin was made from fairly tart apples but suffered from a little too much sugar. The Nut Brownie that looked so ordinary when I first passed by the dessert table at the beginning of my meal was surprisingly light and contained molten chocolate chips that were still warm.

The Mango Muffin that I had next was not worth eating due to the extremely faint mango flavoring and slightly dry consistency. I am not quite sure what was intended with the Tropical Fruit Crisp, which was more of a soupy mess than a fruit crisp. I enjoyed the Lemon Buttermilk Pudding which benefited from a light lemon flavoring. My brunch concluded with an outstanding Coconut Macaroon. I could have eaten an endless amount of the soft, crumbly cookies.

Overall, the Blue Room is highly recommended for brunch. The diverse menu is well executed and contains a wide variety of dishes. Coupled with the smart serving strategy (small, unheated bowls) and the reasonable price (for the food quality) and you have the making of an excellent meal. Finally, the subdued, modern décor and attentive service coupled with the tremendous amount of natural sunlight shining in the dining room through the large glass front provides a relaxed environment for enjoying your brunch.

The Facts
Name: The Blue Room
Address:
One Kendall Square
Cambridge, MA 02139
Phone: (617) 494-9034
Cuisine: Eclectic
Website: The Blue Room
Cost: Brunch $23

The Elephant Walk (Cambridge, MA)

2005-10-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

Cambodia Meets France and Fusion Loses

Still reveling in my masterful fusion meal at Blue Ginger the previous night, I was eager to dig into the French-Cambodian cuisine that comprises the menu at The Elephant Walk. Lauren and Vikas whisked me away from Dan and Melanie's apartment, made a quick detour to Harvard Square to pick up Scott, and then headed off towards The Elephant Walk in Porter Square. We had originally intended to go to their Brookline location but time constraints altered our plans.

The Cambridge location is a two story venue. We waited downstairs at the bar for 10 minutes until a table opened up. We enjoyed their interesting drink menu but were disappointed when Lauren's Chumbaya never arrived. Fortunately, we were privy to excellent service during the remainder of our stay and quickly forgot about the aloof bartender (who did manage to make an outstanding Tanqueray and tonic for me). Throughout the evening, our experienced waitress guided our menu and Lauren's wine selections with informed advice.

Upon being presented with the menu, I was immediately overwhelmed by the large selection of dishes and the presence of two distinct prix fixes (a 3-course tasting for $30 and a 4-course tasting for $40). As I perused the menu, I noticed that each section of the menu consisted of two separate listings, one for Cambodian dishes and one for French dishes. After the true fusion experience of last night, I was extremely disappointed to see this obvious affront to the concept of fusion cuisine. Once the shock wore off, I settled on the 4-course prix fixe as did Lauren and Vikas (Scott ordered a la carte dishes).

Our starter course began with the salmon tartare and Cambodian spring rolls. The Tartare de Saumon au Fenouil (Salmon tartare with lemon, shallot, parsley and extra virgin olive oil; garnished with shaved fennel, edamame and French baguette toasts) was presented on mixed greens and seemed more like a salmon salad than a proper tartare. The dish was still enjoyable its with fresh, tender salmon pieces. The toasted French baguette slices allowed for miniature sandwiches to be made and the soy beans added an interesting flavor and texture that is not usually found in a raw salmon dish.

The Rouleaux (Camobdian spring rolls filled with ground pork, crushed peanuts, shredded carrots and minced onions; served with fresh lettuce, mint, Asian basil and bean sprouts for wrapping; tuk trey on the side for dipping) were outstanding. The succulent pork anchored the dish and was ensconced in a nicely fried shell. We ate the spring rolls in the traditional Cambodian manner by combining them with the bean sprouts, a piece of mint, then rolling them up in a large piece of lettuce, and finally dipping the roll in the accompanying sauce. The combination had a mixture of different textures and the flavor was beautifully complemented by the large, fresh, strongly flavored mint leaves.

Our soup / salad course consisted of the chilled avocado citrus soup, beet salad, shrimp salad, and an additional order of spring rolls. The Chilled Avocado Citrus Soup (Cubed avocado, button mushroom, plum tomatoes and diced onion in freshly squeezed orange and lime juices) that Lauren ordered was extremely tasty. It was light and refreshing and similar to many of the other cold, raw soups that I have had recently. This is one trend that I would love to see continue in the restaurant world.

I had the Salade Estivale aux Crevettes (Jumbo shrimp, watercress, edamame, julienned snow peas and celery, baby greens, shallot and cherry tomatoes tossed with lemon juice, crème fraiche and olive oil), which was a mistake since my first dish ended up being a salad as well. The three included shrimp were impressively large and very fresh. The salad was fairly standard and tasted similar to the salad that accompanied my salmon tartare. Once again soy beans helped vary the texture of the dish but any flavor of crème fraiche was absent from the dish.

Vikas thoroughly enjoyed his Salade de Betterave Rouge au Chevre (Diced red beet and weet pear with goat cheese and toasted walnut; dressed with balsamic vinaigrette). The salad was highlighted by generous portions of both the goat cheese and beets. One taste made me wish that it was my dish to enjoy.

Having only finished two of our four courses, I was already impressed but was eager to get to the meat (quite literally) of our order. After a short pause, our four entrees arrived. Scott enjoyed his Filet de Cabilaud Noir Grille et Caramelise (Wild Alaskan black cod filet lightly glazed with a mushroom soy-garlic marinade; served with a fragrant wild lime rice, a fresh ginger and coconut milk sauce and red bell pepper pickle salsa). I did not get an opportunity to sample this dish but the portions of cod and coconut rice appeared to be very small given its $26 price. Vikas and Lauren both ordered the Filet Mignon au Poivre et aux Raisins (Pan-seared 7oz beef tenderloin encrusted in a crushed black peppercorn; served with a red wine beef jus with fresh red grapes, leek gratin, mashed potatoes & pearl onion). The peppercorn coating had an extremely strong flavor and gave the otherwise plain tasting meat a spicy, enjoyable kick. I received a pleasant surprise when I bit into one of the leeks, which were extremely fresh and tender.

I ordered the Khar Saiko Kroeung (Natural Coleman beef short ribs braised in a sauce of ginger, mushroom soy, green coconut juice, tamarind and chili pods; served with fresh sliced cucumber) from the Cambodian portion of the menu and was not disappointed. The meat simply melted from the bone and was complimented perfectly by the sauce, which had just the right amount of spice so as not to overpower the flavor of the beef. The cucumbers provided a nice, crisp texture that contrasted the tenderness of the meat.

Before I begin describing the desserts that we enjoyed, I must make a strong disclaimer. Their coffee was simply awful (terribly weak and with an odd aftertaste). This was the uniform consensus of our table, which was devoid of coffee snobs (save for me). It is to be avoided at all costs. The enjoyable portion of our dessert course consisted of two orders of chocolate cake that Lauren and Vikas ordered and one mango mousse that I chose. This was easily my favorite course of the night, despite the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed all of our entrees. Le Peche au Chocolat (rich creamy white and semi-sweet chocolate truffle cake with raspberry sauce, whipped cream and delicate puff pastry straw) was one of the most enjoyable chocolate cake dishes that I have had in quite a long time. It seems that the recent trend is towards drier, flourless torts of which I am not a fan. As advertised, the cake truly was rich and creamy and sat in a very nice raspberry sauce.

I simply adored my Mango Mousse (Refreshingly tart and sweet mango mousse served in an almond lace cup; garnished with fresh kiwi). The creamy mousse was plated with a pool of mango sauce and a few pieces of fresh mango on top and is the perfect dish for all of the mango lovers out there (myself included). Now if only I had been able to enjoy a nice cup of coffee to finish off my meal.

At the end of the night, Lauren, Vikas, and Scott dropped me off at Dan and Melanie's before heading out for a night on the town. Apparently, my busy day of apple picking, hiking, touring Walden Pond, and eating had taken its toll on my body as I barely managed to type the first few words of this review before nodding off. Fortunately for me I dreamed of more food to come ...

Overall, Elephant Walk comes highly recommended as long as you are aware that this restaurant is in no way a Cambodian-French Fusion restaurant as is purports to be. That aside, you will be treated to an array of well prepared Cambodian and French dishes. Add to that the ability to compose your own meal of mixed cuisine dishes and the outstanding value provided by the two prix fixes and you are sure to have a memorable and enjoyable meal.

The Facts
Name: The Elephant Walk
Address:
2067 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02140
Phone: (617) 492-6900
Cuisine: French and Cambodian
Website: The Elephant Walk
Cost: Appetizers $7.50-$11, Entrees $13-$28, 3-Course Prix Fixe $30, 4-Course Prix Fixe $40

Blue Ginger (Wellesley, MA)

2005-09-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

True Asian Fusion

After several years of waiting, I finally ventured over to Blue Ginger in Wellesley with Dan and Melanie. Having heard so many good things from several different reviews, I had extremely high hopes and expectations. The drive from Cambridge took us about 45 minutes, which is hardly an insignificant amount of time.

Located in a small strip mall in downtown Wellesley, my first impression was not impressive. However, once we stepped inside, the magic began to unfold. Upon entering we were greeted by a friendly hostess and we were immediately seated despite our being early by nearly 15 minutes. Well almost immediately seated since Dan needed to first check the Red Sox score on the TV that was located in the bar.

The restaurant consists of a single, large, rectangular dining room. Although it was classy, the décor was decidedly understated albeit very blue. Unfortunately for us, that same Red Sox game that was keeping Dan captivated had also claimed the master chef himself, Ming Tsai, who was in attendance at the game.

Our waitress greeted us with a friendly smile as she stopped by to introduce herself and take our drink orders. We settled on a fruity bottle of cold sake, much to my chagrin since I prefer my sake to be dry and served warm. Next came the most difficult decision of the night - which items to order from the novel and exciting menu. We immediately noticed several true fusion dishes such as foie gras shumai and butterfish with soba noodle sushi. We ordered 4 appetizers and 3 entrees and settled in for what we hoped would be a meal to remember.

Our appetizers arrived soon after and we dove into our first appetizer, the Foie Gras-Shitake Shumai in Sauternes-Shallot Broth. Touted as a signature dish, the shumai was simply amazing. The foie gras was fresh, creamy, and extremely tasty and it was carefully preserved in its delicately cooked noodle shell. The combination was innovative and perfectly prepared.

Next came a large but ordinary looking plate of crispy fried calamari. However, after one dip in the accompanying Thai citrus lime dipping sauce, the calamari came alive. The sauce complimented the calamari beautifully and made the seemingly ordinary dish extraordinary. After we finished the calamari we dug into a beautifully plated

Ming's Tea-Smoked Salmon & Beef Carpaccio with Fresh Wasabi Emulsion that was topped toasted bread and fresh avocado. The Carpaccio was fresh but uninteresting and the toppings only mildly spiced up the dish. In general, we were unimpressed with it.

Our final appetizer was a medley of Avocado Stuffed Shrimp Tempura with Ponzu Dipping Sauce accompanied by multi-colored assortment of heirloom tomatoes. The final touch was a vinaigrette served in a hollowed out cucumber. The shrimp were over fried but the pairing with avocado was excellent. The presentation was again outstanding and this would become a common theme of the evening with each successive dish giving its previous one a challenge for the most aesthetically prepared food.

Our first entrée was the Sake-Miso Marinated Alaskan Butterfish with Wasabi Oil, Soy Syrup and Vegetarian Soba Noodle Sushi, which was another signature dish. The slightly charred fish sat atop a bed of spinach and was accompanied by two pieces of soba noodle maki, four pools of pureed wasabi, and some pickled ginger. We were all amazed by this dish. The slight charring provided a nice contrast to the buttery fish and demonstrated a careful eye from the kitchen. The soba noodle maki were unique and an interesting compliment to the butterfish. Finally, the wasabi was extremely fresh, sharply flavored, and very creamy. Once again a signature dish lived up to its hype and rightly earned its place on the menu.

Our next entrée, Seared Scallops with a Pumpkin Risotto, was not nearly as exciting nor flavorful as our previous dish. The risotto had an oddly sour flavor and suffered from an over abundance of cream. Pumpkin flavoring was all but absent from the dish. The three scallops were nicely seared but were unable to save the dish.

A generous portion of duck anchored our final entrée. Although the dish leaned away from the other fusion delights that we had sampled, it nonetheless was extremely tender and a joy to consume. The mango salad with shredded duck pieces was outstanding.

We managed to save room for two desserts and settled upon the Sesame Pecan Caramel Nut Tart and a Tropical Sorbets in a Toasted Coconut Tuile sorbet sampler of guava, coconut, and Hawaiian papaya sorbets. The sorbets were all freshly prepared and had a perfectly uniformly creamy consistency. My personal favorites were the coconut and guava sorbets. The pecan caramel nut tart was enjoyable but otherwise unmemorable.

Overall, Blue Ginger comes highly recommended. With its creative menu, outstanding signature dishes, and excellent service, it stands above most of its fellow Asian fusion counterparts. It represents true fusion, with multiple dishes combining foreign influences and preparation styles with solid Asian cuisine. However, it is fairly expensive (most entrees cost around $30) and one must carefully navigate the complex menu so as not to be disappointed. However, with a keen eye, an informed server, and an adherence to the list of signature dishes, you are in for a truly outstanding and unique culinary experience.

The Facts
Name: Blue Ginger
Address:
583 Washington St.
Wellesley, MA 02482
Cuisine: Asian Fusion
Website: Blue Ginger
Cost: Appetizers $9-$16, Entrees $21-$38, Desserts $7-$9

Restaurant Week Over

2005-09-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a week of eating. Philadelphia's 2nd restaurant week of the year just ended. For those of you who are not familiar with restaurant week, it is a 6 day period held once or twice per year during which over 80 restaurants in the city offer $30 3-course prix fixe dinner menus. It is a terrific way to sample new restaurants and revisit old favorites.

This restaurant week, I went to 8 different restaurants (yes that is 2 nights of double dinners for those who are keeping track). Over the next few weeks, I will be posting my reviews from the week.

Valanni (Philadelphia, PA)

2005-09-24T18:00:00.000-07:00

Beethoven’s 5th with a Mediterranean Prelude

On this rare night, my meal in downtown Philly was not the main attraction of the evening for tonight was the opening subscription concert for the Philadelphia Orchestra’s 2005-2006 season. My Dad and I were eagerly awaiting tonight’s program, which included Beethoven’s 1st and 5th symphonies. Fortunately, there was space in our schedule for a first visit to Valanni for a quick pre-concert meal. We hopped in my car and headed off towards Route 76 and the Avenue of the Arts. I parked in my usual spot in the Kimmel Center Parking Lot and we headed east on Spruce. We quickly arrived at Valanni but not before I paused for a quick smile and wave towards Vetri in passing. Upon entering the restaurant, we were immediately seated at a small table towards the back of the restaurant.

Although initially empty, the restaurant quickly filled up and by the time we left, there was not a free table to be had. Throughout our meal, we were surrounded by other concert goers who also chose Valanni as the pre-concert restaurant of choice. After reviewing the menu, I decided to start with an octopus salad followed by a halibut entrée for my main course. Dad settled on the sea scallop entree

The marinated grilled octopus salad with mixed greens, grilled fennel, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and lemon-garlic vinaigrette was excellent. The octopus was extremely fresh and was expertly grilled, avoiding the common traps of being tough and chewy. The supporting array of tomatoes, olives, and vinaigrette complemented the generous portion of octopus extremely well.

Our entrees arrived soon after we finished our appetizers. My Dad’s seared diver scallops with Peruvian bean salad, cilantro lime vinaigrette, lump crab meat, and micro greens, with a piquillo pepper drizzle looked outstanding. The four scallops were large and plump with the pepper drizzle expertly pooled around each scallop. I sampled one of the scallops and was impressed with its preparation. What really stood out was the pepper sauce, which was surprisingly spicy and transformed the scallops and crab meat dish into something different. I enjoyed sauce quite a bit but my Dad was less impressed (for the record, he is not a fan of spicy food).

I really enjoyed my pan seared halibut with vegetable cous cous, sun-dried tomato tapenade, and basil. The dish exemplified everything that I like about Mediterranean cuisine. It was fresh, simply prepared, extremely flavorful, and combined several different flavors and textures. In addition, the portion of halibut was large.

Our dessert decision was a difficult one but we settled on the Green Apple, Brandied Cherry White Chocolate Bread Pudding with caramel, vanilla ice cream, and toasted coconut. My coffee came served in a personal French press. It was excellent as expected since it came from La Colombe but was extremely overpriced at $3 for barely more than a cup (and a small one at that). We first received the wrong dessert but the mishap was quickly and quietly remedied. The bread pudding was simply outstanding; one of the best desserts that I have had in a long time. The portion was very generous and the caramel flavoring was rich and coated the entirety of the bread pudding. My Dad and I thoroughly enjoyed each and every bite of the creamy bread pudding and it disappeared from its plate in record time. In short, our dessert course was superb. Oh, and by the way, the concert was superb as well.

Overall, Valanni comes highly recommended. The décor is cool and modern, yet simplistic and not overdone. The low level lighting, candlelit tables, and reasonably intimate setting make for a romantic yet relaxed meal. The dishes are extremely flavorful and a step or two above their counterparts at other Mediterranean restaurants in the area.

The Facts
Name: Valanni
Address:
1229 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Phone: (215) 790-9494
Cuisine: Latin Mediterranean
Website: Valanni
Cost: Appetizers $8-17, Entrees $19-29, Desserts $6-$7

Brasserie Perrier (Philadelphia, PA)

2005-09-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

A Restaurant Week to Remember

For my final restaurant week meal, I had saved what I hoped would be the best for last -- Brasserie Perrier. When I arrived on campus, I parked near Mayer Hall and went inside to meet Brian. He was running a little beyond schedule so I waited patiently while he got ready. We then grabbed a cab outside of Wawa and then headed downtown to restaurant row.

Brasserie Perrier was as busy as I have ever seen it and we had to push our way through the bar crowd to get to the host’s stand. We were quickly seated in the back room and received our restaurant week menus. This was one of the menus I was looking forward to the most due to my ongoing love affair with skate (and its infrequent appearances on most restaurant menus). As such, I quickly made my selections, tomato gazpacho soup, sautéed skate, and pineapple upside-down cake. Brian was less certain and asked for our waiter’s opinion. He strongly recommended the steak despite its additional charge and small size (7 ounces). I was turned off by this since I am not a fan of additional markups during restaurant week. The purpose of the week is to afford customers an opportunity to try new restaurants and dishes at reduced prices. To place an item on a menu only to mark it up (an obvious discouragement) seems counter to the spirit of restaurant week. Regardless of this, Brian had high expectations for the steak due to its strong recommendation from our server.

The pacing of our meal bordered on slow but I was fine with this due to the rapid, forced pace of many of my earlier restaurant week meals. Our first course began with Brian’s wild burgundy escargot with sautéed spinach, roasted garlic butter, garnished with parmesan brioche and my yellow tomato gazpacho, estate bottled extra virgin olive oil, with avocado arnish. Brian enjoyed his escargot and was happy with his reasonably large portion. I loved my soup although I was put off by its small size. The gazpacho was light, refreshing, and flavorful.

Had I been a betting man, I would have guessed that the steak would have been a disappointment but I am a foodie and not a gambler so all bets were off. Nonetheless, the steak au poivre with pomme puree and haricot verts arrived looking measly and bland with nothing but small portions of potatoes and string beans by its side. The meat itself was fine but the dish was unacceptable overall. I was thrilled with my sautéed skate with fingerling potatoes and broccoli, brown butter sauce garnished with hazelnuts. The portion was large, the fish was very fresh, and it was perfectly cooked. The potatoes were tasty but the hazelnuts did little to add to the dish.

While I was finishing my skate, our server stopped by check on our meal. I started discussing the skate and began a comparison with a skate dish that I had for lunch a few months ago at Le Bec-Fin. I noticed that our server began taking notes and he quickly retreated to the kitchen. Our dining room was immediately graced by the presence of Chris Scarduzio, the executive chef. He carefully cased the entire dining room looking for known food critics, I presumed. Recognizing no one, he returned to his post in the kitchen, I chuckled in amusement, and we finished our entrees.

I began our dessert course with coffee from La Colombe that was outstanding as always. Many of the top restaurants in Philadelphia serve their coffee and it is consistently outstanding. I have always been impressed with Brasserie Perrier’s desserts, which I have enjoyed during all of my previous lunch excursions. Brian ordered the Brasserie Perrier classic Tahitian vanilla bean crème brulee. He enjoyed dish; I thought that it was well executed but fairly typical in terms of its preparation. The pineapple upside-down cake with ginger ice cream that arrived in front of me was not what I expected. I had anticipated a standard pineapple upside-down cake but what was served to me was somewhat deconstructed, with the pineapple and cake lying on top of one another as opposed to being mixed together as usual. The concept was interesting but the dessert was lackluster overall. The ice cream had an excellent consistency and texture but the ginger flavor was much milder than I would have liked.

At the conclusion of our meal, we paid our bill and set off for Penn’s campus on foot. As we walked westward on Walnut Street, we discussed our final thoughts on the meal. Brian was extremely disappointed as expected. I was pleased with my meal but saddened by the knowledge that Brasserie Perrier can be so much better.

Overall, this meal was enjoyable but disappointing. I have loved all of my previous lunch meals at Brasserie Perrier and highly recommend its 3-course lunch prix fixe for its outstanding value. The service is typically outstanding and the food is consistently excellent.

The Facts:
Name: Brasserie Perrier
Address:
1619 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-5402
Phone: (215) 568-3000
Cuisine: New French
Website: Brasserie Perrier
Cost: 3-course restaurant week prix fixe $30

The Grill (Philadelphia, PA)

2005-09-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

A Grill to be Forgotten

When I make my restaurant week reservations, I always look for at least one restaurant that fits into the “always wanted to try but too expensive and not interested enough” category. The Grill at the Ritz was one such restaurant and the destination of my meal tonight. I met Rob and Lucca outside the restaurant, pausing just long enough to admire our jacketed attire (The Grill is jacket required although exceptions were made for restaurant week) and the gorgeous red Ferrari 360 Modena parked curbside on Broad Street before heading inside. As we entered the Ritz Carlton, I was impressed with its interior volume and lavish décor. We located the entrance to The Grill and approached the hostess who seated us near the entrance. I had mixed reactions to the dining room due in part to its odd layout. Part of the kitchen is visible from the dining room and the overall feeling is more lounge-like than the formal dining room we were all expected. Nonetheless we took our seats at our booth and began to examine the menus in front of us.

Being a wine fanatic, Lucca insisted on a $130 bottle of Chianti that neither Rob nor I were interested in (having already dined out six times this week, the prospect of a $100+ bottle of wine was not enticing). He chose to pick up the tab on the wine and resumed our menu reading. After making our choices, we got the attention of our waiter and placed our order for the wine and food. We all decided to start with the scallop ceviche appetizer. Rob ordered the pork loin entree, Lucca the grilled king salmon, and I chose the duck breast.

To our dismay, our diver scallop ceviche with radish and cucumber salad appetizers arrived long before our wine showed up. Furthermore, it took our waiter three tries to bring the correct bottle of wine to the table. The wine was fine but certainly not worth its steep price tag and the ceviche was bland but generously apportioned. Unfortunately, our waiter continued his lackluster performance throughout the evening. He constantly seemed aloof, inattentive, and generally disinterested with us. Such service was entirely unacceptable at a place of this supposed caliber despite the fact that it was restaurant week (the overall level of service that I received throughout this incarnation of restaurant week was noticeably less than normal across most of the restaurants).

After finishing our scallop ceviche, we each slowly sipped our Chianti while we waited for our entrees to arrive. Our dishes arrived soon afterward and we dug in. Lucca was thoroughly unimpressed with his grilled king salmon with fregola sarda, zucchini, summer squash, and tomato herb broth. He felt that the salmon was bland and that the preparation was uninspired. Rob enjoyed his mushroom crusted pork loin with swiss chard and manchego stuffing, fingerling potatoes, and lardoons. Both of their portions were reasonably large. The presentation of my pan seared duck breast with sweet potato baklava, haricot verts, and a sour cherry gastrique was reasonably well done but the dish suffered from the same blandness that most of our other dishes suffered from. The duck meat was fresh and well cooked but was devoid of any seasoning or flavor. I loved the sour cherry gastrique but the portion was so measly that it was vastly insufficient for the large, thick duck meat slices. With regard to the slicing of the meat, the dish would have benefited from more finely sliced, less slab like meat.

Having been dramatically under whelmed with the meal thus far, we hoped for something dramatic during the dessert course that could help save the meal. I ordered the coffee, which came with a truly unique presentation that I loved. Our waiter brought out tray with several small dishes of condiments that included fresh shaved coconut, whipped cream, and crystallized brown sugar on a stick. Such an assortment of condiments was an excellent surprise; the freshness of the coconut greatly added to the flavor of my coffee. This was the kind of unique touch that I had expected throughout our meal. Sadly, it took us three courses to finally see this level of creativity and the creativity was limited solely to the coffee presentation and not to our actual desserts. Rob and Lucca both enjoyed the vanilla crème brulee but it broke no new ground. My apple-rhubarb tart tatin was likewise boring.

Overall, I strongly do NOT recommend The Grill. The service was lackluster, the food was bland and unimaginative, and the décor was unimpressive. There are much better options (hotel and non hotel restaurants) throughout the city, many of which cost significantly less. Lacroix at the Rittenhouse, Swann Lounge and Fountain at the Four Seasons, and Prime Rib at the Radisson Plaza Warwick are all vastly superior hotel restaurants.

The Facts
Name: The Grill
Address:
10 S. Broad St.
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Phone: (215) 523-8000
Cuisine: New American
Website: The Grill
Cost: 3-course restaurant week prix fixe $30

Prime Rib (Philadelphia, PA)

2005-09-21T19:00:00.000-07:00

A Primetime Meal

I must admit that I had strongly mixed feelings about my upcoming meal at the Prime Rib. The high cost, jacket requirement, and old world steakhouse feel were not particularly appealing to me. As such, this made for the perfect restaurant week reservation; a chance to explore a restaurant that I otherwise would never set foot in. I was certainly looking forward to the opportunity to catch up with Kendra and Yehuda, whom I was meeting.

I met them in the lobby of the Warwick and we entered the restaurant. The décor is immediately impressive. It is gorgeous, formal without being stuffy and very high class. Dark, black woods and pink flowers are the pervasive themes with large bouquets. The hosts needed a few minutes to locate our reservation that I had made a few months ago but they eventually found it and we were seated in the main dining room.

Our server approached us and I was immediately taken aback by his relaxed attitude, which seemed inappropriate for such an upscale restaurant. It was clear that he sized us up and quickly determined that we were cheap college students who were only here for a cheap meal (which was obviously incorrect). This was obvious when Kendra informed our server that she would like a glass of wine. He proceeded to ask here if she would like red or white, and then asked if she wanted Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, or Merlot. Never before I have seen a server play twenty questions like this and it was completely absurd. Furious with his conduct and attitude, I asked to see the wine by the glass list. The process of ordering wine cannot be done without seeing the various wineries and vintages. Period. We eventually settled on two different Cabernet Sauvignons and ordered 3 glasses for the table.

The feta, Vidalia, and tomato salad that I had as my appetizer was excellent. The tomatoes were extremely fresh and nicely cubed. Furthermore, the portion of tomatoes was beyond generous. Yehuda likewise enjoyed the salad.

For my entrée, I chose the roast prime rib of beef (16 ounces), which is one of their signature dishes. This was easily one of the best pieces of meat that I have ever had. It was served perfectly medium rare as I had requested. The portion was generous and thick yet the meat was tender and moist. I could easily eat this dish every time that I come to the Prime Rib and would always be satisfied. Kendra and Yehuda each opted for the 7 ounce filet mignon, which they both enjoyed. Our sides of string beans and mashed potatoes were unmemorable.

The chocolate mouse pie that I had was outstanding. It was extremely creamy with a very uniform consistency. This was a good example of a simple, classic dessert excellently prepared.

At the conclusion of the meal, we received the bill and noticed that it said “Thank You – Mike P” at the bottom. I thought that this was a nice touch since they knew my name but did not think much more of it. After they swiped our credit cards and we received the slips to sign, we all noticed a surprising coincidence. The thank you was not directed to me. Rather, it was from our server, whose name also happens to be Mike P!

Overall, I highly recommend the Prime Rib. The food and décor are both outstanding. This is easily one of the most gorgeous restaurants in the city. Our service for this meal was terrible but I attribute that completely to our server. Based on other reviews and my observations of other servers during the meal, I am confidant that other servers will be fine. Just avoid Mike P; the other one, that is.

The Facts:
Name: The Prime Rib
Address:
1701 Locust Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Phone: (215) 772-1701
Website: The Prime Rib
Cuisine: Steakhouse
Cost: $30 3-course restaurant week prix fixe