MysticMilt

Breaking news from Foobooz: Talula’s Couple Re-entering Restaurant World No word yet on how this new venture will affect the nightly dinner parties at Talula's, although I can't see Sikora doing both.

My husband Derek has written a full recap of our dinner on Tuesday, complete with pictures, which you can read about here: Coming Together: An Evening at Talula’s Table The dinner was fabulous, needless to say, and it was a real treat to meet CMN and her terrific husband.

My assumption was that Dominique Filoni left/was encouraged to leave Parc after LaBan gave it only two bells. I can't imagine Stephen Starr was thrilled with that rating.

Ok, the spots are filled. I will happily report back sometime after Tuesday.

Through sheer dumb luck and cosmically awesome timing my husband and I managed to score a last-minute reservation to Talula's Table this coming Tuesday, November 18th. We have three seats currently available, and, given the Talula's love on this board, we figured we'd open it up to the fine members of eGullet. The details are as follows: - Dinner is at 7:00 sharp - BYOB, $10 corking fee for the entire table - $90 prix fixe per person, which, after tax and gratuity, typically comes to around $120-$125 per person. My husband and I, and our friends, are lots of fun and totally not creepy, so we can pretty much guarantee a lovely evening. If you're interested in joining us, please PM me. We haven't gotten the menu yet, but I believe Aimee said she'd send it to us on Sunday. We have to let Talula's know our final headcount on Sunday, so this offer is valid until 5:00 EST on Saturday the 15th. We're offering the seats on a first-come first-serve basis, so before you respond please be absolutely certain that you are a) available and b) ok with the price. Any takers?

Don't expect the Talula's furor to die down anytime soon -- Condé Nast's Porfolio.com just picked up the story.

My Mandarin ain't what it used to be: what's the phonetic pronunciation of "Xiao Long Bao"? My first guess is "show long bow," where the first word is like the first syllable of "shower" and the last word is "bow" as in take a... -- is that kind of close? Philadining, thanks so much for the most excellent review. The only bad part was that I saw all those lovely pictures at work today, when I was miles and miles away from decent dim sum. Until I can make it downtown to try Dim Sum Garden (which should be soon, I hope), I'm just going to have to satisfy my Xiao Long Bao craving with the most excellent ones at Margaret Kuo's.

Hi Bonnie Ruth, I'm sorry to hear that Curtis didn't come through for you. I was so nervous (both times) about getting the fruit from him in time for the parties that both times I preceded and followed my PayPal payments with an e-mail to him. The first was to confirm he had fruit available, and the second to notify him that payment was made. The first time was a seamless process. The second time I placed the order on a Tuesday afternoon in anticipation of a party I was having on Saturday. I got a call from him on Thursday of that week -- he said he "didn't see" my e-mail, so the fruit wouldn't be going in the mail until Friday. He was apologetic(ish), but the good thing was that they use the USPS for overnight shipping, which meant it would get to me on Saturday, which it did. As I said upthread, he's kind of a weird guy, and the whole process feels a bit dodgy, but he's managed to come through for me two times now. Not to make any excuses for him, but were you trying to place the order last spring when the internet was all abuzz about this? It's possible he might have been overwhelmed by an instant tidal wave of demand, which has since receded. Either way, I do hope you were able to get your money back!

I don't know if anyone is watching this thread anymore, but I had to add my $0.02. Miracle Fruit is, in a word, awesome. In a few more words: staggering, kind of freaky, and a killer thing to do when you're having a party. I've now ordered twice from Curtis Mozie (he of miraclefruitman.com), and both times I've been very satisfied with the outcome. Curtis is a bit of an odd duck, and ordering the fruit feels a bit shady, to be honest. The fruit comes in a little box, which itself is just stuffed with some basic kitchen paper towels. Still, both times I've ordered from him the fruit was shipped overnight, and arrived in fine condition. The fruit is not at all unpleasant to eat; the consistency is a bit like pear crossed with raw cranberry, and the flavor is pretty tasty on its own. It's sort of tartly sweet, and it reminds me of another flavor but danged if I can place it. As all the reviews and articles indicate, you pop the whole berry into your mouth and chew, being sure to get a good coating all around. The pulp around the pit is kind of slimy, but not terribly so. The effect is instantaneous, but observable only when you take a bite of something you know is supposed to be too sour to eat. In other words, there's no numbing, no weird buzzing, no color trails, no leprechauns popping out of your heating registers, nothing out of the ordinary. What *is* out of the ordinary is just how much sour things are affected. Really, you can read all about the experience from now until forever, but actually experiencing just how weirdly delicious raw lemon is after miracle fruit is just indescribable. Things we tried in the last two go-arounds, along with tasting notes: - Lemons. Fantastic. Just like sweet-tart lemon candy. - Limes. The same. Really delicious. - Grapefruit. Easily my favorite thing we tasted. I never realized just how *juicy* a grapefruit is, as I was always put off by the sour and bitterness. Grapefruit under the influence of MF is nothing short of extraordinary. SO, so good. - Star fruit. Good, but not shockingly so. Sweeter than usual, but the lovely floral, perfume-y aspects of the fruit were definitely more pronounced. - Pomegranate. Wonderful, sweet little ruby bits of yumminess. - Raspberries. Excellent, although a tiny bit more bland than unadulterated raspberry. - Strawberries. Some have remarked that strawberries are almost too sweet to eat, and I could see that if you're using perfectly ripe berries. We, however, were eating the less-than-wonderful strawberries you get in the dead of winter, and these were transformed to match the fruit you get at the height of summer. Absolutely scrumptious. - Kumquats. Maybe we didn't have a good batch to begin with, but overall just kind of meh. - Goat cheese. Depends on the cheese. The first tasting we had a great one (need to find out the name) that was coated in ash -- this tasted almost like cheesecake, and was terrific. The second time around we had boucheron, and that was almost completely unaffected by the MF. - Chocolate stout. The bitter and sour aspects of beer were almost completely removed, leaving a chocolate-ish malt-ish fizzy beverage. Interesting, but not out-of-the-park amazing. - Green Cerignola olives. Almost no effect. - Deli dill pickles. Tasted like salty cucumbers. Definitely something that needs the sour to be truly appetizing. By far, the varieties of tart citrus were the big winners at both parties, mainly because the effect was most dramatic when sampling them. Really, I can't emphasize enough how wonderfully weird the experience is. Both times I kept returning to the citrus, and both times I finished the evening with my tongue sore from all the acid and my sense of wonder undiminished. Things that were sweet to begin with were more sweet, but only if they had a tartness to mask. In other words, strawberries were sweeter and better than a January strawberry could ever aspire to be; marshmallows tasted no different. Before I forget: if you're having wine I recommend finishing it before starting the tasting, as every wine (that evening we had a Malbec and a couple of Zins) turned too sweet and icky to drink. Manishevitz would be Chateau Lafite compared to this stuff with MF. We weren't drinking any white on either evening, so I can't comment on how it might be affected, but I can't imagine it would be much better. 20 fruit (the minimum order), plus overnight shipping and handling ran me ~$66. Too expensive for a regular grocery item, but absolutely and completely worth it if you're throwing a party. Note that some people needed two fruit to get the full effect, so you'll want to have more on hand than you have guests, but that the fruit does freeze quite well if you have any left over. Also, the effect varies from fruit to fruit and from person to person. The first and second times I tried it were really powerful; the third time it was still noticeable but not as intense as the first two. Anyway, it's a remarkable little food experiment, and an absolute must for anyone who geeks out over food, even a tiny bit.

Andrew, I think that's part of my frustration, now that I think about it. I know that Sikora puts out a fantastic dinner, and when he was cooking there Django beat out most other higher-end restaurants (at least in my mind) because it managed to hit the sweet spot between being innovative without being too studied or fussy. The flavors were always fresh, the ingredients were often unusual but always accessible. But I guess I'm annoyed because I know that this stupid one-year thing is directly attributable to the hysteria stirred up by LaBan and the recent flurry of press coverage. I have absolutely no doubt that a sizable chunk of the reservations they now have were made by people who are simply in it for the elitism offered by such an exclusive reservation. Always chasing the newnew thing, etc. Getting consumed (heh) by these weird obsessions is a perennial hazard of being a foodie. I know 'cause I are one. Also: I love that eGullet is the kind of place where my Per Se reference is one-upped by an El Bulli reference. Fantastic.

Good point, Capaneus. And heck, if worst comes to worst and all my friends bail on me by the time the reservation rolls around, I can always put out an open call to the mighty throngs of eGulletteers. Something tells me I'd have my table filled in pretty short order.

(David, I just posted a similar comment over at Foobooz; apologies for the semi-duplicate, but venting is making me feel slightly better. Slightly.) Talula's is making me cranky this morning, and I say that as a long-time fan of Sikora & Olexy. When they first opened last year, I heard about the one-table dinner thing and thought it would be kind of neat to do. In September I started to ponder making reservations for sometime around Christmas, but was told that they were booked until March 2008. In December I was there again, and was told that they just opened their reservations for "the latter half of 2008." Yesterday I talked with my husband and we decided to see if we could get anything even close to our birthdays, both of which are in July. We called last night and that's when I was told that not only are they completely booked for all of 2008, but they're now taking reservations for exactly one year in advance. A year! In advance! As in reservations for 2009! Also, there's no waiting list, as the list itself became too long and too ridiculous to manage, so at this point your only chance of getting a reservation is calling at 7:00 a.m. exactly one year to the day from when you want to have dinner there. I will fully cop to the fact that my ire is 100% selfish, and this rant is all because I completely underestimated what a zeitgeist they (Bryan and Aimee) would generate (again), and therefore have effectively missed my shot. I'm genuinely delighted that they've been able to capture a fantastic level of success after selling off Django, which at the time seemed utterly nutso move. It's a rare hat trick they've pulled off, and I'm glad it happened to two of the nicest and most talented folks on the planet. But still, I pout. I mean, hell, there's no guarantee that the folks I'd invite to a dinner a year (!) in advance would be the same folks I'd want there when the date finally rolled around. As I said over at Foobooz: who would have ever guessed that it would be easier to score reservations at Per Se than at a tiny little place in the wilds of Chester County? I think my brain just meltored.

Katie, thank you so much for all you've done around here. It can be incredibly tough to moderate a forum, and you've handled even the stickiest situations with grace and aplomb. You've made Philly proud!

Hi Jonathan, Thanks once again for your regular presence here on eGullet. I can't tell you how great it is to have you around. I do have a quick question for you: In this month's Philadelphia Magazine they mention the Il Colombaio di Cencio Il Futuro Super Tuscan 2000 as one of the particularly hot Chairman's Selection wines. Just to be clear, this is a different wine from the one you mention above, correct? And to that end, is it still possible to get a couple of bottles of the Super Tuscan at all? I dropped by our local premium store, and they said that the two times they've gotten the Il Colombaio it's been gone within a couple of hours, but they suggested checking on the PLCB site. I did, and the only Colombaio I could find was the Chianti Classico you mentioned, but even that isn't yet available for ordering. Any light you might be able to shed on this would be much appreciated. Thanks!

We went to Chinatown Cafe last night. It's a little tiny place, and I'm glad someone mentioned the CVS plaza, because we surely would have blown right by if we weren't looking for that landmark. No soup dumplings on the menu, though, which is a shame, since that's what I was craving so severely after reading this thread. Nevertheless, the food was excellent, far superior than your average suburban Chinese restaurant. The place is small but well-decorated, and the staff was very friendly. We got the specialty of the house: the Peking duck. The duck was some of the very best I've ever had, as the skin was crispy and the meat tender, but none of it was overwhelmingly greasy, as poorly-prepared duck can be. My only complaint is that the Peking duck was served with standard-issue tortillas, rather than the steamed dough rounds that I prefer. The tortillas themselves didn't hold up well to being wrapped, so that was kind of a bummer, but the duck and plum sauce was so tasty we barely noticed. $30 for two people got us a large bowl of wonton soup, a half order of Peking duck, fried rice and General Tso's chicken. The wonton soup was outstanding -- lovely clear broth, tender baby bok choi, mushrooms, water chestnuts, and delicate wontons that were more like shiu mai than the boring ground pork ones that you usually see. Likewise, both the fried rice and General Tso's were great. The fried rice was fluffy and light -- closer to white rather than soy-soaked brown -- and was specked with chunks of tender roast pork, onions, and large sweet shrimp. The General Tso's was the most pedestrian of the three main dishes, but it was still good; crispy and tangy, and not totally drowned in sauce. So we enjoyed it a whole lot, even if my craving for soup dumplings continues unsated.

Sandy, I'm glad you made the distinction between Philly pretzels and PA Dutch pretzels. I think you're right -- they're the same genus, but not the same species, if that makes any sense. Both kinds hold an equal space in my heart. I believe there's a branch of the Philadelphia Soft Pretzel shop in Doylestown, or at the very least, the one that we go to in D'town shares a name with the one on Sansom street. Their pretzels really are phenomenal; their cinnamon sugar ones practically bring me to my knees. Also, at the Amish market up by us (in Newtown) there's a pretzel baker who makes these unbelievable things called cheesers, which are similar to the pretzel-wrapped little smokey links that you mentioned, Sandy, but the links have cheese in them. It's just this side of gilding the lily, but it works.

The mojito flavor continues to be my go-to favorites, especially when it's bleedin' hot outside. Everything is so perfectly balanced -- the basic sweetness vs. the tart of the lime, plus these divine little flecks of mint. That's heaven in a cup, right there. It's very good with the cherimoya or the star fruit, but most of the time I don't even bother to dillute it. Yum.

Man, I am just now getting around to reading this thread and I'm dying to try out SK for myself. I would totally go in with anyone looking to put together a group, and I know my husband Derek would definitely be in for it as well.

Tim, glad to hear that Bella Trattoria is worth a stop. We walked by there on the way to Le Bus and were darned near pulled off the path by the overwhelming scent of garlic. Any particular item(s) on the menu that you'd recommend above all others?

What does one do with fiddleheads, anyway? I saw them yesterday in Whole Foods. They were intriguing, but I've never come across any recipes or recommendations on how to consume them. And also: Man, this is making me crave DiNic's big time. Last time we were there we had the roast pork sandwiches, but they were out of the broccoli rabe. The pork and the super-strong provolone were terrific by themselves, to be sure, but without the rabe it just lacked that extra *oomph*.

Augh! Big, thoughtful and well-written post foiled by not being logged in. Curses. Anyway, the gist of what I had said is this: We went down to M'yunk last night, although it was impossible to tell if the somewhat empty streets were due to the decline of the neighborhood or just because it was raining. Kildare's was hopping, but remembering that that was what replaced KC Prime just might have made me sneer at it as we walked by. Dinner was at Le Bus. To start, Derek had their most excellent vegetarian chili, which has been a favorite for the both of us for several years now. We also shared the tasty (albeit generic) calamari. For the main course Derek had the cheeseburger, which he proclaimed was slightly better than Monk's since it wasn't served on a palate-shreadingly crusty roll. I had the grilled chicken in a garlic and herb sauce with mashed potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower. The sauce was thicker than I thought it would be when I ordered it (like duck sauce, but not sticky), but it was still quite good. Mashed potatoes were fine, straight-up mashed potatoes, and the broccoli was cooked a little bit mushier than I prefer. We skipped dessert there in favor of Ben & Jerry's. All in all, the meal was good. Nothing inspiring or outstanding, but enjoyable, decent fare to be had on a soggy evening. And, to be fair, we both ordered safe, so safe is what we were served. As for Pacific Rim: they still have quite a bit of stuff left, and according to the girl at the register, the entire storage area under the store is filled with merchandise. Almost everything in the store is 75% off, and the jewelry is 60% off. The two biggest items, both size- and price-wise, we got were a big carved frame mirror with little shutters in front of the mirror for $49, and Derek got a gorgeous didgeridoo (!) for $35. We got lots of other little things, many of which will make great Christmas gifts, and none of them were more than $20. There are tons of phenomenal deals to be had -- philadining, those blasted tulips are going for $0.75 now! -- if you're into Eastern art and knick-knacks. It was terribly depressing to see all those big LIQUIDATION!!! signs everywhere, though. I am really, really going to miss Bruce and his store.

Bumping this to add some sad info that I consider to be further indication of Manayunk's steady decline: Pacific Rim, my all-time favorite exotic knickknacks store, is closing. Bruce (the owner) is retiring, and while I'm selfishly excited about getting all sorts of neat things on major, major discount this weekend, there's no getting around the fact that it's the end of an era. Bruce was awesome: an entertainingly cranky, aging hippie who traveled the globe finding all sorts of interesting art, jewelry and decorative pieces. He could have marked up his stuff a lot more than he did, but he didn't, which meant that I could get really cool things like a Balinese shadow puppet for close to twenty bucks. Also, his newsletters were always a treat, as they were filled with his rambling but fascinating stories of his travels abroad. It's a shame, and I'm really going to miss his store.

Wow. Y'all weren't lying about the cosentino. We have just polished off an entire bottle, which is a rare, rare thing for us. But the Poet, plus a ribeye steak, is a GOOD combination. Amazing.

Gah. This is the wrong thing to read on a Monday morning when I'm hungry and slogging through work. Oh, to be in center city right now! I can't wait to visit the new store!

Seconding the Hamilton's Grill Room suggestion. I *love* this place. Especially now that the weather's turning colder, I highly recommend asking to be seated in the front room, which is where the grill is. It's fun to watch the chef prepare the fish and meats there, and the open flame makes it especially cozy. Oh, and the food is marvelous, too.