percyn

I stand corrected. After visiting the state store yesterday and picking up a few more bottles of this great wine, to make a demi glace and Marchand de Vin sauce, I realized that it was a 2001 Arrowood Grand Archer Cabernet Sauvignon. Edited to fix name of Marchand de Vin.

V, your post make me picture you as a foodie version of that guy on TV wearing a suite covered in question marks, selling a book on government grants

Philadining, thanks for the great pictures and commentary...as usual !! Like your signature line ... "uh, the little one is a mushroom... " .. what does that mean? The Cab was an unfiltered 2001 Arrowood Cabernet Sauvignon, which I picked up from the state store last weekend. At first it seemed too young, but after a while, it opened up quite nicely. I have a few bottles left and might go buy some more tomorrow. I agree that no single dish stood out as the clear winner, but that is a testament to the quality of all the dishes, including the sorbet !! Since a few eGers could not make this tasting, there will be another one in the coming months, which I hope to be at.

Roofers that bring you crumb cake??!!?? How come I did not find those roofers when I lived in Jersey?

Fried Egg with Chorizo

YUUUMMM !!! That looks goooood !!!

Chef Andres, congratulations on the publication of "Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America". As an amateur home cook, I have tried a handful of recipes from it and I find it to be one of those rare cookbooks where the end results are as visually appealing as the stunning photographs in the book and the results are quite tasty as well. My question is did you pay special attention in selecting recipes which fall within the repertoire of a home cook, or was this a coincidence with the Tapas style of cooking? You mention that the flan recipe, was based on your Mother's flan recipe. Are there other recipes which where inspired by childhood experiences? Thanks Percy

Capaneus, not that I could tell (I had only been to Djanjo once while under Bryan's helm). To be honest, I had completely forgotten that Bryan Sikora had taken over the kitchen at Savona Bistro. There were a few fish dishes which sounded interesting featuring wild stripped bass, etc but from what I recollect, it did not seem overly creative (can't comment on the execution, as I did not try it). I will be back, just to try a few dishes I could not get to this time and hoping that cassoulet will be on the menu when I return.

Ann, I understand where your husband is coming from; I used to have an egg everyday, but recently cut back to just the weekends. How did you make the pork belly?

A visit to Savona Bistro has been on my list for a while and reading Natasha's review bumped it to the top of the list of places to visit when in the area, so we went for dinner yesterday (Saturday). Not sure they take reservations, so we went a little before 6pm and found the restaurant half empty, but it quickly filled up. The clientel were a mixture of 30 somethings to 60 somethings. Remember to grab your wine, as I don't believe there is a state store nearby. Wanting to try a few different items from the menu, we ordered more than we could finish (and will have leftovers for lunch today). Appologize for the picture quality in advance as we did not use a flash and even a f/1.8 lens was not sensitive enough for the dim lighting. Margharita Pizza - Their pizza's are 9" and made in a wood burning oven. I mainly ordered this as I believe a good margharita pizza is a test of how well a place makes other pizzas; plus Laban raved about it. While the crust of the pizza I received was thin and blistery the overall flavor was OK, not great. In fact the edges of a few slices were burned to a char (not in a good way) and there was a little too much sauce, which made the pizza a bit soggy towards the end. Overall, I would buy the Margharita from Peace of Pizza than Savona. Artichoke and Goat cheese Pizza - My wife likes artichokes and goat cheese so this appealed to her, but she is not a fan of the sundried tomatoes what also accompany the pizza. This pizza had too many things going on for me. Fire-roasted Quail Stuffed with Apple Breadpudding - This was an appetizer special for the night and probably one of the night's highlights. The quail was perfectly cooked and the fire-roasting gave it that distinctive smoky flavor. The apple breadpudding was buttery and complimented the Quail well. Wild Boar Ragu - We ordered an appetizer portion and I am we did was this was a very heavy dish and by this time I could not finish even the appetizer portion. This dish was from the regular menu and consisted of a heavy, creamy ragu of wild boar on "brass cut" pasta. A good dish overall. Hanger Steak - Served with buttery mashed potatoes and Haricot Verts which had a nice snap to them when you bit in. This was one of the most flavorful yet tender hanger steaks (aka onglet) I have ever tasted, including the ones I had in France. I give this dish a 4 out of 5 stars for its simplicity and cooking perfection. We were too full for dessert of the decent selection of cheese they had, so we ordered coffee which came with an excellent biscotti, perfect for dunking. While we had a few selection of wines with us, the one we chose was a 2003 Montori Montepulciano, which seemed to pair well with many of the dishes we ordered. While it is a BYO, there was a $5 charge for Liquor Service, which I don't mind paying, considering the alternative. However, not to open the "stemware" Pandora's box again, but I thought that if they were to charge for this service, the stemware could have been upgraded from the generic bowl-ish ones they provide. Service was good, friendly and semi-seamless for a Saturday evening. In summary, while our dining experience did not warrant the 3 bells (out of 4) Laban bestowed upon Savona Bistro, it was comparable to some of the other BYOs in the area. I would rate it a 3 out of 5. Cheers Percy

Chanterelles & Scrambled Eggs Lobster & Chanterelle Mushrooms with Scrambled Egg on Croissant w/White Truffle Butter

Someone recently recommended Carré des Feulliants to me. Couldn't find any recent reviews on eGullet. How is it for lunch? Other options I am considering are L'Arpége, L'Ambroisie and Les Ambassadeurs. Any other 2-3 star lunch (or dinner) recommendations for a single traveler where I can secure a reservation for 1, 3 weeks out? Cheers Percy

I will be in Paris in a few weeks as well and would like to see the list updated. In the interim Pim has some decent recommendations on her blog. including a vegan place.

Chorizo and Egg on Bagel

Hot Spring Egg & White Asparagus - 2nd Attempt Cooked Eggs at 63 C for 1 hr This time I mixed the pureed asparagus and aioli along with chives and herbs And the Yolk was nice and runny - though it continues to cook when removed from a water bath and chilled, so move quickly. Turned out much better than 1st attempt.

Hmmm...nice croissant Lorna...can you FedEx me one? Yesterday... Chorizo Scrambled Eggs on Bagel - the egg looks yellow because if was made in the deep red oil which rendered from the chorizo. Got this Chorizo from Spain, which is very different from the ones found in the states Today... Omelette on Bagel

UE, how would you rate Bon Lloc? I might have a chance to visit it soon.

AngelJolie, how do dried squid taste? Are they more intense than fresh squid? Today I made Scrambled Eggs Topped with Thai Flavored Tuna

Scrambled Eggs w/Mitake & Shrimp in Back Bean Sauce

They tend to keep the riff-raff out Actually if you promise not to cancel again, I can plan something for Majolica in the next couple of weeks.

Gilmore's is pretty famous in the Burbs and on many of the "Best of..." lists. I used to frequent it quite a bit and have had some really good meals there and some OK meals. If your friends like Gilmore's they will love Birchrunville Store Cafe in Chester Springs but the reservations will be just as hard if not harder to get and Majolica in Phoenixville. Some other places with easier reservations (but perhaps not the same level of cusine) would be Duling Kurtz in Exton (not a BYO) and Avalon in West Chester.

Jeff, that is very kind, but the true warning should be "Percy likes it...so proceed with caution" . Seriously though, have them try a few places and tell us which ones they like and the Chester County eG folks can point out similar restaurants.

OK, may not be the best thread for this, but the Downingtown Wegmans has started serving Gelato and Sorbet at the coffee bar. I tasted a few which were pretty good (not sublime as Capagiros, but pretty strong). I got a small cup of mango sorbet, which tasted like it had Alphonso mangoes (or pulp) in it.

Bill, Charcoal Pit is my go-to place if I am craving a good burger or shake. I like it...wish it was a bit closer to me SaxChick, you are correct about whiteland towne center, I keep getting my strip malls confused. Speaking of whiteland towne center, has anyone tried the Cheeseburger in Paradise that opened there recently?

Natasha, Fioravanti's is a popular "don't feel like cooking today" stop for my wife and I. Also, asumming that the spinach was cooked/blanched, it should be safe. Jeff, in addition to the restuarants that Natasha mentioned, your friends can visit Devi for a veg Indian place and Riverstone cafe which serves a decent brunch (both in the Marchwood shopping center in Exton). There is also the Drafting room, which has good food and quite a few beers on tap, along with a decent collection of Scotch. They also serve brunch on Sundays as does their sister restaurant the Brickside Grill. For a more upscale dining experiencing, Birchrunville Cafe is not too far (in CHester Springs) and Duling Kurtz House (in exton). Have them email me if they have any questions on these places. Charlie...you are funny