percyn

My bruch experience at Lacroix is posted here

Let me know the next time you are in Philly....my treat

Yes, the hors d'oeuvres are included. The Hot Buffet is optional, and I would highly recommend it to eGulleters (my wife was not that crazy about it, as she did not eat many of the dishes on there... you can lead a horse to the water... ). Of-course the wine and box of chocolates were extra.

Still too full from a huge Brunch to have dinner, but wife wanted me to make Molten Chocolate cake (as she skipped dessert during brunch...poor gal). Mixture of Semi-sweet chocolate, butter, cream, egg yolks and sugar. In they went for 11 min and came out nice and gooey on the inside. The wife got the larger ramekin

Sounds tasty....and very creative !! ← Thanks but I can't take all the credit; I saw someone do something similar on FoodTV. Coindicently, I had Brunch at Lacroix (famous Philly restaurant) today, they had a lobster dish made in a very similar fashion, which I will call Homard Oeufs en Cocotte.

Had brunch at Lacroix today and I have to say this is one of the best brunches I have ever had. Here is a recap of our experience: Reservations were originally made via OpenTable for a weekday lunch, but since I wanted to try a variety of dishes, I changed the reservation to Sunday Bunch. This is what was available on the Brunch Menu Started with the HORS D' OEUVRES and raw bar. While almost everything tasted great, the dishes that I think need special mention were the Quail Egg with Ratatouille, Salmon Tartar (not on the menu, but in the pic), Chicken Curry Dumplings and Asparagus and Veal Tongue with Truffle Vinaigrette. We also tried the soup of the day, which was a root vegetable bisque. It was good, but not spectacular (wasn't expecting it to be). Then we went for the Hot Buffet, which is served in the kitchen (I would have got it anyway, just to see the kitchen). It should be noted that this is a section of the kitchen were the cooking has already been done and the food layed out, so don't expect the chef to be calling out orders in there....the pictures will explain what I mean... Hot Buffet Station # - Soft boiled eggs, Quail Eggs with Braised Beef Short Ribs, Roasted Duck (I think) and wife (not on menu). Hot Buffet Station # 2 - Sautéed Potatoes, and 2 other dishes I can't remember Hot Buffet Station # 3 - Chicken Fricassée with Saffron and Escargots, Spelt Hot Buffet Station # 4 - Roast Duckling with Seckel Pears and Cognac Sauce, Venison Cannelonis, Lobster Oeufs en Cocotte? (although menu says chowder, it was changed...for the better...more on this later) Hot Buffet Station # 5 - Roasted Baby Lamb Chops, Carved Beef Wellington, Roasted Organic Turkey. The sauces are Lamb Au Jus (almost as thick as a Demi Glace and very tasty), Madeira sauce for the beef and Chanterelle gravy for the turkey. Here is a close-up of the food on my plate (clockwise) - Lamb chops, Beef Wellington, Spelt, Venison Cannelonis, Roasted Duckling and Chicken Fricassée with Saffron and Escargots Here is a close-up of the Lobster Oeufs en Cocotte? This dish had a smooth soft custard bottom, lobster (tail and claw) and what seemed with a light curry sauce....hmmmm...delicious....one of my favorite dishes of the meal. Here is another masterpiece...braised beef short ribs with Quail egg. The sauce had a deep beef/veal flavor, and the meat was tender. Top that with a perfectly cooked soft boiled quail egg and I am in heaven By this time, Desserts, as tempting as they are, required true determination to indulge in (wifey chickened out by then). I had planned for this meal by limiting the previous night's dinner and skipping breakfast (I also ended up skipping dinner tonight as I am still full from the meal, nearly 11 hrs later ) This place also makes their chocolates (which are the best in the city) and are only sold at the hotel/restaurant, so I had to get a box of these. If Forrest Gump is correct in saying..."Life is like a box of chocolates...you never know what you are going to get", then the person who is lucky enough to be eating chocolates from this box has nothing to worry about as each piece is delicious. We both opted for the "Wine Duet", which was a house champagne (sorry, don't remember the name as it was not a mainstream one and your choice of their a Pinot Gris or a Hardy's Cab Sav. We got the Cab). Service was as expected for a 4 star restaurant, attentive and courteous. Overall it was a great experience and if I lived closer to the city, I would be coming here every Sunday (OK, at least 1-2/month) and weigh an additional 50 lbs . My Rating - Highly Recommended and I will be returning here soon !! Hope this is helpful for those planning a visit. Cheers Percy Edited to add: Jean Marie Lacroix (the chef/owner) was not in the kitchen today (apparantely recovering from a New Year party last night), but we did run into him on the way out.

Sounds tasty....and very creative !!

Se magnifique !

We spent new years eve with some friends and neighbors (at neighbors house, thus no photos). We made fondue (cheese and later for dessert), grilled some steaks, made crabcakes, baked potato, etc for dinner. Emptied about 4 bottles of champagne and 10 bottles of wine, vodka (martinis), rum, etc. Happy New Year everyone !! Jason, did you have to special order that 6.5 pounder?

We made waffles too...not the made from scratch variety, but the store-bought-pop-it-in-your-toaster kind. Not all that great, but it sometimes hits the spot with some coffee. Viola da gamba, care to share your scone recipe? Happy New Year everyone !!

Hey...don't knock boiled eggs...they are delicious if made properly. If you have been exposed to those questionable grey masses which were once yolks, then you were not eating properly boiled eggs. A good boiled egg will have a bright yellowish-orange folk which is creamy and tasty.

Anyone heard from Shola lately? I heard he is hanging out in the NYC area....it would be a great loss to Philly if he decides to move BTW, if he is around and some eGulleters would like to band together for a meal/experience, count me in.

What kind of marzipan are you looking for? They are sold as little fruit shaped items (usually too sweet), or as chocolate bars or even as blocks, which can be used for cooking (I like these better was they are not too sweet). I have bought the chocolate bars at the Caviar House in the Philly airport and at Reading Terminal Market. The fruit shaped marzipan pops up at some stores occassionally (Target?) or your supermarket. The blocks are the hardest to find, but I just saw some yesterday sold as almond blocks at Claudio's King of Cheese in the Italian Market on 9th street (DiBruno's might carry it as well).

All of these suggestions sound good....here is what I drank yesterday for my sore throat... Maple Syrup Eau-de-Vie Cheers Percy

My throat was a bit sore yesterday from walking around South Philly and I left like I was coming down with a cold...so I decided to drink some grown-up Nyquil. This is a Maple Syrup Eau-de-Vie, which has the flavor of soothing, comforting maple syrup, nuts, carmel, etc, but with a 40% alchol by volume kick. Though I haven't tried this, I think it would be good in coffee...in fact, I will add it to the coffee I am drinking right now...

DameD, welcome...hope to see more breakfast posts from you soon. Wendy, did Santa bring you the food processor? (I got a Hattori Japanese hand forged knive for Xmas). MissTenacity, that larb omelet sounds...hmmm...interesting ...will have to try it. Today's breakfast....Scrambled eggs with Ham on a Croissant

Ling, Who is Durian and why did you freeze him?

Steak-Frites Yesterday I had the urge for some steak and fries. I originally wanted to buy the fries, but wanted them really fresh and crispy...so I knew what that meant...making it myself. Also made some Asian shrimp wafers, with the residual heat left in the oil.

Christmas Eve - Grappa ( Mazzeti d'Altavilla) Christmas Day - Elmer T Lee Single Barrel Bourbon Day after Christmas - Another Grappa ( Castella Banfi )...must be all this cold weather Cheers Percy

Yesterday's Breakfast Andouille sausage and Eggs - Made some scrambled eggs with andouille sausage and salsa. Served with flatbread. Today's Breakfast - Coffee and fresh baked croissant

Christmas Dinner at Aunt's house - Heavenly ham, Coleslaw, Mashed Potatoes, Steamed Broccoli, Turkey Gravy, Turkey, Yams, Stuffing, Brisket, Green Beans, Biscuits, Ranch style Texas Beans, Cranberry sauce, ... other stuff I am probably forgetting...did we get enough? Here is a close-up of the brisket which I had a restaurant smoke overnight...it was yuuummmyyyy... For Dessert we had Pecan and Apple Pies. Lots of leftovers that turned into yesterday's dinner.... Note the ham on the salad with roasted beets (which I got at a farmers market, steamed in a pressure cooker and then roasted in the oven) Also made some lobster stock from the leftover lobster shells we had from Christmas eve and turned it into homemade lobster bisque. And the brisket leftovers became a brisket sandwich, topped with Tony Roma's BBQ sauce Cheers Percy Edited to add - And we also had some After Dinner Drinks

I've also looked at Opentable lately - and that looked like it should work fine (I especially liked the way it searched within a certain time of your requested reservation if the time you wanted wasn't available). Robyn ← I think there is a bug on opentable, which will not allow you to book a table at per se 2 months in advance, when they start taking the same reservations via the phone (i.e. since today is Dec 25th, do a search for Feb 25th..it will say that Per Se does not accept reservations 61 days in advance. However, if you call the restaurant, they will take reservations for Feb 25). Thus don't expect to get a table on a specific date via Opentable. I brought this to Per Se's attention a few days ago, so lets see how soon it gets fixed...I just tried a min ago and it was still broken. Thanks Percy

Good topic and good work CB !! I was just thinking about having some duck confit last night. I have never prepared duck confit from scratch, but do enjoy D'Artagnan Duck Confit, which is sold in some stores in the US or can be bought from their website. Cheers P

Wife suggested we have lobster for dinner, so I went hunting (figuratively speaking) and nabbed this bad boy....a 2.75 pounder. Steamed the lobster, then split it open, basted it with some French butter and parsley and broiled it. The best part for me is the lobster brains....with some baguette slices....hmmmm. Saved the shells to make some lobster broth and maybe lobster bisque later. Cheers Percy P.S : Spaghetttti, Happy Birthday !! Food looks (and I am sure tasted) delicious !! So you are 22 now?

Steak and Eggs !!