percyn

Thanks ! I could say the same for you...and Susan...and Eunny...and.... What if we all got together for a pot luck ?

Nectar - Nov 21st, 2004 This relatively new mainline restaurant in Berwyn had got some good press lately, so we decided to try it out. Went on a Sunday evening, partly to avoid the crowd, as I heard it could get a bit noisy on weekdays, but in reality, it was mainly because I get too busy during the week and cannot enjoy a 2-3hr dinner. The decor and atmosphere is certainly like Buddakan (not that there is anything wrong with that) and very soothing. We had reservations, but on that Sunday evening, only half the tables looked occupied (it was still early). We ordered some drinks - Iron horse PN and a mango ginger nectar (which I would recommend). The drinks seemed to be marked up quite a bit, especially the after dinner drinks, where the not so hard to find cognacs and armagnacs were marked up 300%-400%. (I had a much better selection at home, so we skipped the after dinner drinks...but I digress). We wanted to try some appetizers, so ordered the Bento Box for 2 - a sampling of pot stickers, wild mushroom and duck spring rolls, mini crab cakes and spicy tuna sashimi (marinated in chipotle and soy sauce) . It was good and while I did not see anything special in the pot stickers, my wife enjoyed them, so we ordered some more for her, while I decided to try the Steak tartar sushi roll. This roll was quite unique and had a very good texture - almost like tuna, but a bit firmer (and smoother). Did not get a chance to try the other sushi, but they seemed to be quite reasonably priced and I plan to return there again to try some (and the foie gras too). For our main courses my wife ordered Bay scallops with bok choy (pic did not turn out well) and I order Wok smoked duck with Chinese eggplant. The scallops were huge, firm and seared to perfection. The brown sauce it was served with was quite flavorful, yet the scallops stood up to them. This was served with a side of fluffy, light, fried rice. The duck was great as well. The aroma was superb and the tiny baby Chinese eggplant paired surprisingly well with the stir fried/smoked duck. This was served with a small bowl of white rice. For dessert I had read about the mini doughnuts with 3 dipping sauces, which I wanted to try....with some coffee of-course. The doughnuts were fluffy, spongy with a bit of a bite to them. The 3 sauces - Chocolate Chipotle, Creme Anglaise and Apple Caramel were very good, but our only complaint was the excessive amount of sugar which was sprinkled on the doughnuts (seemed like the doughnuts were rolled in sugar). Overall, the quality of the food was very good (not excellent), service was good and value was not too bad (with the exception of the drink prices). I will definitely return again to try some of the other dishes and order the steak tartar sushi rolls again. Cheers Percy P.S : I apologize for the poor quality of the images, but I really did not want to use the flash.

Thought it would be fun to have a forum where we can post reviews and recommendations for restaurants in the suburbs (Philly has many good restaurants, but us poor suburbanites need to eat too ). Don't take the Chester County thing too literally. Feel free to post on restaurants in Chester Co, Delaware Co, etc. Cheers Percy

WOW !! I wish you did take some pictures. Better yet, I wish I was there !!

For those interested in Nana restaurant, I just posted by experience from Nov 2004 at the Must eats in Dallas Forum (scroll down a bit).

This was a Wednesday and my last day in Dallas. I left like there was so much yet to be explored from a culinary standpoint and had already made dinner reservations at Nana, a renown 5-star restaurant located in the hotel I stayed at, the Wyndham Anatole. The conference I was there for went a little past noon, after which I immediately went to the hotel, dropped off the conference stuff, grabbed my camera and headed out the door. First stop.. Buck's Prime (a few blocks from the hotel, which claimed to have the best mesquite burgers and the air smelled like it). It was about 1pm and this place was packed with lunchtime locals from the surrounding businesses. There were soo many things that I would have liked to try, but had to settle for one. So I went for the chili-cheese burger. This was a pretty big (1/2 lb) burger, cooked to perfection and topped with amazingly good chili. The chili had a great meaty and smoky flavor by itself and when paired with the mesquite grilled burger, this was greasy heaven. I was quite full and decided to walk around a bit near the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, the infamous place were JFK was shot. I would highly recommend a tour of this museum, even if this was before your time, as it gives you a glimpse into history. You can see the actual location of where Oswald shot Kennedy from (it is enclosed in glass though). OK, back to the food. After spending a few hours at the museum and shopping, I stumbled on a cigar/tobacconist store near the museum. I went in to grab a cigar for my enjoyment after the dinner I was planning at Nana, but the atmosphere and owner of this place were so friendly, I decided to rest my barking dogs (feet) and enjoy a short Bolivar robusto. I wish I remembered the name of this place, but it is located between Dealey Plaza (near the 6th floor museum) and West End. I started walking back towards Tony Roma's located in the West End to take home some bottles of BBQ sauce, since unfortunately they do not vacuum pack their ribs or brisket. On the way over, I saw that the Chipolte, which I really wanted to visit, but was closed during evening hours was open. I had heard of this place, but never been to one as they do not have one within a 50 mile radius. I ordered a Burrito with Carnitas (Niman free-range pork) and Barbacoa (spicy shredded pork). It was delicious - tasted fresh, very flavorful and the roasted corn salsa was great. By now, it was 4pm and I the main purpose of my walking turned from transportation to a means of digestion. I made my way back to the hotel and changed by 7pm reservations to 9pm (the more time I had to make room in my tummy, the better). I started to think about this show I had seen where tasting professionals from the cheesecake factory traveled the world in search of additions to their menu, but warned the public that it was not as glamorous as it appears. I was no where near their extreme, but I was starting to see what they meant After a few more hours exercise (packing) and digesting, the clock was nearing the 9pm mark, so I took a quick shower and started to head over to Nana Restaurant, located on the 27th floor of the Tower at the Wyndham Anatole. The decor is good and I was promptly seated to my table, which unfortunately did not have a view of the famed Nana painting, but had a great view of the city's skyline. I had visited the Nana website and while there were many dishes that sounded intriguing, I decided to try the tasting menu with wine pairing to get a taste of the full spectrum of the kitchen's capabilities. While I would have loved to try the 7 course tasting menu, my full stomach made me settle for the 4 course menu. The wait staff were very attentive and their service throughout dinner rivaled that of any fine restaurant in NYC, Paris, London, etc. First Course: Smoked Salmon with roasted beets and horseradish cream. Paried Wine : Willakenzie Estate Pinot Gris 2002, Oregon This seems like a pretty simple dish, but the beets, horseradish cream and what seemed to be goat cheese paired very well with this amazingly viscous and flavorful Pinot Gris (unlike any other Pinot Gris I had tried). Second Course: Mesquite Grilled Texas Quail with Parsnip puree, sherry braised shallots and red wine butter. Paried Wine : Saintsburry Reserve Pinot Noir 1999, Carneros The quail was nice and tender, but not as smokey as I had expected it to be. The parsnip puree was delicious and very easy to make, so I have added this to my repitour and might make this as a side for Thanksgiving Third Course : Black Trumpet Dusted Venison Tenderloin with Pumpkin Risotto and Wild Huckleberry Glaze. Paried Wine : Victor Hugo Zinfandel 2001, Paso Robles While the pumpkin risotto lacked a bit of seasoning for my taste, the venison was the star of the show. The venison was rare to med-rare and the trumpet mushroom dusting gave it a good earthy taste. The wild huckleberry sauce was a good tart accompaniment for the venison. Dessert : Moscato Soaked Almond Cake with Roasted Figs with mascarpone and port syrup Paried Wine : Montevina Aleatico 1998, Amador County Now, I love almond and marzipan and this almond cake was like eating an entire slice of marzipan, without all that sugar - it was perfect. The wine was incredible as well...hints of honey, nuts, caramel, etc. As good as the wine paring was for dessert, I had to pair it one of my favorite dessert drinks - coffee This ended my 2 hr or so dinner at Nana, which taught me a lesson - do not discount fine dining in cities more well known for regional cuisines. Executive chef David McMillan was kind enough to sign my tasting menu, which I will add to my collection. Overall, I enjoyed my visit to Dallas and plan to return. The weather, food and people seem very nice and I still have a list of restaurants I wish to try, which include: Peggy Sue Pacific Cafe Yo! Steakhouse Monica's Aca y Alla etc Cheers Percy P.S: Hope these posts inspire you to try these great places in Dallas, TX .

Last night's dinner menu evolved as we went along.... I had a late lunch at a new Vietnamese/French restaurant (bbq meatball appetizer and beef Pho), while my wife was shopping - each indulging in our own pleasures. Sorry, no pics as I did not have my camera with me. During our normal dinner time (early evening) and we weren't that hungry, so we decided to try one of the pre-made appetizers we bought from Trader Joes, which we plan to serve to our guests on Thanksgiving. They are pictured here right as they came out of the oven. We enjoyed them with bottle of 2000 Flora Springs Trilogy (Varietal: 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 8% Malbec, 7% Cabernet Franc). About an hour or so later, I decided to make some shrimp wafers (maybe it was the Vietnamese cuisine which seemed to linger the Asian theme). This too paired well with the wine, while adding a unique texture and a tingling feeling on your tongue. The appetizers were good, but given that there was nothing good on TV (or the DVR) to watch, I decided to make some dinner for a weeknight. While at a farmers market the day before, I had picked up some fresh okra, so I decided to make it 2 ways - 1) Marinate the okra (lady fingers) in turmeric, chilli powder, cumin and sauté them in some vegetable oil. This has to be eaten while it is still hot, with a squeeze of some lime or lemon. If you have a roti, naan or flat bread, that goes very well with this dish. Since I did not want to refrigerate it, this became a chef's treat . 2) Orkra with spicy Lamb - Added 1 large chopped onion to the same oil used for the fried okra above. When the onions started to brown a bit, added some diced lamb tenderloin and lamb shanks. Added the normal Indian spices (turmeric, chilli powder, cumin seeds and powder, garlic and ginger). Sautee for 5-7 min and added some crushed tomatoes (from a can, though you can use fresh tomatoes as well). Cover with water to the edge of the meat and cooked it in a pressure cooker for about an hour (1/2 hour on medium high, which will give you approx 2 steam whistles and 1/2 hour on low/simmer, which makes the lamb fork tender). Once the lamb was cooked and the steam pressure in the cooker was gone, I added the okra with some chopped cilantro. Mixed in the okra and let it cook for about 10 min in the cooker on med-low. A quick taste test indicated that the meat was tender, while the okra were still a bit firm, but had absorbed the spiced - perfect. Now this dish is better when eaten after a few days, so it went into the refrigerator as a meal I will enjoy for dinner in the next few days. Cheers Percy P.S: Sorry for the long post

Sunday breakfast... We usually go out for brunch on Sunday's or I make a pretty elaborate breakfast/brunch. However, we are going to a new restaurant this evening and there are quite a few items on the menu I want to try, so I have to pace myself , thus we decided to eat some fruit. Plus, I found this lovely pineapple at the local farmers market.

Yesterday's (Saturday) breakfast... Scrambled eggs w/chives and truffles, sauteed mushrooms and smoked duck breast. Sauteed the mushroom (mix of portobella, porcini and oyester) in some butter, EVOO and white truffle oil. Egg made with 2 farm fresh eggs, 1/2 and 1/2, and a bit of the white truffle oil. Garnished with chives and some black truffle butter. I must be a sucker for the D'Artagnan smoked duck breast....I always seem to have some on hand and need to find opportunities to consume it in time

Sounds like a meal that smooths the soul...

Sounds yummy...making me wanna fly down to FL for some stone crab claws at Joe's

Ling, how was it? I need to try that against the BB I made last week! ← For those interested in Tony Bourdain, check out Dinner with Tony Bourdain for eGullet Members, where some Houston based eG members met with him (I almost flew down for that). His "A cook's tour" TV series has ended its run on foodtv, but he will be taping a new series in Jan 2005 (I am trying to see if he is looking for travel buddies ).

Perhaps you'll be cooking a lot more dinners in the near future with your new guy.... Cheers to you. ← And in case you end up cooking him breakfast, don't forget to post in the Breakfast ! forum

Anyone try the 2001 Vina Almaviva yet? Rated at 95 by wine dictator and available for $49.99 (retails for $85). Cheers P

That is some good beer....love porter and especially this smoked one. Too bad the beer and Russ' chili are hard to find here

Susan, that croissant looks good !!

Deidre, I understand that it has been a year since the PA Wine Club of the Month was started...Congratulations !! As a patron since day 1, I think it has been a great value and introduced me to wines I would not otherwise have tried. The cookbook in this month's shipment was an added bonus too...thanks

No, I don't... It's in the local Tar-jais store and I've thumbed through it there, but so far have opted not to buy it. Do you have it? The recipe was supplied as a testing assignment from Leite's Culinaria. It was good... delicious, easy, and very inviting of wine! ← We will get a signed copy on Monday as part of our dinner! ← Lucky you...I met her a few years ago before her recent cookbooks and TV show (Simply Wine) on the Fine Living Network. Do you know if she still lives in the Princeton Area? If so, I will try to attend one of her events and get my book signed.

Had some left over sushi grade yellow fin tuna, so I marinated it in some Teriyaki sauce and quickly seared it. Made a salad with Romaine, tomatoes, mushrooms, spring onions and the tuna. Dressed it with some spicy orange sauce and chives.

Today was a mini trial run for Thanksgiving dinner, which I will be cooking. While this was cooking, I decided to make a late lunch with some sushi from some sushi grade yellow fin tuna I had bought this morning. I have been enjoying sushi for years, but just recently started making it. This is my 3rd try. I love spicy tuna rolls and sashimi. For dinner, I wanted to try out the stuffing and roasted sweet potatoes. The stuffing was made with sautéed onions, celery, free range chicken stock, shitakes, morels, porcinis, chanterelles and melted butter. Went into the oven for about 30 min after which I wanted to add some oysters. I decided to add a few of the smoked oysters I had, canned in cottonseed oil - it actually gave it a good smoky flavor, but not too overpowering. Stuck it in the oven for 10 more min at 350 to warm the oysters up. For the sweet potato (experiment), I cut them into rough chunks, placed them into a buttered dish, with some brown sugar (light and dark), orange juice and more butter. I have used this recipe with yams before (with marshmallows), so I wanted to try it on sweet potatoes. It turned out to be more of a cross between roasted regular potatoes and yams (and I should have expected). My wife prefers the yam with the marshmallows, so that's what we will make for thanksgiving...along with turkey, stuffing, gravy, rib roast (or prime age steaks), and pies..better start fasting now. BTW, the roasted chicken was a stand-in for the turkey. Cheers Percy

I am hoping to share my experience with others who are planning to visit Dallas and enjoy this great city. I hope to revisit and try other places too. Well, I have one more post left (I stayed for one extra night)...saved the best for last. Dinner at Nana. I need a fair amount of uninterrupted time for this post, so I will try to get to it within the next few days. Cheers Percy

Behemoth, Looks really good. I like using creme fresh and horseradish with smoked salmon too. I love short ribs, but braised some lamb shanks this afternoon for tomorrow's dinner. Cheers P

LOL, Eunny, sometimes cold pizza for breakfast is enjoyable (especially if you have a hang-over) and these are the breakfasts that one remembers...if they are lucky

Day 3 - Cadillac Bar (Tex Mex) On my 3rd night in Dallas (it was a Monday), I decided to go to the famous Deep Ellum area, popular for its music and food. Unfortunately, I was not aware that 95% of the places were closed on Sunday and Mondays. This place was deserted and looked like the run down warehouse district it once was. I was very careful as I walked down the dark streets, staying on high alert and mentally rehearsing moves from 14 yrs of martial arts training (I should mention, that overall Dallas seemed very safe and like a friendly city, but something about Deep Ellum that night was not rubbing me the right way). I would not recommend making the trip to Deep Ellum, other than Thurs - Sat. I was determined to find Monica's Aca y Alla, just it case it was open, so I kept walking up and down the 2 parallel streets, until I found it. Alas, it was closed, as I had feared. After about another 5 - 10 min of walking, I was able to find a cab (which usually are quite abundant in Dallas - like NYC, but they stop ) to take me back to, where else.... West End !! Having done the BBQ thing for 2 nights in a row, I was really in the mood for some Tex Mex. So I headed to the only (Tex?) Mexican restaurant I had seen in the area...Cadillac Bar. They had advertised in the local pubs as having the next best Mexican food, north of the border (but I guess that is so cliché, that I did not believe it at first). It was getting a bit late, say 9:30pm or so. There were a few patrons, again, all on the patio...hey, I like this trend !! I ordered a Corona (being 50% confident that I would not to get BBQ sauce in a corona bottle here). The staff seemed really friendly and attentive. They immediately brought over my beer, restaurant made chips and really really good salsa, which was so fresh, I think it was made via mortar and pesto. The menu said that they also make their Guacamole fresh everyday, so I requested a small sample, which was provided immediately and was very good. Many things on the menu looked tempting and I decided to order the Tampiquena - a marinated fajita (flank or skirt?) steak, served with the usual sides. When the dish arrived, it was huge! The portion of steak for the price exceeded my expectation and the taste was just great (especially when dipped in the side of smoked jalapeño sauce). Now, I have never eaten just the fajita steak without the tortilla, but it seemed like a good "Atkins-friendly" meal. Everything was fresh and delicious, but I could not eat it all and only nibbled on the sides, which finishing the steak. By now I was quite full, but the quality and freshness of the dishes made we wonder what untold treasures await my taste buds via their flan (I have a sweet tooth and love flan) The flan was very good with candied pecans sprinkled on top (a Texas garnish I assume, as TX is known for pecans) and some bananas on the side. This was a good dish, but not one that surpassed by expectations. Overall, the service was good, food excellent and very fresh (everyone on the surrounding tables seemed to be enjoying their food and complimenting the wait staff - but then again, what do us tourists know ). While Monica's Aca y Alla is still on my list of restaurants I would like to visit on a return trip, I would definitely visit Cadillac Bar as well. Cheers P

My take on Surf n Turf Went to the grocery store to get some ingredients to experiment with for Thanksgiving dinner and I came across this lovely Dry Aged (for 21 days), Prime grade Rib eye. Took a few more steps and saw this gorgeous jumbo lump crab cake (no fillers). So I immediately know what I was having for dinner tonight It was a bright sunny day, but didn't think the grill would be ideal, as it was 40 F and windy. So I seasoned the steak with some Montreal seasoning and seared it on a cast iron grill-skillet (cross-marks are not that clear in the picture) and placed it in the oven for about 9 minutes, along with the crab (on which I placed a dollop of butter). I had picked a variety of mushrooms (oyster, shitake, portobello, etc), so I sautéed these with some shallots, and reduced with some demi glace, chicken stock, mushroom stock, zinfandel (what we were drinking), and port (to bring out the sweetness of the shallots). I also peeled some parsnips and added them to the pan when the steak went into the oven. The meat was cooked perfectly, if I may say so myself (I always let it rest for about 10-15 min before cutting into it). Unfortunately, the extreme close up pic did not come out clear (wrong setting on camera) Wine was a 2000 Burgess Zinfandel and a perfect accompaniment. Cheers P