Diann

I would try SeaBlue. It is my favorite place in town these days and I happen to love the Tuna & Foie Gras dish they do there. They tout the lobster pot pie as the house special, but I just don't get it. And they have a wonderful nan/pita type bread. I would think Ombra is too much like Osteria to fit the need, and I would guess specchio & old homestead are out for a vegitarian. Noodles of the World would work for the vegitarian point of view, but nothing special, and if you have not been to SeaBlue you should try. Since i know you like pistachio Gelato, you should visit the gelato counter at the metropolitan. It is not like what was at M last night, and it is not quite capagiro but it is often prettty good. ← Thanks Bruce! I've heard that Seablue is among the best AC has to offer, though I've also heard that it's not the best Michael Mina restaurant around... still, I'll check it out. We will definitely go for gelato -- I still prefer ok/middling gelato to bad ice cream.

Brief impressions: 1. Coffee fluid GEL is coffee in a form that you can brush across a plate, as in the photo. Just a textural/physical state difference. (Er, by physical state I mean solid vs. fluid vs. uh....gel. Clearly I haven't even contemplated science since high school.) 2. I particularly liked the surprise of the fresh coriander seeds in the eggplant mixture under the fish -- it added a whole new dimension to the plate. The fish was perfectly cooked: beautiful crispy skin, tender melty flesh. 3. Lamb that actually tastes like LAMB, what a shocker! 4. Wine pairings were phenomenal -- I don't know enough about wine to do really great pairings myself, so I appreciate it when others (like Chef Katz) do it for me. Every glass accentuated great notes in the dish.

coming late to the party: that dinner was deeeeelicious. I couldn't stop eating that pate, and the escargot preparation is my favorite in Philadelphia. re: unnamed D-list celebrities, to be fair, I've been getting lots of mileage out of that story -- crazy narcissistic people are great fodder for dinner parties!

Bumping this thread up... a couple friends and I are celebrating a birthday in Atlantic City next weekend and I'm trying to figure out where to take them for dinner. Here are my limitations: - Birthday girl is a vegetarian who will occasionally eat seafood, but I'd rather not take her to a place that ONLY does seafood. Therefore, no steakhouses, probably no Dock's. - We're going to Osteria (a mid-priced, really excellent Italian restaurant in Philadelphia) the night before, so we might not want to do Italian (even "Italian-Italian" and then "red-gravy Italian") two nights in a row. - We're staying at the Borgata. I'm not really excited about any of the dining options there, but I'm hoping I'm wrong -- are any of the restaurants good? It would be nice to walk from the hotel to dinner. So if you take all of this into consideration, I'm completely stumped. I'm not expecting mind-blowing food, just pretty good eats. Price not a major consideration as long as the price-quality ratio is right. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

I wouldn't plan on sharing a tasting menu at most places, but I've read that they are happy to accomodate at Robuchon. Anyways, we both want to try the widest variety of dishes, even if it only means getting half a bite. More importantly, my friend is a vegetarian/pescetarian, which means the onglet and the quail are ALL MINE.

I'm going to be down at Johns Hopkins for a conference next Thurs/Fri (staying at the hotel on campus) and may have time for a dinner and some exploring on my own... any recommendations for good eats by yourself? No price or cuisine restrictions, but if we're talking nicer restaurants, I often like to eat at the bar when I'm by myself -- then you can interact with the bartender, fellow diners, etc. Thanks!

Going to Vegas with a friend for Labor Day weekend -- first time ever for me, first time for her since we turned 21. (Trips to Vegas before you're 21 don't really count...) Read most of the Vegas threads, and got recommendations, so we are DEFINITELY doing the following: - Dinners at L'Atelier, Bartolotta and Lotus of Siam - Brunch buffet at the Bellagio - Something at JP Patisserie (everything looks good) Also on my list are Border Grill and Bouchon (maybe -- ate at the one in Yountville and liked it but have been hearing mixed things about the Vegas version... cash cow for Keller? frozen frites? etc.). I would like to try Wing Lei and Guy Savoy but we only have three dinners. So, some questions for you Vegas experts: Are any must-try places missing from the list? I know I skipped over a bunch of off-Strip places -- that was intentional. I'll do Rosemary's, Settebello etc. next time. Any recommendations for lunch besides what I already mentioned? Should we do the $135/$155 tasting menus at Bartolotta or just stick with the a la carte? Similarly: the full tasting menu at Robuchon or the "discovery" menu? (One of us will probably get a tasting and the other will order a la carte, and then we'll share everything...would timing be a concern with this plan?) And last: can we just put ourselves in the hands of the Lotus of Siam folks and have them order for us? I am basically ignorant of Thai food since all the Thai restaurants I've been to are of the "pick protein from list A, pick curry from list B" variety. I would really like to experience something new. Thanks!

I don't want to speak for Shola, but my guess is that to a minor extent his techniques are modified due to the size of the crowd and the requirements/demands of restaurant service -- there are no racks of rabbit requiring surgical precision (can you imagine serving 50 of those?!), pucks of cauliflower ice cream created on an antigriddle, etc. At the same time, the menu for the M dinner is, like Phil said, classic SK fare. I think it's a preview of what to expect if Shola ever decides to open a restaurant himself. It's gonna be deelicious... PS. I just noticed he put pistachio ice cream on the menu -- awesome! My ranking of pistachio ice creams/gelatos in Philadelphia goes (1) Shola (2) Osteria (3) Capogiro, a distant third.

That was an awesome dinner! This trip was inspired by Laban's review of Miran, in which he mentioned a couple of Korean BBQ places that still cook over charcoal -- Kim's on 5th and Seorabol at 2nd and Grange. Mrbigjas' friends recommended Pandolre over the other two, so we obediently marched up there. First up, banchan: I particularly liked the lotus root, konnyaku/seaweed salad (it mostly tasted like sesame oil), garlicky green beans, and kimchi, though everything was good. I think you're technically supposed to wait and eat these WITH your food but usually I'm so hungry I just jump on them immediately -- and anyways, we needed room for the rest of the stuff we ordered. Other food: An excellent seafood pancake, mandu (boiled dumplings), barbequed eel and of course, kalbi, bulgogi and pork belly. Looking at the pictures makes me want to go again for more plates of kalbi and eel. I want to like barbequed pork belly but I think belly is better served in chunks rather than slices if it's uncured. It's the marinade on and the texture of kalbi that I particularly love, especially with some spicy scallions, garlic and miso paste...YUM. We drank Flying Fish Summer Ale, a Lindeman's Kriek, and some cava...no soju, we were being good. I'm pretty sure they have a liquor license as I saw bottles of the standard-brand soju and OB being brought out, but they didn't bat an eyelash at our BYO bottles. Nor did they charge us a corkage fee. All that food, and the grand total was $26 pp/incl tax and tip. Ridiculous! Dessert: Capogiro, of course. Aloha Monkey (pineapple and faintly coconut), banana gelato, golden margarita sorbet. Then a mini-cone of strawberries and cream as a palate-cleanser, which was delicious. The lesson there: you don't actually want to eat the fruit decorating the gelato. Although it looks delicious, it's frozen solid and actually pretty terrible. Pandolre/Pandolne: 6775 N. 5th Street, Philadelphia PA.

Interesting: Adam Erace reports that Monday is now BYO night at Lacroix -- and the wine list is also half off.

I think they put crack in the pizzas. Seriously -- I was there this past Friday night, then again last night, and now my friend wants to go AGAIN tonight... it's madness! Anyways, just wanted to notify y'all that they have a nice outdoor dining space now -- there are maybe ten good-size tables placed between the loft building and the church next door, with plenty of foliage to protect you from the noise and fumes of Broad Street. The tables and chairs are actually the right dining height and size, unlike a lot of sidewalk dining settings. There's a random rusty trellis by the patio entrance, which is kind of jarring, but that's the only off note. Go while the weather's still nice!

so getting back to the point, mr. bresch, what did you HAVE at tinto? I'd love to hear descriptions of the food.

Not trying to start an argument here -- because (a) I haven't been to Tinto yet, (b) I'm excited about going, © I want it to be good -- but as for "fancy Spanish restaurants in NYC", what about Casa Mono/Bar Jamon? Tia Pol? Point is, who cares whether New York has similar restaurants or not? We've been over this a million times -- New York has greater population density than Philadelphia and is therefore, unsurprisingly, able to sustain a greater variety of restaurants, both in terms of cuisine and price point. Philadelphia's still got a great food scene, though.

This is why I was disappointed when your first experience at M was rather mediocre -- when I had the lamb during the winter (served with vanilla-parsnip puree and prunes, I believe), it was VERY reminiscent of studiokitchen and I got all excited at the prospect of eating food like that again. I'm glad you enjoyed it the second time around.

yeah, I second ocean city. they're my favorite cart place so far (to be fair, haven't been to ocean harbor or joy tsin lau; on the other hand, I never really hear anything great about those places for dim sum). I went to a banquet there maybe four years ago and I want to say there were close to a hundred people there, so you should be ok. don't know if they'd do carts for a private party, though, or if everything would have to be plated, but regardless, it would be fun!

I promise I am not making this up -- Esposito's had porchetta sandwiches, $4. With some of the gravy, best pork sandwich I've had in a long time, even without broccoli rabe and sharp provolone. I saw a lot of people declining chili and lime powder on their mangos, so maybe that's why the vendors stopped asking?

Uh, hellooo... I always suspected it would be a good pizza, but it's hard to focus on proscuitto/arugula/parmesan (which I've had before at other places) when you've got ramps and clams and octopus and egg/bitto to think about.

that's a nice price point. judging from the atmosphere would we have been ok dragging a baby in there? it's definitely not that kind of place for dinner. ← Well, WE (me, jeff, pedro and the fentons) were basically the entire crowd for brunch yesterday, so you would've been totally fine with the baby. In general, snackbar is probably more baby-friendly at brunch than at dinner. $20 for all of that food and drink great deal, especially since the food is well-executed. I had the fry-up, which was tasty (yes, it's just eggs and sausages and mushrooms, but sometimes you want someone else to make that for you.) Grits were reminiscent of the polenta they used to serve at dinner - yum. Tortilla espanola was another entree option -- maybe next time? The tots were interestingly spiced (oregano, and a bunch of other things) but as previously mentioned, not up to the level of Jones, for example. (Jones serves a surprisingly good brunch -- biscuits, eggs, tater tots...)

1) Yes 2) $10.50, I think -- somewhere in the $10-$11 range 3) They put my pint in a large bag of regular ice for the 15-20 minute walk home. They might have dry ice -- I think you can buy Capogiro pints online and have them shipped to you nationwide, so there's gotta be something they can do to help you.

The Italian place that Herb mentioned (next door to ComedySportz) is Gioia Mia. It's just a variation on one of the million Italian restaurants in the city -- not bad, but nothing to rock your world either. The main things I remember about my dinner there were the prices (cheap! Pasta primavera was maybe $13, and I had porchetta which I think was under $20) and the full bar. Anyways, pretty generic. Le Castagne is a little more slick and corporate-feeling than the other Italian restaurants around. I think the pastas are decent, but I've avoided the place ever since I had some truly awful veal cutlets four years ago. If you feel like Italian, what about Melograno? I know, no reservations on Saturdays, but depending on what time the show is, you may want to eat early, anyways. And Tinto keeps on getting good buzz, as mentioned...

Diann I had a second brunch at snackbar today as in two weeks in a row, went with Rae and DG last week. We had the Turkey Scrapple with Custard Eggs, Egg Fry-up with sausage and mushrooms,Grits with cheddar, French toast of a brioche-ish nature, tater tots and some thick cut bacon. Basically you get one dish, One side and one mimosa or bloody mary for $20, a complete steal and lovely outdoor seating. Absolutely agree with you regarding Marigold's Brunch. To those who arent aware, the Snackbarons orchestrated the original Marigold brunch and have replicated it flawlessly. Easily the best in the city food-wise and value-wise. ← Dammit! I was lying in Rittenhouse absorbing sunshine most of Sunday afternoon. So close and yet so far away. Fry-up, tater tots and grits sounds great. I will be there next Sunday... thanks for the heads-up!

The new menu screams spring: ramps, green garlic, mint, peas, fava beans, lamb. It made me feel all warm and happy inside even though it was maybe 40 degrees last night. Vadouvan, if you were waiting for some burrata action, you should go, like... now! The stuff we had from Claudio's with the olive oil tasting was good, but this was WAY better. Everybody else (Philadining, rae, I believe David McDuff, etc.) seems to have loved the gnocchi secco, but I much preferred the fusilli, maybe because I missed the taste of mint all winter. I will be making something similar at home as soon as I find the time to shuck some fava beans

brilliant idea, I have been wanting to (a) properly explore the menus at sol de peru and sabor latino (b) try pojangmacha, perhaps with the expert guidance of mr. big. if I recall correctly, sol de peru has a buffet on saturdays as well... oh and you know, since we never crossed the street, we never made it to pica's or the irish coffee shop.

For future reference, if you like Five Guys' fries because they're on the brown side of golden brown, order your fries at In-N-Out well done. They'll cook them longer for you so they get crispier and browner. Frankly, after seeing those menu descriptions and options (a teriyaki cheesesteak, yeesh; an incorrect definition of "hoagie"; etc.) I would have run away.

It's not in the suburbs and I haven't been yet, but I hear yello' bar has a courtyard for al fresco dining (24th and Catherine, across from Naval Square)...