philadining

Congrats to the folks at Cantina Los Caballitos for a 2009 Best of Philly from Philly Mag for Best Cheap Mexican Food. I'm not sure that's the category I would have put them in, but it's true enough that a lot of the food is pretty affordable. The magazine's blurb even acknowledges that not everything is cheap, but I feel that even the large platters and specials are always good values. As I've mentioned before, i know the owners of this place, and I've told them that I feel like the portions might be TOO large, but thankfully, they don't listen to me. I've been going to their other similar place, Cantina dos Segundos, in Northern Liberties more often lately, but this is a good reminder to go back to the original sometime soon...

Han Dynasty 2 got a 2009 Best of Philly award from Philly Mag for Best Traditional Chinese. I certainly wouldn't argue with that! Congrats to Han and the chef and everybody up there.

Congrats to Bebe's for garnering a Best Barbecue from Philly Mag's Best of Philly. (I don't see an on-line link yet.) Of course this issue of the magazine would come out right as Mark leaves town for a while! Here's hoping the rest of the crew holds down the fort if they get a rush...

Okay, I hope the food is good and all, but this is just about the stupidest thing I have ever heard. ← Come on man, doesn't eating in a mosh pit sound kind of fun?!? And it makes sense, you know: Punk Rock is loud, fast and angry, and Barbecue is all about low, slow and ummm.... where was I going with this?

Wow, those Henry B's prices are pretty surprising. I'm guessing portions are ridiculously large, the shtick is that everything's for sharing, but still, that's looking like a pretty high tariff for homey Italian food. I had some slightly more affordable red sauce over the weekend, and while it might not have been a huge bargain, I thought it was certainly worth it. I finally made it to Rocco, and was overall very pleased. I'm sorry that I didn't have my camera with me, as some of the dishes were quite lovely. We started with the Arancini, three good-sized balls of risotto, coated in panko, and expertly fried to a perfect crisp. There were no treasures hidden inside, save for the luxuriously creamy rice, but they were seated in a very tasty red sauce. I liked them with and without that accompaniment, but overall I was happy to have it. We also had a salad of pears, gorgonzola and grilled radicchio, along with a few other fresh greens. It was huge, very nicely balanced, and an ideal thing to eat a warm summer evening. I'd been debating which pizza to get, but when a Margherita was delivered to some diners near us the decision became easier. It looked so appealing that I decided to go with that one, and I was not disappointed. The crust was quite good, thin and crispy and flavorful, and both sauce and cheese were well-proportioned and very tasty. There's no place to hide poor ingredients or technique with a simple pizza like this, and each element was able to shine. If I had one quibble, it's with the cutting, or more accurately, the lack thereof. Hey Rocco folks: I'd be perfectly happy if you want to get all Neapolitan on us and serve it uncut, to be eaten with a fork and knife but the crust is a little too crispy for that. And you seem to realize that people aren't going to play along with that and want it cut, because you serve the pizza along with some heavy-duty kitchen shears. All I can do with kitchen shears is, somewhat clumsily, cut it into slices. If it's going to end up in slices, the kitchen can do that better than I can, I really don't see any advantage, or appeal, to doing it myself. So, Rocco, ditch the scissors, it's silly. Cut the freaking pizza in the kitchen. It doesn't matter what they do in Naples, people are not going to eat this pizza with a knife and fork, so slice it already. We also got the pasta Cacio e Pepe, which, at least this evening, was made with Cavatelli. This was yet another dish with no margin for error, and thankfully, there weren't any: the pasta had a wonderfully firm, yet yielding texture, and there was just enough cheese and black pepper to make it interesting, but still allowing the basic nature of the pasta to shine through. Very subtle, very simple, we thought it was delicious. I regret not sampling any of the mains, but in retrospect, I'm glad we didn't order any, between two of us, we couldn't even finish an app, a salad a pizza and a pasta. Portions were generally pretty large, except perhaps the pizza, which was appropriately-sized, probably 10 inches in diameter. We sat at the bar, and the bartender was a very helpful, informed server. So overall, we liked the place quite a lot, with only one significant complaint. I'm really not sure exactly what happened, I suspect there was a misunderstanding between the host and myself, although I don't know what could have been ambiguous. We walked-in without a reservation at about 8, and asked if there was a table. The host replied that he didn't know, and it would be a few minutes until he'd know. He suggested that we wait at the bar, he'd let us know, or we could simply eat at the bar. We found seats at the bar, which is a perfectly comfortable place to eat, except that it was a little loud, a little warm, and it would have been nice for my dining partner and I to sit facing one another. We got a glass of wine and started perusing the menu, which perhaps the host interpreted as us deciding to settle-in there, but it would have been nice if he'd asked. We in fact would have preferred a table, and had not said that we'd just eat at the bar. A short time after we sat at the bar, another party arrived and sat next to us there. We heard them ask if there was a table, so we know they didn't have a reservation. Oddly, they were seated in the dining room fairly promptly. This happened with yet another party a few minutes later. We hadn't ordered any food yet. I would have said something, but I was actually morbidly curious about what was going to happen. The bar had actually gotten a bit quieter, and it was fairly comfortable, so we didn't really mind just staying there, but it would have been nice to have been offered a table, given that we'd asked for one, and especially because it was a lovely evening, and they had tables outside, which would have been especially pleasant. But, honestly, we had a good time, I'm willing to write-off the seating thing as a misunderstanding, rather than an overt diss. We had gone in prepared to just eat at the bar, thinking that the place might have been fully-booked, so it was not a tragedy by any means, but it was a little annoying to watch two parties that arrived after us get tables. I certainly can't complain about the food or the service from our server/bartender, so I'm looking forward to going back. Unfortunately, my schedule is usually so much in flux that it's hard to make reservations, but next time I'll be sure to double-check that it's understood that I'd prefer a table should one become available. But there definitely will be a next time. Rocco 165 Monroe Ave., Rochester, NY 14607 (585)454-3510 www.roccorochester.com

We were WAY too late this past weekend for the softshell crab po boys, but it's not like we can't find plenty of other things to eat there! The brisket gumbo was good as ever, and the gator sausage po boy was just fantastic. The best part is: that sandwich is on the menu all the time. They mentioned that the Philly Mag photographer had been in, so it appears they've won a Best of Philly for something, they're not sure what! I can think of plenty of categories that I'd give them awards in, I'll be curious to see if it something broad, like best Cajun, or more specific, for some individual dish. (Or strangest location for an awesome restaurant...) Either way, advance congrats to Don and Kate and the crew!

We dropped by Bebe's over the weekend and were very happy, and perversely full, a short time later... The stars of the day were the ribs: Crusty, juicy, smoky, really quite excellent. That thick bark is really quite distinctive, and while I wasn't entirely sure about it the first time, I've decided that I like it. Of course it helps that these ribs were just better overall... We like them unsauced, with maybe just a little dip or drizzle to accent the great inherent flavors. The brisket was not too far behind in deliciousness. It was super-juicy, and very tender. This particular batch didn't taste all that smoky, nor did it have an especially crusty exterior, but it was quite good nonetheless. Apparently Mark experiments a bit with the wood that goes in the smoker, so there's bound to be some variation, but we got the impression that he's working hard toward getting the products fairly consistent, and more consistently available. The pulled pork looked pretty awesome, so we couldn't resist doing an east vs. west sauce comparison. The vinegar-based eastern Carolina sauce is on the left, the more tomatoey western Carolina sauce is on the right. We were a little surprised to decide that we liked the tomatoey one, which is their default sauce. The pork itself was not all that smokey that day, it's been more so in the past, but it was still tender and flavorful. Collard greens were very good, just the right level of tenderness, but not mushy, and a little spark of hot pepper perked them up nicely. I also liked the potato gratin, the creamy, tender potatoes were a nice partner for the tangy meats. He forced a sample of the rotisserie chicken on one of our party. I would have exploded if I had a single bite, but the reports are that it was excellent; very juicy, with a nice crisp skin, and a mild smoke flavor. OK, the real reason I couldn't eat the chicken is that he forced some chocolate meringue tarts on us. I started to protest, but come on, if there was one of these staring you in the face, would you be able to say no? Underneath that perfectly-done meringue was a creamy, still-warm, chocolate custard. I know I guy that ate two of them, after protesting that he couldn't eat another bite of anything. I think these guys are hitting their stride, the food seems to be getting more consistent in quality, and they're running out of stuff less, but hey, they're still new, and small, and summer business is always slow, so it's not quite at it's full potential yet, but they're getting very close! And hey, these days I can't blame anyone for wanting/needing to save money, but Bebe's food is not all that expensive, and they're constantly giving stuff away, so I'd skip the restaurant.com coupons, just buy some barbecue, it won't cost all that much. (I'm not sure why restaurants agree to those coupon deals, they never seem happy with it... ) I'm really eager to go back, those ribs are calling me. And I think I need a chicken. Oh, and we saw some biscuits that looked really awesome - it's impossible to predict when they'll have them but they look pretty promising! Next time I see them, I'm grabbing one. And Mark was talking about warm banana pudding...

So what you're saying is that, rather than paying to have the book shipped, it would make more sense for me to fly to New Orleans and pick it up in person at Cure? Excellent news! I'm happy to use the flimsiest of excuses. Hey, if I'm going to pay insane shipping charges, it might as well be to ship me down there...

Wow, was that there the whole time? Could you put it in flashing bold bright colors? Boy do I feel silly...

It took me a little digging to find this info, so in case folks are curious, Plymouth is near Wilkes-Barre, and the festival is the last weekend of August, at least in 2009.

I'm not sure if I can pass a certification exam to prove that I understand true Neopolitan pizza sufficiently to have my opinion taken seriously, but the center of this one was unpleasant. As I've stated a few times in this thread, I've had several pies at UPN, and they all were pretty wet in the center, but not white and flabby and soggy. I think I was a little surprised about even that level of wetness the first time I encountered that style, but I quickly got over it. So I think I get the concept, I haven't been bothered by it at other places. At Keste, it bothered me/us. But given all this talk about how these pizzas are "supposed" to be eaten, why does Keste cut them into slices?

A quick comment about the drink credits - I had the pleasure of enjoying several cocktails at Cure back in the spring, made by both Kirk and Maks, the Rogue guys. When I got back, and wanted to post about it, I realized that my notes were a mess, so I dropped Kirk an email, asking if he could identify the drinks in the photos I'd taken. Not only did he identify the drinks, he also made sure to credit the creator of each drink, and where that person worked at the time. So I don't think these guys are trying to steal anyone's thunder, nor do they seem to intend to disrespect others in the cocktail scene. Is the manifesto a little confrontational? Sure, that's what manifestos are supposed to be like, but when you meet these guys, it's immediately obvious that they're not provincial egotists, they're just talented, enthusiastic guys that felt like making a bold statement. Of course, anyone is free to disagree with their premise. It's also important to note that these guys can bring the goods. Every single drink that either of those guys made for us was both delicious and interesting. Many of them were quite challenging. I have no hesitation saying that they were, in sum, my favorite drinks I've had anywhere, (and yes I've been to Pegu Club and PDT and Violet Hour and plenty of other serious cocktail spots.) No disrespect meant to those other places, I'm just saying that these guys are working at a very high level. And FWIW, I think The Art of Choke is awesome.

Well it just goes to show, it really may just come down to personal preferences. So far the reactions to the photos of the pizzas I ordered have been: -you ordered wrong, those are lame pizzas -those don't look like Roberto's pizzas -those look amazing/great. Ultimately I don't care so much about their appearance, but I will grant that the Margherita looked pretty good to me, "correct" and appealing. I just didn't love how it tasted. I actively disliked the lardo. (and seriously Sam and Stephen, that one looks good to you? with a quarter of it basically having no toppings at all?) Interestingly the four of us at the table were in agreement about being underwhelmed, which doesn't always happen among us. Weird.

Yeah, that is weird, it's actually quite hard to find a good cheesesteak in University City, I can't imagine how this writer came to the conclusion that they're "especially concentrated" there. Sure, there are some carts, and some take-out joints, but none of them are especially noteworthy, nor are they more densely-packed than anywhere else in the city. Back in prehistoric days, when Abner's was new, I liked their cheesesteaks pretty well, and loved the "criss-cut" wafffle fries. And the Italian Hoagies. But the last time I was in there, which is a couple of years now, I got a truly vile steak, it was dry and greasy, and a little funky. But that very well may have been a fluke, I was creeped-out enough by that one that I haven't been back, so I can't say how they are in general.

I've heard of this happening at Osteria before, although not to me, I just happen to have always been able to decide on everything fairly quickly. I'll agree that it's a pretty obnoxious policy, although in their defense, I've eaten at that particular restaurant a lot, and I don't ever recall feeling rushed. Maybe because I eat there a lot...

I can accept that, and indeed some of the more exotically-topped versions were quite enticing. But we explicitly wanted a Margherita as a control, as a comparison to other places, and shouldn't a place like this make a banging basic pizza? Two of our party had only a few days earlier eaten a lardo pizza at Osteria in Philly, on a newly-introduced Neopolitan-style crust, that they reported to be transcendent, so they couldn't resist trying for that again. I already explained the reasons for the Marinara (and FWIW, that same dining companion really enjoyed a similar pizza at UPN.) But I can certainly see how interesting toppings would change the equation, and I'm likely to explore that next time.

I am not on Frank Bruni's payroll, so I vote for option #2. Or who knows, maybe my friends and I are #3. As I posted in another thread, three of us went in June, and none of us was impressed. Exhibit A: Lardo Pizza Does that even look good to anybody? Particularly the slice on the right? Actually none of the slices were very good, the lardo was reduced to werid crunchy nuggets under what tasted mostly like burnt romano. We only ate about half of it. Exhibit B: Margherita That at least looks pretty good, and did in fact taste a lot better than the lardo, but as may be apparent in the photo, it's really wet in the center. I know, that point has been debated extensively here, and I'm willing to grant that the wetness is part of the style, but the crust at the center of this pie seemed not only soggy, but tasted like wet raw dough. All the pizzas I've had at UPN have been pretty soggy in the center, but never tasted raw. Exhibit C: Marinara OK, the main problem with this was that it was mostly kind of blah, but this was the only option for the cheese-averse member of our crew, given that the waiter refused to put in an order for any of the other pies without cheese. I can understand the no-substitution rule, but simply leaving something off, especially from one of the non-mozzarella-based pies, seems simple enough, especially given that we were the only ones in the place at the time. But ultimately, among the three of us, we just didn't love the flavor of the crust, and that's a big deal. Roberto Caporuscio was not manning the oven at the time, although he was in the restaurant. Maybe it makes a difference whether he's holding the peel... The opinions expressed in this thread have been so different from ours that I have to wonder if something went wrong when we were there, so I'm certainly interested in trying Keste again. I'm not sure if I can get those friends to come with me though...

There's a dairy/ice cream shop in the exurbs of Philly (the Chester Springs Creamery at Milky Way Farms) that weighs every cone or dish, and charges by the actual weight. This seems eminently fair, but as you might guess, the line takes forever, as you try to explain how much you want, and then they put it on a scale (which doesn't happen to display either weight or price to the customer, but you can eyeball it) and ask if that's OK. Then the same person takes off her latex gloves and takes your money. Uugh, it's maddening. But the ice cream is pretty awesome, so I put up with it...

Yeah, other than the name, and the fact that they have a lot of pork, they're not really the same kinds of places. BTW, you have a photo labeled "pork cheek confit" that's actually your garlic sausage plate. And the later photo is definitely pork shoulder, not duck. Glad you liked the place though, it's definitely up near the top of my list of places one must go in Philly. Hmm, looks pretty good to me, maybe a little lighter for the summer, but you shoulda tried the french toast... I'm not sure how you could be underwhelmed by ginger salad! I only recently had the Burmese ribs you ordered, and I don't think they're among their better dishes. Bad luck... There's much better food to be had there. Did you get the hand-drawn noodles? It's not that they have a noodle machine, it's that they have a guy hand-stretching them. It's really interesting to see how much it changes from day to day. The one you got looks pretty good, but a little less interesting than the ones I've gotten. Luck of the draw, I guess... Anyway, thanks for your report, it's always good to get an outside perspective. Sorry everything didn't blow you away, but come on back, we've got some more stuff that might!

Keep in mind that Chris isn't going to be behind the bar at the Pere Marquette during Tales, he's doing Tales stuff. That said, I don't think you're going to have a hard time finding a good cocktail! In addition to those that Dave mentioned, don't forget Arnaud's French 75 bar in the quarter.

Good point, and good catch, Holly. Come to think of it, some of the RTM merchants will be closed on Monday too, particularly the Amish stands. There'll still be plenty to do and see and eat, but check ahead. ← Good thought about the Amish stands at RTM, but then, if their itinerary still includes Lancaster, they don't really need to get an Amish fix in Philly. But the general Monday-closed thing is worth keeping an eye on, it's by no means universal, there are plenty of places open on mondays, but it's always worth checking if it's something important. For instance, sampling a tasting menu at Matyson is a great idea for exemplifying the Philly BYOB thing, but there's a catch: although Matyson is open on mondays, they only offer the tasting menu tues-thurs. So, Chufi, as you get closer, you might want to post a tentative plan and perhaps we can save you some time by checking for any logistical problems like closed-on-monday, or suggest improvements to the flow, based on proximity, etc. There's really WAY too much to do in two days, so, after scanning through the threads, what looks especially good to you? We can probably narrow it down for you!

I think the Tales attendees really should pool funds and hire a van to make a constant loop between Cure and the Monteleone. It'll make everybody's life easier...

It's a little unclear how much of a connection to Death and Co there is. The initial press was just as you said, Mitch, that some folks from that bar were opening a spot in Philly, which was pretty exciting. I don't know how much it matters, but I get the sense that the connection is a little more tenuous - some consulting? a bartender or two working both spots? There is some connection, but I don't think it's owned or run by principals from Death and Co. Regardless, it has the dark, cozy speakeasy vibe of a place like D&C, and along with the no-sign obscurity, and doorman-controlled capacity, it's certainly in the tradition of many of the new cool cocktail bars in NY and around the country. It's quite nice-looking, the leather banquettes along one wall giving it a classic style. If there's any major disappointment, it's that the bar itself is pretty small - 5 seats? and a little cramped. I always prefer to sit at the bar and interact directly with my bartender at a place like this, but the odds are pretty bad... I've only had a few drinks, which have generally been pretty good, occasionally very good, but I need to make my way through more of the menu. I've had a hard time remembering the names of some of the original concoctions, and the menu has changed a bit since an early version was posted at foodie.info but I'll try to take some better notes in future visits! The Center City Swizzle is quite refreshing: a tall glass of nuggetized ice nodules cooling a concoction of rye, sherry, ginger, lemon, falernum and bitters. Oddly, it tastes like none of those things to me, but the combination is quite tasty, and the presentation makes it an almost perfect summer cocktail. I'm not sure about that particular style of ice - I don't think I've encountered those little iceballs before - I think I might prefer old-fashioned crushed ice. That ice showed up again in the Pimm's Cup, both their "Simo Cup" twist on it and a well-made more traditional version, and other than it tending to jump out of the glass upon even mild stirring, it certainly seems to have done its job, cooling the drink without excessively diluting it. The Pimm's drinks were good, we preferred the traditional... I tried "Tommy's Sazerac" which adds a little cognac to the rye, and it was fine, but I think I prefer just rye in that drink. I did have one of their original concoctions that I liked quite a lot, and I can't for the life of me remember its name - I recall gin, lemon, bitters and a splash of sparkling wine - maybe another element. Whatever that was, it was very nicely balanced, and very interesting. So it's a little early to pass final judgment on the cocktails, but they are interesting, and well-made. None of them have grabbed my attention as dramatically as drinks I've had at PDT or Pegu or Violet Hour or Cure, but it's entirely possible that I just haven't ordered the right ones yet. I look forward to more research. In any case, I'm happy to have yet another source for interesting drinks in Philly. I'll be curious to see how the scene evolves here: the Franklin is set to be a serious cocktail place, but in a neighborhood perilously overpopulated by wild partiers. I wish them luck!

Ha! we did the exact same thing!

I've always gone to Frontera when I'm staying in that neighborhood. As a solo diner, you have a decent chance of just dropping-by and getting a seat at a counter/bar (in the dining room) even at busy times, without the horrendous waits that are common for a table. At least it's worked for me a few times. On the more basic end of the spectrum, there's an Al's #1 Beef at 169 W. Ontario St. and a Lou Malnati's Pizza at 439 North Wells Street.