philadining

So, what? Orion and I are the only ones who know the secret password? Still, getting a bowl of noodles at Nan Zhou is not a bad fall-back position...

hmmm, just last week I had an absolutely banging hanger steak, properly medium rare, with great fries. So they can put stuff out at temperature. A couple friends had the chicken pot pie and loved it, even the greens... I guess any place can stumble at any given moment, but I've been surprised how consistently great it's been for me.

We hit the sit-down restaurant El Cuñado, just south of Kennett Square, a stone's throw away from the supermarket of the same name. We're fans of the fantastic taco stand they set-up outside the market in warm weather. We were hoping for some more of those amazing tacos, and maybe something else... Carnitas, Al Pastor, Cecina Tacos Dorados, with Al Pastor filling. We were pretty disappointed in the tacos. We had high hopes: the ones from the outdoor stand over the summer were unbelievably fresh, flavorful, spicy and juicy, so we were expecting something similar. Not only were these not nearly as good as those we'd had in the summer, they just weren't that great overall, with somewhat dry, under-seasoned fillings. Just when we were starting to be seriously bummed-out, the Caldo de Res showed up. This was a huge bowl of the beefiest broth we've ever encountered, with big chunks of tender, somewhat fatty, meat floating in it. We hit it with some lime, and dumped-in the finely diced onion and cilantro they provided, which woke it up even more. This was a truly awe-inspiring soup, I am most definitely heading back there on a cold winter day just for this. Most of the locals were getting tortas, and there was a lunch buffet that was looking a little tired by the time we got there, but that might be interesting a little earlier in the day. So it bears further exploration. FYI: order at the cashier then grab a seat. There don't seem to be prices listed anywhere, but 3 tacos, 2 tacos dorados, the soup, and two Jaritos sodas added up to about $20. Because of its proximity and bearing the same name, we assume it's related to the market up on the corner. Sadly the tacos didn't bear much resemblance to those from the stand, but we'll have to try more and see what's' good...

Made it into La Crêperie Café Bis, and really enjoyed it. Started with a glass of french cider. Then a "Complête" crêpe, with ham, swiss cheese, and a fried egg on top. and what's known worldwide as "the Percy shot" The crêpe itself wasn't quite as crisp as I like them ideally, but still very good, with some parts a little crunchy, others soft and pliable. And most importantly, it was delicious. The space is quite lovely, and actually larger than the one downtown. Although I'm not a huge fan of the intentionally funky tables and chairs, they're comfortable enough. Service was prompt and friendly. This is a really great addition to the Phoenixville scene, something relatively light and quick and not all that expensive (although not outright cheap, my crêpe was about $12.) They're open 7 days, so this will be a great spot for weekend brunches.

I'll certainly try another, and despite the low smoke level, it was a tasty sandwich. And I like the sound of their home-smoked turkey sandwich too. Updates to come!

Sesame Pancake with Roast Pork I should have put something in the shot for scale... it's actually bigger than I expected, about the size of a McDonald's hamburger. Nice sesame flavor, good crunch, the pork was tasty, and the veggies gave it a kind-of bahn mi effect. Excellent snack for $2.50. Chive/Pork Fried Dumplings These were actually much better than they look, well-crisped on one side, still tender on the other, pot-sticker-style. The filling was juicy and flavorful. They didn't serve any dipping sauce with them, but there was soy sauce and sriracha on the table. We didn't ask, maybe they have something else too. Ridiculously good at $2.50 for 8 of them. The only problem is that this place REALLY ought to be open later, I get totally in the mood for this kind of thing at about 1am. Sadly, they appear to close about 9:00 pm right now. Still, they're available for a great quick lunch, or random snack.

Hit the Station Bistro a coupe days ago for lunch, I think the day after Rich... I too got a barbecue pork sandwich. It was good, but I think a bit different from the one Rich got: standard Kaiser roll, somehow not much smoke flavor to the meat, and not a hint of spice to the sauce. (Yes, they asked if I wanted the honey barbecue, and I said no.) Garlic mashed potatoes were very nice. I liked it, I'll get it again, but it didn't knock me completely out. Service was very friendly, the space is very pleasant, and they were doing a bustling business. I look forward to trying more.

Yes they do. At least I see them quite regularly in the Downingtown store, and I'm told that The Whip Tavern orders them from there, so there's a steady demand. After I first saw them, I emailed Wegmans and asked if they regularly stock them, and they replied that if there's ever anything I wanted, I should ask the bakery manager. So it's worth a shot: if you don't see them in the Wegmans near you, ask the bakery manager if they could whip up a batch for you. They have the recipe... BTW, they're pretty good.

I'm actually embarrassed to say that I've never been to one, but I know Capriotti's has its fans. I always remember them at this time of year because they make a sandwich called "the Bobbie" that's basically a thanksgiving dinner on a hoagie roll. Genius.

I'm sure Mummer's about to post Primo's Hoagies...

Are you interested in chains (multiple outlets) only, or single-store independent shops too?

Excellent! Thanks for the tip, Orion. I'm not sure how the eG crew missed that, we've been patrolling that stretch of Race lately! Maybe we've been distracted by the sudden arrival of the customize your bowl of noodle places...

The City Paper gets a sneak peek at the menu for the soon-to-open "American Food" restaurant The Ugly American (1100 south Front St). Ugly American Menu Some potentially good stuff there, including (be still, my heart) Garbage Plates. Mustard Pan Sauce? We'll see... And I thought only professional wrestlers called Rochester NY "Roc City" but maybe I'm out of touch. Even more exciting: Beef on Wick (a commonly seen variant of "weck.") You'd get beaten-up in Buffalo for putting something as frou-frou as caramelized onions on that sandwich, but it's probably good. I think they really ought to cover more weird US regional foods, how about a Hot Brown? A good muffaletta? Puffy Tacos? Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches? But hey, it's a start.

A friend of mine made it to the Creperie in Phoenixville and liked it a lot. Peering in the windows, I noticed that they have the same uncomfortable rattan furniture as the downtown location, but I'll put up with that for a good crepe!

$11

We hit Salento recently too, and had a similarly mixed experience as Dr Shack, in that not everything was perfect, yet we were charmed, and are planning on returning. Service was ultra-gracious. It's one of the reasons we're thinking of going back: they seemed so concerned with us having a good time, and getting exactly what we wanted. We had the artichokes, which we liked very much. The octupus salad was primarily potatoes, and what little octopus there was had been a touch over-cooked, but the flavors were nice. We had several pastas, the orecchiette with duck was, as shacke said, a little less exciting than we'd hoped, but not at all bad. Penne All' Arrabiata was simple, but well-executed, with a pleasing spicy kick. Linguini Aglione had a hearty roasted tomato sauce, topped with ricotta salata, and was pretty basic, but nice. We had that potato ravioli with goat, which was good, but I doubt we'd get it again. A special ravioli was stuffed with very bitter broccoli rabe and cheese, accompanied by unexceptional sausage. Not a fave. The mixed grill, and the lamb speidini were both decent, if done a little more than we might have chosen. But we totally loved the veal milanese. It's hard to even say why, it's nothing all that different from any other rendition of this, except that it was just perfect. No evidence of the careless breading that Laban complained about in his review, just a light, crisp crust, complimented by an argula salad and a little lemon. A couple of us mentioned that we might go back and just get artichokes and a milanese, and be perfectly satisfied. The sides were all quite delicious, the above-mentioned cherry tomato salad met with high marks from our table too, as did the roasted potatoes and the marscapone potato cake. Ultimately, we liked the place because it offers something different, and a few of the dishes were quite delicious. And they were very nice to us. We like that.

As someone who blogs, and has written criticism for print, I just have to say, for me, there is a substantive difference between blogging and "appointed" writing for an established publication. I know I'm conflating the appointment thing with the question of medium, but many of the same effects arise from doing things for someone else, for pay, and doing things for a less-interactive, more static medium, be it print, radio, TV... not the web. I try not to be too flip, cheerleader-ish, or cranky on my blog, but being challenged by a good editor to justify, clarify or elaborate aspects of a review makes my writing better, and more responsible. Being "appointed" by this editor meant that there is a much greater accountability: if I write something truly reckless, reputations up and down the line will suffer, and I have no doubt the employment status of several people, including myself, would be imperiled. That's a different environment than posting to one's own blog, where nobody else's job is on the line, and a writer can easily revise or retract a statement if he thinks better of it. I try to not be irresponsible in blog writing, but there is a different set of expectations. It feels to me as if there's more at stake making a statement in other media than on the web, even if the web posting can spread faster and more widely. Those web postings can be updated, discussed, or deleted, in fact it almost feels like one or more of those things inevitably will happen. But for an opinion fixed in ink, or in a soundfile, or on video, it feels to me like there is more pressure to make sure it is exactly right, that it could stand without tweaks. I think there's an understanding that internet postings are often quick, stream-of-consciousness, first-impression blurts. There's, for me, a quantum energy change in producing for the other media, one that necessitates more private revision and refinement. There are benefits to each approach: the unfiltered, unmitigated, highly personal expression possible on a blog or personal website can offer something completely different from the buffed, vetted, mitigated prose that results from several people having hands in it. I'm not sure one is better than the other, but they seem different to me. Of course one can do as much neurotic tweaking to a blog post as to any print submission, but those tend to stick out a bit, not scanning as bloggy. An "appointed" critic can say that at least one person thinks that his opinions are valid. That's not much, but it's one more person than in the case of blogging. I would hope that in most cases the appointments are based on some merit, but I'll accept the gloomy opinions here that they often are not. I understand it's not the case universally, but in my situation, being "appointed" came with a budget that allowed me to be more thorough, and expectations that I'd be more deeply analytical than I would have been were I reviewing something for my blog. That made my output different at least, probably better. As I said, I'm not sure one approach is inherently better than the other, but I would suggest that being self-appointed is not the same thing as being appointed by another. As least that's been my experience. Your mileage may vary.

Hey, happy birthday to snackbar! It's funny, last night it came up in conversation, and we were trying to remember when the place opened, and I think we finally decided on "about a year ago." I didn't realize how close we were! The food was really delicious, by the way. I especially loved the soup and the oxtail gyoza, and the desserts just knocked me out. But it was all very good, the scallop dish was really nice... I think my least-favorite was the skate, but others I talked to liked it very much, so I think that was just a preference thing. The simultaneous flavor and textural interplay of many of these dishes was especially pleasing. It's not too uncommon to find one or the other, but both at once is a treat. I was reminded that the regular menu looks pretty great too, so I'll have to stop back on a regular night soon, it's been too long! Thanks again to the snackbar folks for hosting this, to Shola, Johnny and Bobby for coming up with the food, and of course to David Katz and the folks on the line for banging it out so skillfully!

snackbar . November 5, 2007 Guest Chef Shola Olunloyo, with John Macdonald, Bobby Truitt Carrot Ginger Soup . Coconut Froth. Peanut Praline Scallop . "Choucroute" of Fennel and Apple . Yuzu-Miso Glaze Skate Wing Torchon . Nicoise Flavors Kobe Beef Culotte . Oxtail Gyoza . Parsnips and Chanterelles Chalancay Epoisses . Fennel Mostarda . Pumpernickel . Shitake Soil Apple in Forms . Black Sesame Streusel . White Chocolate Caju-Lime Marshmallow. Fried Chocolate

Moroleon is still open, and if you keep heading south, past there, you'll come to El Cuñado. I'm not sure if they have the taco tent out front all the time, but if so, DEFINITELY stop for a couple. Then go into the store, it's amazing. There's a cool panaderia right on the main part of Kennett Square, almost across from Talula's Table. Which of course, suggests Talula's. There are a lot of little Mexican places around there that I've been curious about. I think you should stop at some, and tell us how they are!

The Pink Truck outside of the 30th Street Post Office. Or the white truck.

The crêperie set to open on the corner of Bridge and Gay has a good pedigree: it's apparently associated with the Crêperie Cafe on the 1700 block of Sansom, which rocks. So that has the potential to be at least a good place. And not Irish.

Extra points for local color in the smack-down!!

I didn't see any cockles on the current menu, but there are snails on a pizza...