philadining

This is an excellent idea. One caution: it's a small bar, and so can get crowded. I'll let Katie fill you in on what the odds are for scoring a couple seats at the bar on a saturday night. I think it's worth the risk! There is a small menu of bar food, mostly cheese, charcuterie, etc, but you might be able to talk them into letting you order some appetizers too.

We had a terrific meal at Pif, with Jared at the stove all night, and as Capaneus posted above, it was at least as good as any other time I've been there. We were assured that chef Ansill is still overseeing everything, so I suspect we'll still detect his presence, even if we don't see it. (the light was romantically low - so, sorry, pix are a little grainy...) Chicken Liver Mousse This was delicious, assertive, yet airy and light, set off nicely by the cornichons and other accompaniments. (And just a helpful reminder to a diner who shall go unnamed, ummm, careful, the little one is mustard...) Skate with Salmon Roe This paled in the presence of the other two starters, but would probably have stood alone just fine. The texture of the skate was perfect, and the tangy sauce and salty roe created a pleasing flavor range. Escargot I think we all agreed that this was almost exactly the same as it ever was, which is to say, awesome, but there was a little something more... after poking and prodding him a bit, chef Frazer admitted that he might use more butter than had been the practice. We say this is an excellent trend. Oh - so a quick note - we forgot to ask about this, but we noticed that the bread was most definitely not from Artisan Boulanger. It wasn't terrible, in fact once it got all soaked with Pernot-scented escargot sauce we hardly cared about its provenance, but on its own, or spread with some liver, we noticed the texture change. We're hoping this was just a temporary blip, maybe we were there too late and they'd run out, or maybe the baker took a day off? Matt? Please don't say there's a permanent change in the bread... Duck Confit Beautifully-executed confit, not too salty like so many are, with a great melting texture. The cherry and port sauce was not too sweet either, just deep, dark and intense. The shredded potato rosti was good too. Hanger Steak Great flavor and texture on the beef, classic intense wine sauce, fingerling potatoes studded with hidden bits of bacon, what could be wrong with that? Nothing... Lamb Two Ways: Braised Shoulder, Pan-Roasted Chop Both ways were very tasty, but I especially liked the braised shoulder, which was just barely holding together, more a pile of tender shreds than a piece of meat. Sorry, I was a little distracted at the end of the night, and forgot to take photos of dessert, or of cheese. No major loss: the clafouti was quite tasty but wasn't really beautiful, and the bowl of berries was just right, but you know what strawberries look like. For cheese, we had an epoisses, a bleu which I liked and have forgotten already, and pinch-hitting for the Compte that night was a nice Boucheron. All in all an excellent meal, and it was good to meet Matt, who was quite friendly to us even before we introduced ourselves toward the end of the night. Service was quite good from all the servers, (despite what you might hear from self-important, tipsy, semi-celebs.) So, bottom line, there appears to be no reason to be worried about David Ansill being stretched too thin, the ship seems to be sailing along just fine under Captain Frazer.

I think we might need a group like "Rolled-Up Newspapers for Puppies" to help the protesters with their social skills. Any time any of them steps over the line, screaming something shrill or misleading, someone can smack a rolled-up newspaper in their hand (don't hit the puppies, one just wants to make a startling noise) and say "NO!" firmly but calmly. Praise them and give them treats for being good. Gotta be cheaper than lawyers.

It's totally understandable, probably even predictable, how this discussion has drifted to where it has, but before we get too far off track and force Katie to wield her terrifying powers, let's keep in mind that this is a Philly Food Media thread. You know, alerts, discussion, critique of local media...

I have to agree with that ranking, and I really like the Capogiro pistachio gelato.

Yep, and that menu's pretty straight-up SK, so we'll see how it translates to a larger crowd!

They still had pots to cook in, and plates to serve on? Thought they sold all that! I guess it was just the "antiques" that were in the public sale?

Thanks for the heads up, that was entertaining! Perhaps the funniest moment was when the "doctor" called in and informed everyone that the ducks involved in foie gras production are clearly diseased, as a fattened liver is a sign of disease in humans. Presumably waddling is also a sign of disease in humans? ← Have they come up with a cure for the webbed-toes that those poor unfortunate ducks are afflicted with? Oh, and back to food media - Matt's blog is pretty cool... love the bakery photos.

The Apamate dinner was somewhere in-between: it was certainly recognizable as Shola's cooking, but as you suggest, issues of scale/timing, a different kitchen, even different tableware, made the experience something different, not quite the meticulous polished-diamond effect of SK. I suspect the food at the M dinner will be closer to the StudioKitchen standard, SK-esque, perhaps. That said, nothing will be able to replicate the magic quotient of the communal table, the close interaction with the chef, the attention to detail that was possible with smaller numbers at SK. Still, I'll bet the M dinner will get pretty close to that ideal. We'll see!

Foie Gras debate happening right now (11-am-noon, June 6, 2007) on Radio TImes (91 FM - WHYY). Guests include Nick Nichols from the Inquirer, a rep from Hudson Valley Foie gras, and a "Hugs for Puppies" rep! Streaming audio of the archived show available at http://www.whyy.org/91FM/radiotimes.html

Bay area (east bay) south of San Francisco. from http://www.city-data.com/city/Fremont-Cali...California.html That looks like 37% Asian without counting "other race" or "two or more races" which puts it ahead of all cites except Honolulu, if they're all counting the same way.

I heard a rumor that there could be more of these in the future. I'm not sure there's anything concrete scheduled, but given that this one at M sold out quickly by word-of-mouth, as did the Apamate event, one would think that there's a good motivation for doing more... Fingers crossed!

I guess the Copper River salmon came in to Twenty21, Townsend is plating a portion on The 10 Show... He just said it'll be on the menu this week and probably next.

So, back to the origin of this thread, a bunch of eGulleteers in Philly went out for Korean Barbecue this past weekend. Armed with this new insight, we all tried making single-bite-sized packages by tearing our leaves in half, etc. I must say I failed miserably. I think everybody else did too. By the time I got a nice package with all the stuff in it that I wanted, even on a small-ish piece of lettuce, it was just too big to do in one bite. I mean, it was possible, in fact I did one or two like that, but it was much more enjoyable to take a few bites from my clumsy, poorly-formed "burrito." That said, we were watching the folks around us, and true enough the old Korean guys were amazing, handling pretty huge rolls in one smooth motion. We were in awe. Darn, I think we might have to go practice some more.

Fantastic report, thanks for de-lurking! And dude, if you're getting menus like that, any time you want photographic documentation, call me, I'm just around the corner!!

And not everybody there takes themselves SO seriously...

I have to stick-up for the pork belly - I rather liked it, and I didn't see any of it left-over or anything! But yes, you're right, the marinated stuff is better, I did like the Kalbi, which is suspect might have been even better if the grill had been up to temp when the waitress put it on. And I really enjoyed the Bulgogi too, I'd order that again. I wasn't detecting a huge amount of charcoal smoky flavor either, but it was there a bit, and I did feel like the general heat level was better than most of the propane grills I've used, so I really like the charcoal thing. Plus we get to experience the heart-stopping moment of terror when the waitress removes the bucket of hot coals with a flimsy metal rod! Agree that the dumplings were -eh.. I don't know what's up with that, I haven't had any Korean dumplings that thrilled me here in Philly, but I know they can be good, I've had awesome ones in NY at Mandoo Bar (2 W. 32nd St - sorry, can't find a website, but here's the menupages entry>>) The eel deserves some respect too, it had that great sweet-sticky-salty-fishy thing going. Overall I thought this was some of the better barbecue that I've had, I'd go back for sure. There was a little trouble communicating: nobody speaks much English, but it's not a big deal, they were nice to us, and with a little pointing and pantomiming we got what we needed!

bummer.

I was saddened to read that the chef has left Ansill - and apparently in a dramatic way: Inqlings>> Hope the restaurant can keep on track, and that Kibett Mengech finds a good new gig, he's an excellent chef.

When Gordon said that Pho Duang Dong made the best Bahn Mi in town a while back, I knew I had to get there and check it out... Despite a completely crazed schedule a few weeks back, we couldn't resist swinging by and grabbing a quick sandwich to go. As Gordon noted, it's in a slightly dicey neighborhood, and in fact, doesn't look too promising from outside. It's much cheerier inside: It was sheer torture to resist sampling the long list of soups, but we were in a hurry, so just grabbed two Bahn Mi to go. There's only one kind, with slices of Roast Pork, Patê, and some other mysterious porky product, dressed appropriately with pickled vegetables, jalapenos, and cilantro, on a crusty french roll. I was a bit put-off by the appearance of the roll, I'm used to something more baguette-looking, but it was actually a pretty good bread for this sandwich, with a good light texture and satisfying crust. Did the job just fine. The cilantro had some kind-of chewy, woody stems, but added a great flavor anyway. The herby, slightly spicy, slightly sweet condiments played off the meats really well. Good sandwich. $3. Hard to beat. I'm going back for soup next time I'm in the area.

They list both under "Taiwan Dishes" on their menu. I don't know if that is a mistake, or if they make a Taiwanese version of these dishes. I'm not sure where the meatball-creating mom grew up...

Han Dynasty Exton Plaza 260 North Pottstown Pike (in the plaza with the McDonalds) 610-524-4002 Mon-thurs 11am-10pm Fri & Sat 11am-10:30 pm Sun 11:30am-9:30 pm Thanks to Saxchick's tip, we headed over to this new place in Exton last night. Service was super-friendly, very helpful, they were more than happy to give us advice, recommending the more traditional dishes, rather than looking at us incredulously, or warning us off of them. The guy we were talking to, I had the sense he was one of the owners, said their chef used to be at Tifco's. I'm not sure exactly who's who, in relation to who's at Chung King Garden, but this chef did look familiar from the old days at Tifco... The main, fancy, bound menu has the usual suburban chinese stuff. It might be fine, but not all that interesting. The "authentic" dishes are found on the back of the take-out menu, and there's a good selection. Lots of the Sichuan Faves that look familiar from the old days at Tifco, and also some Taiwanese, and authentic Cantonese. We had to check one of the old standards, the Double Cooked Pork: This was fairly thin-sliced pork belly, fairly fatty and more gently cooked than some, but it had great flavor with the fresh chiles, hot oil and scallions. The thicker meat at Szechuan Tasty House downtown gives that version an edge in my book, but this was pretty darn tasty. From the Taiwan section: Sausage Fried Rice This was pretty standard fried rice, but the addition of the sweet sausage made it really delicious. It's going to be hard to resist getting this as a side dish every time... And the star of the evening, also from the Taiwan section: Chinese Meatballs. These were great, impossibly light, airy, yet substantial meatballs. I don't think I've ever had a meatball this tender that still held together, I didn't even think it was possible! The guy we were talking to said his mom made them, from a secret recipe, and I believe him... Lots more to try, we got a menu marked up with his recommendations, but I suspect you could get someone to give you advice. He said it was crazy busy on saturday evenings, so you might not get quite as much personal attention then, but any other time, they're happy to explain things and give advice. It's still early, but this place looks promising. Thanks again Lauren!!

Brick 1085 Sutter Street (at Larkin) San Francisco (415) 441-4232 www.brickrestaurant.com A fellow eGullteer had recommended this place as a late-night destination, but I stumbled on it, hungry, early on a sunday evening. I'm glad to have gotten the recommendation, it's attractive enough from the outside, but looks a bit more like a nice bar than an obvious dining destination. I might have walked on by, and missed a terrific meal. The food hangs in that gray zone between casual well-executed bar food with subtle experimental twists, and more sophisticated, haute offerings. I had a very hard time narrowing-down the options, almost everything on the menu sounded very attractive, from herbed french fries to sweet pea ravioli. Confit Buffalo Wings, Root Slaw, Gorgonzola Foam This was a very clever elevation of the traditional wing. The flavors are spot-on, precisely replicating the tastes in a prototypical basket of Buffalo wings. But frenching the drummettes and confiting them to a tenderness that left the meat just barely hanging on the bone took it to another level, as did the airy gorgonzola spread. I'm not sure I would call it a "foam" but the light whipped cheese was a welcome companion to the peppery wings, and completed the traditional picture. My waiter told me that the chef is from New York state, so he may have some experience with "real" Buffalo wings... Tatsoi Panzanella, Guanciale, Apples, Pepitas, Peccorino This was a fantastic salad, exhibiting a great balance of peppery greens, sweet fruit, salty cured pork and crunchy bread. Certainly not a traditional panzanella, but better than most of those I've had! Organic Slow Roasted Quail, Smoked Fingerlings, Olive, Artichoke, Mango Purée I'm not sure that the right side of the plate had a lot in common with the left side, the earthy, salty, roasted vibe on the right was a definite flip-side of the bright, fruity, tangy left. But each was good with the quail, which was perfectly cooked to a juicy medium rare. I didn't detect much smoke in the potatoes but enjoyed them nonetheless. The olives were crucial. Strawberries, Cardamom Shortcake, Vanilla Frozen Yogurt I would have liked a little more spice in the cake, but even in its subtle state this was a delicious, light, summery dessert. It was a very tough choice between all the various desserts, they were all unusual and intriguing. I had a very nice glass of Syrah with the quail, and had a hard time resisting the selection of dessert wines by the glass. They had some interesting house cocktails as well, so this would be a great spot to just sit at the bar and snack, or do the full dinner thing. They're open 5pm-10:30pm sun-thr, until midnight friday and saturday. The bar's open until 2, but I assume food stops at those earlier times.

yowza! That's a fine-looking steak. Please report back.