philadining

Wow, almost three years since the last post in this topic... for some reason I keep thinking of this place as "that new Thai restaurant on Spring Garden..." In any case, I think I'm pretty much with mrbig here: Siam Lotus may or may not be objectively excellent Thai food, but from a recent visit I think I'll put it at the top of what's available in Philly. I haven't been to Thailand, but I've eaten Thai food in NY, San Francisco, LA, Tokyo, and elsewhere, so I've had a relatively broad sampling of how it manifests itself over here at least. Not surprisingly, the Tokyo restaurant was very different from any of the US places I've been to. I'll avoid any discussions of authenticity or regional style, I'm just not qualified, and as with most cuisines, I'm less concerned with how authentic it is than I am with how delicious it is. Even though we ordered some fairly down-the-middle stuff, the flavors at Siam Lotus were notably different from that typical too-sweet profile jas referenced above. There was a more vivid, edgy, complex spice to the curries, and we found it quite to our liking. Kuia Jub Chicken consummé with rolled rice noodle, ground pork, napa cabbage, carrot and scallion. This was a simple, basic, warming chicken soup, exactly what I was looking for right then. The broth was very good, the curly noodles had an interesting texture, and there was plenty of ground pork and still-crunchy cabbage. I liked it. Poe Tak Spicy Seafood Soup with Blue Crab, Mussels, Shrimp and Squid This was out of control good... I only had a small taste, in the interest of avoiding a shrimp allergy reaction, but the broth was a very intense, spicy, Tom-Yum-like affair. And I have no idea how they fit all of that seafood in that bowl, it's some sort of 85 clowns in a VW trick I'll never understand. There were good mussels, tender squid, a few shrimp, and somehow contorted underneath, half of a crab. My dining partner really enjoyed this. The only caution I would give is that we waited a pretty long time for the soups, and I have to assume it was due to this one getting assembled. Everything was tender and fresh, so it's clearly not pre-prepared in a big pot ready to be scooped-out, so be patient... Penang The beef in this was not especially tender, and the only other element was bell pepper, but I'd still get this again just because the flavor of the Penang curry was so excellent. I was literally drinking spoonfuls of the sauce after I'd finished the (ample) meat and vegetables. It had a good solid spice to it, but wasn't incendiary. Masaman I still yearn for a long-cooked masaman curry, but in the meantime, this will do. The chicken in this was nice and tender, joined by the traditional potatoes and peanuts, but the real star was the flavor of the sauce. Masaman is one of my fave curries, and this was a good one. Overall, I like this place a lot. It may or may not be authentic as they bill themselves, but it is distinctive, and at least to my palate, very tasty. They have a broader menu than most places in town, offering several dishes I never see anywhere else. For better or worse, they're generally NOT the kind of place that just lists a sauce and lets you choose what to put in it: the penang curry has beef, the masaman has chicken, etc. I saw a few whole fish go by the table, and they looked good. There's lots more on the menu I want to try, we played it a little safe this time just to get a baseline comparison. I haven't yet tried going to Erawan Thai and goading them into making the full-on authentic stuff, and until I attempt that, Siam Lotus has slid into my top spot for Thai in Philly. If I had any complaints about the place, it might be that it seemed a little slow, but that was probably due to the complexity of that one soup. But maybe they could have warned us... Also the menus we got were done in a cutesy newspaper-style on newsprint, which sadly had gotten rather stained and grungy-looking. I saw some cleaner-looking laminated menus, and I think they ought to stick to those... It wasn't super-cheap, entrees are in the low-to-mid-teens. Our total was a little under $50 before tip for two (large) soups, two curries, two beers. But it seemed like a good value to me. (That Poe Tak soup is a steal at $7) www.siamlotuscuisine.com

Wow, assless chaps and Zsa Zsa Gabor in one restaurant review... I'm in awe!

There are thankfully very few places in Philly that one needs to consistently wait in lines for, except for brunch on Sunday, in which case, I'll happily join the cue at the Morning Glory or Carman's. There are several no-reservations places I frequent, but it ends up being more of a milling-around hoping to pounce on a table thing, rather than a long line out the door. I do end up willingly in those lines in NYC though: Momofuku in Manhattan Una Pizza Napolitana in Manhttan DiFara in Brooklyn

Rouge serves some of the worst food in Piladelphia. Not just bad but insulting. I will actually pay you not to eat there. ← sweet, how much? ← I've actually not been eating there for some time, I had no idea one could get paid for such a non-activity! Can I get in on this deal retroactively?

Just a word to the wise: that lot on the back-side of Reading Terminal, the one you enter from 11th street, can be a nightmare. I parked in there not too long ago just because that's where I was, and traffic was clogged and I figured I could just dash quickly in and out. I did indeed get in and out of the the Terminal in under 15 minutes, but that's when the fun started. It literally took 20 minutes to get from my parking space to the payment booth, which - surprise surprise - bumped me into the next-level of fee. They appeared to only have one of the two booths open at each exit, causing massive back-ups. Or maybe the back-ups were caused by everyone arguing, like I was. First, the person in the booth insisted I owed $18 (for parking for 15 minutes and waiting in line for 20...) When i refused to pay that, a manager was called over, who granted that according to the chart clearly posted, I owed only half that, but had no sympathy for my complaint that I'd been waiting in line to get out longer than I had parked. "Hey, it's part of the deal..." he says, explaining that it was a busy day, with an event at the convention center. He had no answer when I asked why he had only half of the payment booths open. I got tired of arguing and paid the 9 bucks for 15 minutes of parking and, by then, about a half hour of aggravation. So, assuming you can find space, I highly recommend the lot on the 12th street side, not to mention that you can get discounted parking there if you get your ticket stamped after making a sufficient purchase or purchases. I'd hand my keys over to a random person on the sidewalk and ask them to take the car around the block a few times, rather than go into that 11th street lot again...

You can definitely make up a box of your favorites, and they're very nice about giving advice, but I've never seen them give out free samples. If they did, I'm afraid I'd be down there every day as they open, and would be found a short time later splayed on the sidewalk in a cocoa coma. And we really can't have that...

Wow, those dumpling wrappers are good for everything aren't they?! Dumplings, ravioli, brik, repairing flat tires, emergency bandages... Good to know, thanks Bruce!

conversely, I love the ECM concept. I need some of this magical compound. Out here in the burbs I could use some powdered golden coins and three-pepper-chicken (ESTHM). Would save me some fuel...

Sorry to hear that Matt, but I would give them another whirl, I've had pretty good luck there. The fish tacos we had were super-juicy and very flavorful. Indeed the presentation is pretty spare, but that should be fine if the fish is good. And I'm surprised about the empanadas, I didn't end up using much of that sauce because the filling was vibrant and tangy. It's true enough that you could probably deep-fry cocktail coasters and I'd enjoy them, but the empanada filling that I got didn't need much help from the accompaniments. I still think I prefer the original ones by a little, but hey, things change...

i've been there as early (or late, depending on how you look at it) as 1 on a saturday and they were basically closing up. ← And I've been there closer to noon and all the best stuff was gone...

Of course it's allowed, it's encouraged, but so are dissenting comments. Obviously Vadouvan has strong opinions about a lot of things, as do many of us, and I personally like to hear all of them. A little disagreement never hurts as we discuss these various subjects, many of which come down to personal preferences. As long as we're not calling each other names, I say keep the opinions coming, on all sides! (I've heard a few comments recently that other regional boards on eG are envious of the activity and level of discourse we have here on the PA forum.) That said, let's keep Katie's life simple and remain civil... I can't speak for Vadouvan, or Ifabio, or any of the other contributors, but I'm sure their comments aren't meant to quash the debate, they're just their perspectives. If any of us have a different one, we should post it!

While we're being both off-topic and nudgey, the name of the South Philly bakery is "Artisan Boulanger Patissier." It's at 1648 south 12th, just off Passayunk, which is not an especially seedy neighborhood.

Sabores de Espana Guest Chef: Shola Olunloyo Chickpea Soup Chorizo "Bolognese" Paprika Oil Shrimp Roasted with Paella Spices Salsa Verde Slow-Cooked Egg Lobster-Piquillo Broth (those of us that can't eat shrimp didn't do so badly either...) Braised Chicken "Escabeche" Lentils, Morcilla Almond Milk Queso Fresco de Cabra Fresh Cheese Sorbet Arbequina Olive Oil Olive Sugar I agree with David's post: delicious dinner, soup and dessert were my faves, but it was all good (I especially liked stumbling on little chunks of morcilla amongst the lentils...) It was not exactly StudioKitchen, but pretty close, especially considering the different scale, and challenges of working in an unfamiliar kitchen. And I also agree that this certainly has encouraged me to check out Apamate in its natural state! especially since a few of us (OK, ALL of us) at our table couldn't resist trying their well-known hot chocolate. Not being able to decide between the options, we all went for a sampler of Spanish style, American Style and Mexican style... The Spanish style was the winner amongst our panel, I'll be back for some of that, with churros... All in all a very enjoyable evening. Thanks to the Apamate folks for doing it, and to Shola for yet another great meal.

The green vegetable on the rice platters at the mothership has been gai lan as long as I can remember. And yeah, they just assemble it and nuke it over there too, but I don't care, I love it...

Oh, and it for what it's worth, it's a lovely space (with chairs comfortable enough to be noteworthy) and a luxurious amount of space between tables. There are a couple of curved banquette/booth seats that looked pretty cozy, but we didn't actually try one out. There's also an attractive private room that can be reserved for 8-12 people. Cocktails seemed interesting, but I didn't sample any. A nearby Lavender Cosmo seemed to get a thumbs-up. I was tempted by that James-hattan cinghiale mentioned...

I think that this has been a very interesting thread: we got to witness at least a few folks unhappy with what seems to have been a slightly bumpy opening, with various misunderstandings and apparent uneven food and service. So a few of us who had been intending to go decided to just back off for a little while and let things settle down. Glad we did, I have to say that we had a terrific meal at James. I'd read complaints on other discussion boards about portions being small. We saw no evidence of that, serving sizes seemed perfectly appropriate for their courses, even generous. Other reports, even when being positive, complained about the prices, but they seemed about right to us for the ingredients and preparation. Tasting menu options are clearly spelled-out, with prices, at the bottom of the menu. We were not steered toward a tasting menu or anything in particular. Service was, in fact, quite good, being especially patient with our slight confusion about our exact party size. Most importantly, the food was excellently prepared, well-seasoned, served hot, and delicious. They started us with a very tasty amuse of duck liver mousse We got an appetizer portion of the somewhat notorious papardelle with duck ragu and grated chocolate: I thought this was terrific, both the texture of the pasta and the flavors of the duck really hit the spot for me. My dining partner found it a little bitter, while I tasted none of that, so wonder if there was an uneven distribution of the grated chocolate? I'd be happy to get it again to investigate, I liked it that much. Although it's so hearty I wonder if it might disappear soon as the seasons change. Squab This was really nicely cooked to a medium rare, and had an intense gamey flavor, complimented nicely by the "melted" scallion and "confit" of potatoes. Halibut I can't say that I've had a piece of fish with a poached egg yolk on top that slowly oozed when pierced, but I hope to have it more in the future! This was a beautifully moist fish, seated on chanterelles and tender fava beans in a subtle broth-like sauce. Lovely. Slow-roasted chicken Most of the entrées look a little conservative on the menu, including the two we ordered, but the elegance of the execution makes up for the conventional structure. This was a simple roasted chicken, with sunchokes, roasted shallots and a truffle jus. Chicken is almost always disappointing in such contexts, i have no idea why we ordered it, but it was delicious. It was a juicy, flavorful bird, and the jus was freaking great, sparked with truffles indeed. The sunchokes and shallots were nicely harmonious with the rest of the dish. Brown Ale Mousse, Chestnut(?) cake, poached pears. We agreed the we would have liked a little more pear with this, but it was quite good anyway. The airy mousse was seated on an earthy disc of cake, and capped by a crackly brulée-like crust. The fruit cut the richness nicely. They offer 5 cheeses, $4 for each of them. We could only narrow it down to 3... Rochetta, Hoch Ybrig, Blu del Moncenisio The creamy Rochetta was in a tuille cornet, with nuts, the Hoch had some quince, the blu was drizzled with a little honey. And just look at all that bread! Ansill -can you see this??!? OK, it might be a little over the top but better too much than too little... as a parting gift, a blood orange pâté de fruit, and a salted caramel. All in all, this was an excellent meal, and displayed none of the early problems mentioned here or elsewhere. I suppose it might be egotistical to pat ourselves on the back collectively for offering constructive criticism, but whatever motivated it, or whether it's merely due to the place hitting its stride, the front and back of house seem to have made significant improvements. I was pleasantly surprised: It was a solidly enjoyable meal, and I'm eager to go back. About $120 for two before tip, including two glasses of wine. Not cheap, but totally fair for the quality and amount of food we got.

I somehow haven't made it to Delorenzo's yet, it's a crime, really... But I'm with David about Grimaldi's being pretty mediocre, although I'm told it varies quite a lot by the time of day, therefore the temp of the oven. (And I'll agree about the ice cream too...) But I LOVED Una Pizza Napolitana, so if Il Pizzaiolo is supposedly significantly better than that, it might be time for a 10-hour round trip drive. Although, to be fair PN, I'll have to admit that I share Daniel and JeffL's concerns. There's nothing at all wrong with you letting people know about pizza you think is great, but you really should say that you have a relationship with the place, even if you have no direct financial interest.

As Capaneus says, the round tables could probably fit 6, although the chairs are just big enough that it could get a little unergonomic... but there are square tables at the back, under the photo of the scooters, where you could fit three on the banquette and then three opposite. And I think the timing advice is good too, they don't take reservations, but if you get there early, you should be able to grab a table. It's a little tougher to fit 6 together after they get busy, it's a tiny place. As for the menu, there are still small plates as before, but there are also some "larger plates" that are more substantial. So you certainly can mix-and-match small plates as before, or order small plates as if they were appetizers and large plates as if they were mains, or whatever you like... I think you should give it a whirl, and please, tell us how it was!

Mentioned this on another thread, but just had to post it here too, it's just so lovely: Pork Belly, cold sous-vide melon, rhubarb, cucumber, kumquat. Awesome. I think they usually plate it up with the pork in thinner, easier-to-eat slices, but this presentation was pretty dramatic, and not so hard to carve-up.

Tim, that's a wild story about the fracas in the back of the restaurant! I've often seen a somewhat animated crowd of folks at that back table, but they always seemed fairly happy... Sorry to hear the Golden Coins didn't go over all that well, so far they've been a hit with most folks... and you're right, that braised beef dish does get near the edge of tolerable heat for many of us, but personally 'll keep walking that line from time to time!

Thanks, but you're not so bad with the camera your own self... As for the apples, I'm not 100% sure, but I think they might be cooked (lightly) sous-vide in a miso caramel, then just rolled in the crushed wasabi peas. But other eG folks might know better than I do... In any case, I really like the taste/texture combo, I'm sure you could experiment with various preps. And thanks to all for the various notes of respect... you know we DID spread it out over several hours! And Matt, eat some octopus immediately, it's awesome at Ansill.

So, my brother was back in town for the first time in a year, and we had some catching-up to do... We didn't have anywhere near the time we had last year, in fact we were down to one evening, not even an all-day binge like last time. So we had a real dilemma: where to go with just ONE evening in Philly?!? There have been some very interesting developments in the last year or so. Amongst my favorite places to go recently, should we hit Osteria? Ansill? Snackbar? some of the little ethnic places? The answer, of course, is: yes. Osteria: Pulpo Pizza Salumi (Prosciutto, Lardo, Mortadella, Porchetta) Ansill Duck Prosciutto Boquerones Octopus Osso Buco sandwich Taquitos de Puebla Tacos al Pastor Snackbar Pork Belly with Melon, Rhubarb, Cucumber and Kumquat Miso Glazed Apples with Wasabi Peas Octopus with lemon-apple purée Brussels and Truffles, Marcona Almonds (sorry the light was a little funky at the bar for those last two shots...) it had gotten pretty late by this time, and as you might guess, we'd had about 3 times as much food as we should have, but something about a late-night snack called us back.... Banana Leaf Roti Canai Satay Not too bad for having one dinner slot available... Everything we had was just great, favorites for a reason. Hard to narrow down highlights, although the pizza was just about perfect, that osso buco sandwich just seems better and better every time I have it, the pork at snackbar was just crazy good... We'd actually intended to go a little lighter at snackbar, but Johnny Mac was so kind (or cruel at that stage of the game) to send out that amazing pork belly for us to try (thanks chef!) The cold sous-vide vegetables and fruits were intriguing, and offered a sharp, vibrant counterpoint to the insanely rich meat. So I'd actually advise spreading it out over a few days, but if you're looking for some Philly highlights, you could do worse than to follow in our footsteps! And there were so many more places to try, if we'd only had time! Good thing we didn't eat much on wednesday....

As in, one can get reservations starting at 5, or it's a big synchronized thing that starts at 5? Maybe it's just like a regular night at the restaurant, and one can book a table whenever, just with a guest chef and a special menu.

I think this is an excellent move. (Brunch too...)

OK, it's not quite StudioKitchen, but for those of you pining for Shola's cooking, or if you hadn't experienced it while he was doing SK, there's an opportunity to sample his cooking at at restaurant in Philly. He's doing one dinner as a guest chef at Apamate. Details here.