philadining

Saigon Maxim, March 2007

Bill, there's only a small array of beers by the bottle, I want to say only 5 or 6, no taps. Yard's Saizon seemed popular with the beer-drinkers at the bar last night. I didn't even look at the wine list, I honestly was intending to just have a cocktail and go! That said, Katie suggested a really lovely Red Burgundy, and a glass of that accompanied the food really nicely. I think one of us will just have to go back and investigate the wine selections! Pedro, is "marmelo" the same thing as "membrillo" in Spanish? And yes, I'll have to admit: sometimes, it's good to be me...

I really was planning on just having a quick drink at M, but as I sat down at the bar, Chef David Katz recognized me and said hello, and next thing you know, food starts arriving mysteriously... Sometimes it's really great to be in the right place at the right time! First, ask Katie to make you a "Pomeranian." uhh, I don't know what's in it, but it's really tasty! The bar menu has a nice selection of cheeses, and this night that list included Roaring 40s Blue, served with quince paste. I think I have a new favorite blue cheese. Crispy Braised Kurobuta Pork Belly, Gingered Rutabaga, Grain Mustard Sauce. Wow, I mean, wow... Katz's preparation leaves it luxuriously rich and tender, not really perceptibly fatty, just silky and soft and intensely flavorful. The mustard sauce and root vegetable puree made great platforms for the pork. Seared Scallops, Citrus-Fennel Salad I really wish I could cook scallops like this. They were just perfect, with a barely-firmed interior between the pleasing crusty seared surfaces. The fennel salad provided a tart and crunchy counterpoint to the sweet shellfish. Simple, but not so simple to get it so right. Squab Two Ways:Sauteed Breast, Leg Confit, Pancetta, New Potatoes Medjool Dates, Balsamic Brown Butter. I was really enjoying the juicy breast, cooked to an ideal medium-rare, intensified by the syrupy sauce, but I almost fell off my barstool when I tried the confit of that tiny leg. That meat had super-concentrated flavor and falling-apart tenderness. The dates, bacon and potato provided excellent support. I've been surprised to be eating more squab than I would have expected here in Philly, and they've all been good, but this is one of the best I've had. Those three appetizers from the current menu made for a pretty substantial meal, but chef had one more surprise in store: Banana Tarte Tatin, Dulce de Leche Ice Cream. The only banana tarte tatin I've ever had, or heck, ever seen was at Studio Kitchen, and I loved it there, so I was thrilled to see this dish again. And it did not disappoint, the still-firm, caramelized fruit atop a flaky crust, the icecream amplifying the flavors while contrasting the temperature. Fantastic dessert. So sure, it's hard to stay completely objective when being treated so nicely by a chef, but I don't think I lost all perspective, and everything tasted great! It's very elegantly-executed food, nothing too avant-garde or shocking, just delicious. (Although there might be some sorcery going on with that pork belly... ) The dining room actually looked pretty full on this saturday night, but you probably still could get a reservation with a little planning. M has gotten universally good press and the word-of-mouth is spreading, almost everyone I spoke to at the bar had been referred by friends who love the place, so word is finally getting out. I'd go now before it becomes impossible to get a table, I suspect that's going to happen!

Paper's off the windows, slicer's on the bar... (most recent reports indicate that opening should be March 15.)

Oh yeah, let me join in the chorus, that Osso Buco sandwich is one of my favorite things to eat in the city.

This morning (friday March 9th) from 11am-noon Radio Times on WHYY (91FM) is doing a show about the effects of a negative restaurant review. One of the guests is David Synder (Philafoodie) Alan Richman in the second half, and it's a live call-in show so there could be other interesting participation. The shows are all archived, so if you missed it, go to that page linked above and you can listen on-line. (ETA: online listening links are already up.)

James gets a rave from Trey Popp in The Citypaper.

I JUST went to Brigid's a couple of days ago, and had a very nice dinner, I always enjoy it there. But I'm not sure I'd put it in the spectacular category, more the good, solid, comforting everyday category. Desserts were only OK. Basically Diann beat me to all the recs I was going to make. I'd go to any of those places she mentioned, and might lean toward M. It's a very nice spot, so it will feel special, but it's not so fancy that you'll need to dress-up.

I agree with Sandy that both Foobooz and Philafoodie are good resources, in fact I saw the gridskipper thing on Fooboz. But this brings up yet another concept that probably fits in here, which is the editorial stance of blogs, in particular, some that are often linked by Fooboz: AroundPhilly and uwishunu.com and some others... uwishunu, for instance is "... created and fully moderated by the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, and features content from the uwishunu staff at GPTMC, as well as from a growing list of other contributors who are passionate about their city. That’s good, but not good enough. We want you to have a voice as well—a blog for the people, by the people." And although they solicit entries from "the people" they apparently all need to be positive comments. I'm not entirely sure about who runs AroundPhilly.com, but I get the sense it's similarly promotional, rather than critical. I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with this approach, and there very well could be very helpful info on sites like this, but it's important to know if a site is PR from the Tourism Marketing Corp, or wherever, not journalism, per se.

Interesting news about groups larger than 4... I think they have at least one table that can accommodate larger groups, but maybe they just are trying to avoid the hassle of a larger group during busy weekends, or the potential problems if a large group cancels. And good to know that you've had some luck with short-term reservations, I've occasionally succeeded at the last minute during the week, but not on the weekend, I'll have to try again. Thanks!

Sorry to start off the topic on a whiny note, but I was perplexed by a recent post on gridskipper, about eating whole animals in Philly. It has a few good mentions of these offerings, such as Amada's whole roasted sucking pig, whole fish at Estia, etc. But there were a few entries that confused me. They talked about whole tunas at the Reading Terminal Market. Can one buy an entire tuna there? But more importantly, why in the world would anyone want to? They also included a couple of odd things, like Vetri's whole baby goat. But it's not as if one is served the entire goat, so it doesn't really fit into the premise of the article. But the one that really confused me was the whole duck at Seven Sea's Chinese. First, what's with the apostrophe? Second, is there a Seven Seas restaurant in Philly? if one follows the link in the article, it links to a restaurant in College Park Maryland, which I'm thinking is stretching the traditional view of the Philadelphia metro area by a bit. Third, is a whole duck such an oddity that it makes sense to single out a place to get one? I guess given the misspelling of Vetri in their recent Osteria entry, we shouldn't look to gridskipper for editorial precision, but still... It's an interesting phenomenon in this hyperlinked internet world that people will come upon this article and possibly come to Philly looking for some of these things. But to put a positive spin on things, are there food blogs that we find pretty reliable and helpful?

We have a Craig LaBan thread to discuss what are most likely the most influential food reviews in Philly. But there are lots of other sources these days: blogs, small papers, glossy magazines, radio programs, even TV shows originating here, and I'm sure there will be more every day. It's hard to resist the urge to just complain about the local coverage, but I hope we can find some good things to say too, pointers to new sources of info are greatly appreciated.

mod*betty is right, Kimberton itself is pretty tiny, but it's right next door to Phoenixville, which is starting to have some attractions. Majolica is an excellent restaurant with elegant food, but not all that upscale. I can't say that I've seen kids in there but I doubt it would be an issue if they're good in restaurants as you say. Here's our discussion of Majolica. You could always call them and see what they say, they're very nice there. Almost next door to Majolica is the Black Lab Bistro, which is not quite as good as Majolica, but not bad, and probably a little more family-oriented. The Epicurean is a little outside town, closer to Kimberton, but I haven't been in there in a while, so I can't speak for the food or the vibe. Last meal I had was pretty decent, I can't explain why I haven't been back... The Twin Bays Cafe out on the edge of Phoenixville is a lovely place, and the people are super-nice, and the food is OK... Despite it being semi-fancy, I'm sure they'd have no problem with the kids. There are a few small dining rooms, you might be able to have one to yourself if you were feeling self-conscious. Also, very near near Kimberton is the Sly Fox brew pub. They have outstanding beer, but sadly I found a recent meal there to be pretty dismal. It's worth it if you folks are into beer, and they have a very family-friendly dining room, but it's not a culinary destination. Also in Phoenixville are the Iron Hill and Destiny brew pubs, both making good beer, and serving decent food, but, as above, neither is a foodie destination. But if you're going to pick one on the basis of beer, go to Sly Fox, it's both better and closer to you. Right in Kimberton is the Kimberton Inn, with an old-fashioned colonial vibe. I haven't eaten there in a long time, it is , or at least was, a bit conservative for my tastes, but it was fine. And they must be doing something right, they seem busy every time I go by. There's also the Kimberton Whole Foods, which is not a supermarket in the huge, national Whole Foods chain, but a small, independent natural-food store. Again, not a foodie destination in and of itself, but they do have a small cafe that serves good sandwiches and soups, etc, and is a good spot to grab snacks, etc. Depending on the weather in late April, there's a gelato place that may be open, and if so, you certainly must go get some of that! Kimberton is tiny, all of these places are on the same street, within about a hundred yards of one another, you'll find them. But, I've saved the best for last: there's an absolutely amazing restaurant only a few miles from Kimberton, and it's honestly one of my favorite places in the entire Philadelphia area: The Birchrunville Store Cafe. It features slightly modernized classic French cuisine, at an absolute bargain. It's an excellent restaurant, but has a pretty mellow laid-back vibe. There are only two downsides that I can think of: it's VERY difficult to get a reservation, you really might have trouble getting a weekend table even if you call now; and somewhat related, it's a tiny place, and so if your 18-month-old gets fussy or loud, it's going to be a disruption. But if you're feeling good about everybody's behavior, it's an excellent restaurant, and only 10-15 minutes from Kimberton. Here's our discussion of the Birchrunville Store Cafe>> Hope that helps, and please feel free to ask more questions!

Last time I got a hoagie from Carmen's, there were Liscio's bread boxes stacked everywhere. They were awesome rolls... I think I've seen those same boxes piled behind Pat's. Jim beat me to cross-posting Maria's roll-call from the sandwich thread, and it reminded me how complex this gets, that some places use different bakeries for rolls for different sandwiches, or on different days of the week.... It's important to note that some of these places might use different rolls for the chesesteaks than they do for the Roast Pork or for hoagies. But clearly there's no one roll for a cheesesteak. If you counted up all the food trucks and pizza places and corner delis, Amoroso probably sells more rolls for cheesesteaks than anyone else, but that doesn't mean the best places use them.

Around the time of Bobby's passing, newspaper reports indicated that a third brother, who I believe is a physician, was "taking over" the deli. The article did not say that he planned to give up his medical practice and start running the slicer. When I was in last, the food seemed much the same, but there was no evidence of any Koch behind the counter, nor was there that famous Koch jocularity. Still, I got a pretty darned good sandwich. So I'm not personally sure about the current situation, but I think it's safe to say there's nobody named Koch laying hands on your sandwich. But some Koch might be keeping an eye on things. Somebody should go check it out first-person. I'll go next time I'm in that neighborhood with enough time to kill...

For some reason, I'm not at all embarrassed that I've been eating here about once a week for the last month or so... Maybe it's the weather. Yeah, there are lots of great places in Chinatown, but Sang Kee has just been hitting the spot lately. I know there's a picture of this upthread, but it was just so lovely last night, I couldn't resist snapping another pic. Tasted even better than it looks. Roast Pork Noodle Soup also got some steamed dumplings, a beef in black bean sauce, and a the dish our visiting former philly resident friend was most craving: General Tso's Chicken It was all tasty, three of us were full, for $32 before tip.

What a coincidence, I was having the same thought: that it's been too long since I've been to Rangoon, and was on my way there last night with a couple of friends. But we ended up parking closer to Sang Kee, and were sucked into its powerful gravity - where we ran into Shacke! the eGulleteers are everywhere...

I just noticed something amusing: LaBan's snackbar review: LaBan's Blackfish review (the previous week): So, for those keeping score: froth = good; foam = cliché. Or maybe foam just jumped the shark in the past week. Edited to Add: LaBan's (4-bell) Lacroix review, Dec 10, 2006: and (same review) No disdain to be seen about the tired trendiness of froths here, so, I'm not sure why he's so dismissive of the specific foam on snackbar's Brussels Sprouts.

Yeah, I always see folks in there too, but as was mentioned in the review, I feel like a lot of them are kind of hanging out, rather than eating, a consequence of comfy chairs and a fireplace, I suspect. But that's just an impression, I don't know that for sure. I guess what I meant was that I've been surprised to mention snackbar to a few people recently who hadn't even heard of the place, and I hope that the review makes snackbar seem intriguing enough for some of them to try it. And sure there were a few "-but" qualifiers thrown in amongst the compliments, like the hair gel comment... but not for everything, I just overall got the sense from the review that he liked most of the food. Even calling the foam a cliché was tempered, he even acknowledged that it might have had a point. The execution issues seemed like relatively mild complaints, and he followed them up with "Perhaps it was just an off night, because on my next visit, it was as if the kitchen couldn't miss." So yeah, it's not a rave, but it read better than the average 2-bell review to me.

LaBan gives it 2 Bells, although the review reads better than that. online at philly.com Some of it comes down to personal taste: he thought "the miso-caramel-glazed apple wedges crusted in crushed wasabi peas tasted like a sake-bar snack fantasy gone awry." But I really like them... He didn't care for the tallegio/polenta/corn thing, one of my favorite dishes there. Conversely, he loved the curry banana, which I did too, but I know at least one of us in this forum just hated. But the tone was overall pretty positive, I hope it gets some more folks in there.

They're not related, right? I didn't get the sense this Philly manifestation was connected to the "Penthouse Exectutive Club" in NY, except perhaps in general inspiration. Makes one wonder if they're likely to get a strongly-worded letter from a trademark attorney...

I'm taking a lint brush to my blue velvet smoking jacket as we speak!

Yeah, I was thinking "wait.. that jpeg looks familiar..." but I guess all's fair in the blogosphere, at least they credited me and eGullet.

Our "bitter little foodie hearts" caught the attention of gridskipper.com. They're concerned the pressure could be too much for Mark and he'll have a breakdown, enter rehab and shave his head a la Britney! I guess they haven't seen a photo of him...

NaFairge reported upthread that the steak rocked, but it might be impolite to suggest that if someone else is paying... There's not a whole lot on this menu that should freak out even conservative diners. Skip the octopus, tripe and baccala, you're pretty safe.. ( I assume you've tried to get her to eat octopus before - if not, this is a good place to try it!) I thought the margerita pizza was a little dull, so I'd push for one with a little something on it, and there are lots to choose from. The salumi platter is rocking, and if she won't touch the lardo, more for you! The cotechino with egg and polenta was really just sausage, eggs and grits, hard to get more straightforward than that... The pork ribs were also homey comfort food. I'd imagine it would be hard to go wrong with a pasta. That platter with the fried stuff might be a little skimpy for the price, and the special antipasto we got was quite pleasant, but nothing spectacular. But I haven't been actually unhappy with a single thing I've gotten on two visits, so just order something... we await the report!