philadining

Finding ourselves in Brooklyn on s sunny, temperate (for a change) Saturday afternoon, Roberta's seemed like the place to be. Started with Cocktails: Summer Bummer, American Nightmare, Boston Tea Party Yes, that's a muddled snap pea in the Boston Tea Party. Duck Prosciutto, Candied Olives, Purslane. Corn Salad, Nduja, Scallions Both starters were excellent - the balance of flavors in each was impressive. There was actually generous amount of spicy, rich sausage hidden in that pile of corn, which lent a perfect balance to the sweet kernels. There were some very attractive-sounding entrées, but Roberta's is famous for pizza, so we felt obliged to try some. That's a "Millenium Falco" with a slight alteration to allow our dairy-avoiding friend to enjoy it: we just left the parmigiano off, amidst the tomato, pork sausage, onion, garlic, basic and breadcrumbs. Might have been even better with the salty richness of the cheese, but it was pretty tasty as we had it (once we moved the basil around a little!) Then we concocted another one, based on a "Rosso", with just tomato, oregano and garlic, to which we piled-on sopressata, onion and mushroom. Delicious. The crusts are nicely charred, perhaps a little more bready and rustic than most of the neo-Neapolitan places, but with great flavor and chew. They're making good use of the wood-burning oven in the main room. It's great to sit out back on a nice day, there are communal picnic tables for eating, a tent adjacent to the outdoor bar, and thankfully no evidence of the bees they're keeping... We liked it a lot, I'm eager to go back for more pizza, and to try some of the main dishes too. Roberta's 261 Moore Street Brooklyn, NY 11206-3816 (718) 417-1118 robertaspizza.com‎

Only had time for one quick bite on my way out of Rochester, and Mexican sounded right, so I dropped back in to Eldorado, out on East Henrietta Road in Henrietta. I realized it had been some time since I'd been in, because I barely recognized the place! I recall they had "closed for renovations" a while ago, which is always scary, because it's so often code for - never coming back, just don't want anybody to know! Turns out that in this case, they were actually closed for renovations, and they did a nice job, the place looks much nicer, and it's more functional. It's still a small, casual space, but it's buffed-up a bit. We were too late for the lunch buffet, which they have most days. I didn't get to see what's offered, but for $7, it sounds like it would be worth a try. So, off the menu, I tried the Torta Bravada, a kitchen-sink kind of sandwich with chorizo, carnitas, beef, and chicken piled on a long roll which had been spread with refried beans and guacamole, and drizzled with mayo and crema, and hit with a showering of queso. As you can seem it was a big mess. But a delicious mess! I was expecting a big round roll, but I was surprised that the long roll was just right for this. We also tried a bacon quesadilla.. Probably not traditional, but delicious... and a couple of Al Pastor tacos too... Really tasty stuff. Nothing fancy, not gourmet cooking, but satisfying homey Mexican flavors. 2513 E. Henrietta Rd, Henrietta, NY 14623 585-486-4170

Yeah, I realize that I'm usually babbling on as if Nick Jarrett were the only reason to visit Dram, but there are many talented folks behind the stick there at various times, so, worth a visit at any time, for sure.

Our timing was a little off this past saturday night, apparently we were just a little too late to run into David Chang, or perhaps even more exciting, Sneakeater, hanging at Dram. OK, to be fair, Chang may have mostly been waiting for a table at Pies and Thighs, but hopefully the charm of the place wasn't lost on him. We sampled a few appropriately summery drinks mixed-up by Nick, had a nice chat with Tom, and generally had a good time chilling. We'd just retreated from The Counting Room, where Maks had regaled us with some typically interesting and delicious concoctions, but the DJ was getting to be a bit much for our mellow mood. I dunno, thumpy dance tunes might be the right vibe for that space on a saturday night, but it's not especially conducive to contemplating a thought-provoking drink. Nonetheless, I'll brave the sound system for some more Maks mixology, or just be sure to go earlier. Or on another night.

OK, after a slight pause in activity in this thread... speaking of Phoebe Esmon, congrats to her on having her cocktail, "El Periodo Rosado" picked as best cocktail in the 2010 Philly Magazine Best of Philly awards. For more on Phoebe, she was profiled recently on Grub Street Philly. You can find her bartending at Chick's most nights (but not wednesday and thursday.) Her Chick's cocktail list is very interesting, and of course, you can always just let her make whatever she feels like, which always works for me!

Yes, just to be clear, it's the Monday dinners that are booked up, one can certainly get a table on other nights, although he's more crowded than usual. There might be a wait, Han might be running around rather than sitting with you, but you can get a table. Of course friday and saturday nights are the busiest times, but that was true before the review. And I have to say that I agree with Buckethead - I enjoyed the Monday tasting menu thing, the variety is interesting, but all in all, I think I'd rather just order off the menu. Those monday dinners are a bargain, and you might discover a new dish, and maybe you'll meet somebody interesting sitting next to you, but it also feels a little frantic, I was losing track of what was what, which things I liked, etc. It's definitely more fun with a few friends, so one can eat a few different things, but 70 people might be too many... He's doing those monday dinners twice a month now, and it's always worth checking to see if he's had cancellations, if you've interested.

Wow, my geography is way out of kilter, I didn't realize you would be that close... it's certainly worth a 10 minute drive to check out Sweet Lucy's. It is indeed VERY family friendly, and I should say that the prevailing opinion is that it's great, so I might be an outlier with weird taste! The Korean spots would all be kid-friendly too, except for the inherent potential hazards of in-table grilling. I'm a huge fan of charcoal, and of doing it right at the table, but there often are some flying sparks especially right at start-up. You can ask them to cook anything in the kitchen (some places insist on doing it in back unless you're having at least two orders of meat), or just sit the baby as far away as possible from the grill and be ready to be a human shield right at the beginning! If you're not doing barbecue, just getting stews and stir-fries and pancakes and the like, you're fine.

Han is on a roll: in addition to getting three bells from Laban, Han Dynasty just got awarded Best Chinese in Philly Mag's Best of Philly 2010 edition. Congrats! We dropped by late-ish on a wednesday and the place was jammed, so beware, there may be a line... And the first-monday $25 tasting menus are apparently selling-out WAY in advance, despite the fact that he's added another one on the third mondays. Still, it's worth calling and checking, but don't be surprised if you have to book a table for a few weeks down the line! and bsims: it's true that Han himself is a big part of the experience, but I've eaten at the Exton and Royersford branches since he's been devoting most of his time to center city, and they're still good. Are they as good as they used to be? It's always so hard to say, there's actually a bit of variation depending on the strengths of the chefs working at each place, so the trick is learning which dishes are best at which place. Before, Han would just tell you. Overall I'd say that the suburban spots are still quite good, but take a little more effort to learn on one's own because you don't have Han there to guide you. The staff at those places is perfectly nice, but nobody's very likely to tell you that one of their dishes sucks, like Han used to!

Yeah, sorry, I'd seen your Sesame Place post, but I really don't know that area very well, and couldn't think of anything to recommend. I'm one of the very few around here that isn't much of a Sweet Lucy's fan. It's not bad by any stretch, and probably was the closest we had to real smokehouse barbecue for a while, but in doing some back-to-back comparisons, I came away disappointed. It was partly a texture thing: I thought the ribs were hammy, probably had been brined, which some folks like, but not me... Brisket and pulled pork were damp - tasty but more saucy than meaty. In the end, it's not a bad place for a tasty meal, but depending on what one is expecting, it could be a big thrill or a bit disappointing. If you felt like hauling yourself all the way into the city, I feel like Percy Street Barbecue has been getting in a good groove. They've done a pretty awesome Texas style brisket all along, but I'd been ambivalent about the other items. Then I got some ribs a few weeks ago that were really good. haven't checked-back on the sausage or chicken. Sides are generally pretty good. But I suspect you were trying to avoid the city...

My roommate spilled a bottle of fish sauce in our kitchen and it just reeked forever... I've heard many complaints about the smell of melting Gruyere, but I kind of like it.

we're drifting topics a bit here: just to be clear, these places are nowhere near King of Prussia, but the OP asked about Korean, so here we go... We like most of those places on that list: 1. Jong Ka Jib Soft Tofu Restaurant This is THE place for Sundubu Jjigae or other tofu stews. 2. Café Soho The best spot for Korean Fried chicken - mostly wings - but done in that super-crispy twice-fried style. Good regular or they have a variety of sticky sauces... There's a larger menu too, and crazy bubble tea drinks, but the main attraction is the wings. Is set up more like a lounge than a restaurant, with low tables between couches. 3. Young Bin Kwan Haven't been here, it's a bit out of the area... but might need to check it out sometime! 4. Seorabol Korean Restaurant This is a very good all-around Korean restaurant with good BBQ, stews, savory pancakes, even sushi. Excellent banchan. 5. Kim's Restaurant Probably my fave for barbecue. It's a little run-down looking, but their charcoal fires with cast-iron grills make for the best grilling experience. People are super-nice, and the other dishes are good too, we like the mandu, and the haemul pajeun especially. Good banchan. 6. Bobo's Sports Bar This is another basic spot, the seating is basically picnic tables, but with grills in them. They use charcoal too, but gas-assisted, at least to get them lit, and the actual grills themselves aren't quite as nice as Kim's, but the results are still pretty tasty. They have some really awesome combo platters that offer a wide variety of meats to grill. They also have KFC, but whole chicken pieces, not just wings. It's pretty tasty... We liked the pajeun and the cold buckwheat noodles too. Weirdly, the bar doesn't seem to have any Korean beer, but thankfully, Yeungling goes pretty well with KBBQ! The restaurant is behind the bar, if you walk in from Castor ave you might not even realize that there is a restaurant - go through the wood doors at the back, or there's an entrance directly to the restaurant from the side street. 7. Koja Grille This is a truck that parks near Temple University. Probably fine if you're in the area, but I wouldn't try to hunt it down. 8. Tae Hwa Kwan Been meaning to try this place, but haven't made it yet, Supposedly really good noodles. 9. Han Chon Korean BBQ Restaurant Don't know this one, must investigate! 10. Everyday Good House Another fave - it's very good all-around. We were calling it Everyday Awesome House for a while... The barbeque is very good, but less saucy, less marinated than many others. The spicy kalbi is excellent though. Haemul Pajeun might be the best I've ever had. They have a pretty big menu with stews, soups, etc. Good selection of beer and soju. It's a little hard to find, it'a on a weird dead-end spur of north front street, and the only sign is in Korean, but if you can get close, and you see a big building with a deli selling beer on one end, and a sign in Korean on the other end that looks like it could be a restaurant, that's it. I'm stopping there... those are our faves anyway, although Pan Dol Re is good too... As for your first question, I'm hazy about the neighborhood borders, but basically yes, most of them are in the Olney/Cheltenham/North 5th st area, whatever that's called, it probably changes block by block. I used to get lost in Northeast Philly all the time, it's not quite as logical and grid-like as downtown, but with GPS, I feel much better...

I don't think so, I think both places are just run by folks originally from Michoacán. And now you've gone and made me crave some sweet corn ice cream! Might have to drive to Kennett Square! (Although there's a new little Mexican ice cream place on 9th st in the Italian market that might carry their popsicle-ish things... )

Oh, right, I was actually thinking of Gaya, not Korea Garden in Blue Bell. And thanks for that August Moon tip, I forgot all about that place (Norristown is pretty close to Conshohocken). I'm sure those places will satisfy an urge for some Korean flavors, but I'll hold to my earlier opinion that if you really want the best Korean food, you'll need to take a run up to Northeast Philly. And I doubt the suburban places have karaoke, at least not private booths. I'm sure there are some of those spots up in the northeast, but I can't vouch for them...

You're staying right in Conshohocken, which is home to one of our better BYOB restaurants: Blackfish. Cuisine is that hard-to-define modern/creative/seasonal whatever, it's good. (You have to bring your own wine or beer if you want it, they don't have a liquor license.) You're close to King of Prussia, but there's sadly not too much interesting there... You're not far from Norristown, which has some interesting Mexican, the best known is Taqueria La Michoacana at 301 East Main Street, but there are a few more in that area too. No Korean food very nearby, there's a place called Korea Garden & Restaurant in the town of Blue Bell, which has gotten mixed reviews. It is only about a 20 minute drive, so if you're really jonesing for Korean, it might fit the bill, but if you're up for driving that far, you might as well go the other direction to downtown Philly, where you have many more options. The best Korean food isn't in Center City Philly, it's up in Northeast Philly, which is not a bad drive if you have GPS, but can be a little dizzying if you don't... There are a couple of decent places downtown if you're really craving that. Let us know if you want more details on either of those options. I don't know of any places, in any neighborhood, with noraebang, but if you're willing to shift cultures a little, Yakitori Boy in Philly's Chinatown has karaoke rooms upstairs. There's decent yakitori, sushi and izakaya-style snacks in the downstairs bar/restaurant area, singing upstairs. I'm not sure whether one needs reservations... But the short version is that sadly, there are not many interesting dining options right near where you are staying, you're probably going to have to drive a bit.

It's been a little while since I came across a new flavor at Capogiro that really knocked me out. Don't get me wrong, there's always something very delicious there, but I'd been feeling a little jaded: had that, tried that, oh yeah, that one... But I just had a concoction that reminded me of why these guys are so awesome. Vieux Carré Absinthe and Canteloupe Sorbetto (on the left). The Peach and Southern Comfort on the right was delicious, but mostly tasted like a very ripe peach, which is a good thing, but it was the melon-licorice flavors of the first one that really grabbed my attention. Extra points for using the locally-distilled Vieux Carré absinthe. Both flavors were true and intense, and in perfect balance, but more importantly it was one of those combinations that was greater than the sum of its parts. It's going to be another insanely hot weekend, I really hope they still have some of that flavor left...

Three Bells for Han Dynasty from Craig Laban. Congrats to Han, and everybody in the kitchen.

I was quite excited to see some Grand Opening!! signs flapping around on the building that used to be the Moose Lodge in Phoenixville. It was a brewpub for a minute and a half a couple of years ago, but seems to have been vacant since. I would have been happy to see almost anything go in there, but I was especially thrilled when I saw the name: Antigua Guatemala. I'm not sure we have any specifically Guatemalan restaurants even in downtown Philly, although I'm sure a few "Mexican" places are run my Guatemalans. I think Pura Vida in Northern Liberties might be one... Anyway, the menu is small right now, but the chef was making the rounds while I had dinner, and he said they're just getting up to speed, and plan to add Tamales and lots more once they get comfortable. I think they're off to a good start, the dining area is pleasant, with some casual booths at the front, and tables and chairs in the back. Service was super-friendly, maybe too attentive, but I'll write that off to them being brand new. The young waitstaff speaks perfect English, as well as Spanish, so there were no communication issues. There aren't really any small starters yet, just a few entrée-ish things, and a special "caldo" a big bowl of stewy soup, whose ingredients change every day. Saturday is chicken, actually hen, and I could see another diner enjoying a bowl of it. But be ready, it's rustic: there were big pieces of chicken still on the bone, so you can't be dainty with it, you have to dig right in, but it looked tasty. While I was waiting for my food, the waiter brought some chips, doused with a mild mole, and accompanied by two good salsas. The chips tasted fresh and homemade, which is to say, a little oily, but I like that... I decided on the Parrillada, or mixed grill. It featured a large piece of thiny-sliced steak, which somehow stayed very juicy, a perfectly-cooked chicken breast, again, amazingly juicy, and a piece of sausage. All were lightly grilled, and there was a bit of mild sauce drizzled across the top. Warm tortillas, some routine "Spanish Rice" and a good-sized (but un-dressed) salad accompanied. Everything was expertly cooked, and nicely seasoned, but in the end, it's basically just grilled meat, so it was a little on the plain side, even the sausage was fairly tame. But a splash of the salsa that came with the chips, or a squeeze of lime, and a drizzle of the very good hot sauce on the table, and it perked right up. In the end I liked it a lot, and would order that again. The menu also includes a roasted chicken, fried chicken, grilled chicken, a steak, a fish, the daily Caldo, and... fajitas. I don't think those are traditionally Guatemalan, but hey, people like fajitas, and in the end, it's grilled meat in a tortilla. Everything's pretty inexpensive for what it is, my very large plate of food was $14, which I thought was a real bargain. They don't have really cheap items yet, like sandwiches or smaller plates, but I suspect they soon will offer something less formal in addition to the full dinners. I'm looking forward to trying more. The staff couldn't be more friendly, the place is fixed up nicely, and they're open 10am to 10pm, I THINK every day. Certainly most days... Antigua Guatemala 119 South Main St Phoenixville, PA 610-935-2700

That all looks great, thanks to you both for sharing. The Prosciutto is probably from Laquercia if you remember them saying something about Iowa...

We'd heard some rumors about Craig Laban being spotted at Han Dynasty recently, but we figured he might just be addicted, like we are... Turns out he's reviewing it this sunday - July 18. I predict a game-changing 6 bells.

Nice write-up of Dram in Time Out. I'm not sure that having windows is actually a huge change in perspective, but the place does have a nice feel... And indeed they're putting out tasty drinks. I forget what that one was... probably a Nick Jarrett improv. The article mentions that Dram doesn't serve any food (yet) but that Pies and Thighs is nearby. It's true: you can practically shout an order across the street. It's worth keeping in mind that Traif is only about a block in the other direction, and Fatty Cue is a very short walk, so it's pretty convenient to grab a bite on your way in. Fatty Cue is a little weird about take-out, but they'll wrap up a late-night menu sandwich without too much complaining... (And that Pork Shoulder Banh Mi is outrageously good...)

The Satchmo's folks appear to have set up in the kitchen of a bar called "The Office" just a little north of Collegeville, on rt 29. Haven't had a chance to try the food there, but I'm happy to see that they're still cooking the New Orleans style stuff somewhere. At a bar actually sounds pretty good...

I'll second everything KitchenMom said: I've had great luck bringing all kinds of people to Rangoon, and they all have liked it. But, there's really nothing vaguely "American" if you have some folks in your party that just aren't even going to try noodles or satay. Same basic scene for Penang or Banana Leaf, which are Malaysian restaurants. They have some pretty far-out stuff, but also make killer satay and noodle dishes that are crowd-pleasers. If you just need some Americanized Chinese to placate the less-adventurous, almost every place in Chinatown rides that border, offering some "safe" dishes even if their specialties are further out. Some of our favorites are Ken's Seafood for Cantonese, especially fresh fish. Sakura Mandarin has a wide variety of dishes, from Shanghainese to Sichuan to surprisingly decent sushi. There's been some question about whether they still offer soup dumplings (AKA Shanghai Juicy Buns) which was their main claim to fame, but they're still decent even without them. Sang Kee Peking Duck House is great for duck, but also any roast meats, their barbecue pork and ribs are pretty great too, as are noodle dishes. Their version of General Tso's Chicken is quite good - made from full chicken breasts, that are breaded, fried and then sliced, so the breading ratio is a bit lower. Shao Lan Kung, Lee How Fook and Tai Lake are solid Cantonese. Four Rivers and Szechuan Tasty House can get you some decent spicy Szechuan food (although if you're a fan of that style you really should get to Han Dynasty at 108 Chestnut St. - which happens to be right near the historical stuff if you're doing the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Constitution Center, etc.) You said you're going to hit the Reading Terminal, so you'll see that there are LOTS of options there, probably enough for a few visits without repeats if you wanted. If you're at the Franklin Institute, it couldn't be any more convenient to go to Frog Burger, unless it's pouring rain or 900 degrees out. That's the one downside of an outdoor tent. As KitchenMom said, it's nothing exotic, but the food is good quality and well-made. Their carrot cake and "killer cake" are both pretty outrageous. It's not especially fast, because (thick) burgers are grilled to order, so if you have really squirmy kids, you might want to send someone out to place an order about 5-10 minutes ahead of time... Sadly there's not much of interest out near Valley Forge. King of Prussia has most of the usual suspects in chain restaurants, and not much else. There are some good Indian restaurants not far away, but I'm not sure that's what you're looking for! If you go to Trenton, you really should have a Tomato Pie, probably from Delorenzo's, (maybe in their newest location, because it has a bathroom.) Give a yell back if you want details about anything...

They serve The Art of Choke at Publican? Or are you suggesting making a hop over to The Violet Hour for one?

I have always enjoyed the Tea-Smoked duck at the Han Dynasty in Exton, and even more at Royersford. I'd been a little disappointed that it wasn't on the menu in the center city location, but - good things come to those who wait! It's deeply smoky, almost tasting like southern barbecue, yet still moist and meaty. I especially like the crunchy bits... It's a complex preparation involving steaming, smoking, drying, braising and deep-frying, over the course of a few days, so if they run out, they run out, they can't whip-up another one to order. The Royersford location also has a version in beer sauce that is also good, but there's something very appealing about the plain duck. It's not at all spicy, so it's a good choice for folks that have a low threshold for chili heat. On the other hand, if you have a high threshold for chili heat, try the Lamb in Hot Sauce. You can order any of several things in this sauce, but I think lamb is one of the best versions. Nice to see Han Dynasty Center City just getting better and better...

Finally tried a "Tuscan Tony" at Paesano's. Grilled all-beef hot dog, sopressata, Bolognese sauce, sharp provolone, hot peppers. I liked the spice from the hot peppers, but they were getting a little overwhelming, so I ended up taking about half of them off, and I felt that it put the flavors back in balance. I was just complaining upthread about a big, hearty roll being wrong for a hot dog, but for this particular version, the hefty, seeded Liscio's roll is just exactly right. It was delicious, and I totally look forward to getting this again, except that there are so many other excellent sandwiches there... Paesano's 901 Christian St http://modomiorestaurant.com/paesanos_italian_market_location or 152 West Girard Avenue http://modomiorestaurant.com/paesanos_girard_ave_location