philadining

I think small BYOBs are a special case when it comes to owners' personalities influencing one's perceptions of a place. Many times the owner/chefs are a big presence in the restaurant, and once can't help but be charmed by someone's devotion and passion for what they do. I think it's rather unfair to suggest that LaBan upped his rating simply because he liked the owners. Or dropped it merely because those people are gone. Having pleasant interactions with owners and chefs certainly can enhance an experience, especially at a small neighborhoody place, so I can see it being worth noting that he liked them, but I see no indications from any of LaBan's reviews that he overlooks bad food if the owners are sooooo nice... If the diner has no interaction with the owners of a place, of course, it makes no difference if it's owned by Attila the Hun (who might have been a nice guy, for all I know) but if the owners' personalities impact on the dining experience, I think it's relevant. And that certainly is the case in many small BYOBs. I'll agree that liking the winemaker has nothing to do with whether the wine is good, but there's another level to restaurant dining, it's not only the food on the plate.

You may be right, it's worth a call, here's the website (which says 2:30, but I wouldn't trust that to be updated...)

I didn't get my Perrier decoder ring, but assuming that by LBL you mean Le Bar Lyonnaise, indeed it is open for lunch: 11am-2:30pm, monday-friday. I have no idea whether it's regularly jammed or if a walk-in is doable. It's always worth a shot.

I got some takeout from Gateway to India in Frazier tonight... It's in a little plaza with a Thai Place and a Japanese place, all overshadowed by a Staples. Apparently it's owned by the same people who run Passage to India in Harrisburg, which I seem to remember garnering some accolades on eG. I got a Chicken Ahouri, which had had fresh curry leaves and black mustard seeds, and was excellent. Bread was OK, a bit soggy and limp, but takeout is not a good way to asses that, it might be way better at the table. Rice was really good, they packed up my takeout bag with three chutneys and a complimentary cup of rice pudding. This bears more exploration, that one curry makes we want to go back for sure. Gateway to India 309 Lancaster Ave. Frazier, Pa 19355 In the West Gate Plaza on Route 30 610-296-1999

Sorry about causing all those computer keyboards to short-out from drool pooling... Beanie, if you feel like trying to bake them, just google kimmelwick and its spelling variations, you'll find lots of recipes for the rolls. I don't know if any of them get it right, but there are lots of ideas, at least. Or, if I could find the rolls in Wegman's in Pennsylvania, they're probably widely available in that quietly expanding empire. No matter where you live, odds are there will be a store in your backyard soon. No really, I literally mean in your backyard. Oddly you'll be OK with it. The Wegman's store-baked rolls are pretty darn good versions.

In LaBan's 4-Bells review, Georges Perrier is quoted as saying that he thought that Le Bec Fin wouldn't be around in a few years, that the time had passed for that kind of restaurant. (The articles are significantly abbreviated on-line, this was in the print version.) It's hard to say if Perrier was just being dramatic, or if he's really thinking of closing it up.

The Garbage Plate thread ended up diverting into a general western-NY food binge, so I figured it might call for torturing the fine residents of Manhattan with a yet another topic about food they'll never encounter... There was special enthusiasm in that other thread for the not nearly famous enough "Beef on 'Wick" I believe the traditional, more German, term would be kummelweck but I've seen it more commonly written and pronounced both kimmelwick and kimmelweck, but whichever way you spell it, it's a fine sandwich. There seems to be some variation in the style of the roast beef, apparently it's sometimes served carved fresh from a roast, but I'm more familiar with sliced beef kept warm in a thin jus. But in any case, it's hot meat, some intense horseradish, and that special roll. It's really all about the roll, which is in some ways like a typical kaiser, but seems a bit lighter and airier to me, but with a texture that can hold up to the plentiful juices. Most obviously, it's distinguished by the abundant caraway seed and coarse salt that coat the top. These rolls are unusual outside of Buffalo, but can be found in Rochester, and occasionally further east. I was thrilled to find the ones pictured above in the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA, but only because we have a branch of the Rochester-based Wegman's grocery store. Interestingly, they were labeled "kaiser rolls". The story goes that tavern owners would provide these sandwiches free of charge, they were so salty that they'd sell lots of beer. And I don't doubt it, they are indeed thirst-inducing. But man, they're tasty... I've usually gotten the sandwiches at family parties in the general Buffalo area, and at small diner-ish places between Rochester and Buffalo. I personally have never had one at some dumpy bar in Buffalo, so I might not have even had the "real thing." For what it's worth, here's an AOL CityGuide debate about the best places in Buffalo. If you have the opportunity, have one, you'll be hooked. Just don't spare the horseradish!

That sounds like an excellent sandwich, but not what I've ever gotten. I think I'd prefer the version you describe, and I won't hazard a guess about what's "authentic", but every version I've been served, either in little diner-ish restaurants, bars, or at parties, has had the already-sliced beef floating in a pool of hot brothy jus, therefore not blood-rare, at least not for long... Certainly at parties, that was just part of the practicality of holding it on a buffet line, but even at restaurants, it's been the same. That said, I'm sure I've never had one at the actual point of origin, presumably at some bar in Buffalo. Anyone have an opinion about where one can get the "ideal" version of a beef on wick/weck? And would the beef be rare?

re the 30-day reservation thing, I'm sure no place, not even Per Se, has a hard and fast rule that one MUST book 30 days out, but the design of that system to not allow booking a table 3 or 6 months from now, and perhaps, as Vadouvan suggests, not actually booking every saturday night table at first, can create an even greater sense of scarcity , which gets people to book less-desirable days. You can always call people on your waiting list, who feel blessed to benefit from that "unexpected cancellation".... If you're able to create a sense that it's impossible to get in there, it's more likely that people will book further out, and actually show up. Of course it's a dangerous game, if people decide there's just no hope, they might not even try. In fact I hadn't bothered with Django in its heyday for that very reason, figuring it was just too much of a pain. I ultimately went, on a weekend, with only a couple of days advance call, but at a very late hour. I'm sure I couldn't have gotten a prime time on fri or sat calling that close, but my perception had been that there was no chance of getting anything. And that's a neat trick, creating the perception that it's really hard to get in, in order to fill slower days, but I'm sure it can be done. I've had that scarcity-desperation experience myself out here with the Birchrunville Store Cafe, they're booked so far out on weekends that I found myself feeling darn lucky to get a wednesday at 8pm, when it might have been the other way around, that they were lucky to be able to fill that table at the time. And just ask Percy, getting a reservation at Per Se is NOT an easy thing, it takes a lot of redialing and a bit of luck. One would assume from the hoops one jumps through that all tables go the second that they are available, 30-days out. But in fact it turns out, it's not impossible to change a reservation once you have it, so, obviously not all tables are booked instantly. It's a perplexing equation, and I doubt anyone that hasn't worked as a reservationist would quite get it, but I have no doubt at all that if a place is pretty hot, some saturday night reservations might be turned down in an attempt to help weekdays, especially if there's some confidence that you could always pull someone from a waiting list, or get a walk-in to fill that saturday night table you just said was gone. Now, how we as diners game that system... I'm not sure...

I'll defer to any native Buffalonians, but that's not the practice at the approx 457 graduation parties, birthday parties. family reunions, retirement parties, weddings, christenings, etc that I've been to. Most often, the beef itself is swimming in jus, (usually in a chafing dish next to the baked ziti) and then is loaded onto a roll by each person, maybe a little more jus drizzled on, but there's no extra taken for dipping. I don't think I've ever gotten any dipping liquid on the side at a restaurant either. But it is a pretty wet sandwich, so the effect is not too different from a french dip.

That's not the real recipe - Nick (the father) had to give it up at a card game years ago (he's since passed on) ← I suspected something like that... So Gordon, if you were jonesing for a garbage plate at 2am, (which is generally the only time they seem like a really good idea) where would you go?

Interesting... I hadn't known there was that kind of parochialism, but true enough, in RaChaCha Zweigle's white hots are pretty dominant, and I'm sure buying some other brand would be considered as big a sin as putting Fuji film in that Instamatic. I've certainly encountered salt potatoes out west of Syracuse, but I wouldn't call them common. And what's up with the fixation on Haddock? Fish Fry is one thing, but I've even seen it on menus striving for gourmet heights, tarted-up in swanky presentations usually reserved for Chilean Sea Bass and Halibut in most modern kitchens. (And let's just not talk about the Genny Scream Ale...)

Sorry, I'm drifting massively off-topic, but for the record... Portale apparently was something of a "rent-a-chef" in philly. In a review just this week granting the highest rating to Striped Bass, the Philadelphia Inquirer's reviewer notes that Portale no longer has any association with the restaurant. No doubt he had a real and significant presence at Striped Bass, but I think you're right Bux, they should have credited him with Gotham Bar and Grill. Anyway, fudy, thanks so much for posting info about these events, I've already convinced a few friends to attend some of these dinners. Please let us know how they go from your end! One question: do the visiting chefs suggest the wine pairings, or an instructor in your program, student sommeliers...none of the above?

Indeed! Warm, thin sliced beef, warmed in jus, topped with a bit of horseradish, on a fresh kimmelwick roll (a kaiser-ish roll with caraway seeds and coarse salt on top, for the uninitiated), deserves to be WAY more famous than it is. But it's pretty rare even in Rochester, definitely more of a Buffalo/Grand Island/Niagara Falls thing. (although you can get the rolls in Wegmans.) I'm fairly sure that in and around Buffalo, one is required by law to serve beef on wick at all events that more than 6 people attend. Yes, that includes weddings.

Peter, thanks for taking the time to make that post. I think we can all understand your motivations for just not saying anything, but I, for one, appreciate hearing all sides of the story. I certainly hope that your experience was anomalous, but judging from LaBan's comments it might not have been completely unique. We'll see how the overall consensus goes with some more reports, but again, thanks for adding your voice, more information is always good. I still wish Greg and Ross the best, and hope to see good reviews here, but in the end I'd rather see what people really think, regardless.

The 20th street sign, in the snow, looked especially apropos today.

OK, it's not JUST because the snow made me too late for Carman's, I've always liked the Morning Glory for brunch, and this sunday was just snowy enough to thin the crowds, so, no wait for a change... I happen to like the casual, boho service style, everyone's always been quite nice to me. Sure, the kitchen can be slow, but I'll live with that to have most everything made to order. Today one of the specials was a spicy twist on eggs benedict, with cornbread, chorizo and a spiced-up hollandaise. The sauce, and sausage, had a good kick, mellowed by the sweet cornbread, and grits on the side. They have so many unconventional things on the menu, I always feel a little guilty ordering pancakes, but I really love them here, either plain or with fruit mixed-in. It was late, and there weren't too many choices so I went fully decadent with bananas and chocolate chips. A short stack is enough for me. Their herby sausage is a nice counterpoint for the sweetness of the pancakes. And then there's pie.... I don't think they make the pies themselves, they referred to them as "Amish Pies" but they taste like homemade. Good coffee too. In good weather you can count on a wait on Sundays, I always feel it's worth it. edited to clarify: no, I didn't eat all of that... there were two of us.

I'm reluctant to pontificate about the level of injustice of the demotion to two bells without actually eating there. Both Vadouvan and I have been rolling our eyes about the bold pronouncements about the quality of the New York Morimoto before the place even opened... As mrbigjas has proposed, let's go and try it! I've been meaning to go, but just haven't gotten around to it. But that's nothing to do with Greg or Ross, I only made it to Django under the former ownership once. (Not sure I would have given it 4 bells, but it was a very good meal.) That part of town is just a little off my personal radar, I haven't made it to Southwark or Gayle either. David McDuff, whose palate I trust, says he's been there three times since the hand-off, and liked it. His post is here. For those that don't feel like clicking the link, here's a pertinent quote from David: Sounds good to me. Knocking it down to two bells sounds harsh, especially knowing what Ross and Greg can do. But again, I'm reluctant to say that LaBan is being unfair without eating there. So, let's go. As Katie mentioned upthread, I've previously stated that I liked the original 4-Bell review for its larger symbolic value, and my meal there was good enough that it didn't seem totally out of line. In a perfect world, I think he should have given the new regime a little more time to really define themselves, but he was writing the story about 4-bell places now, he needed to discuss that rating. And if he really didn't think they were as magical as they once were, so be it. From David's descriptions of his experiences, it sounds like they're operating at a solid 3-Bell level, but if LaBan really didn't think they were providing an excellent experience, it's his reputation on the line. I'm still skeptical about a reviewer's ability to destroy a restaurant. A zero bell review is pretty damning, but absent pure malevolent intent on the part of the reviewer, it must be reflecting what other patrons have already figured out. Sure, people probably stop coming after a bad review, but they might have stopped coming anyway if the place is sucking on a grand scale. All the review does is save a few people from enduring a bad experience and reaching that same conclusion themselves. A four-bell review no doubt fill the books up for a while, but I can't imagine people enduring mediocre food and service, returning multiple times for such abuse, simply as a result of some sort of LaBan-induced reality distortion field. As Holly said, some folks flood in right after a good review, but they'll either be sold or not, based on their experience, not what they read. I don't know anyone who returns to restaurants they don't really like simply because they have good ratings, do you? it's disheartening that human nature is such that I suspect some people will read that 2-bell demotion as a definitive statement that Django's no good anymore, rather than what a fresh 2-Bell review is intended to mean: Very Good. And that's where we come in, what eGullet is especially good for is to air opinions from more people, continually updating, not stuck in one reviewer's impressions at one moment in time. Let's use our greater numbers and greater publishing flexibility to add data to the discussion. But let's review the actual food and the actual restaurant.

If for some odd reason, people want more details, there's a disturbing amount of info on the web. Probably the main reason for the Garbage Plate's fame is the Sterns' Roadfood book, and now website. A purported recipe. The wikipedia entry. A brief travelogue. The self-declared definitive guide. and on and on...

Dirty John and Nick Tahou sound like kindred spirits at least! That general type of "hot sauce" is fairly common around the area, probably not too hard to find in much of upstate NY. From the spicing, I had guessed it was a Greek diner thing, but it's really common to find similar sauces at mom and pop hot dog stands in western NY as well, so maybe not. And it's not too different from another chili-ish sauce I've gotten even down here in PA, at Yocco's in Allentown. Holly probably knows the story.

Ummm... 6 1/2 hours from jersey! That's probably what you meant. There's actually a place in Easton PA that does a credible version, more on that here. It would be closer if you're really jonesing for a Garbage Plate.

A snowy Saturday evening seems like a good time to take a break from the debates about molecular gastronomy in Manhattan. So, about as far away as you can get, and still be in the New York forum, I give you: The Garbage Plate. Rochester, NY is not the home of many culinary innovations. Sure, they created Jell-O nearby in LeRoy, but it’s not as if anyone gushes - “Rochester!! Be sure to try the Jell-O while you’re there!” There are a few other regional quirks: I’ve never encountered Grape Pies anywhere else, but they’re pretty specific to further south, around Naples, and primarily in the fall; there’s a mania for the Friday “Fish Fry” that extends well beyond observant Catholics and Lent, but sadly doesn’t seem to be raised to a high art despite its ubiquity; and white (all-pork) hot dogs are pretty unique, but not a real destination food. Nothing has reached the iconic status of a Philly Cheesesteak, NOLA Muffaletta, Chicago Hot Dog, or a NY Deli sandwich. Except, perhaps, The Garbage Plate. Yet the Garbage Plate is an odd regional specialty. It's well-known, but not widely-consumed, there are plenty of Rochesterians who have never eaten one, and out-of-town guests are rarely dragged out to experience it. (If they’re foodies, they’re taken to the Pittsford Wegman’s supermarket, it’s the one consistently awe-inspiring food destination…) The Garbage Plate most probably reached legendary status more by reputation than by actual first-hand experience. It’s a perversely excessive pile of diner food, an almost perfect post-drinking-binge beer sponge, therefore holding a fond place in the hearts of the U of R and RIT frat-boy diaspora. But it’s also an inexpensive, filling meal, and popular with more sober patrons all day long. The basic formula is a pile of home fries, a scoop or two of macaroni salad or baked beans, piled on a plate as a base. Layered on top are most commonly grilled hot dogs or hamburgers, but one can often find the plates offered with chicken, sausages, toasted cheese sandwiches, or anything you’re likely to pull off of a diner flattop. Whatever one has chosen, it’s next slathered with brown mustard, sprinkled with chopped onion, and drizzled with “hot sauce” which in this part of the world means a thin, cinnamon-tinged meat sauce, bearing a vague resemblance to Cincinnati-style chili. And if that’s not quite enough, some bread and butter on the side. They usually sell for about 5 or 6 bucks. The components are not all that different than what one might find at any diner in America, but piling everything together in an unruly heap is the innovation, hence the name. The hot sauce, and ordering it with white hots, make it more regionally specific, but it really could be done anywhere. There are many places in Rochester that serve this concoction, under slight variations on the name: Trash Plate, Sloppy Plate, Dumpster Plate, etc. Oddly, there doesn’t seem to be much debate about who makes the best ones, most Rochesterians just don't seem to care. But there's some grudging fondness in the collective unconscious, and whether or not the current version is the best, there's no argument that the Garbage Plate originated at Nick Tahou, on Main Street in Rochester. The restaurant is in a run-down building, and used to be downright seedy, bordering on dangerous late at night. This original branch now closes pretty early, which eliminates much of the unique Nick Tahou experience: there's something about eating one of these things while wondering if your car will be there when you get back to the parking lot. Back in the 1980s, at about 3am, a buddy and I were offered three less-than-legal opportunities within 15 feet of the back door... But on a recent visit, in the daylight, it seemed pretty calm and safe and actually disorientingly clean, even if the building still looks a bit run-down. There’s something to be said for drinking from the headspring, and indeed Nick Tahou still makes a fine Garbage Plate. Cheeseburgers were nothing special, but the white hots were quite good, split and grilled dark on the flattop. Home fries were fresh and crispy and not (too) greasy. It’s the hot sauce that really makes these distinctive. It’s not as thick or chunky as chili, it’s not a pepper sauce like Tabasco (it’s not especially spicy - the “hot” refers more to the fact that it’s served warm) but the ground meat and array of spices adds a complimentary texture and tang. Considering the components individually, it’s just routine diner food. But taken together, with a dash of self-effacing truth-in-advertising in the name, a good Garbage Plate can be greater than the sum of its parts. It might be interesting to see a careful side-by-side comparison of the different local variations, but I’m not sure any mortal can eat more than one of these in a day. Except Daniel. Hey Daniel, any of your roadtrips heading to western NY?!?

As Vadouvan mentioned above, there are some real advantages to being at 3 bells rather than 4, particularly if you're not a "fine dining" restaurant in the most traditional sense. As Katie said, Amada is a different kind of place, it is a bit more casual and fun, and I could imagine that some more reserved customers might not dig sitting on a bench, with loads of little plates flying around, as we did at our porkfest. Don't get me wrong, I loved Amada, and think it's certainly one of the best places in town, but there's a certain connotation that 4-Bells carries, and you could end up with folks expecting something that it's not. I think that's what happened with Django, there were such heightened expectations that it would be just perfect that many people ended up disappointed. I actually think that 4-Bell rating was an important gesture on a couple of different levels, most importantly as a declaration that BYOBs were offering some of the most exciting and satisfying dining in Philly, but also as an extension of what could qualify for the top rating, that it wasn't only places with white tablecloths and sommeliers and haughty reservationists. LaBan mentioned a couple of dishes that didn't work for him at Amada, and I happen to like that element of flexibility and subjectivity. In the end, he can't whip out a probe that will register whether the flavors are in balance, or whether there's enough lobster for the price, with the same ease that he can fire up the noise meter. The Inky and Philly Mag each have budgets to send their reviewers to a place multiple times, so I'm confident those writers try to get a broad overview of what a restaurant can do. But in the end, any kind of criticism is subjective, and it comes down to whether you trust the reviewers' judgment, and share their tastes. I think we're actually quite lucky to have some very good food reviewers in Philly, yet another thing we can smugly brag about to our NY friends... With three bells from LaBan in the Inquirer, and a very enthusiastic "Best New Restaurant" from Maria Gallagher in Philadelphia Magazine, thumbs up Sono Motoyama even after she supposedly left the Daily News, good reports in the weeklies, raves here and elsewhere on the net, I can't imagine that anyone with any interest at all in Amada is going to be reluctant to go based on press... I'll be eager to see another restaurant that's not in the expensive fine-dining model earn 4-Bells, and perhaps Amada will indeed do that someday as LaBan revisits his ratings. But that's another topic...

I had a really nice time at Ansill, I think it's going to be a big success. The new look is way more airy than Judy's was, and the bar area feels very elegant, yet comfortable for drinking as well as eating. They've got a smallish, but interesting selection of wines and beers, even French cider, fairly priced. We tried a TON of food, and it was all at least good, some of it excellent, and even the things that didn't thrill us might very well please someone else... I really like the format, very much a tapas-like offering of small plates, none very expensive, with a good balance of sophistication and simplicity. It probably comes down to personal preference, but I rather like the sudden flood of dishes, allowing interesting juxtapositions and combinations (what happens if I put one of those on one of those? oh, and dip it in that?!?) But if you'd prefer a more gradual progression of dishes, ask, or else everything is likely to come in a flurry. It was just dizzying enough array of plates that I'm likely to miss something, and I certainly don't have time to do any off them justice, but here are a few thoughts: Raw oysters were accompanied by an interesting cucumber gelée, which we decided would have been an excellent match for some different oysters. These briny, darker-flavored oysters cried out for something earthier as an accent (sorry, I don't recall what kind they were). Still, quite good, fresh. Uni crostini were subtle, but I liked them. Marrow crostini were sprinkled with a little coarse salt, and were quite successful if you like that full-on warm buttery cholesterol bomb thing. Again, nothing at all wrong with them, and I suspect marrow fans would love them, I prefer it as an element in a larger dish rather than the main attraction, but that's me... Shirred eggs were freaking awesome, with a pronounced truffle component, topped with a piece of seared foie gras. Great any time of the day. Close behind in my book was the braised pork belly, still a little fatty, but hey, it's pork belly! It was served on top of some good spaetzel and spinach with an inscrutable, but delicious sauce... Roasted fingerling potatoes with bacon were pretty straightforward, but quite enjoyable. Put the three together, and you've got an amazing brunch! I decided to throw caution to the wind, and hope that langoustines are chemically more lobster than shrimp, and I'm glad I did, they were clean, fresh and sweet, simply split and grilled. Excellent. And I'm still standing. Crispy little nuggets of sweetbreads were good, helped by the bacon and mushrooms underneath. Oxtail rillettes had good flavor, but a little bit goes a long way, that inherent fatty richness of the shredded meat combined with the gelatinous feel of the oxtails made for an odd mouthfeel when served cold like that. I know it's traditional, it's supposed to be like that, and I enjoyed small doses of it, but I felt guilty not making much of a dent in the deep bowl. Oh, and note to the kitchen, you need WAY more little crostinis to accompany that large of a portion. Grilled scallions were OK, but paled in comparison to the version at Amada, these were just kind of plain, although the tomatoey romanesco sauce with them was very tasty. A speck and goat cheese panini had good ingredients, but the bread was too thick and crusty, more like a split roll, making it very difficult to eat. With thinner slices of bread, I'm sure that would be a good sandwich,. The only thing we didn't really like was the Spanish Mackerel, but I suspect that's purely a personal preference, I don't think there was anything bad about it. It was a REALLY strong fishy fish, simply grilled. If you like that kind of thing, you'll probably love it. Cheese plates were very nicely done, with an array of interesting breads and crackers, good cheese and good accompaniments, especially some delicious honeycomb with the bleu... Overall, I'm not sure anything knocked us right off our chairs, but it was all at least solidly good, with a few things worth a special trip. But more to the point, this is going to be a really great spot to stop in regularly, get a glass of something and have a couple of small plates of your favorite things. I can easily see this becoming a regular haunt for anyone who lives anywhere nearby, as well as a destination for others. If I lived nearby, I'm afraid I'd be in there all the time... I liked the vibe, the concept, service was good, people were friendly. The sudden boom of interesting little foodie places in that few blocks, with Gayle, Southwark, and now Ansill is a bit surprising. Who'd have guessed it a couple of years ago? Toss-in Django, Ava, Next, Famous... the South Street area is becoming quite a dining destination again. Now if there was just somewhere to park...

This post comes rather late, I had the pleasure of experiencing another tasting menu toward the end of November, but it came right in the midst of a flurry of activity, and I just hadn’t had time to write it up with the attention this excellent meal deserved. But I made some notes and consulted with my dining partner, so I think my memories are fairly accurate. I’m really sad that my camera was in the shop during this dinner, as there were several quite beautiful presentations. Also, the meal was quite long, and toward the end featured some similar ingredients, so my dining partner and I ended up exchanging emails for a few days later, trying to reconstruct everything: “wait, was that a quail with the stuffing, or was that the squab?” Some photos might have helped! But to the best of my recollection, it went something like this: We did not get an menu in advance, and so, just showed up with several bottles of wine, and ended up drinking more of them than I expected! Following advice from the chef, we started with a Ravines Dry Riesling from the Finger Lakes of NY (I know, I’m in a rut, but it’s a good rut….) which actually went very nicely with the first few dishes. To get us started, an Amuse: Arugula lightly dressed with a truffled oil, alongside Duck Prosciutto. The greens would have made a very pleasant salad on their own, but the cured, concentrated duck added a wonderful salty, just slightly chewy, accent. That prosciutto could have stood on its own too, but the combination was especially good. A great start! Our first course was a quite beautiful presentation of several ceviches: A delicate Salmon brightened with a lemony dressing; Grouper dyed black with squid ink, which, in contract to its dark appearance had a light, fresh, gingery edge; a tender and rich tuna topped with American caviar; a spicy scallop that had quite a surprisingly bold chile kick, despite a creamy sauce. All were very good, especially the tuna and the scallop. The second course was a Pompano filet, crusted with a shrimp and olive tapenade. The fish was served over a pretty, but fairly subtle-flavored swirl of red and yellow pepper sauces. I really can’t comment on this dish as it was intended, because I had to remove that crust from the fish, and that component of the dish surely held some of the more interesting flavors. (I chose to do that rather than sending it back: I have a shrimp allergy, which I had mentioned at the time of reservation, and again when I confirmed a few days before the dinner, but I had failed to bring it up again that day. I’m quite sure that this issue wasn’t ignored, rather, just overlooked in a last-minute adjustment of the menu. I really should have reminded them again as I arrived, especially when I could tell they were improvising with the menu. I certainly could have just sent the dish back if I thought it would be life-threatening, but I could see that the offending elements could be removed quite neatly, and I could thereby avoid throwing-off the pace of the kitchen and our own meal, which as-is stretches out to several hours. And it’s not like I was hurting for good food!) I’d like to think my impression of this dish as being lackluster was due entirely to my not eating part of the presentation, but my dining partner seemed to think that crust added more texture than flavor, more of a breadcrumb topping with some salty accents, rather than strong with shrimp or olives. Right around this time in the meal, we switched to a really lovely light red Burgundy, a 2002 Cote de Nuits Villages "La Pretiere" Domaine Olivier & Anne-Marie Rion. This wine supported the next couple of courses quite nicely without overwhelming them. Next we were presented with an amazingly moist and flavorful Pheasant breast, accented with pomegranate sauce. But it was hard to see it, hidden as it was under a huge slice of seared foie gras. A tangle of wild mushrooms and a watercress salad with pomegranate seeds completed the plate. This was just outrageously good, with the acid of the pomegranate both matching the gaminess of the pheasant and cutting the richness of the foie. The fourth course was Quail with an earthy stuffing, served over barley. This too was juicy and tender, not always the case for these little birds in less-meticulous hands. The pheasant/foie is a tough act to follow, but this was still quite delicious. Somewhere mid-quail, we decided we needed a wine with a little more heft and opened the good-old Arrowood Syrah “Le Beau Melange” In an interesting technique, our server came and commandeered a glass of the Syrah and took it back to the kitchen, to be integrated into an intense, rich sauce for our final course: Squab, served over a bed of tender haricots vertes. Now there’s one way to assure a sympathetic wine pairing! It was an interesting exercise to experience three game birds in a row, each with its unique attributes, served with very different accompaniments. The squab had a very nice, strong flavor, and the syrah sauce, surely enriched with some demiglace or other kitchen alchemy, made it a bold ending statement. We were both expecting something more terrestrial as a final course, but I can’t say we were disappointed with the survey of avian flavors. Dessert consisted of individual Baked Alaskas, a charmingly retro choice, an airy ending to a large and luxurious meal. The cool meringue held some too-hard frozen raspberries, but it was otherwise tasty and a fun change of pace. As we were finishing this up, a generous diner from another table offered us a taste of his dessert wine, a truly delicious TBA from Alois Kracher. Overall, yet another terrific meal at the Birchrunville Store Café. Both the waitress and the chef remembered that Percy and I had posted here on eGullet a few weeks earlier, they had seen that post, and the earlier one when our big crew did a tasting a few months earlier, so I was not completely incognito, but it was obvious that we were not getting special treatment. Oh – except – in my last post I complained about the rolls, so, without my saying anything this time, chef sent out some quite lovely, herby bread instead! (I did like it better… ) I recently read some posts on another internet forum recommending this restaurant, but saying that it was a charming place with only OK food. I find this opinion mystifying, as most everything I’ve had here on many visits has been outstanding. The composition of this particular tasting menu, with three courses of game birds and nothing more conventionally “meaty” was surprising, but not disappointing, as all the offerings were quite delicious. The only downside was that the last few did blur into one another a bit, the next day it did take a few email exchanges for my dining partner and I to feel confident that we weren’t mixing up the components of the various bird courses. But one could have worse problems than being a little unclear about exactly what was so delicious… And again, at the risk of sabotaging a good thing: this restaurant charges almost unbelievably reasonable prices. The 6-course tasting menu is $70 before tax and tip, an amazing deal for food of this quality, prepared with such skill. Ordering off the menu offers similarly good value. I’m NOT suggesting they should raise the prices, I really enjoy getting a good meal without feeling that I can’t do it again for a year, which has been the case for me with a few places downtown. As has been noted upthread, there’s an understandable demand for tables on weekends, plan on reserving several weeks ahead. Even weekdays are often full, but it’s worth planning ahead for some of the most satisfying food I’ve had anywhere in the area, at any price. Tasting menus are only done by advance arrangement on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and pretty much take all night, so block-out 6pm-11pm, you’ll need it! I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I consider this one of the best BYOBs in the entire Philadelphia area, not just the ‘burbs. I’m thankful that it’s located out in the middle of nowhere, at least there’s some chance I can still get a table now and then!