philadining

StudioKitchen, January 31, 2006 Scallop Tartare, Tomato-Rhubarb Sorbet, Chive Oil Weingut Ratzenberger Riesling Brut Sekt Fresh, sweet scallops, given a little acid and crunch from a microscopic dice of tart apple, the mellow sorbet melting down among the cubes, melding with the grounded chive oil...a beautiful, bright way to start the meal. We've started many a meal at StudioKitchen with this sparkling Riesling, and for good reason, it's a nice aperatif on its own, and then often compliments an early course like this. sometimes you luck out when you can't eat scallops... Lemon Scented Kohlrabi Soup Scallions, Grapefruit Sweet Pecans "de Esplette" Heron Hill Dry Riesling I've decided that it's futile to try to rank Shola's soups, just when I was throwing up my hands, unable to pick a favorite among the squash soups, or those velvety lentil concoctions, along comes a Kohlrabi soup making a strong run at the winner's podium. It had that impeccable creamy texture that we've gotten used to at SK, this time with the round sweetness of an often-ignored root. The cool grapefruit sections were genius, as were the candied pecans, each playing off an aspect of the soup's flavor. The citrus and root vegetables suggested a riesling, and as we'd powered-through the sparkler, we popped a still, drier version from NY. On its own it was a respectable, if not thrilling wine, but it slotted-in just perfectly with this soup, making each taste even better. "Clam Chowder" Calasparra Rice Nueske Applewood Smoked Bacon Green Pea Water Roasted Potato Froth Vigna del Greppo Montecarlo Bianco We were talking about this while waiting for the rice to finish cooking: Shola has ruined us for other restaurant risottos. His always have this ideal balance of firm, toothsome rice, but an overall loose, but not soupy, consistency. I don't care what he puts in it, I'm going to love it, just to feel it rolling around in my mouth. In this case, some tiny clams, sweet peas and a ton of bacon, what could be bad about that?!? It actually teetered on the edge of too salty, but it wasn't, it was just bacon and clam-flavored. Jeeze, the rice is getting like the soups, just keep it coming, I can't possibly choose a favorite version. This was an odd mystery wine, I don't have any recollection of buying it, I couldn't find out much on line, but hey it was white and Tuscan, and what the heck, we gave it a try. And it was really quite good! There were a whole lotta grapes in that bottle, but together they made a nice, bright wine that countered the salt and smoke from the risotto really well. Skate Wings Roasted with Fennel Pollen Preserved Lemon "Pomme Ecrasee" Choucroute of Fennel Blood Orange Vinaigrette LaTour Montagny 1er Cru "La Grande Roche" 01 Skate wings are always tricky to get done just right, they're such an odd shape, with such variable thickness. Well, Shola must have hand-raised some skates in little rectangular boxes in the back room, because these sake wings were beautifully square and even. OK, maybe he didn't actually breed them to be that shape, more likely he applied a little WD mojo to two pieces of fish, to produce a more perfect wing. At least that's how it tasted, perfectly done throughout, with a perfect crunch on the ridges. A delicate citrusy sauce was a refreshing change from capers and brown butter. The potatoes were simply roasted and crushed, resulting in a pedestal for the fish that tasted, well, like a potato, but a vivid, creamy potato. Want to make them at home? Better start peeling those tiny bintjes...have fun! The very briefly pickled, paper-thin swirls of fennel made converts out of several who have always hated that ingredient. This white Burgundy was a really nice paring with the fish, and a lovely wine on its own. But then, this selection was inevitable, Capaneus has developed an odd pavlovian response: whenever I say "StudioKitchen" he reflexively blurts-out "burgundy". And you know, he's right. And don't ask whether to bring red or white, the answer is "yes." Veal Cheeks Braised in Banyuls Warm Potato-"Redondo Inglesias" Terrine Horseradish Cakebread Benchlands Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 David Arthur Meritaggio 1994 They'd better start raising little cows with extra cheeks, because this dish is enough to start a run on them... A long, low, sous-vide bath melted this meat down to just barely holding together, the texture alone was worth the trip. But the intense, almost syrupy wine sauce put it over the top. He probably could have gotten away with serving one piece, as far as portions go, but trust me, there would have been rioting. Good thing there were two on each plate. (Yes, yes, there's some sort of joke about turning the other cheek in there somewhere, but darned if I can find it...) The crisped-up slice of terrine of interleaved potato and ham was great on its own (we've already imagined a dream breakfast that combines this with the lobster scrambled eggs from a a few days ago) but it also gave a nice salty contrast to the sweet and rich meat. And yep, there they were again - some innocent little vegetables, a little roasted tomato, a few pods worth of baby peas ganging up on a tiny squash, meticulously peeled by the elves Shola must employ in the afternoons. Both of these wines complimented this course, in slightly different ways. The Meritaggio had a few more years to settle down and think things over, and a few more grapes to develop a consensus with, and indeed it expressed itself a little more eloquently than the straight cab. But there's nothing at all wrong with that Cakebread, it's a solid, beefy wine, but not bullyingly tough, it had just enough of a mellow side to not scare off the veal cheeks. Capaneus is convinced we should have opened a, you guessed it, Burgundy, and as much as it irks me, he's probably right. But I didn't miss it one bit. Frozen Cauliflower Cream, Blackberries, PX Vinegar Kiona 2003 Red Mountain Late Harvest Gewurztraminer Yes, I've actually gotten used to the Cauliflower ice cream, in fact it seems positively normal now. Each time, it's been a slightly different concoction, and this one was nice and subtle, but way more interesting than your basic vanilla. The semi-frozen berries didn't bother me, as they did some, but I could see that some experimentation is still called for. Regardless, I agree with other posts that the blackberry flavor was just perfect with the cauliflower, and the hint of Pedro Ximenez sherry vinegar was a crowning touch. These discs of cream were quick-frozen on the anti-griddle, which gave them an interesting chewy texture, which added to the appeal. That LH Gewurtz was really tasty, and managed to compliment both the cauliflower and the blackberries, no mean feat! Pineapple Carpaccio Olive and Marcona Almond Crumble Lavender Honey Ice Cream Spearmint Oil Two Hands Brilliant Disguise 2005 Moscato Hopler Noble Reserve Ausbruch Neusiedlersee 1981 Jeeze, I'm getting jaded... Dessert was delicious, of course, but even dragging my lavender-scented ice cream though crumbles of dried olives is seeming normal to me! That's not a complaint, although all the ice cream at the store tastes pretty blah to me these days. It was a lovely, light, refreshing dessert, with sour, sweet, salty, perfumey, tingly sensations pulling at your taste buds, but amazingly not fighting. Another perfect setting for that Two Hands moscato, but then, we're starting to believe that all occasions are good settings for that fizzy, peachy nectar. As if that weren't enough, we were lucky enough to steal a taste of what Shola was sipping to round out the night. That Hopler Noble Reserve was intense and full and complex, dense enough it was almost heading toward sherry. It was really delicious and a wonderful end to an outstanding meal. Even with a few more hours to consider it, Pedro and I are still thinking: best meal yet... Thanks to everyone who came, for the truly enjoyable company, and great wines, and good time over all. And once again, thanks to Shola for somehow outdoing himself yet again.

Ya ever have one of those days where you wake up on the couch, lights on, laptop JUST about to crash to the floor, several half-edited photos on the screen? No? Happens to me all the time... patience!! All in good time! All this fine living is destroying my stamina!

That's a good point Doc, and as one of Starr's "defenders" (he doesn't need my help, really...) I have hedged a bit mostly because I could see how people could end up with so-so meals at many of the places. I however will unequivocally say that I have had fantastic meals at Morimoto, Tangerine, Blue Angel, Alma de Cuba, El Vez, Pod and Striped Bass (under Christopher Lee). No caveats, not just a couple of good things here or there, or not good considering the group, or pretty decent for Philly. No reservations about the endorsement: all-out really terrific meals. I've had plenty of good dishes at some other spots. So at least in my experience, it's entirely possible to have a really satisfying meal purely from the cuisine side, even if you were blindfolded and earplugged... Now, how this will translate to NY - we'll just have to wait and see. He has very good chefs working at both places in NY. He had very talented chefs consulting on Buddakan NY. Whether that talent makes it to the plate, or gets lost in the crush of such big, scenster places, again, we'll see. But it absolutely has been my experience that in Philly, sometimes that kitchen talent does shine through the moody lighting.

I think I get it, and I'll agree with Sandy, that there's some intangible thing about amusingly-plated food, plated to share, that can make a night at a Starr restaurant pretty enjoyable, even if the food isn't earth-shakingly awesome. And that's not so different from enjoying a goofy "Mother's Little Helper" cocktail at Jones, it's not a great drink, but it's fun... The Starr places aren't always my first choice if I'm looking for the absolute best food, but I'll stand by my various claims in various other posts that I've had very good dishes at most of the restaurants. Maybe not everything, maybe not everywhere, but better than hit-or miss. Maybe I get lucky, maybe I have a knack for ordering the right thing, but I've gotten excellent food at Morimoto. I've had many good things at Pod. The duck with 5-spice jus at Buddakan was amazing. The octopus at Tangerine and at Alma de Cuba, rocked! I had a scallop and sweetbread special at Striped Bass that blew me away. There's lots more, that's just stuff off the top of my head. But the thing is that I've had really enjoyable meals even when the food was merely good, because I had a really good time overall. I'm confident it was lubricated somewhat by the surroundings and the forced sharing and all that Starr shtick. I would not have enjoyed it if the food sucked, but it wasn't crucial that it was profound. Sometimes it's perfectly sufficient to have something that's only a little creative, in an exciting environment, especially if it's a social occasion as much as a dining event. We had friends visiting from Holland who just LOVED Jones because it seemed so exotically American to them, and were thrilled to be hearing cheesy 80s new wave on the sound system. We've dragged a lot of people, locals and out-of-towners, to Pod, because it's just so freaking unusual. This would be idiotic if the food sucked, but it never has when I've gone. If someone asked for the best Asian food, we wouldn't go there, but if we're just trying to have a good time, especially with a group, it's just right. And I think that's one of the secrets that Starr has exploited masterfully: some people will be intimidated by a traditional Japanese restaurant, or a traditional Moroccan place, or whatever, but all his places are easier to navigate if you're not an expert, and have some easy outs for the timid or unadventurous. And that stuff gets sneered at by the foodies, but it's a freaking life saver if you're trying to have a pleasant night with a group. And sometimes that stuff is really good, I have relatives that can't stop talking about the Ramen soup at Morimoto. On the surface it's insane to go to Morimoto for Chicken noodle soup, but hey, if you like it you like it. A wasabi-crusted filet mignon is a pretty safe order, it's also delicious. (Go ahead, mock me if you think I'm too easily pleased. More for me.) I think these places are actually good entry points for people trying to expand their horizons. I think we should be happy that folks are experiencing Moroccan spices, or ceviche, or sushi, and not just another steak. Not everything at any of those restaurants is going to be great, some of it is going to be intentionally boring, and you'll be really glad of that if your Uncle Bob who won't eat anything has come along for your birthday dinner. But there are often talented people in those kitchens. Everybody's justifiably raving over Jose Garces at Amada, and you know what, he oversaw some great food at El Vez and Alma de Cuba before he opened his own restaurant. If you choose to disdain those places because they have hipster cocktails, it's your loss... I'm not saying that any of Starr's restaurants are producing the absolute apex of whatever cuisine they are surveying, but you can have a very good meal at most of them. But no place is right for every circumstance, if all you want is straight-ahead no-nonsense "authentic" cuisine, these are probably not the spots for you.

Ahh, you've put your finger on an interesting analogy: there's almost constant complaining about Bruni's reviews in The Times here on this site, but I haven't heard a lot of claims that we don't really have standing to comment because most of us haven't worked as professional critics at major newspapers. As JohnL says, many of us are avid restaurant goers and readers and are able to form valid opinions about restaurant reviews without a journalism degree. It doesn't matter if Bruni had a time crunch that week, it doesn't matter if the editor told him to cut 50 words. What's on the page? Surely classical music critics need some musical education, but are we really saying that they can't competently critique a violin solo without being able to play the instrument? Yes, a restaurant critic can benefit from knowing how a restaurant works, but she doesn't need to have good knife skills or be able to memorize today's specials to understand that. If I get a piece of fish that's not cooked the way I asked for it, there are lots of ways that could have happened. Even if I've worked every position in the place, how can I possibly know whether the waiter didn't write it down correctly, or legibly, or if the line cook just doesn't know how to get that fish to medium rare, or if it's been sitting because the expediter's lost? I can't, and I don't care whose "fault" it is: the restaurant didn't get the fish to me the way I asked. There are certainly times when yo can tell that the kitchen is good and the service is undermining it, and vice-versa, but again, I don't think one needs to have donned an apron to get that. I used to run a Hobart, I kind of got into the zen repetition thing... I still perversely enjoy the feel of really hot plates... I don't think it gave me any insight at all into assessing my dining experience. If I have a dirty fork, it doesn't help that I know how that can happen.

The opening lines of Alan Richman's book FORK IT OVER make a good argument: Clever, sure, but I agree with the general idea. As stated upthread, music critics don't necessarily have to be virtuosi to be able to discern well-played music from bad. Film critics don't have to know how to pick lenses or write screenplays to render an opinion on whether a film works. One doesn't need to know how to fly a plane in order to understand that crashing it into the ocean is bad. More knowledge is usually helpful, but I don't think a restaurant critic necessarily has to know how hard it is to be a server, or what's involved in making the food in order to tell us whether the food was tasty, and whether the whole experience was pleasant. It's all well and good to have sympathy for a kitchen or FOH in the weeds, but still, we're paying customers, it really shouldn't matter what's going on with the staff. Yes it's a hard job, yes, all kinds of things go wrong, but that happens everywhere, and one doesn't hear that kind of understanding for other vocations too often. Yeah, sure the wheels fell off your car, but come on man, give the guys a break, maybe the main bolt-tightener threw a fit and walked off the job. They sold you the car as if it were perfect, but deal with it, these things happen... Suck it up, pay for it, and hey, tip the guy too while you're at it, he's underpaid.

Thanks, everyone, for the compliments about the photos, it's good to have something interesting to shoot! If anybody's interested, I added some impressions of the meal to my original post.

StudioKitchen, January 28, 2006 Lobster Scrambled Eggs, Fines Herbes, Marscarpone, "Americaine" Nage I'm SO sad Percy wasn't here to experience this.... It was creamy, luxurious, truly decadent-tasting. This would be an incredible brunch dish, or indeed perfect breakfast on a cold sunday morning. But I'm happy to eat eggs anytime, so I thought it made a great starter for this dinner. We'd had already opened some good Champagne to start, and I couldn't imagine anything better to drink with this, so we kept pouring... Spicy Foie Gras "Nimono", Yellowfoot Chanterelles, Burdock Root, Shaved Bonito I could have just inhaled the aromas wafting up from this bowl and gone home happy, it had such a beautiful perfume, evoking a homey slow-simmered Japanese stew. And the taste of it recalled those same traditional Japanese flavors, although one would probably expect unagi rather than foie gras. I was glad to have that seared foie though, bringing a level of elegance to this fundamentally comforting dish. Butternut Squash Soup, Sweet Spices, Quail Eggs, Chicken Salmorejo I've had several variations on squash soup here, and they are elbowing one another for their places in line, they were all pretty spectacular. How does one choose? The version accented by lemon vapors and stewed apples, or roasted pheasant, or this one with a tiny poached egg and vinegary chicken? I'll take any of them, but this last one was awesome. A dry NY Gewurztraminer from Hazlitt was almost right with this, but it needed a little more heft and spiciness. A bigger Gewurtz would have been perfect. Squid Ink Bomba Rice, Stewed Cuttlefish and Blue Crab, Piperade Jus, Fennel Pollen, Manni Olive Oil All the risotto-like dishes I've been getting here lately have been made with Spanish rice, and I'm not sure how much that ingredient has to do with it, or if it's all technique, but I just love the texture Shola gets with still slightly firm rice in a just-barely loose sauce. The seafood gave a nice tender chew and light marine flavor. A Grgich Fumé Blanc matched really nicely here, the bright flavors cutting the density of the creamy rice, and complimenting the fish. Pan Roasted Quail, Scottish Wood Pigeon Ravioli, Bergamot Scented Prunes Chestnut Puree, Peppered Prune Jus The quail was roasted to a perfect medium rare, still juicy and surprisingly bold-flavored for such a delicate little bird. The ravioli had an ethereal spice to it from a dash of Sancho pepper, and the peppery fruity jus tied it all together neatly. I enjoyed both elements of this dish, but the peppery ravioli really hangs in my memory, especially in contrast with a chunk of fruit. The Prunes cried out for Pinot, and we opened two French Burgundies, the LaTour Beaune that we've all been pretty fond of around here, and one from my stash of Billard 1er Cru Beane "Les Epinottes" for what Pedro dubbed a "diagonal tasting". I liked both wines, but might reluctantly agree with Pedro and Diann that the LaTour was a little better here. An even more fruity Californian might have been good too. Breast of Veal "Saltimbocca", Boudin of "Ris De Veau" Braised Veal Cheek Vanilla-Turnip Fondant, Rainwater Madiera Jus, Cepe and Horseradish Emulsion Veal three ways: a breast rolled with prosciutto and sage, slowly poached sous-vide; a "sausage" of sweetbreads; a falling-apart cheek. The breast was amazingly tender and juicy and bold with sage flavor. The sweetbreads had a soft, almost bread-pudding texture, contributing a subtle richness. I generally like sweetbreads crisped-up a little more, but this version was quite nice in combination with the cheeks perched on top. The cheeks themselves had a very big flavor, and that pleasant, just barely gelatinous texture that makes them so addictive. But the part that really had me shaking my head in amazement was the purée of turnip, brightened with a bold note of vanilla. Those two flavors were unexpectedly simpatico, and then blended with the veal and the madiera flavors in a profound way. Wow, vanilla turnips... a new fave. And wait - - was that a little raft of green beans?!? And carrots under the veal breast? Like, conventional veg on a StudioKitchen plate!!?! (You know, it was good!) Right around this time the wine situation stated getting a little confusing, I know we had a Chateauneuf de Pape that I liked with this, and more more.... wine scribe!! help!! And the much-anticipated appearance of The AntiGriddle... which enabled the creation of: Cauliflower-Mandarin Orange Antipancake (OK, I'll admit it, I made up the name...) The raw materials, the dark-batter for our anti-pancakes, was similar to the foundation of the Cauliflower Ice Cream to come, but the addition of mandarin orange syrup, and the novel preparation made it into a whole new thing. A quick freeze on the subzero surface gave these little discs an almost chewy texture, and created a fascinating succession of flavors as the ingredients warmed at their own pace: orange, then cauliflower, then orange again... crazy. Cool. Peach – Ginger Confit, Cauliflower Ice Cream, Frozen Mint Oil Demerara-Olive Crumble, Elderflower Syrup This cauliflower ice cream was more delicately flavored than the version I had at a previous visit, or perhaps it just harmonized better with the peach. Whatever the reason, it was delicious. The crunch provided by the crumble under the ice cream was fascinating itself: nutty, sugary, then pulled back by a salty hint of olive. We had a sudden wave of Moscato, all of which were pretty darn good here, but the Two Hands was just about perfect, with its peachy, flowery nose. There were several more bottles of wine opened during and after dinner, we had a rather disturbing amount of wine, 16 bottles among the 8 of us, perhaps a few too many, given the ultimate condition of more than one of our party... Full list to follow, maybe, if our designated wine scribe can find his notes! Thanks for putting this together Karen, and for the invite. And thanks Shola, for another incredible meal!

You could always turn it over to CSI:Philadelphia. Yes, that's right, the Crispy Scrapple Investigators. Hey, that's all my time, you guys have been great, give yourselves a hand, and don't forget to tip the cocktail waitresses...

Ahh, didn't know about that one. "Artisan..." is at 12th and Passyunk, but I wasn't sure how literally "down the block" was meant!

I think that's the Artisan Boulanger Patisserie mentioned above...

A restauranteur into making money?!??! Scandalous!! I'm not suggesting that Morimoto is going to be the best Japanese restaurant in NY, but if the places were all flash and hype and no substance, Starr could have bought a few more blinky lights and hired some schmuck to cook. Yes, he's a master of PR and buzz, but he also hires good people in the kitchens, or, as with Morimoto, partners with them. No, Starr's places are not entirely about the food. Many fine restaurants are not only about the food. I suspect many of us here on eGullet prefer no-hype, chef-driven restaurants and wouldn't really mind if the dining room were an unrenovated garage, if it had comfy chairs. But a lot of folks, with a lot of cash, like a bit of glitz and flash, and actually enjoy those expensive silly specialty drinks. But do you really think Morimoto is going to serve complete crap at a NY destination with his name on it? Michael Schulson is a good chef, did he give that talent away when he came to Buddakan in NY? Vadouvan is right: the eG crowd and Asian food purists are not the target audiences for Morimoto and Buddakan. But I still maintain that there will probably be some good food to be had at both places. Maybe not everything... maybe nothing will surprise or thrill us eG sophisticates, but the restaurants are not just PF Changs with better lighting design.

I think that the presumption that the restaurant Morimoto in Philadelphia was a concept in search of a high-profile chef is not entirely accurate. There are reports of Steven Starr insisting that certain dishes had to be on that menu, but from reading several articles, I got the sense that the restaurant and the menu is largely what Masaharu Morimoto wanted, not a theme park to which he attached his name. And I'm sure the same is true for NY, there will be some design and marketing aspects that Starr will have insisted on, but the food will be primarily Morimoto's, and (not that this would be an inherently bad thing) he's not a Philly guy trying to make it in NY, he's a chef who's done serious work in Tokyo and NY. The idea quoted from Eater that the (philly) restaurant is too large for him to cook at in any meaningful way is odd, it's not that large a space, and do we really have the expectation that celebrity chefs are making all of our food? He's generally been around in Philly, and in the kitchen. Sure, he does a bit of meet and greet out in the dining room, but that's not unusual for famous chefs. The NY restaurant looks much bigger, and with restaurants in two cities I suppose one could grouse that he can't possibly be all that hands-on at either. That said, it's hardly a unique situation these days, and in the specific case of the NY location, you can bet he'll be there all the time for quite a while. Stylistically, the food in the philly location is, as Steven suggests, largely a Nobu knock-off, but a well-executed one. (I have not eaten at Nobu, but I have compared the menus: Yellowtail tartare with caviar and yuzu, rock shrimp tempura, salad-ized sashimi, roasted black cod, a fancified donburi, etc.) That said, I found the omakase to be quite tasty, if not innovative. I would expect that he'd push the boundaries a bit further for the NY scene. And a hot-rock rice-bowl dish: a fusion of Donburi, BiBimBap and sashimi that they called "Yellowtail BuriBap" was really great. Morimoto's a stickler about rice, and it shows... It will be interesting to see if the food gets way more innovative, or if they rely on the formula that's been working. Both Morimoto and Buddakan could probably make money simply duplicating their Philly concepts. They might not win-over the dining cognoscenti, but there are plenty of folks in NY, natives and tourists alike, who would be susceptible to the charms of the theatrical settings and interesting-enough menu. It may not be new in NY, but it will be well-executed. I certainly hope that both will not simply replicate themselves, and will indeed rise to the challenge of NY competition. We'll see...

Thanks for the vote of confidence JeffL, but I actually can't think of just the right place for what mod*betty's looking for. There's some good food to be had in the area, but I just don't know of any spots that would be especially good for just drinks and apps. From my experience in this geographical area, all the recommendations upthread are decent ideas, any of those places might be fine, but none of them are seeming like just the right thing to me... especially vis-a-vis the desire for something low-key and authentic. Even Taqueria Michoacana and Epicurean are anything but low-key on friday nights. Percy, got any ideas? I'll keep thinking...

raji, it's certainly true that Philly does not have lots of high-end Japanese restaurants. That said, I've known a few New Yorkers (even Yasuda fans) and world-travelers who were impressed with Morimoto. But I doubt anyone would call it an "authentic" Japanese restaurant. The pictures linked above make the NY spot look a little unfinished, Steven Starr restaurants are all pretty slick, so I suspect it's a little more together from a design standpoint than those pics suggest. I think I prefer the warmer feel of the smaller Philly location: But then, I'll wait to see the NYC version to say that for sure... I suspect that there'll actually be some good food there, but it might be hard to find amid the buzz and beauty and hype.

I've never had any complaints about the service being gruff or rude, just S-L-O-W... It's not that big of a crisis, just mystifying, as I've usually been there mid-afternoon, when there's nobody else there, and it would take just forever to get a couple of tacos. And I'll agree with serpentine: I've mostly gotten tacos there, and they've sometimes been incredibly good, and they've sometimes been rather bad... Sadly the last few times I've gone they've been mediocre at best. They certainly have the potential to be quite good, but it just hasn't been happening for me lately.

That's the shot of the night! In the feeding frenzy, I forgot to look down and notice that the plate was so lovely! Thanks for capturing that Percy!

It's true that there were not many plates going back that hadn't been practically licked-clean (I didn't even SEE the duck flatbread, somebody called the duck!) but I'm just saying, if one wanted to just go have a reasonably-sized dinner it wouldn't necessarily get up to $65 per person. But you'd have to be sure to not go with an eG crowd...

Just a quick note about the cost: we actually ended up having 5 pitchers of Sangria, 2 of a few of the tapas, including the mixed charcuterie (probably could have gotten away with one of those, even among 11 of us) and we officially had roast pork for 8, which was no stretch at all to serve 11. We made a good dent in everything, but probably could have ordered a few fewer tapas, maybe even pork for 6, we really had loads of food. The $65 each included tax and service, and I think it was well worth it. Anybody with any self-restraint at all could get out cheaper, but that was not what we were about on sunday night! Thanks are due Katie for putting in a good word for us, but it was obvious from looking around that we weren't getting extra-special treatment, service seemed quite good all around. It's a little loud in there, but not as brutal as some places. I'm SO ready to go back...

Holy Boquerones!!! Wow! The Amada porkapalooza was quite a success on pretty much every level. Eleven of us got together to try Amada's roast suckling pig, and you didn't really expect us to resist some tapas as well did you? I'm sure others will chime in, but I honestly thought everything was delicious, there wasn't a single clunker among the many things we tried. The main event, the roast pork, was excellent, but was given some serious competition by the tapas, and even the side dishes. Details and descriptions to follow, but here are a few things we had. Lighting is pretty dim in the restaurant, making photography a bit of a challenge, and dishes were coming fast and furious, so I didn't get good shots of everything, but I think you can get a sense of the amazing spread we enjoyed... Red Sangria White Sangria I stuck with the red, and loved it, it's really nice and bright and fresh, the best sangria I've ever had. And despite some other whining around the web, at least to my palate there was NOT too much cinnamon, I thought it was a nice ethereal accent, not an overwhelming presence. complimentary flatbread with dip Mixed Charcuterie Cheese more cheese... Patatas Bravas Tortilla Espanola Chiparones en su Tinta (Squid in its ink) Piquillos Rellenos (Crab-stuffed Peppers) and sorry, we got eating so fast I couldn't get pictures of Pulpo Callego (Spanish Octopus) Gambas al Ajillo (Garlic Shrimp) Croquetas de Jamon (Ham Croquettes) Coca: Pato con Higos (Duck with Figs and Cabrales) I managed to try most of these, and they really all were delicious. I think I liked the Ham Croquettes and the Octopus the most, but just barely.... Oh, right, we ordered a roasted pig... The pork was just outrageously good, we were each served a good portion of juicy, tender meat, as well as some crispy skin, and we still had this left over... and the pork came with excellent side dishes: Rosemary White Beans Grilled Green Onions Herb Roasted Fingerling Potatoes Chickpeas with Spinach sorry...I was busy eating... no pic. By the time we'd finished with all this, we were seriously stuffed... but we decided to take one for the eGullet team, and in the interest of more complete reportage, we got a couple orders of: Chocolate Five Ways All of which was really delicious, but we had some savage spoon-fights over the intense, but appropriately small items. We probably could have ordered 11 of these... And we finished up with a complimentary almond tuille I'm sure some more folks will add details and impressions, but I have to say that I was incredibly impressed, it's pretty rare to get this much food and to like all of it... So I'll have to concur with the the general drift so far in this topic: Amada has quickly made its way into the ranks of the best restaurants in the city, I'm eager to go back. Big thanks to Diann for getting this together, it was a great culinary evening, and a social one too. It was great seeing many eG folks again, and meeting some for the first time as well. Hope to see you all again soon!

yikes! Percy, that looks pretty awful! It's such an odd contrast. I've gotten a few things that were only OK, but so far, nothing quite as bad as a few of the things you've ended up with! The long drive probably isn't helping, but can't explain it all. Like the mole sauce... I've had it on enchiladas a couple of times and it was really very tasty. I think there's some sort of chemical reaction happening: weird cosmic rays emanating from the styrofoam that are sabotaging your food!! But yeah, the answer might be to eat there... Anyway, sorry to hear about your continuing bad luck, I feel somewhat responsible!

Tonight, for take-out: Tamales They were a little salty, but comforting with tender stewed pork. and Flautas These were quite good, with flavorful shredded chicken, especially drizzled with the weird-looking creamy green salsa they have. Good solid stuff, I'd get either again.

My last three trips to La Lupe left me kind of cold. Service was indeed REALLY slow, and the food was only OK. I like the whole vibe, but I've been enjoying the food better at the other Mexican places lately. Taqueria Veracruzana, Plaza Garibaldi, Taco Riendo, Mexico Lindo over in Camden, have all seemed better to me. That's not to say La Lupe isn't any good, friends and I just haven't been loving what we've gotten there recently (usually tacos...)

I'm pretty sure they use "bureau minced meat idea powder" at WD-50... or soon will...

you're not crazy: I think there might be wording on their sign, or awning, or somewhere, that at least looks like "Vientiane" as you drive by. It could be an optical illusion. Or maybe they got a deal on an old awning... But I remember going by there a while ago and having a similar confusing moment, thinking that it just didn't seem like where I thought Vientiane was.