philadining

jeeze, me too... that Sulmona is an awesome thing to behold!

I had a very nice brunch at Rx today, nothing earth-shattering, just a good, solid, satisfying meal. I ordered a frittata with nicely spicy chorizo. I was almost a quiche, right down to its wedge shape, but I mean that in a good way. There was a good integration of flavors and cheesey solidity, it wasn't just scrambled eggs with a fancy name, as one gets at some places. It was accompanied by an excellent simple salad. DDP had a mushroom and cheese omelet which looked great, and he liked a lot. He had the same greens on the side. Feeling a need for a little more protein, he ordered some bacon on the side, which was really good: thick-cut and a little sweet. Good coffee, friendly service, nice lazy afternoon vibe... perfect.

hey Kobi, thanks for the post! I've never made it past the pork at DiNic's, but next time, I'm trying the roast beef, just like you had it, it looks great. And yeah, nobody ever believes me either, but I sometimes get an awesomely perfect steak at Pat's. Maybe not every time, but when they're on, they're on. So I hear ya man....

Elisa Ludwig visits this place for The City Paper and seems to like it.

OK, I'll bite (or maybe I won't...) what are "lights"?

Yet another rave review for Majolica, this time from Maxine Keyser in The City Paper

It's probably a little cruel to rave about a long-gone Chairman's Selection, but last night Katie was kind enough to pop a bottle of that 2000 Cakebread Benchlands Cabernet that was offered a while back. I'm psyched that I still have two bottles of this on deck... It was quite lovely on its own, but freaking transcendent with both a buffalo sirloin with apricots, prunes and Barolo sauce, and lamb chops with Calvados sauce. Those dishes were part of an excellent meal at Water Lily just across the bridge in Joisey. Yes, that's right, we brought PA wines to Jersey, we're trying to make up for some of the Moore Brother's flow in the other direction.... So if you happen to have grabbed any of that Cab last spring, think about saving it for a piece of bison, or a nice lamb chop, we can promise you'll be happy with the combination.

In the interest of staying off the roads on the night before Thanksgiving, I took the folks to Desi Village in King Prussia. They were about half-full, mostly with large groups of Indian people. They had a special menu in addition to the regular one, and from that, we ordered chicken mushroom soup that was creamy and vibrant. Also from that menu was a special Kashmiri Lamb dish, which was one of the best things I've had there. Large chunks of lamb were stewed until just barely holding together in a thick slightly sweet brown sauce sparkling with coriander and other spices. I wish this was on the regular menu. We tried the Chicken Bhartha again, which was a big hit at the table. We also got the crowd pleaser Chicken Tikka. They brought Chicken Tikka Masala instead, but it looked and smelled so good I wasn't about to send it back. And indeed, it was really delicious, the mild, creamy, tomatoey sauce complimenting the extremely tender cubes of chicken. There's a reason that people that don't even like Indian food like this dish.... And once again, one of the highlights was the bread, so fresh and hot we burned our fingers on it. And I'll happily do it again! Everything was very satisfying, and portions were so large, three of us barely finished half of what we ordered. Made a wonderful lunch today, and there's still more, so I'm happy...

Still feeling a little thanksgiving-y, I decided on butternut squash and after some debate, pine nut flavors. The squash was a little sweet with nice cinnamon and nutmeg spices. The pine nut went really well with the squash, it had a really pleasing creamy, buttery mouthfeel. Both were great. The (original) place was hopping at almost midnight, the day after thanksgiving.

This is actually a pretty great deal believe it or not... This is pretty much what it would cost to eat a comparable dinner at Le Bec, but then you'd feel compelled to order a decent bottle of wine, or two... which is not going to be cheap. But at this dinner, they not only are serving what looks like an excellent menu, you basically drink for free, with matched wines for every course. This usually adds a significant premium to the meal. I agree, it's not cheap, and I initially dismissed it as you did, but after running the numbers a bit, it started looking better! Sadly, I'm busy that day and can't make it, but I would go if I could!

Thanks! Interestingly, as of tuesday afternoon, it's still not linked from the main dining page, or as the "Latest Review" on LaBan's page. Nor does it appear in their RSS feeds, either for LaBan's reviews or for the more general Dining category. It's possible that they're holding these off for a few days on purpose, it may appear by thursday, when they usually send out a dining update email. They may be quite understandably trying to encourage people to buy the Sunday paper! It just seems to me that in the past I've been able to find the week's review on-line by late sunday, early monday, linked from the obvious sources. It does show up in their search engine if you know what to search on...

I'm somewhat mystified by the review of The Chef's Table, there's no evidence of it on-line anywhere, and LaBan's reviews are usually up before now. Was it in the regular Images section of the print version, or was it in a regional section? I'm feeling pretty confident of it not being on-line, because they do a pretty slick job of syndicating the dining section via RSS, and I don't see it showing up in any of the recent posts, not do I find it by clicking around their Dining pages. Odd...

Glad to hear that you enjoyed Pesto, we'll have to give it a try sometime. Now, do we think the waiter's mom calls him Francesco? (why am I such a cynic?)

One could argue that Nan, at 40th and Chestnut, is an Asian-Fusion BYOB, and it's one of my favorite places in the city. But I'll certainly agree that in the hands of a less-assured chef, that concept could be a disaster.

Oh sure, go ahead, tell everybody, now there'll be none left for us....And yeah, one could buy it ahead of time, but that removes my favorite part: deciding what I'm in the mood for at that exact moment in time. Keeping a pint of everything in the freezer at home gets impractical. Not that I'm not willing to try.

download flash7 ← or if you did get the PL logo, click it....

Indeed, as rlinkind says, give us a few more clues about what you like. Even the fancy places aren't all that stuffy here in Philly... It's hard to go wrong trolling for lunch at the Reading Terminal Market, and it's got plenty of local character. Another edge of our dining scene that's very characteristic of Philly is our array of BYOBs, where you can get a very nice meal for not much money, with the benefit (or annoyance) of bringing your own wine. Current faves with this crowd include Django, Pif, Matyson, Melograno, Radicchio, Marigold, Rx, Pumpkin, Lolita and Nan... there are more... some of them are very hard to get a reservation at on a weekend, others don't take reservations at all, which can work out great for you if you go early or late, or be a big pain if you hit the middle of a rush. Philly has some very good places in Chinatown, but one of the few that seems especially unusual is Rangoon, which serves Burmese food, often hard to find even in cosmopolitan cities. there's plenty of homey Italian, we can recommend specifics if you are interested. Philly gets a lot of press for the flashy, trendy, stylish places owned by Steven Starr, and although I take from your post that you'd probably want to stay simpler than these places, I've always had good meals at Tangerine (Moroccan-ish) Pod (Asian Fusion) and El Vez (Mexican.) Can get pricey, especially drinks, but dinner is usually memorable. We also have some very fine gastro-pubs, with excellent local beers and good food too. I'm personally fond of Standard Tap and North Third, both of which are in Northern Liberties, a short drive or cab ride from Center City. Sandy's right about Philly being very walkable, so to some degree it doesn't matter where you stay as long as you are right in center city, you can probably walk to some interesting places pretty easily. Let us know where you're considering, we'll warn you off any REALLY bad ideas. Again, give us some more ideas of what you like, we'll try to steer you to something you'll enjoy! (edited to add, yeah, what Katie said, listen to her!)

Just for the record, Capogiro is NOT open on thanksgiving day. I'll pretend to be disappointed for the sake of our out-of-state visitors, but I'm actually just bummed that I'm not going to be able to finish off the day with a scoop of pumpkin gelato. You know, I wouldn't be all that surprised if they had Turkey Gravy flavored gelato... But if you find yourselves near 13th and Sansom, or 19th and Sansom, on wednesday or friday, ya gotta go...

wkl and mummer had some great ideas (bringing some Capogiro gelato would make you the hit of the party for sure, if you had some way to keep it cold. I don't know if they'll be open on thansgiving day for you to grab some on your way out. The bigger problem would be that you would be in imminent peril of eating all of it before you got there...) Pastries from Isgro's is a good idea, although the crowds at those great bakeries get pretty nutty right before holidays. The Italian Market (where Isgro's is located) is not really close to where you're staying, but it's not too far, and there are other cool shops to explore as well. DiBruno's and Claudio's are great cheese shops on 9th street. Claudio's makes outrageously good little fresh mozzerella balls at a place next to main store. There's also an awesome DiBruno's store in on center City, on Chestnut street, near 19th, that is SURE to have something appropriate. If you had a cooler or something to keep things cold, a selection of cheeses either from Downtown Cheese in the Reading Terminal or from DibRunos or one of the places in the Italian Market, would go over at a thanksgiving extravaganza, I'm sure. All of those places have other less-perishable food as well. -- As for eating near your hotel, there are lots of restaurants nearby, but most of them in that neighborhood are on the expensive/fancy side. But the Pagoda Noodle Cafe is pretty solid Chinese food, and barely a block from the Sheraton Society Hill. Walk north on 2nd street (out of the main doors of the hotel, take a right) and just a little past Bookbinders, on the right, there's an open area that's a tiny historical park of some sort. There's a parking garage on the far side of this open space, and the Ritz Old City theater toward the back. Under the garage, just before the theater is where the Pagoda Noodle Cafe is. It's officially on "Sansom Walk" but I don't recall ever seeing a sign for that. The noodle soups there are very good (most of them very large for sharing) and I like the fact that you can order individual Peking Duck rolls. Most things I've ordered there I've liked. Or if you continue north on 2nd street up to the next stoplight, that's Chestnut street, and if you turn right there, there are a couple of possibilities. There are two Afghan restaurants, Ariana and Kabul. I've seen plenty of kids in those places, and while not super-casual or super-cheap, it's good, interesting food, and not too weird for the little ones, a basic kebab on rice is usually a crowd pleaser. I think Kabul is a little more formal than Arianna. In that same zone, there's also the Aromatic House of Kebabs on that same block, and that's very casual, pretty inexpensive, and while not the best kebabs on the planet, they're pretty good. Also on that block is the Mexican Post, which serves fairly average Tex-Mex food in a slightly grungy atmosphere, but I'll admit to it being a guilty pleasure from time to time... It's a pretty loud bar scene later in the night, in fact all of Old City is, but earlier in the evening it should be fine for the family. If you continue up 2nd street to Market Street, then make a right, down a short block there's a fantastic retro ice-cream shop called the Franklin Fountain. If you don't take your kids there at least once during your stay, we might have to report you to the authorities. If instead you turned left on Market, there are a couple of sandwich places where one can get a credible Philly Cheesesteak or hoagie. Campo's and Sonny's are between 2nd and 3rd on Market, and while not my favorite in all of Philly, they're not bad at all, and have the benefit of being walking distance from your hotel. They're very affordable, good sandwiches, and the places are totally kid-friendly. A little bit further up Market, there's a nice restaurant called Fork that might be a touch too swanky for the kids, but right next door is something called "fork etc." that has prepared foods, baked goods etc, and a few tables, so it's more of a cafe vibe. You might be able to find something actually gourmet-ish to eat, but in a more casual environment that the kids would groove on. Come to think of it, you might even find something there to take to thanksgiving dinner, so check that out on wednesday! Slightly off in a different direction, at 6th and Chestnut, there's a place called Jones that serves homey comfort food, in an ironic, 1970s setting. It can be a little bit of a mob scene, and ends up being pricey for what's often basically gussied-up diner food, but it IS actually gussied-up, the food is well-prepared, and I've really enjoyed most of the things I've eaten there. Your kids won't get the joke of eating in what looks like the Brady Bunch family room, but they'll probably find something they'd like to eat, and you will too. As you stroll around your general neighborhood, you'll see more, it's one of the denser concentrations of restaurants around town. maybe something will appeal to you. There are a few very well-regarded places in the vicinity, like Amada and Tangerine, (maybe Buddakan depending on who you're asking) but I wouldn't consider any of those great spots for kids. And of course there's lots more to choose from elsewhere in the city, but these places you could walk to, which saves the hassle of moving the car, and burns some energy by letting the kids run around a bit on the way.

I've always assumed that a simple condensation of the review with a "revisited" indicates that he stands behind his original rating. I seem to recall seeing some note being made if a place got significantly better or worse, or if major changes happened in the kitchen. I do not recall if these notes are added to the original reviews archived on-line, or if they only appear in sidebars recommending similar, or nearby restaurants. It's very unusual for LaBan to do a full second review of a place unless it's a pretty major destination AND has undergone some significant change, such as the re-opening of Bookbinder's. So I'd be very surprised to see an new review of Moro, regardless of its location. Do you think that his review of Moro is still accurate? Obviously it's an inherent problem with restaurant reviews, the entity is changing all the time, with churning in personnel, or the same people getting better or worse at what they do, menu evolution, concept shifts, etc. I'm not sure there's a perfect way to keep on top of that, but I do like those notes indicating that a reviewer has been there recently, so one can assume it's largely the same as when last described. And then there's eGullet for up-to-the-minute updates!

I'm not sure the pictures really need any commentary, but if anyone's interested, I crammed-in some words amidst the images for that thursday night SK dinner on the original post.. And just a reminder to folks looking to organize a dinner at SK, there's a thread dedicated to that very thing, pinned near the top of the PA forum. With a little notice, there should be no trouble rounding up enough people to fill-out your table, but do start as soon as you can, believe it or not, it can sometimes be hard to get people to say yes, even to this!

Well you guys already know that I'm out lurking on the sidewalk most nights, holding a sign saying "I need a miracle"

I edited my post to include the menu descriptions, but excellent guesses! Yes, lobster, but carrot gave the color to the sauce. Ahh, why have squab when you can have squab, partridge and quail? One of the guests said it was like a Chunky candy bar, remember those? It was way better than that of course, super-intense but not over sweet, both the fudgy-cakey tart and the espresso-chocolate-chestnut sorbet. I had nothing to do with the wines this time, and once again had my hands full enough that I couldn't take detailed notes, but there was an outrageous array of world-class wines that night, and despite my recent advocacy of modest, supportive wines, these served as extremely enjoyable pairings, complimenting the food beautifully. I'll post details as I can remember them, I need to consult some photos I snapped!

Yo Evan, nice pics! I'm amazed that he's still standing (I guess Ferky should confirm for us that Shola IS standing at the end of friday night!) 4 StudioKitchen dinners in a row means he's been going non-stop. It's interesting to see how he sometimes does variations on a theme, riffing on the same dishes until he's happy with them, but then sometimes does something completely different. I don't think anything on the menu I experienced was on the one the night before. Some elements of the dessert might have been similar, but that's about it. As has been posted here many times, I just don't know how he does it: at each visit you think you've had as good as it gets, but next time it gets better...

StudioKitchen 17 November, 2005 Aperitif: Charles Heidsick "Mis en Cave 1995" Brut Reserve Lemon Cured Scallop Sashimi Fig – Olive Tapenade, Cucumber Sorbet, Lemon Balm, Mint Oil Chavignol Sancerre "Les Monts Dames" 2002 Saint Peray Rhone 2003 The lemon had just barely started to firm-up the scallop, so it hovered in that mysterious zone between sashimi and ceviche, retaining an ultra-fresh and pure taste, but with a pleasing textural complexity. The olives and figs provided a subtle, low, grounding anchor, while the sorbet threatened to lift the fine dice of scallops off the plate. That clean, fresh, bright flavor of cucumber really made this dish exciting. This was a tricky one with wine, these two very lovely, elegant whites weren’t quite right here. Shola suggested that Sake would be good, and we actually had great success with an old, sweet Auslese that sadly got lost in the shuffle, so I can’t report on its specifics. Maine Lobster "Cuit Sous Vide" Lobster Galette, Piperade Jus, Ginger Leek Confit, Carrot Shellfish Emulsion Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevreres Domane Remi Jobard 1999 Meursault "En La Berre" Francois Jobard 2000 The lobster was vibrantly full of flavor from its brief sous-vide poach, and the galette was everything even great crabcakes wish they could be! And yet again, despite these luxurious ingredients and perfect sauces, I ended up most transfixed by the lowly leeks, which had transformed into a sweet green hay, delicious on their own, but also a fine terrestrial answer to the flavors of the sea elsewhere on the plate. Both of these Meursaults were refined and delicious and absolutely perfect with the lobster. Slow Roasted Pork Belly Crepinette of Boneless Baby Back Ribs, Cauliflower Cream, Prune and Bergamot Jus Kistler Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 1998 Nuit St Georges Domaine Henri Gouges 1998 Cote Rotie La Landonne 1997 This pork belly was above and beyond, a crackingly crisp layer on top hiding the melting fattiness below. The prune and fruity jus gave the right acid counterpoint to the extreme richness. This was so intense that it was easy to overlook the little pile of shredded rib meat, which was salty and tangy and every bit as good. The cauliflower puree provided a soothing respite from the fireworks. All three of these wines were spectacular in their own ways, the Kistler big and loud and forward, the Gouges sitting back, restrained and sophisticated in that Burgundian way, somewhat appalled at the brash antics of its American cousin. It was hard to imagine that these wines were made from the same grape, so different were their expressions. And then an interesting thing happened. Just as a few of us were agreeing about how the French Burgundy outclassed the California version by a great distance, as we started eating this vibrant food, I started liking the Kistler more and more…. This is not a bad problem to have. Somewhere mid-course, someone opened the Cote-Rotie, which might have been the best match overall, and a wine that just got better and better as the night wore on. By the end of the evening, it remained one of the standouts in a crowded field. Killing Three Birds with One Stone: Palmetto Squab, Cocoa Nib Salt, Banyuls Jus Cherrywood Cold Smoked Scottish Partridge Foie Gras Ravioli, Truffle Jus Quail Confit Croustade, Poivrade Sauce Chateau Lynch Bages 1989 Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1986 Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1986 (That's the Squab on the left, the partridge is balanced atop the foie ravioli in the back, and the quail is residing inside the pastry...) Three little game birds, each with its own character, amplified by distinct preparations and sauces. The squab was relatively straightforward, roasted with a mysteriously-spiced salt, dressed with a dark and intense wine sauce. The partridge had a light smoke that played beautifully off the earthy truffle sauce, the foie gras ravioli upping the ante. But put anything at all inside a bun, or rolled into a croquette, or encased in pastry and I’ll love it more than anything else, so if it happens to be tender shreds of quail, and if the flaky crust is soaking up an herby poivrade sauce… that’s the winner! And the wine… well, I don’t recall if ALL THREE have 100 point ratings from the Wine Advocate, but I’m pretty confident that two of them do. So the wine cognoscenti think it doesn’t get any better than this, eh? Well, they’re right. Spectacular, all three of them. At first glance I thought they might have been too burly for these birds, but a few years of age have rendered these rounder and softer than I would have expected, yet still packed with bright fruit. So, if you happen to have some of these monsters laying around, bring them by StudioKitchen, they’ll fit right in. I’m afraid it will be a long time before I taste any wine quite that impressive again, but I was grateful to have had the experience. Truffled Goat Cheese with puréed truffle vinaigrette A soft, crumbly goat cheese, impregnated with truffle, then doused with a dressing thick with truffle oil, pureed truffles, and any other kind of truffle-ness you can think of. I got a whiff of the pan of dressing and it almost knocked me over, and yet I was instantly imagining all the things that could be improved by a splash of that. The cheese was indeed improved, and with the lemony bite of the greens, made for a creamy, musky, tangy interlude that really got the tastebuds rocking. Pretty good with that little splash of Bordeaux left in the glass too... Crustless Chocolate Tart, Black Sesame Seed Praline, Espresso Scented Chocolate – Chestnut Sorbet, Black Pepper Orange Streusel Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey 1985 1er Cru Sauternes Chateau Guiraud 1990 1er Cru Sauternes. An almost perfect chocolate dessert, it was intense and creamy, but with a range of densities between the cake-like tart, the sorbet and the sauce, even a bit of crunch from the sprinkling of streusel. (I only say “almost” after seeing Evan’s malted milkshakes!) These Sauternes were enjoyed mostly before and after the dessert, there was some nice Port making the rounds as well, which played better with the chocolate. But the Sauternes were quite lovely on their own, the ’85 way more mellow and calm, the ’90 more excitable and sharp. I liked them both. All these superlatives start losing their effectiveness because we’re throwing them around so often in describing StudioKitchen, but until we find some new ones, they’ll have to do. So in the absence of an innovative new compliment, I’ll just say again, incredibly delicious meal, on a new level, when I was convinced we were already on the top floor. And sincere thanks to the group of wine lovers who were so very generous with the bounty of their cellars, I hope I can return the favor somehow, or at least “pay it forward” by sharing in kind some day. Don't count on me having anything this good to drink the next time I book a StudioKitchen dinner, but you can expect me to offer up some seats now and then, when they're mine to offer, hoping to share the experience with people who would appreciate it. But don't wait for me. Just keep me in mind...