philadining

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...

Hi Ferky. Indeed, as wkl said, Shola's very good about the allergy thing, and you shouldn't worry. He usually asks about it at the start of a meal, to confirm. Just to put your mind at ease, mention it to him when you get there, but I'm sure he'll remember. Ironically your menu does seem to have an unusually heavy nut component! But most of those elements can be left off or substituted without a major impact to your enjoyment of the dish. Although you might be out of luck with the sorbet... And I'll concur about the beer/booze thing too, beer is totally fine, might be very good with certain dishes. And there's no shame at all in just drinking water, I know a few frequent attendees who don't drink, and they enjoy the meal just fine without any wine. but don't bring gin, I'm sure you'd behave but he's had some bad experiences in the past, so hard liquor is not allowed. Again, welcome to eGullet, and to the StudioKitchen experience, and we look forward to a report on your evening!

When the traffic gods are smiling, only about an hour. Katie and Pedro came out over the summer, and I think it only took them about that long. The trick is that the most direct routes from the city involve the Schuylkill and 202, which are hard to rely on, and there's a bit of poorly-marked country-road navigation, it took me a few trips to feel confident. (edited to add) the directions on the restaurant's website are generally correct, but have one tragic flaw: the section explaining how to get there from rt 202 indicates that one should exit on rt 401, then make a right on St Matthew's road in about 2 miles. It's WAY more than two miles, it's about two miles after crossing rt 113 which is about 6 miles up 401 from 202. So the turn onto St Matthew's Road is about 8 miles after exiting 202 onto 401. Other than that, it's pretty straightforward. mapquest does OK, it can't find the exact location, but if you get into Birchrunville, it's hard to miss... But if you need a guide.... I know a guy...

Percyn and I had the chance to fill a last-minute cancellation at the Birchrunville Store Café tonight. It's gotten pretty difficult to score a table there lately, but it's totally worth the trouble. This time we ordered off the regular menu and were every bit as impressed as we were at our epic tasting menu excursion a few months ago. And a note about the tasting menus, they haven't updated their website to reflect this, but they only offer the 6-course tasting now, and only at the 6pm seatings on wednesday or thursday. I'm pretty sure it's $75 per person. Make arrangements when you call for a reservation. And remember, it's cash or check only, no credit cards, and it's a long way to the nearest cash machine. The kitchen here is operating at a VERY high level of sophistication, I really couldn't find fault with anything we ate, it was all imaginatively conceived, expertly executed, and used high-quality ingredients. We had several of the specials which, mysteriously aren't on the printed menu. This wouldn't be unusual except that they print a menu each day, it has the date at the top. So, like, put the specials on the menu!!! Actually, I don't really care how they tell me about the food as long as it's this delicious. We just couldn't narrow it down any further, so we ordered three apps: Country Duck Paté This was a good deal more elegant than the name suggests, an only slightly chunky terrine of delicate duck meat, served with toasts, cornichons, caramelized onions, and what I think was a cranberry compote. It's one of the better patés I've had, light yet flavorful, creamy, but with a slight rustic texture. I'd get it again anytime. Lasagne of Wild Mushrooms and Peas. I was expecting a bit more bold of a pea presence, but I wasn't too disappointed by those flavors being pushed-aside by the excellent dark essence of fungi. There were loads of chanterelles and their relatives interleaved with sheets of tender pasta and a thick brown sauce. Absolutely perfect on a damp fall night. And really good with the LaTour Muersault. Veal Cheeks... well, I'm sure there was more to the description, but I stopped listening after the words "veal cheeks." I could have gone home happy after eating just this, it had that indulgently gelatinous mouthfeel, and an amazing depth of flavor. A highlight among highlights. As a complimentary intermezzo from the chef: Seared White Tuna with Balsamic Reduction This was a cube of delicate fish, firmed from a quick encounter with the fire, glazed with a syrup of reduced vinegar. It had a nice mild flavor that meshed well with the sweet balsamic. We were caught mopping--up the sauce with the rolls... As entrées: Pistachio and Herb Crusted lamb Loin Two absolutely perfectly medium-rare loins were elevated from their sometimes too-mild state by the crunchy, salty, herby coating. That was almost enough, but Chef has a way with an intense wine sauce that seems to magically amplify the natural juices of a meat. It's a trick he uses for many of his preparations, but I never tire of it, those classic reductions are just so satisfying. Potatoes Dauphine accompanied, which were basically hush puppies that had gone to finishing school in Europe: crunchy, fried dumplings of creamy mashed potatoes. Man, those were good... Still-snappy haricots vertes and a superfluous, but welcome, potato rosette finished the plate. Wild Boar Tenderloin, Stuffed with Prunes, Roasted Garlic and Rosemary. Just like with the lamb, what could be a pedestrian dish is elevated to something exemplary by sheer skill and insistence on fine ingredients. Pork tenderloins are so often a big yawn on contemporary menus, but the added flavor and density of wild boar, and aggressive flavorings made this truly memorable. The meat was wrapped in this sheets of something porky...prosciutto, or something similar, and the stuffings of prunes, garlic and herbs rendered this juicy and complex on the palette. Well-spiced, smooth puree of sweet potato gave an autumnal accent. The same vegetables as appeared with the lamb accompanied, and seemed every bit as appropriate. We didn't really have room for dessert, but we were on a roll... Caramelized Apple Tart This was basically a tarte tatin, but with a lighter hand, not quite as darkly rendered, with an airy, delicate puff-pastry. But it packed all those familiar flavors, the edge of burnt sugar, the crunch of crust, the deep mellow sweetness of soft apples. Adding Vanilla gelato might have been gilding the lily, but I never complain about that if it involves gelato. Croissant Banana Bread Pudding A paradoxically light bread pudding, somehow the leafy layers of bread maintain their airiness amidst the custard, managing to float above the pool of Creme Anglaise. Coffee was merely good. Aha!!! Finally, something to whine about!!! I don't feel like such a suck-up anymore!! Well, OK, it wasn't bad actually, just not quite as good as the rest of the meal. And admittedly it was getting late... Oh, and the rolls. They're good, but not at the level of the rest of the cuisine here. Small quibble. We've had the good fortune to have eaten some serious food lately, and many of the offerings here at Birchrunville Store Cafe can easily rank among the best of it. This would easily be considered one of the best restaurants in Philly if it got teleported into Center City, but the bucolic locale and relaxed feel is part of the appeal of the place, so I'm glad it's where it is. It requires a bit of a drive from almost anywhere, and some planning ahead due to this small place's popularity. But if you make the effort, not only do you get outstanding food, but at an almost incomprehensible bargain. We had three apps, an intermezzo, two entrees, two desserts and two coffees for $85. A little over $50 per person after tip for all this food, all of it excellent, seems almost like we're taking advantage of the place... Not that I'm complaining!! In fact it's a significant part of the charm, that prices are reasonable enough to make it a frequent stop, and clearly many of the customers are regulars, greeted by name, and sent off with a see-you-soon. Even we were remembered from our group excursion there as reported upthread, a waitress saying that she had enjoyed reading about our experiences. It's a very comfortable, friendly, casual-feeling place, more like a small neighborhood joint. But we have the good fortune that this local spot just happens to serve fabulous food! Sadly, the vast majority of you will become helplessly lost trying to find the place, never to be heard from again. So just forget about it. Stay home. It's hard enough to get a table already. Nevermind what I wrote above, i was probably crazy from the Meursault.

email him, studiokitchen .. little at thingy.. gmail.com ask about open dates. Don't panic when he doesn't get back to you right away, he's busy cooking. There aren't many open available days left this year, but he is indeed doing some in early 2006. Otherwise, keep an eye out on the ISO thread, or the special StudioKitchen thread that got set-up but nobody has used. With enough notice, it's easy to round up a group of 8 or 10 just from eGullet. Use ISO, or send some PMs, people will come. Be careful to pick open-minded dining partners, because you are all eating the same thing. I'm sure updates are buried in there somewhere, but as of right now it's $100 inclusive of tax and service. That is to say, at the end of the meal, leave $100 per person, cash-only. Still an amazing deal. Oh, and wkl, thanks for that great post, sounded fantastic.

That's what the long forks are for! "And this is our house special mix of AAAGGHH!!!"

Having tired of burrowing fruitlessly around the roots of nearby oak trees, a few of us found an easier way to satisfy our truffle lust: Gilmore's Truffle Dinner. It was a really lovely night, with good food, wine and company. Poached Quail Egg in an Artichoke bottom with Truffle Hollandaise on Chanterelle Stew This got us off to a luxurious start, the creamy richness cut by the earthiness of the chanterelles and the bright tang of the artichoke. I felt that the truffle got a bit lost in the hollandaise, but it was a tasty dish regardless. Pheasant Consommé with Truffles en Croute This was an incredibly deeply-flavored broth, any more reduced and it would have turned into demi-glace. Delicate puff pastry hovered on top, giving a nice crunch. This had a great foresty funk beneath the elegant textures, one of my favorite dishes of the night. Truffle Dusted Scallop with Celeri Root Fondant with sauce Beurre Rouge A tender scallop was completely encrusted in shaved truffles, but somehow didn't taste all that truffley to me, as if the essence had been cooked out of them. The scallop was quite good regardless, complimented well by the creamy celery root and wine sauce. Roasted Poussin Stuffed with Truffles, Foie Gras bread pudding, sauce Perigourdine This was another example of an excellent dish that just didn't hit me as all that truffley. Many courses of beat-you-over-the-head trufflosity might have been too much, but the stuffing again, seemed a little subtle. They were nonetheless delicious, tender young birds and the foie gras bread pudding was just outrageously good. (if you've been trying to find something to do with all your left-over foie gras, keep this in mind!) Bochella a la Tartufo with mache salad in a truffle vinaigrette Ahh, OK, I was starting to worry that perhaps I couldn't sniff-out a truffle if they fell from the sky like hail, but this course confirmed that what I was searching for was attainable! This seemingly simple dish made the whole evening for me: a semi-soft, truffled cheese atop a bright, slightly sour salad, fresh white truffles grated over the top at the last second. This was everything I was hoping for all night, dark and mysterious, stinky, a whiff of burning leaves, an intriguing essence more than a flavor, that transcendent thing that explains the obsession with these fungi. This was especially good with a sip of old Corton Charlemagne. Now that's living... Truffle ice cream The ice cream on its own was interesting, but odd, strong with truffle flavor and not very sweet. But combined with the crunchy tuille, some candied lemon zest and a bit of chocolate, the cumulative tastes were delightful. A fresh chocolate truffle topped off the night, along with some good coffee. I don't mean to sound negative in my comments above, I actually enjoyed the dinner very much. Peter Gilmore is an extremely accomplished chef, and all the dishes were very well-executed and delicious. i was just expecting a few more of those magical truffle moments, to be more often trapped in their mysterious thrall. Most of the dishes were more subtle than that, again, quite delicious, but you know, it's a truffle dinner, hit me! I'm not sure if we hit any home-runs with the wine-pairings, but it was fun swinging at the pitches! And I think we had a couple of solid base hits, like the Corton and cheese. Again, overall a truly enjoyable evening with entertaining dining partners, delicious food, and good wine. It certainly encourages me to go back to Gilmore's soon, special dinner or not.

We missed the last table at Melograno right at opening by seconds so, headed up the block to Mama Palmas, and had a really nice meal. What they call a Panzanella isn't really a bread salad, just very good mixed greens with tomatoes, fresh mozz, and more croutons than usual, in a bold balsamic dressing. It may not be authentic, but it's tasty... A four-mushroom pizza was very good, if not surprising. The caramelized onion and Prosciutto was delicious, the sweet onions and salty ham playing off the tangy tomato sauce. Crusts were good, but not distinctively great, this is more of a topping-centric pizza destination. Flying Fish Grand Cru on tap was a good accompaniment, a nice fruity Belgian-ish Ale.

Percy, any thoughts on their dosas, uthappam, etc vs Devi?

Grabbed some take-out tonight, again got the Cold Chicken app, fabulous as always... and I think I might have to try the Percy Special, serving the leftovers with eggs tomorrow morning! I also ordered the Spicy Beef Stew (#63 on the Chinese menu) which was almost exactly like the braised beef filet we got at the Szechuan Tasty House downtown: thin slices of very tender beef, only a few vegetables, in a spicy thin red sauce, with a thick layer of ground red chile pepper spread over the top. It was very hot, but not as scary as it looked, if one judiciously "rinsed-off" some of that dry pepper in the sauce. I thought it was delicious.

The cheese arrives at the table grated, but the ingredients are poured into the pot one at a time, and explained, and cheese added gradually and stirred, which, to be honest, resulted in a bit of cheese all over the table, and a just-long-enough process that it was getting tricky to continue to make appropriate small-talk with the waiter. The one complaint that I had is that I was really getting dizzy trying to sort through all the decisions that have to be made: whether to just order individual things, or go with one of the combination dinners, and even within the combos there were always 4 choices and then more sub-choices. So we decide on a "Fondue for Two" but still have to pick what kind of cheese fondue, and then what kind of salad, and then which of 4 arrays of "entrees" (meaning the raw ingredients you'll cook in round two) and then which liquid medium you want to cook those in, a wine sauce, the court-bouillon we chose, or oil, and there was something else.... liquid nitrogen? (now THAT would be fun.) No wonder they were really pushing the "Big Night Out" combo which was some mondo-package that, while not entirely free from options, had fewer. We rebelled just to be contrary, whenever a place tries to sell a special before we've even gotten to our table, I get suspicious. It's good to have choices, but it was starting to be a little too complicated of a process just to dip bread in cheese, and boil meat on a fork. I think they should have some default way of doing each one, and allow you to change if you want. They should automatically do the meat platter in oil, the seafood one in bouillon, etc. but if you want it the other way around, fine...

That's Buttercup Bakery, there was a brief write-up in the Philly Weekly not long ago. Didn't say anything about quality or even availability of a nice slice of cake, but it's worth a shot... I haven't been in there. And I haven't been here either, but this thread on Darling's Coffeehouse sounds moderately promising... And KT, is the Restaurant School pasty shop in that building around 42nd and Walnut?

It's true enough that melting cheese in a pot ain't rocket science, I've made a pretty great cheese fondue plenty of times, and if you use good cheese and decent booze it's hard to screw it up (not impossible...) But you know, I hate trying to scrub the caked-on cheese off of that fondue pot (a 1970's-vintage avacado-green model procured at a yard sale, thank you very much...) And I don't have a second pot to do a meat fondue right after the cheesey one. It's not hard to cook a steak, or whip-up a stir-fry either, but sometimes it's enjoyable to go to a nice setting and let somebody else make it for you. And clean up. Sure, we ended up spending $50 a head, but we had a nice bottle of wine and TON of food, not just some melted cheese. The classic cheese fondue was made with good Gruyere and Emmenthaller, not exactly Whiz. We had decent salads, and the "pacific rim" platter of meats and veggies was quite generous, with lots of good quality duck, beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, and dumplings. We really were struggling to finish it. And no, it wasn't anything culinarily transcendent, but it was enjoyable, and really fun to lazily cook and eat at our own pace, while playing the "who would play (insert your name here) in the eGullet movie?" And don't think we didn't come up with someone to play most of you, and laugh ourselves silly about it!! (BTW Katie, the eager-to-please manager will be played by Debra Messing.....) The ingredients were good, service was very friendly, if a bit odd, as Katie noted. Indeed, in what must have been a tag-team of waiters, bus-people and managers lined-up right around the corner from us, there seemed to be somebody constantly checking to see if everything was OK, or to see if they could PLEASE take something off the table, areyadonewiththat?!?! everythingOK?!?! areyadonewiththat?!?! Ummmm, dude, if my fork is actively traveling toward a piece of food on my plate, you can take that as a decent clue that I'm still eating.... Although oddly, the ONE interval where there was a long gap in attention was right when we needed some, as we reached the bottom of the cheese fondue, and the now-empty pot threatened to erupt in flames. We figured out where the burner control was an turned it off, saving that tragedy, or at least a lot of smoke. But there was still just enough of a gap before the salads arrived that we were reduced to trying to scrape the cheese crust off the inside of the pot. Sure, it's the best part, but a perilous quest... Nonetheless, our waiter was very sincere and friendly, and overall did a good job. He had to struggle a bit with not having much room to work on the tiny tables as he assembled the cheese fondue, and had to wrestle with the Man in the Iron Mask-looking contraption that ensured safe transport of the hot fluids for the meat fondue, but that's not his fault. As Katie said, I'm not rushing back, but I would return sometime, it's an attractive place, the food was decent, and sometimes nothing beats a big vat of bubbling cheese. A little expensive, sure, but not insanely so. They need to chill a little with the security interrogation at the front door, it was a bit of a blur, but I'm pretty sure Katie had a retinal scan, and I think somebody fingerprinted me and swabbed me for DNA, as they entered us into the reservation system. And it was indeed charming when they announced that they were seating us in the most romantic (read: claustrophobic) table in the place, but that's a risky conclusion to jump to. We should have told them we were getting a divorce, or were brother and sister, it could have been interesting to see them react.... I don't think either one of us is claiming that this is a major dining destination, but it has its place, we left quite happy and satisfied. And cheesey. And who else has Green Goddess dressing for you to dip stuff in?

This is not about Pechter's Rye Bread, but it seemed a little silly to start whole new topic about another supermarket rye.... I was pleasantly surprised by a loaf of Irene's seeded Rye I picked up at the Genuardi's yesterday. Not the greatest thing ever, it's wrapped in plastic and stocked on a store shelf, but still, had a nice firm consistency, chewy crust, and a good caraway seed quotient. I bought it to make an additional lunch out of the overflow from a Katz's pastrami sandwich brought back from NY, and I'd even venture to say that I liked Irene's better than what the original sandwich was on, whatever Katz's was using was a bit mushy, even moments after it was made. What, you think I can resist starting on the sandwich during the trip home? Short of talking Shacke into making me some, any other clues about where to find good rye bread in the area? Any bakeries we like? Delis? (I thought the rye at Famous was good, but not great, a little soft.)

This recent digression started with Mike talking about people on the Squires boards, not so much Mark Squires himself, and it's been accurately pointed out upthread that it's those folks that tend to be the most extreme and absurd in their criticisms. (There's something about internet boards that brings that out in people, present company excepted.) But I thought it was interesting to see Squires' tasting notes about the Lancaster Red: he had a bottle, didn't much like it. He had an opportunity to try another bottle, which he reports was better, if still not a favorite. And then he went ahead and had a third, to try to solidify his opinion about it. Now you or I might not agree with his assessment, or share his preferences, but I have a great deal of respect for his procedure, that he even bothered to investigate more thoroughly a wine he wasn't all that charmed by at first. And of course I know that wine is a delicate, living thing, and some surprises are unavoidable, maybe even desirable, but the bottle-to-bottle variations commonly reported here are reason for some concern, i would think. I have to say that my heart sank a bit to see stacks of the various LaTours right inside the front door of the West Chester store, not exactly ideal storage conditions... That really might be something for the PLCB as a whole to think about more. Of course one wants the fabulous Chairman's selections to be highlighted and easy to find, but maybe not out in the direct sun!

Mark Squires' E-Zine I hear ya, but I've met Mark Squires and in my brief interaction found him to be very thoughtful about wine. He's opinionated, but from a position of experience and knowledge, not snobby for the sake of snobbiness. He does indeed have a healthy skepticism about the Chairman's Selections, but he does not outright dismiss them. He says the same thing as Chairman Newman was telling us at the Rx dinner: that many of the bargains we see are from "off years" or from wines that critics didn't rate as well as might have been expected, and as a result didn't sell as well as anticipated. It comes down to a matter of perspective: whether those conditions create an opportunity for good deals on wine that's better than is generally acknowledged, or mean that the program gives OK deals on substandard wine. As Chairman Newman said, it can be good to go with a good winery in an "off" year, even if the collectors and critics are avoiding the wine because it's not as good as previous vintages. Or, it can be a disappointing batch of wine... Squires admits that there are sometimes good deals to be had, he's just not thrilled by all of the offerings. And in the end it comes down to tasting the stuff and seeing if you like it. And I have to admit that some of his tasting notes, good or bad, jibe with my experiences. Here's his manifesto about the Chairman's Selections. I think it's healthy to have a critical perspective, I've heard plenty of people grumbling about the list-price comparisons ($80, now $20!!), it's easy enough to scan the web, or pop into another state's wine stores and see that some of these same wines are selling at decent discounts elsewhere. That being said, there's no doubt in my mind that Chairman Newman is wangling good deals for us, and i certainly don't think he's being duped by wineries into clearing out their crappy wine. What the program does is give us better deals, often excellent deals, on an overlooked wine, or maybe a vintage that wasn't the best, but still good. This is inherently more interesting to the neophytes, the budget-minded, and the curious. It's not so compelling to the serious collector, who's looking to acquire the best of the best. In Chairman Newman's recent talk, he made it clear that he was hoping to get some of those budget-minded drinkers to bump-up a level, to try some seriously good wine, not just the mass-marketed safe wines. I think that's a noble goal. From my perspective as a curious, budget-minded neophyte, I'm psyched the have the Chairman's Selections. And I'm not surprised that the serious oenophiles are not as impressed.

There's no particular reason I hadn't been to Radicchio before, it's just in a location I don't generally think of for food... We had a fairly good dinner tonight, I'll go back, although nothing really knocked me out. Pasta e Fagioli was the soup tonight, and it was nice and hearty, but needed salt. The shrimp appetizer, over beans in a radicchio leaf, looked good, and got a thumbs-up from the DP, but seemed a little light on shrimp. Loved the roasted peppers with anchovies and aged provolone. They're famous for the grilled branzino, and it was indeed quite good, in that simple, straightforward way. It was grilled to the perfect degree of doneness, and simply dressed with some oil and lemon. Filleting was not especially elegant, but got the fish on the plate. Chicken Saltimbocca was not as satisfying. It had a nice sauce, but the meat was a bit rubbery, and there was not much sage flavor despite a few visible leaves. Both entrees were accompanied by some fried/mashed/squished potatoes that didn't look very enticing, but tasted rather good, and that old Italian stand-by: limp snow peas. Tiramisu and gelato were both good, if not outstanding. Enough of what we had was good that I'd go back and try more, i suspect that a couple of dishes we had just aren't their strongest offerings. Plenty of things on other tables looked great. I'll try a pasta next time... Service was actually quite good, and it was not especially loud, but they weren't super-busy when i was there.

I drank a bottle of the 02 LaTour Muersault tonight, well, half of one. It's a lovely wine, mellow and fruity, but not frivolously light. I could see drinking this on its own, but it's also very nice with chicken and lighter fish, say, a grilled branzino with a little lemon (I feel confident of this, having enjoyed it with chicken and a grilled branzino with a little lemon...) At $20 per bottle, it's not exactly cheap, but it's an excellent value. I'm getting more. GALLONS of it out here in Exton and West Chester....

Thanks for that info Deirdre. I don't think there was any doubt that the Philadelphia *region* was getting a big percentage of the Chairman's Selections, it just seems odd that Center City appears to have so little. But maybe it's timing. I can certainly understand that product ships at different times, but again, Center City is not so far from Bryn Mawr or West Chester, it's surprising that there'd be such dramatic delivery date differences. Of course it makes sense to stock most of the Chairman's Selections in stores that sell the most Chairman's Selections, but are there generally a lot of bottles left unsold in Center City Wine Specialty stores? Maybe there are...

Do you get to tour the crab stables? See the crabs running free in the pasture? I mean, they are free range crabs, aren't they?

I didn't ask for help, so I didn't experience any run-around like Shacke did, but I was looking for a bottle or two of il Futuro in West Chester over the weekend but saw no evidence of any, despite patrolling all of the aisles a few times. Of course the website said there was some... They were really busy when I was there on saturday evening, so I didn't feel like it was a good time to send anyone looking for it. But it certainly wasn't in a display with a Chairman's Selection sign on it. And just for the record, I wasn't implying that people in the more rural areas wouldn't appreciate these wines, just that in the same way that there's more of a market for high-end dining in Philly and Pittsurgh, the same might be true for wine. I gotta say i laughed out loud at the jelly jar line too...

Went back to Desi Village in King of Prussia last night. The place was rocking, the main room was hosting a big banquet, I think it was a wedding reception. So, even in the side room, where the non-partygoers were seated, we were treated to some pretty loud Indian dance music from the DJ. I liked it, although like at most wedding receptions, the playlist was mostly cheesey pop tunes... I've been there before while a banquet was being held, and several specials were offered even on the non-party side, presumably what the folks next door were eating. But I think it was a buffet last night, so there was just the regular menu. I ordered a plate of pakoras, and sadly I think I experienced that down-side of showing up during a party. They were hot, but a bit soggy, they just tasted old, as if I'd gotten some leftovers from the buffet line. Thankfully this initial disappointment was the only one. My order of Chicken Bhartha was fresh and hot, with a solid, but not scorching, level of spice from ordering it "Indian Medium". This was minced chicken with lots of herbs and spices and a few chopped tomatoes, resulting in a consistency much like a good thick bolognese sauce. Excellent. I'm never disappointed in the bread here, and sure enough, my onion kulcha was hot from the tandoor, buttery, with nice brown blistering. I only managed to eat about half of this food, so I've got plenty of leftovers. $25 before tip.

Come on man, there's one whole bottle of the Mersault at 12th and Chestnut, what are you whining about?!? I did a little scanning around the website, and you're right, the distribution looks really weird... unless Center City got piles that sold instantaneously. Strange...

If I understood Chairman Newman correctly, the supply looks so thin in and around Philly because we have so many stores. So there's actually a large percentage of the stuff in our general area, and not as much out in other parts of the state. What stock there IS outside of the philly area tends to be concentrated in a few stores, because there aren't as many stores. Conversely, it's spread pretty thin around Philly. So if you add up all the smaller allocations among the many stores in and around Philly, we might have more of it than the rest of the state. This of course doesn't help you, and by extension, me, given that you might bring a bottle to a dinner I'm at. So I'd be happier if you had ready access to the stuff. I don't want to sound elitist, but one would think that the interest in some of these wines would be more intense in the larger metropolitan areas, so they might want to weight the distribution that way a bit more. But then, there's a persistent stereotype in the rest of PA that all their money ends up in Philly, it could really tick them off if all the good wine goes here too.... Anyway, I'm going to keep an eye out for the arrival of some of this stuff out in Chesco...

Wow, sorry man, I could have warned you about the scallion pancake, it's surprisingly flavor free, just flaky and oily. I've had some good examples in my life, and sadly this is not one of them... The time delays are rather odd, I've always gotten stuff almost too fast. Last time I was there we'd barely gotten a dumpling in our mouths when the mains showed up. So if they were out of something, I'm amazed that they didn't figure it out faster... Duck looks OK. I guess we need to get a good-sized crew together, and call ahead to make sure they've got rabbit, pomfret, and noodles!