philadining

What a bummer. I always made a point to stop here whenever I drove by, just to soak up some of that old-school vibe. OK, and to soak up some chili on a nice snappy natural-casing hot dog too. But the place itself was a large part of the appeal, so it's very sad to know so much of that must have been destroyed. I can't imagine it would be easy to replace that train set. But I certainly hope they can rebuild, and eventually have a belated 70th birthday party!

Following another great day at Jazzfest, we again cleaned up, dressed up and headed uptown, this time to Commander's Palace. Started with a truly excellent Sazerac cocktail, and a Pimm's Cup, and perused the menu. We have to admit that part of the motivation for going at this particular moment was that we had recently been reading this list of 100 Best Restaurant Dishes and their description of the rack of lamb at Commander's was very persuasive... So it threw us off a little when there was no rack of lamb on the menu. I'm not sure if it's a seasonal thing, or an occasional special, but it wasn't on the menu. We asked our waiter about it, and he just said no, they don't have it, and offered no more details. I'd wanted to dine here long before reading about racks of lamb, it's always seemed like one of those places that one should experience, and now seemed as good a time as any, so it wasn't exactly a tragedy that the menu was not as we'd expected. In retrospect, it might not have been ideal timing: Sunday night, during Jazzfest. They were quite busy, but it appeared that the back-up service team had pulled this shift. Everyone comported themselves quite professionally, but in general, the staff was very young, our main waiter in particular, and lacked that certain seasoned style that one expects in these old-school places. There was one exception to that though - I was never completely clear on what his role was, perhaps a Captain, or even a Maitre d' or Sommelier, or some combination of the three. He took a drink order, helped us choose a wonderful bottle of wine when the one we ordered was out of stock, and was just generally gracious and helpful and confidence-inspiring, as we'd hoped-for from the staff at a fine restaurant like this. The young waiter that was mostly taking care of us was a little too rote and pushy, continually volunteering which were his favorite dishes (shocker - the most expensive ones!) not able to answer some questions we had about preparations, and a little perplexed about the wine list. On top of that, there was a second server helping us, and the two of them didn't seem to communicate with one another, so we were frequently asked, or offered, the same things twice. But we didn't suffer any service gaffes per se, we were just a bit disappointed to not have that confident feeling that our waiter, who has been working there for 100 years, is on top of everything, and has already anticipated our needs. We started with the trio of soups: small cups of Seafood Gumbo, Soup of the Day, which was Crawfish Bisque, and Turtle Soup. Sadly, the soups were underwhelming, all tasting vaguely thick and brown. Even a dash of sherry couldn't wake-up the turtle soup, which was bordering on brown gravy consistency, with barely discernible granules of what I guess was turtle meat. I guess I'd been hoping for something like the turtle soup at Brennan's, which I thought was spectacular. The gumbo and bisque were better than that, but still surprisingly bland, too thick, blah. Thankfully, that was the end of the disappointments. Our first appetizer was the Oyster and Absinthe "Dome". This was elegant and unusual, a ramekin stacked full of tender, poached oysters in an absinthe-spiked cream sauce, topped with flaky puff pastry. I swear there might have been 10 mid-sized oysters in there, all perfectly cooked, and beautifully complimented by artichoke and bacon, and the rich sauce. Classic, old-fashioned, no reason to tweak that. The other appetizer was Shrimp and Tasso Henican. Large wild white shrimp, spicy tasso ham, a glaze of Crystal hot sauce, and pepper jelly made for a surprisingly assertively spicy dish, but a delicious one. I could eat that pepper jelly spread on toast. Entrées were Crawfish Maque-Choux with Boudin, and a mammoth Veal Chop with Goat Cheese Grits. The Maque-Choux consisted of the expected braise of corn and other vegetables, but in this case studded with large, fresh crawfish tails, with a big, crispy house-made boudin sausage in the center. A crawfish bisque was poured around the edges. This had a wonderful range of tastes and textures: spicy, earthy, chewy, crunchy, tender, creamy... Really nice. The Veal Chop was fairly conventional, but perfectly executed. It was a very high quality product, cooked perfectly. The goat cheese grits were fine, grilled asparagus a pleasant-enough accompaniment, but it was mostly all about the tender, juicy, surprisingly flavorful meat, and the intense green peppercorn sauce. We were a little too stuffed to go for some of the more elaborate desserts they offer here, like the table-side flamed Bananas Foster, or the Bread Pudding Soufflée, but we couldn't resist the siren call of the Pecan Pie, which was very tasty, even without the melted chocolate and caramel sauce, which we'd asked them to leave off. We'd been feeling like a light and crisp and resfreshing wine to go with this meal, and ended up, with a little help from our favorite mustachioed staffer, with a 2008 Sancerre from Reverdy, "La Reine Blanche." It was just perfect for our mood, and food, and abstractly a delicious wine, one that I hope to drink more of. All in all, a very enjoyable meal, marred only slightly by a few moments of vaguely amateurish service. I wouldn't hesitate to go back, but at the same time, I feel that now that I've had the experience, I may turn my attention to some of the other old-guard classic places first. After dinner, we wandered Frenchmen Street, and absorbed a little apres-Fest giddiness, but didn't encounter anything too profound, so called it a night, and got ready for another day of eating on Monday!

The second cocktail was supposed to be a Pimm's Cup, but apparently they had just run out of Pimms, so the bartender improvised something gin and fruit and herb-ish... We definitely wanted to try the Pheasant, but there's a downside to a late reservation: the last order literally got snatched out from under us. We'd ordered it, but by the time the waiter got back to the kitchen, it was 86ed. The entire appetizer section looked pretty appetizing, and from spying on neighboring diners, and also from having the menu described in loving detail by an off-duty employee as we sat at the bar, we really did end up wanting one of everything. I would have loved to have been there with more people and just ordered the whole menu, or at least as close as was practical.

Forgot to add the details: Patois: 6078 Laurel St (at Webster) 504-895-9441 http://www.patoisnola.com

We managed to adhere pretty closely to the original parameters of this thread, and spent 72 hours eating and drinking around New Orleans. The majority of the first couple of days were spent up at Jazzfest (first weekend) as documented here>> Despite eating constantly during Jazzfest, we felt it was important to visit some other spots around town too. Saturday, after cleaning the Jazzfest mud off, and changing in to some nicer clothes, we headed uptown to Patois. We waited a few minutes at the bar, and had a couple of cocktails: a "Pickled Patois" that featured Gin and pickle juice garnished with a slice of pickle or two, and an improv of something vaguely like a Pimms Cup. The pickle cocktail was actually quite good, despite what one might expect from those ingredients. After getting a table in the small, but attractive dining room, We decided to order several appetizers and one entrée. Lamb Ribs. We've had a few lamb ribs, although they're not nearly as common as they ought to be, but these were the best we've had: an assertive rub lent an almost smoky note to the meaty, tender ribs. They retained enough fat to make them indulgent, but not so much that they were sickly rich. The pickled green tomato relish cut through any unctuousness, balancing them out, and making them not only one of the best dishes of the night, but of the whole trip. Crispy Pigs Feet This special of the evening navigated the same indulgent waters as the ribs, and showed the same balance, negotiating crisp, fatty, meaty, with the help of an elegant remoulade-like sauce. Very nicely done. Scallop and Pork Belly We've eaten quite a bit of pork belly in our days, but both my dining companion and I were blown-away by how good this version was. The perfect texture, proportion of meat and fat, and most importantly, char. Or maybe the mustard/Steen's Cane Syrup glaze had something to do with it... The scallop was perfectly cooked as well, and the two went together even better than we'd imagined. Yet another dish we're going to have to get again next visit. Smoked Rabbit, Andouille and Greens Gumbo. One of the best gumbos I've had in New Orleans. It featured a very dark roux, but still let the flavor of the meat through. The spicy kick of the sausage, and unusual note from the greens made for a very complex, and delicious soup. Excellent. Crabmeat Salad Because there is nothing so refreshing and fundamentally satisfying as a pile of cold, fresh, sweet crabmeat. Some hearts of palm and a light, herby dressing don't hurt. Charcuterie platter: Pork Rillettes, Boudin, Hogshead Cheese In case you were concerned that we weren't getting enough animal fat and offal... All three of these components were very good, especially when combined with their condiments. The pickles balanced the fat of the rillettes, pickled onions brightened the spicy headcheese, grainy mustard complimented the subtle liver flavor of the boudin. They had just run out of the pheasant which had been recommended to us, so our one main course was a Half Roasted Duck. The blood orange reduction was a perfect accompaniment, but even on its own, it was just so perfectly cooked, with a crisp skin, yet juicy meat, almost all fat rendered away, just the slightest ribbon remaining to add flavor and moisture. A crisp Chinese Celery and Turnip fritter, enriched with Mascarpone, was an agreeable companion. We washed this all down with a 2006 Scholium Project Naucratis, which had exactly the right level of minerality, acid and quenching juiciness for all this rich food. We were too full for dessert, although several looked appealing. All in all an excellent dinner, and a restaurant we look forward to visiting again. Or server was very knowledgeable and helpful, but also very down to earth and just plain friendly, helping make the evening quite enjoyable. After dinner, we headed back toward the quarter, and had a few cocktails at Bar Tonique, at 820 N. Rampart, near the gates to Louis Armstrong park. It has the vibe of a little neighborhood joint, but keeps a deep selection of good spirits. The cocktail list is interesting, and the bartenders can handle the classics as well as some modern experiments. We especially liked the "Bitter Harvest." After a couple of hours there, we headed back toward the Marigny, where we were staying, and couldn't resist a pass by Mimi's just to see if anything was up. It was pretty quiet, but then it was pretty late, even for Mimi's... So had one quick drink there, and called it a night. (More to come...)

The Crawfish Sacks are fried phyllo dough bundles, filled with crawfish tails and the rich sauce that you can see pooled around it. They're about the size of a racquetball, crisp, and quite delicious!

The softshell crab po boys looked awesome, and we fully intended to get one, but kept getting distracted... And I have no idea how we managed to not eat boudin balls, we usually have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner, if possible!

It's pretty cool that the food at Jazzfest doesn't change all that much, so those favorites that you crave will probably still be there next time. So this report won't be too different from any of the previous ones, but I figured an update can always be helpful. I'd love to hear impressions from other folks who went. I missed the first day, but was there on saturday and sunday of the first weekend, and had a great time eating my way around the grounds, pausing now and then to hear some music. It was pretty muddy on saturday, but not actually raining, and just about perfect on sunday, which let the grounds dry up fairly well. Slogging through deep mud to get to the food stands is never ideal, but it was worth it... Favorites: Cochon de Lait Po Boy Pheasant, Quail and Andouille Gummbo Crawfish Sack Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya Hot Sausage Po Boy Mango Freeze La Divina Gelato (Chocolate Sorbetto, Bourbon and Pecan Gelato) Good: Lamb Tagine with Merguez Sausage Nachitoches Meat Pie Crawfish Bread Crawfish Po Boy only OK: Crabmeat Po Boy (too plain) Cajun Duck Po Boy (bland meat on squishy roll) Sno Balls (too sweet) It's pretty amazing that even the "worst" of what we had was perfectly fine, not bad at all, we'd probably think it was good food at any other festival. But the level is high here, some of these items are so good, I'd be impressed with them at a fancy restaurant. That gumbo might be the best I've had anywhere, it's at least in the running. The other cool food moment was catching a cooking demo by Donald Link from Cochon and Herbsaint. He did a quick, easy gnocchi (apparently pronounced "nah-ki" in Lake Charles... ) with Andouille and spring onions. He was a very entertaining speaker, and gave some very good tips along with the amusing digressions. And then the best part: we got to sample his dish, which was delicious, featuring light, tender sautéed dumplings along with the excellent andouille from Cochon Butcher. We also watched Tee Eva make Jambalaya. She was so charming that I felt bad that I didn't like the Jambalaya very much - it's very tomatoey, and not very spicy.. Great sausage in there though... I'd definitely go back to Jazzfest just to eat. But it's nice that they have some good tunes to entertain you while working up an appetite for the next round... Any other experiences?

Vetri - no bar seating. But he does have a new place around the corner called Amis that has a bar. Much more casual setting and food style, but still the Vetri thing. Haven't heard anything about Waterworks brunch. It's a lovely spot, but for $40, it better offer more than just a nice view (and not all the tables have great sightlines! Ask to eat outside if the weather is good, or specifically ask for a table with a view of the river when you book.) The menu makes it look like a pretty conventional buffet, but that kind of thing can sometimes be enjoyable, depending on the overall quality and extras. If you want to go nuts, the Lacroix brunch is still pretty spectacular. At $65 per person before drinks, it ought to be. It's actually worth the money if you are in the mood to indulge.

I've been facing this dilemma as well, and it's often not clear what the motivation is: is it just because I'm a regular/good customer? Do they know I post here on eGullet or on a blog? Are they just thanking us because we drastically over-ordered, or got an especially nice bottle of wine? Is it just because we seemed interested or in-tune with what they're doing? My response has generally been to savagely overtip, but I've been having a hard time deciding what's reasonable. I start with tipping as if any extra dishes were on the bill (although it's often impossible to know what they would have cost...) then throw on a bit more... There are so many variations of that as well - did the kitchen just send out a little taste of something extra or several extra entrées? Is it something they're sending out to everyone? To regulars? Are they trying to butter you up, or did they just think you'd really like the dish? Do any of those differences matter? I'd be curious to hear what folks on the other side of the equation (owners/chefs/servers) think is appropriate. To some degree, majorly overtipping doesn't seem like a properly-targeted response, except perhaps for bartenders. It's usually not the servers who are comping the dishes, it's chefs, managers and owners. Sure, the servers should be compensated for the extra labor and attention required to serve the extras, and it's just generally good mojo to overtip in that situation, but massive overtipping seems like thanking the wrong people, especially where tip pools are in effect. Of course, there's always the option of sending a round of drinks to the kitchen or something, but I never know how appropriate that is in all circumstances: the chef sent you a dish, and in return you contribute to the delinquency of his line cooks... If it's a place one goes to regularly, next time one can always bring whoever is sending the comps a bottle of wine or something. That has usually seemed to be appreciated. The person sending the comp is trying to do something nice for you, whatever the deeper motivation, so I'm sure they don't mean to compel you to pay extra... But at the same tie, it seems ungracious to not acknowledge the gesture in some way. So, you folks giving the comps, what's appropriate?

We made an excursion to Flushing recently, intending to wander and graze from several places. We ended up losing all self-control in the food court in the basement of the Flushing mall. We didn't even manage to get to many spots there, we got carried-away at our first two. Xi'an Famous Foods has indeed gotten pretty famous in the last few years. Bourdain visited on his TV show, Kelly Choi did a piece for NY television, and they're pretty well-known amongst the Yelpers and Chowhounds. There are now three shops, two in Flushing and one in Manhattan, at 88 East Broadway. We'd planned on just getting a plate of noodles from here, either their signature Liang Pi Cold Skin Noodles or something with lamb. But while waiting to order, I kept seeing intriguing things being passed over the counter, and I lost my resolve. We did indeed get noodles, in this case, Cumin Lamb hand-pulled noodles. We'd had the Liang Pi noodles before and they're excellent, nicely spicy and chewy, so we decided to try something new. The hand-pulled noodles have a wonderful texture, and I think I like them hot even better than in the cold dish. I'm surprised, the hand-pulling consists of just a tug or two, not the laborious multi-stage stretching of finer noodles. This leaves the dough as a fairly large, flat shape, which nonetheless cooks-up into a tender, yet chewy noodle in a relatively short time. Toss them with a stew of cumin-laced lamb shreds, and you end up with a hearty, vibrant dish. The noodles are very long, and just pliable and tangly enough to make them a bit of a challenge to eat neatly, but they're worth the trouble. That same saucy lamb can be had in a "burger" which is almost as good, and much more portable. I got a couple to go, and they've been great lunches, even though the bread gets a little tough on reheating. Something about the name of the dish Spicy and Tingly Lamb Face Salad was intriguing, so we ordered that too. It wasn't especially spicy or tingly, it had some chili presence, but I was expecting a more assertive heat, like the Lian Pi Noodles have. But the chunks and shreds of lamb meat, presumably cheek and tongue and who knows what else, were very tasty, and the cold salad of bean sprouts and squash was a nice contrast to the hearty noodles. The guy at the counter had noticed us admiring someone else's order of Lamb Ribs and Spine and suggested that we really should get some. Of course we should, and we didn't regret it a bit, they were big and meaty and falling off the bone. In fact, we got several questions from passers-by as we ate, asking what those were and where they could get them. We didn't end up with any spine, it was all ribs, but I suspect the ribs are easier to eat anyway... This was a ton of food, for not much money: those three dishes cost less than $20 all together. We got fixated on lamb, but there are some similar preparations using beef and pork too. It'll be hard to deviate from the lamb versions, but maybe someday... Xian Famous Foods http://www.xianfoods.com/ locations here>> Then we couldn't resist grabbing a couple of things from the Taiwanese place next to Xi'an, at the end of the row. The Steamed Taiwanese Sandwich is the most delicious iteration of the pork belly bun that I've ever had. It's not saucy, or slicked with mayo, but the pork itself is meltingly tender, there are candied peanuts and pickled vegetables, and the bun itself is slightly sweet. Somehow the whole package just knocks me out. Surprisingly, these travel fairly well, although they're best when eaten immediately. We also couldn't resist trying a meat bun thing that wasn't bad, but had an odd glutinous texture and a very funky flavor that we couldn't quite nail down, maybe fermented cabbage? Oyster? Stinky Tofu? I didn't see any of that except for cabbage, so maybe it was just that... And what? You expect us to not snack on sausage if it's available? We then wandered around several more blocks of Flushing, intrigued by many other places, hoping we'd work up appetites, but it just wasn't happening. Too many noodles and buns. No problem, we'll just have to go back and try again. It's just going to be hard to not make the same mistakes all over again, and fill-up at Xi'an Famous Foods! I'm definitely getting those lamb ribs again.

There's surely been some activity on the Brooklyn cocktail front in the last couple of years... but I'll fast-forward to spring of 2010 to mention a couple that we dropped-in on in Williamsburg the other day. Before we got to the newer places, we stopped by the above-mentioned Hotel Delmano. Had something OK off the menu, but then asked for a Sazerac. I wasn't sure why I made that particular order, but someone pointed out later that it's one of the most Sazerac-ish rooms outside of New Orleans, so I suppose it was inevitable. They have a version on their menu that involved pears in some fashion, but I asked for a traditional take. I don't think it was just the decor, but that was actually the most perfectly-balanced Sazerac I've ever had, including drinks from several places in the city of its origin... Really liked the space, good bartender, good feel overall. A couple blocks down the street, at the corner of Berry and North 11th, is a new place called The Counting Room. It's not really trying to be a cocktailian destination, it's just a pretty nice bar. Our motivation for visiting was more specific: Maks Pazuniak, of what was formerly known as the Rogue Cocktails blog/book, now Beta Cocktails recently moved back to the area, and is now working at The Counting Room. We'd become rather addicted to the drinks he and Kirk Estopinal had made us down at Cure in New Orleans, and even though we knew it wasn't going to be the same scene, we figured it was worth dropping by to say hi. And we were not disappointed. Despite not having all the ingredients he's used to having on-hand, he still managed to make us some fascinating drinks, even in the midst of being slammed on a saturday night, with an unexpected birthday party adding to the chaos. So, if you're in the area, it's worth asking for Maks, and requesting something Beta Cocktails-ish... He made me something from Cure, I think it was called In Search of Lost Time... Then we took a stroll over to south 4th st, to the new-ish Dram which IS trying to be a cocktail destination. (BTW, no, I do not mean Dram Shop in Park Slope, just Dram... ) It's a great-looking space, lots of wood and right angles, except for the illuminated kayak over the bar. There's a small, but interesting drinks menu, a big bowl of punch, some tiki glasses on the shelf, but even the menu points you in another direction - there's a listing for Bartender's choice: 1. Name Your Spirit 2. Then Choose Stirred & Spirit Forward or Shaken & Refreshing And that's what I often like to do anyway, just give a good bartender some parameters and see what happens. We got some tasty improvs from bartender Nick Jarrett, who we know from his couple of days each week in Phllly at The Franklin. We've learned to trust him implicitly. We meant to imbibe a few more drams of whatever Nick was pouring, but after only a couple, we got sidetracked by a futile search for nearby late-night food. Ahh, it's just another reason to make another visit. That initial sampling was quite promising, so we'd recommend checking it out. Just have whatever Nick's making... Dram 177 South 4th St. Brooklyn, NY 11211 718-486-dram http://drambar.com/ The Counting Room 44 berry Street (at 11th St) Brooklyn, NY 11211 (718) 599-1860 www.thecountingroombk.com Hotel Delmano 82 Berry St (at 9th St) Brooklyn, NY 11211 (718) 387-1945

Made another quick visit to Rochester recently, not enough time to really do the kind of surveying I prefer, so I just stuck to what the circumstances dictated. Some visiting friends with kids were craving Korean, so we hit Seoul Garden one evening, and everyone enjoyed it. One of the dining party was Korean, and all of them eat at Korean restaurants in Manhattan frequently, and they were pleased. Our (gas-powered) in-table grill didn't get quite as hot as we'd have liked, but it sufficed for some very good Kalbi and Bulgogi. I'm spoiled, we still have several places in Philly that still use charcoal, so I'm never completely satisfied with gas... We also had a very good Hae Mul Pajun, although the seafood was more finely-chopped than I prefer. Still, if the pancake is crisp and not too greasy, I'll live with that. Nakji Bokum was very tasty, not as spicy as it looked, but the octopus was tender and tasty. The kids inhaled a Bi Bim Bap before any adults could get near it, so I can't say for sure what it was like, but they enjoyed it. We also had a couple of very good soups. I wish I'd been paying closer attention when the ordering was going on, because I'd like the get those soups again, but I've learned to just let the native-speakers do their thing and stay out of the way... Afterward, a stop at Abbotts Frozen Custard was required. Thankfully, there was not only one a very short distance from Seoul Garden on West Henrietta Road, but also one right near their hotel too. I suspect there might have been additional visits after I left them... That chocolate almond is crazy. Later on that night, one friend and I dropped by Good Luck for a quick cocktail. It was pleasantly bustling, but not so packed that we couldn't find seats at the bar. We sampled a Black Cat Tea (Johnny Walker Black, Cointreau, Iced Earl Grey Tea, lemon, orange bitters) which tasted like...well...tea. Also had a Brass Tacks (Mezcal, Rittenhouse Rye, Fernet Branca, Blood Orange, Lemon Bitters, Ginseng Cola) which was complex and weird, in an appealing way. My kind of drink. Their Sazerac was a little heavy on the Peychaud's, but still worked, perhaps because they make them with a mix of cognac and bourbon and serve them on the rocks. We were also happy to see the local McKenzie Rye on the list and enjoyed sipping a bit of that straight. It's a little pricey, but hey, there's not that much of it around, and it's tasty... The next night, a birthday honoree requested dinner at Next Door Bar and Grill. I'd normally be skeptical about eating at a place run by Wegmans supermarkets, but the menu looked interesting, so I was curious. We got there a little early, and were directed to the bar area to wait. We got some decent cocktails, and encountered the only significant service glitch: for some reason they claimed to be unable to transfer the bar tab to our dinner check. This isn't a huge deal, I usually prefer to settle-up at the bar anyway, but in this case, just as they alerted us that our table was ready (with one of those cheesey blinking - buzzing pager things) our server made herself scarce, so it was kind of a pain to flag her down, get a check and pay, while acknowledging to the impatient gang of hostesses that we were on our way... The bar area is schizophrenic: part slick, modern and sleek, part romantic casbah, part disco lounge, complete with mirror ball. The bar itself was full, so we slipped into one of the draped areas with low couches and deep chairs. It felt like there ought to be a hookah on the table, and the couches seemed designed more for napping than sitting, but I suppose this could be a good thing in certain circumstances - I'm just having a hard time picturing the demographic that seemed to be populating the place getting THAT chill. I was also having a hard time getting up off of the couch, and jeeze, I'm not so old and creaky! The look of the main restaurant space is similarly jumbled. It's a combination of arty modern design touches, rustic wood and fixtures, curvy glass and chrome, and oversized, old-fashioned stodgy paintings. It's not bad looking, well, except for the paintings, it's just an odd juxtaposition of styles. Even the menu layout is a weird mix of sleek design and corny clip-art graphics. And I suppose you could say the same thing about food on that menu: there are two whole pages of sushi and sashimi, and a long list of skewered things cooked on a Robata grill, but also burgers, pizza and relatively conventional entrées like a roasted chicken, or a steak, or a grilled salmon. Both the decor and the food work better than you'd think they would. Although it's a massive space, it's broken-up into smaller rooms in a way that makes each section feel relatively intimate. And while the menu seems all-over-the-place, it's actually artfully compartmentalized as well, and it's nice to have all these options. It just so happens that the various folks at our table wanted a burger, a pizza, some robata-grilled items, some braised veal cheeks and a pan-seared bass. OK, none of what we ordered was so earth-shakingly awesome that we're racing back there immediately, but in fact everything was quite good, and interesting enough that I'd return for another dinner, and perhaps even order some of the same things again. A few things were spot-on. The Tuscan Fries were perfect: crisp, just enough garlic and rosemary and coarse sea salt to enhance, not overwhelm. The mayo-based dipping sauce was a strong compliment. The robata-grilled items were uniformly impressive as well. We sampled Asparagus, Kurobuta Pork (Belly), Scallop, Beef, and Chicken. Each was dressed with a different condiment, which were all at least good, some outstanding, like the rosemary-apple purée that lurked under the bacon-y pork. The scallops were on the small side, but perfectly cooked, subtly enhanced by the ginger, shiso and ponzu. I could see a chef setting-up the grill at the beginning of service, and there's no mistaking those glowing branches of Binchotan charcoal as he transferred them from a huge iron pot into the grilling area, and that super-hot wood imparts a distinctive flavor. The pizzas here are odd. Our server stressed several times that they are built on a VERY thin, crackery crust, but even those admonitions didn't prepare me for how paper-thin that crust would be. And that's not inherently a bad thing, one might argue about whether it's really even pizza, but for what it is, a crackery flatbread thing with toppings, it's pretty tasty. We tried a basic Margherita, with appropriately sparse toppings of good-quality chunky roasted tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and basil. It seems like a perfect bar snack, or a shared appetizer, probably not so great if you're hungry for pizza... The "Bouley Burger," served on an English Muffin, with cucumber, lettuce, etc, in the fashion of Bouley in Manhattan, was well-liked, and looked good. Braised veal cheeks were accompanied by spaetzle and red cabbage, in a concentrated, tangy sauce. These tasted very good, even though the sweet-and-sour notes of the sauce and of the red cabbage amplified one another and could get a little intense... The cheeks were still fairly firm, not quite as falling-apart as I've had, but that struck me as a cooking-style choice rather than a mistake. I couldn't see any circulators in the huge open kitchen, but there was something about the texture that made me wonder if they were actually cooked sous-vide rather than classically braised (not that one is better than the other.) Whatever the method, I might have let them go a little further, but that's really nitpicking. A seared filet of sea bass was presented over gnocchi and a kind of stew of vegetables. The fish itself was decent, competently cooked, but a little bland. But the dish as a whole was rather good, the gnocchi was light and tender, the vegetable sauce flavorful. Service was good overall. Food came out at a reasonable pace, there was a dedicated water and bread person, ready with refills. We flagged a random server a couple of times for small requests, and those requests were promptly handled by that person, not handed back to "our" server. The opening recitation of specials was a little weird, in that it included so many minute details that I was half expecting the ZIP codes for all of the ingredients and the names of each line cook who would be preparing them. The description of a crab cake special was followed by a recommended wine pairing, which included a review of the wine, right down to its relative oakiness and vanilla notes on the nose, as well as the price by glass or bottle. OK, how about if you wait and see if we order a crab cake before we worry about a wine pairing? Anyway, that was just about the only scripted sales-pitch we received, other than a helpful tip that the bread we were served is available at the store across the street. Admittedly we HAD mentioned liking it, and that was actually helpful to know, but she didn't really need to remind us that we were eating food from the supermarket! Sitting in the main room, I could see close to 20 cooks in the open kitchen, all looking feverishly busy, which seemed almost comical until we were able to absorb how many seats this restaurant really has. To the credit of the designers, it's much larger than it seems. There were at least 4 or 5 dedicated sushi chefs, preparing platters. There is plentiful counter seating around what looks like a traditional sushi bar, but there didn't seem to be any way to interact directly with the chefs. Ordering and delivery were all done via servers, which can be fine, but there seemed to be no chance for the delicate give-and-take between a sushi chef and the diner that can make the experience so much better. The fish looked to be of high quality, but the selection was not especially exotic, and populated by too many gimmicky rolls, but I suppose that's what most people want. Prices were in-line with what you'd see at most places of this style, which is to say, a semi-upscale, serious restaurant. But it is ironic that the very fact that it's right across the street from the mothership supermarket made us keep thinking about the prices of ingredients versus the final cost for the menu item. Really, $19 for just a duck leg?!? $22 for just the breast?! You really can't give me a half a duck for that? $5-7 seems about right for a grilled skewer of something until you start thinking of how much product is really on those sticks... But then as you look around at the well-appointed dining rooms, the large shiny kitchen, and the swarms of employees, it's not hard to see where restaurant markup goes, that's the reality of the restaurant business. And heck, I don't want to have to buy expensive binchotan charcoal, and get it lit, it's a pain... Overall, I'd say that the restaurant is better than one might expect from something run by a supermarket, even Wegmans. But at the same time, it's worth keeping in mind that for better and for worse, it's a large, modern corporate enterprise, not the personal vision of a driven chef, or a cultural expression of some ethnic heritage, as so many fine restaurants are. That said, one can probably safely expect consistent quality and execution, along with good service, and that's not bad.

At the risk of topic drift, here are some ideas if you're still deciding about saturday night in the city as a whole, especially focusing on fish. Of course there's Fish. The only real downside right now is that Little Fish just closed, so traffic might be a bit denser, especially on a saturday night, but it's worth a try, especially if you're a little flexible on timing. The chef definitely has a way with product from the sea, and the place has an interesting wine list, nice setting, but not stuffy. And there's also The Oyster House, which has the expected deep selection of oysters, but also plenty of other seafood on the menu. I haven't eaten there since a chef change, but I've heard that it's not dramatically different. If she's up for having her fish (mostly) uncooked, think about omakase at Ro-Zu, it's some of the better, and more interesting, modern sushi and sashimi I've had in town. These days there'll be some interesting fish and/or vegetarian dishes on pretty much any menu around town, so you'd do fine in almost any nice place, but if you want a larger number of options, those two would top my list. -unless you want to go full veggie - in which case you should check out Horizons. It's delicious food in an upscale setting. It always comes off sounding defensive, but it's true: you could almost forget that it's not only vegetarian, but vegan. And if you just want to stay in the neighborhood the other times, I'll bet you can find something good at the places mentioned, or maybe someone will chime in with more advice. Karen, thanks for the thumbs-up on the duck, good to know, might just have to get up there myself...

We just made it back to Mémé the other day too, but for dinner, rather than thursday lunch. It really made me kick myself for not going more often. I find that neighborhood to be almost impossible to park in, which has been a disincentive a few times, but I really need to remember that I should just suck it up and park wherever possible and walk, or spring for a parking lot, or whatever it takes. Oddly enough, we ate a lot of the same things that we had back when the restaurant was brand new (see photos above.) We chatted a bit with chef Katz, and we were laughing about how he's changed a lot of those dishes, but in an odd coincidence, many of them happened to change BACK to their original forms recently. This was actually not a disappointment to me, I enjoyed it quite a lot back then, and liked it just as much this time too. I love those sizzling mussels, in fact I might rate them as one of the best appetizers in the city. And the steak tartare is probably my favorite version of that in town as well. I happen to enjoy the Moroccan spicing he uses in it, although not everyone does... The roast chicken for two might be a little steep at $42, but it's delicious: tender, juicy, seated in the most intense jus you can imagine. The duck was great, once again accompanied by swiss chard and beets. We also had a special of Steelhead Trout with trumpet mushrooms that was subtle, but quite nice. The fish's ocean-going ways make it a bit more salmon-like than a rainbow trout, so the meat was pinker and richer than we had expected, but that only made the dish more flavorful. Wednesdays are BYOB night, but the place has an interesting wine (and beer) list, and pretty fairly-priced too, so I'd go back any night. And very exciting was the flier they were passing out advertising a special night at Zahav, featuring chef Katz doing his homestyle Moroccan thing! Menu looks very good, including: Grilled Sardines with Chermoula Meatballs with Celery and Peas Chicken with Green Olives and Lemon Couscous with Favas and Morels Crispy Meat Cigars and the main course, Dafina, a traditional sabbath stew eaten by Moroccan Jews. As Chef Katz described it to us our mouths were watering, so we'll be there for sure. The dinner is Wednesday May 12, at Zahav, $45 per person. I assume there will be more info on the Mémé and/or Zahav websites at some point.

There are a lot of perfectly acceptable neighborhood places in that area where you could very likely get a good meal, but oddly, I can't think of a lot that I think of as destination restaurants. I'm fond of Brigid's, but mostly for their excellent beer selection. I eat there with some regularity, and I like it, but it's not necessarily somewhere I'd take someone who was visiting. If i lived in the neighborhood, I'd probably be there once a week. I hear good things about L'Oca, an Italian BYOB, but I've never been. I've had good meals at Rembrandt's but it's been a while. I hear there's good stuff happening at the London Grill, but for no particular reason, I haven't been there in years... I feel like nobody talks about Jack's Firehouse anymore... I wasn't even sure if Jack McDavid was still involved in it, but the website drops his name a lot, so I assume he's still part of it, although I'm not sure whether he's behind the stove. There's the second outpost of Sabrina's if you're in a brunch mood. Right behind the art museum itself is Waterworks, which is lovely, some of the tables have great views, and I think it still serves fairly high-end food, but I don't hear anyone talk about it anymore. Pushing the edges of the neighborhood a little, there's the new Doma for modern Japanese/Korean (I liked it on one visit) and King of Tandoor for Indian, around 18th and Callowhill. I hear mixed things about Illuminare, Belgian Cafe, St. Stephen's Green, Umai Umai, etc. It's one of those neighborhoods where there's a lot to choose from, and is probably pretty great if you live there to have such a variety of decent places, but I can't think of anything up there that I'd urge you to visit in particular... If you just want something decent and convenient, you'll do fine. If you're looking to have a peak culinary experience, you might need to travel. Give us some parameters if you're looking for advice about either narrowing the search in that neighborhood, or for your meal(s) you might travel for, and we might be able to be more decisive!

Looks good, Percy, thanks for posting! The particular wine selections make me think you folks brought them and paid corkage, or were they from the restaurant's list? If you brought them, what was the corkage fee?

(That False Alibi at the Oyster House is quite tasty...) The folks at The Franklin in Philly have been making me variations on Phil Ward's Silver Monk lately, and I suspect it's going to be my summer go-to drink. The basic one is: 2oz Blanco Tequila 3/4 simple 3/4 Yellow Chartreuse Juice of one lime Pinch of Salt Shaken, served with one big rock, garnished with cucumber, and a sprig of mint. Somehow, bartender Nick Jarret recently slipped some Gilka Kaiser Kummel in there, and it was very nice, but I have no idea about proportions, or if he pulled something else back...

I didn't love Stanley, but others have, and it's conveniently located for you, so it could be worth a shot... I otherwise like your list. Elizabeth's is worth the short cab ride up there, and while you're in the neighborhood, it's worth a quick wander around Dr Bob's compound. www.drbobart.net A Parkway po-boy followed by Angelo Brocato's gelato is one of the most perfect lunches imaginable, so I'd consider slotting gelato back in the schedule, it's right nearby. If Parkway is busy, don't forget the bar, it's a perfectly comfortable spot to eat. And for your saturday dinner, I'd consider Green Goddess. It's weird, but still very much based in Louisiana cooking. Also, I didn't find Herbsaint and Cochon to be all that redundant, the food is different enough that it's not like hitting the same place twice. But you should also think about Brigtsen's, Clancy's, Dick and Jenny's, Lilette, and jeeze, August, Stella, Bayona, there are about a hundred more. Flip a coin! Oh, and late in the afternoon on saturday, it's unlikely that there will be any Mufulettas left at Central Grocery, but it's worth a shot. You might also contemplate getting one, or several, to bring home. They travel well and somehow, magically, taste pretty good even several days later. They might actually get better... Have a blast, and please report back!

Another good review for Han Dynasty, this time from Adam Erace in the Philadelphia Weekly. Read the full review>>

I swear I was typing and didn't see Buckethead's post! But it's good to see that there's some consensus about some of these places!

Philly is actually pretty well-populated with the kinds of bars you want, as in there are plenty of authentically grungy and/or hip places, a few serious (but not really all that pretentious) cocktail joints, and not too many that feel like chain hotel bars. It might make sense to figure out where you're staying, for the sake of keeping your drinking in the neighborhood. If you're going to choose the B&B based on the bars, you have a couple of good options. If you ended up staying in the Northern Liberties neighborhood, there are several really good bars within a few blocks walk. I've found the tapas at Bar Ferdinand to be variable in quality, but some of it is very good, and it's certainly a nice place to hang at the bar and drink good sherry and have a few bites. Cantina Dos Segundos has an amazing selection of tequila and mezcal, the good stuff if you're in a sipping mood, or delicious, affordable Margaritas and the like if you're in a quaffing mood. And the food's good too, especially the goat tacos, ribs, ceviches, the little grilled baby octopuses... Standard Tap is the prototypical Gastropub: excellent local beer list (recently expanded) all on tap. Really good food, nice vibe. 700 Club ups the grungy hipster quotient significantly, but they also offer very good cocktails in a very unpretentious setting. I don't recall, but I don't think they have much in the way of food. All of those places are on north 2nd Street, within about 5 blocks of one another. (If you happen to stay with the TarteTatins, you're a block away from there.) __ If you end up staying further south, closer to South Street, in the Queen Village neighborhood (I've seen signs for B&Bs there, although I don't recall exactly where they are...) there's an excellent bar called Southwark, on the corner of 4th and Bainbridge. It's got a comfortable old-school feel, has a great collection of Rye and other Whiskeys, the bartenders make very fine cocktails, and the place serves good, homey, farm-to-table-ish food as well. It's an actual restaurant with a dining room, or you can just eat at the bar, we do... A few blocks away from there is Chick's, which has a very creative cocktail program, started by eGullet's own Katie Loeb, and left in the very capable hands of Phoebe Esmon. She's got a real knack for making delicious cocktails that include unusual ingredients, like root vegetables or hot peppers, or unexpected fruits, or all of the above... The food's pretty good there too, from simple cheese plates and charcuterie, to more elaborate full meals. I'm a fan of their wild boar burger, and pretty much any dessert. A few blocks west on South Street is Brauhaus Schmitz, which has a pretty amazing selection of German beers. I don't love the food there, but it's acceptable hearty German fare. --- If you end up more in the central part of Center City, west of Broad Street, there are some serious cocktail bars along Sansom Street. At the western end, at 20th and Sansom, is Village Whiskey, which, as you might imagine from the name, has a pretty mind-boggling array of whiskeys. They make very good cocktails in general, from whatever spirit. You'll pay dearly for them, the prices are a little steep, but it's a lovely space, and the quality is high. They have a small food menu, but on it is one of the best burgers in the city. You can have a basic burger, customized with a few toppings, or go nuts and get their over-the-top-indulgent burger with foie gras and blue cheese, and I forget what else. The cast iron skillet with duck-fat-fried french fries, covered in cheddar cheese and shortribs, is outrageously delicious, but trust me on this, you don't really want to eat that all by yourself... A couple of blocks down, on 18th, between Sansom and Chestnut, is the Franklin Mortgage and Investment Company. They've just rolled-out a new cocktail menu that's pretty fantastic. In general, this is the first place I'd recommend if you're interested in a good, creative cocktail. The menu's very interesting, but they can make you pretty much anything you want, or improvise something on the spot. There's not much in the way of food - there's a cheese plate, a charcuterie plate, a flatbread thing of some sort, and crazy-delicious duck-fat potato chips, but not anything that resembles a conventional meal. Vibe is retro-speakeasy. Another block down Sansom at 17th st. is the Sofitel Hotel bar. This DOES indeed feel like a generic chain hotel bar, so the vibe is probably not for you, but they do make some good drinks there... Right across the street from there is the new Palomar Hotel, and on the ground level is the bar at Square 1682 which doesn't feel quite as much like a typical hotel bar, but it's still a bit sterile... That said, they make some good drinks there, and there's some interesting food from a good chef that has a full-on restaurant upstairs. I'm not sure if you can get any of the main restaurant's food down in the bar. But I doubt the vibe is what you're looking for. A couple more blocks down Sansom, near 15th street, is the Oyster House. This is more of a restaurant than a drinking spot, but there is a good-sized bar, and there are very tasty cocktails there, many of which were concocted by the afore-mentioned Katie Loeb. If you check the Oyster House thread, there's some talk about some of them, as well as her house-made Aquavit, which I've sampled, and can recommend highly! Of course, they have plenty of good food there. A couple of blocks further down Sansom, on 13th, between Sansom and Chestnut, is APO, formerly known as Apothecary. They're in a strange state of transition right now, there's been an announcement that the main floor is turning onto a diner, but there's apparently some doubt about whether that's actually happening... and even if it did, the upstairs bar is supposed to remain as a serious cocktail bar, and the outdoor patio on the second floor is a lovely space to have a drink if the weather is nice. They have an amazing collection of liquors, and talented bartenders. The first floor vibe is kind of cold and sterile, but it's OK if you're actually at the bar, or upstairs has a better feel. Not much in the way of food, beyond soft pretzels. --- So, if you were picking a place to stay based on drinking, I'd pick Northern Liberties, not too far from 2nd street; or Queen Village not too far south of South Street; or center city, in the teens or low 20s. ____ OK, then, for your second (BYOB) night... if you scan around the boards here you'll see some of the same names pop up. Again, this might be affected by where you ultimately decide to stay, but it's also worth keeping in mind that you can get around town in a cab for not a TON of money, 10 bucks gets you from one end of center city to the other. You might want to be careful if you're going WAY out to some obscure neighborhood, but I don't think we're going to recommend anything too far off the main traffic routes! The top BYOBs that I'd recommend right now are: Matyson - contemporary American fare. (center City - 19th Street, near Chestnut) Koo Zee Doo - modern Portuguese. (Norther Liberties, north 2nd St, near Spring Garden) Bibou - rustic, yet elegant, French. (South Philly, 8th Street, near Washington) Cochon - even more rustic French, pork-centric, hearty.(Queen Village - 6th and Catherine) Fond - contemporary eclectic. I haven't actually eaten here, but hear good things from friends. (South Philly - Passyunk Ave) At any of these places, if you're planning on a LONG, protracted meal, I would indeed mention that at the time of reserving, so at least they know not to try to turn your table. There certainly could be some tension at any of these places, none of them are huge, so they probably intend on another seating if you book before 8 or 8:30. And conversely, they may not want to seat you at 9 or 10 if you intend to stay several hours! But you may be able to book that with no hassle, just let them know. ----- As for Easter sunday, I very often end up in Chinatown. I'm sure there are regular restaurants around town doing special Easter dinners, but they're likely to be restricted, overpriced holiday special things that are best avoided. Most everything is likely to be open in Chinatown, or if you want to head toward another ethnicity, there are a large number of Vietnamese places along Washington Ave in South Philly, between 6th and 11th, you could easily find something good there. In Chinatown, there are a few particular highlights. Rangoon is a Burmese restaurant, which is not too common, although I know you folks have Mandalay out in Silver Spring (I like Rangoon better)but it's still a rare treat. Don't miss the Ginger Salad or the Thousand Layer Bread with Chicken Curry dip. For ultra-fresh Cantonese Seafood, try Ken's Seafood at 1004 Race. There's live stuff in the tanks at the front, but we usually just ask for Ken, and ask him to recommend what's good that day. Everything from a whole steamed fish, to live shrimp done salt-and-pepper style, to live scallop with garlic or XO sauce... The Eel with XO is crazy good. But almost anything in a clay pot is delicious, the Peking Duck is good, Hong Kong-style Pork chops, ask for whatever greens he recommends that day. Sakura Mandarin at 11th and Race has some very good Shanghainese specialties, especially Steamed Juicy Buns, also known as Soup Dumplings. But there are plenty more good things to be had, the scallion pancake is unique, and delicious, the braised pork shoulder is good, the rice cakes, the 8-treasure noodles, the cold duck appetizer, or wine-marinated chicken. I even hear the sushi is good, but I've never bothered with it, there are too many other more unusual things to try! Nan Zhou hand-drawn noodles, at 927 Race (near 10th) is cheap and simple, and very good. As the name implies, the noodles are made fresh by hand, so that's what to get, either a soup, or the drier Zha jiang Mian, which they might call something weird like soy sauce noodles with pork. Penang and Banana Leaf are very similar Malaysian places. Both are pretty good, Penang has a liquor license, Banana Leaf is BYOB. Penang is on 10th near Arch, Banana Leaf is around the corner on Arch. Sang Kee Peking Duck House on 9th, near Vine St, is good for a Peking Duck, or Roast Pork, or any of the barbecue meat stuff. I love the roast pork noodle soup, the duck, Peking Pork Chops, their version of the old cliche General Tso's Chicken is even good. Hard to go wrong with noodles and roast meats. Outside of Chinatown, on Chestnut, between Front St and 2nd St, is a terrific Sichuan restaurant called Han Dynasty. If you check the eG topics here, you'll see some excursions there that might give you a sense of the food. Some of it is crazy spicy, but not everything, just be sure to indicate which way you want to go. It's very likely that Han, the owner, will be your server, and he loves to customize your order, or overrule you, based on what he thinks you want. And he's usually right... I've liked pretty much everything I've gotten there. --- So.. that might at least give you something to think about! Please come back with more questions as you refine your search!

More love for Han Dynasty in the press (and competing titles for Han himself - I vote for Sergeant Pepper...) Trey Popp in the City Paper: Sergeant Pepper Penn's 34th St magazine: Sovereign of Spice

I'll agree with the above, and add Royal Tavern (on Passayunk, near 7th st) They have a much-lauded burger, meatloaf sandwich, etc, but usually a few fancier specials as well. Lots of veggie and vegan choices if that matters. Unexpectedly interesting wines by the glass. I'm not sure I'd call it a gastropub, but there's always good beer at Southwark at 4th and Bainbridge. They don't have a huge selection by philly's standards, but well-chosen ones and excellent cocktails if you want to take a break from beer. The food is in that farm-to-table style, good, mostly local ingredients, hearty yet contemporary. You can eat at the bar, or they have a regular dining room. Also, Pub and Kitchen at 20th and Lombard (you may remember it as Chaucer's.) Small menu mostly pubby, comfort food standards, but buffed-up a bit with modern technique. Also, Local 44 in West Philly, at 44th and Spruce. (You might remember it as The Tavern, or Murphy's if you lived out there, but you won't recognize it!) The same folks opened Resurrection Ale House on Grey's Ferry near Catherine St. And also The Memphis Taproom out in Fishtown/Port Richmond. Excellent beer selections, and interesting food - I've heard some mixed reviews of the food, but I've always enjoyed what I've eaten. and as Andrew said, there are lots more... http://royaltavern.com/ http://www.southwarkrestaurant.com/ http://thepubandkitchen.com/ http://www.local44beerbar.com/ http://www.resurrectionalehouse.com http://www.memphistaproom.com/ http://www.standardtap.com/

Ahh, right you are about the carrot and chestnut soup. The lunch menu on their website says squash and chestnut, which sounded right to me. But carrot explains the more intriguing flavor, and when I checked the menu we actually ordered from, it was indeed carrots...