philadining

I like Wawa as much as the next guy, and although I don't love their coffee, I drink it almost every day. Their hot roast pork sandwich is not worth a special trip, but it sure beats a fast-food hamburger, especially at 3 am. (And you're right Andrew, their "bowls" are pretty bleak...) However, I would think things have gotten pretty desperate if one resorts to taking out-of-town guests to Wawa for a meal. I really like Holly's itinerary, or at least as much of it as a mere mortal can a manage to eat! I've found that visitors almost always like Ralph's. Although simple, hearty Italian food isn't exactly rare around the country, it's done very well at Ralph's, and you get a distinctly Philly vibe along with the food, even if that vibe includes never getting that meatball you ordered, and reminded them about 3 times... It's hard, but try to get them to stick to the basic stuff, the fancy, expensive specials are rarely all that thrilling, while a simple bowl of gnocchi is. There are public markets in many cities, but a stroll through the RTM or the Italian market certainly does convey a sense of Phillyness, and there's good food to be had, so both of those are good choices. And although there's room for debate about whether the food always stands up to the hype, my guests have always been thrilled with the flashy Steven Starr restaurants. Unless they are from a major metropolis, or are jaded jet-setters, a little theater with the food leaves a strong impression. There aren't a lot of places like Pod. Folks from overseas have enjoyed the homey "American" food at Jones. Tangerine always impresses. Going to Morimoto is a real event. And I'll say it again and duck, but somehow I keep getting good food at those places. I even occasionally go to those spots just to eat, not to show off! Order carefully and you'll have a good time. And if your relatives are foodies, the small BYOB thing is a really charming aspect of our scene here, and often leaves folks wishing they lived in Philly. I don't think you can go too wrong just taking them to some of your favorite places. Doing that will almost certainly communicate a sense of Philly, and give them fond memories of their visit. Please tell us what you do, and how it goes over!

I have always found it just impossible to get a table for 4 at Koch's, no matter the time of year....

yeah, with a million people all standing shoulder-to-shoulder in Philly, it was important that I get to the East Village, just to even-out the planet's weight distribution. Happy to do my part to preserve the earth's rotational momentum. Just to be safe, I left all my money up in NY. Funny how that always seems to happen....

Stopped by tonight and had a very similar experience to jj's reported above. Indeed the very center of my "filetti" was holding a small pool of fluid, probably an accumulation of olive oil along with some moisture from the fresh cherry tomatoes and fresh mozz. As a result, that part of the pizza was a bit damp, and suffering from the dreaded tip droop. But it quickly left my mind as I became absolutely transfixed by the flavor and texture of this pizza, the small region of sogginess just one of several notes being sung. I didn't mind it one bit, and found myself mopping up the little slick on the plate with the drier portions of the crust. It was absolutely delicious, and intoxicating, in that I couldn't have stopped if I wanted to, and probably would have used that little knife they give you to fend-off anyone that came too close... Those contrasts of chewy and crisp, soft and burnt, sour and salty were really spinning my head around. And yes, $22 (before tip) for a smallish pizza and a couple of tiny sodas is ludicrous, but I'll happily spend it again. It doesn't feel like buying dinner - more like contributing to a charitable foundation for the research and perfection of crust. If that's what it takes.... I never thought I had a particularly small appetite, but that pizza and a little Gelato from il Laboritorio a few minutes later kept me happy all the way back to Philly. I didn't feel the need for more food. And I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for consumer rebellion over the prices, I was about 10th in line about 15 minutes before they opened, and there were probably that many waiting when I left. And I expect to be in that line again the next time I get to NY. edited for typos

For the sake of contrast, I tried il Laboratorio del Gelato while up in NY today. It's a small place, with fewer selections that Capogiro has on any given day, but they feature a similar combination of classic flavors and more unusual ones. I had dark chocolate and ricotta flavors. Each was quite good, but pretty subtle in flavor compared to similar offerings at Capogiro. They did, however, have a really nice creamy texture. In contrast, Capogiro gelato seems a bit gummy. Probably not coincidentally, the Lab's seemed to be served a bit colder, so perhaps that has as much to do with it as the ingredients. Based on this admittedly extremely limited sample, I still prefer Capogiro. Many of their flavors are more intense, and interesting, and the texture isn't bad, just different. But if you're in NY, il Laboratorio is certainly worth a try.

I'm with you, I've actually always been a bit disappointed by their fries. And that seems like the one thing a place like that should get right. Oh well. (And Sandra Day O'Connor is freaking me out too, but I suppose this is not the place to whine about that. Some good fries would make me feel better though.)

Because Gordon is my hero, I started my visit to Toronto with Dinner at Susur, and ended it with a peameal bacon sandwich at the Market for breakfast on the way out of town.... I'm hoping to make both a habit. When the woman at the counter asked me what I wanted on the sandwich, I sheepishly admitted that it was my first one, and she told me I wanted honey mustard. I think that was the correct answer.

Thanks Greg, it's reassuring to know that my recollection of limes being squeezed was not completely a tequila-fueled delusion! If I could only sort out how many of my other Copa memories are real, I'd really be somewhere.

$100 isn't loose change in the couch cushions, but at least that charge is inclusive: you just pay $100 each. So it's really comparable to $75-80 ish in a regular place, where you'd add tax and tip. The pricing is pretty similar to Lacroix, except you can save a fortune on wine. Considering the quality of the food and the overall experience, I think it's totally worth it. For that money you will get very creative cooking with luxurious ingredients, but you're probably not going to get a big chunk of anything! Maybe several little chunks in unexpected sauces, one of them en croute, another in a ravioli... And Studio Kitchen has very nice glasses, in many shapes and sizes, so, no need to bring your own.

I didn't really even plan to go this time, it's Victor's fault... Cold Sliced Tripe and Kidneys in a Spicy Sauce (Fu Qi Fei Pan) This is surprisingly light-flavored and refeshing, and the sauce has a bit of a kick. I'm not actually much of a fan of tripe or kidney, but I like this. Vegetarian Duck with Beijing Pancakes Like a Peking Duck Roll, but with a deep-fried something-or-other simulating the crackly duck skin, along with the traditional hoisin and scallions. I'm not going to abandon the real duck, but this was pretty good! Sliced Chicken with Spicy Tangy Sauce Very tender slices of chicken in a really delicious sauce, celery and carrots. This is excellent. Fried Fish in Szechuan Style (not on the menu) This is pretty much the braised beef dish pictured above, but with fried fish filets. The flavor was still pretty good, but the beef stood up to the spice better, and had a better texture than the getting-soggy breaded fish. Peppers in Black Bean Sauce Slightly spicy chile peppers, stirfried with a very thin, vinegary, salty black bean sauce. This was OK, but a little bit went a long way... The chicken was the real standout tonight, everything else was good, but not my first choices when I go back.

I know this is no real consolation, but as you probably know from reading this topic, he's not snubbing you personally! He's just swamped with emails, and often out-of-town and/or cranking out dinners that are really taking all of his attention and energy. He'd probably never get anything cooked if he stopped to answer all his messages promptly! (Tonight at Studio Kitchen, 5 bowls of cereal... sorry, it's all there was time for...) So, I can completely sympathize with you, it's a little unsettling not knowing for sure if you're even booked, but he WILL catch up on his emails when he can. And it's worth the anxiety! I don't know the phone number, and I doubt it would do much good, he's not answering the phone if he's swamped. I'd drop him another reminder email (use the the gmail account) and I'm sure he'll contact you soon.

Two friends and I visited Susur in late June of 2005, and we all agreed that it was one of the most spectacular meals we’d ever had, on both a food level and as an overall experience. Despite what looked like a bustling crowd next door at Lee, Susur was most definitely in the house, poking his head out of the kitchen for brief reconnaissance of the dining room, and even chatting with us later in the evening when things had slowed-down. The food’s execution reflected his presence, everything was beautifully plated, interestingly conceived, carefully customized, and most importantly, vibrantly delicious. We were quite impressed with the ability of the kitchen to adjust to food preferences. One of our party is a strict vegetarian, but will eat dairy. I had assumed he’d most likely have to order a vegan tasting menu like I had seen on the Susur website, but in fact they’re ready to do non-vegan vegetarian, and made excellent use of cheese and custard and crème fraiche. In fact, even as an omnivore, I would have been perfectly happy eating that vegetarian menu, it was diverse and stimulating, and a bargain at under $60 (for 5 courses). The other two of us had the regular 5-course menu, and were glad we opted for that smaller scale, we couldn’t imagine trying to eat the full 7. We had originally planned on having wine parings, but our unintentional over-indulgence at Crush on the stroll down King Street made that option seem a bit less attractive. A bottle of sturdy Alsatian Gewurtz did yeoman’s work, hanging-in with the heavier courses without trampling the lighter ones. It was too dim where we were sitting for natural-light photos, and I’m just too timid to use a flash in dark restaurants, so sadly, I have no visual aids. Several of the courses looked very similar to Gordon’s excellent photos posted above, even while differing in specific components or sauces. The runners’ descriptions of the courses varied widely in detail and comprehensibility, and although our server made a valiant attempt to write down everything we’d had, it proved impossible to keep track of every nuance. I’ll do my best to recall what all three of us had. Service was very good, with the exception of some rough spots with delivery of the right plates to the right person. This is usually no more than a minor inconvenience, but with such novel presentations, it was occasionally hard to be confident that the vegetarian diner was indeed getting the vegetarian plate. And indeed he was served an amuse that included a slice of chorizo, but we managed trade plates amongst ourselves to straighten it out. And I had indicated that I couldn’t eat shrimp, but was served a large prawn as part of my final savory course, again easily rectified by swapping plates with my friend across the table. A few of the runners were a little shaky with their descriptions of what we had been presented, but overall, service was nicely paced and professionally executed. Through the haze of wine, time and over-indulgence, here’s what I can recall of our meal, with the aid of some helpful, but incomplete, notes from our server. Amuse: I had a small dish of lobster in a sweet gelée, a tiny blini with crème fraiche and something else good…. And sorry, my companions’ offerings looked similar but were gone before I could catalog them! 1st course: Ostrich with coffee/foie gras sauce. As fits Susur’s reversed style, this first offering was big and bold. Two large medallions of rare ostrich meat, by far the most tender I’d ever encountered, were seated in an intense, dark sauce. We couldn’t help laughing about the image of over-caffeinated ostriches racing around the kitchen a few hours earlier, but we wouldn’t be surprised, the bitter edge of the coffee melded so nicely with the rich meat that the birds themselves might have been hopped-up on joe. Roasted Squab, Apricot Sauce, Swiss Potato. We surmised that some statement might have been inherent in the contrast of the very large ostrich and the tiny squab, but we’re not sure what it is. The squab’s breast meat was tender and flavorful, but was upstaged by the crisp, slightly fatty, much deeper-flavored meat from the leg. That rich, somehow almost bacony flavor from the leg contrasted beautifully with the tangy apricot sauce and crescents of the poached fruit. The swiss potato, which reappeared in one of the vegetarian courses, was a perfectly roasted small spud, split and placed atop a fried potato cake. Gnocchi of taro/chestnut/wild rice, with Three Cheese Tomato Sauce. I’m not sure I could pick out taro, chestnut, or wild rice (but this is what our server wrote down for us) but from the small taste I stole, these were fluffy, light gnocchi, in a rich tomato sauce, stringy with cheese. A few leaves of crisp parmesan frico protruded from the deep metal bowl in which the gnocchi was served. 2nd course: Bison Carpaccio with Torcheon of Foie Gras. This is very similar to the dish Gordon photographed above, but without the pork loin, the thin slices placed over lacy fried Chinese noodles. Despite the luxe ingredients, this was relatively light and refreshing. It was quite tasty in a completely different way from the corresponding foie course. 4-way Foie Gras: Tourchon on Brioche, Cannoli with Pistachio/Foie Gras Mousse, Seared Foie Gras on 5-spice cracker, Chocolate Foie Gras Flan. Ironically, I have been complaining about what I thought was excessive, pointless use of foie gras at some restaurants recently, which has given me a reputation as a foie grump. If there’s a course to cure that cynicism, this is probably it. Each one of these bite-or-two-sized portions was head-spinningly decadent, yet never too-much. The cold torcheon on a tiny toasted wafer had a completely different taste and mouth-feel from the warm seared cube’s caramelized edges and crunchy cracker. The cannoli’s sweet, crisp shell giving way to the runny, buttery, nutty filling was almost the ultimate expression, but was edged-out by the shotglass full of buttery richness capped with a soft bittersweet layer of chocolate. Wow. Ricotta/Spinach Tart with Tomato Jam. This was one of the highlights of the vegetarian track, an artful mélange of hot and cold, sweet and savory, creamy and firm. The central cheesy tart was set above a cool tomato sauce, thinly-sliced, tomatoes shingled around the perimeter, a layer of potatoes skirting the tomato, some leaves of summer truffles sprinkled around. The contrast of temperatures and flavors really enhanced these ingredients, we all marveled at how well this worked despite how it seemed that the elements might clash. 3rd Course: Salmon Roll, Ume, Mustard, Wasabi sauces This was effectively thin slices of a light, refreshing Maki, with egg taking the place of the rice one would expect in a traditional sushi roll. Dots of sour purple plum sauce, yellow mustard and green wasabi made for an attractive plate. Sablefish in Miso Sauce, Lilybulb Purée, Fried Leeks This closely resembled Gordon’s photo above, perfectly moist, almost falling-apart fish, with a nice crusty, broiled surface. No curry this time, but the sauce tinged with white miso dovetailed beautifully with the sweet, starchy lilybulb. Swiss Potato, Chickpea puree, Mushrooms It’s hard to believe that a roasted potato and potato croquette could sustain a whole dish, but it did… 4th course: Scallop Cake, Cuttlefish, Prawn, Dill Spinach Flan We were really getting full by now, and I sincerely wonder if we might have found this more interesting earlier in the meal. But the slightly dull shellfish mousse, re-formed into a small scallop-looking disc, was paired with an intense, weird, dark sauce we couldn’t identify, and might have been the only thing none of us liked. The small piece of cuttlefish and large prawn were fresh and simply prepared, quite tasty but not especially thrilling. Soft Shell Crab, Tropical Salsa, Mint puree, Chipotle, fried chile pepper The crab was breaded in a light tempura-like batter with a spicy edge, and would have been quite tasty on its own, but a dice of mango and a deep-green herb puree that was mintier than seems physically possible exposed new dimensions of the sweet crabmeat. A small slice of roasted chipotle, and a deep-fried chile sounded the opposite flavor notes for contrast. White Asparagus Salad and White Asparagus Vichyssoise. This crisp, cool salad of thin white asparagus and apple, accompanied by a creamy cold soup was well-liked, even though that diner doesn’t normally care for asparagus in any form. 5th course: There was such a dizzying array of desserts between the three of us, I’m afraid that I can’t remember them all. I really enjoyed an intense passionfruit flan and apricot tart, but the strawberry ice cream was a bit blah. A broad stripe of strawberry sauce was quite good, but a little superfluous, except to make a dramatic visual statement. Across the table, a two-tiered display of small offerings was quickly devoured. For an instant or two it featured a tiny skewer of blueberries with a drizzle of sauce, a strawberry dipped in white chocolate, and stuffed with vanilla pudding, a chocolate-walnut tart, a layered opera cake, a tiny cannoli, and a shotglass of coffee-flavored custard. And that was for one person…. I’m sorry that I don’t recall details of the third plate, but I do remember that it included a subtle pannacotta-like custard that quietly transformed: not too exciting at first, but really delicious by the end. Overall, we thought this was a masterfully-executed meal, and even the one or two things that failed to thrill were interesting and well-made. The sheer variety of the several components of five courses of three completely different menus boggles the mind. And none of those elements seemed like afterthoughts, each piece felt carefully-considered and meticulously constructed. This was a consistently interesting and pleasing succession of flavors and textures. I’m not sure what to make of the reverse tasting concept, our courses got a little bit lighter, but not much smaller as time went by, and I suppose we were relieved that we weren’t completely stuffed by the time the heaviest plate arrived. But I think I’d be happy to eat this food in any order at all. At the end of the night, all three of us were trying to devise excuses for a return visit to Toronto, purely to eat at Susur again, so I guess that says all one needs to say! I suppose there’s always a concern about the level of oversight a jet-setting celeb chef with multiple kitchens can provide, but I can say from one visit that, at least when Susur’s in the house, his restaurant can provide a very exciting and enjoyable meal. I can’t wait to go back.

Katie sez: What else is REALLY good there?

That's a good point, I suspect when the bartenders told us they were using "fresh" lime juice, they were contrasting with bottled, and maybe it was always frozen. I swear I saw limes being squeezed back in the day, but maybe that was a bit of garnish or show, I guess that would be a lot of juicing for the kind of volume they do there... And it probably wouldn't fly to charge "market price" for the Margaritas! I've been pretty shocked by my bar tab there, I can't imagine what it would be like after an unexpected frost in the lime groves.But I think the real lesson is that the best margaritas are at the Fentons'. What's your address again Andrew? And how are your Spanish Fries?

AAAAAGHH!!! You don't get the FROZEN ones at the Copa!!!Back in the prehistoric days of the late 80s, there absolutely were fresh limes being squeezed. I haven't done a citrus audit lately, I guess duty calls....

Yes, I thought the same thing, sorry if my descriptions didn't make that clear! My thoughts exactly, so far I've only been with 1 or 2 people, it would be really good in a crowd. We just might have to do that soon!

I was a little weirded-out to see a shelf full of Rose's Lime Juice in a storeroom behind the bar at the 40th street location a couple of months ago. The margarita I was drinking at the time tasted pretty darn good, seemingly involving fresh limes, so maybe those bottles were for something else.... I had always been convinced that the appeal of the margaritas at the original at 4th and South was largely due to the fresh lime juice, and back when I lived within staggering distance of that place, I felt like a bit of an expert. I haven't been to any of them very recently, but not THAT long ago I had an experience like Katie's: I had a couple of drinks and a Copa Burger at 4th street, and the whole experience was pretty satisfying in the Copa's inimitable threadbare, faded, sticky, oh-what-the-hell-let's-have-another-round, kind of way. I can't really comment on 15th street, I haven't been in there in years, and all i can say about 40th street is: thank god it wasn't there when I was at Penn. I hope the decline is overstated, or at least restricted to 15th street. Damn, I might just have to do some quality-control this weekend...

I suspect these dishes are constructed mainly to test the chopstick technique of poseurs like me. It is indeed a little tough to eat these and maintain any dignity... but I still really like the taste of them, I thought it was worth the humiliation of chasing dumplings around the table.I'm trying to subtly encourage them to feature more full-on Szechuan offerings, and less of the beef-and-broccoli stuff, but it's hard to get the Seinfeld Babu episode out of one's mind ("you very bad man!") Andrew, I think your rule might be accurate: if the name of the dish might have been featured as a caption during a fight scene in the old Batman TV series, it's probably good.

Made a third stop at the Szechuan Tasty House, and really liked it again. I'm starting to get really worried that I'm their only customer, there's never anybody in the place except me and my friends... It's a small place, but there's room for you, right now, I'm sure of it! Go! Started again with Dumplings in Spicy Sauce These aren't really all that spicy, more sweet than hot, but really tasty. Szechuan Ban Ban Chicken This was cold, sliced chicken with a sesame sauce, with just a hint of spice. This was very good, but I think I prefer the "Sliced Chicken in Spicy Sauce" which is in a hotter, redder sauce. Chang-Du Cold Noodle This was basically a really good cold sesame noodle, not really spicy, despite the little pepper icon on the menu. Twice Cooked Pork Yep, that's fatty pork belly and hot chile peppers. What else do you really need in the world? This was really good in that way that you don't want to tell your doctor about. Braised Beef Filet with Szechaun Style I'm guessing the "Szechuan Stye" is the thick layer of ground red pepper on top of the tender slices of beef, atop onions and celery, in a thick spicy broth. This was delicious, and surprisingly, still not all that hot even with the ground pepper. They brought us some complimentary fried bananas that were really nice and crisp and greaseless, the chef is skilled with a deep frier. All this cost $33. On other visits I've loved the Dang Dang Noodles: hot thin noodles with ground pork. Sliced Chicken in Spicy Sauce: cold chicken in a deep red marinade. 3 Pepper Chicken: much like the pork dish pictured above, dried whole chiles, fresh chiles, ground chiles... Golden Coins: deep-fried pork-stuffed eggplant. Ginger Shredded Duck: thin slices of meat with ginger, snow peas and red bell pepper. They have really charmed me by staying open from 11am until midnight every day except monday, when they're closed. 902 Arch Street (215) 925-2839

I don't know if you need a large one for a party, or just a nice one for a smaller dinner, but if it's a smaller-scale affair, a off-the shelf cake from Miel can be pretty impressive. They're sophisticated-looking, good-tasting, and pricey, but not insanely so.

Ahh, right, there is indeed a well-deserved buzz about Marigold here, and I'm sorry to hear about the environmental issue (and the lamb...) it really is a good place! I realize I was thinking of a certain other message board that seems to feature endless sniping at Django. Of course, any place can have an occasional problem, I had to dodge a bucket catching AC drip in the main entrance of Melograno last night, but let's hope Marigold is getting on top of their cooling problems, it's going to get hotter! There's nothing magical about Django, it's just famously hard to get a weekend reservation, so I was kidding you about cosmic retribution. But I hope you do get to try it sometime, along with Matyson, Melograno, Nan, Pif, and our many other interesting BYOB destinations!

Dropped by Melograno late-ish tonight, and grabbed a table with no wait. Once again, everything was really enjoyable. We started with that classic roasted artichoke with scallops, some nice garlicky mussels, and an arugula salad with prosciutto and parmesan. Then an old fave, the Papardelle with wild mushrooms, walnuts and truffle oil, which was rich, earthy and delicious as always. Penne with pancetta in a spicy tomato sauce transcended its conventional form by being perfectly executed. And a special "Rack of Pork" was just crazy good. A huge, two-rib rack was roasted to a crunchy brown exterior, with a tender, juicy, just barely pink interior, a deep, earthy jus pooling beneath it. Some crusty roasted potatoes, and sauerkraut-ish cabbage completed the plate. The pastas and fish are so good here it's easy to forget that the kitchen is truly gifted with meats as well. Their steak with white beans and the pork tenderloin with apples are among my favorite dishes in the city. And now the rack of pork, if they run it as a special more often... A Bottle of Wrongo Dongo served us well throughout... appropriately full-bodied yet light-hearted. It's made from Monastrell (Mourvedre) grapes, and had low tannins, but a serious big flavor. And cheap cheap cheap... at your local State Store... Good summer wine. They have tables out on the sidewalk now which, even if road construction were underway, would probably be quieter than inside. But I don't care, I'll damage my hearing for this food.

That was the gods punishing you for listening to the nattering nabobs of negativity and dumping a Django res! I'm actually a big fan of Marigold, but despite the recent reactive overshoot, Django ain't exactly a greasy spoon diner. Switching to Marigold wasn't a totally crazy thing, they're both excellent restaurants, but next time, keep your Django table. Don't mess with your dining karma like that!

Oh right, thanks Charlie, of course! It seems like there ought to be a better term for it, I'll bet the UNIX programmers have a good name for that symbol.... Anyway, I didn't want to just write "at", I can't believe that the spambots wouldn't have caught on to that yet. And Katie, I would have sprayed milk out of my nose, had I been drinking milk, reading your vivid description of your air conditioning woes. Not to be unsympathetic, that was just a hilarious turn of phrase. You'd make a mighty fine backwoods philosopher! Thanks for the wine specifics, I had forgotten many of the details in the swirl of the evening, and had especially wanted to note the name of that sparking Riesling. As you say, it would be a fine sushi wine. I'd imagine it would be good with many Asian foods. And again, there was nothing at all wrong with the Rosé, I actually quite liked it. But I think the Sherry might have been the winner for me. You're right, "Syrupy" doesn't quite get it right, because it wasn't excessively sweet, but I felt like I might be able to turn my glass upside down and just let it ooze into my mouth... Oh, and the Guigal Gigondas (2001) was not crazy expensive, I forget, mid-twenties? At your local State Store!

studiokitchen (and then the little ampersand thingy) gmail.com (I'm trying to save him from spam!) (Not that he couldn't find a way to make it taste good) email is best