Capaneus

The 30 day reservation bit was flexible. I've never made one more than a couple days in advance or even the same day. That said, I admit, I've gone mid-week, mostly. ← I can speak to the fact that the place was often packed to the gills late on a weeknight, if I happened to walk by. Also, I don't think they required you to make the reservation a month ahead of time. For that matter, neither does Per Se. It's just that they won't take reservations any further in advance, which sort of begs the question of why you'd call that "artificial". The feeding frenzy, I think, happened as people repeatedly were unable to get reservations. Unless you claim to be booked when you are not, I see no way for a restaurateur to significantly affect that. I can imagine a restaurant in New York might want to do just that, taking a page from nighspots, but the economics are different in Philadelphia. I doubt any new restaurants here can afford to reject anybody they can conceivably extract a credit card from.

Infrequent, promising poster here, Capaneus--tweak noted, somewhat deserved, and accepted. Of course, I was in the process of moving to Seattle from Philadelphia last fall, so I've had a few other things going on. I haven't read the latest review, but when I did go (as promised), and thought about putting down a review (as promised), I fear the old maxim "if you can't say anything nice..." took hold, and, in what was violative of a thousand egullet conventions, I opted not to speak because I felt my experience had to have been an anomaly. Or jaded by familiarity--I mean, they say you can't go back, right? ← Hi there, Peter. Sorry you felt tweaked, that wasn't the intent. In fact, I'm the last person to be in a position to make that charge, since I have been in precisely the same position recently regarding another restaurant. I don't know about you, but in my case I hesitated not just because I did not wish to be negative, but also because I genuinely didn't trust my response: to what extent was I objectively judging what I was being served, and to what degree was I just resenting any change to a place I loved and felt somewhat proprietary about? In the end, I was let off the hook, as that particular restaurant has since received much praise from various quarters. In your case, I can only hope the experience was in part caused by the transition, because I would love to see Ross and Greg make good. Although I feared from the get-go that Ross' preference for sound, straightforward preparation of quality ingredients was a poor match for the recipes he was inheriting from Brian Sikora. And I say that as someone who actually has enjoyed his Rx experiences better than I've liked Django, though I never disliked the latter. Just didn't love it as much as others seemed to. Strokes and folks, I guess.

I haven't been since the fall of the Ancien Regime, but a couple of points: I do think the glasses are in fact Riedel - the newfangled stemless Riedel, but Riedel all the same. The service at Dmitri's is attrocious, I'm not sure that's what you're implying. Django in the past was on a par (or maybe a bit better) with other BYOBs like Matyson, Chloe and so forth: personable, well-meaning, but crowded and harried. Has that changed? And finally, on the "level playing field" issue... well, no. Laban has always argued that the bell scale ranks a place within a category. So he gave a diner in the NE a bunch of bells. Think of it this way: how do you compare John's Roast Pork to Lacroix? Yet John's isn't a "poor" restaurant - it's a great sammich place. If you're going to allow Laban to review both, you're going to have to keep the relative nature of ratings in mind. Personally, I find it easy to do, and I know no-one who would be all that confused by it.

I have to hope that you're correct about this part, Holly. But I also know from dealing with the public and dealing with the fine folks here at eGullet that we're a much more sophisticated crew that will give someone a chance and make up our own minds unlike the "lemmings" that follow the whims and vagaries of the latest review. You only get one chance to make a first impression, even if that impression is in print. If that's taken away from you, it's hard to get that potential customer back again. In a dining room that seats less than 40 people, the sound of crickets from the empty chairs can be deafening and deadly. And lemmings' money is just as green as anyone elses. ← And of course the elephant in the room is that Greg and Ross likely don't have the manoeuvering room most other BYOBs would have. I don't know exactly what they paid for the place, but the likelyhood is that the outlay, coupled with a large kitchen staff, means they don't have the luxury of being able to weather some slow nights. I've also wondered why no reports thus far: we had an infrequent poster promise one, only to disappear without posting it. I know that SK drains many of our eating-out budgets, but i'm surprised nobody's made it to Django in the last four months.

Had Single Malt Scotch paired with Rosemary Honey Goat Milk. Tasty. The scotch was recognizable, but the flavor was secodary to the lush creamy mouthfeel and subtle sweetness of the gelatto. Not going to become one of my favorites, but quite nice.

You, Sir, are a Weak and a Fickle Man! And I assure you, Envy and Jealousy have almost nothing to do with that judgement! What the H-E-double-hockey-sticks is that pint-or-beer-looking dessert component?

Wines... with the scallop tartare we had the Ratzenberger sparkling Riesling that Moore Bros always recommends. With the soup we had the Heron Hill Riesling and the Mystery Italian White. With the risotto we had an '01 Montagny from Latour. For the... I've lost the thread. I know there was a David Arthurs "Meritaggio", the Cakebread Cab, the Kiona LH Gewurtz, the Two Hands Moscato... I think that may have been it. We went relatively light, a course which, after the debauchery of Saturday, fairly imposed itself. The meal was amazing. I'll select for further praise the risotto, in which the brine of the seafood danced coquettishly with the salty earth of the bacon, chaperoned by the most perfectly al dente rice ever. And the anti-griddle pancake with the blackberries. the complaint that the blackberries suffered from the freeze has merit, but nowhere near enough to harm the perfection of the flavor pairing. Shola might choose to do the blackberries as a compote, or otherwise withdraw them from the freezing process, but they work beautifully with the cauliflower ice cream. Gods, I want more...

We've also been instructed to expect a surprise or two. I would have to rely on really lousy, hyperbolic writing to communicate how excited I am, so forgive my reticence. Trust that we are utterly, profoundly eager. Are we there yet? ← This is a sickness! Today I spent $1300 on dental work. I have been to two extraordinarily good SK dinners in the past week. I have already imposed on your kindness by withdrawing from the above. And yet I have just spent the last twenty minutes trying to torture my bank account into yielding an extra $100 so I can go with you guys. That menu looks so good. I know that's at least in part because I'm an irredentist carnivore, but really... If this does turn out to be an addiction, I wonder if i can get my insurance to cover it?

Nope, I love other German places (there's a place in the NE that has excellent food), and plenty of asorted Central European food, though mostly I've gotten it home cooked. Those dinners were just wholly inedible. Like I said, they were a long time ago. They sound like they have gotten a lot better.

I can gorge myself on Ethiopian for $25. Also Vietnamese or Mexican. I love Minar Palace - three entrees for $20, just about. And I just heard (on NPR) about an Ivoirean place somewhere on Baltimore that I've got to try. I am also awfully fond of Rx's $25 weekday prix-fixe. Though after tax, tip, and Your Own Brought Bottle, it might not match your specs. Not clear on the rules of this game.

I have not been back for anything but the beer since soon after thay opened, but my couple of meals back then were flat-out horrible. Glad to hear it's gotten much better - though it was bad enough back then that I need a couple more affirmations before I risk it again. Truly shuddersome stuff.

Hey, would that mean I'd get to be at every great dinner in the PA forum? I like, I say, I like the sound of that, Sonny!

Couple of quick comments: for anyone who hasn't noticed, the first amuse-bouche and the first course used much the same ingredients. The joke was on us, as the two dishes had very little in common: the veloute was all silky warm richness, not so much one-note as a beautiful chord; the first course, in contrast (and to murderize a metaphor), was all about counterpoint, separate flavors, textures, temperatures all meeting in concordant harmony. Both the Jurancon and the Vouvray worked well with both dishes, though I preferred the added acidity of the Vouvray. The braised oxtail ravioli was a sharp reminder that there is nothing wrong with simple. Shola was almost apologetic about this dish, but I thought it was delicious. In a perfect world, it would have paired better with a bigger red, maybe one of the several Syrahs/Shirazes that went unopened. We went with the Saintsbury because this particular vintage is especially light-bodied and has bracing acidity, so as not to wreck the sequencing. The tranche of scallop was wonderful, sweet and melting. It did leave me wondering how the dish would have come off if Shola had chosen to use a more strongly-flavored sea-creature instead. Another day. The Latour was perfect with this dish, all unobtrusive Burgundian perfection. Not a flashy wine, but wonderfully balanced, and terrifically food-friendly. The chicken ravioli topped with sweetbreads and celery choucroute was my favorite dish of the evening as well. The sweetbreads, as it turned out, were not crisped, but braised to silky softness, so that they virtually melted on the palate. The final impression was of the richest chicken dish I've ever encountered, accented by the snappy crunch and tangy zing of the celery. Delicious. The wines... well, I now know that I cannot, as I've long suspected, detect TCA taint. The Pinot seemed to me delicious, with a good deal more earth and structure than most California Pinots of my acquaintance. The pork duo was wonderful as well, though I distinctly preferred the belly as well. The braised shoulder was very tasty, but the fatty, crisp, much richer belly was unfair competition. The two syrahs were textbook examples of diverging styles, precisely as one would expect them: the Gibson silky, vanillin-laced and rich, the Combier earthy, structured and dark. Cheese soup. Yeah. Good. A delightfully deconstructed cheese course, the Sholives incorporating into the dish the contrapuntal fruit and spice of a traditional presentation. The Moscato was delightful, though maybe a tad light for the pungent La Tur. The Special Course. My brain is in conflict over this one. Reason and Logic tell me with no doubt whatever that I could not have liked this dish. "We don't like cauliflower", they tell me, "and what the Heck is elderflower syrup, anyway!?". Sense and Memory disagree violently, as I retaste the silky cool barely-vegetal ice cream, the tangy-sweet tomato, the... I liked it, but I know I shouldn't have. Maybe the fault, dear Brutus, is not in our palates but in our wine: Tokay is, to paraphrase Franklin's quip, clear evidence of God's love. And the survival of the Tokay industry through a half-century of neglect and downright hostility is proof of the resilience of the human spirit. Wonderful, much-neglected stuff, at a fraction of the cost of a comparable Sauternes or TBA. Shhhh!, tell no-one. Nothing to add to the comments on the dessert, other than to say I am happy those photographs did not survive as mortifying evidence. And the two sherries and the Pineau de Charentes made a perfectly graduated flight, ascending in nuttiness and sweetness. Not planned in the least, just another happy happenstance in a glorious meal. Thanks for putting this together, Jeff. It may have been my favorite SK experience yet.

I'm afraid they're no longer there. The space is vacant, and the number (which matches an online listing I found) seems to reach a private party. Back to the drawing board for me.

You mean to tell me I should order two of those? (Certainly you're not telling me I would need to have someone along to polish off all that cheese. I can do that all by myself! ) ← I bow to your digestive superiority. I was able to finish it myself, but it incapacitated my appetite for the rest of the meal.

That is so cool. I'm going to be in Allentown this weekend, too. Thanks!

That would be "chourico", I think - the "c"'s supposed to have a cedilha, so the sound is sort of like "chourice" - . That's just the Portuguese spelling of chorizo. You could say it differs from the Spanish, but then over there every village has its own version. "Lingua"... that's tongue. Do you mean "linguica" (again, cedilha)? It would look like chorizo's scrawny cousin. "Big chunks of seasoned pork" just sounds *wrong*. The entire charm of the stuff is playing "Identify the Meat-Like Substance". Amazing that DiBruno's would have that many cured saussages available, though. I definitely have to look more closely, even if they cost several times what I'd pay in North Philly - if I could find a Portuguese grocery, that is.

Looks like an awesome meal. Wish I might... How did you guys work out the booze? Did you order or did the house match the dishes?

In terms of QPR, I think your best bet is South Philadelphia. While the area in the immediate vicinity of the Italian Market has crept up in cost in the last couple of years, you can find fairly affordable real estate by going a couple of blocks in any direction. Well, maybe not North, but you get the point.

From the answers I got, I don't believe *they* are entirely sure.

For all the Philadelphia area store conspiracy theorists I note that this IS now showing as in stock in several Philadelphia area stores but NOT anywere else in the state. I still hope to get some in time for a Christmas gift. ← I would be aggressive about it if I were you: there are only supposed to be a few dozen cases of this *total*.

Huh... I'm willing to believe I may be wrong (as if! ), but I was fairly familiar with Azafran, and I definitely think they *have* added seats. They've also added floor space, with a revised layout, but not nearly proportionally. In any case, the problem remains - there isn't enough space for patrons to eat or servers to serve - and I think that in time they will be forced to deal with it.

My understanding is that their license allows for liquor sevice only Tues.-Sat., so it's not about to change anytime soon.

What he said. The ones at Delaware Ave. & Washington are the best around except for that bagel shop in Wynnewood, Delancey Street Bagels, I think, near the Bed Bath & Beyond. ← Feh! Rolings bagels. They're out in... I think Elkins Park. You used to be able to get them at 18th and Spruce, but no more. Chewy, crusty, odd-shaped, real NY boiled bagels that didn't feel like dinner rolls with a hole punched in them. They did a great bialy, too. Haven't had them in years, though. Prolly need to upgrade my dentures for them. Anyone have any idea if they are available anywhere in Center City?

Yes, I'm listening. How much is the five-course prix fixe? ← Sixty. Which sounds high. Until you think "Five entrees for twelve bucks apiece"... Not sure they'd let you get away with it, but the menu does say *any* five menu items. ← I think that's pretty good either way. Even if you only went with the middle 3 as entrees, that's still a decent deal. Remember way back when, when Studiokitchen was only $50 for 4 courses? ← Yup. And it usually was five courses anyway. Good times, good times.