CherieV

It's generally pretty quiet for lunch, however I believe they only serve till 2pm.

Georges Perrier announces that every few years. ← Especially when Mobile demotes him to 4 Stars again. Yeh it's true, he lost the 5th star AGAIN. I doubt he has it in him to get it back a second time. It would truely be one of the greatest losses in Phila's culinary historyif Le bec was no more. ← When did that happen? The loss of the fifth star that is, not the demise of LBF. And why didn't the Inky catch it? Or did I sleep through class yet again? ← This is still word of mouth from higher-ups at Le Bec. Also, when I was at Lacroix on Sat. it was the talk. It hasn't been announced officially yet and I suspect Le Bec is fighting to retain it. Mobile will tell you several months before when you are on the verge. I was at Le bec about a month ago and it was also whispered in my ear that it was a possibility. I was working there the first time it happened and Georges was devestated to the point that he wanted to close.

Georges Perrier announces that every few years. ← Especially when Mobile demotes him to 4 Stars again. Yeh it's true, he lost the 5th star AGAIN. I doubt he has it in him to get it back a second time. It would truely be one of the greatest losses in Phila's culinary historyif Le bec was no more.

I have eaten at Django twice under the old ownership. The food was lovely and memorable. However, the things that stick in my mind is: 1. The service. Not 4 bell worthy in my opinion. It was fine for a standard BYO but honestly no better than you get at say Dimitri's on 3rd and Catherine. Coming from The Fountain and Le Bec I definately didn't see the polish or care that you take in a 4 bell establishment coming from Django. 2. Proper wine glasses. I have to say drinking a nice bottle of wine from sub-par glasses bothered me immensly. Call me a wine snob but for me it makes a difference. It doesn't need to be Riedel but there are plenty of decent alternatives. Once again not 4 bell worthy. Everyone should be judged on the same playing field. Be consistant or the creditabily of a review will be questioned. That said, I will definately return to Django under the new ownership. I believe that it may just be better in some respects. The new owners are talented and cared enough to fix some issues right away. Trust was panned but I have to say deservingly. I went there for lunch once and it might have been one of my worst dining experiences in this city. Cockroaches, spoiled wine, horrible food and service. What more can I say. Craig was right on and it was a waste of space.

Having eaten at Morimoto in Phila many times I can tell you that he really raised the bar on his Omakase for NYC. He needed to and I believe his efforts will not go unnoticed. The food is creative and looks amazing. Good for him.

The menu has some overlap from PHILA. There are some new items though. Presentation seems to be different from the pics. Prices are comparable. And yes, the raman soup is worth every penny. I will be eating there in the next month and am very excited to see how it is recieved in NYC.

Philadelphia has plenty of Babbo type Italain restaurants if you know where to look. Sovalo for one -- look up the owners credentials. Vetri! Plenty of others too many to go into it. We have tons of Italian-American restaurants too. Both types do very well depending on preference. As for what to expect with Buddakahn and Morimoto in NYC. The food will be good and the scene will be hip. The best food in the city in their respective categories, I doubt it but that's not the point. It's about the experience as a whole. Sometimes I want to sit at a small quiet place and eat, sometimes I want to get dressed up and be out. There is room for both. Don't you all agree?

Wow, I'm exhausted from reading the Morimoto/Buddakahn tread in the NY forum. I expected the skepticism from our fellow NYC diners but jeeze......They haven't even tried out the places yet. It's like because it comes from Phila is can't possibly compare. I have eaten at Morimoto many times and have really enjoyed many of the Omakase menus. His sushi is top notch as expected. I had 3 different levels of toro tuna sashimi on my last visit that were to die for. Buddakahn, it is a little boring for me to be honest. Pan Asian food just doesn't impress me. My opinion of course. Food is fine though in terms of preparation and presentation. My company does a fair amount of buisness with the Starr group so I have the opportunity to revisit their restaurants often. I will be in NYC with my counterpart next month and will be dining at Morimoto. Hopefully Buddakahn will be open as well. I am very curious to check them out and I will be sure to give you all a full unbiased report.

I will totally come in a have a bite at the bar now that I know you are there. I am always lurking around peddeling my wares looking for a place to grab a bite! In all sincerity, it will be nice to see you and chat.

Any Portuguese items? ← Not yet but they say it is their intention to incorporate some when they get their act together. I'm a huge fan being originally from North Jersey, so I'm hopeful.

More info, please! I'm behind Eastern State so don't go by 25th & Parrish often. In't that where Beato's Pizzeria was? (I used to send them over cans of anchovy because they didn't stock it: when I'd call in an order it would be "fish for Bob".) ← Yup, that's the place! New name is Angelino's. I've been waiting 2 years for this place to open. They are eat-in and take-out. The owners are Portugese and it is family run. They did a beautiful renovation job. They were going for a more upscale concept at first but apparently their italian chef couldn't hack the wait and went back to Italy. So they opened as a casual italian rest. They use really good ingredients, ie Sarcones rolls for all sandwiches, Homemade pizza dough, even fresh cannoli's. They are still working things out as they are completly overwhelmed by our patronage. I appreciate people that I know are really trying to serve good food but are doing the best they can with an hour wait at the door and for take-out. Yes, I am serious. They are nice people and I am so glad they are here.

My husband and I have had the pleasure of dining at Amada recently as well. I lived in Valencia, Spain for a year during college and have been DYING for some great Spanish food in Philly. It took 12 years but my prayers were finally answered! When I saw a tortilla espanola on the tapas menu I may have actually became teary eyed. Yes, I am passionate about my Spanish food. We had a bunch of tapas too many to name and I was in bliss. Then we had the paella valenciana because I had too....we ate a good portion of it to our waiters surprise. Our server was great, for the life of me I can't remember his name but I hope to see him again. We had a nice bottle of Tempranillo and a very enjoyable evening. Can't wait to go back! Would love to drink some Folie a deux there Katy, sorry I had to say it.

We at the Art Museum/Fairmount do NOT have any bakeries. Interestingly enough on another blog site (phillyblog) there has been a converstion going on about a corner development and we took a poll as to what we "wished" it would be. Guess what? Bakery! Bakery! Bakery! Exactly the kind in which you are describing. Just to give you a little info on recent things that have opened, at the corner of my block at 25th and Parrish a simple Italian Rest just opened and it has been standing room only packed with the phones ringing off the hook. Too much buisness for them to even keep up. Fairmount/Art Museum is a large residential community and we love to patronize close to home. We have a good mix of old timers and young professional people here. There is so much room for new buisnesses. I can't think of one new spot that has gone out of buisness since I have lived here. That's over 6 years now! We desperately need a great bakery too, I think you would do really well here. Lot's of luck in whatever you do and welcome to Philly!

Standard Tap for Mussels and Sausage. The duck confit salad is also terrific. I eat both as often as I can. They are only open for dinner and it is a tavern NOT fancy at all if that's OK with you. Django is a BYO favorite as well as Dimiti's Both dinner spots. Octopus at Dimiti's is the best I have ever eaten. Lunch at Morimoto is great too if your in the mood for Japanese. Snapper soup and oysters at Samson Street Oyster House is fav too. I could go on and on - this is a great food city. Good luck and let us know where you ended up. Oh one more thing---eat downstairs in bar Lyonaise at Le Bec Fin for a more casual relaxed dining option. The menu is a al carte for both lunch and dinner and some of my very favorite things--dare I say the best I have ever eaten anywhere are : The escargot, Salad Lyonaise, Onion Soup or Lob Bisque, Chicken w/ mashed pototo's, Rissotto.

I recommend Mangia Qui also. Once a week they do a tapas night that is really good and affordable. Also, Scotts is decent but also not BYO. There is not too much there but it is getting more developed. Good luck and let us know where you end up.

I believe the back dining room area on the second floor is smoke free. For sure the bar areas are smokey, expecially the second floor. But they recently opened up a large dining area that I eat at often and do not remember smoke being an issue. My fav dinner there is the duck salad and mussels and sausage. It is the best in the city. This is coming from someone that worked at Le Bec and the Fountain. I am a bit of a food snob and ST is one of my favorite places to eat. Brunch rocks too!

Great write up! I worked at Le Bec Fin for 5 1/2 years in my former life and I can say that to this day that I have never had snails anywhere as well done as they are at Le Bec. It is nice to see you appreciate the delicate quality that Georges brings to his cuisine. I find him not unlike other great French chefs of his era. Recently, I ate at French Laundry and Alain Duccass. Although the menu's are different at each I left with the feeling of a perfectly prepared meal. No room for improvement. No surprises either. Interestingly, I was in Le Bec for glass of champagne on Monday evening with a friend and Georges was sitting at the bar. Looking quite sad I might say. I asked him how he was and he said things are slow, people just do not get him anymore. They want Steven Starr. I sat and thought I guess it is hard to have been on top and there is no where to go but down. He has the silver toque, 5 stars, voted best restaurant in the country, where do you go from there? But he continues on and it's nice to see that he is still appreciated for what he is, a fine french chef.

Lacroix has a private area that will seat a large group. I brought my bosses there over the holiday's and it was wonderful if your budget allows.

Not without heafty fines from the PLCB and a possible loss of lisence. This is why no restaurant in Pa has been able to obtain the Wine Spectator Grand Award. Buying outside the state system is a big no no be it auction or whatever. We in Pa are limited in our ability to buy older vintages of prized wines.

Yes, Mike, the math is correct. And 150% of the purchase price in this instance would be $30. But I believe Cheri's intention in defining markup was 100% to 150% more than the purchase price, which would put the range at $40-$50. ← Thank you for the clarification. I'm talking in restaurant terms.

True, however I was using the Basa as an example assuming Striped Bass purchased the bottle for closer to $20 which I believe the did. Then $44 would be 1 1/2 X mark-up and a good bargin at a high-end Philadelphia restaurant.

You are presumably not trying to tell us that many PA restaurants arent making a killing on the wine mark ups. High end or not, many places' markups seem unconscionable (Starr, Lacroix.....) and thats not including a $14 martini at Barclay Prime. I have no sympathy for gougers. Granted thats certainly not confined to PA! Evan ← Evan, Sure restaurants make a killing on wine and spirits. They are on food too. Would you pay $14 for a martini in NYC? I know I have many times in high end spots. My point is that the mark-ups here in Phila high end restaurants are no more than anywhere else. The only difference is we start with a higher price before the mark-up. They charge what they charge because then can. Reservations are hard to come-by none-the-less.

Well, I am answering PLCB questions (wine thread) so here it goes. My answer is closeout usually means the PLCB has decided to delist this brand b/c of lack of sales or too many brands with same price point in this category. Jonathan Newman is trying to open up more room for other products by consolidating categories. However, these items will still be available via SLO (special liquor order) on their website. You can order the product and it will be delivered to the store of your preference with a deposit (50%).

I love this site! Thanks Cherie. Could you elaborate a bit on "open state" etc. also any opinion or comments on restaurant wine lists/markups etc. It is very interesting and informative to hear from a professional!!! ← Ok John, I'll try the short version.... Open state vs controlled state. Pa is a controlled state meaning the state of Pa or the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) decides what is sold, where it is sold, when it is sold, how it is marketed, and price point, taxes, ect on all spirits and wine sold in the state. Beer is privately owned and seperate stores and licenses exist. All wine and spirit stores in Pa are state run and function as one unit. Jonathan Newman is the chairman of the PLCB and decides with his board what will be carried ect. They buy for all stores as one unit. We (suppliers and distributors) work together with the PLCB to present new products and ideas. The licensee (restaurants/bars) orders all their wine and spirits through the State Stores. They then pay the state for their items and pick them up themselves as needed. If they are found buying spirits or wine from other states they are fined and or lose their license to sell alcohol in the state. The price is what it is and mark-up in high end restaurants are usually 1 1/2 times the retail price. In open states, stores are privately owned and operated and the prices reflect that market. I work in NJ as well as Pa. NJ is open and my price in Pa is generally 2x more for Special Liquor Orders (SLO) and some listed items then they are in NJ. However, the Chairman has put together a program for fine wines to be offered at huge discounts called The Chairmans Selections. They indeed are great bargins! This exsists because the Chairman is able to leverage his buying power to negociate a lower price of purchase directly from the wineries. Well I'm out of breath with my short version.....so let me know if you have any other questions.

Being a wine supplier in Pa and previously a Sommelier at the Four Seasons I need to comment. Phila mark-ups in high end restaurants are no more than any other high end restaurants in open states. Our FOB+freight+distributor mark-up+delivery+PLCB 30% mark-up+Excise tax of 18%+sales tax of 6%, then round up= Licensee Price. This is where we start, at least double of an open market. Then the restaurant marks it up from there to make their cost. Any questions?