Jeff L
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Posts posted by Jeff L
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Jeff L, did you ever go?
We have reservations for tomorrow for the "Chef's Menu" -- on Saturdays during the year and Fridays during the summer, they do a tasting menu for every table in the restaraurant. It sounds (from the website) like each table gets a different menu -- anyone know if this is correct?
Anything in particular I should request? Roast goat?
Also, Capaneus -- you mentioned that "Jeff" can recommend wine -- is that the sommelier, or someone on this board who's familiar w/ the restaurant?
Want to make sure we get the full experience.
Thanks!
I did not end up going as we deferred to our friends suggestion of trying Roy's. I had never been there and since this friend is also one of my largest clients, we all went as they had heard great things about the place.
I was disappointed in Roys for both their cuisine (dryed out tuna of some sort) and extremely high prices for the level of food.
Next time we all go out, it will be Vetri. Please let us know how your meal is tonight.
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Well there's always a ying to every yang. Sorry for the downer.
I went last night and was nowehere near bowled over. This place is really loud, first off. Really loud. Hard floors, no fabric anywhere - I assume the restauranteurs know its gonna be loud from the get go.
The food wasn't bad but I came with higher hopes. I was able to try the gazpacho, risotto fingers, french fries and a sweetbread/frog leg combo to start.
From there, I had the lamb preparation which consisted of lamb brisket (excellent) and a canneloni stuffed with lamb mousse that was so salty I couldn't eat it.
Dessert was marred by the intense heat and all the frozen stuff was mushy so they didn't being it out of the kitchen. That is no fault of theirs, it was 100 degrees last night. The walnut apple pie was superb.
Service was friendly if not a bit inattentive. The famed bread was kinda stale and not in anyway memorable.
All four in the group concurred. Good but no need to run back. As we walked out, we planned to get together and return ... next door to Ansill.
Who says we gulleteers are always positive?
YMMV
Evan
wow, bummer. I'm really hoping ypu caught them on an off night rather than our party catching them on a stellar one
Jeff
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jeff you can find Carnaroli at Dibrunos and Bomba at Downtown cheese.
Arborio just lacks the textural delicay of Carnaroli which cooks better.
I actually used Bomba rice out of neccessity a few months ago and now I use it almost exclusively for all risotto, cooks perfectly...is sometimes labelled "calasparra rice".
In the biz, we actually refer to it as "Arboring rice"
Many thanks for this and other most useful things in this thread. V, I join others here in my appreciation of your opening up your culinary world to us. Speaking for myself, I find what you are doing extremely positive and not at all preachy.
My take on this whole EG thing is to educate and help one improve upon his/her culinary endeavours. Clearly you have gone above and beyond and you should know it is well appreciated. Ass kissing is officially over now
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I always have risotto rice, Ferron is my favourite, Vialone and carnaroli.
Montsia's BOMBA rice is fabulous too......
I never use arborio rice....
I'm curious about these non arborio rices V. What is the textural difference between these and arborio and why do you prefer them to arborio? Finally, where do you get them?
Risotto is something I enjoy making frequently and I would like to know how to improve it if I can.
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From various discussions, I've found that people who like Star Tavern pie also generally like the pizza at Park Tavern in East Rutherford (Park Ave. just beyond the train tracks). I've tried Park Tavern several times & found it rather ordinary & soggy. Granted, this type of thin crust pie probably doesn't do well as a takeout even tho I live only 2 minutes away, but still....
I really don't think any pie is good as take out, particularly the venerable ones discussed here and on other boards. There is nothing like biting into a freshly made, piping hot pie at the restaurant.
For leftovers, try a few swirls of evoo in a cast iron skillet for about 1- 2 minutes. This works well on thin crust pies like Delorenzo's in Trenton. I don't see why it wouldn't work for other like pies. Of course this is for leftovers the day after, I wouldn't want to do this for a take out pie.
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I'm wondering if the pie that came out was actually "well done" or just off of well done, because of the heavy char on some parts of the pizza. I actually like mine that way. Maybe you actually need to tell them you want it that way to ensure crunchy/crispy crust.
This is the style at Delorenzo's too and I prefer it that way as well. Some people complain that the pie is burnt, but it's not really burnt, just enough to provide the amazing tooth feel and crunch.
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There has to be some consistency issues here, because mine was plenty crunchy. You cant have a char like that on the bottom and not be crunchy.
I'm with you on this one Jason. Our good friends live in the area and took us there a few times and we loved the pies. We're all from Trenton and the obvious comparison was Delorenzo's on Hudson. While it didn't quite measure up, I still found the plain pie quite good indeed, certainly worthy of return visits.
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Rest of the food
Foie Gras
served with....
89 Zind Humbrecht VT
and
2000 Climens
Pork Belly
served with..
and
90 Hermitage
BEEF
served with..
Haut Brion was the best overall......Pichon with croquette.
Seriously V, how does one become your friend? The pics are stunning and the wines, well you know
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On the subject of chain restaurants, good or bad, with or without a wait ...
Some geographic locations have very few good, local restaurants. I think that's true in my neck of the woods. So people end up going often to the chains.
We have a great French/Thai restaurant, but with white tablecloths and dinners around $50, it isn't for everyone. We also have some great small restaurants in the old Italian neighborhood. The "good" local restaurant where everyone goes for anniversaries and birthdays, has a menu dating back to 1954.
I'm not defending chain food, just trying to explain why they are popular in some spots.
Understood and agreed to. Just explain the immense popularity of chains in the metro Philadelphia, So Jersey area where there are countless quality alternatives, most of which are indeed affordable, i.e. under $50 per person.
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Needed to drown my sorrows this evening after a stressful day with some sad news.
Nothing like sharing fine wine with friends to run away the blues!
I'm just impressed that you still found the time to share this useful info with us after such a rough day. So thanks, Katie. Hope your weekend shapes up to be a great one, lord knows you deserve it!
Thanks jwjon1. The wine definitely helped. One of my kitties is quite ill so it's been a lot to absorb.
Katie, good luck with the kittie. I know what it's like when a pet gets ill.
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Everyone else beat me in recommending the Reading Terminal Market, but defnitely go there. I concur in Sandy's caution about Rick's Steaks -- it's acceptable, but there are much better examples. Instead, go to Tommy DiNic's for roast pork with greens and cheese (he also offers beef, veal, chicken, brisket, pulled pork). Fireworks Grill has been gone for about two years; in its place is Proffi's Creperie, which is to be avoided.
Rittenhouse Square is a great urban space with people watching potential galore. Mattyson is nearby, but facing the square is Rouge where one can obtain an excellent upscale hamburger. Also close by is DiBruno's Chestnut Street emporium.
I would second ribkind's choice for an award winning rouge burger with carmelized shallots, yum. Great for people watching too with, I'm afraid, one less interesting person to watch now that Mr. Stein is incarcerated
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Hands down going to Cheesecake Factory after the slow food event, which by the way would only happen if every other restaurant in the tri-state area were closed and I hadn't eaten for 3 days.
Mebbe we should substitute the Spaghetti Warehouse instead. After all, there's one of those in town.
Does that mean waiting to actually get INTO a restaurant constitute a slow food event?
now that was funny Karen
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Hands down going to Cheesecake Factory after the slow food event, which by the way would only happen if every other restaurant in the tri-state area were closed and I hadn't eaten for 3 days.
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Geez, people on this board are going to think I'm a chain queen or something with terrible taste....I really don't eat at chains alot at ALL and most definitely prefer dining at our amazing local restaurants in Center City and even the little suburban gems like Jaipur Indian and High Street Cafe. So, don't get me wrong. I'm not defending chains or saying they're better or encouraging people to go or anything like that.....
By my reasoning you sure do eat at a lot of chains. I couldn't tell you how the food is at most chains because I refuse to patronize them. I only go if I'm starving, out of town and was stupid enough not to post on the EG forum where I happened to be. But that's just me, and I wouldn't ever think you were the chain queen because you redeem youself by pointing out that you enjoy the great local places.
Really though, I think most people (read non EG or other foodie types) find a real comfort in the homogenous world of chain restaurants and that's why they are so profitable. Fact is more people in the US frequent these chains than other chef-driven places as evidenced by new ones constantly breaking ground and no doubt documented in trade publications and such. This to me is really a shame but then again I suspect that most people who frequent chains aren't likely to try new things or go out of their way to a place. Today it's all about convenience and expedience and that's too bad
Great time to ask if anyone's going to the Slow Food Philadelphia and Farm to City event this Saturday
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I honestly believe most Americans (at least the ones I know) just don't care. They don't care about the quality of their ingredients. They don't care about the authenticity of the ingredients. I think as a society we have been conditioned not to question anything -- including the rationality of waiting two hours for a table at a chain restaurant. Mediocrity is king.
I think you have put it both succinctly and correctly. I will never understand this and, try as I might to educate people to better choices, I am always concerned about coming off as a food snob.
I appreciate that everyone has different tastes, but really, 2 hour waits for chain food? I wouldn't wait half that time for the best restaurants in the world, unless I showed up without reservations.
When we first moved to Bucks County, I asked lots of folks where the best places were and more than a few said Georgine's in Bristol. We finally went there on a Sat night.. big restaurant, bigger portions, biggest waste of $$ in my life. After 2 bites of each of our entrees, waitress asked if she could pack it up for us and I told her if I didn't touch my food here what makes you think I would want to try it at home.
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Jeff, sounds like you handled the situation with class, not sure how many others would have endured this, myself included.
One of the few things that really bother me in a restaurant is excessive heat or cold. It can be so distracting that the meal loses out. I can deal with the noise and you are right about the level of noise there, but that heat, no way.
Interesting that you found a non-food item to critique!
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As entrees, we chose herbed filet of sole, lemon chicken, and veal chop with peppers. The lemon chicken was simple, astonishing, and simply astonishing. The broiling of the chicken, browned to a moist blackened perfection, was matched by its snappy citrus marinade. No steamed yuzu, not even candied kumquat. The veal was juicy and tender, and the pepper, contributed a sweet-sour-spicy relish. I was less impressed by the sole, no danger of this fish being undercooked. It was fish of the old-school. The flavor was evocative, but the texture lacked bounce.
You sir are indeed lucky. I was ever so fortunate to fill in one night many years ago and still so fondly recall the evening.
You might be aware that Frank has a cookbook out (Rao's - what else would it be called?) that features the lovely lemon chicken you just had. I've made it many many times and it is close to perfection.
The cookbook like the restaurant are examples of simplicity, the freshest of ingredients and love. I'm not as smitten with his second book which features not only Rao's, but neighborhood recipes.
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I'm looking for canned peeled tomatoes without basil. I've found brands that didn't list basil on the ingredients only to find basil leaves when I opened the can.
just curious, why no basil? To me, basil and tomato together is God's way to put a smile on my face, especially when they are both fresh.
I don't want basil in everything. If I'm making, say a bbq sauce with canned tomatoes, I don't basil in it. If it's an Italian dish, sure, basil's no problem, but not every tomato-based dish works with a basil note.
That makes sense. It's just that I picked up the first of the jersey tomatoes this afternoon at Trenton Farmers market and I'll pluck some basil from the garden, maybe a little fresh mozzarella some oil, balsamic, well you get the idea.
This of course won't work with bbq sauce...
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I'm looking for canned peeled tomatoes without basil. I've found brands that didn't list basil on the ingredients only to find basil leaves when I opened the can.
just curious, why no basil? To me, basil and tomato together is God's way to put a smile on my face, especially when they are both fresh.
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My folks are coming in later this month and I try to take them somewhere different each visit.
Has anyone been to Gayle recently? Still worth a visit?
Evan, we were there a few months ago and loved it. Here is the link to my comments. I think you will all enjoy Daniel Stern's fare.
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=84693&hl=gayle
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Check the code on this one again. I just tried to search on the lcb site and got nothing for this code or for the vintner.
Hi Jeff,
It is the right code as it's both on my receipt and on the upcoming selections page:
"d'Arenberg The Laughing Magpie Shiraz/Viognier, South Australia 2004
92 Points by Robert Parker in The Wine Advocate, October 2005
Suggested Retail $34.99... Now $17.99... Save $17.00
ETA next delivery late August Code 27447"
The reason you're not getting any "hit" must be because they are out of it for now.
I might even start checking the code in mid August so I can swoop some up. While WS has not yet rated this vintage, the past three years have all been given 91 and I can taste why. Very yummy, indeed. I know I'll be squirreling away some ducats so I can stock up when the magpie returns to PA.
Thanks, I'll check back in August. I too love big reds from down under
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While I was late in getting turned onto it, I just took delivery of the '04 d'Arenberg Laughing Magpie. (code 27447).
Oh boy, what a delight this wine is. Deep garnet with purple depths. Stunning nose of jammy strawberry and raspberry with a hint of vanilla and cardamon. A tad sweet on the palate but not that that detracts, it justs accentuates the jammy aromas. Nice finish. While there's cellaring potential, I'm gonna have problems keeping my paws off this stash.
I see that the PLCB site says more is coming in mid-August...I can't wait!!! Bring it on and kudos to the Chairman for scoring this deal!
Check the code on this one again. I just tried to search on the lcb site and got nothing for this code or for the vintner.
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That's it, no commentary??? Please fill in the blanks with what each dish is. We're going there next week after Cirque Du Soleil. Looks incredible, once again damn fine photography.
Jeff
C.C. Restaurant wants look-gooders
in Pennsylvania: Dining
Posted
Yeah, it really worked well when I did that last year, still going through all the pictures and numbers. Amazing how many people think they're good looking.
Seriously tho, this was just what I thought was up here too. I must say it is pretty ingenuous in a very disingenous sort of way.