braindoc1

Caribou Cafe is right around the corner on Walnut Street, has a great lunch and has some larger tables upstairs that would accommodate 8 people. Slightly further down on Walnut is the Marathon Grill which also has a nice lunch and could probably accommodate 8 people upstairs.

Ah the primeness of Main line Prime.... my experience is that the meat is better than what I have purchased at Harry Ochs and, as a former New Yorker, I think it can approach Lobels. The Jamieson lamb is undoubtedly the best I have had outside of a very fine steakhouse. The dry aged rib steak and strip steaks have been superb. Moreover, Derek stands behind his product. I purchased a dry aged strip right after the store had opened and they were refining the drying process. That particular steak was slightly over aged to my taste. The next time I was in, Derek asked me what I thought of the steak and I told him I thought it was too aged. Without any hesitation, he gave me another at no cost and since then every dry aged steak (and there have been more then a few) has been wonderful and perfectly aged. I cannot comment on the prime rib, but I have now had rack of lamb, duroc pork loin, strip steak and rib eye and everything has been excellent. He also carries breads from metropolitan bakery and local produce and milk among other things. If it is any indication of my enthusiasm, my daughters got me a gift certificate for the holidays. This is exactly the kind of store we should be supporting. Rather than mass produced crap, here we are getting an artisanal product sold by someone who cares. Give it a try.

Last week I posted regarding an upcoming meal at Striped Bass. I was concerned that without an executive chef in place the restaurant might seem directionless. Any concerns I had were thoroughly laid to rest with my meal last night. It was the best meal I had had at the Bass since Chef Fleury and perhaps the best I've ever had there. We started with the shellfish tasting which consisted of a selection of oysters, shrimp, stone crab, alaskan snow crab claws and (for a $25 supplement) a lobster tail. The shellfish was fresh and attractively presented along with five sauces. I thought the sauses were superfluous given the quality of the fish but my companions especially enjoyed a chipolte aioli. My only complaint was that I thought the tail was small for a $25 supplement. For a first course, I had rocchetti with fresh shaven white truffles. This dish had a $65 supplement but here the truffle serving was extremely generous. The truffle was amazingly fresh and earthy and despite the cream and aged parmesan, the dish was remarkably light. It was the best truffle dish I've had in years and, to me, worth every penny. I was so enthralled with the truffles that I did not give my companion's first courses the attention they deserved. My wife had a simple salad. Her friend had a pumpkin soup with diver's scallops and her friend's husband had octopus salad. I did not taste the octopus but the pumpkin soup was delicious on a cold night. For a main course I had a new dish of Paul Liebrandt's creation, a lobster carbonara. It was a deconstructed carbonara with pasta in a cream sauce on one side of the plate, a puree of peas designed like a leaf in the center of the plate and lobster, black olive, pancetta and ham on the other side. Like the truffle dish, it was rich but not overwhelming. It was a beautiful colorful presentation and tasted every bit as good as it looked. My wife and her friend had parmesan crusted halibut and her friend's husband had the striped bass served with butternut squash. Again, I was so enthralled with my entree, I did not taste the others but everyone agreed that their meals were great. For dessert we shared a butter pear cake with a pineapple sorbet and a chocolate tart. When the staff learned it was an anniversary celebration, they sent out an chocolate cake for the table. I spoke with Chef Liebrandt after the meal to let him know how much we enjoyed everything and he had the staff bring a truffle out to show me. The truffle was slightly smaller than a baseball. When he unwrapped it, the truffle smell was incredible and he encouraged me to hold the truffle to appreciate its texture. We also talked about the lobster dish. It is clear that he takes great pride in his cooking and it shows on the new menu and at the table. The staff was excellent, attentive without being overly solicitous and the pace of the meal was perfect. Finally, we drank some lovely wines (Champange with the shellfish, 96 Grand Cru Charmes-Chambertin with the main course and Tokaji with dessert). Overall, it was a memorable meal, the kind that lingers in your thoughts long after you've left the restaurant. Regards, Dan Kremens

I actually enjoy Raw and think that it would be an excellent choice for a birthday dinner. It is clearly not a standard sushi restaurant and if that is what you are looking for, you may be better at Kisso. On the other hand, Raw has a great atmosphere and the fish is fresh and nicely presented. The rolls, though hardly traditional are delicious and inventive. The saki selection is by far the best in Philadelphia. The hot food is also excellent and if you introduce yourself as an egulleter to Chef Greg Ling I suspect he'll send you something special from the kitchen such as a sous vide "bacon and egg" or some fois gras. Good luck, Dan Kremens

Vadouvan, Thanks for your fast reply. I've eaten at Striped Bass a number of times under all the Chefs going back to Alison Barshak so I do know how lovely the room is and how accomodating the staff is. My concern is would I be disappointed now and does the restaurant seem directionless without an executive chef. I do not simply want a good serviceable meal; I'd like something special. Thanks for your insights. Dan

I know that Chef Lee has moved to NYC so who is the current chef at Striped Bass and has anyone here eaten there recently? I am supposed to go in two weeks and I am concerned that I might want to eat elsewhere until things in the kitchen settle down. Any answers, opinions or advice would be most welcome. Best regards, Daniel Kremens