mattohara

I wondered about this too, Mano. We had more tables at Pif and they were easier to turn (no white linens, flowers, etc.). It's tough! edit: Charlotte just emailed to let me know that she's not sure where the 2.5 turn thing came from. they're happy where they are and profitable with even a single seating. she wants to make sure people don't feel rushed!

^Pictures^ I opted for the (30$!!!) tasting menu. The missus wanted to try a few other things. The mousse was amazing. Light, airy texture and chicken livers and bacon are a match made heaven. Funnily enough we had had the Pub & Kitchen chicken liver mousse just a bit earlier. It's very good but this is more decadent obviously. The crispy oysters got a little soggy in the gazpacho, but what can you do. The gazpacho was nicely spiced, very fresh and summery. The escargots were their typical superfluous selves. Nice and garlicky/buttery. The clams and the ribs were a treat. They made me think of the other Cochon, in New Orleans, for some reason. Probably the pickled corn and the idea of caramel sauce (not quite praline) with the ribs. The clam dish was very rustic and we'll be making our own pickled corn soon, inspired by this dish. The ribs were about as tender as they come. Calling the frisee salad a salad was, as you can see by the pic above, a bit of artistic license. This dish was all about the awesome sausage. Just a teeny bit sweet, it tasted of apple and the balsamic drizzle. It had been crisped up nicely on the grill and the poached egg was like a savory frosting. We were stuffed by this point so it was with furrowed brow that I took in the veal cheek, grilled quail and bowl of onion rings. I didn't even taste the quail and only had a few bits of the cheek. It had a different texture from most cheek that I've had. Usually it's falling apart from braising, this had a more steak-like quality but was more tender than a filet. The onion rings are absolutely awesome. The batter is soft, light and cakey. They weren't greasy, overly fried, overly salted or overly seasoned in any way. The doughy batter just covered the monstrous rings and the onions were cooked just enough so that you still had some resistance when biting in. I somehow ate almost all of these. Then we changed up the dessert at Tim's suggestion, and opted for the house ices. Just perfect. Don't sleep on their Sunday Brunch!

It's now pretty much a tradition to head to Cochon for our birthdays and anniversaries. Everything is *always* stunning. Menus: Chicken Liver and Bacon Mousse: Crispy Oysters with Spicy Gazpacho: Escargots: Clams with Fennel and Pickled Corn: Ribs with Caramel and Mango: Frisee Salad with House Sausage: Grilled Quail: Onion Rings: Veal Cheek: Dessert Menu: House Glaces (Caramelized Pineapple, Raspberry, Mango):

Agreed on both the Max's OJ and Sabrina's points. Try Carman's instead of going back to Sabrina's though (if you haven't already). We know we're going to like a place when we run into Holly, and we ran into him at Carman's.

Daily Candy on the Oyster House re-opening The pear martini has a delicate, light floral taste and is extremely easy to drink. The punch has just the exact right balance of liquor (strong enough that you can taste it) and spice (cinnamon?) and citrus. I'd buy it by the gallon. The oyster shooters we had (mine was horseradishy and hers was gin/cucumbery) were awesome, but I think could benefit from having smaller oysters! Gigamoto or Kumamoto maybe. The ones we had were not huge but when you're shooting a shot and then trying to chew down the oyster too it's a little overwhelming. Then again perhaps I just need more practice...there's still 4 or 5 types of shots I didn't try that all sounded delicious. And horseradish fans don't worry, there's plenty in this shot! Sometimes I order things that I don't like, knowing that I probably won't like them. I don't like omelettes, for some reason, but sometimes I order one anyway. I don't like Bloody Marys, but I ordered the Blond Caesar anyway. It's similar to a Bloody Mary, but made with heirloom green tomato juice, I think, and something else different. I passed it over to Karen, after fishing out the awesome pickled ramp, and she assured me it was tops. I also had a lime vodka gimlet. Awesome, straightforward, delicious. You have to get one of these if you haven't tasted Katie's cordials before. It's clear and crisp, very refreshing, and highlights the cordial, not a bunch of extraneous stuff. The interior is like a more modern version of Schiller's Liquor Bar in NYC. It has that white tile feel but mixed with more modern finishings. Really cool.

And thus Holly spake. And all people that were there in those times called it good. Some sandwiches were lauded higher than others still, but always people remembered to take their individual qualities unto themselves. And peace reigned over all the land for a time. Off-topic I know, but in case anybody hasn't seen this excellent blog: http://unbreaded.com/2009/05/11/the-kibitz...strami-pickles/ I nominate Holly for Executive Editor position immediately. Retroactive to the creation of the blog.

Ha! Katie FTW!

Yep, no date on the signs and no Evelyn. The place looks *tiny* as well. I work a few blocks away so I'll try to report when they're open. Hope there's room enough in there to serve a Giambotti.

we're forming a gang, and Caroline will be the leader. i'm planning on biking up to Bishop's collar for the block party after noon and then biking over to the grand opening of the Piazza after that.

Since I hate the uploading/posting process for pics on eG I'll just post a link to my flickr set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattohara/set...57617829338690/ Since I used to wait tables there I can say with impunity that the level of service is a notch above what it was at Pif. I think David Ansill tried a similar approach when he first opened Pif but gradually he moved away from it when he started having 3 seatings on weekends. It just gets really tough to reset all of those tables with people lined up out the door and standing at the bar. With the above exception I'll stay away from Pif comparisons. It's tough when one French BYOB replaces another but it's important to judge it on its own merits. The standouts were the foie gras app, which was served with mango and pumpkin bread, and the braised shoulder of the lamb special. The foie was perfectly seared and the mango/pumpkin/cinnamon flavors were surprising and harmonious. A diner behind us later described his in terms of the Japanese flavor theory called "umashi" (sic). The shoulder was packed full of flavor and had an crispy texture on the outside. Fava bean succotash went nicely with it. I thought the escargots could have been a bit more tender and used (forgive me) more butter. It was a very earth dish with a strong mushroom flavor. That dish is really cute but kind of tough to eat out of. The house-made bread is shaped into dense, moist small loaves with a thick, crunchy crust and is served with a wrapped round of French butter. We usually skip the bread but this was well worth it. I'm sure they just forgot to take the cheese out of the fridge at the beginning of service, this being the first night and all, so it was a bit cold. Also some kind of jelly/jam/preserve/conserve or what-have-you would be nice for the goat cheese. And more bread! I like lemon meringue like my mom makes it- very tart and with a huge mound of meringue on top. This was a fancier restaurant version- more balanced in both regards. The chocolat was very nice and I'm sure chocolate-lovers will like it. Not overly sweet, not too bitter, a nice light texture contrasted with the crunchy bits on top. We got that one just because we didn't want glaces or fruits. The ices are by Anthony's on 9th St. Charlotte and Pierre were warm and gracious hosts, greeting most of the people that came in. I'm sure it was a nervous time, but they seem well-suited to running this kind of restaurant. Congrats to them!

Wednesday (tomorrow). ! edited to add their phone: 215 965 8290 biboubyob at comcast.net

They're accepting reservations. Cash-only. Phone is being hooked up today but if you want to make a reservation right away you can email biboubyob at comcast.net.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...66&hl=chinatown

Right, I guess that's not so bad. And neither is this, really, from when it that bit was referenced in Foobooz. He just said something about his answers being taken the wrong way.

The signs are up in the window! There's a new bar. The carpet is gone in favor of a hard floor. Those tiny bathrooms have been redone and made into one larger bathroom. The private back room is no longer available; it's been redone as an apartment and rented out. Most of the rest remains the same, if cleaned and painted. I think it's only a matter of weeks before we have a new French BYOB around the corner. The owners are very warm and welcoming. They're a bit disappointed that recent press has cast them in the 'typical snooty French' light but they seem very eager to get started nonetheless. Between Cochon and Bibou (literally) I feel lucky to be in this neighborhood.

6'3"! That's absurd! NOBODY is that tall! I was talking about the malt vinegar mayo that goes with the fries.

Had one last week. Yeah, it's pretty great. I personally can't handle the hot roasted pepper on top but I've tried, unsuccessfully, to mix up my own version of that malt vinegar mayo. If you're awesome like me you can call your inside man and get him to put in an order to go (nice when you're sick and don't feel like hanging around inside waiting for it).

Agreed. Good Dog is very close. Jose Pistola's is also right there and has a great beer selection and great fish tacos.

Thanks Rich. I just told a friend of my dad's who lives in Hazleton. Trekking around is much more difficult when you don't have a car, but I'll see what I can do.

I wonder if the tamale lady is the same lady that is out by Esposito's every morning feeding the Mexican staff with tamales, soups, sandwiches and all kinds of other tasty stuff. Got to get there between 8:00 and 8:30 to catch her!

Bell's Market definitely has it. It's really interesting, comes in a 2-liter plastic bottle and is not alcoholic.

Wish I could have joined you Rich. Is it being served anywhere else? Anywhere close to 8th street in South Philly? Do you know where I should go in Jersey to find it? Or any distributors?

I think James also has a late-night happy hour thing. There was a great bartender there named Theo who started the whole infusion thing (at least I'm fairly sure he did) and made up a lot of great cocktails with them. He's since moved on to Supper and Zahav. Edited to add: It might be worth trying to get the various bartenders to make, for example, one manhattan split into two or three glasses. You could get a lot more crawling (or less crawling, depending on how you read it) in that way.

That sounds like a lot of fun. I've tried a number of different ryes in my Southwark Manhattans, but my favorite was the house version, which is made with Old Overholt. You may want to try one regular and then another with the fancier sweet vermouth. If you're going to have a few different drinks here you might go for the Sazerac and Martini as well. I think their strengths lie in that direction. Katie's usually got something homemade behind the bar. If it's ginger-beer you might go for a Dark & Stormy if you like rum. The Corpse Reviver Number 3 is pretty awesome, as is the one with the Herbsaint and elderflower (can't remember the name but she'll remind me below I'm sure). It's almost warm enough for the Front Stoop, which I think is of her own creation. Just let her guide you, she'll have plenty of input depending on what she has and what you like. Apothecary is interesting and they have a lot of great ingredients. Can't remember what I've had there though besides some Absinthe and a very tasty Manhattan with fancy bitters. Time's got a great whisky selection and is right around the corner but that might be for a different night... The bar at Sofitel has a pretty neat list; you should stop by and check it out while you're planning. Morimoto has some sake cocktails. Cantina de los Caballitos has some *great* margaritas. The Bicicleta and the Dorado are my faves. The "planning" stages of this might be the most fun for you.

Right but they're going to charge you 12$ for that. It's something to keep an eye on. I used to know servers that would make up crazy charges on Aloha. They'd hit the "up" button twice, which would add another dollar. They'd hit "double" when it really wasn't. Make sure to check your receipts!