mattohara

either you got the wrong pot pie or you're a god amongst pot pie makers. if it's the latter, please give me a call some time, i'd love to invite myself over.

maybe some mead or some cider would go well with one...

Damn! I forgot! I made plans to make a homemade dinner and start my first batch of homebrewed beer! Now it has to be next month.

I didn't know where else to put this post but I had to post this somewhere. Karen and I were in center city last night just sort of wandering about. We went to XIX for the oyster plate and were wondering where to go next. She suggested the Ritz, for another drink at another hotel bar; I remembered that my friend Keven Sbraga is the executive chef at the Grill and thought it would be nice to go say hello. We went in and sat at the (closed) bar, waiting until he had time to come over and say hello. First of all the service is perfection itself. Everyone with hellos and smiles and "can-i-help-you"s trying to make sure that we were taken care of. Very refreshing when you haven't had that in a while. The room itself is a bit stuffy, but such is the nature of a fancy hotel. Kevin came over and while we were catching up Karen and I mentioned how much we love french food. He said "I've got something for you" and all of a sudden we had a full setting of silverware in front of us and the sommelier was asking us what she could bring. First was a pate. The absolute best pate we've ever had. It was thick and moist and mild but flavorful. I forget everything that was in it but I know it had chicken liver and ground pork, bacon on the outside, served with pickled white beets (sliced thin like pickled ginger in a sushi spot) and dijon. Stunning. Then escargot! It was our second favorite escargot we've ever had (you can probably guess the first). Served in the tiniest Le Creuset pots they stayed warm until we'd finished the dish (about a dozen). Herbs, butter, garlic, almost a buttery fondue like 20Manning's Kiong used to serve. Then a perfectly textured saffron risotto. I can't remember what else was in that. It turns out that these were the leftovers for a tasting menu for a restauranteur for an upcoming french bistro for a new hotel for a certain park. Who knows how these things go, but wherever he ends up I will be first in the door. It was the best meal I've had in a long time and I've been thinking about it all day. I'm not sure what- if anything- he has left, but it might be worth stopping by if you're in the neighborhood. Karen and I just picked the right place to stop at the right time. Chef Sbraga will only be at the Grill at the Ritz for another month. If you do go, say hi and tell him I said he's doing a great job. Trust me, he'll laugh.

damn that looks great. wish i could go tonight. everybody knows about their mailing list right? i forget how i got on it but i see it's not through the website. either call or stop by. they send out an email every time there's a new tasting menu.

i completely ignored others around me in a horrible faux pas of food-photo-taking, which i know has been discussed elsewhere on Teh eG. So as not to overload the thread with duplicate photos here's a link to my photos from the night. I was really excited about the treacle pudding, never having had it before. It was nice to have a new dessert with such contrasting textures and some new flavors. The not-so-tossed salad was our other favorite. Great presentation and the SV veggies/fruit were nicely contrasting with straightforward and complementary flavors. My first "soil" as well. Much more yummy than expected. I also really enjoyed the cod dish's flavor combination.

damn. i so wanted to be first post. i'll put my pics up tomorrow night but i'm sure they're not as good as percy's.

uh, do you have any leftovers? My mom's making stovetop.

I just went to Devon for the first time for an impromptu business dinner and it's the kind of place you're looking for. Steaks and lobsters. Service was a bit off but the steaks were great.

they brought NINETY pies last weekend and were sold out by noon. and i got there after noon. !@#$

right. but those cheese grits are REALLY good! maybe they slide some extra grits on there as well.

haha, i'll glady phillycarshare up there in the winter to get the goods!

it's too bad david ansill took it off his menu, that was my fave. and tinto's was one of the best i've had as well but it's not on the list. perhaps we could organize a foie tour?

yes! pairings ahoy! thanks for thinking of the little people. i'd be taking pictures phil, but it looks like we've misplaced the official findingphilly camera. !@#$

I wholeheartedly agree with everything Holly says. It's The Best. scase told me to get one and it's pot pie heaven! Get the big one because you'll be pining for the fjords when your little one is all gone. I want to know where I can get these when the market is closed down in the winter!

ok i'm in. as a person with a minimal cellar (it's currently nonexistent - my efforts have recently focused on filling a liquor cabinet) i'll have to look to pair up with someone else. please PM me if you're looking for two dining partners (me and karen) and you can provide some wine! how many can the restaurant seat and are there seatings or are the time slots all open?

i'd still be much more likely to go if there was an additional wine pairing option for say 30 bucks, with 2oz pours.

Thanks for the invite, "friend."

The two best restaurants in the organization are Tangerine (good atmosphere and mediterranean-inspired food) and Striped Bass (classy joint with fishy dishes). I've never been to either despite having worked in Washington Square and Pod. I'd like to try Morimoto some time but it seems like the kind of place to go when you have $400 to spend and feel adventurous (I never have the former and I am always the latter).

I just went to Cereality for the first time and loved it. It's a big smorgasbord of cereals and fixin's. Simple and fun. and it's on Walnut right around Penn.

my original post above said that i found them at Headhouse. so they're there and you had them there, right? are they at whole foods?

you can get bobbi's at the south square supermarket (and it's cheaper than whole foods) on south and 23rd. don't sleep on Byblos hummous from Sue's produce! and you can get those amazing pickles at Bacchus on 23rd and spruce.

I wish I knew. I didn't find out until too late.

that's exactly what I want to try Holly. We had their escargot with pastis on puff pastry when we went for brunch last weekend. It was good but needed more pastis. So far Vintage's escargot (in-shell) is the only version that comes close to Pif's now that 20 Manning isn't doing their fondue version anymore. Also there seemed to be alfalfa sprouts as a default garnish (as seen in your picture above). I didn't think they added either a good flavor or texture. Also visually not too nice. The Oeuf Benedicte was very nice though, on brioche and with smoked salmon.

that's not his email address. if you PM me i'll give it to you. there was a bit of noncommunication when Pif was closing. you can definitely call ansill for a reservation and you can also get one on OpenTable.