TarteTatin

Jamaican Jerk Hut. Upstairs outside at Tap.

I have arranged a party of 23 people eating at Cafe Constant, in a week and a half, on a Saturday night. Madame Constant has been charming and accomodating, and I couldn't ask for better communication.

Thanks Jeff. Actually, Susan didn't write this one. I got all inspired and cranky, so the review is my handiwork. I'd still stay at Phillips Mill, I just wouldn't eat there again - unless they changed the chef.

Well, if you want to go for the romantic setting, this is the place. Eat elsewhere, stay at the Inn and have breakfast there. Prices range from $6.75 to $14.00 for apps, and $15 to $28 for main courses. Desserts (not tried, but pretty uninspired looking) are $6.

The Inn at Phillips Mill Twenty years ago, we spent our wedding night at this charming inn located between the banks of the Delaware and the end of the Mule Barge Canal in Bucks County, PA just outside of New Hope. We’ve been back three or four times since that first trip. Each time, the Inn has remained almost exactly the same. The rooms are done in the typical East Coast B&B decor but without the twee faux authenticity that is the usual hallmark, probably because the Inn has been here since the mid 1970’s as witness the glowing review from 1979 on the wall in the gents toilet. Low ceilings, real antiques, but good firm mattresses and high count luxurious cotton sheets. We had the two room suite over the dining room where we had stayed before. We arrived around 5:00P on Friday evening while the staff was still having “family meal” and so the greeting was a little “scattered”. We were shown to our room, put down our bags, checked for an Internet connection(nonexistent but we hadn’t asked hence we weren’t expecting one) and went back into New Hope for a cocktail. New Hope on a rainy Friday afternoon in March was remarkably dead, so we crossed the bridge into Lambertville. We visited Welsh’s Wine shop, which used to have a substantial selection of French wines but now looks as if it is shrinking, with a limited and idiosyncratic catalog on the shelves. The clerk pointed us to The Boat House for cocktails. It’s tough to find as it’s located down an alleyway off of a side street in Lambertville on the Jersey side canal. Look for it. It’s a bar with an eclectic clientele and a wide selection of drinks and drinks only. The patrons are almost exactly what one would expect in Lower Bucks County: a mix of upscale, hard drinking retirees, teachers having a stress relieving afterwork cocktail, artsy New Hopers and contractors. The only food available would appear to be Hanover pretzels, but that’s okay. We had splits of Chandon for $8 each and sat at the cozy bar. This would appear to be another area institution, with real memorabilia crowded onto the walls showing off the owner’s fascination with all things nautical. And with the advent of the smoking ban, the various paintings, antique boat models, plaques, posters, silver trophies and serving pieces are beginning to emerge from beneath their cover of tar and nicotine. There is the small downstairs bar with six seats, some small tables and then a loft upstairs also with tables plus outside seating for the summer. The Boat House seems to serve as the cocktail bar for the Hanover Grill across the courtyard. After we finished we drove back out to the Inn and unpacked. The stairs leading to the second floor are narrow and steep because there is an old rope operated wheelchair lift in the center of the stairwell. It’s an interesting feature of this low ceilinged building. As we inspected our two room suite we noticed some interesting omissions: There were no tissues, no shampoo and no hair dryer. There was also no telephone or television, but we knew that going in. The next morning we were perplexed by the problematical and bizarre hot water issue - scalding hot water at the hand sink and barely lukewarm in the shower. In the sitting room there is a small library of mystery novels of various vintages, the standard sort of thing that one finds in B&B’s. Happily there were no New Agey self improvement books. We went downstairs for our 8 PM dinner reservation and were seated immediately at a corner table by the fireplace, which, thankfully was not going. Our Heimat Champagne (This is a BYOB and they only take personal checks or cash) was in a bucket, on the floor, unopened. As our waitress explained, they don’t generally open Champagne as most guests like to do that themselves. Having experienced the “Champagne Spillage Syndrome” at other BYOB’s, we were more than happy to open our own. (Sidebar Rant: Even if one is running a BYOB, wouldn’t it make sense to school one’s service staff about how to open and serve all types of wine? It’s a restaurant in all other respects, so why not have servers who can open Champagne?). Even so, when she returned to the table to present the menus she knocked over one of the partially filled Champagne glasses, which we saved without losing a drop. The bread was nicely warm, but a bit soft, studded with sesame seeds, reminiscent of an Italian semolina bread and served with almost melted, salty butter. The dining rooms are rustically attractive, with stone floors for the most part, and tables close enough to be cozy without being overcrowded. There are 5 dining areas so it is possible to have largish parties - 8 to 10 people - without imposing on other diners. Our appetizers were the foie gras special, described as being served with a maple syrup glaze and a mango croquette and the menu escargot with red wine, demi-glace and garlic. The foie ($14) was a tiny piece, seared to medium, lukewarm and presented on what appeared to be and tasted like a hush puppy. Neither of us could detect any mango but the maple syrup was plainly evident along with a dusting of confectioners sugar, which we thought was interesting though a bit odd and ultimately unfortunate. Six escargot arrived in a ramekin submerged in sauce, with a garnish of flat leaf parsley and garlic toasts. The snails were certainly hot, but also very salty, and there was an odd bitterness in the sauce which made it nearly inedible. I followed the escargot with the endive salad, served with walnuts, blue cheese and chopped red onion. It was a traditional recipe and of more than adequate size. There’s very little to say about the salad except that it was tasty. All of the above was accompanied by an ancient and creaky keyboardist out of a movie cast by John Waters and directed by David Lynch, doing New Age versions of “standards” making them almost but not quite unrecognizable. Her reedy, earnest vocals would have been intrusive if she had been louder. Thankfully, she was not. We had ordered the lamb, rare to medium rare and the duck - breast and confited leg. What we got were three medium to well lamb chops and miniscule, dry, overcooked duck breast with a roasted leg. However, I’ll talk about the vegetables first. I totally understand that restaurants often find it difficult to have a different vegetable garnish for each meat course. It takes time, skilled personnel and imagination. But some small variation since 1980 would be nice. Both main course plates arrived with the exact same plate garnish - stuffed mushroom cap, julienned zucchini cooked to death, sliced(?) green beans cooked almost to mush, a single huge alien carrot slice, over salted mashed potatoes, and a leaf of flat parsley. After two bites of the lamb, and some discussion, we agreed to send it back and request a new plate. We called over the server and she said that she understood, took the plate and went into the kitchen. I always worry about sending food back, but mostly when it’s undercooked. Ten minutes later a new plate with the lamb arrived, cooked exactly rare and with fresh garnish. I did eat the duck, but on reflection possibly should have changed it as well. The breast meat was sliced into six chunks but was gray and dry (the accompanying “jus”, served on the side didn’t help). It was also the size of a smallish pigeon breast. I think it must have been the same duck that the piece of foie gras came from, some species of mini duck. The leg, which was described as confit on the menu, most certainly was not. It was a roasted duck leg. There was not a trace of the unctuous texture and taste that one associates with confit. Here it’s time to address another aspect of this experience. There was very little taste in any of the dishes we were served. The lamb was bland, the duck breast had no “duck” flavor and the leg tasted slightly rancid. The escargot were overpowered by the acidic sauce and the foie gras was as tasteless as the lamb. What we did taste was salt. Copious amounts of salt. We decided that we would skip desserts and move into the lounge with the huge comfy couch and welcoming fireplace, finish our wine and drink our Armagnac. Earlier we had met a couple who were having dinner in the restaurant. They were taking a quick tour of the rooms and we showed them ours. They had finished dinner at almost the same time and we asked if they would care to join us for a drink. The conversation turned to dinner: What did you have? Did you enjoy it? Will you come back? Maybe our standards are way too high, but they had had, by their lights, a fantastic meal and couldn’t wait to come back. Their perception of dinner was 180?’s from ours. When the bill came, it was wrong. They had overcharged us for the foie gras - $24 instead of the $14 that they had told us when the specials were recited. When we pointed it out, they gave us $10 in cash back- Which we then paid for breakfast the next morning. Breakfast was delivered to our door at 9 AM as requested. There was an attractive basket, with plates, cups, silver, cheerful blue and white napkins, warm croissants and poppy seed muffins, butter and apricot jam, along with a silver coffee pot and a creamer. The breakfast could reasonably be said to have been the best part of the culinary experience at the Inn. The coffee was hot and pleasantly strong, the croissants flaky with a nice buttery taste and the jam was homemade. And at $4.50 each, very good value. We went into New Hope to wander around and find lunch before we headed back into Philadelphia. We decided on Karlas on the recommendation of a friendly shopkeeper. Karla's is a couple of doors off the main street and like many of the smaller restaurants in New Hope, is staffed by earnest, friendly servers who certainly get a good mark for trying. The restaurant/cafe is divided up into four rooms on different levels, and is decorated like an updated 70's fern bar. The menu tries to hit all the bar favorites without having any real direction. We chose the croque monsieur, the Ceasar salad and an order of Cajun fries. They all arrived at the same time, but after a fairly long wait. The croque was on a soft brioche with a moderate amount of ham and swiss cheese and what seemed to be a housemade bechamel. There was a portion of chopped salad dressed with a red wine vinagarette served with the sandwich. Not bad but nothing spectacular. The Ceasar salad was pretty basic, with good croutons and a sprinkling of real Parmesan. The Cajun fries lived up to their name by being nicely dusted with Cajun seasoning but were very salty. The biggest problem that Karla's seemed to have was a kitchen that was in the weeds and one too few wait staff for a busy afternoon. Not a bad place to go, if you're after a sandwich and a beer, but don't expect anything else. So, that was our 24 hours in New Hope.

Lunch today was okay. We had two lunch specials. Mr. Tarte Tatin had a sashimi/roll mix. I had a tuna/california roll mix. Both started with miso soup. The miso was delicious. The green tea tasted like fish (that's happened before; it's not just smoky-do they add fish taste to the tea? Really! I'm seriously asking!). Our rolls were okay, although they didn't seem like they were that well done. We know nothing about this type of food, to be completely honest. But the rolls seemed loose, and yet, not cut right, and maybe we had the lunch guy doing our rolls? Not tight..., the tuna had a spicy mayonnaise (I asked) that was interesting....good, though. $38 for lunch, no booze.

Thank you for those amazing pictures, Philadining! And to all for coming and indulging.... We won't be home until 8:30 tonight, but you're all welcome to come back for leftovers! More menu info: We got as much as we could from local farmers...or, brought back from France. We served with the lamb pepperoni: grape mustard and cassis mustard that we got in France. Also: Radishes with butter and salt. Truffle popcorn. Cassoulet: Tarbais and Lingot beans, duck confit, garlic and lamb sausage, pork belly, ham shanks, bacon-lots more ingredients that Chef hasn't even revealed to his prep cook! I know he blended some sort of garlic soup/paste or something that smelled incredible. Cooked for 3 days. The "Trou", as Katie said, is literally a drink that gives you a "hole" in order to eat more! Quetsch is eau de vie from Alsace. It's a type of plum. I also like the Mirabelle which is yellow plum. We also could have served the Marc d'alsace or the Vielle Prune...or maybe even the Calvados. Frisee salad with walnut oil. Fromage: Lingot d'Quercy-(homemade goat cheese), Roquefort, Petit Basque..all from the region. Tarte Tatin-the darker, more carmelized one was made in the Le Creuset. The other in a cast-iron frying pan. A little lightly whipped fresh cream on top. It was so much fun!

Wow, Rebecca, both of your places look great! I forwarded the info to my brother. Thanks!

My brother the Rabbi is a very strict Kosher food person. (I, however, started eating pork and lobster at a very young age and haven't looked back!) While on the subject of Cassoulet (a sort of Cholent), he said that in Europe, he once found a place that made Kosher duck sausage. He hasn't been able to find it anywhere here, and has an absolute dream taste for it. My first question: Does anyone know a place that makes such a thing? My second question: Why does there seem to be a lack of creative producers of Kosher food meats? He tells me that some foie gras is Kosher. And, in New York and Israel, there are many Kosher restaurants that serve it. What a great thing if D'artagnan was able to open a Kosher food section!

Goose Fat & Garlic Omnivore's Dilemma Ruth Reichl's Paris

We always loved Jacques...he's always smiling; in a good mood. He's gentle; and passionate about cooking. And, it was refreshing to read that he and his wife usually have a cocktail when they get home. Then they indulge in two bottles of wine while making and eating dinner together. Certainly helped us with our, "we drink too much wine" thoughts...as we also go through two bottles of wine a night while making and eating dinner. (Read this in the New York Times, a few months ago).

Mr. Tarte Tatin LOVES to read cookbooks. He just sits down with them and reads them, cover to cover. What really makes me jealous, is that he basically remembers recipes and from what cookbook they are from (just like remembering stories from regular novels and the facts from them). He goes back to check on the amounts needed in the recipe, but can go straight to whatever book he remembers it's in. (did that make sense? I didn't articulate that well) I think his first love was Elizabeth David. He actually wrote her a thank you note while she was still living, for writing such good cookbooks. She wrote him back! Handwritten, saying that it's not often that American's knew her work, and how nice it was to be appreciated!

Again: Mr. Tarte Tatin wrote earlier; and now me. Frank Bruni is great. He's a storyteller, and allows those of us not able to go to the restaurants he writes about, to experience it in our minds. He's funny. He's articulate. He DOES know about food, now. Who cares about the past. He's re-defining food reviewing. We like his writing and his expertise. And, most of all, his stories.

We totally agree with Pan and Fat Guy. This was a funny review, creating a new (perhaps) genre of reviewing. Frank Bruni rocks. Who cares what his sexuality is. We're a married couple writing this together, and it really doesn't enter our minds. He's funny, he writes well, and we like him. Everyone seems way too serious about this. As the Chef of Lucas-Carton said, "It's only grub."

All this "Sturm und drang" over Frank Bruni's reviews are just making us laugh. As regards whether or not the reviews are up to a particular "standard": well, perhaps they don't meet some folks elevated culinary standards, but they certainly give a "feel" for the restaurants reviewed. That being said, we find them, for the most part, funny, worth reading, and mostly informative. With his story telling and attention to the atmosphere, his writing helps us here in Philadelphia to fully experience the restaurant. And as someone said, "After all, it's only grub."

I just looked at the beans we brought back from France, and they are Lingot, not Flageolet.

Cave au Champagne (restaurant)-right in the middle of Epernay. 16 rue Gambetta F Epernay la-cave-a-champagne.com Try the Pierre Peters champagne. The best I've EVER had. 17euros. They don't import to the states. I don't believe you can even buy it anywhere in Champagne, so we drove to the town: Mesnil-sur-oger- (Salon champagne is also there) to buy some, and they were closed, and the guy waved us away. Merde. Not a fancy restaurant, but very nice. Didn't go to the ones in Ay you mentioned, mostly all the good ones were closed the week between Christmas and New Year's. Mareuil-sur-Ay, which is the little town outside of Ay, is where we stayed, at Guy Charbaut. It's an actual champagne house, with a little B&B attached. You get a champagne tour when you stay there... A bit like "Fawlty Towers", but still good. Some friends stayed in the same town in a gorgeous big old house B&B. Lamarotiere.com. Their place was really nice, and very reasonable off season. Big rooms. Champagne Heimat (sp?), right in Ay, on the road between Epernay and Ay. Very good. Stopped for a tasting and it was delicious. Much better than the big champagne houses we visited.

Had a few emails back and forth with Gabe... We have some local tarbais, and will be adding flageolet brought back from the south of France for our Cassoulet. Plus, possibly, some Northern to boot, from Margerum's/winter harvest/bob pierson. A good on- line french food importing company, joie de vivre, offers good flageolet and other bean varieties. I order from them often, they're quite good. D'artagnan has a Cassoulet package, which we've never indulged in, but it looks like an interesting variety.

Try Chez Janou near the Place Des Vosges, definitely walking distance. Or, the Bar a Huitres is always reliable. You'll probably need to book a table. Also, if you book in advance at Bofinger, you get a better table. They can be really snobby if you haven't booked.

Hope I'm not too late. We were there last Christmas week (not a few months ago, but the previous year). The market in Ay was very tiny. However, remember this is the week between Christmas and New Year's, everything is closed, and there was snow to boot! So... There was a really good restaurant in Epernay, however. Wish I could remember the name. Not at Les Berceaux, not the Grill Room...hmmm. Maybe I'll have a chance to look at my notes before you go.

I had breakfast this morning at the Amish breakfast counter in Reading Terminal. Excellent sausage, egg and swiss sandwich on rye bread. Lots of sausage and egg, very filling. $3.59. Okay, I left a buck tip. $4.59. Now that's a good bargain, and tasty as well.

YUM! (Fork, etc. carries a few brands also)

Four of us went to Morimoto last night. Just like some of the reviews above, the food was super, but the service awful. In the NY Times a few Wednesday's ago, there was something about restaurant trends lately, where you feel like you are doing them a favor to dine there. That's how we felt, about dropping $400 for four people for dinner. This is not a diner. Wait until all are finished before you clear the course. Don't drop the check until asked. We might have been inclined to order your expensive after dinner drinks! We hadn't even finished our coffees, or our last dessert! When we complained about that and other service issues, a gentleman came over and apologized. Anyway, the food really was good...The tofu appetizer that cooks at your table (which you can get for a quarter of the price at a Korean restaurant in North Philly). A pork belly on congi-delicious. Tuna tartare with a teeny amount of caviar (four eggs, maybe). Then, two of the party ordered a combination sashimi, sushi platter, another ordered a few rolls. I had kumamoto oysters, so very creamy and incredible. I also had miso soup with clams. Very good. We had a couple of desserts, and a few bottles of sparkling wine, along with some sake to start. After getting rushed out of our table, we decided to visit the upstairs bar for after dinner drinks. I guess we didn't get served after 15 minutes of sitting there (others that arrived after us were), because we were twenty years older than anyone else up there. So we left without ordering. Oh, well, their loss...

We've been to Georges Blanc twice. Once many years ago, and once about 5 years ago. We stayed both times in the hotel, as well. I've never had such incredible meals and service in my life. Just amazing food. We have to say, however, that the last time there, the town had become like a "Disneyland" of George Blanc. There are numerous gift shops, souvenirs, secondary restaurants and hotels---all in "his" name. That's kind of disgusting. However, once again, it seemed to be worthwhile. We tried to overlook it and just enjoy. And, enjoy, we did...

Yes, I see, there's one goose...