sara
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Posts posted by sara
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1. Chez Panisse (every time, perfection)
2. Quince (a CP alum, fresh as hell ingrediants)
3. Delfina (awesome Italian-riffed small plates in the Misson)
4. Swan Oyster Depot (for dungeness crab)
and Hog Island Oyster Co. at Ferry Terminal (Happy Hour, Mondays 4-6 pm or so)
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Just ordered mine! I love that place!
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Congratulations,
It might seem a little funky. The Mummer's Museum in south philly has a terrific banquet space. You have to be willing to decorate as it's a blank space. It does have a nice bar though. I'm having my wedding there in Jan. and they offered us a great deal. $1500 for site rental, 4hr. open bar for 75ppl - $8.50 a head after that, 2 bartenders plus custodial(clean-up). We can bring in any caterer we choose and can serve any wine we choose. We just have to have their steward order it for us. We pay for it and can take home what we don't use. The staff couldn't have been any nicer or more helpful. Believe me, as you go through the planning process, that in itself is worth it's weight in gold. Best of Luck!
Good suggestion. My guess is that ordering wine for you still means from the PA liquor board catalogue, at PA prices. That's my deal at the Philo. PA's prices are WAY above those in other states-- i.e. if you went to Jersey and bought Chateau St Michelle Riesling it'd be $7.50-8/bottle, but in PA it's like $9. Something like that.
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I agree about Ancora--at least the West one. Plenty of noisy kids makes it hard to work in there too. But the East side one is better -- and the employees are nicer. Anyways, I've been to Mother Fools and like it alot, and didn't know about the free wifi-- so thanks!
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My bleu heaven sounds great! I'll have to check it out.
I'm somewhat enjoying leftovers from last night's Bahn Thai run-- green curry with fish. But I can't tell what this darned fish IS! Kinda looks like tuna..and has a mushy texture. Hm.
On a different note--can anyone explain this Cafe Connection thing at Ancora to me? I want wireless access at coffee shops but when I went to the website to signup, it says nothing about wireless! Also, are there any FREE wireless connections at coffee shops or lunchspots in the area? Thanks
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One more-- I have to put a good word in for L'Etoile's salmon croissant (served warm and gooey inside), and their spice girl twirl, full of cinnamon. Their magic iced coffee certainly does the trick of waking one up enough to shop the early bird farmer's market too!
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Tonite I went to the Laotian place on Willey. I had some very good beef larb. My sister had peanut chicken. Both were quite good. I requested heat 3 out of 4, and they hit it right on. The place lacks atmosphere, except for one attractive waiter. But the prices are right (big portions for about $10-12 each) and I'll be back to sample more dishes.
This morning was scrambled eggs with scallions & cream cheese at Lazy Jane's. These are awesome! It was totally worth the 15 min wait on line.
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Great suggestions-- I'll just add one. Jaleo (7th and what is it- F?) isn't a far walk from the Mall, and I love a glass and sangria and some tapas there as a break from touring around.
And one sightseeing suggestion--IMO, the best monument in DC is the FDR. Not to be missed-- go at night, after dinner, for a stroll.
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I made it to Takara's last night. I was quite relieved to find the sushi much better than expected--they had a decent variety ( including hotate, uni, and toro), at reasonable prices, and every was quite fresh. Indeed, the place fills up a lot, and the service suffered because of it. But two of us had plenty of food for $50 and I think that's quite a good deal.
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Great suggestions! I did get to try Glass Nickel pizza yesterday-- WOW! Seriously, good stuff. I especially loved the fetalicious and the bacon & blue cheese.
The fall tasting list for Barrique's came out today, and includes an Aussie wine & food tasting at the Fitchberg location in two weeks that I'm sure to attend.
I will definitely make a point of trying Farmer John's parm-- as I think I mentioned earier, his mozzarella, only available at the Tuesday market, is BRILLIANT. And I tried my bloody mary pickled veg tonite, those were great too.
Ok, off to Maduro's to enjoy their lovely cocktails! Next week, I will begin a thorough investigation of these lunch suggestions.
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If your point is to go to Capogiro, then make it easy on yourself and have dinner at the lovely place across the street-- Lolita. Bring some tequila!
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Well it's about damn time! How long ago did I originally post asking if anyone had been there lately-- I think it was February?!?
Don, thanks for being the brave one. I chickened out. But Rabieng, their sister restaurant, is still worth a try, despite that relationship. Go for brunch.
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I went to the East side farmer's market today. Yes, there were some very nice things there-- especially Farmer John's mozzarella (which is just SUPERB), a man who makes his own infused vinegars ( I got the new chili-infused balsamic and enjoyed it on a salad tonite), and a woman selling pickled vegetables for bloody marys (my favorite!). BUT, it definitely lacked the variety and selection of the Saturday market--especially choices in cheeses, flowers, fish, other meats, breads. Veg and fruit, definitely there. Other stuff, not so much. I heard this market has higher standards tho-- maybe organic standards--know much about that?
In other news...Muramoto has just started a chef's tasting menu (it began the 29th) on Sunday nights. 5 courses for $30 per person; $45 with a matched Sake flight.
I will definitely make it a point to get to Takara and Wasabi soon.
What I'd especially appreciate are reviews of places to eat right around campus, in the Union/State St immediate area (I work right on Bascom Mall). Lunch around $5 is what I'm looking for. Today I enjoyed a spicy chicken and potato curry in injera--$4. What a deal!
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Ok, I've been living in Madison for just over a week now. Here's my initial report:
It's SO MUCH BETTER than expected or reported! The food is fresh, gorgeous and plentiful- -and the cooking has sophistication. Not everywhere, but many places.
A few favorites thus far:
-- Cafe Montmarte (on Mifflin) --this little wine bar makes some great curried mussels, and has a nice reasonably priced wine list.
--L'Etoile-- Cafe and Restaurant. The best breakfast pastries I've had in a long long time. The cooking classes are informative, as is Odessa's Saturday morning market tour.
--The Farmer's Markets-- You've got to be kidding me! These are the best I've encountered ANYWHERE in the country! Wisconsin cheeses (goat, sheep, cow, and not just cheddar) outdo cheese from anywhere else in the US, except for maybe California.
--Maduro's-- this place makes killer martinis and bloody marys, and has a nice wine list to boot.
--Kabul-- very good Afghan food on State St.
--Michael's Custard. 'Nuff said
--Barrique's Wine Cave. My first night--Whites and Oysters. 2nd night: Merlots and Cheddars. Love this place!
Possible new favorites:
--Moramoto-- small Asian plates-- lots of creativity here but the food so far hasn't impressed too much-- however I still have plenty more to try. The dessert plate is definitely a winner.
--Banh Thai-- solid, not perfect, Thai.
--East African food stand on State St. Has very good coconut curried chicken with injara.
--The Original Pancake House-- love the Swedish pancakes, skip the overly sweetened Dutch.
--Lazy Jane's-- hit or miss so far, but more hits than misses.
Skippable: so far...
--Cafe Mariah- my North Beach omlette wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
--The Casbah-- where the waiter felt he needed to introduce me to baba ganoush, telling me it tasted like "summer sausage."
--Tornado Room-- not all it's cracked up to be.
--Laredo's --BLECH. Bad Mexican.
So, that's it after an initial crack at the resto scene here....
I've heard great things about Cleveland's and will get there soon, as it's around the corner from my house. Any must haves there?
I'm also looking forward to Harvest and Edo-- I hear there is actually good sushi in this town? Confirm/deny?
Let's get this Madison Egullet group goin'!
Sara
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Hmm. I'm going to disagree with Liam and hillvalley here. I actually don't think Jenny implied that the flaws in her night were directly attributable to Palena. Indeed, she said why she thought her night went wrong--admitting fully that it had a lot to do with the company with her--and only in one case blamed the restaurant. It's refreshing to see someone admit to non-restaurant reasons why they had a bad night at a place-- how many times have you had a bad day at work, or a fight with a spouse at the table, and that's colored your impression of a meal--yet you didn't realize/acknowledge/admit it?
Finally, I think Jenny did make two contributions--first, regarding the noisiness of the outdoor patio-- anyone who wasn't familiar with Connecticut Ave might not be prepared for that. Second, whereas I claimed that Palena's cafe was a good place to take non-foodie friends, Jenny's experiences indicates otherwise. Differences of opinion, nothing wrong with that.
There's no template for how to write an Egullet review--no list of things appropriate to include, or not, in your comments. That's a good thing--let's keep it that way.
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Sad to see Morales go. Not sad at all to see Fields go. Man, can that guy cop an attitude!
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Hi
Thanks everyone for all of your help! I've pretty much decided on Manna at this point--they are super-helpful and their menus are great--and am working on choosing between 2 locations--the Philo and a new place out in Radnor.
I'll keep you posted!
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As I noted in an earlier post, Bucks Fishing and Camping recently served an outstanding grilled lobster. I can still taste it--delicious! That said, I find lobster only tastes perfect eaten at an outdoor setting on the coast of Maine.
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Tim (and Greg) is one ambitious man!
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Last night, after a long frustrating evening of trying to find dinner-- we wanted to try Osteria Galileo for the first time before I move, and they had closed OG this week til Thursday b/c of summer; so we went to Ray's, since Liam hadn't been, and faced an hour and 15 minute wait--we ended up at Sushi Ko. Why? Because after getting a taste for Italian in your mouth, then steak, it's hard to make a move to more complex food--but sushi, well, sushi you can always convince your palette that you want! Pure, fresh, clean, sparkling, Koji-sushi.
Well, 7:45 pm on a Wednesday night is very different than 6 pm, as we quickly learned--arriving to a packed house for the first time in our Sushi-Ko adventures. But there were 2 seats at the sushi bar and we snapped them up.
We've largely settled into a Sushi-Ko routine-- chef's assorted sashimi, small plates, then sushi--thanks to Rocks, and we went that way again. Last night's sashimi was damn fine-- toro, giant clam (i LOVE giant clam), the freshest amebi I've had in some time--even tho Koji was working elsewhere. We followed that up with a small plate we'd never tried--yellowtail jaw in sea salt. This dish is like $7.95 and is a TON of juicy white fish, subtlely flavored, in a challenging arrangement you pick apart. We devoured that great deal.
Finally, we concluded with those lovely scallops I only find at Sushi-Ko, along with a few rolls. The rolls are among the freshest I've had anywhere--and the balance of fish to rice is perfect. The yellowtail-scallion roll simply melts in your mouth, as does the eel-tamago-avocado.
The price tag, with two glasses of wine, was about $75. That's perhaps the most astounding part of this place-- incredibly fresh fish, beautifully prepared, and plenty of it, for barely $40/person. For any sushi craving fool, or couple desperate for a good meal at a restaurant they can get into, it's a slam dunk.
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Thanks everyone.
Liam and I have really enjoyed spending time on this DC board.
No, we didn't initially meet here, but he joined the board because of me, years before we got together, and that provided a common link that eventually helped start our relationship. And I understand Liam may have done a little Egullet-dating prior to 'us.'
We'll be participating a bit longer, but during this fall we'll both be relocating to Madison WI-- home of custard, burgers, and cheese. MMMmmm..
We'll miss all y'all.
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More good suggestions..
Ok, how about Passarelle? I've not eaten there--but the catering LOOKS good, at least... http://www.passerellerestaurant.com/
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Man, a girl goes on a little vacation (to get engaged to another Egulleteer, btw!), and look what she misses....
Ok, mine is a small journalistic point. I just read the thread, and based on my read, Fisher did a slightly dishonest thing in implying that two different foodies 'lit into the chef' when in fact both quotes he presents are from Eunny Jang:
"The foodies lit into the chef"
"Is this hysterically tongue-in cheek" BLAH BLAH one chatter asked.
"How could five little letters..BLAH BLAH" added another.
See--this implies that two different people said these things, when VERY clearly, even to a non-Gulleteers, it was the one and the same person. This is dangerous writing IMO, simply because it implies more of a crowd on a given side than there was. In other words--what if one person said a bunch of stuff and then you broke it into quotes and said 5 different people said it, sounding like they all agreed? I don't disagree with the story, but do think it implied a different balance of opinions on the thread than there actually was (tho I am just reading it today and perhaps there's been editing/deleting of some nastier posts- I don't know).
Either way, I had the pleasure of dining at the Kitchen PRIOR to all this, before leaving town recently, and DAMN is that food good! Gillian Clark & Carman Luntzel can get together with their kountry-style kitchens and cook me up a meal anytime, anywhere--and I know it'll be the best ever! They share so much talent & 'tude, I really do see a great TV show or something comin' out of it!
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Jennifer,
Thanks so much. This is just the kind of thing I'm looking for. To clarify--I'm not saying I'll only spend a few 1000 on food/wine-- but rather I'd like to save most of the money for those items and not spend it on location. 6000 ten years ago sounds like a GREAT deal. Very cool--I will check it out. Did you contact Jack directly to arrange something they don't normally do there?
Sara
Carman's Country Kitchen
in Pennsylvania: Dining
Posted
Oh dear GOD do I miss Carman's! They just don't make 'em like Carman out here in the Midwest. I'm gonna go make an egg just 'cuz she said to!