monday lunch

[mrbigjas]

imagine it's a monday, you're off work, the boy's in day care. you were thinking of going to the home opener but you don't have tickets, so it's lookin like a free day off for the two of you.

where would you go to lunch? price not really no object, but not that much of a concern. just something really good, preferrably downtown.

a lot of places are closed mondays, is part of the reason i'm asking. the other is that i've been out of the nice dining scene for a while.

[Jeff L]

imagine it's a monday, you're off work, the boy's in day care. you were thinking of going to the home opener but you don't have tickets, so it's lookin like a free day off for the two of you. 

where would you go to lunch?  price not really no object, but not that much of a concern.  just something really good, preferrably downtown.

a lot of places are closed mondays, is part of the reason i'm asking.  the other is that i've been out of the nice dining scene for a while.

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James, if it's open Monday's which I think it is, my choice would be for you and Mrsbigjas to go to Monk's Cafe.

We went this past Saturday for lunch before taking our 21 year old daughter to Spamalot. Both were excellent! I'm sure you've been but it's really so good especially those Belgian fries and biers.

[Capaneus]

imagine it's a monday, you're off work, the boy's in day care. you were thinking of going to the home opener but you don't have tickets, so it's lookin like a free day off for the two of you. 

where would you go to lunch?  price not really no object, but not that much of a concern.  just something really good, preferrably downtown.

a lot of places are closed mondays, is part of the reason i'm asking.  the other is that i've been out of the nice dining scene for a while.

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How long has it been since you've been to Matyson? It's one of the best deals in town, to my palate. There's Apamate, for a more casual - and closer to home - vibe. Or you can go the other way: Lacroix is a place I think is worth exploring, or LBF, if you feel like splurging a lil' bit - lunch is still a decent deal - or Brasserie P. Or the BP outlet at Boyds, for the Ladies Who Lunch atomsphere. I checked, and James doesn't seem to do lunch, at least not on Monday, according to Open Table, and neither does M.

Edited April 1, 2007 by Capaneus (log)

[KatieLoeb]

and neither does M.

We're one of the completely closed on Mondays crowd. We'll be opening for Sunday brunch when it's warmer out, the garden is open and the kitchen renovations are done. I'll let you know when.

Back to the subject at hand, I'll second Matyson for lunch, Monks if you're into having a few brews or Amada for some wine and tapas or the very reasonably priced lunch special. Rouge if you want to be a Rittenhouse hipster and sit outside. I think it's supposed to be nice tomorrow.

It's a shame North 3rd isn't open for lunch during the week. That's one of my fave spots for a very diverse and affordable menu and good drinks available for a reasonable price.

[Vadouvan]

Tria ?

Rae has a bargain 3 course at $30.

You gotta check it out sometime.......?

[mrbigjas]

thanks for the responses!

capaneus, you know i never looked up your screen name before, but i'm glad i have now. anyway, lacroix is an interesting option -- we have a gift certificate there that we were going to use about three weeks ago, but the ice storm kept our babysitter at home. FY(and everyone's)I for future reference, apamate is only serving dinner and weekend brunch nowadays. too bad, but i could see it coming. it was always dead in there during the day.

now, matyson... i haven't been back in a couple years probably. it's one of those places that i went to a couple times when it opened, and had great meals, and i just haven't gotten back. that's a really good thought.

jeff, monks is a good idea, and maybe monday lunchtime it wouldn't be annoyingly crowded. if we're going more casual maybe that'll be the answer.

v, i don't know that i wanna hit up rae the day after laban reviews it, even for lunch. and last i checked, tria didn't open till about 4. they may have changed that.

i wish osteria was open at lunch.

snackbar would be fun (and close to home) but since it doesn't start serving till 1:30...

hm... i could always hit up amada now that i think of it.

this is an interesting thing to think about, really. i don't think i've ever been in this situation before -- kind of a 'what restaurant do you trust at the most off-hour of the entire week' dilemma?

i mean, what restaurant that isn't mama's vegetarian, which probably won't be open tomorrow since passover is starting in the evening...

[matthewj]

S. Street oyster house.

Oysters,beer, and snapper, turlte soup

Vietnam

Olympic Gryro, reading terminal

[mrbigjas]

thanks matthewj, but i'm looking for something kinda nicer. since we don't have the kid and don't have to get back to work, i can spend some time and money for once...

[Vadouvan]

Biggie I am pretty sure I see people eating lunch at Tria just about every day.

Amada does have that Catalan express thing........

Vietnam ????

[matthewj]

lacroix at the rittenhouse still has the really good deal on lunch.

or try snackbar... V is it open on Mondays?

twenty Twenty one is an unusual off the beaten path.

[Capaneus]

thanks matthewj, but i'm looking for something kinda nicer.  since we don't have the kid and don't have to get back to work, i can spend some time and money for once...

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Lacroix sounds like it would work pretty well, but your priorities just scream "Le Bec-Fin" - to me, anyway. That's where I'd go if I had time and money I wanted to burn. And of course there's always Striped Bass and Morimoto. About Lacroix: I haven't been there since the change in regime, but prior to that, the luch prix fixe wasn't quite the deal it sounded like. I invariably ended up ordering something else off the menu.

I like the idea of Rouge, but you can drop some serious coin there without having anywhere near the experience of some of the others. On the other hand, sunshine is nice.

I like Matyson (a lot), but it hasn't the atmosphere some of the others do - just excellent food and good value. If you're taking a break from parenting, you kids want to have a seriously grownup meal.

And I would guess Rae is actually not going to be that crowded for a Monday lunch during Easter, Laban or no Laban. You prolly don't want to drop it from consideration on that account.

[KatieLoeb]

If the weather forecasters are to be believed, it will be 73 degrees and mostly sunny tomorrow. I can think of worse things than a Rouge burger and a few nice glasses of red wine sitting in the sunshine overlooking the Square. A walk to La Colombe for coffee and Capogiro for dessert and a rather well spent Philly afternoon is done.

[Vadouvan]

I like the idea of Rouge, but you can drop some serious coin there without having anywhere near the experience of some of the others.

Rouge serves some of the worst food in Piladelphia.

Not just bad but insulting.

I will actually pay you not to eat there.

[mrbigjas]

I like the idea of Rouge, but you can drop some serious coin there without having anywhere near the experience of some of the others.

Rouge serves some of the worst food in Piladelphia.

Not just bad but insulting.

I will actually pay you not to eat there.

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sweet, how much?

[philadining]

I like the idea of Rouge, but you can drop some serious coin there without having anywhere near the experience of some of the others.

Rouge serves some of the worst food in Piladelphia.

Not just bad but insulting.

I will actually pay you not to eat there.

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sweet, how much?

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I've actually not been eating there for some time, I had no idea one could get paid for such a non-activity! Can I get in on this deal retroactively?

[Andrew Fenton]

Hey, I've never eaten at Rouge! I'll be expecting my check in the mail as well. Be sure to add lots of zeroes. (Preferably after the number, not before.)

[guzzirider]

To be honest, the only thing I've ever eaten at Rouge is the occasional burger. However, you would have to pay me handsomely to give that up...

__Jason

[mrbigjas]

hit up matyson. it was crowded! with lots of business types discussing business. fun time, very good food, although the bread on the cuban sandwich was overtoasted a little. i forgot how much desserts rock there--i'm not a big dessert lover, but we ordered up their lemon souffle tart, topped with a raspberry fool, and it was great.

thanks y'all.

[KatieLoeb]

Yo V! Why are you harshin' on Rouge?? You are of course entitled to your opinion, but you need to explain yourself, not just come in with a surgical sniper attack and leave. Discussion encouraged. Ad hominem attacks on establishments, not so much without backup.

[Capaneus]

Back, you hyenas! Back, I say!

He offered to pay me - and me alone, you greedy so-and-sos!

And I'd be happy to take payment in kind, by the way.

Hmmm.... V-food...

[Capaneus]

hit up matyson.  it was crowded!  with lots of business types discussing business.  fun time, very good food, although the bread on the cuban sandwich was overtoasted a little.  i forgot how much desserts rock there--i'm not a big dessert lover, but we ordered up their lemon souffle tart, topped with a raspberry fool, and it was great.

thanks y'all.

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Sonya rules. And the lunch prices are excellent all around: only-slightly-trimmed plates for greatly-reduced prices. And desserts are precisely the same, I believe, at a substantial discount. I'm fine with their dinner prices, but I wubs the lunch menu.

[Vadouvan]

Yo V! Why are you harshin' on Rouge?? You are of course entitled to your opinion, but you need to explain yourself, not just come in with a surgical sniper attack and leave. Discussion encouraged. Ad hominem attacks on establishments, not so much without backup.

Katie, before you ask me to put on my assless chaps for the spanking, hear me out....

Yes my statement does sound a bit harsh but I feel it is accurate.

It is based on several meals over the last 2 years that I actually swore never to set foot in there again.

Thus I shall qualify.

They have 2 good dishes.

The burger.

The fries.

Everything else I have had is just mediocre at best, it would be simply classified as OK but factoring in the egregious prices........it becomes mediocre.

Dont get me wrong, my opinions are meaningless outside the context of those who go to restaurants primarily for the food and the expectation that it is presented as described and prepared properly without reliance on embellishment of prose.

Here are a few snippets of my last few meals....

Oxtail ravioli with oxtail that tastes like it was braised in water.

Pasta dough for said ravioli that is 4 times as thick as it should be which becomes further worse when you double up the edges for ravioli.

Hardly any filling in the ravioli.

The restaurant uses salt the most where it is needed the least and vice versa.

Most of the food is consistently underseasoned.

The butter they serve on the table is covered with a copious amount of what they call "Fleur de Sel"

The "fleur de sel" is of a huge crstal size that it is impractical for butter, all you get is butter and salt bombs in your mouth.

Furthemore the aforementioned "Fleur de sel" isnt actually Fleur de sel and is obviously "Sel Gris"

which costs 10 times less and is noticed because it is a murky gray as opposed to the same crystalline WHITE of Maldon.......and it tastes different.

The Salads are either overdressed like zsa zsa gabor or devoid of any distribution of dressing.

The Mac and cheese with bacon is ABSURDLY rich to be inedible.

The cheese plate has boring cheeses considering dibruno is around the corner.

Mashed potatoes $7

1/4 lb of spinach $7

The apps range from $13 to $17 which is just hubris

They dont take reservations but empty tables in the window are always reserved, in more than a few cases empty during the entirety of my meal, its just BS.

The entrees hover around $26 to $36

The "prime" steak is not prime.

The shrimp and lobster spring rolls have barely either seafood in them that they ought to be renamed cabbage, carrot and jicama spring rolls.

On the face of it, these would seem "nasty" but after dropping serious coin on bad food, what can you say.

The lady who manages it is very professional as is the bartender "tommy" but virtually everyone of the servers make it seem like they are doing you a favor by allowing you to eat there.

Edited April 3, 2007 by KatieLoeb (log)

[Jeff L]

They have 2 good dishes.

The burger.

The fries.

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I didn't think that anyone actually ate anything else at Rouge, at least I don't and I think after your post they certainly may have pause

I have always really liked their burgers and fries but aside from them and a few drinks, can't say one way or the other about the food there.

[philadining]

Wow, assless chaps and Zsa Zsa Gabor in one restaurant review... I'm in awe!

[mrbigjas]

Katie, before you ask me to put on my assless chaps for the spanking, hear me out....

i must take issue with this post. after all, chaps by their very nature are always assless.

anyway, one more note about matyson's lunch: the sandwiches are $9-10; the entrees are like $14 or $15. salads are $8-10. it's downright cheap. the only thing that remains dinner-style pricey is appetizers -- a rock shrimp tempura on a little crab salad was $10 and way small.

man, sometimes i wish i worked downtown.