Dining with the Starrs

[jm chen]

So. Only been in Philly a couple of months, as some of you know from reading this little off-season Valentine to my new home. And just yesterday my husband and I received a sizable gift certificate good for anywhere in the Starr Restaurant Organization. So we can spend this little windfall at:

Alma de Cuba

Buddakhan

Continental

El Vez

Jones (never heard of it)

Morimoto

Pod

Striped Bass

Tangerine

Washington Square

Barclay Prime

I think that's the list, anyway.

Of these... El Vez and Continental are joints we can go to anytime, so it doesn't seem worth bothering. We tried Buddakhan already, and though we happily stuffed ourselves with Angry Lobster once, I don't think the experience necessarily demands a repeat performance.

Seems to me we probably want to use the gift to indulge at either Morimoto, Barclay Prime, or Striped Bass. I like sushi but don't love it, and I'm concerned that Morimoto isn't worth it if you don't go for omakase. The Striped Bass menu looks the most interesting.

If it were your $200, where would you go?

[etalanian]

Mmmm. If it were my $200 I'd spend it at Buddakhan or Continental. Continental Midtown is not as "packed like sardines" as the one downtown.

Eileen

[mattohara]

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).

[Alcibiades]

If you have a $200 head start, go to Barclay Prime. My experiences there lead me to believe it's the best steakhouse in town. Morimoto is also very good but you can eat better sushi in the city for far less.

[kretch]

If you have a $200 head start, go to Barclay Prime. My experiences there lead me to believe it's the best steakhouse in town. Morimoto is also very good but you can eat better sushi in the city for far less.

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Seconded. I was actually given a $200 SRO gift certificate for a birthday present in 2005. Unlike JM Chen I had already worked my way through the SRO roster excepting BP but, even if I hadn't, I still reasoned that there's more meaningful eating that you can accomplish - for two - with a $200 credit at BP than any other SRO restaurant, including, perhaps arguably, Morimoto. JM, get the Gachot and Gachot rib eye (assuming it's still on the menu, which it must be) and then play around with the balance.

Edited September 20, 2007 by kretch (log)

[phungi]

Never had a bad meal at Buddakhan.. in fact, every time I've been there, it has been superb.

[Tim Dolan]

If you have a $200 head start, go to Barclay Prime. My experiences there lead me to believe it's the best steakhouse in town. Morimoto is also very good but you can eat better sushi in the city for far less.

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Seconded. I was actually given a $200 SRO gift certificate for a birthday present in 2005. Unlike JM Chen I had already worked my way through the SRO roster excepting BP but, even if I hadn't, I still reasoned that there's more meaningful eating that you can accomplish - for two - with a $200 credit at BP than any other SRO restaurant, including, perhaps arguably, Morimoto. JM, get the Gachot and Gachot rib eye (assuming it's still on the menu, which it must be) and then play around with the balance.

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Thirded. That being said, I'm far less adventurous than many other people who post on this board. I love good steak, and I agree that this is the best steakhouse in the city. With a $200 head start it should come down to either Barclay Prime or Striped Bass. You can go to all the other places anytime and you'll get the most out of the gift certificate. That is to say that you'll most likely still have to put up money at Barclay Prime while you might have a balance at the other places besides Striped Bass or Morimoto. I haven't been to the last two so I won't speculate.

[MarketStEl]

Jones (7th and Chestnut) is Starr's nudge-nudge, wink-wink Mom-food place. Decor straight out of a 1950s California coffee shop (only with higher ceilings) and good interpretations of food you remember from back when, whenever that was. The only time I ever burst out laughing reading a menu was when I got to the desserts at Jones.

I ate at Striped Bass when Neil Stein still owned it, but I understand the Starr version is every bit as good, so I'd say that would be a good choice for your certificate. Haven't eaten at Barclay Prime (home of the $100 cheesesteak -- Starr has a good sense of humor), so can't join the chorus there, but everyone who's weighed in on that place is knowledgeable.

[gfweb]

Striped Bass! With Tangerine in second.

Or you might miss the Starr places and do Fogo de Chao, which seems like a Starr place.

[Buckethead]

I haven't been to most of the Starr places, but I had dinner at Striped Bass very recently and I was pretty underwhelmed with the food, especially for the prices they charge. Only one of our four dishes was something I'd go back for. The service was pretty bad too, a rare combination of snootyness, ingratiation, and incompetence. Tangerine and Barclay Prime are both good choices.

[Diann]

Barclay Prime! I would never pay for it myself, but would DEFINITELY go there on someone else's dime. Try the tomato "martini" (heirloom tomato puree, vodka, basil oil) -- sweeter than I'd expected but very refreshing.

Second choice would be Striped Bass. I like Tangerine, but it's definitely at a lower price point than the other two.

[jm chen]

To belatedly follow up on this... we ended up going to Barclay Prime about a month ago, and were pretty happy with the choice. The Kobe sliders, tuna tartare, and lobster bisque were out of this world. The steak (ribeye, I think) was also superb, with a great char and soft red center. Onion strings were good, truffled mashed potatoes were fine.

On a whim, I also ordered the lobster, which was a mistake for two reasons: 1) we had WAY too much food, and 2) I generally have a rule to ask about "market price", but overlooked it on this occasion, and I never would have ordered it if I'd known that market price was $100. Even if it's someone else's money, it's still money.

Thanks for all the advice! It was a very tasty meal.

[MarketStEl]

On a whim, I also ordered the lobster, which was a mistake for two reasons: 1) we had WAY too much food, and 2) I generally have a rule to ask about "market price", but overlooked it on this occasion, and I never would have ordered it if I'd known that market price was $100. Even if it's someone else's money, it's still money.

←

You could have ordered the cheesesteak for the same price!

(Or is that still on the menu?)

Pray tell, what market is charging more than $50/lb for lobster now? (I'm trying to factor in the markup.)

Or is this some mutant beast flown in from the Southern Hemisphere or something like that?

[serpentine]

I generally have a rule to ask about "market price", but overlooked it on this occasion, and I never would have ordered it if I'd known that market price was $100.

And the server didn't bother to mention the little detail of a three-digit market price? That's...not cool.

In fact, I can't remember ever not being told the price of a "market price" dish. Server says, "Excellent choice! Just so you know, we do that for market price, which the chef has informed me will be $100 this evening." [server blinks twice and keeps expression completely still, awaiting nonchalant acceptance, gracious reconsideration, or snarl of disapproval]

Edited January 12, 2008 by serpentine (log)

[jm chen]

To be fair, the lobster was pretty huge. I'm guessing 3 pounds at least. I wasn't expecting the server to volunteer the price, but upon reflection it seems like the dish might have been intended for two people, which is definitely something I would have expected to be told, whether I asked about it or not.

And indeed, the $100 cheesesteak is still available.