Paloma in Philly?

[Rail Paul]

Anybody have details on menu, specialties, etc?

gracias..

[herbacidal]

it's a french-mexican restaurant in northeast philly, where you'd never expect one.

the chef is mexican, his wife does the books and the baking, on top of her full-time job.

it is quite good.

someone soon will see this and post on a recent DDC dinner we had there in December. I wasn't there myself, so I won't.

[bjcohan]

Well, I was invited to do some shameless self-promotion, so here it is.

Paloma (full name is Paloma Mexican Haute Cuisine) is our first restaurant. Opened in November 1999, it is located at 6516 Castor Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia (about 15 minutes by car from downtown Philadelphia). The very talented chef (and my DH) is Adan Saavedra, who is Mexican-born and trained in some of Philadelphia's finest kitchens. After graduating from the Restaurant School in 1991, Adan worked at La Truffe, Ciboulette, Michel's, and the Four Seasons with various stops in between. He considers Jean-Marie LaCroix his mentor. The cuisine reflects his work in these French kitchens, and he draws upon his Mexican roots to add flavor and color to his dishes. I am not a pastry chef, but I do all of the desserts (except for the creme brulee) and sorbets and run the front of the house whenever I can break free from the day job.

Listed below are some items from our present menu. The menu will be changing shortly, but not in its entirety. We also have daily specials, usually 2-3 soups/appetizers and 2-3 entrees, as Adan tweaks dishes that he is considering adding to the menu. Last Saturday's specials included rack of veal with vegetable risotto in a red wine guajillo sauce and a shrimp and wild mushroom vol-au-vent with habanero chardonnay sauce.

Appetizers

Ensalada Cesar

the classic, created in Mexico, served with shaved parmesan cheese

Ensalada Carlota

mixed baby greens with balsamic tequila vinaigrette, garnished with crisped onion rings

Poblano Vichyssoise

traditional French leek and potato soup, flavored with puréed poblano chiles, served chilled

Two-Bean Soup

silky two-tone black and white bean soup garnished with crunchy julienned corn tortilla and a quenelle of chive mousse

Wild Mushroom Flan

creamy flan of mixed wild mushrooms sprinkled with cilantro pesto

Castillo de Vegetales

grilled vegetables, including peppers, zucchini and eggplant, stacked with goat cheese and napped with an ancho-balsamic vinegar glaze

Rock Shrimp / Flor de Calabaza Dumplings

pasta wrappers filled with tender rock shrimp and zucchini blossoms served with a lightly spiced ginger-orange sauce

Ceviche Carenzo

fresh shellfish marinated in lime juice, mixed with tomato, onion, peppers and cilantro

Entrées

Crab Corn Tamal

jumbo lump crabmeat and purée of fresh corn baked in crisp phyllo dough served with tomatillo sauce

Scallops Don Porfirio

sautéed jumbo scallops, topped with a leek crust and served on a grilled

portobello mushroom cap with jalapeño beurre blanc

Lobster Chile Relleno

batter-dipped poblano chile filled with fresh lobster sautéed in brandy and mixed with pepper, shallots and queso fresco, served with three sauces

Shrimp Las Hadas

sautéed jumbo shrimp with carrot curry sauce on a pyramid of rice

Filet of Salmon au Poivre

baked salmon filet crusted with pepper, served on a spinach-potato cake with brunoise peppers and habanero chardonnay sauce

Pasta Azteca

fresh tricolor angel hair pasta served with nopalitos, seasonal vegetables and lightly fried squash blossoms in a mildly spiced tomato-basil sauce

Puerco al Ajillo

pork tenderloin marinated in garlic and herbs, pan roasted and served with white bean salad and lemon garlic sauce

Chicken Culiacán

boneless chicken breast filled with spinach mousse and wrapped in crisp bacon, sautéed and served with chorizo sauce

Rack of Lamb Tapatía

tender roasted rack of lamb with a sauce of red wine and shiitake mushrooms served with risotto finished with white truffle oil

Duckling Paloma

slices of tender roasted duck breast in a rich dark sauce flavored with hoisin sauce and a touch of guajillo peppers

Filete al Cafetal

grilled filet mignon served on a crisp potato galette with espresso-chipotle sauce

We are in the Zagat guide (with a 26 on food ) and one local reviewer called us "Le Bec-Mex." Despite numerous requests, we do NOT serve chips, tacos, burritos, enchiladas, or any Tex-Mex dishes.

The restaurant seats 45-50 and is open Tuesday through Saturday. There is a small bar and a broad range of wines. There is no dress code (we want people to be comfortable) but smoking is not permitted. Ample on-street parking is available with meters free after 6pm. Reservations are recommended. Telephone 215.533.0356. Website is not up yet.

Barb

[Jaymes]

Barb - that looks fabulous.

Especially love the thought of the Poblano Vichyssoise...

A great deal of thought and imagination....

What's your most popular dish, do you think???

You said you're going to be changing some things... which ones? What will you add?

[bjcohan]

Jaymes -

I would say that the wild mushroom flan (which our customers will never let us remove from the menu) is a favorite, as are all of Adan's soups. When he makes his lobster bisque (a frequent special, made with a zing of jalapeno), people bring containers so they can have extra orders "to go."

On the entree side, the lobster chile relleno, the duckling (crispy skin, still-moist meat), and the filete are big sellers. I don't care for lamb, but our customers keep telling me it's the best they've ever had.

One REALLY popular item is not on the menu at all. Because Adan and I are serious fire-eaters, he makes his own fresh habanero sauce that we serve in a silver sauce boat for those who request it. Since so many diners are chilephobic, all of the dishes are made pretty mild and Adan will spice it up upon request, or we send out the sauce -- with appropriate warnings -- so folks can do their own.

Barb

[Jaymes]

...as are all of Adan's soups.  When he makes his lobster bisque (a frequent special, made with a zing of jalapeno), people bring containers so they can have extra orders "to go." 

That is one (of many) things I really love about Mexican cuisine - the best soups in the world. And I don't say that lightly. I just love Mexican soups. Funny, I think, that they come from such a warm (for the most part) country, but are famous for their soups.

[mattylip]

Re the hot sauce at Paloma: I have an enormous tolerance for heat, but that is about the hottest I've had in a restaurant. Stick the tip of the fork in and press the tines to your tongue. Ouch.

The two times I've been to Paloma, I've really enjoyed it. The soups are great as is the lobster relleno. A touch of the hot sauce on anything makes it even better.

[Rail Paul]

The soups are great as is the lobster relleno.  A touch of the hot sauce on anything makes it even better.

Mattylip or Barb -

the lobster relleno sounds wonderful. Would you elaborate with more details, etc.

thanks

Paul

[bjcohan]

Paul -

It's DH Adan's spin on the traditional chile relleno. Fresh poblano chile (NO substitute!), charred and peeled, seeds carefully removed through a small slit, filled, frothy egg batter, lightly fried. Instead of the traditional fillings of cheese or picadillo, Adan fills his with lobster sauteed in brandy, mixed with pepper, shallots and queso fresco. It's pretty amazing.

The only (minor) problem with a dish like this is that poblano peppers have a verrrrrry unpredictable heat level, and you just don't know how zingy they will be until you taste them. I grow poblanos and have taken two from the same plant - same soil, same sun, same watering - and one is as mild as a bell pepper while the other will singe your eyebrows. Since we make everything mild and then add heat upon request, we usually warn first-timers about the unpredictability of the chile. People do love it, though. (And the rest of the lobster goes into making the bisque.)

Barb