Neil Stein in Philadelphia Weekly

[Andrew Fenton]

So there's a great profile of Neil Stein in the current Philadelphia Weekly. It's an odd mix of celebrity-dirt and hagiography. There are some classic stories, like Stein picking a fight with a guy half his age, who, after Stein punched him in the Adam's apple, bit his thumb off. No idea of how much is true- if nothing else, the guy is clearly a world-class bullshitter- but it's definitely entertaining.

It also raises some interesting questions about Stein's place in the Philly restaurant food chain. I have no idea whether Valania is right that Striped Bass is about to go out of business (or whether, as he implies, it wouldn't stay in business for long under another owner), but it's certainly true that his restaurants fill a niche (actually, several niches) and it'd be a shame to see them go.

The article all but attributes Philly's restaurant Renaissance(s) to Stein. Which seems overstated to me- clearly, he's important, but is he that important? I'd be interested to hear the reactions of those eGulleteers who are in the know- Holly? Katie?- and can assess that: how much credit does Stein (or any one person) deserve for the state of Philly restaurantdom?

[Holly Moore]

I think it was Phyllis Richmond (pardn spelling) of the Washington post that coined the term. Quickly picked up by Elaine Tait of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

If I were to credit one restaurateur for the Renaisance it would be Steven Poses - with both the old, original Frog (where Monk's is now) and the Commissary. However, I will always remain pissed at Poses for over-extending the commissary and screwing up one of the finest restaurant concepts I've ever seen.

At the time Neil just owned the Fishmarket. It was extremely successful and a major player within the Renaisance, but no more so than many others.

As to the Renaisance, there were a bunch of restaurateurs during that time, including me. Restaurants were the focus of Philadelphia. There were almost weekly events - various contests, festivals, something going on that made us a true community. I haven't seen it here since nor anywhere else. It was the best of times for Philadelphia Restaurants - not just sales and such, but vigor.

[mrbigjas]

So there's a great profile of Neil Stein in the current Philadelphia Weekly.

I haven't read the article yet, but I just want to say I love that jacket he's wearing in those pics, and if it'll help him out of his financial troubles, I'll gladly buy it off him. Katie, can you let him know that? Thanks.

[KatieLoeb]

I haven't read the article yet, but I just want to say I love that jacket he's wearing in those pics, and if it'll help him out of his financial troubles, I'll gladly buy it off him.  Katie, can you let him know that?  Thanks.

He has impeccable and expensive taste in clothing, but I'll see if I can get in a good word for you before his wardrobe hits the upscale consignment shops.

I opened my front door this morning to find my much maligned proprietor staring up at me from the front stoop. Quite disconcerting. The article is a combination of spin, spin control, and "will-they-or-won't-they-be-forced-to-shutter-the-restaurants" speculation. Whatever. Until someone tells me I don't have to show up for work, I will assume that we will remain open for business as usual. Nothing has changed from my perspective at all, although I am somewhat sheltered and behind the scenes so my contact with the "public" and the customers is minimal at best. I don't have to put up with the bad jokes and bullshit the servers and bartenders do. Although I do still get ribbed by my friends as evidenced here...

[plax]

If I were to credit one restaurateur for the Renaisance it would be Steven Poses - with both the old, original Frog (where Monk's is now) and the Commissary.  However, I will always remain pissed at Poses for over-extending the commissary and screwing up one of the finest restaurant concepts I've ever seen.

At the time Neil just owned the Fishmarket.  It was extremely successful and a major player within the Renaisance, but no more so than many others.

I went to college in Philadelphia and adored both Frog and the Commissary; I bought all their calendars and the cookbook, and still look back to them years later for recipes. The Commissary's signature carrot cake is still one of my most-demanded desserts, as is the sour cream walnut apple pie from the Fish Market.

Neil

[KatieLoeb]

If I were to credit one restaurateur for the Renaisance it would be Steven Poses - with both the old, original Frog (where Monk's is now) and the Commissary.  However, I will always remain pissed at Poses for over-extending the commissary and screwing up one of the finest restaurant concepts I've ever seen.

At the time Neil just owned the Fishmarket.  It was extremely successful and a major player within the Renaisance, but no more so than many others.

I went to college in Philadelphia and adored both Frog and the Commissary; I bought all their calendars and the cookbook, and still look back to them years later for recipes. The Commissary's signature carrot cake is still one of my most-demanded desserts, as is the sour cream walnut apple pie from the Fish Market.

Neil

The Commissary Carrot Cake is the VERY BEST recipe for carrot cake ever, period. I have a much stained and rumpled xerox copy of that recipe somewhere at home and I only make it for truly worthy occasions. Fabulous stuff though. There is also a recipe for Apple-Cranberry Sour Cream Walnut Streusel pie that I absolutely adore from Frog cookbook as well.

I worked for Frog Commissary Catering for awhile and their food was always top notch. I also miss their restaurant from back in it's heyday, and it's a shame that no one has really been able to fill that niche in the city ever since. Le Bus was close, but not as "daring" in their recipe preparations.

[joanmlau]

Katie:

I tried to email you privately to no avail, so I'm forced to post here...

We've got dinner reservations at Striped Bass Saturday evening; it'll be my first time (gasp) dining there. I've been fretting over two questions: 1) tasting menu or regular menu? and 2) dinner or brunch?

Both questions assume I only make it there one time, as obviously I'd do something different my second time. I wanted to know what you think.

Thanks!

[joanmlau]

Well, we ate at striped bass, the 4 course tasting menu at 5pm on a Saturday.

Atmosphere: excellent, and low din (though we were there early -- left around 7:30). Grand space, and my only beef -- the wicker-style chairs has a slight edge to the front where the back of the legs touch it, making short people whose feet don't touch the ground very well feel a bit uncomfortable. We moved, and solved the problem. The waitstaff was very attentive, practically bordering on the overzealous, but never crossing that line...I'll just say they are enthusiastic about ensuring that your meal lives up to expectations.

Drink: a bit of Alsacian (I think?) champagne, complements of Katie (thanks Katie) and quite unexpected. It was very sweet (of Katie, not the champagne) and we were very happy to try it.

Amuse bouche #1: fresh corn, two clumps of fresh lobster in a bowl. Crab bisque was poured at the table, into the bowl, resulting in a nicely presented soup. The bisque was thick, nicely so, not too creamy and definitely not too salty. There was an earthy depth to it (ground coriander?). We sopped it up.

Amuse bouche #2: tuna tartare, golf-ball sized, with lightly choppen onion mixed in. A few dollops of cream-like mustard and extra-virgin olive oil (we think it was -- very bright green), with a bit of bruschetta on the side. The sauce was a great touch. Tuna very fresh, dense, and nicely complemented with onion. Presentation again on par with food.

Course #1: Seared hamachi. Likely seasoned with sea salt (?) and ground pepper, then deftly seared. Sliced extraordinarily thin, topped with a stripe of ginger/garlic sauce. I wrapped each thin piece of fish around the bit of ginger, and munched away. Again, excellent presentation on a funky shaped glass plate, accompanied by a radish salad and some thin teeny green veggies (salted veggies, looked like toothpick thin asparagus. Anyone know what this was?) I wasn't a fan of the sides, but the fish was well prepared. I hate fish that is over seared or not seared at a high enough temp to give a good distinctive edge.

Course #2: seared sea scallop. It sat on a tiny bed of cubed potatoes and was surrounded by a moat of celery root puree (I'm guessing again). Presentation top notch. one of the best scallops I've had -- not too chewy, cooked just the right amount of time. Maybe even slightly sweet, but my memory may be failing me.

Course #3: striped bass and foie gras. I'm not a foie gras fan, but the edges of it, where it was crispy, was good. Left the rest on the plate. Striped bass was a round steak, cooked through on both sides. Tasty, but less interesting than everything before this.

Intermezzo: passionfruit sorbet. Small ball, placed on a tiny cookie, held in place with a dollop of chocolate. After the foie gras, we needed a palate cleanser, and this hit the spot.

Course #4: dessert. A densely packed shortbread (?) cookie, with a hockey puck shaped mousse on top. The mousse transitioned from very pink on top (strawberry) to white on bottom. Surrounded by a moat of strawberry colored cream, with islands of chopped strawberry interspered within. It wasn't as soft as mousse, since it was a bit springy, but it was delicious. Not overly sweet, which is my main complaint with desserts in general, and not too heavy. Perfect for a hot summer day.

Overall: great meal, well balanced food. We ranked it among our best meals (django, Studiokitchen) and better than many (salt). Though less daring than Studiokitchen (after all, they are cooking for many more people at a sitting) it was as nicely prepared and presented as anything else we've had. We'd go again if the quality stayed at the same level as our experience. Price ended up around $100 per person, without the alcohol, but including tax/tip. In all, a fine experience.

[KatieLoeb]

Joan:

So glad you enjoyed yourselves. I spoke with your waiter on Monday and he said it seemed you'd enjoyed yourselves quite a bit, so I was pleased to hear that. The tasting menu you had sounds fabulous! Usually they don't do the tasting menu on Saturday evenings because of volume considerations, etc., but since you had called ahead and were seated early in the evening they were happy to accomodate. I'm glad you enjoyed everything. The Cremant D'Alsace (the sparkling wine) is one of my favorite aperitifs, soI'm delighted it got your meal off to a good start!

Thanks for the nice report!

[Lisa1349]

Joan:

Thanks for the report! I love your descriptions, "moat". One of my gripes though is having to guess what some of the food was. Was is explained to you upon delivery? As a cook, I know much effort is spent on explaining to the staff what things are accompanied by and I hate when the message doesn't get through. I don't mean Striped Bass specifically, just restaurants in general.

Once in NY I gave the afternoon staff meeting about the specials and we'd review one signature dish daily to keep it fresh. After I went through what I thought was an entertaining presentation, I asked for questions, none. Then I handed out a quiz on what I just said. The results were disasterous. They paid attention from then on. Ugh!

Lisa

[viejo majadero]

Lisa

Having eaten at Striped many times I can attest to the fact the information is available about the food. If not on the menu, if not described by the wait staff, my questions have always been answered.

Staff there has always been top notch, extremely helpfull and go out of their way to get answers when they themselves are stumped.

Viejo

[joanmlau]

Lisa: The waitstaff was very informative; it was that I was very forgetful, or was too excited to see what was in front of me to listen well.

The waitstaff, in fact, came back, and I sometimes asked again what we had, but sometimes just enjoyed it without figuring out all the intricasies.

[Lisa1349]

Good to know, I didn't mean Striped Bass in particular. Restaurants in general!

Lisa