Last Call to RSVP for DDC Dinner at Ravenna!

[davidbdesilva]

If you would like to attend the Dangerous Dining Club's next dinner at Ravenna in Montgomery County this Monday (June 21st) at 7:00 pm you must RSVP to me today (or at the latest Saturday morning). I will be calling to give them the final number Saturday. We have 35 people signed up now and making it an even 40 (or more) would be great. So you can reach me at schpsychman@netzero.com or call me at (215) 362-1026.

Come celebrate the summer solstice in a fun way while enjoying some great Northern Italian food. If you want to see the menu, see the post below which has a link for it. If you need directions I can provide them. Hope to see some of you there Monday evening!

[Rich Pawlak]

David and Judy Desilva really do know how to put together a DDC dinner. Goddammit, that was good food at Ravenna. Plated beautifully, and a deceptively filling light dinner, each course stood on its own as an artful repast unto itself.

My antipasti course, chicken livers, crispy and glazed with dried cherries and balsamic, were outstanding, and I don't even care for chicken livers. The primi course I chose were cloudlike pasta bundles stuffed with acorn squash and napped with a very summery sage butter. My entree, seared day boat scallops over a rich, dense risotto was a deceptively simple presentation, sweet of the sea, and earthy with the salty tang and bite of the cheesey risotto. More cheese for dessert, as Ravenna offered the option of an equally deceptively dainty cheese plate, with a salty parmesan, something soft and creamy (our waiter was just not up on his cheese, but no matter, we can be, even 40 strong, a daunting bunch to serve), and two other cheeses, stiny and less stinky, I'll call them, but all of them a great foil for the brilliant drop of lavender honey at the center of the plate. Truly, a brilliant finish.

Each course of our 4 course dinner was a choice of two or three, so I'll interested in what others thought of the other choices. I didnt notice a lot of plate sharing ( I was dodging falling bottles and glassware, mind you), which indicates to me that people were very pleased with their respective choices.

Despite the fact that our noisy table managed to spill almost as much wine as it drank, and our table looked like an obscenely purple Rohrschach test ( a cry for help and attention , we all concluded), this was the pure essence of a DDC dinner: surprisingly good food, boisterous comaraderie, a cozy setting and a great vibe. I swear it couldn't have possibly been better

[KatieLoeb]

The very fact that it took until today for anyone to post speaks for itself. Everyone was too full of food, and dare I say, too full of whatever wine we managed NOT to spill to run home last night and plunk down in front of the monitor. Jeez that was fun!

I too had the Crispy Chicken Livers and was amazed at how "un-livery" they tasted. I managed a taste of Gary's Eggplant & Mozzerella Rollatini and it was also delicious. Ditto on the Squash Pasta (in fact I think Rich and I ordered almost all the same things) and a taste of the Veal Tortelloni that were tried. I had the Veal Ragu on Pappardelle rather than the scallops, but again, everything was incredibly well prepared and tasty. Ravenna really respects the ingredients and doesn't fuss too much with them. Rather like a restaurant in Italy would. Dinner was like a mini-vacation. And I drank too much wine, as I am wont to do on a vacation as well.

Thanks and kudos to David and Judy for putting together such a fabulous feast. It was wonderful to see everyone again and I can hardly wait for the next one, whether we do Jamaican or Rib Run Redux. Bring it on!!

[Rich Pawlak]

The next DDC dinner, in July, will be at RANGOON, in Philly's Chinatown, hosted by Andrew and Beth Fenton.

[KatieLoeb]

The next DDC dinner, in July, will be at RANGOON, in Philly's Chinatown, hosted by Andrew and Beth Fenton.

Rock on with the Burmese then....

[davidbdesilva]

Thank you Rich and Katie for such an accurate description of the menu and for compliments to me and Judy. It really was an easy dinner to arrange in that Ravenna took care of everything and did a great job. Though a bit tight, service was very good. We got so loud that they had to close the double doors so that the rest of the restaurant could eat in peace! Judy and I generally ordered the opposite dishes and then shared, though we both had the veal ragu as entree. Those capallachi are incredibly delish and we always order the when we go. I very much enjoyed the cheese plate and the lavender honey, walnuts and dried figs went perfectly with the cheeses.

And by the way for those counting, 4 bottles of wine were knocked over at various times by various people and the table cloth had a beautiful deep hue to it after a while. A Rorschach interpretation would have been interesting! What I truly enjoy the most about these dinners are 1) seeing the many friends I have made through the DDC over good food and wine, and 2) seeing them have so much fun and enjoy themselves at a restaurant that I suggested. It doesn't get better than that! I am psyched for Rangoon and I know that the good Dr. Fenton will amaze us. Jamacian Jerk Hut whilst drinking some cocktails with caribbean music playing would float my boat as well!