Pif in Philadelphia

[dagordon]

Rejoice! David has taken the building off the market. And Pif is now open 5 days a week, Wed-Sun.

Apparently the vicious rumours that I was spreading to the effect that the building is irremediably infested were successful.

All is well with the world.

[shacke]

Aren't I just a shill. Another great meal at Pif tonight with a bunch of friends, old and new. We sat in the back room which really may be a room to book in moderate weather (read: avoid summer and winter). I was just cozy having enjoyed some killer burgundy and other reds but the ladies were particularly frozen.

Anyway, David Ansill continues to cook my kind of food. I so forgot my camera as I am so used to having Philadining in tow.

For starters, I had the skate and eggs. Seared skate pieces atop haricot verts with a red wine reduction. Topped with a quail egg and chives. Very good - very simple and well executed.

After having passed on the entrecote a few times, tonight I ordered it and it was bangin. It's one of my favorite pieces of meat in the city. It was served with potatoes boulanger which interestingly I had a rendition of at pumpkin, cooked by former sous chef David Kane last week. These were very different and way more killer. Agridolce, small chunks of bacon. Terrific.

While never a huge proponent of the dessert offerings there, I had a very satisfying if not pedestrian apple turnover with creme anglaise. It was one of the better desserts I have had there. Others had the staple pot de creme and creme brulee and were very pleased.

Indeed, David Ansill told me the building is no longer for sale.

Bravo once again for another great dinner.

Edited February 24, 2007 by shacke (log)

[dagordon]

Feeling like a shill too, but we had a very delicious tasting menu at Pif last night.

Amuse: pig trotters -- we've had these fried at Pif a bunch of times, but this time they were not; this time they were in little medallions, with a gelatinous texture.

Escargots au Pernod

Foie torchon with pear honey

Mushroom soup with truffles and sherry

Tartine au maison (three crostini): anchovy w/ olive tapenade, salmon roe w/ creme fraiche, brandade w/ fried quail egg

Skate in Sauce Noir (squid ink or perhaps cuttlefish ink, I can't remember which, with leeks)

Steak frites w/ crumbled roquefort

For dessert we had the Financier, blackberry soup with mint and mixed berries, and beignets with hot chocolate.

The beignets were very disappointing -- not crispy, and too cakey. But I really can't find fault with anything else. The brandade with the quail egg was fantastic; their skate is always perfectly cooked (ok, it did need a touch more salt); the roquefort was actually not at all overwhelming in the context of the dish, and in fact the combination was excellent. The foie torchon was delicious, I should have asked where the foie was sourced from.

It's impressive, given the changes in the kitchen, how consistently good the food is. It's our standard go-to place when a friend is in town, for example, and we need somewhere where a high quality meal will be guaranteed (last night, for example, we had a friend in town and were celebrating his getting a new job).

[mattohara]

hello everyone and thanks for all the kind words about Pif. i'm the Matt that waits tables there with the short hair and scruff. i just joined and this is my first post!

i moved to philly two years ago and have been working in restaurants (washington square, waterworks, now Pif and Ansill) since i got here. when my girlfriend and i went to Pif for my birthday and Ansill for hers a few weeks later i left thinking to myself 'i have to get a job here.'

a few months later Waterworks wasn't working out very well so i started to go hang out at Ansill. i started talking to David at the bar and a few weeks later got a call about starting work!

i started working at his restaurants because of the food. it's nice to see a lot of other people who feel the same way.

if you stop in and you see a skinny white guy with a shaved head please say hi.

[shacke]

hello everyone and thanks for all the kind words about Pif.  i'm the Matt that waits tables there with the short hair and scruff.    i just joined and this is my first post!

i moved to philly two years ago and have been working in restaurants (washington square, waterworks, now Pif and Ansill) since i got here.  when my girlfriend and i went to Pif for my birthday and Ansill for hers a few weeks later i left thinking to myself 'i have to get a job here.'

a few months later Waterworks wasn't working out very well so i started to go hang out at Ansill.  i started talking to David at the bar and a few weeks later got a call about starting work!

i started working at his restaurants because of the food.  it's nice to see a lot of other people who feel the same way.

if you stop in and you see a skinny white guy with a shaved head please say hi.

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Matt. Good to see you in here and welcome to egullet!

Evan

[jelly]

hello everyone and thanks for all the kind words about Pif.  i'm the Matt that waits tables there with the short hair and scruff.    i just joined and this is my first post!

i moved to philly two years ago and have been working in restaurants (washington square, waterworks, now Pif and Ansill) since i got here.  when my girlfriend and i went to Pif for my birthday and Ansill for hers a few weeks later i left thinking to myself 'i have to get a job here.'

a few months later Waterworks wasn't working out very well so i started to go hang out at Ansill.  i started talking to David at the bar and a few weeks later got a call about starting work!

i started working at his restaurants because of the food.  it's nice to see a lot of other people who feel the same way.

if you stop in and you see a skinny white guy with a shaved head please say hi.

←

Matt, are you at liberty to say what the story is with the chef leaving Ansill? Does this mean David will be cooking there (and not at Pif) for the foreseeable future?

Michele

[mattohara]

i have to ask david tonight if i can leak the goods. he's doing a cooking show at RTM at the cookware stall. 6:30 PM. it was originally going to be called "chillin with Pif" and be all about cold stuff for the summer but now i think the name is changed to something less fun (same subject though).

[jelly]

i have to ask david tonight if i can leak the goods.  he's doing a cooking show at RTM at the cookware stall.  6:30 PM.  it was originally going to be called "chillin with Pif" and be all about cold stuff for the summer but now i think the name is changed to something less fun (same subject though).

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Thanks. Just so long as he doesn't threaten to close Pif again. I couldn't take that again!

[mattohara]

David is revamping Ansill to make it more like his original vision. It will be a more accessible-though-creative menu at the same neighborhood spot. All of my personal faves are still there but there's some tweaking going on. From what I understand the menu will be changing more but David will be in the kitchen directing in a more hand-on kinda way. I was there tonight but forgot to bring home an updated menu to post here. The menu is now divided into Hot, Cold, Charcuterie and Cheese. There's a good number of new dishes as well.

Jared Frazer has been David's guy at Pif for the last 6-8 months. He's a really knowledgeable dude that understands David's vision for Pif and will be executing it and adding his own flair with David's oversight: he is now Chef de Cusine. I've been working with him since he got there and have been consistently impressed with his knowledge and skill. Coming in to assist is Libby, another talented chef from Ansill.

All of this is my wording and experience at both restaurants; David gave me the OK to let you guys know what's up. The nutshell is all your favorites at Pif with a different (and dexterous) touch: all your favorites at Ansill with a back-to-basics change-up. Please say hi to David or Edd (the manager at Ansill) or Matt (me) or Matt (sideburns) or Bridgit at Pif. We'll all be happy to see you.

[jelly]

Sounds good. Thanks Matt.

[lfabio2007]

This does not bode well. Pif worked because *David Ansill* made it work. I have to wonder.

[Capaneus]

This does not bode well. Pif worked because *David Ansill* made it work. I have to wonder.

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Don't: Philadining, Diann and I were there Friday for a meal with Chef Frazier at the wheel. It was as good as any I ever ate there (with the possible exception of a couple of early countertop tastings), and some of the staples were, I thought, rejuvenated: it's been a while since the escargots surprised me, but they were one of several happy wow moments that night.

And they now have a celebrity floor show, too.

[lfabio2007]

Hm! The last time we were there, now that I think of it, Mr. Ansill definintely did not cook - we had a tasting menu and he was in the front of the house. It was very enjoyable, truth be told: we'll have to conduct further experiments when we're back stateside.

[mattohara]

And they now have a celebrity floor show, too.

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ha! i think that was a one-time show that will not be repeated!

[philadining]

We had a terrific meal at Pif, with Jared at the stove all night, and as Capaneus posted above, it was at least as good as any other time I've been there. We were assured that chef Ansill is still overseeing everything, so I suspect we'll still detect his presence, even if we don't see it.

(the light was romantically low - so, sorry, pix are a little grainy...)

Chicken Liver Mousse

This was delicious, assertive, yet airy and light, set off nicely by the cornichons and other accompaniments. (And just a helpful reminder to a diner who shall go unnamed, ummm, careful, the little one is mustard...)

Skate with Salmon Roe

This paled in the presence of the other two starters, but would probably have stood alone just fine. The texture of the skate was perfect, and the tangy sauce and salty roe created a pleasing flavor range.

Escargot

I think we all agreed that this was almost exactly the same as it ever was, which is to say, awesome, but there was a little something more... after poking and prodding him a bit, chef Frazer admitted that he might use more butter than had been the practice. We say this is an excellent trend.

Oh - so a quick note - we forgot to ask about this, but we noticed that the bread was most definitely not from Artisan Boulanger. It wasn't terrible, in fact once it got all soaked with Pernot-scented escargot sauce we hardly cared about its provenance, but on its own, or spread with some liver, we noticed the texture change. We're hoping this was just a temporary blip, maybe we were there too late and they'd run out, or maybe the baker took a day off? Matt? Please don't say there's a permanent change in the bread...

Duck Confit

Beautifully-executed confit, not too salty like so many are, with a great melting texture. The cherry and port sauce was not too sweet either, just deep, dark and intense. The shredded potato rosti was good too.

Hanger Steak

Great flavor and texture on the beef, classic intense wine sauce, fingerling potatoes studded with hidden bits of bacon, what could be wrong with that? Nothing...

Lamb Two Ways: Braised Shoulder, Pan-Roasted Chop

Both ways were very tasty, but I especially liked the braised shoulder, which was just barely holding together, more a pile of tender shreds than a piece of meat.

Sorry, I was a little distracted at the end of the night, and forgot to take photos of dessert, or of cheese. No major loss: the clafouti was quite tasty but wasn't really beautiful, and the bowl of berries was just right, but you know what strawberries look like. For cheese, we had an epoisses, a bleu which I liked and have forgotten already, and pinch-hitting for the Compte that night was a nice Boucheron.

All in all an excellent meal, and it was good to meet Matt, who was quite friendly to us even before we introduced ourselves toward the end of the night. Service was quite good from all the servers, (despite what you might hear from self-important, tipsy, semi-celebs.)

So, bottom line, there appears to be no reason to be worried about David Ansill being stretched too thin, the ship seems to be sailing along just fine under Captain Frazer.

Edited June 11, 2007 by philadining (log)

[mattohara]

well said sir and thanks.

i am almost positive the bread is still from artisan boulanger. i have noticed it not being as crispy lately though.

p.s. to all other readers: phil and cap were referring to a local tv personality (i won't use celebrity) who i didn't recognize. her table got sauced and left us exactly 0 dollars and 0 cents tip, pretended ignorance when i called them on it (very politely i thought), and then proceeded to leave about 5%, insult our service and stumble out. pretty funny all-in-all.

[jelly]

well said sir and thanks.

i am almost positive the bread is still from artisan boulanger.  i have noticed it not being as crispy lately though.

p.s. to all other readers: phil and cap were referring to a local tv personality (i won't use celebrity) who i didn't recognize.  her table got sauced and left us exactly 0 dollars and 0 cents tip, pretended ignorance when i called them on it (very politely i thought), and then proceeded to leave about 5%, insult our service and stumble out.  pretty funny all-in-all.

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Matt, you are a gentleman for not naming names. Talk to Ed at Ansill and ask him about the time he told a table at Pif that they were "banned" from coming back (or so they reported in a citypaper review.

Michele

[mattohara]

yeah i saw something like that on citysearch. same thing?

were you there?

[Jeff L]

Inquiring minds want to know

[jelly]

Inquiring minds want to know

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Someone did a review of Pif on Citysearch last year when Ed was the GM there. They mentioned that, after complaining to him about the "hostile" service, he informed them that they had made the "black list". Ed says it just didn't happen. If you know Ed, you know that he is a very kind, softspoken guy. I loved to tease him about it though.

[mattohara]

haha yes. but he also has a dry biting wit. i will ask him about it.

my girl's family was in town last night and we chose Pif! what can i say, we feel at home there. jared cooked a fantastic meal for everyone and Bridgit kept our wine glasses full. we had a blast.

[Diann]

coming late to the party: that dinner was deeeeelicious. I couldn't stop eating that pate, and the escargot preparation is my favorite in Philadelphia.

re: unnamed D-list celebrities, to be fair, I've been getting lots of mileage out of that story -- crazy narcissistic people are great fodder for dinner parties!

[Buckethead]

Somebody please tell me this isn't happening:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/416215

At least Ansill's still around. I think I'll head out there this weekend and help keep it that way.

[jelly]

Somebody please tell me this isn't happening:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/416215

At least Ansill's still around. I think I'll head out there this weekend and help keep it that way.

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Matt??? Please say it isn't so!

[Megan Kathleen]

Oh, come on!

I endeavor to dine at Pif for my birthday this coming month. Henry and I are just two among what I'm sure are many secret admirers, having walked by and looked at the menu (and in the window!) so many times- it's a post-Plaza Garibaldi ritual at this point- and we've been waiting for the right special occasion to go! I'm so inspired by what they do there. What a rad little restaurant. Say it ain't so!