Ansill Opening

[Dish]

I wanted to report on the Friends & Family dinner at Ansill last night (the old Judy's at 3rd & Bainbridge). It's scheduled to open later this week or early next week.

It's all small, very unusual plates. The food was incredible! Here's what we sampled...

Grilled scallions with romesco sauce

Spaetzle with spinach

Scrambled duck egg with smoked trout, crème fraiche & chives

Langoustines with truffle vinaigrette

Poached bass, aromatic nage (corriander, fennel), saffron aioli

Osso Bucco Sandwich

Tuna pain bagnat (focaccia, tapenade, peppers, arugula, onion)

Marrow crostini

Taleggio cheese with sour cherry compote

Plus 2 incrdible chocolate desserts

This place is really something special. There is nothing like it here!

215.627.2485

[shacke]

Being a major Pif fan, I am eager to try this place. David Ansill is a good guy and I wish him all the luck. It is near the top of my to do list. Thanks for the report.

Evan

[jelly]

Being a major Pif fan, I am eager to try this place.  David Ansill is a good guy and I wish him all the luck.  It is near the top of my to do list.  Thanks for the report.

Evan

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Ditto.

[cinghiale]

Hard opening tomorrow & Saturday. Closed Sunday.

Got a call from FOH, who described above plates. "Euro-tapas"??? Sounds check-out-worthy. I'm all there tomorrow PM.

Full bar, BTW.

[jelly]

Hard opening tomorrow & Saturday.  Closed Sunday.

Got a call from FOH, who described above plates.  "Euro-tapas"???  Sounds check-out-worthy.  I'm all there tomorrow PM.

Full bar, BTW.

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Thanks. Do you know if it's only dinner this weekend. Wanted to avoid the crowds/parking situation and go early. No reservations, right?

[Buckethead]

No reservations. I just got back, it was one of the best meals I've had in a while. I'd say the menu qualifies as mainly tapas, with some larger plates (none of which I had), most of which are meatatarian. There are lots of small plates broken down by main ingredients: cured meats, veggies, cheese, crostinis, etc.

We went at 7:30 this evening (Friday), there was hardly anyone there when we arrived but it was almost full when we left, and believe me that word will get around very quickly. If you want to try it out, go early in the evening this weekend. I anticipate the same thing will happen here as happened at Gayle when they opened: you could go without much trouble the first few days they were open, then they're full for months. Some highlights from the menu:

Foie gras and eggs (some bird other than a chicken I think, they were small) with truffle: served in a round dish looking a lot like breakfast, with toasty bread for assembling a little sandwich.

Fingerling potatoes with bacon and fried onions: Wowee. You can't go wrong with bacon, but I was still surprised at how good this was.

Duck prosciutto: Not duck breast wrapped in prosciutto as I thought, but actually duck meat cured and sliced like prosciutto. Unfortunately there wasn't much of it on the plate, but it was only 3 bucks. If you like it, get another.

The beers were a little overpriced, but the selection is good: Corsendonk and Saison Dupont were on tap, among others, with another dozen or so available by the bottle. The wines were more reasonable, and I was particularly impressed with the house red, a Shiraz that only runs $15 for a 12 oz. carafe.

Anyway, go. I've been to Pif a couple of times, and I think Ansill is better. Our server told us that they intend (at some indeterminate future date) to be open from 11 am to 11 pm, with the same menu for the entire time, so if you're not able to get there for dinner, you may want to try lunch instead. I don't know when they plan to start that schedule, though.

[CMN]

I tried the number Dish listed above but didn't get Ansill. Anybody know what their current hours are and if they will be taking reservations?

[jelly]

I tried the number Dish listed above but didn't get Ansill.  Anybody know what their current hours are and if they will be taking reservations?

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The number is correct. I used it and got Ansill. They will not be taking reservations. For last weekend, they were only open Friday and Saturday nights. They eventually plan to be open from 11:00am, seven days a week. I don't know when that will start however.

[Buckethead]

I tried the number Dish listed above but didn't get Ansill.  Anybody know what their current hours are and if they will be taking reservations?

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The number is correct. I used it and got Ansill. They will not be taking reservations. For last weekend, they were only open Friday and Saturday nights. They eventually plan to be open from 11:00am, seven days a week. I don't know when that will start however.

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I was there again last night and I asked about this, they said they intend to start opening at 11 am in the summer. Right now they open at 5:30. I believe they said they would start opening on Sundays sooner than that though, maybe in the next couple of months?

The phone number Dish gave works. In fact, I wasn't able to find the phone number anywhere on the net apart from this thread.

[CMN]

I don't know what's wrong with my husband's phone--he said he tried three times and got an insurance company, whereas I hit Ansill on my first try!

Anyways, they said that they are currently open from ~6:30-11pm 7 days a week except for Friday and Saturday when they're open till midnite. I'm hoping to check them out sometime in the next week or two. Thanks for your help.

I tried the number Dish listed above but didn't get Ansill.  Anybody know what their current hours are and if they will be taking reservations?

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The number is correct. I used it and got Ansill. They will not be taking reservations. For last weekend, they were only open Friday and Saturday nights. They eventually plan to be open from 11:00am, seven days a week. I don't know when that will start however.

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I was there again last night and I asked about this, they said they intend to start opening at 11 am in the summer. Right now they open at 5:30. I believe they said they would start opening on Sundays sooner than that though, maybe in the next couple of months?

The phone number Dish gave works. In fact, I wasn't able to find the phone number anywhere on the net apart from this thread.

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[philadining]

I had a really nice time at Ansill, I think it's going to be a big success.

The new look is way more airy than Judy's was, and the bar area feels very elegant, yet comfortable for drinking as well as eating. They've got a smallish, but interesting selection of wines and beers, even French cider, fairly priced.

We tried a TON of food, and it was all at least good, some of it excellent, and even the things that didn't thrill us might very well please someone else... I really like the format, very much a tapas-like offering of small plates, none very expensive, with a good balance of sophistication and simplicity.

It probably comes down to personal preference, but I rather like the sudden flood of dishes, allowing interesting juxtapositions and combinations (what happens if I put one of those on one of those? oh, and dip it in that?!?) But if you'd prefer a more gradual progression of dishes, ask, or else everything is likely to come in a flurry.

It was just dizzying enough array of plates that I'm likely to miss something, and I certainly don't have time to do any off them justice, but here are a few thoughts:

Raw oysters were accompanied by an interesting cucumber gelée, which we decided would have been an excellent match for some different oysters. These briny, darker-flavored oysters cried out for something earthier as an accent (sorry, I don't recall what kind they were). Still, quite good, fresh.

Uni crostini were subtle, but I liked them. Marrow crostini were sprinkled with a little coarse salt, and were quite successful if you like that full-on warm buttery cholesterol bomb thing. Again, nothing at all wrong with them, and I suspect marrow fans would love them, I prefer it as an element in a larger dish rather than the main attraction, but that's me...

Shirred eggs were freaking awesome, with a pronounced truffle component, topped with a piece of seared foie gras. Great any time of the day. Close behind in my book was the braised pork belly, still a little fatty, but hey, it's pork belly! It was served on top of some good spaetzel and spinach with an inscrutable, but delicious sauce... Roasted fingerling potatoes with bacon were pretty straightforward, but quite enjoyable. Put the three together, and you've got an amazing brunch!

I decided to throw caution to the wind, and hope that langoustines are chemically more lobster than shrimp, and I'm glad I did, they were clean, fresh and sweet, simply split and grilled. Excellent. And I'm still standing.

Crispy little nuggets of sweetbreads were good, helped by the bacon and mushrooms underneath. Oxtail rillettes had good flavor, but a little bit goes a long way, that inherent fatty richness of the shredded meat combined with the gelatinous feel of the oxtails made for an odd mouthfeel when served cold like that. I know it's traditional, it's supposed to be like that, and I enjoyed small doses of it, but I felt guilty not making much of a dent in the deep bowl. Oh, and note to the kitchen, you need WAY more little crostinis to accompany that large of a portion.

Grilled scallions were OK, but paled in comparison to the version at Amada, these were just kind of plain, although the tomatoey romanesco sauce with them was very tasty. A speck and goat cheese panini had good ingredients, but the bread was too thick and crusty, more like a split roll, making it very difficult to eat. With thinner slices of bread, I'm sure that would be a good sandwich,.

The only thing we didn't really like was the Spanish Mackerel, but I suspect that's purely a personal preference, I don't think there was anything bad about it. It was a REALLY strong fishy fish, simply grilled. If you like that kind of thing, you'll probably love it.

Cheese plates were very nicely done, with an array of interesting breads and crackers, good cheese and good accompaniments, especially some delicious honeycomb with the bleu...

Overall, I'm not sure anything knocked us right off our chairs, but it was all at least solidly good, with a few things worth a special trip. But more to the point, this is going to be a really great spot to stop in regularly, get a glass of something and have a couple of small plates of your favorite things. I can easily see this becoming a regular haunt for anyone who lives anywhere nearby, as well as a destination for others. If I lived nearby, I'm afraid I'd be in there all the time... I liked the vibe, the concept, service was good, people were friendly.

The sudden boom of interesting little foodie places in that few blocks, with Gayle, Southwark, and now Ansill is a bit surprising. Who'd have guessed it a couple of years ago? Toss-in Django, Ava, Next, Famous... the South Street area is becoming quite a dining destination again.

Now if there was just somewhere to park...

Edited February 10, 2006 by philadining (log)

[philadining]

There's an article by Rick Nichols about Ansill here in the Inky.

And wow, who knew Shola was a boulevardier?

[I_call_the_duck]

Naive little me had to look up the definition of boulevardier. From dictionary.com, I got "a man about town". Not to be nitpicky, isn't then a "boulevardier-about-town" repetitive and redundant?

Sounds like a great place. Can't wait to try it out. Anyone want to join us?

[mrbigjas]

i should know better than to try new places on thursdays, when either michael klein or rick nichols is bound to write about them. but what can i say, plans are plans, and i'm going to try to go down tonight anyway.

oddly enough, i had lamb tongues for dinner last night. i'd never made them before, so now i'll have something to compare them to, if i can get in...

Edited February 16, 2006 by mrbigjas (log)

[philadining]

You know, I think eGullet is one of the few places in the world one is likely to see the phrase:

oddly enough, i had lamb tongues for dinner last night...

[KatieLoeb]

You know, I think eGullet is one of the few places in the world one is likely to see the phrase:

oddly enough, i had lamb tongues for dinner last night...

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While that's true, it doesn't surprise me to see that mrbigjas said it.

[Capaneus]

Naive little me had to look up the definition of boulevardier.  From dictionary.com, I got "a man about town".  Not to be nitpicky, isn't then a "boulevardier-about-town" repetitive and redundant?

Sounds like a great place.  Can't wait to try it out.  Anyone want to join us?

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Hmmm... Stictly speaking, "boulevardier" would be a man about the boulevards, wide avenues where the social promenade took place, as opposed to residential or commercial streets. A boulevardier was a man who a) had the leisure to stroll and b) had the panache to stroll with intent, and carry it off. So a "boulevardier about town" might be someone who carries that attitude and spirit to parts of the city beyond the boulevards. Or something.

Edited February 17, 2006 by Capaneus (log)

[mrbigjas]

You know, I think eGullet is one of the few places in the world one is likely to see the phrase:

oddly enough, i had lamb tongues for dinner last night...

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While that's true, it doesn't surprise me to see that mrbigjas said it.

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well, i bought them kind of on a whim about a month ago from fair foods, and i'd never seen them for sale before. and i just finally made them this week, and had them last night for dinner. and then i click on that article today, and there it is.

they're really really good btw. like tongue, but like lamb. i guess like you'd expect, but seriously it caught me off guard how good.

either way, i'm heading down in a few minutes here, and will report back.

[philadining]

Hmmm... Stictly speaking, "boulevardier" would be a man about the boulevards, wide avenues where the social promenade took place, as opposed to residential or commercial streets. A boulevardier was a man who a) had the leisure to stroll and b) had the panache to stroll with intent, and carry it off. So a "boulevardier about town" might be someone who carries that attitude and spirit to parts of the city beyond the boulevards. Or something.

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Look, I know we're over-analyzing this, it's a charming metaphor: I'm sure Shola exudes an aura of cool sophistication perched at the bar of a brand new restaurant. But having seen him flat-on-his-back exhausted after non-stop cooking gigs recently, the idea of him as a man of leisure amused me!

And the very idea of Philadelphia as a place one engages in such boulevardiage (?) is similarly funny to me. Where exactly would one make such a promenade? Maybe Rittenhouse Square...

Anyway, it was a good article.

[KatieLoeb]

And the very idea of Philadelphia as a place one engages in such boulevardiage (?) is similarly funny to me. Where exactly would one make such a promenade? Maybe Rittenhouse Square...

Oh no! The only place for such strollin' and struttin' would be the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philly's own Champs-Elysées.

Fabulous visual. I'm picturing Shola in a razor sharp pin-striped suit, bowler hat and a cane. And spats. Definitely spats.

[rlibkind]

And the very idea of Philadelphia as a place one engages in such boulevardiage (?) is similarly funny to me. Where exactly would one make such a promenade? Maybe Rittenhouse Square...

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Totally off topic, but I just saw Gigi again on the tube, and watching Maurice Chevalier in the opening and closing sequences, well, that's boulevardier for me! But Rittenhouse Square (or the Parkway on a spring Sunday) is the closest we get around here. I think I'll get out my tophat and walking stick and stroll over now. If only someone would open up a cafe on the grounds of the Rodin Museum!

[I_call_the_duck]

There has to be a diamond tie pin and a white silk scarf somewhere in there too. Also, I can't imagine Shola to be a man of leisure, considering the amount of time he puts into his dinners.

[shacke]

either way, i'm heading down in a few minutes here, and will report back.

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Do tell MrB. I am going there tonight.....

Evan

[mrbigjas]

we had a fantastic time. i'm not exaggerating when i say between ansill and southwark i could dine quite happily for many months.

wine list is not huge, but has a lot of choices by the glass. they have an australian shiraz as a house wine for only $5 a glass or $8 for 8 oz. i drank the cotes du rhone they're serving by the glass, domain jaume la friande for $7. they're also serving a rioja, a chianti, etc--five or six options by the glass for each of red or white.

we had the grilled scallions with romesco--i suspect that this is a takeoff on the catalonian calcots that they havethe festival for in barcelona in the spring. agree with philadining above; they were fine, and i do like eating onions as a vegetable.

boquerones crostini were very good, with a roasted red pepper puree under them. kind of hard to screw this one up.

pheasant rillettes were very nicely flavored, but be warned that you'd better like schmaltz if you're ordering this, because it's got a whole bunch on top. while the rillettes itself was great, it only comes with a dollop of whole grain mustard, one little bitty sliced/fanned cornichon, and three thin pieces of bread. you're getting probably a full cup or so of the meat (for only like $5!) so they should be serving more of the condiments with it--we had to ask for more bread.

it's interesting to compare the bacalao fritters at ansill with the ones we had last month at la principe. these were really more like croquettes, served with a lemon herb aioli. the fish flavor is very mild, as could be expected with cod, but well-seasoned. delicious.

pork belly was beguiling, as philadining mentioned, but just generally fabulous. the mystery spice is star anise (or possibly a five-spice; i usually taste mostly star anise in five-spice)--pork belly with star anise always reminds me of my first couple of times at studiokitchen, so it brought back some nice memories. but those memories shouldn't distract from the quality of this dish. it's braised long enough that much of the fat is rendered, and served with a mustard spaetzle and spinach, which are sharp and bitter enough to provide a counterpoint and backbone to the dish. my god was it good.

we finished off the meal with two cheeses--a bleu d'auvergne which was served with some golden raisins which had been rehydrated in a light syrup. i've had that cheese a bunch of times, so i knew what was coming. that wasn't the case with the banon feuille, which was served with an olive tapenade. the combination of cheese and olives has a potential to be overly salty, and olives can overwhelm many cheeses, but this was not the case here--they went together like gangbusters.

and this, i think, is where david ansill outshines so many chefs in town: many of his dishes have the potential to careen toward one flavor or texture--fattiness in the rillettes or pork belly, saltiness in the croquettes or cheese pairings--but they never do. everything is always held carefully in check and balanced perfectly.

i also had a glass of whatever coteaux de layon they're serving, which is very nice--those floral, honeyed flavors of a dessert wine without being syrupy or cloying. not a dessert wine you see on very many menus, so it was an interesting choice.

all told, for those the meal cost about $70 with tax before tip, for five dishes, two cheeses, two glasses of wine and one dessert wine.

i'll be back, and soon. there's a hell of a lot more on that menu that i want to try.

(edited for clarity)

Edited February 19, 2006 by mrbigjas (log)

[shacke]

I went to Ansill last night with 3 other people so we got the opportunity to sample a large amount of offerings. I am a big Pif fan and so I was hoping not to be dissapointed. While I agree with Philadining's overall impression that is very good but not "killer", I plan on going back and I think you should go before it gets too crowded. The other people I went with were totally wowed. There are no reservations accepted but you can sit at the bar and order from the menu there as well. I would say go early or go soon or both as it's going to be really popular. Parking sitch sucks though.

I talked to David Ansill for a while and he was there the entire night - doing this and that - making sure all was copacetic. He doesn't cook anymore. Michael, the maitre'd from Pif has also relocated there indefinitely so we talked for a while about how things were going. I hope Pif does not suffer from lack of attention.

The menu is indeed "eurotapas" with 3-5 dishes satisfying most appetites. Some plates are lager than others. With the huge variety from ordinary to daring, you should expect hits and misses and there were certainly those.

Because of discretion the images are not food porn quality.

Things that were great:

Shirred Egg with foie gras and truffle oil. Great stuff although the foie only served to make the dish heavier. Did I eat it though? hell yeah.

Venison Tartare. Served with watercress, these were 3 big heaps of large dice venison mixed with herbs. Fantastic. So good looking that I rushed to eat it without a pic.

Braised pork belly. On the recommendation of those above I ordered this and it was really out of sight. A big plate too. Served over mustard spaetzle and spinach. Not too fatty either.

Sweetbreads with pancetta and mushrooms. I am a big sweetbreads fan and this does not disappoint. Perfectly cooked with a hint of crispness. No heavy breading. Wonderful.

Things that were very good:

Grilled quail over root vegetables.

Scrambled duck egg. Served with smoked trout and creme fraiche, the combination of flavors was really good together - smoke, buttery eggs and the tart cream.

Roasted porcini. Served with a teaser portion of teleggio, this is a real treat for the mushroom fan. Sadly, I have not been able to find the kind of melt in your mouth texture of those eaten in Italy but its so rare to find fresh porcini around here that you should jump all over it.

Things that were good:

Red snapper in light fennel broth I think. Not much to say.

Cheese plates that we got were taleggio and bleu d'auvergne served with sour cherries and raisins respectively and bread slices.

Things that didn't do it for me:

Bone marrow crostini. I am a marrow fanatic but the marrow cubes served on the bread appeared to be cook outside the bone and so seemed dry and not unctuous like you find when you scoop it out yourself. I love the marrow at Pif when they have it and I was pretty bummed about this one.

Roasted peppers and goat cheese. Simple, harmless and good.

Grilled scallions. Same.

Panino du jour (homemade nutella and raspberries). The fillings were very good as was the accompaniment of raspberry sorbet but the "wonder" bread used was the dominant flavor and was not my speed. Like Pif, the desserts are not the strong suit at Ansill.

As far as wine, there is a good selection by the glass as well as a larger number of bottles offered that will not break your bank. The carafes of pinot grigio or shiraz are the definite value at around $15.

All in all with booze and tip it was $60 a person. Could be less but there was a lot of alcohol in the mix.

There was way more I wanted to try but didn't. Next time.

Go. Enjoy. I did.

Evan

Edited February 19, 2006 by shacke (log)