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RAE

Vadouvan

By Vadouvan
in Pennsylvania: Dining

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Diann

Diann

Posted
Posted
What is the word on Daniel Stern's new place in the office building that dresses up as the phillyborgata at night ?

Good addition to West philly food scene.

Anyone ?

We're having our office holiday party there so I'll report back in December... I didn't think they were opening for regular business until year-end.

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KatieLoeb

KatieLoeb

Posted
Posted

I was told they're opening the banquet center first, to get in on all those holiday parties, and then the main restaurant later on.

I wonder if they ever hired a Bar Manager... :unsure:

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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  • 1 month later...
Diann

Diann

Posted
Posted

We had the holiday party there last week, and this is what we ate:

1. Soup: Mushroom-barley with a pile of sauteed mushrooms on the side

2. Salad: "Caesar" -- romaine, fried crouton balls, battered and fried anchovies

3. Entrees: Choice of red snapper, veal chop, or filet mignon/short rib/marrow ravioli

4. Dessert: Chocolate sampler, with a shot of cold white chocolate, chocolate rice krispy treats, and about four other chocolate things

I'll edit this once I get home to reflect the actual menu descriptions, since I snagged a catering brochure.

The soup was probably the highlight of the night -- deep and woodsy and totally appropriate for the cold weather last week. Everything else was good, but not particularly memorable (as you could probably tell from my descriptions). I can see Rae fitting perfectly into its niche, though -- with entrees in the $30-$50 range, I would imagine that most of its business is going to be corporate/expense-account meals. And the food is more interesting and tastier than the upper-end chain steakhouses where we'd typically do company dinners. So on that count, Rae succeeds.

Non-food stuff: Service was gracious, but the kitchen had a few glitches -- half of the tables had finished eating their entrees by the time the other half were served -- but that kind of thing will probably be fixed in time. The banquet spaces are below-ground -- I'm not a big fan of windowless spaces, especially when I think about the views we could have had of the Center City skyline from, like, the 19th floor -- but from the landlord's perspective, the basement is the perfect place to put them.

So those are my limited impressions, based on one meal at one party while the restaurant was still in its infancy. I'd like to go back -- I want to see the inside of the restaurant, and I'd like to order off of the full menu/wine list.

Is anyone planning on going to the grand opening tonight?

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KatieLoeb

KatieLoeb

Posted
Posted
Is anyone planning on going to the grand opening tonight?

Funny you should mention this. As I was driving home from work tonight and passed the glowing lights of the CIra Center, I wondered when the opening was, since I knew it was sometime this week.

Guess that answers my question.

I'm off on Thursday this week so I might mosey over there for a drink just to scope it out. If I do, I'll report back.

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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  • 1 month later...
KatieLoeb

KatieLoeb

Posted
Posted

$70 entrees??!!??

Seriously?

Areueffingkiddingmewiththat???

Yikes.

I for one, do not think that reads as a good review.

And that "hard to find" Portugese wine was on the list at Amada when it opened. It's no harder to get than any other SLO wine in the state. Sounds like the rare bargain on the list, but he doesn't mention the price. :wacko:

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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Andrew Fenton

Andrew Fenton

Posted
Posted
$70 entrees??!!??

Seriously?

Areueffingkiddingmewiththat???

That's just 'cause you (and I) aren't part of Rae's intended demographic. I think the reviewer nails it here:

You get the impression that the restaurant's business plan is all about giving the Cira Centre's high-profile tenants a place to impress clients who equate price with quality.

If I were a lawyer at Dechert and taking out clients on an expense account, I'd probably love Rae. As it is, I'll probably never eat there.

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Capaneus

Capaneus

Posted
Posted (edited)
$70 entrees??!!??

Seriously?

Areueffingkiddingmewiththat???

Yikes.

I for one, do not think that reads as a good review.

$95 entrees, if you please - after add-ons which sound fairly hard-sold.

And no, it's far from a positive review. Just a hair short of outright demolition, in my opinion. Made much worse by the fact that the gentleman can actually write. One of the best-written reviews I've read in a while, LaBan and assorted NY rags included. Almost makes me want to visit the place so I can get a bead on his judgement.

Almost.

edited to ask whether anybody else is having a dickens of a time accessing citipaper.net.

Edited by Capaneus (log)
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  • 1 month later...
Rich Pawlak

Rich Pawlak

Posted
Posted

I dont work for Philly Mag.

I havent been able to get to Rae.

And if it's not on the "Main Line (defined as Manayunk to Downingtown east to west, Brandywine Valley to Chester Springs/Phoenixville south to north)", I'm not able to review it.

Rich Pawlak

 

Reporter, The Trentonian

Feature Writer, INSIDE Magazine
Food Writer At Large

MY BLOG: THE OMNIVORE

"In Cerveza et Pizza Veritas"

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  • 4 months later...
RuthWells

RuthWells

Posted
Posted (edited)

My husband and I went to Rae with another couple this Saturday, and we were underwhelmed. We started with a plate of the rabbit nachos for the table, and most of tasted cheese and salt and very little rabbit. (And, just to quibble, they weren't nachos at all, but more like empanadas.) The rest of the meal was very similar, in that most dishes were overseasoned with either salt or vinegar, and most of the dishes left very little impression other than their seasoning. The two exceptions were the crab pot served with tarragon flatbread and the short ribs, which were perfection.

The other dishes we tried -- the chopped salad, the beet and goat cheese salad, the risotto fingers, the veal kreplach (which, again, were not kreplach at all), the yellow tomato gazpacho, the skate, and various side vegetables -- were wildly over-seasoned. Our server was very sweet, but clearly out of her depth and nervous, and she confessed to us at the end of the meal that this was her first dinner service. Okay, no sweat, but she should have known better than to interrupt the punchline of a story (the entire table was howling with laughter) to ask us how everything was.

Including one bottle of wine, cocktails and tip, we spent about $450 for the 4 of us (only ordering 3 entrees). For the price point and on a Saturday night, I would have expected crisper service and food that was more meticulously prepared.

Edited by RuthWells (log)

RuthWells

Lemonade & Kidneys

Sweet Pleasures

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Scoats

Scoats

Posted
Posted

Me and Mrs. had a date night there. I think the comment about it being for people who equate price with quality hits it right on the head. Service was excellent but IMHO the taste of food wasn't up to what it cost us. That said I'd give it another go if it wasn't us paying the bill.

I think people should be able to spend their money as they like, but it is a little depressing to sit there and know that due to the KOZ, the law partners are paying for it with the taxes they aren't paying, shuffling their tax load onto the rest of us.

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HD73

HD73

Posted
Posted
Due to the WHAT?

Knights Of Zoltan?

Kitties Overriding Zebras?

Kleptomaniacs Or Zombies?

Keystone Opportunity Zone. Moving into the Cira Centre significantly reduced Dechert's tax burden.

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Scoats

Scoats

Posted
Posted
What is an "American sushi bar" ?

It is what you would mentally picture. Various rolls with I guess American ingredients. Ingredients in the numerous types of rolls included beef, salmon, and eel (not necessarily all in the same roll). The various rolls had a great combining of ingredients. Mmmm eel.

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