Mr_Pickles's Profile
philly, can you please catch me up?
Even though it's not on the menu, Chef Pierre will make vegetarian dishes upon request. He can also accomodate gluten free, vegan, and all standard food allergies (garlic, nuts, shellfish, etc.). You don't need to give them advance notice, but it's always helpful because it gives Pierre more time to think about what to make. Pierre will also accomodate special requests in general with enough notice; I had requested softshell crabs, and Pierre prepared a truly extraordinary dish.
I'd go one step further than the others here - I would argue that Bibou is the best overall French dining experience in Philadelphia when you consider the talent in the kitchen, the quality of the ingredients, the extremely reasonable prices, and BYOB.
Great lunch in center city?
There will be little to no impact at Lacroix, just as how Marty Hamann's departure had no impact on the Fountain. The executive chef very rarely cooks and doesn't even really supervise the nitty-gritty of the kitchen on a day-to-day basis. What matters is that there is continuity with the chef de cuisine, who actually runs the kitchen day-to-day. I would be much more apprehensive if Jason Chichonski left Lacroix at the same time (which he isn't). The executive chef in these big restaurants develops the menu, sets the tone, and provides management oversight. S/he is also generally more responsible for helping to close banquet sales and glad-handing customers. The only drop-off would possibly be in the development of the next seasonal menu, but all senior line chefs at the top restaurants have comparable levels of skill and imagination for developing menu concepts. Finally, Matt Levin is the most overrated chef in Philadelphia after Chris Scarduzio so Lacroix will probably improve with his departure.
petit fours - cc phila?
You can buy these at Le Bec-Fin. Just walk in and ask the hostess.
What to order at Zahav?
I recommend the grilled sardines, the Jerusalem grill (chicken livers and sweetbreads), the Moroccan cigar, the fried cauliflower, and any of the regular menu skewers.
One night in Philly - serious foodies, medium budget
They actually now have small plate versions of Le Bec-Fin entrees at Le Bar Lyonnais for about $8 to $12 each, depending on what you get. I find that 2 to 3 small plates with a couple of glasses of wine are plenty. That would get you in your price range of $100 to $110 for two people. Alternatively, there are some outstanding items that are very reasonably priced, like the quenelle de brochet (pike dumplings in lobster sherry cream sauce) for $17, steak tartare for $18, mussels with saffron cream sauce and chorizo for $11 (there are enough mussels to make a meal out of it), and Salade Lyonnais for $14.
That being said, if you're looking for a typical 3 or 4 course meal with full portion sizes and 3 glasses of wine, you will not be able to stay within your desired budget at Le Bar Lyonnais.
Furthermore, as someone else has mentioned, if you've been to Le Bec-Fin, Le Bar Lyonnais is a redundant experience. The food is prepared in the same kitchen by the same chefs so you won't experience anything different from what you have had before.
By the way, I heard from Chef Perrier that the renovations are most likely going to be pushed back to January 2009 because demand for reservations is extremely high through New Year's.
Le Bec was required to give up its stars because whenever a change in restaurant concept is made after the reviews have been completed, the restaurant can't keep the stars. The simple act of changing from prix fixe only to a la carte necessitated giving up the stars.
But I digress. If you're looking for a BYOB, I'd suggest Cochon, Lolita, Matyson, or Caffe Casta Diva. Cochon's location is sort of irritating due to lack of parking, but the food is quite good. For non-BYOBs, I'd suggest Zahav and Ansill.
So a double date walks into Restaurant Week...
Why don't you try calling Le Bec-Fin? My understanding is that they are seating RW patrons in the main dining room, mezzanine, front dining room, and the Bar Lyonnais. I sampled the menu as a guinea pig, and it was very good.
recs for eating at the bar in center city
I would recommend eating at the bar in Le Bar Lyonnais. Nice atmosphere, great food, and interesting people, especially when the Perrier brothers (Bernard and Georges) are there. It never gets too loud there, and the bar is ideally situated for dining alone without feeling isolated.
Best Rabbit in Philly?
Le Bec-Fin's new summer menu has an excellent rabbit ballotine. The rabbit is boned and stuffed with foie gras and truffles. Then the rabbit is rolled and tied into a bundle and sauteed. The accompaniments are caramelized quince and roasted figs. The dish is finished with natural jus and a touch of lemon.
Should we go to Rae?
Rae is in disarray right now. They are currently looking for a new general manager so there isn't a single person on the floor each night supervising service and holding staff accountable. I also have heard that Daniel Stern is looking to re-vamp/re-conceptualize the restaurant because it is not performing as expected.
Veal Kidneys at Le Bec-Fin
Last night, I had veal kidneys at Le Bec-Fin. This dish was probably the most perfect execution I have had of veal kidneys, other than at Guy Savoy in Paris. Chef Pierre sauteed the kidneys to medium, flambeed them in cognac, and served them with a sauce made from veal demi-glace, kidney fat, and mustard. The accompaniments were mashed potatoes and lightly blanched haricot verts. The kidneys were perfectly firm in texture without being tough or rubbery. And the flavor was exquisite; it combined the lightness of veal flesh with the earthiness of liver and the unctuousness of bone marrow. The sauce provided a unifying platform for tying the kidneys together with the garnishes. Chef Pierre was so excited to have the chance to cook kidneys that he served the dish himself in the dining room. If you like offal or really want to try something very different from what is commonly available in restaurants in this country, I would strongly recommend trying out this dish. My understanding is that if you give the kitchen about 3 days' notice, they can accomodate the request (they do not regularly purchase kidneys because no one really orders them).
I do have to mention that Chef Pierre does not sanitize the appearance of the kidneys by chopping them up into smaller walnut-size chunks. He also does not coat the kidneys in any type of breading. By keeping the kidneys intact, he is able to finish the kidneys at a more precise temperature and texture. However, if you are not used to eating offal, the appearance can be very off-putting. They look exactly as they do in an anatomy textbook.
Le Bec Fin
I'm actually having dinner there as well this Saturday evening, and I'm ordering the lobster press! So if I were you, I would call the restaurant and request the lobster press as well since they will be doing it, at a minimum, for my table. The lobster press is done for a minimum of 2 people so you would have to be sure that at least 1 other person in your party would want it as well. Please note that each person effectively gets 1/2 a lobster so it may not be enough for a main course but it is great as an appetizer or fish course within the context of 4 to 6 courses. You won't find the lobster press at any other restaurant in North America. They are also got in a shipment of veal kidneys yesterday for my dinner at the restaurant tonight. I don't know how much they ordered or if you even like offal, but if you do like offal, I'd also recommend putting in a request for veal kidneys as your meat course. They flambe the kidneys in cognac and serve them with an unctuous mustard/brandy sauce.
I'll address the menu first, then I'll give you my other observations of the restaurant post the change to a la carte.
The Chef's tasting menu is excellent, but just to be clear it's not like the old prix fixe menu where you have options for each course within a set number of courses. It is now, literally, what Chef Pierre decides to make based on the best available ingredients that night. There's a certain excitement to that, especially because I do feel that Chef Pierre is the most talented chef I have met under the age of 40. However, you also have no control over what you're getting other than specifying if you have certain food allergies. The wine pairings are also pre-determined by the sommelier earlier in the day.
I recommend the following a la carte items (numbering indicates my personal preference in descending order):
Appetizers
1. Shellfish salad
2. Sauteed foie gras
3. English pea risotto
4. Sauteed diver scallops
5. Tuna tartare
Fish
1. Lately, the fish du jour has been either wild, line caught Alaskan king salmon or Alaskan halibut; if either is available, I would pick either of these over the on-menu selections
2. Sauteed black sea bass
3. Dover sole
4. Grilled hamachi
Meat
1. NY strip with gratin dauphinois and white peppercorn sauce
2. Roasted veal medallions with salsify fricassee and morel mushroom sauce (if you don't like salsify, don't order this)
3. Roasted bone-in pork chop with romaine and shallot fricassee (the French like their pork slightly less than well done so you should be comfortable with that, otherwise skip this dish)
4. Roasted lancaster chicken breast with hazelnut mashed potatoes and vegetable fricassee (this is one of the overlooked gems on the menu)
5. Rack of lamb with shiitake mushroom and baby artichokes (this is a great dish, but is rather expensive at $52; apparently Elysian Fields Farm in Waynesburg, PA cranked up the price of lamb)
Cheese cart (this is what I usually get)
1. Brillat-Savarin or Pierre Robert (triple creme)
2. Moliterno
3. Aged Gouda
4. Roquefort or Fourme d'Ambert for the blue cheese
5. Sotto cenere
6. Epoisses
Lest I forget, I recommend having a glass of the red Pineau de Charentes with your cheese course. If that's not available, you're probably better off having a glass of port than the white pineau. I prefer the white pineau as an aperitif.
Dessert cart (these are usually what I get):
1. Frozen Grand Marnier souffle
2. Assortment of poached fruit
3. Le Bec-Fin chocolate cake (chocolate cake soaked in rum)
4. Sour cream / pecan coffee cake
5. Cheese cake
6. Caradou (chocolate and hazelnut)
7. Catania (strawberry and basil)
Just to warn you, Chef Perrier is not going to be at the restaurant this weekend. He will be on vacation to take advantage of the extended weekend. This clearly has no impact on the food or service because Chef Perrier has not cooked in the kitchen regularly since 2000; the kitchen is Chef Pierre's show now. However, Chef Perrier does add a certain presence to the main dining room that makes for a more interesting dining experience.
Here are my general observations of the restaurant:
1. The food at the "new Le Bec-Fin" is as good as it was under the old 6-course/10-course prix fixe menu. The current spring menu is essentially the spring 6-course menu divided into a la carte items. The forthcoming summer menu will be the first menu conceived from the beginning as an a la carte menu
2. Service was quite spotty back when the transition was first made to a la carte (a huge adjustment for the kitchen and the wait staff) but is now back up to normal
3. The Chef's tasting menu is now structured in the following way: appetizer, fish course, champagne shot, meat course, cheese cart, dessert cart.
4. Here are the more "casual" elements of the new Le Bec: tapered candles have been replaced with tea candles, the full-set of silverware is no longer pre-set at the table when you first sit down, the number of wines available by the bottle under $50 is increasing (a work in progress), jackets are no longer required in the main dining room (although the majority of guests still wear them anyway)
5. The valets are still slow but this isn't the restaurant's fault because the City forces all of the restaurants on Walnut Street to use the same company; I don't know how crowded the restaurant will be this weekend. If it's busy, ask your waiter to summon the valet when you are starting your dessert course so you don't have to wait for the valet when you are done with your meal.
6. Don't forget that there is a bathroom immediately to the right of the hostess stand (as you exit the main dining room); you don't have to go all the way downstairs through the bar to use the restroom
7. There was a lot of recent turnover in the staff that coincided with the transition to a la carte; many of the staff are quite young now. As a result, the service isn't quite as wordly and polished as it was when the all-star captains like John Gates and Ron Mendoza were at Le Bec (15 years and 12 years respectively), but it has vastly improved. I would rate the service as at around 85% to 90% of where it was at its peak.
8. Don't forget that they only bring you your check when you specifically ask for it; this aspect of European service annoys many people used to American style service but it's not a form of "neglect" or forgetfulness
9. Customers are still waited on by teams of waiters so you will not necessarily have the same person, other than the sommelier and your captain, throughout the meal
10. If you order a bottle of wine, I recommend asking for Brian McMahon or Michael Franco for assistance.
Fabulous French in Philly
What a coincidence! I was also there for dinner service this past Saturday evening. It's hard to believe we're talking about the same restaurant, because I thought everything was wonderful as usual (the food as well as the service). I agree with the others; I have never found the restaurant to be stuffy. I also love the current decor, although I dearly miss the old Louis Quatorze decor. I find Le Bec-Fin to be a timeless oasis of civility (and of course true civility must obviate pretentiousness) in a world that is often times far more stressful than it should be.
Fabulous French in Philly
I'm glad to hear that you really enjoyed your meal at Le Bec-Fin. It's too bad that you didn't have a chance to try the old 6-course menu, where there were about 5 to 7 menu choices per course. And the Chef's tasting menu used to consist of 10 courses.
The Fountain
So how was your trip to Philly? What did you think of Le Bec-Fin? Were you able to get into Vetri?
A place that can accomadate 150 people?
Brasserie Perrier could do it in their banquet room, but it would be tight because the max capacity is 150. The only other space large enough is Table 31 at the Comcast Center. The banquet space there holds up to 250. Although the food in the main dining room at Table 31 is mediocre, the banquet menu is actually much better; the banquet facilities have a separate kitchen and separate cooking staff. The banquet chef was the sous chef over at Le Bec-Fin for the past 8 years.
Susanna Foo or Osteria?
Both restaurants are overrated. If you must choose one of them, you're better off with Osteria. That being said, I did have very good wine service at Susanna Foo recently (it wasn't my choice to go there); the sommelier put together a nice wine pairing for our a la carte dishes at a very reasonable price. Wine service at Osteria wasn't to my liking, but I do think they have a decent list, especially considering the limitations caused by PLCB.
In search of: the Unusual & Exotic
What about Ansill? I guess offal technically isn't exotic if you survey most regions of the world, but where else can you get lamb tongue that is so deliciously prepared?
I know this isn't relevant to Philly, but I once had roasted squirrel at St. John in London. That was an interesting experience.
As for other restaurant options in Philly, last summer, I had veal sweetbreads (coated with brioche crumbs, sauteed, and served with a petite salad topped with a quail egg), veal kidneys (cognac flambe and mustard sauce), veal brain (sauteed and served with a brandy cream sauce), and veal tripe (stewed in red burgundy and veal stock). I'm surprised I haven't suffered a heart attack yet. I am strongly tempted to re-create at least part of this food itinerary this summer (probably less the tripe and brains - it's always slightly disturbing when you can clearly see where the cerebellum is on your plate no matter how good it tastes).
In search of: the Unusual & Exotic
What's funny is that Stephen Starr isn't a chef. There's something of a difference between being a restaurant investor/impressario and actually being a chef. If Bourdain wants some interesting food, he should eat live sea cucumbers (a very interesting sensation) or go to that chain of pig's head restaurants in Shanghai (they only serve roasted pig's head with a little hammer and chisel for cracking open the skull so you can scoop out the brains; oh yes the eyes and snout are there too for consumption).
Chowish finds in Yardley/Morrisville area?
I second the Yardley Inn. Nice bar area and a good, all-around menu. I like the selections in the "Tiers of Taste," the crab cake, spinach and ricotta gnudi, and the Yardley burger.
What to order at Le Bec Fin?
Lotus7, you should let Thomas Finnegan, the GM at Le Bec-Fin know about the few service hiccups you experienced. My understanding is that they are still working on the transition from 6-course prix fixe (which is what they did for 40 years) to a la carte dining. Also, I think that they recently hired a number of new waiters who would benefit from your constructive criticism.
Best place to get dessert in Philadelphia?
I recommend going to Le Bar Lyonnais and sharing the dessert sampler. I would recommend requesting the following items in the dessert sampler:
-Frozen Grand Marnier Souffle
-Cheesecake (2 servings since that's what you specifically asked about)
-Caradou (chocolate and hazelnut cake)
-Le Bec-Fin (dark chocolate cake soaked in rum)
-Citron (lemon tart)
-Pecan sour cream coffee cake
-Catania (marscapone mousse, strawberries, and basil)
Chowish finds in Yardley/Morrisville area?
I like Moish and Itsy's Jewish Deli in Newtown Shopping Center. Also, I've heard that Christine's is pretty good.
Our first anniversary.
What about Rx on Spruce between 44th & 45th? I think they tend to be vegetarian and fish oriented.
Fancy Celebratory Dinner in/around Philly
Congratulations to your boyfriend. You will be able to have a fine dinner at Le Bec-Fin for $250 (inclusive of tax and tip) especially now that the restaurant is a la carte. I would suggest checking out their menu online.
The Fountain
The Fountain is a superb choice for both lunch and dinner. It's not quite as good as it was when the legendary Jean-Marie Lacroix was the executive chef, but it is still right up there. Most people with whom I dine regularly prefer the decor and general ambiance at the Fountain over both Le Bec-Fin and Lacroix. I must admit that I do like the selection and preparation style of fish dishes a bit better at the Fountain than at either Le Bec-Fin or Lacroix.
Incidentally, regarding escorting ladies to the restroom, they do that at both Le Bec-Fin and Lacroix at the Rittenhouse as well. That's a signature part of European-style service. It's pretty common at all high-end restaurants so there's nothing out of the ordinary in terms of service when this occurs. And, of course, in Manhattan at Restaurant Daniel, they bring out little "purse rests" so the ladies can place their purses on a little stool rather than on the ground.
Striped Bass & Le Be Fin
Yeah, I was sorry to see them retire. It all happened rather suddenly.
