foodiepair's Profile
Classic Diner, Malvern
Wow. That's appalling... I love thsi restaurant and its always crowded to the brim but worth waiting to get a table. You'd think in thsi day and age reprinting a new menu with correct prices could be done on the spot.
I wonder if they are under new management or have had some financial difficulties.
Ocean City - remodelling or shut down?
Was all excited to have Dim SUm at Ocean City this week but when I arrived, I saw it was closed and the exterior had been renovated. The interior was empty. Does zanyone know what is going on? It is the best , or one of the best, restaurants in Chinatown. All the city's chefs know it and you can see them all hanging our there very late at night.
White Dog Cafe in Wayne
Yes, its quite good. I was initailly concerned that it would not be good in the 'burbs and with the sell out by Judy Wicks. I am pleased to report that the food is as good as the original in Philly and the interior "dog"cor is sooo fun! I definitely recommend thsi place.... the crowds make reservations necessary.
Golden Phoenix - Chinatown dim sum
We're long time fans of dim sum and regularly visit Chinatown in Philly to enjoy it. We recently tried to go to one of our favorites, Ocean City, and were surprised to see that it was gone! The name is still in front and it appears to be undergoing renovation, hopefully it will be back (though our last visit there this past summer was a major disappointment - they were using pre-packaged frozen dim sum bought from somewhere else, and were just heating it up in back, we saw the boxes full of frozen pieces in the kitchen).
We then went to the H.K. Golden Phoenix, which also seems to have changed hands in the past couple of years (and has been redecorated). We used to go there years ago and liked it, but then it went downhill and we discovered Ocean City. Sad to say, but it was, by far, the worst dim sum we have ever had in our lives.
To us it seemed very much like the dim sum was frozen and just reheated. It was dry, flavorless, and of very low quality ingredients. The pork bau contained only bits of fat (and what appeared to be red dye of a color not found in nature), and little actual meat. The doughs of the pastries ranged from dried out to soggy, and with no flavor. Most of the dim sums were brought out individually and had to be ordered from a menu. There was only one cart with very limited offerings.
We always try to find at least one dish to like wherever we go, but at the Golden Phoenix, this wasn't possible. It was just awful.
In desperation (and hunger) we went to Ocean Harbor, which was still very good. Our only dislike of Ocean Harbor has always been that they often don't have sticky rice, which is our favorite dim sum (they sometimes have sticky rice balls, but it's just not the same as the real thing wrapped in lotus leaf).
Is this use of pre-packaged frozen dim sums a more widespread trend? Are other dim sum places resorting to this cheap trick of cutting costs at the expense of making the food flavorless and almost inedible? It would be such a shame....
Best Place to Eat in Reading Terminal
You cannot go wrong with anything except we did have bad sushi there once.
By Georges has amazing pizza. 12th street cantina is classic and terrific. Down home diner is an old standby that's still yummy!
You can always skip lunch and just do almond horns and cookies at Termini's.
Ekta Indian now also in Bryn Mawr!
Yes, Ekta is excellent! The food is nicely spiced and wait staff are very attentive. They just stratedto offer a buffet lunch that's a terrific value. Its way better than Kajuraho which has gotten lame and microwave quality!
We've been to Ekta several times now and it has been great each visit. Its definitely worthwhile to try, but we have not seen many other people there even during peak meal times. I hope its successful. Do you think Bryn mawr can support 2 indian restuarants? Have heard great things about TIffen in Philly and was so excited to see their sign up next to the needlepoint store but it has no sign of activity there. Did they bale because of Ekta?
Anyone been to Mixx or Azie on Main in Villanova?
Mixx just opened and was curious if anyone has been there yet, whatd'ya think? Is it worthwhile for me to check it out this weekend?
Unstellar Stella? Pizzareria Stella Revisted.
What a total disappointment! Starr should be ashamed of himself for calling this dreck pizza and claiming that he did nationwide research to formulate his recipes. I bet John's on Bleeker Street (New York) is mortified that Starr puts forth such pricey fare that cannot even compare with Bertucci's chain quality. It was not merely bad, it was god-awful.
First, the supposedly "thin crust New York style" was nothing of the sort. It was thin crust all right, but it was wet, cold, limp, and literaly floppy. We ordered 3 pizzas for the table (Margherita, sausage, and fennel w/proscuitto), and all of them had the consistency of wet toilet paper (but didn't taste as good as wet toilet paper). Second, the ingredients were nothing special. The sausage was weak, crumbled into little pieces, and tasted like low-end Acme product. The mozzarella was bland and flavorless. The proscuitto was good, but that was the only edible part of the 3 pizzas. Third, the servers were friendly and attentive, but they brought all 3 pizzas out at once instead of staging them, so they got cold before we were even served. Then, they kept trying to close out our table and move us out - even though the place was 3/4 empty. Last, the prices were unbelievable for the abysmally poor quality. The pizzas are indivudual size (12 inch), priced at $12-$18 each! For $18, you can get a fabulous 18 inch pizza at Marra's that is the other end of the spectrum in deliciousness from Stella. Lunch for 3 people (with a couple of appetizers and sodas) set us back $70 (plus tip). We actually left slices behind, they weren't worth taking home.
We LOVE pizza, and had such high hopes. But, we definitely will not go back to Stella. We can't believe Philadelphia magazine gave them an "A" for food quality (unless it's a new rating system and "A" stands for awful or more likely "A"dvertiser!). Save your money, go anywhere else (even your local mall) for better pizza.
If our city knows its pizza, this place will close by New Years Day 2010!
Two New Restaurants in Bryn Mawr
We went to Verdad this week, also with the preconceived notion that we really wanted to like it (the Main Line needs more fun, character-filled places). Had 4 tapas plates and 1 entree, shared by 2 people. The tapas plates were very good. The ceviche was sashimi-quality (though the portion was also about the size of one serving of sashimi). Had one other seafood tapas plate (mussels with chorizo, excellent), one beef (tacos), and one chicken (flatbread), all of which were very good, though at $8-$9 each, pricey for the tiny portions (didn't try the octopus, have never particularly liked food with suction cups).
The entree we shared was the seafood paella, which, sadly, was not good. The seafood components were good (a pair each of scallops, shrimp, mussels, and a smallish lobster tail), but the rice was way overcooked, the consistency of wet tissue paper, and devoid of any of the spices and flavorings that it takes to make paella. At $32, it was also very expensive for a portion the size of what most restaurants would serve as an appetizer.
Overall, our limited sampling of 4 tapas plates were all very good, but the one entree was not. The tab for 4 tapas, 1 entree, and 5 glasses of wine (all of which were good, a nice selection of Spanish ones) was $107 plus tip - not exactly a bargain. Overall, I think we'll go back one more time and will stick solely to the tapas. But, for our budget, we won't go there very often, it's too expensive for what it offers (Bar Ferdinand in the city has better quality food and is a better value). I think Verdad is going to have to either lower its prices or enlarge the portions of its tapas plates (or maybe there are still enough scenesters on the Main Line that will think it's a 'happening' place to be 'seen' at and will go for it, but, not us, we just want fun food at reasonable prices). Overall, it was better in its incarnation as Carmines.
Dim Sum In Philly Chinatown
We've been dim sum addicts for decades, and have gone to pretty much every place in Chinatown. We think that Ocean City (9th Street) used to be the best dim sum in the city. We were there this weekend, and were horrified at a major change: they didn't make the dim sum on their own premises anymore (at least not this weekend)!!
The first thing we noticed was that the place was much less crowded than usual. We arrived around noon on Saturday, and were worried that we might be 'too late' since in the past it was often packed by noon. We were surprised that it was 3/4 empty. When the carts came out it all looked the same (except we noticed the selection was skimpier, fewer choices than usual). We got our usual 5 plates. Every one of them was a complete disappointment, and TOTALLY different from the Ocean City we had come to know and love for years. Every one was dried out and tough, greasy, tasting re-heated. I went to the bathroom to sneek a peek into the kitchen, and to my horror and surprise, I saw stacks of boxes of pre-made dim sums (couldn't tell if they were frozen, but probably), being loaded into steamers for re-heating! There was no sign of anything being made fresh in the kitchen.
It was such a huge disappointment. We're hoping maybe they're only doing this 'for the summer' when crowds are thinner. But then, maybe the emptiness of the place was because word had gone around Chinatown that Ocean City was now serving reheated frozen stuff. We'll go back one more time, but we're afraid that maybe the recession and short-sighted cost-cutting may have caught up with Ocean City.
A moment of silence in memorian for the previously best dim sum in the city. Oh well.... the search continues for the next best place.
Dim Sum - Ocean City - Philadelphia Chinatown
We've been dim sum addicts for decades, and have gone to pretty much every place in Chinatown. We agree that Ocean City used to be the best dim sum in the city. We were there this weekend, and were horrified at a major change: they didn't make the dim sum on their own premises anymore (at least not this weekend)!!
The first thing we noticed was that the place was much less crowded than usual. We arrived around noon on Saturday, and were worried that we might be 'too late' since in the past it was often packed by noon. We were surprised that it was 3/4 empty. When the carts came out it all looked the same (except we noticed the selection was skimpier, fewer choices than usual). We got our usual 5 plates. Every one of them was a complete disappointment, and TOTALLY different from the Ocean City we had come to know and love for years. Every one was dried out and tough, greasy, tasting re-heated. I went to the bathroom to sneek a peek into the kitchen, and to my horror and surprise, I saw stacks of boxes of pre-made dim sums (couldn't tell if they were frozen, but probably), being loaded into steamers for re-heating! There was no sign of anything being made fresh in the kitchen.
It was such a huge disappointment. We're hoping maybe they're only doing this 'for the summer' when crowds are thinner. But then, maybe the emptiness of the place was because word had gone around Chinatown that Ocean City was now serving reheated frozen stuff. We'll go back one more time, but we're afraid that maybe the recession and short-sighted cost-cutting may have caught up with Ocean City.
A moment of silence in memorian for the previously best dim sum in the city. Oh well.... the search continues for the next best place.
Two New Restaurants in Bryn Mawr
Why is it that there is no good food on main line? We've found that its better to go to local joints and save of $$ for better food downtown.
A La Maison - BYOB - Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore
We went there last week (after seeing "Julie & Julia" we were in the mood for French food, or at least, French inspired food). We had been there once before for brunch, several months ago, which was OK.
Dinner was a disappointment. For appetizers we had a basic salad which was OK, nothing bad, nothing special, and the French onion soup (of course). We love French onion soup, but this one was disappointing. It had the expected amount of nice gooey cheese on top. But, the stock was not good. The stock itself tasted like water thickened with baking powder, and the amount of onions was very skimpy.
For entrees we had trout, which was very oily and salty, tasted old, and a chicken dish which in France is simply called Poule au Pot (chicken in a pot with noodles and vegetables). We had Poule au Pot in Paris on our honeymoon, and it always has a nostalgic feeling for us. The chicken was OK, a generous portion, but I was shocked to discover that the sauce in the pot was the exact same water-thickened-with-baking-powder as the stock in the "onion" soup, and tasted the same! Clearly, the kitchen is looking to save time and cut corners and cost, but, it was noticeable.
Overall, the experience was simply "OK", but definitely not worth the $70 for two price (if it was a $25 meal at a diner we would have said that's what you get for the price, but in this case, it was a $25 dinner masquerading as a $70 one). The ambience and "feel" of the place is kind of fun, it's the closest to "French" on the Main Line suburbs. But the food is overpriced and not particularly good, and not worth the premium for the decor of some copper pots hanging on the wall. We will not be going back.
