crispycar's Profile
Charcuterie ?
Rieker's Meats at Rhawn and Oxford in the Great Northeast makes a nice variety of German charcuterie. I love their liverwursts, head cheese, blutwursts and such. The liverwurst is creamy and almost spreadable once you get it out of the casing. I think that they make thier own hot dogs as well.
Suckling PIg
Cannuli Brothers House of Pork on 9th St. 215-922-2988 in the Italian Market. Jules Esposito Porchetta is not on 9th St. but it is still in the Italian Market Area at 1627 S. 10th St. Phila. PA phone #215-271-8418. Both of these stores sell suckling pigs already cooked but they will sell you a raw one as well. Good luck and send pictures!
Zahav Review
Thanks for reeling me in a little Buckethead. Maybe I was a little harsh. But I was definitely surprised to see my tuna both cubed and well done. Either my server didn't mention the skewer part or I didn't hear it. But no temperature was requested from the server and I assumed that it would be MR or M. Not the worst meal ever but, at least on the night I was there, not top twenty in the U.S. And I did see David check in on Ansill as we were leaving but he was not "manning the range" on that Monday night. I am sure that he deserves a night off and he should feel good about leaving the restaurant in his sous chef's hands. She is top notch!
Zahav Review
I had much better food for almost half the price at Ansill last Monday. And the chef there knows where to find the salt and the pepper! She made a better dish with pasta and squid than anything I ate at Zahav in three courses!
Zahav Review
Count me in. Tell the chef that Israeli food should be full of flavor. I would guess that the three courses that the wife and I ate there contained NO salt or pepper, let alone anything close to "exotic" seasoning. Too much money for too little food and too much mediocrity. I spent the whole night thinking "how did this place earn a spot on the list of hottest restaurants in the country?" Why did they cut my tuna up into cubes and then grill it? Naturally it was overcooked. I can only fathom that the cubing was done to mask the fact that they are not serving never frozen, ungassed, #1 yellowfin tuna loins. And the portion was MAYBE 6 oz.!? Even if they bought sushi grade tuna for $14.00/pound that price is high for 5 or 6 oz. AND they served it with cold mashed potatoes. I don't mean that the potatoes were not hot, they were out of the fridge cold! Disappointing.
Parc Restaurant Chef Dominique Filoni Gone!
Don't worry. Chef Matt has been there from the beginning and he will take good care of you!
Alison Two (Fort Washington) - Anyone try it yet?
In response to the comment from christie21 about so many people having such different experiences I would like to offer that while it is awesome to be able to say that you ate at the "newest" or "hottest" spots, it is often many months before a team of cooks can come together and "gel." I find it promising that many people have had such positive experiences so early on. That points to the underlying talent of the employees that will soon overcome opening jitters. I often feel that we as hounds are unfair to new restaurants by judging so early on only one visit. The best restaurants are the ones that correct common mistakes early and move onto greatness.
Where do you get your Thanksgiving Turkey?
Palmer's turkey farm in Camden/Wyoming, Delaware. It is a long drive, but you can't beat locally grown and fresh killed. Call ahead.
Craig LaBan's Da Vinci review...ouch!
What was that chef thinking? I bet that today he is thinking that he sould have lost the $20.00 cost of a replacement veal chop! I would further bet that he will not be spending much time in the dining room in the near future. LaBan summed it up when he said that the chef was on cruise control. That's when accidents happen in restaurants.
Per Se Awesome!
Thanks for all of the great conversation. To respond to di82, we were a party of four and when we first sat down we were asked if we would like the tasting menu. Our reply was simple, "we are in the chef's hands tonight." The next query was whether we had any dietary restrictions. Our reply was no. We were then treated to gougeres, salmon coronets, chilled sunchoke soup, oysters and pearls, truffle egg custard, "smoke" (pork belly with cherry compote), sea bass with radish, foie gras gateau with oatmeal and maple, scallop, duck, veal sirloin, caprese salad (the server heard us say that we were from Philly and they had some artisanal buffalo mozz from DiBrunos!), dessert course one, coffee and doughnuts, and then dessert course three. By now we were sure that they were trying to kill us and then arrived what the menu called mignardises consisting of about 24 different flavors of filled chocolates, three kinds of truffles, caramels, taffy, chocolate covered filberts and torrone (nouget candy.) I honestly did not look around to see what the other folks were enjoying and this was my first time there. I did feel like they were enjoying it as much as we were and I hope that they treat everyone this way.
Per Se Awesome!
I was searching the board for some recent info on Per Se and I did not see much. I want everyone to know that I dined there last night and it was the best meal I have ever eaten. From the moment that we arrived until the moment that we left we were made to feel like family. The service staff was flawless through the 14 course tasting menu ( that actually turned out to be more like 16 or 17! ) Every detail was attended to. The food was spectacular. If there is a better way to eat an egg than in the dish of "white truffle oil-infused custard, " I haven't eaten it! Yes they are expensive for an American restaurant but they are at the top of their game. Better than Jean-Georges, Gordon Ramsay and Daniel. Everything was above and beyond but the service staff are better trained than anywhere else I have ever eaten.
burgers in Philly
How about Monk's? I will admit that it has been a few years since i was there, but their burger made a lasting impression on me. Besides, all of that wonderful beer only enhances the burger experience!
Northeast Philly Breakfast
I have had great "Jewish Deli" type breakfasts at Steve Stein's Famous Deli in Krewstown Shopping center in Krewstown Rd. near Grant Ave. I have eaten the smoked whitefish salad and bagel platter and found it to be great.
Difference Between Gelato and Ice Cream? [Split from Pennsylvania board]
[Split from http://www.chowhound.com/topics/527485]
Phil,
Gelato has less air than ice cream. It is therefore denser. More flavor and less air per mouthful. Those Italians sure know food!
looking for phila cooking classes
Rabidog,
The restaurant business is BRUTAL. Before changing careers, perhaps it is best to work in a BUSY restaurant for a few weeks. This business can really stress your relationships, your health and your sanity. If you decide to cross over, many local community colleges have culinary programs considered to be excellent that allow you to study part-time and work full time. Philadelphia and Bucks County Community Colleges are very well respected as is Atlantic County Community College. Good luck!
Grass-fed beef
Demand is low for grass fed beef because it lacks the body and flavor of grain finished (traditioanl) beef. Remember that most beef is grass raised and only finished on grain at the feed lots.
Fish Grill in NE Philly-Simple Turkish BYOB
I have to agree. My wife and I have been there three times now and have not been disappointed. The owner makes you feel like family and the food is unfussed and clean. I only wish that there were more restaurants like this in the Greater Northeast!
Diners in the Philly area
Try the Golden Dawn on New Falls Road in Levittown. It has that tacky old diner feel and the food is much better than anything by Michael's.
whitefish salad/ne side of Philly
Steve Stein's Famous Deli in Krewstown Shopping center @ Grant Ave. and Krewstown Rd. He makes his own and if he is there he will make you feel like family. There is a bagel store in the same shopping center called South Philly Bagels. This little gem of a shopping center also has a newish supermarket called Apple Farmers Market which caters to the growing population of Latino and Eastern European immigrants in the neighborhood and a Russian restaurant, Pirismoni. I have not tried Pirismoni, yet.
Real Farms Near Philly
Thank you all for all of the great tips. I will be seeking them out this weekend. I was in Kennett Square yesterday and I went to Talulah's table. Not much fresh produce, but they have an awesome selection of cheeses and they make their own pasta! Who does that anymore. I highly recommend them. I ate preserved lemon chicken and their gratin potatoes are "to die for."
Real Farms Near Philly
I recently returned to Philly after a year and a half in Lower Slower Delaware. There I fell in love with a small working farm by the name of Filasky's run by John and Cindy Filasky. They have the best corn and tomatoes anywhere and they carry things grown by other local farmers in Delaware and Maryland. John knows everything about what he sells and is very approachable. I want to find a similar treasure in or around Philly. Any suggestions? I hit the Greensgrow farm in Kensington and it is awesome for an urban farm, but they only sell two days per week. I would appreciate any help. Thanks!
