nwinkler's Profile
Take-out for picnic in Rittenhouse Square (or other park)?
If you go the DiBruno's+Rittenhouse route, which I heartily recommend, you might consider getting your breads from Parc. They sell their fantastic baguettes right at the hostess stand.
Bottarga?
Thank, guys.
Ended up at Ippolito's, and though bottarga wasn't in stock, it is orderable. Meanwhile, Anthony set me up with some beautiful fillets of black sea bass that ended up as a very memorable tartare. Can't believe I'd never been to this place before; best fishmonger I've come across in the area.
Bottarga?
Has anyone see any bottarga (salted & dried mullet/tuna roe) around recently? I tried DiBruno Bros. but they stopped carrying it, and I don't know where else to look. Any suggestions appreciated.
Where to go for craft cocktails on a Saturday night?
Given that your dinner at Vetri is going to take a good 3 hours or more, you'll be hitting the street just as prime drinking hours are getting underway. Although my favorite craft cocktail bar is the Franklin, I fear you'll be waiting in line there. Better bet from a wait standpoint is Farmer's Cabinet, and it's the closest to Vetri to boot.
Are you a heavyweight? The path from FC to Franklin to Ranstead Room is a fun walk; you could hit all three...
Philadelphia's 4 Bell Restaurants
This is true, but fortunately the choice isn't just between aging your own wine or buying from a 4-star's cellar. Many wine auction websites make it easy to obtain aged wines for much less than what I'd have to pay at a 4-star.
Moreover, for those of us who are passionate about wine but couldn't afford the mark-ups that the 4-stars charge, it adds to our enjoyment of the BYO experience (and detracts from that of the 4-star experience) that we don't have to worry about whether we can afford the wines we'd like to drink.
Philadelphia's 4 Bell Restaurants
I admire the populist sensibility behind the new ratings, and share Laban's view that perfection in a restaurant is an equation more ephemeral than food + service + decor. But I'm afraid I agree that Laban's departure from the received meaning of fine dining is going to beget some confusion and disappointment. I adore Zahav; it's my favorite restaurant in the city. But people are going to look to the 4-bell category in search of that special-occasion place, and I don't think Zahav is this, nor is it trying to be. (I've also always noticed a weakness on desserts, a fact possible acknowledged by their absence in the 4-bell review?)
On the other hand, I don't much lament the absence of Le Bernardins and EMPs in Philly. The elaborate show of luxury at these restaurants has, in my view, more to do with flattering the sensibilities of the super-wealthy than it does with providing actual comfort. I do lament that we don't have more restaurants doing 4-star food--more Brooklyn Fares and Robertas, to continue the New York analogy.
Final thought: I wonder whether Laban's food-focused view of restaurant excellence might soon be the norm. Even the New York Times has recently challenged the received sense of fine dining, with Bruni gave 4 stars to Masa on the strength of the food alone, and Sifton giving Roberta's chef's table 3 stars "no matter the paper napkins or hard wood seats."
Food Trucks
Strangely enough, there isn't really a dedicated cheesesteak truck out there yet. Lil Dan's truck has cheesesteaks on the menu, and the Koja truck has their Korean version of a cheesesteak. Definitely worth looking into these options, but this is all that comes to mind...
Food Trucks
Though you didn't want another pizza truck, note that Pitruco (the other pizza truck besides Nomad) also does private events, and the menu includes breads and antipasti in addition to pizzas.
(Full disclosure: it's my truck; take my recommendations below with a grain of salt if you must!)
In addition to the two taco trucks mentioned above, Honest Tom's taco truck is also available for parties, though he may be tied up right now opening his sit-down place.
I'm betting you could also get the Smoke Truck (Mark Coates' awesome new BBQ truck) to do a private event.
You might also consider the Lucky Old Souls truck--excellent burgers, fries and milkshakes, everything made in house (down to the ketchup & mustard).
Finally, though they're not quite launched yet, the Strada Pasta truck will be available for private events--homemade lasagnas and pastas from a chef who trained in Italy.
Bluefin in Plymouth Meeting- What's good on the menu?
I also council against rolls, only in that the rolls at Bluefin didn't stand out to me as special (if you're all about rolls, it's not like theirs are bad, they just aren't what sets them apart). I love getting sashimi that I might not trust to get elsewhere--shrimp, scallop, makerel; whatever is on their specials menu.
And one plug above all others: try the broiled eggplant dish. Not sushi, but the best eggplant I've ever tasted, anywhere. They get the flesh the texture of custard, and create a sweet, nutty crust on top that you have to break through to spoon out the eggplant. Amazing.
Where to go?
Aha, sorry I missed that and went on a useless disquisition. Sounds like you're all set--hard to go wrong at Osteria. Enjoy!
Where to go?
I finally made it to Koo Zee Doo for the first time a few weeks ago and was very impressed. Vivid flavors, attention to detail (most notably in textures--every piece of shellfish came out remarkably tender, and the duck on the arroz con pato was perfectly medium rare), and with all the protein options, gluten-free shouldn't be a problem at all.
The only potential issue is that the portions are sized to be shared, which means that a party of two will have a hard time tasting many dishes without having to over-order. I couldn't imagine putting away more than 2 apps, 1 entree and 1 dessert between two people. If you do go, my recommended dishes (based on only one visit, of course): shrimp piri piri (very spicy), chicken gizzards, arroz con pato, any of the salads. We didn't try the pork & clams, though I've heard consistently good things about it.
And if hearty Portuguese doesn't end up being your thing, maybe Fish? Or Pumpkin, with their newish chef? Or Fork?
Wine pairing?
I think that all of the Garces restaurants do a roughly $65 tasting menu with wine pairings available in the area of $45. I've done these at Amada and Tinto without major regrets--the wine program at Tinto is pretty exciting, with its focus on Basque wines, though the young sommelier the evening we were there was wholly uninterested in engaging us about the wines--just wanted to pour them and get on with it.
BEST fast food experience I ever had. I give it five out of five waffle fries.
This... is awesome.
Moving to City Ave Area
You aren't too far at all from Weaver's Way, a terrific co-op. You have two locations to choose from: the original location in Mt. Airy, which is closest to you--it's small and cramped but packed with goods, and here you'd need to become a member to shop; and the new Chestnut Hill location--bigger, and doesn't require a membership, but prices are a tad higher without one.
Lacroix Brunch Anxiety
Good point--this was Easter Sunday and they were open later than usual; we had a 3pm table or thereabouts, I think.
Lacroix Brunch Anxiety
Having just been recently and made the very mistakes you fear making, here is my advice:
Do not dwell on the raw bar. I went through two rounds of oysters, caviar and shrimp cocktail to start of the meal, and the truth is it wasn't worth it. Though those shrimp were amazingly tender, the oysters had all been shucked long ago and given up their liquor, and none of the caviars were memorable.
Do a round at the cold station (right as you enter). Many memorable bites were had here, including that old bay macaron, and I was particularly impressed by their execution on salads--they were all great.
Don't miss their homemade charcuterie, and don't miss the homemade pickles and mustards that go with them.
Take note of how long things seem to have been sitting under the heat lamp. A subtle parmesan-truffle-egg custard that I was very excited about had been cooked to hell by the lights. Certain meats also looked passed their prime, though my lamb chop was perfectly cooked.
Spend sufficient time in the hot side dish area--many memorable tastes here. I loved the roasted wild mushrooms and the bananas with barley and cream--sounds nuts, totally delicious.
Save room for dessert! And, ideally, try every one--they are sinfully rich, and awesome.
I regret that I was too full for the chocolate fountain and liquid nitrogen station; will have to save those for anther visit.
Have fun!
Rod Dee Porter Square: Progress?
Just thought I'd toss in another data point.
I visited two days ago, motivated entirely by the translated Thai menu above, and left very pleased. This was Thai food unlike any I've had in the area, reminiscent of my only other experience with these sorts of dishes, at Sripraphai in Queens.
We had the boat noodle soup with beef. Explosively flavorful, spicy (but only just so), accessorized with all manner of loud condiments--it tasted like Pho meets mole.
But more to the point. When I tried to order Yum Naam Khao Tod (what eventually came as a salad of chinese sausage and fried rice ball), the young guy who was taking my order looked at me like he had no idea what I was talking about. He pronounced my written phonetic translation to himself a few times and declared they served no such thing. Then an older woman came over and interceded. They do serve it, as it happens, and she was very pleased to find me doing so. She asked whether a Thai person had sent me, and confirmed that I wanted the dish spicy.
Well it was. I counted three different kinds of chili in the dish--fresh bird chilies, dried toasted (bird?) chilies, and a chili flake-based sauce loaded with seeds. It was very, very spicy, and fantastic. There were little bits of ginger, red onion, fried shallot, lemongrass, cilantro stem, peanuts, mint, and who knows what else. And it was really spicy.
So just saying: maybe the complaints registered on this board have gotten through to them, and they'll now actually cook spicy for food for a gringo?
Meme
I've also enjoyed the foie gras terrine. Very straightforward preparation, and a sizable piece for the price. If you're in the mood for that sort of thing.
Sbraga cooking at Blackfish
I was thinking that a light, acidic red would play well with the savory components of that dish--chicken jus, lobster, tomato--plus turbot is a pretty meaty fish. But I do concede that it's a bit of a risk...
Need suggestions for Center City/U City dinner tonight and rather specific requirements??
I'll suggest Nan, knowing that it's probably not quite the right fit to your parameters. But it's quiet, nice, and good in a very classic french way. Prices aren't quite ~$15/entree, but several entrees are just under $20 an several just over, and they are big enough that you wouldn't necessarily need to order appetizers. Just throwing that out there.
Sbraga cooking at Blackfish
I think these are great recommendations. Given the richness in each of the dishes, I think I would like to drink rather acidic wines throughout. I could see one bottle straddling the first two courses--either a sparkling wine, or something else with acid and body, like an Alsatian riesling, Austrian gruner veltliner, or a Vouvray--and another bottle the next two courses--maybe a light-bodied, lower alcohol pinot noir, something from Austria, or a young Bordeaux.
Dinner at James
I am with you that Philly respects quality, and I'm still banking on a place like Speck, RIP, making it here (ideally hemled by Shola!). And I agree that location plagued James, though I do think it's instructive that Bibou has been such a success. It's smaller, it's got lower overhead as a BYO, but it's also cheaper. Interesting to wonder whether James would have made it on Passyunk, or NoLibs, or even the newly invigorated 9th St. corridor.
About Boston, I was thinking of places with check averages well past, say, $65/person, of which there are tons. But even at the way higher end, I think Boston still outnumbers us. And perhaps most tellingly, they've seen high-end openings in just the last few years that have been ridiculously successful (O-Ya, Menton). Maybe Philly could support such places, but it seems like no one in the business is taking that gamble right now.
Dinner at James
Good to hear that your experience was so similar. I should add that there were a few things that really did rock my world (the foie gras dish described by the OP and this amazing "bread rillettes" served with cauliflower), but not enough of them to make me feel good about how much money I spent on dinner. I'm also wishing them the best in their new venture.
Dinner at James
Both very fair points, and I should have provided more context to begin with. You're certainly right that there's no failure in five years of business; my sense that there's sadness in James' closing came from the tone Burke struck in interviews (mealticket in particular) and was confirmed in a chat with a bartender there, who cast the move as being all about finances and the need to increase foot traffic. He also confirmed that whatever restaurant opens in Center City, it's not going to be another James--lower price point, more pasta-focused (which I take to mean less fussy and rarefied).
My Boston comment was not meant to be in praise of their dining scene--from my experience with it, there's more frivolous throwing around of money than here (in general, their restaurants are less interesting but more expensive). But I guess I also do think that Philly bats under its weight class at the upper end of the dining spectrum. Even though, as you point out, there's loads of money in the metro area, our dining scene isn't harnessing it as much as a town like Boston, which has more "fancy" restaurants per capita than here. For the most part, I think this is a good thing--I like that Philly's strengths are in affordable and casual restaurants, since that's almost always the sort of place I like to eat at. But I do wish there were more destination restaurants here, and I take James' demise as a sign that this is a tough town to succeed at rarified (and hence expensive) cooking. I guess I see how this could seem weird in light of my not having liked my meal there all that much; maybe instead their closing is a testament to the quality of palates in the Philly region.
Dinner at James
Funny—I was just about to post a James review myself. Hope you don’t mind me tacking my comments on to yours! I had a somewhat complicated response to the meal, so please pardon my rambling.
I finally made it to James last weekend, spurred by the news of their imminent closing. It really is a shame that they aren’t making it; there are so many things James does right, and it will be sad to lose a space so committed to the fundamentals. Ultimately, though, I left thinking that I wouldn’t return were they to remain open. I just didn’t think the quality of the experience justified the high cost.
It’s not that I don’t appreciate just how much they’re doing. The service, for instance: it was terrific. These guys know how to pour wine, they fold your napkin when you leave for the restroom, and most important, they’re kind, patient, knowledgeable. And, of course, there is the beautiful space; they’ve done about as much with the room as you can do. And the silver is elegant, the stemware is totally bling. I notice and value these things, and recognize that they come at a cost, and I am perfectly ready to shell out $100+ on a special-occasion dinner.
But the food has got to blow me away at that cost, and the food at James didn’t quite. No doubt, care and attention to detail are clearly in this kitchen’s DNA. Everything we tasted was perfectly cooked—veal was a rosy medium rare, fish was succulent, the moist meat in the suckling pig was topped with shatteringly crisp skin, and across the board the knifework was precise and plating was attractive. But in general we found the flavors to be quite subtle, sometimes odd, and even bland. The absolutely beautiful fish in the crudo dish was plagued by a lack of salt, which unbalanced the too-tart vinaigrette that accompanied it. The veal and pork dishes likewise registered as unfortunately bland—their sides and sauces didn’t carry much weight on their own. There also seemed to be a recurring presence of bitter notes in dishes, like in the veal pan sauce, the foie gras cookie, and the sunchoke soup. This gave them a complexity and novelty, but the complexity didn’t immediately register as a good thing—we often had to ask ourselves, “is this delicious?” Sometimes the answer was yes (that foie dish was pretty brilliant), but sometimes it was no. Desserts and cocktails likewise: complex flavors, but not necessarily delicious (in fact we didn’t like our cocktails at all, and felt pretty ripped off at $14 a pop). I should add that the pastas were uniformly fantastic, but also unlike the rest of the food—they were salty, fatty, and easy to like; that nettle dish--wow.
Bottom line for me is that I really wish Philly could sustain this restaurant (a wealthier city like Boston no doubt could), but I wish even more that James were just a bit better at generating the vivid, unforgettable flavors that justify this price point. And perhaps there’s a silver lining in their closing: it sounds like their next planned restaurant will concentrate and expand on what I liked best about James, like those crave-worthy pastas.
Montreal Smoked Meat
I think I'll petition the folk at Spread Bagelry, whenever they finally open, to add smoked meat to their roster of Montreal-style bagels. That could be a devastating combination.
Awesome Korean in Philly?
Do you have a car? If so, it sounds like you definitely want to be in Koreatown. If you like barbecue, Kim's is one of those rare places that grills on hardwood charcoal instead of gas, and it makes a subtle but not trivial difference.
While up there, you should stop by the H-Mart, which I would guess is your best bet for those tentacles.
One meal in Philadelphia
Here are my two cents:
My single favorite meal when price is not option: vetri, vetri, vetri.
If, for whatever reason, that doesn't work out, Osteria is another solid option; it's Vetri light (you might call and see if they'll put a tasting menu together for you, if you're into that).
Among chef-focused BYOs, Bibou is probably the best; they will do a 7-course tasting menu for you, and their stemware is great if you'll be bring anything nice. A second pick in this category is Pumpkin; thoughtful, modern cooking at very reasonable prices. Good food and good wine can be had at Fork, and for even cheaper at Meme. Finally, though I haven't been, there's James: some foodies seem to consider it some of the best cooking in the city (it's certainly much lauded, James Beard and such), and they're closing soon, so now's the time to go.
Village Whiskey for lunch: good call.
Coming to Philly for one night from NYC and want to eat something/somewhere awesome
I wasn't a huge Matyson fan after my one visit--nothing wowed us, though nothing was bad (I should mention, though, that I developed the flu that night and threw up in the dining room; my judgment is not to be trusted).
On another note--has Meme come up yet? It seems to offer the perfect compromise: very solid, simple food and a cosy BYO vibe, but also a killer little wine list.
Recommendation for a work dinner near the Westin at Liberty Place
That's ridiculous.
Is there anywhere to get a fair-priced glass of scotch in this city? Or a glass of wine? I can't handle the mark-ups that have become so commonplace at our trendy restaurants.
