neener41's Profile
You're at John's Roast Pork and It's Empty...What do you order?
Hands down the best cheesesteak in the city!
What "New" Places are you planning on going to?
I've been wanting to try Fathom and The Farm and the Fisherman as well. If you go to Supper, get the duck and waffles! Duck confit with waffles, a maple bourbon syrup with pecans, and braised cabbage. Need I say more.
Sbraga cooking at Blackfish
No we weren't asked how we like the temperature on our meat, but it's normally cooked medium rare at most places. Ours were all rare. Honestly I just wished it had been cooked a little more but the flavors were excellent. I also wasn't too surprised that he had changed a few things on the menu beforehand. It happens all the time. If his restaurant is as good as that meal, I'll be there every night!
Sbraga cooking at Blackfish
The dinner was excellent.
The beet gazpacho was served with a goat cheese sorbet and topped with brioche breadcrumbs.
I'm still dreaming about the goat cheese sorbet.
The next course of asparagus, morels, favas, and a poached egg were all tossed in a lovely sauce with a little truffle oil. My only complaint is that I wanted more morels!! We all needed a piece of bread to lap up the delicious sauce.
The next course was steamed halibut with artichoke, tomato confit, and chicken jus. All the flavors were great, but two of us had overcooked fish.
Instead of the lamb belly it was actually the rack. It was served with a tandoori sauce. It was excellent but our lamb was undercooked. I love medium rare but this was definitely rare.
Dessert was good as well. A large warm madeline with jam and a fromage blanc sorbet that was out of this world.
Overall it was a really fantastic dinner and I can't wait for him to open his own place!
Where's your "regular" spot?
I have to say I was disappointed with Olce. I don't know what he does with the dough but it tastes like chlorine. My go to spots lately have been Cantina Feliz, El Limon, Majolica, and Blue Fin. I usually try new places all the time, but these are the few that I keep going back to.
Special restaurant within 20 minutes of Blue Bell?
Honestly if you want good mexican I would go to Cantina Feliz over El Sarape. I was there last week and it was phenominal. Spent less money for great food.
R.I.P. Deeg's
I was quite upset about Deeg's. The best corned beef hash ever!!! It was always my first choice for breakfast. So sad because there really isn't anything in the area that's good. I'm gonna try the BBQ place but the food better be excellent otherwise they don't stand a chance. I still can't believe Ava's is still open.
Rehearsal Dinner spot Conshy, Phoenixville, Skippack, Ambler, Collegeville...? experiences anyone?
I would suggest Majolica in Phoenixville. You might have to buy out the restaurant for the night but the food is worth it! The Parc Bistro isn't too bad either. It's probably the best for food in skippack.
Ava's Place in Fairview Village
I recently tried Ava's for breakfast. It was probably one of the worst breakfasts I've had in awhile. I will never go back. It's a shame. I can imagine their walk in is filled with packaged food. I don't think much of it is very fresh. Skip this place all together. Deeg's and The Fairview Cafe are much better. Haven't tried Keystone yet, but I'll definitely give it a shot.
Nine-Ten
I absolutely love Nine-Ten. It's one of my favorite places. They're tasting menu is usually pretty good. I always liked any risotto they did. The pork belly is great. I love the lamb. Their cheese plate is always good. I've never had a bad meal there. I live on the east coast now so I'm completely jealous. Have a great time!
Wegman's in Collegeville
Sorry to get your hopes up juju but I meant Whole Foods in Plymouth Meeting. It's ridiculously expensive but they usually have a better cheese selection. I do like their fish selections as well. There's a couple specialty items that I thought Wegman's would have but they didn't. I also have to agree that the person cutting the Parmesan wheel is a bit much, but I couldn't be more thrilled with the place. The staff was really nice. I think they have a better selection than all the grocery stores combined.
What to eat around Torrey Pines
I would go to A.R. Valentien in the Lodge at Torrey Pines. The burger is awesome! I also love their lunch menu. It's always consistently good.
Wegman's in Collegeville
I gotta say for the area it's a real step up. They have a pretty good cheese section. So I was happy. I think they have a nice vegetarian and vegan section. I do think that whole foods is much better. I really can't wait for the one in plymouth meeting to open!
Fond in Philadelphia
I just went to Fond last night and it was fabulous! Very small,cosy place. The amuse bouche that evening was a mushroom soup with truffle oil. Then for our starters we got the asparagus, the chicken liver mousse, butternut squash ravioli, and the veal sweetbreads. I thought all of them were outstanding. My only criticism is that the ravioli needed a little more filling. For our entrees, we got the monkfish, beef loin, and the pork belly. Again all of them were very good but I thought the pork belly was absolutely delicious. Perfectly cooked. I'm still thinking about it. We all shared a dessert. It was one of their specials. Chocolate and peanut butter ganache with a scoop of chocolate ice cream and a peanut brittle. It was a perfect way to end the meal, along with their french pressed coffee. Service was good. All in all, it was a great experience! I will definitely be back.
Majolica
I gotta say I've been to Majolica several times and it has been fantastic every time. Very simple refined food for a good price. The atmosphere and service is great!
Any new sugguestions for San Diego?
Wow you guys are brutal! First off I wouldn't be caught dead at the cheescake factory. It makes me nauseous just thinking about it. I was a regular at Jayne's when they first opened. Loved that place. I'm interested in trying the Farmhouse burger. Everyone seems to rave about it. Thanks for the other options I'll check them out.
Any new sugguestions for San Diego?
Relax people! El Indio has sentimental value. Let's move on. What else do you have for me?
Any new sugguestions for San Diego?
I'm headed back to my old stomping grounds next week and I would love to hear about some new places to go. I will be hitting up my usuals...Cafe Chloe, AR Valentien, El Indio, Sushi Ota, Mama's Bakery. As you can see I love everything so input for cheap to expensive would be greatly appreciated!
BEST BURGERS IN SAN DIEGO
I think AR Valentien has one of the best burgers!! It's in The Lodge at Torrey Pines. Have one on their deck overlooking the golf course and the ocean with a cold beer. What could be better? I love Rocky's too. Hodad's are good but barely have any meat on it. Let me know what you think
Phoenixville
Just went to the Black Lab for dinner. Awful. What a wasted of money. Great service but the food was not good. Won't go back. I kept looking over at Majolica wishing they didn't have a private party that night.
Skippack
First off, Hotel Fiesole's food is ok but not great. It's extremely overpriced for what you get. Skippack as a whole needs an overhaul. Every place has mediocre food at best. I go to Majolica in Phoenixville. That place is a great byob. 25 bucks for a three course meal. The food is ten times better than the hotel for a quarter of the price. Definitely worth skipping skippack
focaccia in SD
If you go early sometimes Bread and Cie will sell you some. You can also call and special order the foccacia.
Need some direction Philly/Montgomery/Bucks Co. PA
I agree with most of the replies. Best sushi is definitely Blue Fin. I like Taqueria la Michoucana on Main St. I usually do Abacus for chinese. I would go to Majolica in Phoenixville for a fantastic meal. 3 course prix fixed for 25 bucks. I haven't been dissapointed yet. I think that most of the places in skippack are overpriced. Went to the hotel recently and spent too much money for a sub par meal. Not worth it. For a good hoagie I like to go to Taluto's. Padrino's has good pizza and cheesesteaks. Osteria on Germantown Pike has pretty good italian. They have some good specials at the bar during the week.
Willow Creek Orchards
I used to live in San Diego so I was used to going to the organic farms out there. I now live less than a mile from willow creek and I love it! I go every week. Great little spot.
Worst of San Diego and Most Over-rated
I love Nine Ten. Best meal I've had all year.
ARValentien (SD) named in US top ten
I've always loved AR Valentien. It's one of my favorite places to go when I'm in town for a visit( I live in Philly). Fantastic fresh local ingredients. Great service. Ask for Rachel the next time you're there. She's a great server.
Must eats: first visit to San Diego
For a pretty good cheap burger I would go to The Waterfront. Definitely Cafe Chloe. Get their mac and cheese. Ridiculous. Ciro's pizza is pretty good. I would go to El Indio for some good mexican. I also like Mama's Bakery for good lebanese. Love their falafel
Oh No - Majolica is closing on Sat!
Just got back from dinner at Majolica. It was fantastic. Better than the last time I had dinner there before it closed. The $25 prix fixed is a great deal. It was a white corn soup with creole butter and popcorn. It was very good. Then half smoked chicken with broccoli rabe and parmesan gnocchi. Delicious. Dessert was a fennel pannacotta with strawberries and balsamic. It would have been excellent if the strawberries were sweeter. Maybe in a month. I had the soft shell crab app. with heirloom tomatoes. The tomatoes were so sweet considering it's so early in the season. However I only got half the crab. Dissapointing but delicious. For my entree, I had the lamb loin. It had athis crust of black trumpet mushrooms and rosemary. It was absolutely fabulous. I couldn't stop eating it. It was served with green garlic risotto and shitake mushrooms. The risotto was good. It was had a little too much green garlic, but it was still tasty. I have to say the amuse bouche and intermezzo were ridiculous!! Bouche was a slice of sea bass belly with toasted sesame seed and orange oil. Lovely! Light! I could've eaten a whole plate. The intermezzo stole the show. Cantaloupe sorbet with cinnamon oil and a piece of crispy proscuitto. Oh my goodness. The perfect balance of sweet, savory, and spice. Perfect. I will definitely go back and so should everyone else. It's a steal considering the price.
best restaurant in san diego?
I would have to say my favs are AR Valentien, Nine Ten, Molly's, and Blanca for fine dining. I do think that Blanca is a bit more expensive than the others, but not by much. I really liked Region when it first opened but I ate there right before it closed and was dissapointed. I know that their chef de cuisine just opened a place on University Ave. in Hillcrest. I heard it was really great and I can't wait to go try it. The name is slipping my mind right now. I will get back to you all when I find out.
