Pheebee's Profile
Looking for GOOD Thai, in Bucks Co. area
absolutely, however, the take out is not as good as eating there.
Romantic Dinner in the burbs
Augusto in Warminster close to Warrington off of Street Road on ...Madison I think? It's a BYOB, delicious. I agree with Honey too.
Saigon @ Main open at last!!!!
Ate at Saigon Main the other day (dinner). Great decor for a VN restaurant, however, I find the food bland. We had the house appetizer and the bun bo hue. Will try it again and see if it improves, but I can see that the location works for a lot of people who used to drive to Telford to VN Cafe. I still think VN Cafe is worth the drive. Saigon Main has a larger menu, more variety but for Viet, you only need to make good pho, vermicelli bowls, broken rice and appetizers--it can't be that hard. Anyhow, I just love that so many people are loving Viet food nowadays. It's so yummy (although I'm biased since I was born into a Viet household) .
Looking for GOOD Thai, in Bucks Co. area
It's horrible that we don't have good Thai to rave about. The only place around this area my family likes is Chiang Mai in Conshohocken. In Philly, we like Cafe de Laos which is Thai mixture/Laos--I love the interior too.
On special occasions, we head to New Jersey to Somerville, Chao Praya, Origin. Huntington Valley has White Elephant, not bad, better than the Thai in Bucks. Although White Elephant has food on the sweet side, you'll need some extra lime to balance it out.
Vietnamese restaurant recommendation with at least 1 or 2 veg options?
When you say no fish, does that mean no fish sauce too? Many of the dishes have fish sauce. :(
I third cafe de Laos. And you have to hit up Nam Phuong on Washington. VN Cafe on 47th has great vegetarian options. The fried vegetarian egg rolls have a dipping sauce that has fish sauce. We Vietnamese put fish sauce in everything. It sounds not so good, but when cooked, or simmered or blended with other ingredients, the flavors can vary widely (but delicious.)
Doylestown/Fountainville
KNIGHT HOUSE, DOYLESTOWN- Husband and I got a gift certificate and finally used it last weekend. We won't be back here anytime soon. It wasn't HORRIBLE, it was just...not worth the money-expensive and you can make these dishes at home. We both shared the tuna tartare--this was decent!-not bad-small portion but surprisingly good. The wedge salad? Forget it, the dressing had no flavor, not a lot of bacon and the lettuce was watery. ew. I got surf and turf. the filet was sort of dry which is hard to believe since we order med.rare all the time--it just wasn't juicy. The crab cake was all filler...I would have prefered to have a smaller crabcake with more crab then to have a huge hunk of crab patty plus globs of roumelade (sp) sauce on top. we also got the seafood trio (hey, we had a big gift certificate to use up) it came with salmon, tuna, 1 oyster and the same crab cake. The salmon was steamed with DRY herbs on top of it! It was rubbery and had no flavor and no sauce. The tuna was grilled but was chewy and WELLDONE! Not a bit of pink...tuna is supposed to be med.rare unless specified, either way it had no flavor. Overall the entrees were not good and if it weren't for the gift we would not have chosen this place. We would have gone to Honey! By the way, the baguette was yum. The hostess was an older woman who looked angry and didn't crack a smile (we noticed that she did this to others so it wasn't just us!). It's a shame the food is not good because the location is adorable and the building has so much character--also, they have a decent wine list!
Afghan kabob place in Horsham
I love love love Yalda Grill! We've had all of the kabob options...Our favorite is the lamb. If you're looking to the right of the menu...the meatballs are out of this world...not your typical spaghetti and meatballs, okay? It's a byob which is always a plus. The place does turn into a hookah bar around 9, however, we've never made it. The owner, Moe and his son are super friendly and are there all the time. Moe is very accommodating and if you're looking to have a large dinner party (like us) we had ours in that room on the other side and it was wonderful! Our friends said the food was so different but delicious. We asked him to make some stuff not on the menu for it and it turned out to be fantastic! He made a special spicy garlic hummus, eggplant, and more...definitely must try if you haven't yet!
Bridal Shower-Bucks County
My bridal shower was in Bucks County, Warrington, PA off of 611 at Villa Barolo. I think it's mostly Italian but they have lots of great things on the menu. My MOH created the menu and we were in a small intimate room, it had a lot of character and was very cozy and warm. The dishes she picked were absolutely delicious. Everyone said it was a good amount of food and yummy. The staff were friendly and I think they were very negotiable with pricing and very accommodating when it came to the menu. We had ours in October of 2008 and it was the perfect place on a Sunday afternoon. I've been here for dinner and it's okay for food in the suburbs...I think they are the kind of place that does better on lunches. Good luck!
Little Saigon Adventure (long w/ pics) - Pho Tau Bay, Trieu Chau, Pho 79, Brodard
Hi there, my husband and I are visiting California tomorrow for the first time. We've been lurking and searching the forums from San Francisco to the OC to San Diego and this thread is EXTREMELY helpful as we've heard the vietnamese is the best in Westminster. We are so excited to visit. Our favorite is Bun Bo Hue so we will hit up Bun Bo Hue So 1. We'll get to Pho Tau Bay too. We'll get back to you on our Vietnamese adventure! Thank you so much for writing about the restaurants!!!!!
Any recent visits to Blackfish?
My fiance and I went here on Saturday and we really regretted it! We had the same two dishes someone else on here said they shared with his/her significant other: the surf and turf--shortribs and scallops and the bouillabaisse. Both were the most disappointing meals we had in a long time...so here is what we thought...
Surf and Turf: the shortrib had no flavor whatsoever, it just tasted "meaty" the sauce that covered the outside was "gooey" almost had like a burnt wine aftertaste to it...strange right? that's what we thought. The scallops were overcooked, not done right but the potato-mash they were sitting on was good.
Bouillabaisse: One of the worst choices that night. The broth was warm--seemed as if it was sitting. The broth was bland-what kind of broth did the chef use?--fish bones? chicken? There was no sweetness--and I feel as if they must have left out the saffron as it was just plain bland. The crouton was the best part of this dish.
Foie Gras with nectarine: Very disappointing foie gras-it came to us warm as it was pan seared but it was "over" seared as the outer layer had a bitter taste. It was melted--on top of one small round petit toast with 3 tiny slices of nectarine. Again, not enough flavor or sweetness to balance the dish.
The creme brulee: was fantastic...plain vanilla creme brulee and the coffee was strong and enjoyable.
Ambiance was wonderful...noisey but seemed very laid back. Service was ok but when we told the server our bouillebaisse was luke warm and "ok" it's not good at all...she said "oh that's a shame! everyone else likes it so that's the first I've heard of this"....I'd like to add that it was so awful we didn't eat it AT ALL. We left 5 full mussels 2 clams, the filet of fish--there was 1 shrimp and I ate that...I mean the dish was full. Now I don't ask to have things taken off checks but we felt it was unfair for us to pay for that dish....
Anyways, we'll never go back...if we are in that area we would rather go to the byo across the street for Thai.
And yes, we left hungry--by the time we finished our wonderful red Magnificat (Franciscan) Chiang Mai was closed and we wished it were open....
Our meal came to about $118 including an 18% tip (i've been a server and couldn't give less). So if you try it..good luck.
Cambodian Restaurant in Philadelphia
If you want the real deal and don't mind that they make your food right there in front of you (and you eat it on the grass somewhere) Check out FDR park on Sundays. There is a large Cambodian population there in the summer. They are very laid back and approachable--Everyone is selling Cambodian goodies. BokLaHong (papaya salad) and grilled wings, beef, chicken. They also make sticky rice yum. Once it starts getting cold they close up.
Memorial Day Weekend in MSP-5 days
We love Minneapolis! I will try to be detailed but there is sooo much to report! If you want more specific details let me know but I will do my best below...
Places we visited:
Jun Bo
Jasmine Deli
Quang
Pho 79
Mai Village
Chambers Kitchen
112 Eatery
Chino Latino
Lucia's Wine Bar
Cue at the Guthrie
Hell's Kitchen
Crepe Stand
ASIAN-------> Some of the most wonderful S.east Asian cuisine we have had! We had Dim Sum at Jun Bo and Mai Village. MV was the most beautiful decor I have seen at a VIETNAMESE restaurant. The Dim Sum was much more fresh than JB. We had the same at both: braised chicken feet, braised spare ribs, beef stomach, tripe. And they were DELICIOUS. Also had the sticky rice, wide noodles with shrimp and porridge with 1000year old egg and pork.
The service in all the above restaurants is beyond wonderful. Everyone is helpful, patient, friendly and aim to please.--Unlike what I am used to here. It was nice to not be rushed esp. during dim sum.
The banh mi at Jasmine Deli was crispy, light, airy, exactly how I remember it in Vietnam. The filling was a little on the light side, not that they are supposed to be stuffed but a bit more meet would have been great. Still, banh mi in MSP rocks! The best ones I have had.
Pho at Pho79-broth was wonderful, aromatic-as it should be. meat could have been sliced thinner, still yummy. che trai cay was AWESOME, the only restaurant I have been to that has this!
Quang had friendly service and a vast menu. The only thing I did not like was the nuoc mam (fish sauce)....it was off balance with the fishy-ness and sour and sweet...something...and in many dishes, the fish sauce makes the dish, so when this is not made right it takes away from the dish. We would definitely give it another shot.
Chambers Kitchen
112 Eatery
Chino Latino-hip, happenin', great happy hour specials!
Lucia's Wine Bar-cheese selection was not so great but for a wine bar, I expected a bit more...
Cue at the Guthrie-:(
Wine in MSP is ridiculous! We did not realize how high the markup was! We feel for you...regardless, we were here for a good time so we had wine which cost us an arm and a leg. Chambers Kitchen was quite an experience, the tenderloin melts in your mouth, we have nothing to complain about. We had two apps, two entrees, one dessert and a bottle for $200.
112 Eatery-perfect. The only place we would NOT come back to was Cue. The raviolis were not fully cooked and it was overpriced for the quality of the food.
Hell's Kitchen-seriously, what everyone has said and more. yummy. creative. porridge was awesome, sweet and creamy. Sausage was tasty and the hash was out of this world!
Crepe Stand-at the Mall of America- we hated the MOA but we found a crepe stand that was AMAZING! not too sweet! fresh and perfect!
OVERALL:
MSP was wonderful, we loved the people! Everyone is so nice! Enjoyed the play at the Guthrie, the mill city museum, chain of lakes area, mississippi mile and driving around, getting lost but finding amazing restaurants was fun.
Negatives: expensive wine, and food overall was more expensive than I thought; something I did not expect from the midwest. But the experience we had was worth it!
Paradiso, and The Rabbit That Wasn't...
HAHA! My comment about the clientele being older was not meant to say there is anything wrong! Nor was the wait for menus! Notice my posts are just to take one through what I noticed.
..but if someone is looking for a place that's hip/trendy/ more fast paced, this would not be it. It is a bit more conservative in terms of clientele. Ristorante Pesto is a few blocks down and I felt much more comfortable there.
Where would a chowhound eat in/near Lansdale?
Iron Hill off of 309 is decent, casual, moderately priced with some interesting items on the menu. It's a brewery with locations in DE and I think Phoenixville. The one in North Wales is about a mile from the Montgomery Mall.
They have delicious appetizers...good burgers. and good service.
Paradiso, and The Rabbit That Wasn't...
Went here last night and thought I should give an updated review.
Food is still under salted and under flavored. I had the ahi tuna appetizer. It was supposed to have balsamic glaze and it didn't, instead it was very olive oil-ey. The chives and cilantro on top did not do much to give it flavor.
I had the seared duck breast. Bland. and the temperature was luke warm. The glaze on the duck had already cooled off and so it was hard for me to add more flavor to the duck by stirring it in the sauce b/c it was cold but also b/c there was not enough of the sauce.
BF had the tom.moz.proscuitto. typical, fresh mozzarella and again...no blasamic...just EVOO!--need more dressing.
Had the rabbit. It was moist but needed more flavor, the gravy on it was not salty enough. But the mashed....polenta? was too salty, great texture but flavors were dissappointing. His entree was perfectly temped.
The wine list was expensive but the bar tender let us try wines. Even when we were only ordering by the glass. We had the pear crisp-hot, yummy and cinnamon ice cream was perfect with it.
Our server was not friendly or happy. It took 5-7 minutes for our menus. Another thing to note is that everyone one is either Italian or Caucasion. No Asians, Latinos....etc...no "diversity"--we sort of felt out of place. ALSO, the age group of clientele was mostly over 50. We saw lots of bald or greying haired customers. We won't be back b/c it really wasn't our crowd.
Looking for review(s) of Zot, Tinto, and Triumph in Philadelphia
Triumph.
1. Food-burgers, fries, calamari, fried portebellos--DELICIOUS, hot, fresh. YARD DOG WINE--medium bodied; excellent and my fiance had the dugel-dunkel--something beeer and loved it
2. GREAT service, chill, laid back and friendly (Saturday Night)
3. Young crowd, contemporary furniture-nice decor and great structural layout
4. $$
We will definitely be back.
I have not been to Tinto but hear this from a friend....WONDERFUL but expensive wine list. Cheapest was 9-10dollars a glass.
REALLY greasy tapas--which is true of Spanish Tapas (my friends are very familiar with Latino cuisine) But she said it is authentic but too expensive for tapas. I will still try it this summer though.
Erawan seems good - why so empty?
welcome GDswamp! Good Thai is hard to find. My fiance and I have searched for 5-6 years in Philly now. Currently, my personal favorite is Cafe de laos on 11th near Washington. They have smaller portions but it is the closest to what I have had in Thailand. They are a BYO, we usually get take out but it's spicy, fragrant, delicious. Don't get the curry. get the thai fried rice, or pad kee mao or the sauteed pork with vegetables in the chili sauce. The laos sausages are amazing. and the laos papaya salad is closer to the Thai version than the "Thai" salad they make. Make sure you order the Laos papaya salad--it is mouthwatering--stinky (fish sauce) and authentic.
I do have to say that over the last two years they have gone through different ownership and so it has gone through ups and downs, some inconsistancies...but last week we had take out and it was delicious.
I have been searching for the fried fish with chilli sauce, the amazing stuff found in Thailand and the only place I found that came close was at Banana Leaf in Chinatown--a malaysian place but serves amazing dishes that "could pass for thai" but similar to southeast asian cuisine.
I could go on but if you have specific questions let me know. I have lived in many different cities and it is pointless to compare ethnic foods against various cities because the groups of ethnic minorities are so diverse, the flavors vary. Mexican food in FL is not going to be the same as Mexican food in Cali or Texas or Arizona...it really varies. Every city has it's gems. Philly is one of those.
I just realized how old the original post was. since 2005!! WOW. hope you found some other great eats by now!
Chinatown Breakdown
AND. Malaysian. Try Banana Leaf or Penang...so flavorful and delicious!
Last Week in Philly
1. I can't stand Pumpkin. Gave them two shots and it was not good. very bland. not creative. and i also went with a vegetarian friend who did not have any options once so we left. I second or third Mercato, Matyson, vegetarian?-Django had great options.
2. Xochitl was bland. very small portions for pricey mexican food. Go to Tequila's on 16 and locust. best margie's. mole chicken in the lava rock bowl never ever disappoints, been here numerous times and it is consistantly yummy. Another is Los Cabolitos Cantina on passyunk (i'm a bad speller) 12th and passyunk. cheap and yummy, cute retro area in south philly.
3. Dim Sum- 6th and Washington-some chinese name but it says DIM SUM. been here 3 times in the last few months and it's been great. Safe bet: Joy Tsin Lau in Chinatown
4. Spasso on front, delicious pasta, italian, good seafood options if your party eats seafood. Osteria...I have never been so I am curious to what others say about this
5. yes. marigold. and yes to other's suggestions: melograno, Amada, horizens, bar ferdinand only after Amada, seriously. or else you will starve. they have great music and a nice vibe but the tapas at Amada is better.
6. ChiTown has amazing restaurants so you'll be rolling out of there in no time as well. I have been there 2-3 times and the restaurants never cease to amaze me. although I am still not fond of the deep dish pizza. it may be an aquired taste but get your dose of thin crust pizza philly style befor eyou leave, after a few years here, you will definitely miss the pizza in chicago!!!
Vietnamese food - Pho and Cafe Saigon
This is going to be worth the drive: Vietnam Cafe in Telford. Hole in the wall. Quick but not so great service but honestly the BEST Viet in the Montgomery County Area.
BYO. Get the hot and sour soup with fish or the Bun bo hue--a spicy noodle soup. And they are the only place where the lemongrass chicken is consistantly good.
Warning though, they are incredibly busy on weekends and DO NOT go expecting 4 star service (they have been around for a decade now and is montco's best kept secret--pple from new hope and doylestown frequent here as well).
It's basically run by a few old Vietnamese sisters who cook, run tables and ring you up. Really funny if you have the right attitude.....But who cares about service when the spring rolls are so amazing and they have homecooked meals....other things to try...duck salad. chicken with broken rice.stewed fish hot pot. yum. my mouth is watering.
About your Pho question- I prefer to put everything in but not too much of the bean sprouts. How you eat it is you hold the spoon in one hand and the chopsticks in the other. You fill the spoon with soup, and then using your chopsticks put some noodles in your spoon (neatly) and then once you have soup and noodles in your spoon, you slurp it up!! YUMMY. Also, adding hoisin sauce and siracha adds so much flavor too.
Enjoy! let me know what you think of Vietnam Cafe if you make it down there!
looking for non-chain restaurants in/near King of Prussia
Alison's in Blue Bell on Skippack. Get the brussel sprouts. they turn haters into lovers.--it's a byo, great atmosphere, a bit of a splurge but amazing. I'm also a fan of the Korean place -Oriental Garden?--No. Korean Garden. on 202 right next to Jolie Day Spa in Bluebell---there are always tonnnnssss of Asians eating in there...
I am looking for a place to have a small private party
What kind of food?
Effie's is great, you can get the whole upstairs pretty much.Greek
I second Pesto's in SouthPhilly.
Tequila's on 15th and locust is great for large groups. Get the chicken mole with a side of margarita!
Special Place in Philly for a 10th Wedding Annv Dinner
Try Fredrick's on Front Street. Nice wine list, great food, memorable, romantic, pasta and delicious seafood and great for special occasions! Happy Anniversary!
morimoto
whoops, I meant Fuji. and last night, I had the live scallops sashimi and the scallop was literally still moving, that is how fresh it was. This place is amazing.
morimoto
Definitely an unforgettable experience and you should try it just once with someone you love. BUT, if you are going for sushi only, you can get sushi at Fiji or Genji, just as great.
Morimoto has the chef's menu and a lot of unique (and small) entrees that are AMAZING. Last time I was there, we didn't get any sushi, we had the chef's picks and it was yummy. For two, it must have been about $250 with sake, dessert and Morimoto visiting our table!
Best dim sum in Philly?
Ocean Harbor. right across from Joy Tsin Lau--less greasy and less salty. If you go to Joy Tsin Lau, DO NOT go downstairs, wait for a table upstairs, the selection is not as great when you sit downstairs and the veggie options will probably not be as great.
Lakeside is ok.
Memorial Day Weekend in MSP-5 days
HAHA! I thought my first post was wayyy too long, funny that you ask for more information......yes to the cheap hotel. We inadvertently booked at the sheraton bloomington outside of downtown b/c of the conference--most of the nice hotels were booked AND they were way too expensive. Plus, I was under the impression that we would rent a car----which, as it stands--thanks to your honest post--- is our plan for now.
We don't need to be downtown until Tuesday and Wednesday morning for the conference so from Sat to Mon we definitely want to explore....fishing, cruising, parks....even beach?-is it true?.......but everything revolving around our meals of course.
:)
Thank you SO much for your responses!
Memorial Day Weekend in MSP-5 days
Greetings from Philly!
My fiancé and I will be spending 5 days (Sat.-Wed) in "slim pickin's" Bloomington for a conference and for leisure. Our initial idea was that we wanted this to be a culinary experience and would give up the 4-star for a 3-star and eat well in exchange for a modest hotel.
Please give us feedback from our itinerary below from previous posts...any “insider info”—and is what we have logistically possible??? What does a 15 minute drive REALLY mean in MN......we’re used to awful traffic here in Philly…. !
Saturday: from airport
Sea Salt Eatery
Dinner: Alma or La Belle Vie
Sunday: Mall of America—
Lunch hole in the wall?
Local favorite?
Non-chain
Sunday Dinner-Asian—
Thai, Vietnamese, what’s authentic or close?
Thai Basil or Amazing Thai—OR
Jasmine Deli, Quang
Monday (memorial day)—
Breakfast-Hell’s Kitchen
(suggestions for a "MUST TRY" item?)
Monday night-
No clue. we like asian
Tuesday and Wednesday, we’ll need to be at the Convention Center from morning until about noon. Seafood suggestions? A good salad place maybe, light fare….(for lunch)
And dinner both these nights……I’m out of ideas. I have a feeling by Tues and Wed we will be winding down and want to spend time closer to our hotel—maybe a 10 minute cab ride tops…unless we get a car.
About Us:
We love food. We are not picky. We are both South East Asian foodies and will try anything at least once. We’re in our mid-20’s, and our idea of a great time is going out to a new restaurant, ordering a bunch of different items and sharing.
We will be in town for the NAFSA (International Educator’s Association) conference, there will be people from all over the world, over 9000, I believe, but it would be nice to be able to pass along information to my colleagues and others who will be looking for local restaurants…and support the local economy in MN! They have touristy things planned like this Mississippi Riverboat Dinner Cruise and tours…etc….-what are your thoughts on this? What are some must must must sees…… Lake Minnetonka?—My fiancé LOVES fishing.
I am soooooooo sorry for this long email. Thank you in advance for sharing your wonderful knowledge, I look forward to hearing your responses and of course, reporting back after our visit!
