Archive for the ‘Restaurant Reviews’ Category
Jamonera Jappiness
t says: In case you were wondering, yes, that’s pronounced “Happiness” (I know, my attempt at humor was not a success – do I get points for trying?). g, a, v, a friend, and I went to Jamonera just recently, and all I can say is “wow”. Since the first time we went, two years ago, until now, there has been such refinement in the offerings that we were all uber-impressed this time around. It was the gang’s first meal together like this since coming back from Spain (so obviously, we chose to go to a Spanish restaurant), and it was like we never left. The jamon iberico was acorny. The veggies were spot-on. Every fish was done beautifully. The meats had a simplicity about them but were full of flavor. In all, it was a splendid evening of food, made even more splendid by Jamonera’s wonderful hostess that evening. While we were the recipients of some preferential treatment (a, v, and the hostess are friends), I refuse to believe that this somehow translated into Jamonera’s chefs to do anything different with their food – I think the food is just that good. It’s a shame that I wasn’t fast enough with the camera for the multi-course event – this is what I got:
August 2014, Friday Dinner, Party of 5.
first course of a peculiar mixture of jamon, shisito peppers, some pickles, and then on the right, a pile of smoked salmon atop tomato and goat cheese, which was the biggest “bam” of the dish (i never would have put those together – but now I might!). And yes, shisito peppers are like new “it” vegetable, seemingly found anywhere that wants to char a vegetable, but I can’t fault them for doing it well.
dates+bacon+cheese=happiness. there really is no other way to solve that equation. It did remind us of Mercato’s bacon-wrapped figs, and if the two got into a monkey-knife-fight, I would have no idea who’d win. I will say that this was a wonderful bite overall, and I’m thankful there weren’t more because I would have definitely have eaten all of them. The background had these eggplant-fries that also made me wonder, “why had I not thought of this?”. Answer: I’m not as smart as Jamonera.
steak. potatoes. ’nuff said.
you have to do the doughnuts for dessert. Now, the doughnuts by themselves are “ok” – but when you dunk them in the heaven-sauce above, you realize just how lucky you are to be able to finish a meal with this amazing mix of fat and sugar. sad will be the day i have to start a statin.
Jamonera did a fabulous job, but I’m afraid that no one’s noticing. All too often, I even catch myself zipping through those 13th street emails (the ones with the “special dinners” at Jamonera, Barbuzzo, and Little Nonna’s) without even noting Jamonera’s offering. Shame on me! Is it because everyone’s “over” Spanish food? Is it because there’s already Amada and Tinto in town, along with the Mediterranean likes of Barbuzzo? Or maybe we’re now just too stuck on “plant-friendly” (if I hear or read another thing about Charlie was a Sinner or “the new Vedge place”, I might savagely poke someone with the blunt end of a carrot), so richness and decadence in animal form is so “last year”? Regardless, I will say that the flavors were quite good in this meal – don’t believe me? Ask a. a states: the dates, the branzino, and the desserts crushed it (including our double secret desserts that you can’t mention here). t comes back on: Oh – did I mention the Branzino was to die for? It was. We ate it so fast there were no pictures. So yes, the food is good – like “almost Zahav” good; I think Jamonera is one hummus plate away from winning that battle (unlike others, I don’t give Zahav extra points for using “off” cuts of meat like duck heart, ground lamb, etc – if it tastes good, it tastes good – I don’t care about what it was). The difference, however, might come down to price. While the preferential treatment we had thrown our way did result in a meal that was cheaper than Zahav, we know that technically Zahav is the better “deal”. Be that as it may, while Zahav’s desserts are quite good, Jamonera’s doughnuts put such a smile on my face that when it comes time for the bill, I’d sign almost anything …
Catching Up
t says: It’s actually be a while since we’ve had some consistent posting – I’ve fallen way behind! So now it’s time to play some catch-up.
For one of our recent goodbye dinners with cm and k, we went to Zahav. The tasting menu is still as good as ever was, making me wonder how we could have ever have doubted this place (when they first opened, we found a lot of the flavors to be monotonous). I will say, however, that the hummus portion is actually a bit daintier than it once was (the pita is plentiful, but the humus could barely be enough for 1 pita, much less two). The salatim was phenomenal …
… as was our appetizers and entrees (shout-out to the watermelon-feta-olive salad in the foreground, cauliflower on the left – the only dish we purposefully ordered two of).
I will say that the desserts were solid, too. Nothing too out of this world (cake and baklava, chocolate mousse thing, vanilla panna cotta thing, watermelon sorbet), but a wonderful ending to the meal. In short, go to Zahav, get the tasting menu, and dine happily. It is a pretty good deal when all is said and done (and this comes from someone who used to be <$40pp when they first opened!)
In other news, it seems that now there will be ramen right on Penn’s campus. I’m happy they’re there, but I do hope they can step up their game from the first (and last) time I was there.
For my last update, enter this pretty awesome Sauvignon Blanc that I found at the PLCB store on 21st and Market. I’ve been a big fan of Greywacke since 2011. New Zealand rubber/petrol with plush zingee stone fruit and pineapple up front, and then finishes hard with a chalky, lemon pithy finish that is very addictive. Warning: not everyone will love this wine. But there will be a population that does. And hopefully they will leave a few at the store for me so I can reload whenever I need …
Mercato kicks it up a notch
t says: Those who have read our blog know that we love Mercato. As far as Italian BYO’s go, it’s up there with Modo Mio, Monsu, and Melograno. But now, let’s just say that it made a play for the #1 spot in our hearts.
July 2014, Monday Dinner, Party of 2. g and I wanted a date night, so out we went, with a bottle of wine in hand. We wanted something casual and tasty, and because our nearby restaurants are so pricey (looking at you, Fitler Dining Room). Mercato delivered …
We pulled out this special bottle of Blanc de Noir, courtesy of Ayoub. An orange color, it had this interesting mix of vanilla and apple pie up front, with a thunderous lemony, chalky snap. It was a refreshing way to cleanse the palate between each delicious bite that was to follow.
If you go to Mercato, you have to get the antipasti. Made to share, this dish featured meats, pickled items, and pesto brushetta that I would have kept eating and eating and eating had there been more. Yes, it’s pricey, at nearly $20, but between two people it’s worth it.
g went pyramid pasta – an item which she has had before that was still every bit as delicious as it was. But mine. Oh mine. It was a roasted suckling pig and mushroom papperdelle that is most definitely the best dish that I have ever had at Mercato. Some of Mercato’s pastas can be kind of wimpy. The sauces can be a little thin, with not a lot of meat shreds. Not so with this one, where the meat helping was bountiful and had this intriguing mix of pork and herbs. And I’ve had issues with some of Mercato’s noodles being flimsy – but not this one – the papparedelle had a hearty bite that sticks to your ribs. I loved every bite. Now if only it wasn’t a “special”, and was on the daily menu.
We were too full for dessert, but were so happy we didn’t care. We stumbled home smiles on our faces. Thanks Mercato!
this break brought to you by FedNuts
t says: I’ve been waiting for this for a long time:
Now, Federal Donuts has remarkable donuts. Duh. But their cake was always plain … that is … until now … Welcome to the chocolate cake donut! Simply glazed! In all of its chocolate glory. Couple this with an iced coffee and what you have is an awesome mid-day treat. Thank goodness for Uni City FedNuts! (and they deliver to Penn/CHOP!)
Spain 2014: Geteria and San Sebastian
t says: After our final 10am tasting in Rioja (Marques de Teran in Ollauri), we booked it on over to San Sebastian … with another spur-of-the-moment wine tasting along the way in Geteria …
We visited El Kano winery, which was up up up up up a mountain …
… and were rewarded with an excellent view of Geteria, below. El Kano’s txakoli wine was a very minerally, high acid, low CO2, easy-drinking white wine that we bought quite a few bottles of. The winemaker was a little gruff on the phone, but a joy in person. Wish we had this kind of $10 wine in the US!
Our lodging in SSB was … let’s say … “interesting”. Given all the issues with the room we had at Hotel Punta Monpas, I can’t say we’d stay again. It was “clean enough”, but I dare not say “clean”. The staff was “nice enough”, but I dare not say “competent”. Parking was “available”, but I dare not say “convenient”. But in the end, the price we paid was far less than other places in SSB, the bed was comfy, the AC was superb (it got rather hot while we were there), and you can’t argue with the beachfront location:
Which way to the beach? Straight ahead, of course!
I’ll leave you to the tripadvisor pages for more pictures of the hotel (and if you look closely enough, I’m sure you’ll find our review when I post it).
More importantly, there was a TON of fabulous food in SSB. We did not have the bank account to afford Mugaritz, Arzak, etc. Instead, we had to pick-and-choose wisely. And pick-and-choose wisely we did!
Our first dinner was at Rekondo. This place is reknowned for its wine selection, which is a gigantic tome with [supposedly] >100k bottles. The “obvious” selections are absent (e.g. any Rioja from 1982), but if you search hard enough, you can find a steal like this: a 1991 Remelluri Rioja Reserva for 25 Euro! And, of course, the dude at the table behind us was drinking a several-hundred-Euro bottle of Vega-Sicilia … you know … because they could … (and we were green with envy) …
… the list is also good for finding other wines that are just really hard to come by in the US, like this surprisingly super-awesome white from Remirez de Ganuza.
The food at Rekondo was no slouch, either. I told everyone the food was going to be just “solid”, but to be honest, I found the food to be exquisitely well-prepared! Take this roasted vegetable dish with a soft-boiled egg. Simple as hell, but so scrumptious!
And why not eat an aged Rioja with a steak? It was perfectly grilled – I have absolutely no criticism whatsoever.
But now you may meat the new best molten cake that have ever had the privilege of passing these lips. A title formerly held by Morton’s Godiva cakes, this one was a little more rustic, offering just a little crispier exterior, but the inside was perfectly oozy and balanced so well with raspberry ?gelato? and that hiding strawberry. I could have eaten three more (and then felt really disgustingly full afterwards).
But of course, if you go to SSB, and you’re not going to one of the several-Michelin-starred restaurants, you’re eating pintxos! One of the first place we went was Bar Casa Senra, located just two blocks from Zurriola beach! The cold ones (above) and hot ones (not shown) were absolutely fabulous. The perfect finger food to ingest on beach day – nothing too heavy (although there was a mushroom-foie-cream-sauce concoction that was divine), but hefty enough to make you full.
… but then there’s the classic “pintxo crawl” in “Old Town”. Now, I had read that pintxos were supposed to be a pre-dinner activity, taking place somewhere between 6:30p and 8:30p. But as it turns out, everyone-and-their-mother is out eating pintxos all night long. a was so kind as to establish for us an official Pintxo Crawl 2014 map, combining online reviews with opinions extracted from real locals. I’d say there was approximately 75% agreement between the two. I should also mention the rules to the crawl: you should not take more than two pintxos per bar, you should eat while standing, and you should drink one drink per spot. Now, being lightweights, g and I broke that last rule immediately. And the first two rules lead to some pretty sub-par photos (even for this blog!). Furthermore, there was so much food that it’d be boring to show you all of it. So here’s the first highlight, taken from the first pintxo bar we went to that had pretty much the best shrimp ever. One day, a will remind me what the place was called.
Now, the crawl had a ton of deliciosity (super-awesome pork cheeks, jamon everywhere, foie a-flying), but our favorite pintxo place was Bar Zeruko. It’s touristy as hell (Americans everywhere!), so you might have to throw some elbows to get in. But then you will be rewarded with a counter filled with the most exotic looking pintxos in town. In short, tthere were so many delicious-looking things that we had to go back for more … the next day for lunch!
The fun of Bar Zeruko for me is that I had no idea what I was eating! Between not having everything labeled (very few were labeled … meaning SSB would be a nightmare for anyone with any kind of food restriction), and not speaking Spanish, I was essentially judging books by their covers! And it. was. awesome. The above represent about 1/7 of all the dishes we ravaged on that fateful lunch. I can’t tell you what any of them were beyond what you could identify on your own by looking with your own eyes. Also what I loved about Bar Zeruko was that after you choose your pintxos, you give the dish to the lady behind the counter, and then she composes them for you, as some need additional sauce, some need heating, and one (“the bonfire”) needs some kind of plating that incorporates a heating/smoking element and plastic tube of herb gelee. It was kind of like having a choose-your-own tasting menu at a fancy restaurant … except each dish costs ~3 E, and it’s like 17 times more fun than sitting down for 3 hours.
In the end, it was unanimous (between g and me – who cares what anyone else thinks?) that Bar Zeruko’s best bite was this one. Caramelized banana, wrapped in ham, and served with fig and some random sauces. It was insane. g and I ate four of them. Yes, we had lots of other dishes that were so so so good, but this one had that “X-factor” – it took some pretty common ingredients and put them together for a result that was at least two orders of magnitude greater than its components.
We celebrated my birthday meal at Ni Neu, which was within walking distance of our hotel. Costing no more than a restaurant week meal, I had the best lamb of the trip (arranged in this intriguing tower) …
… followed by a heavently French Toast dessert that knocked my socks off.
Sick and tired of looking at food? I guess we’ll have to go back to wine:
While in SSB, we also visited Vinos Ezeiza, the oldest wine shop in town! The old guy was so cute, not speaking a word of English. It’s ok, g’s crafty use of select words (“mas viejo”) helped me secure a few bottles to be transported home. We’ll see how it works!
Spain 2014: Bilbao and Rioja
t says:
So … now that we’re a few day into our trip, it’s time to summarize some highlights. We have taken SO many photos on our phones and it’d just be too annoying to load them all here. Anyone who follows g on Instagram will have access to her thoughtfully curated/composed selection (which differs greatly from my not-as-thoughtful selection here). Seek them out if you want more!
As mentioned in our last post, our trip started in Bilbao, and stayed at Barcelo Bilbao Nervion. We don’t have any photos of the place that don’t reveal our true identities, but we were satisfied about it’s cleanliness, which really is our main criteria for an awesome hotel. It was icing on the cake to have a disco-cow, however:
When we first arrived to our hotel, a wedding reception was going on (and thus there was no parking – BOO!). Part of the reception was to use this disco-cow as a centerpiece for their cocktail hour. How hilarious is this! It reminded me of the golden calf false-god from the bible … without the smiting …
There were a few cool attractions in Bilbao, including the Zubizuri bridge and the Guggenheim.
the zubizuri bridge
Once again, we have a lot of photos with us in them, so I can only show you these:
spider! this one’s for you, lc.
puppy!
The Guggenheim’s offerings were fantastic in that it’s a very small museum, with only a handful “real” exhibitions: one about Yoko Ono, one about Braque (g appreciated it more than me), and a gigantic one called La Materia Del Timepo …
another ripped photo – but try to imagine what it’d be like to walk through these ginormous sheets of rusted metal!
… and another one installation entitled “The Visitors”, which was fantastic! I would try to describe it, but have been told by g several times that my explanation is misleading and therefore it’s better off that I just not say anything … so I won’t … except that it was probably one of the most enjoyable exhibits I’ve ever had at a museum.
Food was present in various forms in Bilbao. It’s a shame, however, that we were there on a Sunday, where there were very limited options for lunch/dinner. For example, for lunch, we found a weird pseudo-Japanese place:
Udon … around for the past 10 years!
Is it fusion to have a “maki” made from “noodles” (cut in cross-section)? I’m not sure. Look carefully above and you’ll see chicken, lettunce, and a smidge of mayonnaise … essentially tasting like a chicken salad sandwich … with soba noodles …
and they had ramen! it wasn’t bad! better than any i’ve had in Philly yet … i mean, it still has a ways to go (you don’t go to Spain expecting awesome ramen), but I appreciated their effort (btw, it was totally weird to have an Asian server speaking Spanish).
Dinner was quite an adventure on the second day in Bilbao. Having met up with our friends, we had set out to go to a restaurant called Aizian … only to find them closed. It turns out that Sunday in Bilbao is a very tough time to eat out! Fortunately, we found one restaurant that was open and had satisfying dishes of oxtail (above), pork cheek, and shrimp. None of us can recall what the restaurant was called. Oh well!
From Bilbao, we went off to Rioja. We stayed in the cute little town of Ollauri (oh-jao-ree) at a place called the Black Grape – we found it on AirBNB. the place was pretty darn awesome – go ahead and find it on the web to find good photos. For us, this one was the main factor:
the “mini-bar” … is a vaulted ceiling wine cellar under the property. The owners stocked it with wine and provide you with a list. You can consume whatever you’d like and just pay them the appropriate amount at checkout.
There were numerous wineries we visited:
Check out the picturesque vineyards and humble villages.
The first was a tasting at Lopez de Heredia (i.e. Tondonia), to find a pretty extensive tour (the on-site coopering is amazing!), chock full of history and tradition. The wines are mighty good as well, but most can be found in the US (that’s not a “bad” thing, but we were on the prowl for the unattainable). What is clear, however, is that Tondonia is SO old …
… which was a stark contrast versus the ultra-modern Bodegas Roda. Unlike LdH, this place was clearly built for modern winemaking, with every aspect of vinification carefully controlled. The wines were nice, but ultimately, not something I’d shell out tons of money for. It was striking that the most interesting wine was their Ribero Del Duoro – a wine made from grapes not even sourced from Rioja!
Perhaps our best winery was Remelluri. This place was phenomenal, and we lack the photos to do it justice. The tour (led by the winemaker’s sister – it’s a family-run operation there!), offered a great history lesson of the property, limited focus on vinification (after all, if you’ve had one winery tour, you’ve had them all), and astounding wines. It also looks like it’d be a fabulous place to have an event (not that I’m sure they’d even that – but if you wanted a fairy-tale rustic vineyard wedding, this place is the place – complete with tiny rustic chapel and sweeping views of vineyards and mountains in the distance!).
Remelluri’s tasting was also the most complete of the trip, offering a bit of cheese and “the world’s best olives”, as proclaimed by one our European travel mate with ~25 years of olive eating experience under her belt. The one drawback about the place, however, is that while they do offer an opportunity to taste vintage wines, including wine from the nearly-legendary vintage of 1982, you are NOT allowed to buy them to take home. I wish I would have known that because I would have definitely purchased a bottle for us to taste right then and there – but instead, I let the tasting go by, and when we moved to check out, I was informed that we couldn’t have it “to go”. Alas – a missed opportunity for sure!
The food situation in Rioja was a unique one for us. We did a LOT of home-cooking at The Black Grape, making a few trips to town for a carniseria and other local supermarkets and keeping the overall expense of our trip way-down. Over three nights, we spend ~250 Euro … for 8 people … including the majority of our wine …
one such night featured paella …
Another night was “meat night”, with several t-bones of veal and beef … cut by this chick with a ginormous knife …
One night was our anniversary, so it warranted a “fancy meal”. We ventured out to Ezcaray to eat at Potal del Echaurren Tradicionale.
Because we are Americans, we had to eat an an insanely early time. Their first reservation was at 9:15pm. Of course, we showed up at that time and there was not a single other patron anywhere. We ended up going for a 7 course tasting menu of very homey-humble dishes, yet expertly executed and pristinely presented, this is your place. The wine list was also exceptionally reasonable!
the restaurant featured no less than 3 fish dishes, of which the above was one. which fish it was, I have no idea – it was a fish with a multi-syllabic name beginning with the letter “m”. it was delicious – rivaling the best of what we’ve ever had at Little Fish
what “tradicionale” meal would be complete without albondigas? this was a heavenly smooth meatball over a puree that walked the line between potato and cauliflower.
dessert was incredible, with some sort of caramel-custardy tart, a few slices of cheese, a bit of honey ice cream, and a slice of dried apple.
We also got info from “the locals” that there was a very traditional lunch-place that did an amazing lamb. We set out to find it and were rewarded with a fabulously “normal” meal that we would not have been able to do without the help of our lovely Spanish-speaking travelmates. It was called El Trujal del Abuelo in Cihuri.
octopus, olive oil, paprika … bam – second best ocotpus i’ve ever had.
what’s better than artichoke? artichoke with jamon, of course.
we had to order the aspargus by the stalk, which was a little weird. But let’s say that this asparagus was as tender as scallops and easily spread on bread, yielding a wonderfully garlicky, buttery, asparagusy concoction that made me eat like 15 pieces of bread. so good.
the lamb (or what was left of it as you can see) was also quite good. perhaps it wasn’t as out-of-this-world as we were hoping (this is no super-tender fine-dining lamb, this is grilled home-style gnaw-on-the-bone lamb), but we were satisfied.
pineapple with olive oil and a dot of fig reduction. v killed this dish.
Now I know that we focused a lot on food and wine, but in truth, what else should one do on vacation in Rioja? Food. Wine. Friends. That’s it! Ok, well that’s almost it. We did stop by a wool shop in Ezcaray that manufactures some of the finest wool blankets/scarves/other products in the world, with lots of their products seen in some pretty high-end stores. Like shopping for wine, we picked them up for a song and look forward to showing them off in the States. Keep in mind that the shopping experience wasn’t glamorous, though (see above), so if you go, be prepared to hunt and peck.
Spain 2014
t says: I have been chanting “Spain 2014” since 2012 (i.e. ever since planning our last France trip). And … all that hypnotic brain-washing has paid off, as now there will be Spanish vacations of 8 people running in parallel (a, v, drb and his girlfriend, a’s parents, g and me). Having focused on north-eastern Spain (Bilbao, San Sebastian, Rioja), there will be much food and wine (with minimal dance and chit-chat … just the way I like it … sorry … inside joke). Of course, there will also be many pictures …. starting NOW:
Our first stop: Bilbao. Why Bilbao? Well – they do have the largest airport closest to our other destinations (Rioja, San Seabastian), and they have the Guggenheim! So why not!
Oh – did I mention Bilbao also has delicious food? Our first night, we ate at Bascook, a restaurant that’s getting some attention for its blend of traditional basque cuisine with some “international flavors” and a smidge of fussy gastronomy. Whatever the concoction, let’s just say that this “tomato soup with pig” amuse bouche was amazing. Tomato, cucumber, and likely some red onion and fried pig … a stunning way to start the meal.
People always say “wine’s so cheap in Europe”. That’s not true – it can be expensive, too! It just so happens that everyone drinks the cheap stuff. For example, take this 13 Euro bottle of Rueda Sauvignon Blanc. Cheap? Yes. Complex? No. Tasty with food – ABSOLUTELY! We’d buy it buy the case, as it’s only 4 Euro a bottle if purchased at a store in Spain (that’s right! restaurants mark up wine in Europe, too!). Oh, and check out that bread – would you believe that it was REALLY spicy? No? Fine – don’t believe me – but when the waiter put it down, he said, in English, “and this bread is spicy – if you don’t like it, that’s ok, we will take it away”. Well, we liked it! We liked it a lot! Each time it was so surprising to bite into bread but then have this insidious onset of mouth heat. Good stuff, indeed!
Bascook had some not-fussy stuff, like grilled razor clams … (that were delicious …)
… and slightly fussy stuff, like this amazing pile of hummus, spinach, and pumpkin seeds …
… and much fussier stuff, like this “pumpkin mix” dish. But just wait a sec – as fussy as it was, it was. There were steamed and fried gyoza that really gave you that classic Japanese/Asian gyoza flavor (but were filled with pumpkin!!) as well as a soup and puree that were wonderfully flavorful with just a little bit of spicy kick.
And we finished on what was essentially a classic breakfasty egg-and-potato dish that screamed out “homey Spain cooking”. A nice way to remind us of the normal food out there, waiting for us tomorrow …
after dinner sneeze 