the rotisseur pork belly banh mi
t says: After reading about it on foobooz, I was disheartened to find that I’d have to miss out on Rotisseur’s pork belly banh mi (I just couldn’t fit it in my schedule). And now, after some time has passed (hopefully so they could perfect the recipe), I was psyched to finally try it!
pork belly banh mi sign at Rotisseur
Having had many-a-banh-mi, this one had a twist! Actually it had two twists: the mango slaw and “fresh peaches”. As my brain tried to put the flavors together, it eventually crashed, as I just had no idea how it would turn out …
here it is!
As you can see, this doesn’t feature big hunks of belly, rather, thin slices. I was intrigued at how thin they were! And then look at those peach slices! The guy making the sandwich took great care in arranging the peaches so that they’d look pretty. I appreciate that. This was going to be another take on the banh mi for sure …
But how did it taste? You know I love Rotisseur, but to be honest, this was kind of underwhelming. The sandwich wasn’t bad by any stretch (and the side of kale is still pretty killer!), but the flavors just weren’t as bright or as deep as in other banh mis … or even Rotisseur’s own chicken sandwiches! (which is surprising given the meat they’re using). The other flavors of the sandwich were nice, with the togarashi playing well with the peach. That said, it kind of made me long for their chicken instead … Oh well – sorry guys – I’m just going to have to stick with your chicken-based stuff from now on …
a cross between Tiffin and a night club …
t says: g and I love Indian food – or at least – we think we do. It all started when we first had chicken korma at Tamber’s/”Nifty Fifties” in Baltimore. While probably not the most authentic example of Indian food, we were hooked, and ate there (or did take-out) quite frequently. Now that we live in Philadelphia, our favorites for Indian are Ekta and Tiffin, both of which deliver (of which Ekta is probably the better of the two). As far as Indian restaurants go, however, we just haven’t quite found one we like (although I have to confess that we haven’t been to many). Bindi has long since closed (the owners citing lack of interest in Indian food as the primary cause) despite smn and dz liking it – sorry guys! So now enter Tashan, an upscale Indian dining venue owned by the same guy in charge of Tiffin. His shtick: “modern Indian cuisine”. His location: some building on Broad south of South street. His menu: kind of pricey. Nevertheless, at least one person likes it (although I disprove of the accusatory tone he adopts in his post). Fortunately, kp also felt that the food was good, having been there for multiple happy hours. We figured, “well, kp is Indian, and he cooks extremely well, so if he says it’s good, then it’s gotta be good” … but we still just never got around to it … until now: I saw that Mondays are BYO nights at Tashan. Boom. Done. We made a reservation (even though the hostess initially messed up and denied BYO Mondays – she and her manager both called back to confirm its existence) and ventured to Bella Vista (sadly it wasn’t an FTC meeting, as a and v were busy preparing for a trip) …
June 2012, Monday Dinner, Party of 3. We’ll try to keep it short. First, the setting: it’s kind of huge! There’s a ton of space – this is no small BYO for sure. It’s also evident that someone spent a lot of money, time, and effort trying really really hard to make this place cool/hip. The result is a kind of like what would happen if you put a restaurant in a space that was meant for a night club. It’s just trying so hard to be cool, but to be honest, it’s not like anything in there is actually cool – and that’s coming from me, who is pretty much a sucker for anything sleek/modern (that, and I still think that Adidas samba sneakers are cool). Sorry Tashan, I just don’t think that all of those renovations were worth it …
The service could also use some improvement. The waiter was very well-mannered and pleasant, but his actual serving performance was straight-up bad. He’d say that he was bringing wine glasses but not bring them until 10-15 minutes later. He’d say that he was bringing the wine, but not until 10-15 minutes later. The pacing of the meal was all over the place (25 minutes before our orders were even taken, and then a bizarre 25 minute gap after apps). At least he had a winning smile to go along with his enthusiasm for “his favorite dishes” when we asked his opinion. My advice: is you’re going to say you’re going to do something, then actually do it.
And now on to the real matter at hand: the food. I can say that everything was at least “good” … which isn’t bad (actually, I’d say that every dish but one was “very good”)! Indian food can be very hit-or-miss for me depending on the level of spice and the level of cream/fat in the dishes. To be blunt – I’m not a fan of dishes so spicy that I can’t taste anything or dishes so rich that my tongue can’t clear the hydrophobic coat. Tashan had none of those problems.
The best dish of the night was probably the lamb “lollipops” (that’s our name for them, not Tashan’s):
it doesn’t look appetizing in the photo, but trust me – it’s ridiculous
The lamb was impossibly tender and smothered in a flavorful combo of spices that I’m sure I’ll never be able to parse. The “green stuff” was a lively addition. (Actually, I went so far as to even say out loud, “damn, there’s just no way I could do this at home!” kp smiled, but didn’t say much. This was kp being coy. I called him out on it, asking him directly if he could cook a lamb like this. He pretended to think for a few seconds before admitting that he was sure that he could. Result: FTC at kp’s before the summer is up – Battle Rack of Lamb. Stay tuned!) Nevertheless, the three of us enjoyed our lamb, deciding that they are a must-order for the future.
Butter Chicken and Saag Paneer!
When g and I try a new place for Indian, we stick with some basics to really test ’em. Enter the Butter Chicken and Saag Paneer you see above. We’ve had these dishes from Ekta and Tiffin (as noted in the face-off linked to above), ultimately deciding that Ekta was the winner. I have to say that Tashan’s are probably tied with Ekta. They’re not as boldly flavored as Ekta’s, but really allow the underlying components to stand out – there’s a certain amount of subtlety there that kept me coming back for more. If you want spice and wiz-bang, stick with Ekta, but if you want to taste something a little more elegant (as “elegant” as spinach/paneer or tomato are), go for Tashan.
We did try other dishes (the sausage was fantastic! – but very spicy), which showed us that chef knows how to cook. The only miss of the evening was the goat cheese taftaan – it was interesting, but not in a good way, rather, an “overly fussy, why is this so hard to eat, and why does it taste like the ingredients don’t really jive together” way. I’d avoid it in future outings.
Ultimately, the food is a nice mix of traditional Indian and not-so-traditional Indian, with both approaches yielding delicious dishes. As a result, I think that Sheehan was right: Tashan is definitely one of the best restaurants that we’re not going to (along with Cochon). However, unlike Cochon, Tashan has real, legitimate reasons for people to not want to go (while we still can’t figure out why Cochon isn’t getting as much love as it used to) … Tashan’s service needs some help. Furthermore, we foresee that the location is going to be a problem, indeed. Passers-by in that neighborhood aren’t exactly the type to drop that kind of money (i.e. it’s not Rittenhouse), which means that they’d probably like to be a destination dining establishment – but do they have the chops for that? I think of the places that we go out of our way to go, and I realize that Tashan just doesn’t have the outrageous food like Bibou/Fond, the friendliness and ridiculous desserts/cheese of Talula’s Garden, the intimate BYO feel (and BYO price-tag) of Melograno/Mercato/Modo Mio. And, unlike Jamonera and Barbuzzo, this atmosphere is actually not hip/cool, no matter how many dark interior finishes you put in there. So what’s it gonna do? kp is going to keep on going for happy hour, hoping that his efforts alone can keep them from going under. As for me, I’ll go if other suggest it, but I wasn’t so blown away that I’m rushing back (well – maybe on a BYO night …). I hope for their sake that they find something that keeps them afloat – some kind of off-the-hook dish (the lamb was good, but it’s not Bibou pig’s foot) or special dining events or something. We wish them the best of luck, though – it would be tough for Philly to lose yet another “upscale Indian” place.
mch says: Ditto on Tashan. Service was “meh”. We were definitely impressed by some of the appetizers. The quail was tasty and unexpected since not traditionally what I think of as Indian. Main courses to us seemed fine – but not necessarily better than a neighborhood Indian place. If we went back, we might just order appetizers and naan. We’ll probably go back to try it again at some point.
Beer, beer, and more beer (and driving 500 miles in a day)
rch and mh say: After a fun night in Klamath Falls with friends and family, we headed up OR-97 to Bend, OR. If you look at a map, Bend seems pretty out of the way, but the place was impressive, especially for a fan of good beer. The official town visitor center features a Beer Map where you can attempt to get your “passport” stamped at each of the dozen or more breweries on Bend’s “Ale Trail.” This is now a big tourist destination, and Bend has recently moved into first place in Oregon for breweries per capita. It’s become a pretty cute, yuppified little town, something like Boulder Colorado (with similarly beautiful scenery), and we were happy to be able to check it out. Since we only had a few hours in Bend, we were limited to trying just two. First, we went to a newcomer on the Bend beer scene, Good Life Brewing Company.
It smelled delicious in there, but we were there just to drink, not to eat. So we put the scent of good food behind us and each ordered a beer. rch got the Descender IPA while MCH got the Mountain Rescue Dry Hopped Pale Ale. The Mountain Rescue had a hoppy finish due to the dry hopping process, but was clean and a bit milder than the IPA. The Descender IPA was an IPA in all its glory – bold and hoppy, but not bitter.
We soon departed Good Life, however, to head to the anchor of the Bend brewing scene, and the biggest brewery in all of Oregon, Deschutes Brewery. Deschutes is a heavy hitter in the beer world. They are the fifth largest craft brewer in the United States, according to data from 2011 (huge points if you can name the other four without looking them up. Hint: Boston Beer Company (Sam Adams) is #1). They have also been around since 1988, making them practically ancient compared to many of the microbrews around these days. Here is a shot of some of their fermentation tanks.
Deschutes has a downtown pub in Bend (they also have pubs in Portland and elsewhere), as well as their actual brewery. We headed to the brewery for a tour, meeting up with rch’s friend who lives in Bend. What we found was a very professional operation. The tour was conducted by personnel who seemed tasked for that purpose – rather than a brewer or bartender. Also, unlike the other brewery tours we will discuss in future posts, the tour took place completely on a railed-in catwalk overlooking the actual brewing operation. That being said, it was an interesting and educational tour. The tour guide was knowledgeable and gave us a great overview of the beer-making process. rch’s favorite part was when they passed out whole hop flowers to each person for us to break apart and taste. It turns out that the crystallized sap in the hop flower is what gives the signature hoppy taste to all of our favorite beers, though I confess that, tasted alone, it gives a bit of Bitter Beer Face. Very cool element to the tour, though. The other interesting note on the tour was their story about how one of their new brewing tanks, the Lauter Tun, was so big that it wouldn’t fit down the highway when they were shipping it in to Bend. Apparently they actually worked with the state police to shut down a whole section of Highway 97 for two nights to get the tank to the brewery. Wonder if the police got paid in beer…
We even got to see the bottling operation in action, as you can see below.
The Deschutes Brewery gives each person over 21 four generous samples of different Deschutes beer (we got to call which beers)! So, what about the beer itself?
The Twilight Summer Ale was their seasonal. We described it as a slightly hoppier Sam Adams Summer Ale. While mh was a big fan, it had the same slightly sour taste that rch does not love in Sam Summer. The Green Lakes Organic Amber was delicious and clocked in at a low ABV – only 5.2%. It had a clean flavor, pretty mild overall. The Chainbreaker White IPA was one of the more interesting beers we tasted the entire trip. It was a white beer, blonde and unfiltered, something people tend to associate with lighter or fruitier beers, but it was also an IPA. Unexpected and great. The Mirror Pond was only slightly hoppy and a generally smooth pale ale.
Of course, the Deschutes flagship beer is the Black Butte Porter, the best-selling porter in the country. Very few breweries have such a dark and complex beer as their flagship, which is one of the things that put Deschutes on the map. It is great. It has a chocolate smell and a slightly bitter taste. After the tour, we only had minutes to spare before departing Bend, so we headed downtown with Kaeleen to the Deschutes Pub for one more beer.
We drank more tasty Deschutes beer here, but with a twist. We had a large, soft pretzel with Deschutes’ stone-ground mustard. It was delicious. That mustard is outstanding. Just wow. The pretzel was also interesting – a bit more like multigrain and “breadier” than many pretzels. It was a great snack to end our brief tour of Bend.
From Bend, we set off another 130 miles across the state to Eugene, OR. Eugene is not just home of the Oregon Ducks – it also features its own set of craft brewers. The largest of the Eugene-based microbrews is the Ninkasi Brewing Company. Founded in 2006, Ninkasi is rapidly becoming one of the largest beer producers in Oregon, if not the country. They also have a well-run marketing machine. Note how everything there is “branded” with the Ninkasi label (it was also on every glass, in giant mosaic on the floor, on the outdoor tables, on the doors and windows, etc.).
We met up with some good friends who recently moved from Philadelphia to Eugene and sampled some of their beers. mh had a lighter beer – the Spring Reign Ale. It is their seasonal beer and it was light and crisp. Very nice for drinking outside on a patio – which we were doing! rch had the “Total Domination” IPA. How can you go wrong with a name like that? She thought it was great, a little milder than the name sounds but tasty. We carried our beers along on the tour, and she is sure that added a little something to the flavor.
The tour itself was excellent. Ninkasi is a much smaller operation than Deschutes, so in some ways it was more intimate tour. For a fun depiction, note the slide the Ninkasi folks use to move ingredients around the warehouse!
Ninkasi was also fun because it was filled with the perfect set of Eugene people, almost like something out of Portlandia. There were plenty of pairs of hipster glasses, some tie-dye, and some dreads. And everyone was nice.
Sweet Home Southern Oregon
t says: Right before we left for Oregon, we met up with rch and mh at cm’s Birthday party … only to find that rch and mh were headed to Oregon, too! We made a deal: we would tell them them about our our Willamette Valley discoveries, and they’d have to let us know how it went. And we did! And they did! And so here it begins – welcome to first-time contributors rch and mh!
rch and mh say:
Our beer, food, and wine tour of Oregon began in Medford, OR, where we spent a few days with family friends. During that time, we tasted our friend’s delicious homebrew beer. His double IPA was outstanding. One night, we dropped their kids off for the evening and drove to Ashland, home of Oregon’s world-renowned Shakespeare Festival. For our purposes, however, what mattered is that Ashland is the home of the Standing Stone Brewing Company. Like many, many of the places we visited over the next week, Standing Stone has a pretty impressive commitment to local ingredients and sustainability, and they just received an award for being one of the most sustainable businesses in the region.
Having four people there gave us the opportunity to sample more of their food and drinks. To start, we had a sampler to try out some beers. Then we ordered beers – and this place offers something a bit unusual; they had pints for $5 but half-pints for $3 each. Since we were there in part to try the beer, a few of us got half-pints. The “I heart Oregon ale” was probably the favorite of the table. It featured a very balanced flavor profile and had all local ingredients. Like many pale ales it was mildly bitter and slightly hoppy. The amber ale was also terrific. It featured a slightly more malty flavor. Note in the picture below how the IPAs were quite dark and hoppy. Also tasty.
While many micro-brews are mostly just about the beer, the food at Standing Stone was also solid. rch and a friend split a chicken, garlic, & cream sauce pizza while mh and a friend both got burgers. The pizza was good, not great, but the burgers were excellent. Great garlic fries, though maybe a touch too garlicky. We also had some excellent sweet potato fries, good Brussels sprouts, and one other appetizer that neither of us can remember. Great experience and it was not surprising that it was pretty packed throughout the evening when we were there. Only downside, from the perspective of a Celtics fan following Game 5 against the Heat – no TVs.
We then traveled across OR-140E about 80 miles or so to Klamath Falls. While we did not have much time in Klamath Falls, we did get to stop at the The Creamery/KIamath Basin Brewing Company (located on the site of an old creamery – note the sign below).
The Creamery is a relatively new micro-brewer in the heart of Klamath Falls, OR (rch’s hometown). She remembers when it was an actual creamery, complete with giant milk carton standing on the roof next to the cow, but hadn’t been back since they remodeled. We arrived there with very little time to spare – only about 45 minutes between events. It did not disappoint. rch ordered a Crystal Springs IPA. It was tasty – not too hoppy but great flavor, and again made with mostly local ingredients. mh ordered the sampler, which was inexpensive and included eight generous pours of KBBC beers. Great value and delicious beers. The Crater Lake Amber Ale, the “flagship” beer of the KBBC was especially good. The bar also had solid dark beers like the vanilla porter and chocolate-smelling stout. We did not get to sample the food, but we were generally impressed. The bar had several large TVs and advertised that they have NFL Sunday Ticket, a huge plus during the football season. Below is a picture of the “tasting”.
the new craziest thing i’ve seen …
t says: I am speechless …
happy to sad to happy in 3 minutes …
t says: k and cm brought over some desserts to a recent party we threw (I turn the big 3-0 soon!). And while there were several delicious desserts (including superb contributions from several castmembers and also g’s “giant Tastykake Kandy Kake” … which tasted exactly like a Kandy Kake), one of them has outlasted the others by virtue of being jarred. Here it is:
all better.
Ha. I ate it. Sorry. What you see above used to be a salted caramel budino from Barbuzzo … and it was unsurprisingly delicious. k and cm brought them over for the party, however, through some accidental oversight (or was it “accidental” oversight?), I ended up with three of these bad boys leftover. So lately, this has been the emotional rollercoaster I’ve been encountering at the end of my meals:
Step 1: “Holy crap – I have budinos in the fridge! Awesome!” <5 seconds elapse as I frantically search for a spoon> “Ohhh, this is soooo good.”
<170 seconds of heaven elapse>
Step 2: “Aww man! I’ve consumed my budino ration for the meal …” <5 seconds of despair>
Step 3: “Oh – it’s ok – I still have more in the fridge for next time!” <Happiness resumed>
Thanks k and cm! It’s a gift that keeps on giving!
(And in case you were wondering, I’ve been on a strict 0.5 budino per meal ration. That’s as much restraint as I can muster … although k is convinced that because I’m about to be 30, I should be allowed to “let myself go”.)
Chloe and Wedge+Fig make us smile
t says: continuing the a + v dinner series …
a says: First, Chloe …
We’ve been a fan of Chloe for awhile and visit it every few months… if they decide to open. We’ve also wanted to bring my parents there since it is convenient and delicious. Everything came together a few weeks ago for what was our best meal there, yet. It’s no wonder they have lasted this long (over 10 years) and earned a reputation as Old City’s best bistro.
April 2012, Friday Dinner, Party of 4. We ordered almost exclusively from the specials menu which mainly consisted of appetizers and small plates. We find the appetizers to be stronger at Chloe, plus we get to try more items. Standouts included a well executed potato leak soup that had great potato flavor without any mealiness. The leak could have been more pronounced and the Vichyssoise at GTC still owns the top spot for potato based soups. (side note to GTC: Why, oh why, did you take this off the lunch menu? [g interjects from nowhere: Yea! The first time I noticed it wasn’t on the menu, I was SO sad! t joins in: She was almost in tears … g fights back: Shut up!]) A luscious gnocchi in a venison and pork ragu hit all the right notes along with my entree, halibut with a potato, bacon, and lobster hash – I’m pretty sure that’s all the “bait” you can fit in one cohesive dish. I’d say this is one of my favorite entrees from the past few months though nothing about it was nuanced, just damn satisfying. v’s salad with grapefruit, avocado, and fennel was fresh, interesting, and more subtle than the other dishes. If you find yourself in Old City, consider Chloe for inventive, modern American cuisine… just pray they’re open. (n.b. They do not take reservations and are byob.)
Next, Wedge + Fig … x 2 …
April 2012, Brunch, Party of 4. Still one of the best places to enjoy a bottle of wine (byob) while enjoying the outdoors. We went with the cheese board special of the day which introduced us to some interesting takes on old standards. I had the “Jawn” sandwich (butter-fried turkey, pork roll, cheddar, jalepeño-dijon aioli, and red onion on pretzel bread) and can honestly say it was that jawn: A great take on what makes a sandwich uniquely Philly while not being heavy or overpowering. The saltiness of the pretzel bread is a nice touch but I think the pork roll could have had more oomph.
v takes over from here: May 2012, Brunch, Party of 3. On our most recent visit, the service continues to improve as does the decor, chairs, and most importantly, the food. The portion sizes are a bit bigger than when the restaurant first opened. As temperatures continue to rise, Wedge + Fig has made some subtle changes to ensure comfort in the back garden. This is one of the quietest, most relaxing places in Philadelphia. The sound of the small fountain and the high walls block any ambient noise that may come from the bustle of the city. As for the food, it just keeps getting better and more satisfying. I ordered my favorite brunch dish at Wedge + Fig, the lox and cream cheese. It is one of freshest, lightest versions of this classic I’ve had at any restaurant. Not surprisingly, a ordered the panini of the day (PoD) – dubbed the “John Wayne” – buttermilk blue cheese, ham, bacon, fried egg, apples, and whole grain mustard on rustic white bread. This was one helluva breakfast sandwich, not for the faint of heart. The cheese was extremely creamy, the apple cut the richness of the cheese, and the fried egg brought everything together. As always, we left Wedge+Fig content, happy, and above all, relaxed.
after dinner sneeze 