Meme: totally 70% worth it!
t says: A long time ago, Savored.com was running this promotion where you could make reservations at any of their affiliated restaurants for free (normally $10 a pop). So I did! At every restaurant I could see myself ever going to! One of the restaurants was Meme, a small New American place that’s so close to where we live that it takes me literally (yes, literally) less than 3 minutes to walk there. And yet, it was the one place that I felt I’d have to push g the hardest to go to …
Why? We went once a long time ago (pre-blog), when they first opened after kicking Melograno out. We brought drb along with some ’05 Bordeaux. While the food was “good” (drb had his first skate wing), we got the feeling that they were still finding their way. Overall, our meals were promising, but pricey. Then we heard that they were only BYO while waiting for their liquor license to come through, which was a bummer, because when it did, g and I never returned because then the food definitely wouldn’t justify the bill … well, that’s not completely true … we returned once … for brunch … and it was yucky. We don’t care what phillymag says, it was not good.
So now enter the new Meme. No, nothing’s changed in terms of who’s running it, rather, this Meme emanates a little whiff of despair – or at least I think it does. I feel this way for a few reasons. First, it’s often empty on weekday evenings (maybe a few tables occupied – or maybe we’re just not looking through the windows at the right time). Second, they returned to BYO. And finally, most recently, they’re now on Savored. Yikes! On the bright side, they do get a lot of PhillyMag press, so maybe that’ll keep ’em afloat.
After much pushing and pushing (g still had that horrid brunch on her brain), g finally acquiesced to a Thursday date night. It was 30% off, so we were looking forward to eating more cheaply than a “normal” date night.
April 2012, Thursday Dinner, Party of 2. We entered and the place was pretty much empty. There was one occupied table and that was it; it wasn’t particularly confidence-inspiring. Nevertheless, the hostess/waitress/server was very pleasant and offered us our choice of seats. We chose wisely and got the party started. Their menu is small, with something like 5 appetizers and 5 entrees, but it covers a wide range of offerings, from meats and fish to salads and bone marrow.
g and I made our selections: g went with the lambchop (whoa! g went with the lambchop? no “tuna crudo” or wimpy salad for her this time!) and I opted for the bone marrow. The waitress told us that it’d be 15 minutes for the bone marrow, and not to worry that we’d be “forgotten”. I appreciated that – I don’t like feeling forgotten.
We chomped on some bread and passed the time with the usual mix of chit-chat and gossip that married couples enjoy. Good times. Not too long later (I didn’t time them), our appetizers landed.
g’s app: lambchop, eggplant, cucumber concoction
I have to say that I was impressed with the size of g’s lambchop. Normally, when I think of lambchops as appetizers (or even as entrees!), I think of little dinky, wussy, lollipop-sized teasers. This one was quite substantial. I’ll let g say a few words …
g says: It was way bigger than I thought, and it was quite good!
back to t: g’s a little pressed for time right now (i.e. she has a real job, and I [kind of] don’t) so she’s a little short on words. She ate it all – so take that as evidence of its goodness. Moving on, allow me to present my appetizer:
t’s app: roasted bone barrow, herb concoction
I hadn’t had bone marrow since eating at Ad Hoc with k and cm some time ago. I was happy to get back on the wagon. Result: it was great!! It had good texture to it, spreading like bitter but still capable of holding together in your mouth. It tasted unctuous (as bone marrow should), with a smoky/roasted overtones. The accompanying herb mixture rounded out the flavors quite nicely. I also liked how Meme didn’t muck around with the bread, letting me focus on the subtleties of the bone marrow, itself. And for a measly $8 (pre-30%0off), I was more than satisfied with the size. Actually, I’m glad it wasn’t cheaper because then I might have ordered two …
After a nice showing on appetizers, g and I got down to business on the entrees. The first thing we noticed when they landed was the quantity: they weren’t holding back! These were legitimately sized portions! I thought maybe for Savored reservations they’d skimp on the entrees, but no, they pulled no punches.
t’s main: NY strip, salad with belu cheese, lentils, roasted onion
As I prepared myself mentally for my cow, I went to the lentils first. They were prepared well with a nice mix of bite and give. It definitely wasn’t the pig-infused bomb that Bibou serves, but at the very least had a good spice that I can’t put my finger on and a meatiness about it to make it seem like the lentils weren’t “just” an afterthought. Good for them! Then I went in for the steak. It was perfectly medium, had good seasoning (some might find it a little heavy-handed with the salt, but I liked it!), and possessed just the right amount of caramelization on the outside to give it some oomph. Once again – it’s not the profoundly-sauced masterpiece that Bibou has, but I was impressed none-the-less, as it was definitely a step above Parc and probably a hair (a very small, very fine hair) better than Cochon. The salad was a little cumbersome to eat (the leaves could have used one or two more passes with the knife), but added some nice bitterness and blue cheese funk to play with the steak. The onion was a little superfluous, but at the very least brought in some sweetness.
g’s main: pork, greenes, polenta, tomato
Now on to g’s dish, which I sampled extensively. I need to give you some backstory before continuing. You see, whenever we go to restaurants, I get the pork and she gets the steak. And very often, I end up wishing I had the cow. This time, we played the game a bit differently: g went with the pork so I went with steak. Now, keeping in mind that I was actually pretty happy with my dish, I was very envious of g’s dish. Her pork was a sizeable portion of well-cooked, well-seasoned (not as salty as my steak) pig that played oh-so-nicely with swiss chard. But the key was that tomato on top. It’s funny because g offered me some tomato and I turned it down, thinking “oh, it’s just another roasted tomato”. She persisted. She was right. This was no boring ol’ “gee-we-should-add-some-red-to-the-dish” tomato. This tomato meant business. The flavor was concentrated punch to the face that really brought out the pig. For me, the polenta was a little boring, but g seemed satisfied with its texture (I wanted a little more flavor … I don’t know of what, but something). Darn. I went with the steak and g still won.
And then there was dessert:
g & t dessert: strawberry shortcake
For dessert, we finished with the strawberry shortcake. Unfortunately, this dessert wasn’t as great as the rest of the food, but it wasn’t bad, either. The biscuit had nice texure, but little-to-no flavor. The strawberries were a bit mushy, reminding me more of the strawberry topping that ice cream shops have for ice cream than real strawberries. We did like the whipped cream, with a nice solid vanilla, creamy flavor. But don’t get me wrong – we did eat it all, so it’s not like we hated it.
In the end, g and I feel that Meme did a surprisingly good job. The food was simple – nothing we had was all that unusual or fussy or novel, but it was well-done for the most part, with some very tasty highlights. Furthermore, by the end of the meal, we were STUFFED. I’m glad we live so close because I could quickly get home and put on some pajamas. Also – the cost wasn’t bad. In total, the pre-Savored bill was around $77. After savored, it’s low 50’s, and then tack on a pre-Savored tip, and you’re mid-60’s. That’s cheaper than restaurant week! (And bonus savings: no cab fare! and BYO!!).
It was such a good deal that we returned two weeks later with dz and smn.
April 2012, Tuesday Dinner, Party of 4. I went with the bone marrow and pork T-bone and they were once again spot-on. It wasn’t a fluke the first time – chef can cook! (The T-bone was a little smaller this time around, but I was still stuffed by the end of the meal). g went with the salad appetizer (which was massive and had some potatoes in it, so it was very filling – dz had to help her out!) along with the pork T-bone. I was shocked when dz put forth some praise for the cod oregenata main that he had (dz isn’t picky, but I feel like for him to suggest that something tastes good without being prompted to do so should be considered an accolade). I don’t know if the beet salad or the salmon that smn had rocked her socks or anything (in the past, she and dz have only been “meh” on Meme), but maybe she’ll share an opinion when she reads this post.
In this humble writer’s opinion, Meme is absolutely worth the Savored price – we can see ourselves going back for weeknight dinner, easily. Now, is it worth the un-Savored price (i.e. going on the weekend)? That’s tough. Looking at only French and New American places, Meme is definitely not going to threaten Bibou. It’s not going to replace Fond. And the list of great BYO’s keeps going if we expand the scope to include other cuisines: Melograno, Koo Zee Doo, Modo Mio, etc. I think that the “fight” really comes down to Marigold Kitchen vs. Meme. It’s funny because I think the entrees are better here than at Marigold, but Marigold has all of those cool amuse bouches, so it’s more like an adventure! So weekend dinners will still be up in the air for us to consider going to Meme. Maybe it’ll be our go-to for some kind of “super-simple” nights? Maybe one of those Fridays when g and I are exhausted, we don’t have plans, we’re wearing boring clothes, and all we really want to do is drink good wine, but we want some properly cooked food to go with it (e.g. why drink a $30 bottle of wine with a $10 pizza?)? I guess that potentially could make Meme our “neighborhood joint”? Hmmmm … we’ll think about it …
true/false: vegan = healthy?
t says: I read the following article I found linked through eater. I think the writing kind of sucks (which, knowing how horrible my writing is here, is no small feat), and it’s poorly researched … but I think the point is valid: eating vegan can indeed be healthier than not … however, because we are “gourmets” and still rely on sugars and fats for flavor, “vegan” alone is not sufficient for a food item to be consider healthy. On a related note, I did watch the “Forks over Knives” movie, which was interesting (the Chinese study that was mentioned was pretty impressive … but rumor has it that there are some unsubstantiated conclusions being drawn from the data – what journal was it published in?), but I’m not completely sold, yet – sorry guys.
g’s mom conquers bacon-chocolate cupcakes!
t says: g and I visited her mom a few days ago, who proceeded to surprise us/me with cupcakes! And not just any ol’ cupcaktes … bacon-chocolate cupcakes!
homemade bacon chocolate cupcakes
I think she said she was inspired by the latest donut post. Behold the power of suggestion!
Now, I don’t care if people are now “over” bacon, because I’m sure not! It’s no surprise then, that these were obviously awesome. Maybe she’ll point to the recipe she used so that all of you can share in the bacony chocolatey goodness. I recall her admitting that it wasn’t an easy recipe (requiring espresso, coffee, bacon, etc), but I feel like the steps were worth it, as these were probably the moist-est cupcakes I’ve ever had – blowing away anything from a box. Furthermore, they survived for days in the fridge with losing only the slightest, if any, moisture (which, in retrospect, is actually kind of weird?! But why complain about not-rock-hard cupcakes?). The bacon did get chewy by day 3-4, so I’m glad I employed the help of friends to consume them – people seemed more impressed with the cupcake than the bacon. Oh well. I liked ’em!
Great job g’s mom!
“winning dinner” at cochon
t says: I’d like to take the time to introduce our latest cast member: alf. Hiya alf! So, lc and alf were in town visiting the other weekday so I was tasked with finding a dinner spot for the four of us. I had a few requirements:
1) Not expensive (entrees < $20)
2) BYO
3) Red wine compatible food (lc prefers red and I had a hankering for pinot noir)
4) Easy availability (i.e. last minute reservations on a Wednesday)
And while yes, there are plenty of such places in Philly, how many of them could do:
5) Guaranteed delicious
And with that, I knew what we had to do … We had to go to Cochon …
April 2012, Wednesday Dinner, Party of 4. Ahhh, Cochon. Comfortable, casual, homey, and oh-so-piggy. It’s one of adsz’s most under-rated restaurants – if only it was closer to where we lived, we’d be going all the time …
And so, with a bottle of pinot burning a hole in my “cellar” (i.e. the cardboard box underneath our wine fridge), we climbed into a cab and $10 later we were in Queen’s Village, ready for a much-scaled-down pigs-and-pinot feast. Interestingly, the place wasn’t that empty when we had arrived – a good sign because we’d hate for them to go under due to lack of business. Please readers – go to Cochon!
Now … down to business … g and I started with the gnocchi appetizer:
gnocchi + peas + crab + bacon + ?some kind of sauce?
Our appetizer was pretty good overall. The cream sauce with the peas, crab, and bacon was wonderful, but the gnocchi were a little flawed. I feel like they were trying to go for a super-uber-volatile gnocchi like at Vetri, but alas, the pasta came up crumbly instead of whipped/creamy/cloud-like. But don’t take this as “bad” gnocchi, as I assure you that had there been an entire plate of it, I would have been a happy camper to have had it for an entree.
lc’s appetizer, for which I do not have a picture of, was the fried oysters. I need to confess that when she first ordered them, I was hoping that she wouldn’t regret it, because seriously, it’s “fried oysters” – how good could it be? Answer: DAMN GOOD! In my opinion (not that I’m a fried oyster connoisseur, as I’ve had it only a handful of times), these were perfect. The meat was just cooked on the inside and it had a tissue-paper-light crispy breading on the outside. It was as close as one could get to eating a raw oyster … without it being raw. Consequently, Cochon has singly-handedly re-opened my eyes to the world of fried oysters (although now that I’ve said that, I’m sure I’ll be let down by the next 5 places I try it at).
My dish was a “special”:
pork shoulder + mustard crust + Brussels sprouts + lentils
The shoulder was beautifully prepared, with a deeply piggy flavor beautifully balanced with the mustard. The lentils were not quite Bibou-esque in flavor, but respectable in terms of texture. The Brussels sprouts were impressively charred on the outside, just how I like ’em (I think others should note how to do it). In the end, I felt that in the game of dinner, my dish was a winner for sure. So let’s look at the competition:
steak + fries
g went with the steak and fries (with the ubiquitous cochon aioli). The steak was cooked perfectly and well-seasoned. There weren’t any real “mis-steps, and it had some nice bonus smoky/grilled flavors. However, it’s not a very “complex” or “subtle” steak; if I could be sexist for a moment, I’d say this is a “man’s steak” for sure – straightforward, bold, meaty, no frills. Consequently, it wasn’t Bibou-good, but g was still happy with it.
pork tenderloin + dried cherries + nuts + Swiss chard + Israeli couscous
And now enter lc and alf’s main … They ordered a “special” pork tenderloin over swiss chard, nuts, dried cherries and some kind of reduction. The pork is the new most tender pork I’ve ever had (not including pork bellies, which is all fat, so it doesn’t count). Was it prepared sous vide? It sure tasted like it – but what do I know? It had playful sour cherries opposite earthy nuts. If my dish was like a down-and-dirty devil, there’s was the lively-and-cutesy angel. Two dramatically different takes on pig, for sure. I preferred mine, they preferred theirs. Counting lc and alf as one vote (it wouldn’t be fair to allow them to count as two votes), we looked to g to settle the argument. g proclaimed alf and lc the “winners”. No way! We asked the server for a second opinion – he sided with me. Obviously, I’m going to refuse to let lc and alf “win”, so I’m going to say that we co-won dinner.
As you can see, Cochon is still doing things beautifully. If you want meaty meats with pigs and steaks and fat and butter and friedness, then it’s really tough to top. If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, you might not find a whole lot here (although they technically do have a vegetarian option upon request). Similarly, those wanting a light-and-fit meal might be disappointed as well. But everyone else should be more-than-happy with Cochon’s offerings. And, between Cochon’s BYO-ness and Savored’s 30% off, going there is a pretty sweet deal, indeed. I hope they continue to get the love that they deserve.
cute little [killer] bunny
t says: My favorite “everyday” ice cream is Blue Bunny (not that I’m eating ice cream everyday or anything). It’s cheaper than Ben & Jerry’s and Haagen Daz, but a bit pricier than Bryer’s, Edy’s, Turkey Hill, etc … but I feel like it’s worth it … especially if they have the pistachio-almond flavor, which is the best!
In addition to flavor, Blue Bunny is now going for “cuteness” – check out what g found at the grocery store:
a tiny blue bunny!
a size comparison
And now for the cutest part:
under the lid is a tiny spoon!
So to sum up: it tastes good, it looks cute … so what else?
Well … it kinda still has >25 grams of sugar per tiny tub … which, if you think about the recent anti-sugar movement, means that this cute bunny is now best likened to the following:
So … eat carefully, friends.
[temporarily] no more tuna rolls for me
t says: Tuna-salmonella rolls!
http://eater.com/archives/2012/04/16/spicy-tuna-rolls-linked-to-huge-salmonella-outbreak.php
Pierre Calmels is such a pimp.
t says: I’d like to know what you were thinking as you read the title of this post. Maybe you don’t know of Pierre Calmels, in which case, you might suspect that I’m talking about a character onsome sort of Jersey-Shore-meets-France crossover. It’s not. Sorry. (Actually … I’m not sorry.) For those of you who know that Pierre Calmels is one-half of the dynamic duo responsible for Bibou, a perennial favorite of adsz, maybe you’ve stumbled across this post thinking that I’m going to reveal some sort of sordid indiscretion he committed. It’s not. (And shame on you for thinking that Pierre could do something like that!?) So what is this post about? Quite simply, this post is here to further illustrate Pierre’s uncanny ability to make grown men cry and women swoon … through food.
March 2012, Friday Dinner, Party of 6. g and I were dining with a, v, and a’s parents. That’s right, it was time for us to “meet the folks” (g had already met them, but I had not). And, because a and his dad are real big into wine, I was super-excited about what kinds of wines were going to show up. They didn’t disappoint (more on that later).
Now, with so many adsz posts already dedicated to Bibou, we don’t want to go into such great detail about ever dish again. Yes, the pig’s feet rendered v speechless. Yes, g got the steak again and had no regrets. The escargots were still ridiculous. a and v’s parents had the fish entrees – maybe they’ll have a word or two to say in the comments!
But let’s talk about me – after all, that’s what I do best. After tackling my first ever plate of frog’s legs with g (that’s right – g went for frog’s legs … and liked it!!), I wondered if I was going to regret going for the “special” instead of the steak or the pig’s foot, both of which are my faves. They’re just both so consistently delicious! Had I made a mistake?! … And just when I thought Bibou couldn’t possibly be more delicious …
Pierre goes and does something like this …
... and totally crushes it.
What you see in the above pic is a duo of pork. I eschewed the pig’s foot and the beef in favor of this “special” which included [essentially] a T-bone of pork and a slab of pork belly. Yes, there were greens and a root puree. But I need to draw focus to the pork belly. Now, my favorite pork belly has long been Lee Styer’s at Fond. This one is nothing like Lee’s. There’s no dense crust. The portion is fairly petite. But the flavor! O! M! G! (Don’t you love it when I do that?) The flavor! The rich fat disintegrates in your mouth instantaneously, letting out a deeply piggy flavor framed in such a wonderful sweetness, but not in a cloying way. And it just keeps going. I was brought to silence, and, had I had enough wine, perhaps a single tear could have escaped from my eye. It was so beautiful. It was like seeing a baby being born (except that I don’t proceed to eat the baby). And in that instant, Pierre stole the crown from Lee. It. Was. Epic.
The best part was that when I told the server about how delicious the belly was, he said, “that’s great! you should also go to Fond and try theirs”. I told him that I did and that Pierre’s was superior. He was impressed. And then Pierre himself came around. He did his usual super-humble-Pierre routine, where he thanks you, tilts his head, and flashes his bashful smile, as if he just “doesn’t know how it happened”. He said something like, “the secret’s in the pig … we get it from <insert source here – I couldn’t hear him>” Sorry Pierre. That’s bull$h!t. And you know it. Unless you have some sort of genetically engineered pig that eats chocolate and craps cinnamon buns, I can only conclude one of the three possible explanations:
1) You are in possession of some kind of magic wand and aren’t afraid to use it.
2) You are straight-up lacing your food with some kind of French cocaine
3) You are a brilliant chef.
Regardless, it’s more than just the pig. And so, for refusing to rest on your laurels and continuing to produce entrees that repeatedly blow us away, we salute you.
(And yes, we salute Charlotte and the rest of the Bibou staff as well … they are top-notch, too!)
a says: Pork belly was AAAAAAAamazing. The pig’s foot and steak was great, as always. Fish dishes were good but didn’t have enough to remember major themes.
after dinner sneeze 