Posts Tagged ‘Philadelphia’
Lacroix Made Me a Loser
t says: Center City restaurant week is here! Apparently there’s also some kind of South-of-South restaurant week going on as well. But, because we were only going to be in town for half of restaurant week (leaving for SF tomorrow – we’ll report!), we could only pick out a single restaurant to visit. What was our choice? Lacroix. We considered Le Bec, but they have their $40 deal going on, so we went for the “other” classic Philly great. Who could say no to a four-bell restaurant, right? Well, we were hesitant at first, as we know that chefs despise restaurant week, but we wouldn’t be able to afford to Lacroix otherwise, and that’s quite the point of restaurant week, isn’t it? To visit places you can’t afford! Duh! We asked a what he thought of Lacroix; he said it was worth it, as they have tremendous service and great food. Done deal. We booked a table for four for a Friday night and now we just needed to figure out who to go with … but we forgot about it for a while …
Then just last week, our friend w and her boyfriend asked us to join them at Zahav for restaurant week. I suggested that they abandon their plans and come to Lacroix instead, as it would be more of a “deal” over Zahav, as Zahav’s non-restaurant-week tasting menu is $36. I was so confident in the superiority of Lacroix that I wagered that if their food was not up-to-snuff, then I’d buy everyone their choice of frozen dessert (Yogorino or Capogiro). w’s boyfriend responded via email:
“hi [t and g],
we will begrudgingly accept your hostile takeover of our restaurant week plans and dine with you guys at lacroix. however, we would like to point out that the lacroix menu is also available daily from sunday to friday.
either way, we look forward to our classy engagement.”
I had not known of the cheap-o menu at Lacroix that was available during the week, and this almost changed my mind … But, given our last experience at Zahav, I took advantage of w’s and w’s boyfriend’s kindness (i.e. their ability to tolerate my … insistence), and planned for our first Lacroix outing.
Friday, 8:30pm, Party of 4. g and I met up with our dinner-mates at Lacroix. We didn’t quite know what to expect. Was it going to be fancy-shmancy? Big open air dining room with massive chandelier? Professionally-dressed waitstaff with super-straight postures and frequent usage of words like “monsieur” and “mademoiselle”? Not exactly …
The hostess was very nice. She greeted us and seemed friendly. She told us that we would be shown to our table in a moment, which we were. We did cause some nuisance when we first got there as we tried to coordinate seats, but that’s just because we’re anal about that kind of stuff. What became apparent as we sorted out who was sitting where was that the place was much smaller than I had envisioned. There was one main walkway separating two rows of tables. The walkway can only accommodate one person walking down it at a time. One row of tables was against windows that have fantastic views of the square, and the other row separated the main seating area from the bar. Also bizarre were the cobblestones. Well – not “cobblestones”, but there was an area that led to a fountain when you first walk in where the ground was covered in small, uneven rocks. It was like they tried to bring the outside inside. Maybe if the fountain was more impressive, I would have been impressed (yes, the repetition is intentional), but it’s not like it was a 40-foot wall of water or anything.
We were then greeted by our server. Little did we know that our server was going to be the source of much conversation throughout the evening … in a bad way. We were not ready to order drinks so we asked for more time, so he left. We discussed getting a bottle of white wine and decided that that would be appropriate. We also looked over the menu and debated what we wanted to eat. While I was mid-sentence, our waiter came over with paper and pen in hand and said, “ok, what would you like?”. He was looking at g. g was looking at him. g was confused. She asked if he wanted our drink order or our dinner order. He apparently wanted our dinner order. What – he didn’t want to ask us for our drinks anymore? Did he just assume we weren’t going to get any? So we went around the table and ordered. w’s boyfriend ordered up the wine for our table. Now what was weird is that he took our orders without affect. No obligatory “thank you” or “splendid” or anything. He didn’t have to be over-the-top, but he had to at least put in some filler words to make it seem like his top priority was great service. But no – he didn’t try to shmooze us at all. He didn’t care what we were ordering. We might as well have been ordering into a microphone at a fast-food drive-thru … well … no … the person who takes your order at the drive-thru has more enthusiasm than this guy – and I bet you they’re getting paid a LOT less! The funny thing was that it felt to me that his attitude could have stemmed from a “you’re just here for restaurant week” thought. Yea! That’s right! We were just there for restaurant week. If you can’t handle it, then don’t participate in restaurant week.
And you know what. Not only could he not master the art of “talking to people” – he also couldn’t master the art of “taking our order”. At first, I thought it was weird that he was actually writing down our order instead of memorizing it. Aren’t servers at high-class places like this supposed to memorize stuff like that? It’s not even like there’s a huge array of possibilities – there are three apps, three mains, and two desserts! But I looked on the bright side: if he writes down what we ordered then he has a 100% likelihood of getting the order right. But no. He screwed up. w’s boyfriend was not given the appropriate entree. So the three of us got our food, his had to go back, and we waited. We actually waited for a while – I’d say somewhere between 7-10 minutes. That was less than desirable, as it’s not like fish takes 7 minutes to cook (or at least, it shouldn’t) and I would bet that our order would have been bumped in priority. But you know what was worse? The waiter didn’t apologize. I could not believe it. He didn’t say a word! The expediter did apologize profusely when he came back with the food, but our waiter did not say a single word when the problem first arose – and he was standing at the table when it happened. That was shocking. He should have said something. Even if he believed that he was right and that we didn’t order correctly (which we did – he was the one to blame), he should have still apologized. The customer is not always right, but this time, we were.
Last weird thing about our server. After we gave him our credit cards, he gave us our receipts to sign as well as another table’s receipts. What was wrong with this guy? He couldn’t show emotion in any interaction that he had with us, he couldn’t master the very difficult science of writing down what we wanted to eat, and he missed the boat on trying to ensure that we would be able to pay him the correct amount. So, there’s only one thing left to do … I have no choice but to re-use my dad’s new favorite sports chant which he learned when he went to j’s college’s football game … “Hey Waiter … You SUCK!” (Yes, my dad does have a big bright red t-shirt that says “Hey” on the front and “You Suck” on the back … He’s a big guy. When “You Suck” is written in letters that big, you just might believe him …)
On to the food …
I had the heirloom tomato appetizer. The tomatoes were pretty good. They weren’t Talula’s good, as the tomatoes just didn’t have as much flavor as I was expecting (maybe under-seasoned? or maybe mediocre tomatoes?), but there were some successful unexpected components involved: toasted coconut and corn ice cream! The sweetness of the coconut and “corniness” of the ice cream were fantastic. Seriously, that corn ice cream is something I’d actually want to make at home and have it as an appetizer by itself. And all the flavors did something interesting in my mouth with the tomatoes – but I couldn’t quite describe it. If you give the tomatoes a little more tomato oomph, this would have really knocked my socks off. As it stands, it only untied my shoelaces, but it definitely could have gone all the way. Given the novelty, I was fully expecting a Talula’s-esque meal. I was excited.
For the entree I had the short rib pastrami. It was interesting. I had never had short rib pastrami-fied before. But the problem is that it really didn’t offer me a product better than other methods of preparing short rib. It was only “good”. The overall texture was a little tougher than a braised short rib and the fat was more like pork belly fat rather than braised short rib fat, which I’m not sure is an improvement – just different. On the positive side, there was a bit more flavor than just “beef”, so that was nice. The greens were a little tough to deal with, as the stems were still quite resilient and resisted cutting (but had nice flavor). And the mash was successful. But nothing on the plate, either separately or together, screamed “I am delicious”. I ate it all and was satisfied, but I wasn’t beaming.
The dessert was also “interesting” … but not necessarily in a good way. I had the “creamsicle”. There was a foam that tasted rather bitter in lieu of citrus-y. There appeared to be pieces of peach that were actually something else – kind of like a small square of a peach flavored flan with one face colored red, so it looked like a square of peach. I don’t know. I ate it, but nothing really struck me as being “fantastic”. Even g’s dessert failed to make an impression on me as I really can’t remember anything about it except “chocolate” and “raspberry”. And this was sad. Because I love dessert. w loves dessert. We were made a bit happier, however, when they presented us with chocolate truffle and “classy sour patch kids” to end the meal.
Overall impression … the food was “good”. It started better than good, ended less than good, with just “good” in the middle. Portions were a little on the small side, as w’s boyfriend reported still feeling “peckish” at the end of the meal while we walked home. As I searched for a restaurant that I would prefer to Lacroix at a restaurant week price-point, one came to mind. Meritage. Meritage could offer similar sized portions for a buck or so cheaper, involve a seemingly comparable amount of novelty, and edge out Lacroix when it comes to taste (and that’s on a normal night – not on KFC or Korean Taco night – as that’d be unfair). So, maybe my expectations were too high going in. Had I been expecting something more Meritage-esque, I might have come close to being satisfied. But you know what … that’s bullcrap. In my opinion, it was Lacroix’s mission during restaurant week to give us something so enticing that should we ever have a special event where we could spend substantially more money, we would go! Thus, I feel that this was the ultimate failure on Lacroix’s part, as I assure you that a place like Vetri could destroy Lacroix in every aspect of the dining experience – even if you fixed our soul-less waiter. I don’t know if it’s the recent chef change or maybe the flavors/cookery were so advanced that my feeble mind could not comprehend the greatness I was encountering … but Lacroix will have to do more if they want to hear g sneeze in its dining room ever again …
… and now I owe some friends some ice cream!
Slate: Not Too Shabby!
t says: dz called me up on Friday out of the blue and asked if g and I were free for dinner; we needed to catch up. Unfortunately, g was heading out for a girls’ night at k’s (which I can only imagine included girly-drinks, Dirty Dancing, pillow-fights, truth-or-dare, and lingerie), but I was available! I told dz to pick a place, as it really didn’t matter to me. So let me tell you about dz’s two very important rules when choosing a place to eat:
1) No waiting. Either the place needs to do reservations or be able to take walk-ins without a fuss.
2) Walkability. He has to be able to walk to it in a reasonable amount of time.
But the truth is that I think that he has other rules, too:
3) No pretentious crap that costs a lot of money for a microscopic amount of food (seriously, I have never seen someone “dominate” an entire large vegetable lo mein on their own in one sitting like dz).
4) No required sharing.
5) More than one vegetarian option.
6) Teva sandals must be permissible attire.
Now, none of these are outrageous requirements. If nothing else, they illustrate dz’s priorities when it comes to eating food … He wants to show up at his convenience, order the food he wants to eat, and eat that food. dz doesn’t mess around. But where’s the fun? I suspect that the real enjoyment for him when he goes out to eat is not so much the food, rather, the company with which he eats (as apparently, without company, he is known to completely forget to eat). I was honored to be part of the company!
So, dz chose to go to Slate. I was totally down. It would be great to try someplace new! Well, it’s kind of new. Slate is one of those places that I frequently walk by but have only ever seen two customers inside at any one time. Having been there for a surprisingly good brunch once with drb and g quite a while back (that’s right – three customers at once! sorry, no past review because I forgot what I ate), I knew that they were capable of making good food, but it was hard to convince myself to go to dinner there with so many other nearby faves. This was my chance …
8/2010, 8:15pm, Party of 3. dz, his super-cool girlfriend, and I gathered at Slate for a Friday night dinner. At first, we got the, “it’ll be a while because we have no tables” excuse. This was peculiar because from where I was standing, there were plenty of open tables. Maybe some reservations were about to come in. In any case, when dz’s girlfriend suggested sitting outside, the host was happy to point us to the table and told us settings would be out momentarily. It was a great night for outdoor dining.
Initially, I was torn between the hanger steak and the duck. On one hand, it had been a while since I had eaten steak. On the other, would it stack up to my memories of the delicious steaks I’ve had at Bibou and Cochon? I felt that if not, I’d regret not getting the duck. And so it was decided. Go for the duck. But this wasn’t just “duck”. It was duck with a hoisin-Guiness sauce. I couldn’t imagine what it would taste like.
dz’s girlfriend and I also opted for an order of the vegetable lasagna eggrolls. That’s right. Two oxymorons in a row. Vegetable-lasagna (i.e. no meat). Lasagna eggrolls. Oh, and there was a dose of irony, as it included some “house slaw” as well, which I imagine was supposed to be like what the inside of an eggroll is traditionally filled with. How clever …
Enter our waitress. Now, before I go on, I want to stress she seemed like a nice, well-meaning person, which was great. But man. She was a space cadet. When she talked to you, it just didn’t seem like she was quite all there – maybe 85% there, but the last 15% was daydreaming about something. She took our drink orders (one beer, two wines) but the wine took quite a while to make it to the table, which was a little weird. We eventually found out that although she remembered that I had ordered wine, she couldn’t quite recall which one I had requested. Later, after we ordered the food (while my drink still hadn’t arrived), she then confessed to forgetting my entree as well. She said: “There must be something about you – I just can’t remember what you order.” It must have been my jedi mind trick that I’ve been perfecting over the past two decades. I’m glad I finally have some positive results; g has been completely resistant to all mind tricks, jedi or not – it’s been frustrating.
I do want to say that these small mishaps really didn’t make me angry or irritated or anything – it was just quite funny. dz’s girlfriend did point out that perhaps if she had written down our orders, all of this might have been averted. But where would we find such things like a paper and pen? We’re living in 2010! Get this girl an iPad or something! Personally, my favorite waitress moment was when she came to check up on us after we had been served our food. We said everything was great, and she immediately said, “sweet!” and turned around to walk away. Not only that, she said it in some kind of “voice”. This was not like a normal speaking voice that one would use to say “that’s cool” or “great”. It would be like if you’re hanging out with a bunch of your friends and someone offered you a free brownie. “Sweet!” Actually, it was a cross between Cartman from South Park and j. In any case … it was weird. But then I remembered the perfect place for her: Snackbar.
How was the food? The eggrolls were actually pretty good. Definitely unusual, but good! My brain was confused because my fingers were suggesting eggroll as I picked it up, but my mouth vehemently disagreed. They were beautifully crispy on the outside with vegetables and cheese (presumably mozzarella) on the inside, with a smidge of pasta. And the tomato dipping sauce (i.e. similar to marinara) wasn’t half bad. It was like a super-crispy vegetable lasagna, which I think most people can appreciate. The weird thing was the side of slaw. It was unnecessary. If you’re going to give us some “house slaw”, you’re going to have to give it some kind of visaul appeal. And actually, I don’t even remember what it tasted like. Now I wonder if I even tasted it. Darn. Can’t remember. Someone jedi mind tricked me.
The duck was cooked well. And that Guiness-hoisin sauce had some very nice sweetness and bitterness to it – that was a good combo. But really, I don’t have much else to say because the dish, from the meat to the sides, was well-executed and tasted exactly how it sounds. Not bad! Not blow-your-mind or to-die-for, but not bad! I think that this would be one of those things where if I replicated it at home, I’d be super-thrilled (and then post the recipe on the blog). At a restaurant, I’d be happy the first time I ordered it (which I was), but I’d move on to something new the second time (but at least this ensured that I would have no problem going a second time, which is more than I can say for others … looking at you Bistro St. Tropez).
So – Slate? Food was solid. Wine selection was ample (although not a lot of light-bodied reds – a lot of fuller-bodied, fruit-forward ones) and not super-expensive. Service was entertaining. In short, I’d go back. I wouldn’t lose sleep in anticipation of going again, but I’m nevertheless happy to know that some reasonable food is right around the corner.
P.S. Speaking of losing sleep about food … yes – our Talula’s Table reservation is right around the corner! g’s super-pumped. I am, too. We have a 10-person group (meaning #11 and #12 are still open – you want in, drb?), including a, the super-wine-enthusiast, and we hope it’ll be awesome!
Lightning Round 2! (+Bonus Pic!)
t says: We had a long time friend (drb) and his awesome girlfriend stop by in Philly a couple times during their recent visit to the area. We used this as an opportunity/excuse to show off some Philly cuisine, taking them to places that we thought were surefire bets for impressive food. Because we’ve been to all of these places before, there’s no real point to individual reviews, so here’s the quick and dirty …
drb keeps his own wordpress blog, so if you desire a non-g/t review of some of these places, check it out here. And no, you’re not allowed to think he’s funnier than we are …
Village Whiskey:
Props: BBQ pork sandwich. Yea – it’s still ridiculously good (but I recognize that bbq is a very personal thing, so maybe some might disagree). My friends enjoyed the fries and veggie burger, but did note that perhaps this place was a bit overpriced (e.g. $8 for a glass of whiskey that could be purchased by the bottle for ~$25). My response: “welcome to Philadelphia”. While his girlfriend admitted to liking the veggie burger a lot, drb noted that it contained a lot of intact beans – he prefers a more homogeneous patty. To each their own. Slops: What is wrong with the service here? They just can’t seem to get it together! This was our second time in a row with crappy service. Although we didn’t get the juvenile attitude that our last server had, it took 40 minutes for two sandwiches to arrive despite the place being only half-occupied. And then they forgot to add the onions I had ordered on my sandwich. Very weird. VW has to have the most inconsistent service of all the Garces joints. drb noted that it seemed to him like it was staffed with a bunch of hipsters … and he hates hipsters (n.b. just to clarify, he is not one of those people who assumes that anyone with a tattoo is a hipster; he has absolutely nothing against people with tattoos … just hipsters).
Capo Giro:
Props: Dark chocolate and candied cherry gelato. Need I say more? Well I’m going to, anyways. drb’s girlfriend, who insisted that she had very high gelato standards (having spent time in Europe) and even admitted that she was quite cautious/hesitant/doubtful before tasting Capo Giro, proclaimed it to be the best gelato she has ever had. Bam! It was so good, we went there a second time with drb and his mom a week later. Slops: If it was just a dollar cheaper, that’d be awesome. However, I’d also be 87 lbs heavier, so maybe not …
Carman’s Country Kitchen:
Props: This place’s food was still off-the-hook. We knew that drb and his girlfriend would enjoy the “atmosphere”. We love how we can call up Carman and claim our table early. Slops: Totally forgot that if you have dietary restrictions or particular tastes (e.g. anti-fruit), this is not the easiest place to find something to eat (it’s summer – fruit’s in everything). If the chairs were just a little smaller, we might be able to smoosh in a little closer when sitting at the tables.
Morimoto:
Props: Best pork belly I’ve ever had (it was that 10-hour pork belly appetizer). Holy crap. Also – they had a “special” Japanese eel nigiri. Best eel I’ve ever had. It was the flavor of eel but the texture of pork belly and a crisp skin. Holy crap. It might have been the best piece of sushi I’ve ever had. Even drb also had a “best ever” moment with his sushi. g enjoyed her red snapper special; it was superior to my main dish in both texture and taste (see Slops). We also had some “burnt honey ice cream” for dessert (it was featured as a component in another dessert item, but we asked for it straight up). The pieces of burnt honey (maybe they took a torch to it and then shoved it in the ice cream maker?) were surprisingly delicious as you encountered each little crunch – we’ve got to try this with j and k’s ice cream maker. Also, our server was super-nice – VW should kidnap this guy and clone him. Slops: Alaskan halibut with black bean sauce was … mediocre good. Had it been $21, then giddyup. But for near $30, definitely not. It made me wish they had the Chilean sea bass with black bean sauce on their menu, as I had heard so many good things about it from w; what a difference the swap in fish made (it was cooked fine, but kind of bland).
Kanella:
Props: Reservations on Saturday mornings is awesome – I’m over waiting in lines (although it was kind of empty in there). Cyprus breakfast was tasty – a savory breakfast for sure with egg, ham, bread, fried cheese, and some sort of vegetable. Overall, we enjoyed how the food was not only “simple”, “rustic”, and “delicious”, but well-executed (drb claimed his eggs were perfect). Additionally, it wasn’t food-coma-inducing, which drb and g appreciated (I don’t mind a good coma every now and then). The baklava was pretty tasty – not as good as Zahav’s, but, then again, it’s like half the price. Slops: A little more bread in the Cyprus breakfast would have been great (I’m a starch man). I agree with the waiter from before – the Cyprus breakfast isn’t to-die-for – as there are probably tons of other things on the menu that are awesomer (we just don’t know which ones to choose because it’s not like we recognize any of the items on the menu).
Cochon:
Props: What do you get when you take French toast and top it with one scoop each of peanut butter, banana, and vanilla-bacon ice creams, banana-caramel sauce, and bacon? Allow me to illustrate:
The best French toast ever!!
Yea … it … was … awesome. I ate it all (minus the two bites g snuck in when I was fiddling with the iPhone camera (that’s her hand ready to pounce in the picture). Once again – I normally hate taking pictures in restaurants as it’s super-tacky, but this was one of those things where I knew that you’d need proof of its existence (plus I had to tease sr for having to bail on us for brunch at the last minute). g had the fried oyster sandwich (you see it in the background), which was good as well – but come on – what’s going to compete with the “Elvis French Toast”? Also, we saw the chef/owners of Bibou (the Calmels) enjoying brunch here, too (g has a super-power that allows her to recognize/recall important people in the Philly restaurant scene – I would have preferred a more useful super-power, personally). If they eat here, then you can rest assured that my constant praises of this place’s brunch are legit, and not just the ravings of a lunatic. Interestingly, Bibou’s website claims that they are on vacation … Slops: We can’t go anywhere else for Sunday brunch. Ever. They also peach-cobbler-ified their pancakes, so I have to go back for that, too. Maybe this time, sr and ha will come. I’d invite j, but she’s back to school; it’s ok, she wouldn’t regret missing a dish like this, right?
EDIT: We’ve come back and I’ve experimented with putting these toppings on top of their super-awesome pancakes. Surprisingly it was not as good as the French toast. There’s something about the ice cream on top of their French toast that is awesome. It’s almost like the French toast is the “savory” in this dish, whereas their pancakes are like another sweet.
Meritage (Again): Tacos and Dogs
t says: g desperately wanted to write up our latest Meritage experiences, however, she only got as far as an outline. I think the outline is funny to read in and of itself. Thus, without further ado – here are her thoughts (with my edits in brackets).
g says:
– rough week, needed a pick-me-up
– want to try meritage Korean tacos [Meritage’s “special” on Wednesday nights]
– tacos were $3 each, but ladder 15‘s weren’t that big, and we didn’t want to run up a large bill, so we “pregamed” at home with some salad [this ended up being a mistake – more to come]
8/2010, 9pm, party of 2
– same server as last time, who recognized us
– us: “you told us to come back for the Korean tacos, so here we are”
– him: “sorry, we’re out”
– t: “you’re joking”
– him: “no, i’m sorry, i’m not – we just got written up in the NY Times and sold out early. i’m so sorry.”
– us: “uh-oh, our master plans were foiled” [No, we didn’t actually say this, but we thought it. I contemplated leaving, but g felt that that would be entirely too rude, and informed me that we were staying]
– we ordered four small plates and the non-Korean-taco appetizer “special” between us
– food runner brought us shot glasses of cold honeydew/lemongrass soup “compliments of the chef” [these were delicious – smooth and sweet with a hint of lemongrass – it was like summer dessert in a shot glass. We still don’t know if all patrons got this amuse bouche, or if it was only for special clientele.]
– food runner dropped off plate of 2 Korean tacos, said “compliments of the chef” and dashed off before we could say anything …
– looked at each other, looked around. I said, “don’t touch them! If these are for someone else, we would look like such jerks eating them after the guy said they were out”
– t caught server’s attention and asked if they were indeed meant for us
– server: “yeah, they must have been held for a bar order but not picked up, so they’re yours. you have the last order of Korean tacos in the house.”
– didn’t have to tell us twice
– fabulous [really, these were quite good – better than at Ladder15, as the meat was more tender, having been braised. The kimchi was fresh and zingy. It’s definitely something I look forward to making at home]
[– also, g and I still disagree on whether the server was telling the truth – if actually they were left over from another order, or if maybe he somehow convinced the kitchen staff that we deserved tacos as we were faithful clients who love their food … or if he said they should fear a poor review on adsz, given that we clearly have the influence to close restaurants]
– gazpacho [g ate every last bit, so I guess it was good – and one of our Southern friends who claimed herself to be a “gazpacho connoisseur” also liked it]
– pulled pork sliders [these were sweeter than the pulled pork sandwich at Cochon, but were solid performers]
– flatbread with curry sauce [once again, this was sweeter than I expected out of a curry, but the chickpeas were a nice consistency, and the bread was delicious]
– chickpea fries [g doesn’t like these, thinking they’re kind of “hoky” – it’s kind of like mashed chickpeas formed into the shape of large french fries and fried – I like ’em! but really, you need to have ’em with some steak or something]
– special of the evening: duck corndogs – like the best chicken mcnugget and sweet-and-sour-sauce I’ve ever had [I have no idea where g’s been getting her chicken mcnuggets from, because, these are nothing like chicken mcnuggets, with the exception that yes, they’re fried, and yes, they are accompanied by a sauce that is both sour and sweet. But holy crap. These were phenomenal. I’d say they tasted as good as, if not better than than the tacos (and they “win” because I’m pretty sure I can’t yet make this at home)! The fried shell was light and crispy, and the ground-duck-“hot dog” was amazing. The Korean sauce had a hint of spice, once again catering to a more “wousy” crowd, but also had a nice tang and sweetness. This was very nearly KFC-good. Seriously, this should be their new “it” thing – quickly – before San Francisco steals it (although I’m sure SF already has done it … somewhere).]
t says: So, Meritage is definitely bringing the thunder when it comes to their Korean-inspired dishes. I think these dishes are great because it’s not like they’re trying to reinvent a classic Korean dish (a la Sampan), which is dangerous if the new creation doesn’t live up to the original; rather, these are introducing Korean flavors into otherwise hackneyed mediums (media?): fried chicken, tacos, corn dogs. It’s fun! Of course, these are only available on certain nights, so you’ll have to do your homework and ensure that you go at the right time (and hope that the kitchen doesn’t run out – we’ve called ahead since this experience to ensure they would have enough specials for us). We have been back for KFC night with some friends (actually, it’s the fourth weekly consecutive visit for g), and it was still quite delicious (although the sauce was a little more goopy this time – probably because we asked for “extra spicy” too far after we ordered it and they probably had to toss it again in more gochujang, which is pasty – if you want it extra spicy, ask for it up front when you order). There are other non-Korean specials on other nights – maybe we’ll get around to them. It’s just too hard to rationalize going to Meritage on a night when they’re not doing something Korean …
Melograno, Radicchio Cafe, La Locanda del Ghiottone, oh my!
v & a say: Three very different Philly restaurants that fall under the same category – small/Italian/byob. Before continuing, we must reveal our bias with a disclaimer: La Locanda is our neighborhood go-to spot which is as inviting and quirky as the food is delicious. Everyone is welcomed with a poster of the late proprietor, Giuseppe’s, Green Card, which reads “I waited three years for my green card, you can wait an hour for your food.” In any event, the staff (read: the Italian-stallion from South Philly serving you), takes pride in the menu and directs you without hesitation or forced pleasantries. This no-frills, entertaining experience, always leaves you satisfied and is well worth the trip. And, if you can’t find anything on the rustic-Italian menu that strikes your fancy, then tell them what you want and they shall deliver. To start, try the antipasto sampler served with cheese, olives, and grilled veggies. Word to the wise, don’t even think about putting cheese on fish at this devout establishment. Oh, and in response to the many less-than-glowing online reviews of this restaurant: We can see how many may think the service is coarse – personally, we appreciate anyone who enables people to enjoy delicious food, byo libations, healthy portions, and, above all, do so with friends and family – but try to take it all in stride. Also, if you only have time for lunch and desire a little of what La Locanda (only open for dinner) has to offer, try its sister restaurant, Il Cantuccio, for a taste.
Radicchio Cafe and Melograno also provide environments where groups can meet and share Italian cuisine, though we would label Melograno’s as more ambitious. Whereas La Locanda can accommodate a more boisterous crowd, these two restaurants are for more “mature” groups. In terms of food, Melograno takes the cake. a and I both ordered fish specials at Radicchio Cafe and weren’t blown away by either. a was steered away from ordering the soup du jour by the waiter – you know it misses the mark if the waiter specifically tells you not to order something. We followed his recommendations and were still left unsatisfied. Of course, we can’t make judgments off of one visit and so, we’ll have to return and let you know what transpires. What a pity.
At Melograno we had a much different experience. d took us to dinner to celebrate one of the year’s many notable events. He ordered the Pappardelle Tartufate which, let’s just say, is the dish he keeps returning for, over and over and over. We both ordered dishes that left us satisfied, to the point where we didn’t have room for dessert. As with La Locanda, the Antipasto Rustico is a great dish to share. Melograno and La Locanda do not differ in terms of quality of food and ambiance; where distinctions can be made is in the overall experience and approach to the cuisine. Melograno is a modern, comfortable, sleek byo with a menu to match, whereas La Locanda is like eating at your Italian grandmother’s house, crucifix and all.
It’s impossible to fairly rank these restaurants without knowing who we would be sharing the meal with. What we can say is that Melograno and La Locanda are at the top. With a loud, boisterous crew, we would choose La Locanda. With a more subdued group and fussier palates, Melograno.
Carman’s Country Kitchen: Tied for First …
t says: We realized that we never wrote about Carman’s! My memory has faded, so this is less a “review”, and more of a summary.
About Carman’s … It’s this awesome brunch/breakfast spot that’s well south of South. Let me set the scene for you. The place is TINY. It seats about 12 people total. The place is NOT fancy. You drink out of mason jars, and there’s definitely some patio furniture in there. Some people might look around and question the cleanliness because everything looks old – not “vintage” – actual “old”. Then when you do get in there, there’s only four items on the “menu”, i.e. a chalkboard behind the counter …
Yet, people line up out the door on weekends.
Why? Two reasons. The first stems from the service – it’s very personable. Not fake-super-over-enthusiastic, but it feels real – like if your mom and dad opened up a tiny restaurant that they were trying to run, themselves. Servers will not only take your order, but ask your name as well. It’s not unusual for Carman, herself, to come out and chat with guests – she even took our order, once! (She was also doing something on an iPad beforehand – that was definitely weird to see such a modern piece of equipment in such an “old” place.) Also, I’ve heard, even though I’ve never experienced the wait, that they will serve you coffee outside as you wait for your table, looking longingly into the windows at the food.
Number two: It’s that delicious. We’ve only been there twice, but both times everything we ate was wonderful. The pancakes, no matter what Carman’s sprucing them up with (e.g. a fall-themed squash and cinnamon one, a summer-themed peach one) are fluffy and plentiful. No, they aren’t as thick or fluffy as Cochon‘s, but it’s almost made up for by the other things she adds in. g has had an egg dish once and a shrimp-and-grits dish once. The egg dish was fantastic, but I think the shrimp-and-grits changed her life; they were tied with the best grits she had ever had (those made by kp) – so that’s gotta say something. j even joined us once for some sort of weird hot-dog based dish with sauerkraut or something – I don’t know – I didn’t get a chance to investigate, because it was gone in like 90 seconds (maybe one day she’ll fill us in on what she ate) …
What kind of person would go to and enjoy Carman’s?
1) Someone who is totally ok with not knowing what’s on the menu until you show up, and ok with the fact that nothing’s going to be “plain” (e.g. there’s no plain short stack of hotcakes here – it’s going to have a lot of different stuff on top of it or in it).
2) Someone who doesn’t require fancy decor … or sturdy tables/chairs …
3) Someone looking for a plentiful and awesome brunch, even if it does require a trek and quite possibly a wait.
My advice … call ahead. If you call and they say it’s busy, there’s no point in going. BUT – if you call during a weekday, when they are undoubtedly not busy, you can make a pseudo-reservation by telling them your name and number of people and Carman might be able to hold a table for you. But if you do this – don’t be late. That’s just rude. And it’d be extremely awkward sitting in such a tiny place when the owner is right there and thinks you’re rude.
Finally … what would make Carman’s supplant Cochon for our #1 spot for breakfast? That’s tough. Opentable reservations? Closer proximity? Slightly more space so I can take more than 3 people with me? And I know there’s no way my mom would ever like it in there (she likes super clean places). Oh well – I can at least say that Carman’s is my favorite place for weekday breakfast (Cochon’s only open on Sunday)!
Le Bec for $40? Mais Oui!
t says: We mentioned Le Bec was closing soon and have spent many sleepness nights wondering whether doing that $40 dinner option was worth it. And now, here to rescue us from our despair is the latest additions to the cast, a and v!
a says: And the verdict is… definitely worth the (lower) price of admission. The $40 menu is very small and certainly not typical Le Bec Fin extravagance. It is, however, focused and well executed. We ordered everything on the menu and were particularly impressed by the watermelon salad and stuffed quail. The steak was quite good and made more interesting by the pea pommes puree. In the end, the star of the show was the dessert cart. The pastry wizards at Le Bec still know how to satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth and the staff ensures you do not leave wanting. Service was extremely attentive and unpretentious, especially the sommeliers. The $40 wine list that accompanies this menu is lacking but use this as a reason to admire (and order from) their regular list. We had a red and a white, both (French) under $65, that were wonderful. I think the lax dress code (read: Hawaiian shirt and jeans) takes away from the ambiance but, thankfully, most diners used business casual as a baseline.
v says: Elegance, refinement, and sophistication come to mind when someone mentions Le Bec Fin. As evidenced by the clientele and service, this Philadelphia institution no longer characterizes such luxury. This is not to imply that the service is lacking, but rather that it attempts to meet the coarse population it has come to serve. In order to stay relevant, Le Bec Fin attempts to exude opulence while remaining accessible. While this is a respectable mission given the direction taken by most Philadelphia restaurants and the current economy, it no longer serves the needs of its niche market.
At the same time, this accessibility enables a broader range of individuals to try the richness and delicacy of French cooking. The 40$, four course meal is worth the dessert, which was the best part of the meal and absolutely compensated for the lacking cheese course. In the end, I left the meal satisfied and contemplating the current role of Le Bec Fin in the Philadelphia food community. Is it obsolete? Should it go back to fulfilling the needs of its intended market? I wonder how my experience would have been different in its heyday – sans the Hawaiian shirts. The sommelier was quite partial to wines from near his birthplace in Lyon even sharing a colorful French idiom, “We drink Burgundy and we piss Bordeaux.”
after dinner sneeze 