Posts Tagged ‘Philadelphia’
The Pig Crawl [and Percy Street BBQ: A Taste of the South on South]
t says: Last Sunday, g, kp, and I wanted to do a pig crawl. We wanted to sample some notable pig dishes and truly experience pig in all of its glory. We originally planned to go to DiNic’s (in Reading Terminal), Sampan, and Percy Street BBQ. Things don’t always work out as planned.
When the day began we actually found ourselves at Parc with even more friends! We’d gone there once before and, in preparation for our pig crawl, we exerted restraint in choosing our dishes. We opted for the pastry basket, a side of bacon, and a French75. That’s restraint, right? Starting off the day with some buttery pastries and fatty bacon chased by a bubbly cocktail? Sounded good to us! Plus, the bacon meant we were starting our pig crawl early! (which is actually why we ordered it). The pastry basket was delicious like the first time (although the chocolate croissant still had its rod of chocolate), and it included madelines! Sooo good. The bacon was only ok for me, as I like mine a bit thicker (and a little crispier), but the salty, smoky taste of it was quite nice, and, after all, who’s going to argue with bacon? The French75 was exactly as before, so g liked it a lot! Our friends sampled the pomme frites, pain perdu, the poached eggs, and the steak-and-eggs. By the end of the meal, not a single scrap of food remained, so I think it was a success. Good job, Parc. You might not be besting Cochon’s brunch, but you’re a good ol’-reliable.
As g, kp, and I readied to go to DiNic’s, we called ahead just to make sure they were open. It’s a good thing we did because they told us that they only had like 15 sandwiches left and that unless we were “in the area”, we probably wouldn’t get there fast enough. We appreciate their honesty. But that removed DiNic’s from the Pig Crawl! So we decided to take a little break (that pastry basket was quite filling) and skip straight to Sampan.
Sampan was very nearly empty when we got there (5:30). We were seated and enjoyed the Pork Banh Mi, Brussels Sprouts, and the Beautiful Boy sake. The Banh Mi was spot on (you go, Fernandez!) – I grow weary of raving about it, so you can read about it in all of our past reviews. g felt that the meat was the most tender it’s ever been – I felt that there might have been a tad too much cilantro – but it’s not like any of this prevented us from demolishing the sandwich. The Brussels sprouts were a little firmer than I’d like, but still tasty. The sake was as smooth as a baby’s bottom. When we were finished we got up and readied ourselves for the main event – a restaurant we’ve never visited: Percy Street BBQ.
5/2010, Sunday 6:30pm, Party of 3. When we arrived at Percy Street, I was impressed with how big it was. Maybe it was the open windows or something, but it just felt like a very large space! We were seated promptly and happily perused the menu. kp was happy that there was a roll of paper towels on the table – apparently that’s how they do it in the South. We ordered a PST sandwich, the deviled eggs, the mac-and-cheese, and a half-pound each of pork belly and pork spare ribs. We had no idea that this was WAY too much food for three not-starving people.
The mac-and-cheese and deviled eggs arrived first. The deviled eggs were classic deviled eggs. No dill (like Village Whiskey), no fancy add-ins (like Supper) – just eggs, mayo, and paprika. If there was anything else, my feeble palate missed it. They were quite good! Classic. I’m not sure how they got the filling to be so light and fluffy – but it was like an egg yolk cloud in my mouth. The mac-and-cheese came bubbling in a hot dish covered with nicely-toasted breadcrumbs. It was a nice, plain mac-and-cheese. Once again – no weird cheeses, nothing added to it – just mac … and cheese … It was also done well – the macaroni was a soft-but-not-mushy consistency, and the cheese was calm and smooth. kp and I wanted a little more flavor in the mac-and-cheese (maybe some sharper cheese), so kp requested his go-to fix-all, hot sauce. He was pleasantly surprised and satisfied with Percy Street’s selection of hot sauce: Crystal (apparently this is also the hot sauce that is used in the South). It perked up the mac-and-cheese nicely (although if I used as much as kp did, my mouth would still be burning).
When the meat came, I was a little worried that I was getting full … but I pressed on … for the sake of the blog. As the meat was set down, we were asked if we wanted some bread to make sandwiches. Sure! The waitress returned immediately with a basket of sliced white bread. kp was delighted by this as well, as apparently white bread is also how they do it in the South – no fancy baguettes, no brioche – this could have been Wonder Bread. And it worked beautifully. I put some pork belly on the white bread with some of the baked beans. Wow – that was SO tasty. The pork belly was soft and nicely streaked with fat (maybe a little too much for g’s taste – it’s a textural thing). The baked beans had just a touch of sweet and some nice heat and were firm enough so you knew were eating beans, not mush. So good. The ribs were no slouch, either (actually, opposite of my preferences, kp preferred the ribs to the belly!). The meat was super-tender and had enough smoky flavor that made you want to gnaw on the bone to ensure you got every last bit.
g’s PST was a pork belly-coleslaw-pickled green tomato sandwich. It tasted exactly as one might imagine it to taste – the pork belly was the same as I had ordered but the accompaniment of that pickled tomato and cole slaw added some sour and tang. I gravitated towards the belly-bean combination – g gravitated towards her sandwich. I kind of doubted that the belly-bean combo was that good and suspected that the atmosphere was altering my perceptions … Well, I took the leftovers home and ate it the next day; yep – still delicious. I have GOT to learn how to make pork belly like that …
The wait staff was very courteous and the food was quite good, so we liked our Percy Street BBQ experience overall. It was definitely fun to have BBQ-esque food that you could pick up with your hands. I have a feeling that this place could be kind of like a cheap Amada for us in the sense that it would be a blast to dine there with a group of friends. Of course, unlike Amada, the dishes aren’t as polished/refined, but BBQ’s aren’t supposed to be ; Percy Street wasn’t so chic-ified that it lost sight of the whole theme: down-and-dirty BBQ.
g says: Whoa there, cowboy! I wouldn’t go comparing psbbq to the almighty Amada. They are definitely not in the same galaxy of awesomeness. Don’t get me wrong, we did have a great time and really enjoyed our meal, but I wouldn’t get carried away. Are you with me, kp? Okay, I’ve said my piece – back to your regularly scheduled programming…
t says: That said, a true, Southern BBQ seeker I imagine will be disappointed with Percy Street because it’s not that down-and-dirty, but for someone who wants a slight touch of clean with their down-and-dirty (kind of like a down-and-dirty-lite), I think he/she will be satisfied – we sure were. Actually, we look forward to taking our dads there … between ribs (for my dad) and chicken (for g’s dad), I just can’t see how they wouldn’t like it!
Bobby’s Burger Palace: Hype Meets Hamburgers
t says: Bobby Flay came to town, as k had foreshadowed and the end of our Ladder15 review. He was opening up a new burger joint. For $7-8, Bobby’s Burger Palace (BBP) promised some semi-fancy, semi-fast-food burgers that are made-to-order. What makes them semi-fancy? k already told you: unique topping combinations – not uber-fancy stuff like at Village Whiskey or Ladder15, just good stuff like avocado, bacon, hot peppers, etc.
g and cm were at work on the day that BBP was to open. And you know … when g and cm are at work … t and k go and have adventures! k absolutely had to catch a sight of the man, the myth, the legend … Bobby Flay. Personally, I just wanted to taste me some good, cheap burgers (Ladder15 totally did me in with their over-the-top meat-and-fat-fest).
So, at 3pm, k and I cut out of work to head to West Philly for the opening. This was actually k’s second attempt at visiting BBP – she’ll tell you more about that visit, her impressions of this visit, and her one-on-one encounter with Bobby later … after she and cm have had time to visit BBP multiple times (I’m far quicker to pass judgement … does that make me a bad person?) …
3/2010, Friday 3pm, Party of 2. So … I arrived at BBP before k and there’s a line. A very long line … a very long line that extends out the door by about 20 people. Fortunately, it was a nice day, so I stood and waited for k to arrive. As I waited, I found that the line refused to move. There was a BBP employee at the front of the line, so I imagined she was trying to hold us back so we wouldn’t mob the place? After all, Bobby was inside (I saw him through the windows, shmoozing with the customers). It became apparent that I wasn’t allowed to go inside … or at least … not if I waited in this line … When k arrived, I explained to her the situation and that we might not be able to make it during our lunch breaks. Just then … the BBP employee disappeared, and then the whole line waiting outside shuffled into the restaurant … including us! k has magical powers of non-verbal persuasion …
As we picked out our burgers, we saw him … Bobby. And you know what … he’s skinnier in person that I imagined. No, he’s not scrawny, but he’s not “normal American sized male” – he’s leaner, not super-tall, and has pretty highlights in his hair … We didn’t get a chance to talk to him before we ordered, but we did talk about what k should say as an icebreaker.
I ordered a pistachio milkshake and the “Philly Burger”, which featured beef, hot peppers, provolone (my choice instead of cheese whiz). Also, k and I ordered sweet potato fries to share. We paid and were seated at the long curvy-counter – we kept a lookout for Bobby (but he was standing right behind us the entire time, talking to some older gentlemen in suits and ties). My burger came first – it looked pretty good! Not as fancy as pictured here, but for $8, who cares? I saw a sesame bun, a burger topped with hot peppers and topped with melted cheese. How’d it taste? Not bad! The peppers were actually hot! No, they weren’t fancy hot peppers or anything, but they were still good. The provolone could have been sharper (as is the style seen in Philadelphia cheese steaks) to compete with the heat. The meat was cooked well-done instead of medium-well as I had ordered, but it was still juicy.
The sweet potato fries were very good. They weren’t too sweet potato-y, which is a common flaw in sweet potato fries – they’re often just too sweet! These were good. The milkshake was also tasty but not what I was expecting. I expected it to hit me in the mouth with pistachio – but it didn’t. It was a sweet vanilla at first, later followed by a hint of pistachio. The pistachio wasn’t as vivid as CapoGiro’s gelato, but it’s supposed to be a milkshake to go along with what you’re eating, so that might be excusable – and there really isn’t anything wrong with a pistachio-vanilla combo. I’d get it again!
Overall, I was happy with the result. How happy? Well, if I got these at a real sit-down restaurant, I wouldn’t send it back, but I don’t think I’d come back, either. However, at a fast-food-esque setting like BBP, I think it’d be a tough call between Chipotle and BBP – BBP might have an edge due to delicious milkshakes and not charging a whole extra $2 for adding guacamole to a burrito (that’s outrageous!). Of course, BBP has humungously long lines – so long that when I tried to take g there, we stepped out of line and went to Chipotle instead. Actually – to be honest – I think BBP’s opening was the best thing to happen to Chipotle in a long time – there were several BBP menus scattered about in Chipotle, evidently from people who couldn’t wait for Bobby. I will say that if I go back, I wouldn’t order the same thing again … I’d go for chicken and either the Napa Valley Burger (crunchified) or the Sante Fe Burger, the plain fries, and the Black and White milkshake. I think it’d be another satisfying meal. But after that – I dunno – 500-degrees is a little closer to home … and we’ve never been!
Cochon: Brunch Round 2
t says: g and I loved Cochon’s brunch the first time we went there. Simply put, I never had a better stack of pancakes – and I’ve had pancakes everywhere! It brings me great pain to admit that they even bested the pancakes made by our summer-time private chef, g’s grandfather. Of course, g’s grandfather does have some tricks up his sleeve (e.g. fresh blueberries, dark chocolate M&M’s). But now the question – is Cochon a one-trick pony, or can it do more? I guess they can also do “Eggs Cochon”, which g thought were very good – so maybe they’re a two-trick pony? It took us a while, but we gathered together some of adsz’s cast members and went out for brunch. Would Cochon live up to the hype [that I/we gave it]?
4/2010, Sunday 11am, Party of 6. Although we had reservations, it was clear that they were not needed: there was no line of people, only two tables had patrons, and, at first, there was only one hostess/waitress/server. I’m happy this place is still on the D-L.
We sat down with our chilled bottle of vodka (for the bloody mary mix!) and contemplated our options. I had the pancakes last time, and while I loved them, I knew that I had to try something new … for the sake of the blog … I felt somewhat obligated to take on the “other” classic breakfast starch: French toast. Cochon prepares theirs with a berry syrup and fresh whipped cream. It seemed like a winner. I was set. Perhaps I was too set – as I might have told the waitress that we were ready when we definitely were not … But the result was funny and fun! It involved a lot of “come back to me – do me last” among our castmates. Oops! Sorry guys! I couldn’t help it! I was excited!
When the French toast came to the table, all you could see were ?3?-?4? slices of bread surrounded by a pool of deep purple and hiding under a mound of off-white whipped cream. In retrospect, I realize now that it definitely wasn’t a dish that you’d look at and go, “wow, that’s pretty”, rather, “wow, that looks delicious”. And it smelled delicious, too; my nostrils were filled with the scent of berries and maple. I was happy. I offered everyone at the table an opportunity to taste my dish – because there wasn’t going to be any left when I was done. I gave them fair warning, waiting 6-8 seconds, and when no one raised his/her voice, I dove in. First, let’s talk about the sauce. That mixed berry syrup was ridiculous. It seriously was like I had jammed a bunch of berries in my mouth with some maple syrup – but it was smooth – no chunks. There also was minimal tartness, so I imagine that lots of sugar went into it – but it didn’t taste any sweeter than normal maple syrup. The whipped cream was decadent, just as it was last time on my pancakes – it made extra creamy Cool Whip look “light”. The toast, itself, was … good. It wasn’t fluffy like at Parc, but it wasn’t just plain white bread, either. It was an inbetween that had a nice crispness on the outside with some give in the middle … but there wasn’t anything remarkable about it. But, honestly, it could have been plain white toast and the berry syrup would have carried me through the meal until the very last bite. I now know the ultimate breakfast … Cochon’s berry syrup … on top of Cochon’s pancakes, with the caramelized banans and walnuts … I might ask them if they can do it next time I go …
g had the steak and eggs. She and I both agree that they were delicious! The steak with the red wine sauce was phenomenal – I’d say almost as good as Bibou’s hanger steak, and definitely the best steak-and-eggs breakfast we’ve had (meaning I liked it more than the fancy-fancy steak-and-eggs at Tinto).
k says: I liked the atmosphere and the crab – they were generous with the crab. But it wasn’t much of a frittata, though – it was more of a scramble.
t says: cm and d both ordered Eggs Cochon. I think they agreed that while the pig and sauce and eggs were all good – the brioche bread left something to be desired. It sopped up a lot of the grease from the meat and had a dry, crumbly texture. g remembered that the bread wasn’t her favorite part last time, either, but she must have forgotten about it because the rest was so good. cm and d still consumed the rest of their dish, so I think they at least were satisified. I didn’t try any of their food, so I can’t testify!
Finally, d’s friend ordered tomato pie. It looked and smelled delicious. Once again – I didn’t taste any, but if she wants to join the cast and lend her comments, we’d be happy to have her!
All-in-all, I think that while I thoroughly enjoyed eating brunch Cochon, both g and I are noting that there are some weaknesses. The brioche bread seems to be the biggest problem – however, g noted that they do serve English muffin with their steak and eggs, so perhaps a substitution can be requested if you ordered Eggs Cochon (actually, g prefers English muffin to any other type of buttery breakfast bread, anyways). That said, for the price and ease of getting in (and ease of finding parking in the area on a Sunday morning), Cochon continues to be one of my favorite places to go. Now all we need to do is try out some of their more lunch-esque items!
LATER …
Cochon has swapped out the brioche in the Eggs Cochon for “pancetta bread“. Two words: Holy Crap.
Koo Zee Doo: Wonderful Anti-Tapas
t says: Koo Zee Doo is a Portuguese BYOB in Northern Liberties. LaBan gave them three bells. It received four James Beard nominations (and was a semifinalist for “best new restaurant” – although I guess was eliminated as now Bibou is the only remaining Philadelphia restaurant in the category). When I read it was family style – a concept that I had not heard in Philadelphia outside of Chinatown and Italian restuarants – we had to go. Because maybe our own families would not appreciate Portuguese food (but they’d probably like family style), we decided to invite the third member of our own “Finer Things Club”: kp. Having just returned from his world travels, kp was totally down for this March FTC meeting.
3/2010, Friday 8:45pm, Party of 3. Our cab pulled up right on time. While there was a little crowd of people waiting to be seated, we walked right in and were seated very-nearly-immediately (they just had to put settings down on our table). Our server was very enthusiastic and explained that everything was served family style and that their entrees were the equivalent of 1.5 “normal” entrees. He then recommended getting three appetizers and 2 entrees for the three of us; my math is a little fuzzy, but that sounded like a lot of food. He also recommended the piri piri shrimp, but, after kp exclaimed how excited he was to see piri piri on the menu (kp makes a mean piri piri), the waiter said “well, this is our version.” As a result, we ignored all of his recommendations and ordered the following: Goat’s Cheese, Salt Cod and Chickpea Salad, Baked Duck Rice, and Pork & Clams. We were going to order more if necessary – I forget what the backups were, but they definitely weren’t necessary …
Before we start, I do want to say that we haven’t included kp’s thoughts on the food, yet – but if he wants, we’ll be happy to added this review at any time.
The bread came out with a dish of interesting yellow things. That’s right – “yellow things”. I have no idea what they were because I zoned out when the waiter was talking (a bean of some sort?), but you eat them in a manner similar to edamame (eat the insides, discard the skin). As other reviewers have said, the bread was quite tasty and worked well with the bean-like-things – but the bread didn’t really show off its true colors until the goat cheese and salad appetizers came to the table.
First, let me say that the apps were quite large! I don’t know how we’d fit a third app on the table had we wanted! The cheese was crumbly and light, kind of like ricotta in both texture and taste. Well, it didn’t taste like ricotta, as it was a richer cheese, but it definitely was not as nearly as goat-y as we expected. It was accompanied by some oil (with salt) that was very nice with the cheese (kp actually said out loud, “this cheese could use some salt” right before he stumbled upon the salted olive oil) as well as some honey and what looked like cubes of ?honeyed pears?. At first, the cheese was “ok” – but between the bread and the cheese, there was still something missing … but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Well, whatever the missing element was, it was hiding in our chickpea and cod salad. That salad was phenomenal. It was both simple and complicated. The chickpeas were accompanied by olives, pieces of tender cod, hardboiled egg, and what I think was broccoli rabe. It had the salt and sour that worked well the egg and chickpeas as well as the goat cheese from the other app. Put this together with the bread and to be honest, Actually, I was afraid that I’d be full after eating just that! And there were three of us!
Then came the entrees. As soon as they hit the table, my nose smelled delicious delicious pork – it was like the scent of good bacon – and bam! I was hungry again … The duck rice was closest to me, so I dove in. Holycrapitwasgood. The duck was so tenderly cooked (and we ordered it medium instead of medium rare!). It had a beautiful crust on the skin. In your mouth, you get the salt and fat followed by duck and the mild taste of the rice. I’ve never had a duck so good – although perhaps that’s not saying a lot because I haven’t sampled a ton of duck in my time. Perhaps it’s more impressive if I say that I’ve never had a bird so good [at a restaurant – it’s hard to compete with a brilliantly cooked Thanksgiving turkey] . This dish made me vow to order more duck. It was so good that the next morning, I got up and wished I had some more of that duck rice.
The Pork & Clams were served in an upside down roof tile and were mixed with what looked like “country potatoes” you’d get as a breakfast side. This dish was also excellent. A few of the first clams I had were a little over-cooked – but the rest were spot-on (I think the first few I had were tiny, so maybe that’s why they were a little over). Then the pieces of pork … the lovely pork. Each piece had a good crust on the outside but fell apart in your mouth to reveal tender meat on the inside. I will admit that the potatoes seemed a little out of place … until I looked at the shallow puddle of juices in the bottom of the tile. The potatoes were miniature sponges for the juices – duh! In any case, the main flavor of this dish was “pork”. Yes, the clams were good, but pork was the clear star.
We were kind of full (g had started sneezing), but we just had to try dessert, too. One item intrigued me especially: chocolate salami. A complete dish of chocolate – how could I go wrong? Well, when it hit the table and it looked very … brown. There were some slices of chocolate salami (slices of chocolate ganache with crushed cookies) set in a rich chocolate ?mousse?, a chocolate-dipped chestnut-filled fig, and a cinnamon creme with a chocolate cracker with almonds. I was totally digging the quantity of chocolate … but you know what … it was disappointing! The salami was crumbly (I wish it were softer, like actual salami) and the cookie bits didn’t really have much taste that my unrefined palate could discern (and didn’t really add much texture, either). The rich chocolate sauce was good, but it really didn’t have anything to shine against b/c the whole dish was chocolate! I desperately wanted some salt or some citrus or some nuts – give me a kumquat like at Zahav! The cinnamon creme was only “good”. The almond-chocolate crisp and the fig were the best items in the dish, but only because they were able to bring in some flavors that could stand up to the chocolate monotony.
We were amazed when the bill arrived. Each person paid less than restaurant week prices ($35), and that’s with tax and tip!! Couple this with it being BYO and you have a great combination of ample, delicious food for a reasonable price! We’ll definitely go back – there are so many things on the menu! And because the portions are so big, it’s going to take some time to get through them. But you should consider avoiding the chocolate salami … unless you actually want to reach a point in your life when you say: “You know … that’s just too much chocolate …”.
Yogorino: Not Yo’ Mamma’s Fro’ Yo’
t says: When I used to think of frozen yogurt, I thought of TCBY. Essentially, I thought of custard (or “soft serve” as most people call it) that never tasted quite as good as ice cream (also, the texture was less “creamy” and more “frozen”). Well, Yogorino apparently recognized the taste disparity, gave ice cream the middle finger, and shouted defiantly, “we don’t want to taste like ice cream”. The end result was a super-creamy soft serve creation that tasted liked … yogurt! It’s actually quite stunning how much like yogurt it tastes – especially upon your first bite when your mouth and brain expects “oh, vanilla soft serve” but bam! it gets that yogurt twang instead (yea, there’s creamy vanilla and sugar, too, but the yogurt flavor is what makes the biggest first impression).
Yogorino has this one shtick: yogurt. They only have one flavor of yogurt: “vanilla” (or more accurately “vanilla yogurt”). The Yogorino experience is with the variety of interesting toppings – they have dry (including chocolate shavings, nuts, other candies), fresh fruit (changes frequently), fake fruit (fruit sauces), and wet (other sauces, like chocolate and caramel). I’d be willing to bet that fresh strawberries and either chocolate shavings or chocolate sauce is the most common combination – makes sense to me – they taste good together!
Now, g and I have been there a few times, but I never felt particularly “moved” by it. Personally, I like the taste of yogurt, but mostly with my Indian food or for my breakfast. For dessert, I’d rather go to the nearby Capo Giro, where if I order something vanilla … it tastes like vanilla! But tonight … Yogorino changed it all for me … and for the better! Maybe it was the company? Maybe it was the beautiful weather? Maybe it was the peace of Rittenhouse Square at night? These were great … but I’m pretty sure it was the yogurt. Or should I say, the toppings? I ordered a small with chocolate sauce and pistachio sauce (not the nuts … a green sauce). The end result was an interesting brown-green puddle atop a mound of white. It looked atrocious, but it was SO tasty. The pistachio flavor was light, the chocolate was inviting, and the yogurt twang actually tasted like the sour you would get from fresh fruit, not from yogurt. According to my brain, I had a chocolate-pistachio-fruit soft serve … it was awesome! Plus, with the “probiotics”, it’s good for me … right?
g got caramel sauce on top of hers, and she said it was the best topping she’s ever had on top of Yogorino. I disagree … mine was. But hers was a close second …
In the end, I’m glad I’ve come around to liking Yogorino. I’ve heard so many people talk about how it’s the greatest thing ever, and now I feel like I can at least join the conversation with the aspects that I like about it. But … will I ever choose it over Capo Giro? Maybe … it depends how close I am to Capo Giro …
An Ode to Bobby Flay
k says: This is an ode to my culinary hero. I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Bobby’s Burger Palace (BBP) just a few blocks away from our apartment. First, a little background on the topic that is so close to my heart —
I love Bobby Flay. Now, I know there is some controversy here. t himself has bashed Bobby on a few occasions, even in this very blog. And yet we’re still friends … t thinks that Bobby is inferior to Morimoto and that he was kind of a whiner in that classic Iron Chef episode where they first faced off, and similarly childish when they rematched in Japan. While I agree, it’s now over 10 years later and the new Bobby is not like that. The new Bobby makes shrimp and corn tamales that still make my mouth water one year after eating them. The new Bobby has humility. He is always a little embarrassed when he wins a Throwdown. The new Bobby knows how to share the stage and is always open to learning from others on Grill It. t will mention that Bobby is sometimes criticized for playing it safe in competitions, only sticking to the cuisine he knows best, relying heavily on southwestern flavors and his favorite chipotle. True, but who sticks to what he knows more than Morimoto? And nobody criticizes him…because it’s delicious! A robust statistical analysis will show that Bobby consistently wins in the “taste” category during Iron Chef competitions. Bobby has cultivated a style with bold and complex flavors, as evident by the Mesa Grill menu, that in my opinion is quite delicious.
A full restaurant review is forthcoming …
t says: If I see Bobby tomorrow, I’ll fight the urge to buy a burger from Supper (or a burrito from the nearby Chipotle) and challenge him to a throwdown … But on a serious note, I’m totally down for a good burger – I hope he delivers the goods …
Garces Trading Company: Our Wallets Are Scared …
t says: A few weekends ago on a Saturday, g, her mom, and I were in the mood for an early lunch. There were many available opportunities (no one has wait times at 11am), but we knew that g’s mom is a Garcesophile, so we had to try out his latest venture: Garces Trading Company (GTC for short … cuz I’m lazy). GTC is a combination market, restaurant, and what I’d like to call a “bistro”. Wait – a restaurant and a bistro? That’s weird. I’ll explain [eventually] …
When you first walk in to GTC, the space appears quite open, with the market, prepared foods, and to-be-prepared foods along the left and rear walls and a refrigerated cellar-esque wine room along the right wall. In the center of this massive space are some normal-height tables (like the ones you’d find at a restaurant). This center area was set apart physically from the circumference of the room as well as from other tables that were much taller with stools. What gives with the different tables? Is Garces segregating tall-ies from the shorties? Well, if you opt to go for the short tables, they are fully serviced with wait staff who will take your order and bring out your food [and obligate you to leave a tip] … like a restaurant! Alternatively, you can walk around the circumference of GTC and pick out and order whatever you want and take a seat at one of the taller bistro tables on your own (i.e. without service). But if you go for this option, you have no control over what seats are available or who you may be sitting next to. Regardless of where you want to sit (or whether or not you want to be waited on), the available food options are the same! I like that! You could zip in and get your food and run without feeling like you were missing something, or you could stay and linger (perhaps with a bottle of wine you just bought?). It’s quite an interesting setup.
What about the market? Well, the “market” seemed kind of small for what I was imagining. I guess I was used to something like Talula’s Table that has a lot of random food-centric things that fill up a considerable amount of space. GTC seems like it doesn’t have as much, but in retrospect I think it’s just that the market occupies such a small amount of space versus how much space GTC as a whole takes up. So what do they have? They have a selection of olive oils, which you can [freely] sample right there with the [free] provided bread. These range from “nice olive oils” up to black and white truffle oils … which I tried … which was fantastic, and way too far out of my price range. The black truffle oil tasted just like “truffle”, but the white tasted a little lighter with a bit of spice to it (maybe like black pepper? not sure). It was earthy with a small jab of liveliness. I have no idea what I’d do with it if I had it in the house – maybe just sit there eating it with bread … or maybe d would come over and we could try to make Melograno’s pappardelle tartufate? I later found out that truffle oils are usually synthetic, so I don’t know if GTC’s was the real deal or not, but who cares? It tastes good, right? Before you poo-poo on synthetic truffle oil, I just want to say that if you’re thinking that your favorite truffle dish at XYZ restaurant surely comes from real truffle oil, then I think you should go and ask the chef next time … you might be eating your words …
Back to GTC … they have a selection of meats (including house-cured charcuterie) and cheeses as well, which I know very little about but looked good! And, they have a wine room … I walked into the “cellar”, wanting to flex some CSW muscle (I studied at the Restaurant School) by reading some labels and seeing how much I could recall. Geez – my knowledge of Spain has grown quite rusty, which is a shame because Jose seems to have a few bottles beyond the norm. All-in-all it was nice to browse. The selection wasn’t nearly as extensive as you’d find at a Wine and Spirits Shoppe, rather, it had more medium-to-high priced selections. There were some cheap bottles there in case you just wanted a little pick-me-up in the middle of your weekday to go with your lunch.
So … on to the food:
3/2010, Saturday 11:30am, Party of 3 (Bistro Tables). As we walked around, looking at the foods, I was tempted by the pizzas and the “special” beef burgundy for 2 (made with shortrib). However, I wasn’t in the mood to wait a long time (I was eyeing the Chicago deep dish pizza – which requires waiting 30 mins) or over-eating (I save over-eating for dinnertime). There were lots of things that sounded great – but in the end, I just let g decide for us … We got the lamb sandwich. Lamb sandwich? That’s it? Yep. But it was a damn good lamb sandwich. It featured perfectly cooked lamb loin with eggplant and chickpeas, and a little side of roasted red peppers. The lamb sung, “I am cooked as well as any lamb dish you’ll find in a restaurant”, while the bread chanted, “I’m as good as Tony Luke’s bread, cuz I’m crispy on the outside and soft on the inside”. See? The food was so good, that it started singing to me.
g’s mom went for a salad: Insalata Semplice. She was super-impressed by her meal, between the pomegranate, blood orange, and pistachio. I’m sure if she is so inspired (even though it’s been over two weeks), she’ll leave a comment down below (::hint:hint::nudge:nudge::).
g and I will definitely go back to GTC. It was just too good (and reasonably priced). Between the market and the food, I just don’t understand how anyone who lives or works in the area isn’t completely flat-out broke. Boy am I glad it’s not within walking distance of where we live …
after dinner sneeze 