Category Archives: Restaurants
In Riva – What a Great Addition to the Neighborhood! @InRivaEastFalls
I grew up in the Philly burbs, the main line to be specific and there is a well known dearth of good food in the area. It’s really unfortunate that we usually have to go to Center City for a solid meal. Manayunk used to be an outlet and there are still some solid spots there, but it’s nice to have something else close by that serves top-notch cuisine (at reasonable prices too).
It’s been a few weeks since our visit to iN RiVA, but I can still picture that amazing, bright green pea soup with the garlic foam. It had the sweetness of peas just picked from the orchard and the balance of roasted garlic in the foam. The pea soup I grew up with was a muddy green (no offense Mom) and lacked the brightness and depth this soup harnessed. It was truly a gem.
The rest of our meal, from the char-oven-roasted octopus to the chewy and yet still crispy pizza were a wonderful blur. All I can say is go, and go soon, before getting a reservation is just downright challenging.
Like this:
It’s a Breakfast Counter…that serves a great dinner: Sportello Boston @SportelloBoston @barbaralynchBOS
When I was a little kid, my mom used to take me to a drug store for breakfast. Now don’t get the wrong idea, I wasn’t perusing the candy isle in search of M&Ms for my calories, rather, this store located in a shopping center on City Ave in Bala Cynwyd, PA had an old-style breakfast counter. I used to pony up to the counter and order my eggs and buttered toast so I could make a sandwich. Some days, I’d get to splurge for a grilled sticky bun. My mom would often read a newspaper and I’d watch the rest of the patrons, often regulars from week to week do their breakfast routine. The one-man kitchen was open and I could watch everything that went on from eggs to hash browns. I didn’t realize it then, but that ‘open kitchen’ was the wave of the future.
Fast forward to this past Thursday and I’m making a return visit to Sportello in the Fort Point neighborhood of Boston. I was in the area for a business trip and Fort Point is just 10 minutes from the airport. I called when we landed to find that they could accommodate us that evening. When we walked in, Jack (the manager?) introduced himself to all in our party and led us to a corner space at the counter.
This was a friendly start to the evening which our server continued. We really felt welcome and part of the neighborhood.
Barbara Lynch’s concept of Sportello is outstanding – it’s comfort based on the space which sets your expectation for the food. Now, the food. I started with the porchetta tonnato, which is served a multitude of ways, but in this case, it was 2 bacon shaped pieces of pork belly with chunks of fresh tuna and accompanied by a bruschetta with a pesto gremolata. The combination of the rich pork belly, tuna, and capers was a nice mix and a different take on the traditional tonnato, but not entirely substantive. The gremolata was flavorful, if a bit salty, but enjoyable nonetheless. I really appreciated the flavor combinations of this dish.
For my entree, I devoured the buckwheat pappardelle which included braised lamb, golden raisins, and pine nuts. The salty-sweet combination with the raisins and the jus of the lamb was heavenly and offset the hearty-ness of the pasta. I couldn’t help myself with dessert and had their homemade vanilla ice cream which was rich and smooth and definitely proved to be the right decision. It reminded me of having that sticky bun as a kid – - I didn’t really have room, but loved every last bite. I’m looking forward to trying some of the other BLG restaurants, but it’s hard to resist another return visit to Sportello.
Oak Ridge Winery Ancient Vines Zinfandel 2008 – - A chill Zin! + Poppi’s Pizza = A Good Dinner
Last night, we ordered delivery from Poppi’s Pizza and opened up this Oak Ridge Zinfandel. It’s been a crazy couple weeks since we picked up our puppy on 12/31. We’ve been so busy with her that we haven’t had the chance to enjoy our wine or look for pizza in our new area. This all changed on Saturday as we really enjoyed the thin crust pizza from Poppi’s and this Zin too. The pizza crust reminds me of Slice which was our favorite spot when we lived in center city. At Poppi’s the dough isn’t quite as crisp, but the crust is. Also, on the plain pizza, the sauce to cheese ratio is just right. Their salads are a cut above the regular pizza place salads too with a spring mix of lettuce and pitted olives. You’d think everyone would serve their olives in salads pitted, but my molars can tell you differently.
On a side note, if you’d like to see my puppy, I’ve created a blog for her too – her name is Macie and she’s a bernedoodle.
This wine is a chill zin – - I don’t mean that it’s a good wine when you are chilling out, which it is, but that it’s not an in-your-face bold, spicy wine. Rather, it’s jammy, like mixed berry jelly and just a bit of oak to balance it out. If you find some zins to be too powerful for you, I think you might like this. Cheers.
An Ode to Rittenhouse Square…and some great spots @PureFare @rotisseurphilly
I can’t believe it, but I’m now an official suburbanite. As of yesterday, I am no longer a Philadelphia resident, but I feel remiss to leave without writing about 2 of my recent favorites in my old ‘hood. While I’m sure I’ll find some favorites in my new area, these will be hard to replace.
First, Pure Fare, a great coffee and food spot with great, healthy foods gave me cravings that I didn’t know existed: quinoa skillet bread, sweet potato brownies, and spinach coconut shakes to name a few. They also serve the amazing blue bottle coffee from San Francisco to boot. The people are wonderful and I will miss them and their food. Hopefully, I can talk them into sharing a few recipes…
On to Rotisseur – if you like local, fresh, juicy rotisserie chicken with home-made flavorful side dishes, then get yourself to Rotisseur where they know what they’re doing. It makes for a very reasonable dinner where 2 can eat a feast for $21. They make chicken so well that I wonder why I ever tried to make it myself when I lived in town. Their sides, from mac-and-cheese to olive oil roasted potatoes were perfectly seasoned and prepared. I tried to talk them into opening up a suburban branch on my most recent visit. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
Needless to say, I’m only 15 minutes away and will most certainly return as I live to eat…and everyone knows that Philly is the place for great eats.
The Farm and Fisherman: Outstanding Local Cuisine @FarmFisherman
My wife and I went to the Farm and the Fisherman (1120 Pine Street, Philadelphia) for dinner a couple weeks ago for a special dinner. Josh Lawler, the chef/owner is a disciple of Dan Barber and the fame of Blue Hill Farm. This is widely known as one of the best and first farm to table restaurants in the US.
We started our meal with two wonderful starters: the chilled carrot soup and a salad of strawberries, beets and a mysterious nutty paste. The soup was indicated to have chocolate mint in it, which I didn’t get, but it was wonderful nonetheless. The salad was a perfect balance of sweet and savory with a painted ‘nutty’ paste that I couldn’t quite pinpoint. Suffice to say that it was yummy either way.
The second course offered stuffed quail and a tempura soft shell crab. The quail was stuffed with stinging nettles, purple komatsuna, pine nuts – prepared perfectly and tender. The crab reminded me about how much I love soft shells: no work, all meat. This was fried, just barely and sitting up on a plate, ready to eat. I had to pace myself to make sure I didn’t rifle through it.
Now, the main course…was a bit of an adventure. When we ordered, I selected a special that night: braised baby lamb shoulder. The server came back a few minutes after we ordered and told me that the chef was also offering the lamb brain with the shoulder if I was interested. I asked the server for a better description and was told (after a chef consultation) that it’s like “sweetbreads on steroids.” How could I say no?
Bar La Grassa: Some of the Best “small” plates anywhere…in Minneapolis @beardfoundation
I was in Minneapolis a couple weeks ago and had an incredible meal at the James Beard Winner (Best Chef – Midwest: Isaac Becker), Bar La Grassa. They offer many wonderful options in the theme of “small plates”…but as we know in the Midwest, not much is small. These are more like 65% of an entree size portion. The space is welcoming with dark wood tables and floors, a large kitchen-side steel bar and a lot of natural light (there’s daylight in May until after 8:15pm).
Now, the main focus: the food!
CALAMARATA with RAW TUNA – a fiery red/orange sauce on the pasta topped with raw tuna, this has some kick, but the mixture of temperatures and textures is fantastic.
ORECCHIETTE with BRAISED RABBIT – the braised rabbit had a richness more akin to a pork shoulder or chicken thigh in soup. Either way, a real treat.
FARFALLE with BRAISED TRIPE and SWEETBREADS – some people are scared of sweetbreads and tripe, but not me… For those that are, this is a very approachable dish and one that will allow folks to try these two delicacies.
SILK HANKERCHIEFS with BASIL PESTO – The pasta is incredible with a soft, ripeness that’s only possible in fresh pasta. The pesto is a wonderful match both due to its ‘stickiness’ and balance.
ST. LOUIS PORK RIBS – How do you go to the midwest without having ribs or steak? These ribs are marinated and then dry-rubbed for cooking. Just picking one up causes the meat to fall off the bone. It’s a great mix of tomato-ey backbone, spice, and meatiness.
SEARED SEA SCALLOP with BLACK RICE and GREMOLATA – scallops are a hard dish to get just perfect, but this dish was just that. The gremolata provided the acidic balance to really open up the flavor.
SOFT EGGS and LOBSTER – My favorite dish. The eggs were mixed with giant chunks of lobster and a fair amount of butter too. I tasted a hint of something like truffle, but can’t be certain. It was that je ne sai quoi that made this dish, I suppose. Either way, this should be a breakfast staple once a month.
Dessert was good, but clearly the main focus is the savory portion of the meal. This place is worth braving a Minneapolis winter night to try.
Amazing Salad: Grapefruit and Jicama Salad at Out the Door, San Francisco
Usually, I write posts about an entire meal and the experience, but in this case, I’m concentrating on one dish because it was just that good.
A couple weeks ago, I was in San Francisco on a business trip and ate at Out the Door (OTD) in Westfield Center. For those who are not familiar, this is an outpost of the famed Slanted Door restaurant owned by Charles Phan. I devoured the grapefruit and jicama salad with red cabbage, carrots and candied pecans. It was a heaven
of crunchiness from the jicama to the cabbage, carrots and sweet pecans. The balance of salty and sweet didn’t go unnoticed. If you want to sample Chef Phan’s cuisine, but can’t make it into the Slanted Door, try OTD and definitely this salad.
Talula’s Garden: Farm Fresh to City Table @StarrRestaurant
We made it to Talula’s Garden (210 W Washington Square) to sample Chef Aimee Olexy’s collaboration with famed restaurateur Stephen Starr and it was wonderful. The SRG influence is clear from the service perspective as the experience begins once you walk in the door. The staff to guest ratio is low as I found more staff readily available than in many other spots I’ve enjoyed. This added to the homey feeling we had from the beginning of our visit. It didn’t hurt that we were at a large, high ‘farmers table’ in the back of the restaurant adjacent to where the cheese was prepared.
For starters, it’s important to realize that they offer cheese to start because it’s darned good and it’s expected that you get some. This is a place where, if you don’t order food beyond your main course, you’ll leave unfulfilled. We did no such thing. We started with 4 cows milk cheeses ranging from mild and creamy to hard and sharp: a great start to our meal. We also started with some fantastic creations from the bar; I strongly recommend their take on the mint julep – it’s a winner.
Our first items from the kitchen were the flourless ricotta gnudi and the Rabbit Lasagnetta. The gnudi was more of a formed cheese ball (not complaining), but the accompaniment of fava beans and the pecorino made the dish. The gnudi seemed like a Richard Blais or Wylie Dufresne take on cheese with the assumption that some molecular gastronomy was at play in order to form the ricotta into perfect circles. The Rabbit lasagnetta was an unfurled bowtie in a rabbit ragout which resembled a pork-like richness. This is a rich dish and therefore, the lack of quantity was acceptable.
For our mains, we had surf and turf. I ordered the glazed lobster tail and pork belly and my wife had the beef (two ways) – short rib and strip steak. On my end of dinner, the lobster was perfectly prepared, but I found the citrus a bit overpowering. The pork belly was wonderful and was clearly slowly prepared to perfection. My wife’s meal was great; the short rib fell apart, yet featured a carmelization which reflected some serious technique. The strip was also a perfect mid-rare and exhibited the flavor only available to meat sourced locally.
I’m not sure how we had room, but we shared their mini-donuts for dessert and who doesn’t like fried dough? I think the doughnuts were a bit over-done, but still had the lightness that they should and easily held on to the berry conserves which were served as a compliment.
The final verdict is that Talula’s Garden is a great space featuring some wonderful, local foods in a comfortable setting. It’s a fairly pricey night out, but justifiable due to the quality and service combined with a welcoming atmosphere as well. We will most certainly return.
Villa Di Roma: It’s Old School Philly Italian and I Love it!
When a place sticks around for as long as Villa Di Roma (936 South 9th Street), it’s for a reason. Villa Di Roma is old school and in the best way possible. My family used to go here after many an Eagles home game for dinner. It’s been too long, but my wife and I went there last week after I returned from a business trip and it’s exactly as I remembered it. The server has probably worked there since my last visit and that’s what really brought it home for me…well, the food too. But it started when we ordered our chianti and she just shouted to the bartender for “two glasses o’ red”. The bread was fresh and there’s something to be said for a place where the menu is on the wall.
I think the items are pretty much the same as always.
My wife ordered their amazing meatballs. Chef Michael Symon said that the Villa Di Roma meatballs are the best in Philly (and the country for that matter) and he’s so right. Beyond that, the ravioli and red sauce (gravy) that the meatballs were served with were spot-on. The red sauce had the right amount of spice and was a perfect consistency. The ravioli pasta was so soft and fresh as well. I had the veal piccata which was swimming in a lemon-butter sauce that I had to use every last bit of restraint from sopping up with the bread. The veal was fork tender and really hit the spot. I don’t know why I took so long to go back here and I can promise that it will be months (maybe weeks) until my next visit. This is really a family place where everyone feels like family.
Finished the Philly (artisan) Pizza Trifecta: Excellent! @Zavino
My wife and I finally made it to Zavino (112 S 13th St) to complete the artisan pizza triumvirate in Philadelphia comprised (in my mind) of Stella, Osteria, and Zavino. The space is very cool and somewhat cozy at the same time. The undulating bar in the “S” shape is unique which is book-ended on one side by a super hot pizza oven and on another by a booth where dried and cured meats are hand sliced for charcuterie plates.
We started with a meat plate which was solid. If you like a slightly spicy cured meat, go with the Baby Jesus (that’s really the name) which is a pork salami which is served with mini pizza-crust triangles.
This is a pizza and wine bar, so we had both. The wine servings are generous which is appreciated, however, the glasses are a bit small for the actual pour volume. My request is that they keep the pour quantity the same and provide larger glasses. On to the pizza – it’s really wonderful. The dough is consistently cooked and proportioned for the entire pie which provides some much needed stability. I like the chewy dough and this didn’t disappoint while the crust was a perfectly crisp shell to keep it all together. We had the margherita pie which featured a light tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and basil. It’s really hard for me to rank this against the others, so I think I’ll schedule a blind tasting party with wine and come back with the results.
