May 2009
Kathy
Rats
A restaurant named Rats? Who'd think of that?
Rats is the name of the restaurant at the NJ Grounds for Sculpture. Its a magical place... both the sculpture garden and the restuarant. Although I love the place, and go back whenver I can... I don't go for the food. I go for the atmosphere, the service and the events. And the scultpure garden. (If you eat at Rats, admission to the grounds is complementary.)
The food at Rats can be really good, but they are inconsistent. For the money you are paying, you expect better. The menu is always fresh and interesting. The wait staff are friendly and professional. The best place to eat is in the bar... by the fireplace or under the henna lanterns.
Forking Delicious has been jonesing to set up a chef's table dsinner at RATs for over a year. In May, we finally made it...
December 9, 2007
Kathy
Ansill (update: closed 2009)
We were wandering around 4th and South looking for a nice dinner spot. I'd just paid for a suit (a Christmas present for Gabe) and we were feeling festive... like we deserved a treat. The area is rife with restaurants, but we wanted something celebratory that would still be reasonable on the billfold.
We literally stumbled upon Ansill, a cozy, candlelit restaurant and wine bar with a fun and imaginative menu. The room is green with dark woods, and twinkling Christmas lights. The tables are small and close, but angled artfully, to make the most of the space.
The wine list was interesting... not your normal bottles of Yellow Tail Shiraz... some small vintners and unusual bottles. It is arranged in a way to help you try new things... by taste and weight. They also have a nice beer list. The staff was pleasant and seemed knowledgeable. Everyone was eager to help.
The menu had some hardcore foodie selections -- notably, marrow and tripe. The descriptions were of homey comforting foods, but with a bit of a twist. They focused on small plates and appetizers that encouraged us to sample and share (a foodie delight). The ingredients were seasonal and fresh... as you would expect.
We started with a cheese plate and bevvies. It was served with 5 interesting cheeses - a triple creme, a soft goat, a hard sheep cheese, a good parm and a very stinky French cheese. I ordered the Jumilla from Spain and Gabe tried the Jever Pilsner.
Gabe ordered the lamb osso buco sandwich and got a tiny bun piled high with shreds of braised lamb that was to die for... tender, flavorful and delightfully not what you expect when you order osso buco. It was a surprise presentation and that made the meal all that much more fun.
(Ansill's presentation reminded me very much of The French Laundry and Chef Thomas Keller's menu humor. If you ever go there, or to Per Se in NYC, order the coffee and donuts.)
I ordered the papardelle that came with a venison ragout. The papardelle was fresh and the ragout was tasty. There was enough food but not too much... and you wanted to reach out and fork a little from your neighbor.
We felt that we HAD to order dessert... it as bound to be fun, and delicious... and why not!? We ordered violet ice cream... which was a lovely periwinkle color and tasted strongly of vanilla and violet. It was a nice light topper to the dinner.
We left feeling happy, and eager to come back and see what else Ansill offered. It seemed the perfect place for a Forking Delicious evening.
Ansill - 627 S 3rd St in Philadelphia, PA 215-627-2485 http://www.ansillfoodandwine.com/
May 15, 2007
Donna
M Hotel and Restaurant (update: new chef 2009)
What keeps you going back to a restaurant? It’s a number of things, ambience, the bar, the bartender, the servers, and the service and, of course, the food. The other thing I really need is consistency and M has it all. M has become my new favorite restaurant for dinner or just to have a drink after work at the bar.
The place is small but not tiny; you can feel comfortable but you are close to your neighbor. You enter into the bar area which seats about 14 people and is very handsome. The dining room behind seats about 26 and is very pretty. But the outside garden will be beautiful. I started going to M in the winter so of course the garden was not open. I remember when it was showed to me; I could tell even then what a beautiful space it would become in the spring. It is developing without disappointment. It’s the perfect space for an intimate wedding.
I’ll start with the tavern menu at the bar.
If you’re like me and you don’t know enough about meats and cheese to feel comfortable ordering, don’t worry Tom is there to help. Tom is the very knowledgeable General Manager. He is available to answer a question, make a suggestion or, like he did for me and other members of the Forking Delicious group upon our visit, prepare you a sample plate of his picks.
Since we are talking about the bar I have to tell you about Katie the bartender, who recently wrote an article for Mainline Magazine. Aside from her pleasant personality and her ability to know what drink you would like, she has her own personal concoctions which can and does enhance any cocktail hour.
The food is memorable; Chef Katz does an amazing job. I think to date I have had everything on the menu. When I went with the Forking Delicious group we ordered almost everything that evening and shared. I don’t think I can put into words how utterly good it was. The menu changes regularly, but my favorite item remains -- the quail. It is a first course and to die for. We also ordered 3 desserts that we shared. I’m a big crème brulee fan and M’s gets high praise on theirs.
Another thing I need to return to a restaurant is to be able to eat at the bar and feel like I am having the same experience as though I was in the dining room. I highly recommend trying M out.
M is opening their courtyard officially this week, Thursday at 6ish. Check it out.
The Restaurant at at The Morris House Hotel is at 225 South 8th near Locust. Visit their website at http://www.mrestaurant.com/
February 2007
Kathryn
Inspiration at The Cafe at 2011 Walnut
Have you heard about Colleen McAvaddy? I hadn’t. She is one of the luckiest women in Philadelphia, and we met her briefly one evening in February.
We got an invite to a dinner at the Café at 2011, on Walnut one block off Rittenhouse Square. We’d been included as part of a group to sample the menu, and were told that the chef was Colleen McAvaddy. What more do you need to know than where you are going?
We visited on one of the raw and blustery days in February that made you want to run home and curl up under a blanket, reading books about thick stews and savory pies. Not a day for trotting out in heels or searching for on-street parking. Luckily – make note in your yahoo maps -- there is an inexpensive parking lot at 20th and Sansome, right around the corner from The Café.
The Café is right next to an Irish pub, not even halfway up the block. The menu is a mix of hearty pub food with some lighter, creative fare woven through. I can’t say they hit a home run with each dish, but I can say that the home runs were memorable. And the chef was as much a hit in her own right.
We wanted to order a range of things, to cover the menu and deconstruct the dishes. That is what we do…for fun. Identify the tastes, discuss the texture, critique the balance and answer the burning question – could I make this better myself? You know how foodies are. We always think we can make it better ourselves. (But are thrilled when we find those wonderful “hit it out of the ballpark” dishes.
Tinamarie and Donna kick started the evening with champagne. Of course! The wine list surprised us, being more eclectic than the standard café/bistro. I ordered a glass of Vouvray. Renee and her daughter Carly went with ginger ale.
We started with 3 appetizers – the chicken thumbs, the Asian sampler, the fried ravioli -- and a bowl of corn chowder. Our waitress, Kate, recommended the soup. Kate also brought us a plate of chips and red pepper hummus.
We all agreed the chicken thumbs were good –real chicken, nothing pressed and formed. Good crispy breading, not heavy or greasy. Thumbs up. The red pepper hummus was nice, but the chips were too greasy and overdone. Thumbs down. The fried ravioli got mixed reviews. Donna knew that hers were better. Others thought these were fine. The Asian sampler did not work well with anyone. We were hoping for something more plump and succulent, with an interesting dipping sauce. The sampler did not deliver. The soup, however, was another thumbs up for most of us… hearty and flavorful.
At this point, we knew we’d over ordered. The servings were generous and we could easily see that this café was well situated next to the bar, where appetizer plates and an afternoon beer would go down easily. And we still had entrees to test… the things we sacrifice for our passion.
Our entrée selections:
•
Tina – the house duck -- good
•Donna – short ribs – good
•Carly – café steak frites – good
•Renee – meatloaf – not a hit, too big and oddly-spiced
•Kathy – Chicken pie – scrumptious, comfort food chock full of chicken and veg in a creamy sauce. This is a meal I will think about and crave periodically in the cold weather, wishing I lived close enough for chef McAvaddy’s take out.
At one point, passing bits around on forks and calling out questions and comments, we asked our server, Kate (big plug for Kate who handled our raucous table very well)) what the spices were in the meatloaf. We’d pondered it and there was something there we could not identify… A few minutes later, a girl in kitchen whites was at our table. The first word that came to mind was “beaming.” With an open smiling face and rosy cheeks, this smiling young woman introduced herself as Colleen McAvaddy, the chef.
No way! This apple cheeked girl talking to us… beaming at us… this twelve year old was obviously someone’s assistant. Our surprise turned to absolute delight to learn that Colleen McAvaddy is indeed the youngest chef in town. A bit more than twelve, she is in her early 20’s, not long out of cooking school and still honing her craft. For two years now she has been entrusted, by the folks who own the Irish Bar next door, with her own kitchen. She sets the menus, she chooses the produce, she mixes the meatloaf.
We asked Colleen about school, about how she found the position, about her favorite parts of the job. She was a great inspiration… excited, proud, unpretentious… just so aware of her great luck and wonderful position running her own show.
She recommended a wonderful brownie a la mode for dessert. As much as we wanted to try a sample of everything on the dessert menu, the reality was we were stuffed. The brownie was heavenly… dark, moist and chooocccclatey. Mmmmm.
And we left thinking that we should come back in the summer to check out Chef McAvaddy’s summer menu. (Though I’ll miss that chicken pie.)
Belga's Flemish Steak Stew
I just came back from Washington, D.C., and I'm still feeling the after effects of being mesmerized by Belga's Flemish Steak Stew. Belga's Cafe is located in Capitol Hill, next to the Eastern Market. It is pretty nondescript from the outside, but I immediately knew that I had to try it when I felt the energy coming from the inside. It wasn't simply the bandwagon effect of witnessing a house packed full, neither was it the sight of the most beautiful poached eggs and hollandaise concoction. Let's call it a Foodie's sixth sense. I just felt the energy of savoury consumption. It's almost as if I could hear their Umms and Ahhs. This may be considered not to taste, but it was almost as if I could hear the sound of great, hearty food traveling down people's intestines, like a rich and dark symphony. If I haven't grossed you out by my interpretations so far, then continue on.
First of all, I just had to try a restaurant named, Belga. At first I thought it was Elga, and it sounded even more appealing. It was as if I could see good, old Elga, militantly, but soulfully blurting quality control instructions and tasting everything to ensure the integrity of her dishes according to the original recipe that she had inherited from her own great-grandmother in Belgium. Of course, the real actor behind the character is Chef Bart Vandaele, who seeks to create a Belgian and Euro-fusion style menu. Well, he has succeeded!
As the maitre 'de escorted us to our seats, I discretely peeked over people's plates, and I felt like a little kid in a candy store. All of the entrees looked great, portions were generous, but not over-abundant. Presentation appeared balanced in proportion, design and color. For instance, I learned that their most popular breakfast entree is their Green Egg, which appeared like poached eggs over English muffins with a spinach and avocado concoction in beautiful pastel green cream just in the right consistency, served in a sizable rectangular white dinnerware. The menu is a lot of fun, because all of the names are written in Dutch with English descriptions.
I spotted a patron putting down his Flemish Steak with great fervor, and I immediately knew that I had to have it! They have a very impressive beer selection, so naturally, I ordered a small bottle of my good, old La Chouff, it was Sunday brunch, of course. The two paired perfectly. The Flemish Steak Stew is prepared in a red wine and port reduction. It's served in a open, square white clay plate. I cannot describe how gastronomically sumptuous it looked, totally cured, wet and moist! It is paired with sauteed red cabbage and pomme frittes served in a newspaper-printed parchment paper cone. The waitress whispers in my ears, like she is about to tell me the Democratic Party's single presidential endorsement for '08, "Do you want mayo for your fries? I knew you would want some..." I guess at this age of health consciousness, one has to be very diplomatic about such assumptions. Of course, I wanted some! And I enjoyed every bit of every carbohydrated calorie from the La Chouff and the mayo-dipped pomme frites! I was in heaven!
Each morsel of the steak just flaked off in tender, effortless compassion. Is it possible that Food can have compassion on us, earthlings? Why, yes! I must say, today, the Flemish Steak Stew bestowed such compassion upon me that it would have brought tears to my eyes had I not have been to busy orchestrating my silverware and glass in a trance-like motion until every morsel had disappeared from my plate! I must say though that these days it is rare to find good bread and butter, they were disappointing. The bread was whole grain with nuts, but tasted like a failed attempt at creating a grainy version of what would have been best presented as simple french rolls. Of course, I am being very egotistical here, because the white bread would have been great for dipping my left over sauce, but oh well, you can't have everything, I guess.
The service was good, the maitre d'e, bussers, managers all worked in concert, diligently and professionally. Tables emptied and filled seamlessly, and most importantly, our waitress was one of those rare kinds who knew how to read customers and serve them without being overbearing. Frankly, having been away from the DC scene for the past 3 years, I was a little concerned about how I was going to handle my new experience if the service was of the DC power-lunch type, but I breathed freely again when our waitress turned out to be friendly and efficient.
Finally, in addition to my Flemish Steak Stew, I have one more reason to return to Belga's - desserts, of course. I know, I know, Min did not have desserts... =( But not to worry, nothing terrible happened, I still have my wits within me, it simply occurred that my friend was giving up sugar for six months for religious purposes, so I thought it would have been insensitive of me to order that rich Belgian Chocolate Cake! What I really wanted to do was to have the waitress inquire as to which Belgian chocolate they used, but of course, that is something I would never do even if my friend was eating dessert! Voila!
January 24, 2007
Kathryn
James on 8th
It was a bit magical… like stepping through a door into a woodland copse and finding yourself amongst friendly, charming people in vintage clothes. Of course, it is always a little magical when a new restaurant opens… the aura of possibilities and promise.
James, at 8th and Catherine… The space is elegant and intimate – all milky greens, ice blues, dark chocolates and café au laits. They’ve created a space that is both warm and cool… inviting you to sit and stay, but not sink in and sleep. The front door has an oval window etched all around with frosted leaves. The window left me with the impression we’d peeked through branches to see inside. We walked into a long room with a dark bar along the left wall. The entry is spacious, so there was none of that struggle with your coats and worries about sweeping glasses from someone’s table. Toward the back, there were low cocktail tables nestled around a fireplace. On the right, a halfwall separating the bar from the dining area proper.
The rooms are full of texture… taupe soft suede cloth banquets, grey-veined white marble along the half walls and ledges, all warmed with interesting artwork and colorful flowers.
Since this was a reception, with little tastes, we only got a hint of what the menu would be like. Of course, the chef already has a good enough reputation with the folks in attendance that the appetizers went quickly, barely making it 15 feet from the kitchen. (Smart folks position wisely.) What was offered was good and cleverly served. Linguini in a clam sauce – how to serve that as an appetizer? As tray of small forks with tightly twined pasta mouthfuls around each, with a drizzling of sauce and a fat clam on top. We got a perfect bite-sized taste. The we saw bite-sized halved pork tortellini with a rich sauce that tasted of porcini. Then a lively salmon tartare. My favorites were the oysters on a their opalescent half shells bathing in a dollop of champagne. (Oh my that made me happy). We did miss a friend croquette sort of thing that was reputed to involve black truffles. Drat! But it would be unseemly to jostle the neighbors and tackle the server inside the 6 foot mark too often. We were guests, for heavens sake. So we missed the truffle treat.
James Burke, chef, is an alumnus of Vetri and a 15 month stay at Ristorante Frosio in Italy. Co-owner and house manager Kristina Burke worked at Vetri and managed Miel on 17th. Their mission is simple... to serve fresh, seasonal food with verve. They are in the next the new wave of food artists who spring from the Alice Waters/White Dog Cafe tradition -- do something luscious and creative with the best of what you find in season. There cannot be too many restaurants like that.
The posted menu reflects a love of Italy -- not only in their adherence to the fresh, local ingredients rule, but in the choice of hand-cut papardelle and duck ragout, the black kale and blood oranges. It makes me want to check in regularly to see what they find and how they work with it.
My favorite room was the private dining room. Intimate but not tight, it’s a graciously sized room with a window at the far end just big enough for a long table and 10 chairs. The walls are ice blue below and a rich chocolate brown above the chair rail. On both long walls, someone silver-leafed a single elegant tree with slender boughs that arch up toward the ceiling and the window. Two elliptical chandeliers hang at either end of the table dangling chains of crystal discs. The combination was enchanting. I could sit in that room happily for hours. I started planning a food group get together in my head.
The reception was very well attended and you needed to strategize to taste the appetizers. We determined early that getting close to the kitchen door would help. But then you are left feeling a bit like a vulture, scooping the food of the trays before the waiter gets 10 feet into the room. The servers were faultlessly polite and rather clever themselves, slightly turning a shoulder to skirt the walls and slip past the salivating horde. They worked hard to get a full tray into the heart of the room… but the food was too good… they rarely made it to the bar. The guests looked lovely… a good number in lovely vintage clothes… black with silver or gold touches. (Did I miss a memo suggesting coordination with the decor?)
The entire feeling at James on 8th was one of elegant intimacy. Well, for me. No telling what someone else might feel. I loved the simple dark woods, the white marble tops and those lissome silver trees.
I can hardly wait to go back to eat when the full menu is available…. To try the hand cut pappardelle, and their seasonal cocktails (vodka with a pear puree!).
Check out the website... http://www.jameson8th.com/ then go visit and let us know what you think.
November 18, 2006
Kathryn
Sovalo (Update: closed 2009)
This past weekend I tried a new restaurant – Sovalo at 2nd and Fairmount down in Northern Liberties.
The reviews said all the right things – great food, good atmosphere, good service – but the clincher for me was the provenance. Sovalo’s owners met and married after working together at Tra Vigne, a much-loved Italian restaurant in the Napa countryside. (I have fond memories of a wonderful dinner with Tacy Hess on my 30th birthday). If alumni from Tra Vigne had scouted out Northern Liberties – one of my favorite Phila neighborhoods) – for a new restaurant, then this could be some kind of gastronomic harmonic convergence.
The occasion was my mother’s 78th birthday. The restaurant was already bustling when we got there at 7pm. It’s not a large space, but the floor to ceiling windows along the front let in the light and create a spacious feel. The trees outside on the sidewalk are wrapped in white lights… with the restaurant’s simple sconce and pendant lighting and the warm exposed brick walls, Sovalo offers a cozy dining atmosphere.
The menu was short… One page, a nice selection of Italian-inspired primi, secondi and contorni. The entrees were simple and flavorful -- just a few ingredients that were allowed to shine. No red sauce, no gobs of mozzarella. This week’s menu included braised rabbit, pollo alla mattone, pork loin, risottos, light pastas. (I don’t want to leave a restaurant feeling so full I need to be rolled to the car. If the entrée sounds heavy but the chef manages to make it light, featuring its natural flavors, a good thing has been done for humanity.)
The wine list was interesting… not overwhelmingly long and not outrageously expensive. There was a nice range of choices in the reds, and a few nice sparklers. Not a problem to find a new wine to try.
My mother ordered the pumpkin ravioli stuffed with mushrooms and pancetta. It arrived in a large warmed bowl, paper-thin pasta bursting with an earthy pumpkin filling just painted with a mushroom pancetta sauce. This was a taste of autumn… warm and filling, deep and earthy. It was just enough fill you, but not enough to stuff you. A good thing indeed as it leaves room to try other things.
I asked for the ricotta gnocchi. I never order gnocchi. They are almost always a heavy disappointment—either too floury, or too dense. Could the Tra Vigne alums prove the gnocchi corollary was wrong? Sovalo’s gnocchi were absolutely melt in your mouth heavenly. The little pillows were light and airy, a simple dish made beautiful with a light touch of parsley pesto and white truffle oil. These were without a doubt the best gnocchi I’ve ever had… even counting 2 years living in Italy.
We split an order of cauliflower alla bagna cauda. Sovalo’s take on this classic Italian/Provencal dish was a roasted cauliflower florets brushed with a light garlicky olive oil. The cauliflower was warm and smoky, but not oily or overly spicy--just warm and flavorful.
Sovalo’s entire menu felt rightfully autumnal – rabbit, squash, risotto, apples, cabbage… a comforting harvest feel. But never fussy or overly “designed”
Our entrees left us feeling happily sated but eager to try whatever the dessert menu might offer. My mother had heard that the gelati at Sovalo were the best thing on the dessert menu. So we had to try at least one gelato. Since the entrees were flavorful but not frighteningly rich, it seemed plausible that the desserts would follow suit. I wanted to try one of the dessert wines as well. (I have a special feeling for Italian Moscatos.)
The gelato of the day was Black Mission Fig and Chocolate. The 2 flavors were served in a frosted glass – a scoop of rich chocolate sandwiched between two coffee-colored scoops of fig. Two homemade biscotti – one anise, one chocolate– sat on the saucer. The fig was slightly sweet and the sweeter chocolate was deep and dark. Both were rich in flavor but without the super butterfats that make American ice creams so filling. Italian gelato is all about flavor, not fat.
For our second dessert, I ordered ricotta fritters with a huckleberry sauce. Again, what could have been much too heavy and rich was a melt in your mouth surprise. The fritters smelled like beignets from Café du Monde. What an aroma! They had a crisp exterior and a moist, cakey interior with a slight sharpness of ricotta. Not heavy, not greasy… just a crispy, cheesy puff of flavor. The huckleberry sauce was a good counterpoint… fresh and tart, combining perfectly with the fritter.
For our after dinner wines, we tried the French Muscat and the Beringer Nightengale (an American made moscato-like dessert wine). Both were flavorful and sweet without being cloying. There is a quality to a good dessert wine that is hard to put into words. I’ve heard it described as “liquoroso”… the feel in your mouth is slightly syrupy, more body that slides around the mouth… and the flavor is complex – not just sugar, not just fruit, but a lovely, flowery combination that lingers on the tongue. These little wines were a perfect ending to a lovely meal.
I would go back to Sovalo. The place is warm and cozy. The prices were reasonable. And the food is well prepared and presented with care. You can tell that the owners and the chefs are in love with food. What more could you ask for?
