Loading ...Two Bells For Mémé
Posted by Foobooz on February 2nd, 2009
Craig LaBan hands out one of his gaudier two-bell reviews to David Katz’s Mémé and even promises to revisit by the end of the year.
The name Mémé, a term of endearment for grandma in Katz’s Moroccan-Jewish family, evokes a homeyness that informs the rustic simplicity of the small menu. But there’s also an edginess, too, from the manically illustrated sign designed by gonzo artist Ralph Steadman, to the tattoos and plaid baggy shorts peeking out beneath Katz’s white chef coat, to the jaunty iPod sound track (reggae, R.E.M., and the Beastie Boys’ “Shake Your Rump”) that bops through the room.
The constantly changing, seasonal fare embodies both spirits, with seemingly straightforward bistro dishes that get a rise from quality ingredients, a focused modern eye, and sharp techniques that coax maximum flavor from every dish.
Two Bells – Very Good
2201 Spruce St, Philadelphia, PA
Related Tags: Center-City-West, Craig-LaBan, French, Meme, Reviewed
February 2nd, 2009 at 11:23 am
just another example of why laban needs half bells or a fifth bell or something. meme gets the same positive spin on its food as any three bell review, but service makes it equivalent in bells to some places that had the same iffy service (i’ve never had problems with the service) but much worse food.
February 2nd, 2009 at 2:20 pm
What I found most interesting was the treatment of the person who found a rubberband in their salad. I had a friend swallow a fishbone there 2 weeks ago and had to go to the emergency room to have it removed from her throat. Upon alerting the restaurant, she was first met with skepticism, and then dismissed as being “emotional”. For a restaurant with a seemingly gifted chef, they certainly have a less than stellar FOH manager.
February 2nd, 2009 at 4:17 pm
As ironic as this is, my name is also Julie and a friend of mine also ended up in the emergency room two weeks ago with a fishbone stuck in their throat compliments of MeMe. I am enraged reading the comment above because the manager acted like this had never happened before. He was rude and unresponsive. His comment on the fishbone was that “our food comes pre-packaged” so it is not their fault. Priceless. Eat here at your peril.
February 2nd, 2009 at 6:40 pm
Yeah…Well my name is Julie and MY friend was in the hospital for a trout bone in her throat 2 weeks ago too!
Please retards, sounds like this fish girl has a lot of friends named Julie huh? Get jobs!
February 2nd, 2009 at 10:13 pm
Julie B, I’m guessing we are talking about the same person.
CLsmooth, I’m guessing you either work at Meme or know someone who does. Otherwise, why so angry?
February 3rd, 2009 at 7:27 am
Chicken or Pork? Chicken or Pork? the review states both are best he has had. Anyone help me out and decide?
February 3rd, 2009 at 10:44 am
Go with 4 people if you can and try them both, I did that last week and after eating both it IS impossible to decide! They are that worth it.
February 3rd, 2009 at 11:11 am
yo DJV: thanks for the incite. Somehow i gotta save room for dessert, since they all sounded incredible. sooo pumped.
February 3rd, 2009 at 12:17 pm
so a restaurant can serve a rubber band salad and still get 2 bells? wow. i make a great paper clip antipasto.
February 3rd, 2009 at 12:38 pm
I’ve eaten at MeMe three times now and the food was pretty great. come to think about it, the service was great too…how about this being one of the best resturants in CC if you want a first class meal?…that’s my take. As far any of the other stuff….I haven’t seen any evidence of it…frankly I’d be very surprised, given the quality of the food coming out of the kitchen.
February 3rd, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Any time Washington, the desserts are awesome too actually and now they have a couple good dessert wines to match. I had a glass of Yalumba muscat the other night with a caramel pots de creme which was insane! Last week they were doing a double cut ribeye on the bone for $50 (for 2) that’s my next order!
February 3rd, 2009 at 1:07 pm
This is clearly a place that has a great publicist. They got so much hype right from the start, but customer reviews have been overwhelmingly mediocre. But they seem to have the winning Philly mentality: Be boring and minimal. Laban loves purely ethnic food with no flash or pizazz…tiny menus and a “perfectly roasted chicken”…isn’t anyone bored of bistro food yet? Come on philly chefs, do something new. We already have a restauarnt that gets national acclaim for making Italian peasant-granny food and charging 500% mark-up. It’s called Vetri.
February 3rd, 2009 at 1:11 pm
The fact that Mr. Laban gave this place 2 bells is mind boggling considering the other 3 bell restaurants out there and the way the review read. I’ve eaten at Meme 3 times so far and they are creating a dining experience that is very different from any other in this town. Anytime a place like this comes along though old Craigy just doesn’t get it. It’s real professional too to see that he is using a friend’s experience with an accidental rubber band on a plate against them. He is pretty much just a blogger now.
And DJV, I had that double cut rib and it was amazing! For $50 by the way, are you kidding me? Compared to a steak house where a steak for 1 is $44. I’ll be back.
February 3rd, 2009 at 8:07 pm
@ Jim
Vetri hardly does “peasant granny” food. Pick up the new Vetri cookbook and you should get a better idea of how technical the food there is. “Simple” does not mean “easy”.
David Katz’s food is not bistro. It’s well-cooked, perfectly seasoned, and made from the best ingredients, with influences from many cuisines. Everything I’ve had there has been outstanding. People will never get sick of well-made, classic dishes. I’m guessing you haven’t dined yet at MeMe. They do not have a publicist at all.
February 4th, 2009 at 11:07 am
I’m gusseing you work there. And I do have the cookbook. It just confirmed what I already knew. I’m a chef, so it’s not that technical for me. Garces’ book on the other hand, represents the future. I’m just not into culinary conservatism. Just because someone in Italy cooks a certain way, why does that mean it’s the best way? Did you read HEAT? It explains how the famous Italian Chianina cattle that Vetri claims is the best in the world really comes from Spain. But no one really wants the truth…they just want to hear things like how the chef picked his own turnips out of the field that very morning. Who gives a damn? The customer can’t taste where their arugula came from, as long as it’s fresh. My point is that if a young no-name chef was cooking like some of our local Italian chefs, it wouldn’t really turn any heads. But once you have the blessing of Laban, you’re untouchable. Don’t get me wrong, Vetri is a great chef and obviously has a lot of technical ability. But he gets away with serving chicken livers and pasta for 18$, or a piece of octopus on a plate with some arugula…that’s it. I’d like to see just a little more from our local celebrit chef. In philly, it’s all about following the party line, but I think sometimes someone needs to say “the emporer has no clothes.” I mean come on, it says in vetri’s book that he has the soul of an ancient italian grandma, then we have RAE (a grandma), and now MEME (a grandma). Philly’s dining scene is like it’s night life…granny. And everyone is afraid to take risks, because Laban clearly hates that. Just a shame. Sorry to get off the point of MEME, but a little background info seemed necessary to justify my comment. I’m frustrated by our scene, and our scenesters.
February 4th, 2009 at 11:34 am
Jim–perhaps you should move, then? As a cookbook, Vetri’s is actually–well–useful. Garces’ is food porn for me.
Vetri’s not a culinary conservative, nor is he asking/demanding that anyone else follow him. Stop attacking people for doing what they enjoy and love…if you want to cook differently, do so! Philly’s the home of freakin’ studiokitchen and Garces’ homebase too (so stop knocking Philly by pointing to him!). Just because there’s a thriving homestyle restaurant scene (which I love…it feels much more socially engaging than) doesn’t mean there isn’t experimentation and novelty. There isn’t as much as other cities, but its there. Vetri isn’t the “scene” so much as Garces–Vetri’s built a solid two restaurant group (three? can us “boring minimalists” dream?), but Garces is working on building two more restaurants in Philly. 5 > 2. cmon.
Vetri’s pasta is easily, imo, worth $5 or $10 more than the other pasta offered elsewhere. $18 for a plate of pasta is common in his level of dining, and i’ll take his over the fancified stuff served in NYC or Chicago.
No one wants the truth? cmon…no one wants condescension is more like it. Part of me wants to say that it sounds more like you’re a disgruntled chef who’s dream recipe got panned by everyone and instead of retasting it and reworking it, you decided we all just have sh*tty taste. But I rather believe you’ve got a clear food philosophy–just don’t assume everyone else agrees that it is “boring” or “minimal” just because it is comfortable. You sound like my brother from NYC who won’t bother coming down to philly for dinner ever because NYC is so much better. Too bad my parents go both there and to philly and often prefer the philly option (then again, meme’s grits at brunch this week were oversalted, sadly).
The blessing of laban? Laban was late to the Meme train. lol.
February 4th, 2009 at 11:44 am
Hello again, Jim
I don’t work at Meme, I’m a bartender at The Belgian Cafe. Where are you a chef? I’d like to taste your food.
February 4th, 2009 at 11:58 am
Is that a sexual advance…”I’d like to taste your food”….i agree, Philly chefs haven’t gotten as off the wall as i’ve seen in other cities….do you think Laban is part of the problem…or a good example of Philadelphians palette desires?
February 4th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
My point is that I love what Garces is doing for Philly. It stands in contrast to the “minimal, local local local” movement going on. I want something unique and exciting when lay my money down. Maybe its because I’m in the biz and I want to feel like I’m learning something and paying for food that I couldn’t make myself. I like to experience
the chef’s creativity and individuality. I DON’T want homestyle food. Beacuse that’s for…HOME. Again, I’m not dissing the food, I’m just tired of the “really good chicken” scene. Fuck really good chicken. Go to Cheep chicken mondays at ACME. It might not be from “painted hills farms”, but it tatses good. NO other cities I read about or visit place such an emphasis on “dumbing things down.” And by the way, I will def. be moving out ASAP. Too many great places to live out there. Later.
February 4th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
You didn’t say where you are a chef. I’d really like to try your cooking, no double entendre.
February 4th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
Jim–
it’s not dumbing things down. it’s building things assumed to be dumb or boring (roast chicken) into something special. to overgeneralize, NYC doesn’t do roast chicken like Philly because NYC assumes roast chicken is “dumb”.
Just because the creativity isn’t immediately apparent doesn’t mean it isn’t there.
February 4th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
Honestly Rory, you know I can’t tell you that, right? How do you think I’ll be treated after saying how I really feel? That’s why these forums exist. I mean, how many customers do you think complain to the chef about the food…they’d rather do it from the safety of their computer. I will tell you though, we rate very well in Zagat, actually just two points total under Mr. Vetri. But good try. I’m SURE you’d be a really fair and balanced judge of my food. This will be might last post, unfortunately. I’m trying to open a second place, but I thought I’d see how the other half lives. This was fun though, I’m jealous. Peace
February 4th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
So Jim will criticize anonymously, but doesn’t care to have anyone taste his food. I am a fair judge- I write about food for a living and have worked in the food industry for more than a decade.
So Jim’s taking his ball and going home. Too bad — I still want to try his menu.
February 4th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Jim–i didn’ ask where you worked. that wasn’t me. that was felicia. so, nice try dismissing my comments.
barcelona’s food scene–which i know from living there–for example, is built on a similar bed of solid, comforting food form the area with some chefs who experiment. There’s no need for one to negate or replace the other. There’s no need to say “fuck good chicken” in order to explore Adria’s cooking style.
February 4th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Not worth the time or money. Since when did Two Bells from Craig LaBan become worth visiting? Their ragu pasta tastes like chef boyardee and the staff is overly pushy.
February 7th, 2009 at 3:34 am
zagat hah!