Craig LaBan reviews the transformed Meritage and finds that the Asian influenced cuisine of Anne Coll has made the neighborhood restaurant a destination.

[W]hat separates Coll from so many other fusion pretenders is the command of Asian ingredients that allows her to draw an uncommon depth and elegance of flavors. I’ve had Thai curried mussels a hundred times, but rarely have the Kaffir lime, basil, and lemongrass popped through the richness of coconut broth like hers.

A confident use of Three Crabs fish sauce is one secret that lends these dishes a snappy backbone, whether it’s the pristine dice of tuna tartare, shined with sesame and chile oil next to a tingly froth of wasabi-soy foam, or the cilantro-ginger marinade that gives the hanger steak a subtle tang.

Three Bells – Excellent

Meritage [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Meritage [Official Site]

Craig LaBan says that Rittenhouse Square’s Snackbar has finally struck the right cord and its harmony is best exemplified in the chicken pot pie deconstructed.

Good Taste [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Snackbar [Official Site]

Miga brings Korean food to Center City Philadelphia and Craig LaBan wonders, what took so long.

Like many Korean restaurants, Miga’s menu is huge, with both strengths and weaknesses. The place has many of the standards down pat, including the huge pajun pancakes, their crisp outsides and soft interiors laced with everything from seafood to tangy kimchi or beef and hot peppers. There is an excellent version of jap chae, the springy, clear, sweet potato noodles in lightly sweet dark sauce that, in the veggie rendition, came with the fantastic crunch of exotic, coral-like rehydrated mushrooms. The dduk bokki, tubular rice flour dumplings that resemble soft gnocchi, came in a vivid orange sauce tinged with red pepper powder that, in combination with the dumplings’ pleasantly sticky chew, stoked Miga’s hottest glow.

Two Bells – Very Good

Miga [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Miga [Official Site]

Craig LaBan reviews Mt. Airy’s new bistro, the Wine Thief and despite a shaky first visit he finds enough improvement in subsequent visits to award the spot two-bells.

The “Thief Roll” is one of [Chef Jared] Cohen’s most addictive dishes, medallions of tuna maki that wrapped ruby-raw fish inside a ring of seaweed and the flash-fried crisp of a sesame crust, over spicy streaks of wasabi cream. The halibut ceviche was so zippy in its citrus marinade, I only wish there’d been more of the fish tucked into the martini glass of citrus and lacy peppers.

There was an outstanding fried chicken, whose tawny crust crackled with the unexpected savor of lemon and celery. It came with a pudding of crumbled corn bread, niblets, and peppers that was decadently ribboned with custard set oh-so-barely to order.

Wine Thief deserves a reprieve [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Wine Thief [Official Site]

Craig LaBan doesn’t have much bad to say about his trips to Girasole, the glitzy Italian restaurant just steps from the Avenue of the Arts, except for maybe some gripes about the price. But there is a three-course prix-fixe menu for $35 available every night but Saturday that mutes that complaint.

The most memorable flavors at Girasole, however, had a genuinely more homey touch. Even the complimentary opening nibbles – one night some delicate fritters of mashed potato, another night a creamy, herb-flecked mound of house-made ricotta – taste like someone’s mamma made them.

The pastas, in particular, were splendid. Delicate ribbons of house-made tagliatelle came tossed with shavings of fresh baby artichokes and smoky speck. The bucatini Girasole – essentially an amatriciana – wore the zest of rendered pancetta and a flicker of chile pepper in its fresh tomato sauce. There was an authentic seafood risotto filled with shellfish flavor (though a second try wasn’t quite as creamy and fully cooked as the first). My favorite, though, was Girasole’s twist on passatelli.

Two Bells – Very Good

Girasole [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Girasole [Official Site]

This weekend Craig LaBan turns his critical eye towards Girasole, the reborn Italian restaurant at the foot of the Symphony House off Broad Street.

 Loading ...

Craig LaBan heads to Bethlehem this week, not following a star but towards Bolette, a New American restaurant in an old Inn. A restaurant that really impresses LaBan, likening Lee Chizmar’s and Erin Shea’s local-focused endeavor to an early Django.

And then there is the food, which is as skillfully dedicated to local ingredients as any I’ve tasted lately. What beforehand was the relatively untilled resource of the Lehigh Valley’s artisan farmers – many of whom have sold to Manhattan’s finest restaurants for years – has proved to be Bolete’s gold mine of inspiration.

Three Bells – Excellent

Bolette [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Bolette [Official Site]

We like the word scrumptious though we don’t hear it nearly enough. So we were excited to see it used by Craig LaBan to describe the sushi at Aki Japanese Fusion on Walnut Street. That the rolls are also a bargain puts it to the top of our must-try list.

Among the options are a $8.50 deal at lunch and an all-you-can-eat sushi bonanza for $24.95.

Scrumptious sushi – and deals, too [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Aki Japanese Fusion Restaurant and Sake Bar [Official Site]

Craig LaBan’s praise for Brauhaus Schmitz manages to rise above the din that the Inquirer’s restaurant critic invariably complains about.

But where it counts most – in genuine flavor – [Chef Jeremy] Nolen delivers splendidly. The slow-braised sauerbraten (a rump roast tenderized by a weeklong marinade in red wine and vinegar infused with star anise, juniper, and clove) is tucked beneath a blanket of gravy thickened with gingersnaps. The earthiness of real wild mushrooms lends a dusky intensity to the sauce for the jägerschnitzel pork cutlet, while spicy paprika, vinegar, peppers, and wine lend the zigeunerschnitzel a “gypsy style” snap.

Two Bells – Very Good

Brauhaus Schmitz [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Brauhaus Schmitz [Official Site]

Craig LaBan is going to give Brauhaus Schmitz the bell treatment this Sunday. In yesterday’s online chat he had this to say about the schweinshaxe:

The schweinshaxe at Brauhaus Schmitz, to be reviewed this weekend,is something every pork lover should try. Slow-roasted rotisserie pig knuckles (shank, that is) are a porcine beauty to behold – tender meat, wrapped in a layer of downy fat, ringed by a cracker-crisp band of cracklin’ skin.

 Loading ...