Archive for the 'Reviews' Category

Adam Erace enjoys the details as he eats and relaxes at Snackbar.

As a former sous chef at Zahav, 27-year-old Taus brings a clear culinary focus that has eluded snackbar. The menu feels very American, very loose and likeable, with a collection of plates that are neither small nor large. Taus’ food is suited to grazing, but fortunately the servers don’t get all mathematical about your order. Start slow and order more when you get hungry again, seems to be the practice here, echoed by Makar, who says he actually encourages staff not to turn tables.

Eyes on the Guise [Philadelphia Weekly]
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]

Adam Erace tries out the pizzas at Tiffin Etc. hoping for a food epiphany like he had the first time he tried Tiffin’s Vindaloo. Unfortunately he finds that pizza and Indian toppings aren’t the amazing partners he had hoped.

I can respect appetite outreach programs. But I wonder if it isn’t better to charm virgins with introductory-level dishes like murg makhani, rather than recasting the recipes in an adulterated form. On one pie, the butter chicken—Tiffin does it 
extraordinarily well—mingled with mozzarella and subcontinent-spiced tomato sauce shining with ghee. On another, cilantro-mint pesto was a green lawn for gingery minced lamb interspersed with more mozzarella and peas. The ingredients worked, and the crust was fine if a bit oily, but with each slice it became more evident: Pizza just isn’t the best vehicle for these flavors.

Tiffin Etc. [Philadelphia Weekly]
Tiffin [Official Site]

This week in Philadelphia Magazine’s Restaurant Club Newsletter.

• Breaking: Two New Pizza Joints for Starr
  Though Stella’s only been open for weeks, it’s already a huge hit. And Starr’s thinking we could use even more pizza. We’ve got the scoop on some of his latest pizza projects.
• First Look: November Reviews
  Joy Manning visits Avril, Fond and Sycamore
• Dish on Your Favorite Dish
  Is there a menu item that you order every single time? Email your favorite restaurant dishes.

Restaurant Club Newsletter [Philadelphia Magazine]

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]

David Snyder checks out the latest incarnation of Marigold Kitchen and enjoys what is coming out of chef Robert Halpern’s kitchen.

Halpern proves his mettle with his strong, vivid flavors. Despite that unsettling spinach side, I was blown away by the seared squab. Braised shiitakes delivered a welcomed bass note to the light but gamey bird, and Halpern took things even deeper by combining foie gras and chocolate for an insane ragout.

The kitchen fine-chops cauliflower to mimic rice in its generously portioned New World paella. Though it could use more heat, four individual stocks combined with the smokiness of Spanish chorizo made this dish a sure thing. Elsewhere, poaching Atlantic cod gently on low heat ensured that the fish was moist and tender.

More than words [City Paper]

Adam Erace manages to incorporate “whorebath” into his largely positive review of Miga, the smokeless Korean barbecue on 15th Street.

The menu describes belly as “unseasoned,” which you should read as “bland.” But it’s okay, really, as the salt-and-peppered sesame oil and intensely savory Korean bean paste take care of that. You’re meant to dip each piece of pork before bundling them in frilly red leaf lettuce cups with sliced garlic and chilies. Dip, wrap. Dip, wrap. United, the ingredients in this leafy Korean burrito brought real balance. Fresh and rich flavors, working in tandem, totally worth the wait.

Miga

Philadining issues an Awesomeness Alert for Pub & Kitchen’s English Onion Soup. A riff on the French classic. [Philadining]

Messy & Picky calls the DiNic’s pulled pork sandwich the Best of the Best and although we have trouble turning our back on our perennial favorite, the DiNic’s roast beef, the pulled pork is not to be missed. [Messy & Picky]

Mac & Cheese reiterates her love of Cafe Con Chocolate. Having been there recently ourselves, we understand. And throwing in our two cents, get the Mexican hot chocolate, it’s muy delicioso. [Mac & Cheese]

We’re not surprised that Living on the Vedge was right there on opening day to take a look at the meat-free Sweetie’s Pie Diner. [Living on the Vedge]

Chicken-Fried Caviar checks out the Pub at the new Wegmans in Collegeville. [Chicken-Fried Caviar]

Kong doesn’t fare so well as the Daily News’ Lari Roiling takes a bite. [Philadelphia Daily News]

The Hong Kong street inspired restaurant doesn’t do any better with the women of the I’ll Eat You Supper Club. [I'll Eat You]

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]