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]

David Snyder sings about the cooking of Sonata chef and owner Mark Tropea even if there are a few uneven notes.

Tropea demonstrates an ability to orchestrate simple ingredients into sophisticated, satisfying compositions.

The practice that demonstrates this the most is Tropea’s ability to combine earth and sea, his most adventurous combo being the lobster “mac and cheese.” Purists might dismiss marrying cheese with a lobster tail, yet a whisper of mild fontina is a harmonious partner for the crustacean, giving the dish an elegance bolstered by house-made pappardelle. It’s the addition of chanterelle mushrooms, though, that makes it a masterpiece. The match seems counter-intuitive, but the lobster stock-infused cream sauce connects these ingredients into one seamless arc.

Clef Club [City Paper]
Sonata [Official Site]

David Snyder tells the story of Adedotun “Dot” Adepoju and how he came to open Tastee D’s on 4th Street near South. He also writes of the authentic Western African dishes he enjoyed.

My favorite meat, though, was tender, cubed angus beef, a natural partner for its tomato- and pepper-based sauce.

Indeed, the core of these carb-centric mains is this red sauce called obe ata (including tasty jollof rice that’s cooked in this stew to make a sort of African jambalaya). The kitchen boils tomatoes, onions and peppers together before blending them with other spices, including garlic, thyme, cayenne pepper and Maggi, a vegetable-based bullion substitute popular in Nigeria, to create a sauce with a lot of high notes of bright tomato.

D’licious [City Paper]
Tastee D’s [Official Site]

David Snyder visits Center City’s Korean barbecue, Miga and finds that authentic and accessible are not mutually exclusive.

[T]he tofu kimchi pork bokum was my favorite dish. Acidic kimchi served as the perfect foil for savory steamed pork belly, and since each element is prepped separately before being stir-fried together, both retain their identities. The huge wedges of soft tofu capping the mound, though, played just as important a role, softening the intense flavors and providing a wonderful textural contrast.

You and Miga [City Paper]
Miga [Official Site]

David Snyder visits the Swift Half and finds the traditional pub fare excels as well as some of the upscale dishes.

Both the rich bacon-wrapped chicken liver/pistachio pâté (served with bright, tangy house-pickled beets) and the gamey duck prosciutto made me wish all of the bar’s charcuterie items were cured in-house. My favorite upscale dish was the lamb “lollichops.” The quarter-rack of chops were cooked to a perfect tenderness, but it was the mint chimichurri sauce – a playful take on the traditional mint/lamb combo – that gave this dish its smartest upgrade. Balancing the mint’s herbaceousness with a gentle warmth created depth and sophistication.

Prepare for swift-off [City Paper]

For the haters of self promotion out there, here’s a restaurant review sure to warm your heart. David Snyder goes to Bibou which opened without much fanfare except for from some hardcore foodies in May and crowns it “the best French bistro in a city teeming with them.”

These upscale versions of French country fare far exceed the typical expectations and limitations of a bistro. After just one bite, the classical methods the chef perfected at several Michelin-rated restaurants in France, New York City’s Daniel and Philly’s Le Bec-Fin (where he was executive chef) are apparent.

Nowhere are these skills more vivid than in the chef’s sauces. It’s difficult to upstage perfect, double-seared hanger steak, but the depth that green peppercorn, red currant gelée and a touch of cream brought to the dish’s red wine bordelaise sauce (a Georges Perrier recipe Pierre tweaked) had me asking for more house-made bread to mop one of my companions’ plates. Grenadine syrup added structure to the rhubarb and Meyer lemon-zest sauce accompanying crisp-skinned sea bass. The whisper of clove in the Black Diamond plum chutney was a creative bridge to house-made pumpkin bread served with seared foie gras. Fresh sage from the Calmels’ personal garden made the jus in veal medallions sing.

Eiffel Power [City Paper]
Bibou [Official Site]

David Snyder finds enough to like at Aladeen Middle Eastern Restaurant on South Street that he’ll be back.

 The first is a traditional Moroccan bastilla. If a breakfast burrito had sex with a coffee cake, this would be their offspring. A mammoth pastry crust stuffed with eggs, chicken, crushed almonds and spices is baked, and then topped with mounds of powdered sugar and latticed with ground cinnamon. Though Aladeen lists it as an app, the pie’s sweet and savory interplay satisfies my lifelong quest for a compelling meat-based dessert.

 Genie in a Bottle [City Paper]

David Snyder visits Varga Bar and finds the beer and starters to be the best stuff on the menu.

Indeed, the dishes that seem at home beside beer – apps, bar eats – are where Varga Bar is at its best. I loved the crunch of the lightly broiled panko crust on the truffled mac and cheese, a deceptively light layering of gruyere, mascarpone, fontina and Parmesan. Turney’s wings, slow-cooked in duck fat, are the most tender rendition I’ve had, gifted with a slowly unfolding finish from the pomegranate molasses bourbon chili sauce.

A deep, smoky flavor in the onion ring batter meant the fried snacks were the perfect partner for applewood-smoked-bacon Kobe beef sliders. A fragrant chorizo-spiked fennel herb broth made for an inviting bowl of cockles and mussels. I almost wished the jumbo lump cheese fries featured less crab so I wouldn’t feel so guilty dunking them in Turney’s house-made ketchup.

 Strike a Pose [City Paper]
Varga Bar [Official Site]

David Snyder praises chef Chris D’Ambro’s Mediterranean tapas at Bocca in Old City.

 Take the timeless beef tartare. D’Ambro updates this standard by using hanger steak instead of filet or sirloin, granting the dish rich, gamey flavor. Tiny decorative spheres of balsamic caviar, which D’Ambro makes with agar-agar, a natural structural ingredient commonly found in Chinese food, add delicate flashes of sweetness and acidity. An emulsion (or “air”) of capers adds a subtle puff of brininess. None of these nouveau elements upset the dish’s balance – each bite remains accessible and fun.

Smart Mouth [City Paper]
Bocca [Official Site]

David Snyder tries out the new incarnation of Girasole and finds excellent pasta but some price inconsistency.

Restaurants love to trumpet their hand-crafted pasta, but all too often housemade gnocchi are dense and leaden. Girasole’s gnocchi, on the other hand, is the best I’ve eaten in a long time — resting in a thoughtfully humble sauce of crushed plum tomatoes and stracchino cheese, each petite morsel had just enough heft to prove its worth before the bite melted away with the warmth of my palate.

Another pasta that caught my eye was the elusive passatelli. Traditionally, this thick, flourless pasta/dumpling hybrid — seen only in soups, and almost never in restaurants — is made with eggs, Parmigiano-Reggiano and bread crumbs, which give it a uniquely grainy texture. Angela Iovino adds a touch of flour to her version for consistency and serves it in a light sauce with sausage and porcini mushrooms for a wonderfully rare treat.

Mostly Sunny [City Paper]
Girasole [Official Site]