Adam Erace has a moment at Noble American Cookery as the foie gras melts on tongue and the setting sun shines through the front windows. Unfortuantely the moment is killed when he gets his hefty bill. But Erace finds other things along the way worthy of praise, especially the drink program.

[T]he curl of citrus unleashes its essential oils in the Vesper, a martini coined by Sir Ian Fleming in 1953’s Casino Royale . Smooth and subtly floral, the lemon-accented blend of Bluecoat gin, Penn 1681 vodka, Lillet Blonde and orange bitters was as beguiling as its namesake, Bond babe Vesper Lynd, and among the most beautifully balanced cocktails ever to pass these lips.


Noble American Cookery [Philadelphia Weekly]
Noble American Cookery [Official Site]

Trey Popp finds that Noble: An American Cookery is more than a trend chasing restaurant built on environmental correctness. He finds it to be an excellent place to eat and drink.

[I]t would be hard to recommend any dish ahead of the grass-fed short rib, braised all day with veal stock and lemons. The outside was so exquisitely crispy and caramelized you’d wonder if someone had gone over it with a blowtorch. Yet beneath that outer eighth of an inch, the interior strands slid apart from one another at the merest prod. A relish of fava beans and parsley attempted to bring some garden balance into the mix, but the sweet onion rice pudding ensured a plate that couldn’t have been richer had it been cast out of gold bullion.

 Ain’t That America [City Paper]
Noble: An American Cookery [Official Site]

It sounded too good to be true when we got the tip that the there-for-a-minute Lynda’s was going to be reborn with three principals from Le Bec-Fin and Lacroix. But low and behold Fond is going coming to Passyunk Avenue.

Michael Klein has the details, the new American BYOB from Lee Styer (sous chef at Le Bec-Fin), Jessie Prawlucki (pastry chef at Le Bec-Fin) and Tory Keomanivong (banquet captain at Lacroix).

Fond coming to booming East Passyunk [The Insider]

Craig LaBan is never easy on chains but maybe Seasons 52 at the Cherry Hill Mall will fare better. After all, there is the promise of fresh, seasonal and healthy food.

Simply writing fresh

Even the essential building block of its best items - dough for the long, paper-thin flatbreads - arrives prepackaged and frozen. That doesn't mean they aren't addictively tasty when properly cooked, scattered with shavings of sirloin, mushrooms, and blue cheese; or with tiny shrimps, cubed pineapple, and tangy streaks of (premade) chipotle sauce. But execution is a nagging issue here, and many of those delicate breads came burnt to an unsavory brown.

One Bell – Hit or Miss

Seasons 52 [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Seasons 52 [Official Site]

Is one of Philadelphia’s best new restaurants hiding in an Old City lounge? According to Adam Erace it is.

What did come included some of the wittiest, most winsome things I’ve eaten this year. You’ll forgive me for being surprised by the exquisiteness of the citrus-cured foie gras torchon, so rich and silky smeared on croissant (a crunchy bread would have been better) with blueberry mostarda and zingy pink peppercorn-infused tapioca pearls; for being shocked at discovering the bar snack of my dreams (D’Ambro’s chickpea frites) in an ultralounge that sells Jaeger by the $160 bottle.


Bocca [Philadelphia Weekly]

Craig LaBan enjoys the ambitious talent of chef Nicholas Cassidy even if he isn’t a big fan of the name of Saute.

[H]is menus reflect that restless curiosity, changing significantly from week to week, and ranging widely in influence from Latin seviche to house-made French charcuterie to the Asian-Italian fusion of seared tuna over soba carbonara, the buckwheat noodles tossed in a Parmesan froth with bacon and edamame.

With a few exceptions, Cassidy showed the sensibility, skill, and commitment to no-shortcut cooking that made these disparate flavors work.

Two Bells – Very Good

Saute [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Adam Erace visits Saute and has lots of good things to say about the cooking but he’s got a gripe with the menu’s lack of seasonality. Although these potatoes sound great, no matter the month.

As a sidecar to the new American entrees, fingerling potatoes arrive with a shiny duck-fat gloss that glints under the soft hazel lights of the former La Creole. Poached at 200 degrees in Talbot’s lube of choice, the potatoes are possessed by an intensely ducklike essence. Each bite brings a slick of aromatic grease; a burst of papery, cast iron-crisped skin; a smush of creamy, slow-poached spud; a fleeting finish of concentrated wild game flavor. Topped with chives and a dollop of Daisy, these charmingly misshapen fingerlings are perfect. For December.

Simmer in the City [Philadelphia Weekly]

56% of you guessed Craig LaBan would give the Terence Feury manned kitchen at Fork 3-bells. But did you know it would be the exotic lamb belly confit that would have him crowing loudest?

For adventure diners, though, Feury’s lamb belly confit is one the city’s new must-taste plates. Cured two weeks in garlic, salt and rosemary, then slow-poached in lamb fat and olive oil, the finished product is an encounter with the ultimate savory mille-feuille. Its myriad layers of roasty-edged, gamey meat and buttery molten fat dissolve on the tongue as the absolute essence of lamb. Add a pickled fan of sliced lamb’s tongue, grilled artichokes, and glossy dabs of black olive jus, and you have a Mediterranean lamb epic on a plate.

Three Bells – Excellent

Fork [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Fork Restaurant [Official Site]

Each Monday Blackfish chef and owner Chip Roman has been creating a 4-course chef’s tasting menu focusing on a single ingredient. So far the $45 menus have featured beets, radish, watercress and peas. But starting this Monday and going forward the special ingredient that is included in each course becomes a lot more interesting .

• April 27: Lobster
• May 4: Scallops
• May 11: Crab
• May 18: Fruits de mer

Blackfish [Official Site]

Adam Erace checks out the menu of new Chef Terence Feury, who has taken the helm at Old City’s Fork.

The down-to-earth, uncomplicated style extends to Feury’s menu, printed daily, with dishes like grilled chicken livers cinched with bacon. The offal were crisp outside, creamy inside and served along an elegant sherry-splashed arugula salad. The night I dined, the excellent bacon hailed from Green Meadow Farm. Now Feury is curing and smoking his own.
But dude’s equally adept at seafood. I loved his North Carolina bay scallops, like sweet sea candies softly sauteed and tossed with fragrant tarragon butter, pine nuts, sharp pickled cherry peppers and elastic, al dente, house-made angel hair.
Pan-roasted New England cod was gorgeously rendered with a crunchy, caramel-colored crust from little more than salt, pepper and a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet. Underneath, flake flake flake, each bite of fish falling off into a white wine broth enlivened with pretty little New Zealand cockles, blood orange and basil.

Fork [Philadelphia Weekly]
Fork [Official Site]