Lures is a bar and grille outside of Annapolis, MD, where our close friends live. They feature a beer list which includes 15 taps and another 15-20 selections in bottles. The list is a solid cross section of America's craft brewing scene, featuring brewers such as Elysian and Stone from out West, and closer to home favorites Flying Dog and Troegs. I had a beer sampler, the better two beers were the Flying Dog farmhouse IPA and the Broklyn Concoction, from their Brewer's Reserve series. Concoction is a beer based off of one of my favorite cocktails, the Penicillin (though I didn't know that while drinking it). I think it's the first beer I've ever had that got it's inspiration from the cocktail world. It was spiced with ginger and had lemon juice and wildflower honey. Troegs Nugget Nectar is a fantastic seasonal that got tapped while we were there.
As far as the food, I am not crabcake expert, being from Philly, but the crabcake sandwich seemed solid to me. Maybe not the best one I've ever had, but it was very good and the fries were very good, too. I shared it and a blue cheese bacon burger with my wife. The burger was slightly overcooked, but despite that and the fact that the patty itself was average to above average, and not special, the blue cheese was fantastic and the resulting "bite" was very good. A few of us were curious about the polish burger, topped with a pierogie and sauerkraut, but no one took the plunge. Another interesting menu item was a tuna sushi burger. We didn't order them this time, but the rockfish bites are fantastic, perfectly fried bites of rockfish with a spicy plum dipping sauce. The fish and chips looked real good, too.
Lures is a cool spot. Good beer, good service, and I like the focus on seafood. Give it a go if you are ever in the neighborhood.
Showing posts with label Pub and Restaurant Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pub and Restaurant Reviews. Show all posts
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Friday, May 6, 2011
Pub Review: Pub and Kitchen
We checked out this spot as part of our day spending time with friends at PIFA, the arts festival in Philly last week which concluded with bizarre ten story acrobatic/musical act on a shut down Broad Street. PIFA left a bit to be desired--though I did enjoy the free performance of Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings--but I won't get into that. Let's talk about food and drink.
Pub and Kitchen has a great vibe. It really feels like the pubs I went to in England, with the wooden bench seats and the decor--lots of wood and blue paint. The beer list was solid. I had an English session ale made in collaberation with Pub and Kitchen and Sixpoint up in NYC. It was a solid beer, maybe on the hoppy side for something advertised as "sessionable." They had a few local-ish beers and some others from Sixpoint, Bells, etc. What grabbed me about the drinks menu is the cocktails. They had two barrel aged cocktails, where they mix the drink and then age in in wood for a few weeks. I had the barrel aged manhattan, which I think suffered a bit from the use of Jim Beam Rye but was still a solid drink. My wife and friend had tne barrel aged cocktail which they called Dahlia, a tequila based drink with mole bitters. It was fantastic. Good strong flavor but still somehow refreshing. Our waitress warned them it was a bit stiff for a late afternoon drink, but my buddy said he was already three sheets to the wind so bring it on. They had a bunch of other cocktails as well, fairly priced for Center City as all were less than $10. Beats a mediocre manhattan at a Stephen Starr restaurant for $12. Not a lot of gastropubs get too into the cocktail scene, and I like that here I had the option of beer or cocktails. I opted for both.
The service was okay. The menu was clear to a point, but I was still confused when the fries did not come with the dipping sauce--some kind of aioli--advertised when you order fries separate from a sandwich (I told you I was confused). They were charging extra for condiments on the burger; they should have just had in the menu that the sauce could be added for $2, which the waitress told us when we asked for some. The thing is, she never brought it and it still wound up on the bill.
The food was great. The sauce debacle notwithstanding, the fries were perfectly done, crispy on the outside warm and soft on the inside. Now let's talk about the Churchill burger, which made the final in Foobooz's burger bracket squaring off against Village Whiskey, besting my favorite burger, the Royal Tavern burger. So I was stoked to try this burger. They get the custom meat blend from La Frieda, a famous meat supplier in NYC. Here is the description of the burger from Foobooz:
•Pub & Kitchen is Philadelphia’s first restaurant using a custom blend from La Frieda
•Contains dry-aged beef
•8-ounces
•Glazed with bone marrow butter
•Topped with sauted onions
•Served on a Metropolitan brioche
•$18 and accompanied by fries
Sounds incredible, and it was, almost. The meat was so flavorful and rich, and the butter was, well, buttery. The overall effect was fantastic. I like that it's focused on the meat, whereas the Royal burger is a bit more about the toppings. What held it back from true greatness is an unneccesarily common mistake: I ordered it medium rare and it came out almost well done. I swear I'm going to start ordering my burger rare, so nothing can be lost in translation. I feel the Churchill burger could have been the best I've ever had, but overcooking ruins even the best meat blend. The South Philly Taproom uses a grassfed patty, hardly able to provide the flavor of a fatty, grain fed custom meat blend, but it is always cooked perfectly to my order, so the flavors it does have are not lost and therefore it can still compete with the others.
Long story short, I really liked this place, I hope to go back again but 20th and Lombard is not my usual locale. I would like to give the burger a second run, though...
Pub and Kitchen has a great vibe. It really feels like the pubs I went to in England, with the wooden bench seats and the decor--lots of wood and blue paint. The beer list was solid. I had an English session ale made in collaberation with Pub and Kitchen and Sixpoint up in NYC. It was a solid beer, maybe on the hoppy side for something advertised as "sessionable." They had a few local-ish beers and some others from Sixpoint, Bells, etc. What grabbed me about the drinks menu is the cocktails. They had two barrel aged cocktails, where they mix the drink and then age in in wood for a few weeks. I had the barrel aged manhattan, which I think suffered a bit from the use of Jim Beam Rye but was still a solid drink. My wife and friend had tne barrel aged cocktail which they called Dahlia, a tequila based drink with mole bitters. It was fantastic. Good strong flavor but still somehow refreshing. Our waitress warned them it was a bit stiff for a late afternoon drink, but my buddy said he was already three sheets to the wind so bring it on. They had a bunch of other cocktails as well, fairly priced for Center City as all were less than $10. Beats a mediocre manhattan at a Stephen Starr restaurant for $12. Not a lot of gastropubs get too into the cocktail scene, and I like that here I had the option of beer or cocktails. I opted for both.
The service was okay. The menu was clear to a point, but I was still confused when the fries did not come with the dipping sauce--some kind of aioli--advertised when you order fries separate from a sandwich (I told you I was confused). They were charging extra for condiments on the burger; they should have just had in the menu that the sauce could be added for $2, which the waitress told us when we asked for some. The thing is, she never brought it and it still wound up on the bill.
The food was great. The sauce debacle notwithstanding, the fries were perfectly done, crispy on the outside warm and soft on the inside. Now let's talk about the Churchill burger, which made the final in Foobooz's burger bracket squaring off against Village Whiskey, besting my favorite burger, the Royal Tavern burger. So I was stoked to try this burger. They get the custom meat blend from La Frieda, a famous meat supplier in NYC. Here is the description of the burger from Foobooz:
•Pub & Kitchen is Philadelphia’s first restaurant using a custom blend from La Frieda
•Contains dry-aged beef
•8-ounces
•Glazed with bone marrow butter
•Topped with sauted onions
•Served on a Metropolitan brioche
•$18 and accompanied by fries
Sounds incredible, and it was, almost. The meat was so flavorful and rich, and the butter was, well, buttery. The overall effect was fantastic. I like that it's focused on the meat, whereas the Royal burger is a bit more about the toppings. What held it back from true greatness is an unneccesarily common mistake: I ordered it medium rare and it came out almost well done. I swear I'm going to start ordering my burger rare, so nothing can be lost in translation. I feel the Churchill burger could have been the best I've ever had, but overcooking ruins even the best meat blend. The South Philly Taproom uses a grassfed patty, hardly able to provide the flavor of a fatty, grain fed custom meat blend, but it is always cooked perfectly to my order, so the flavors it does have are not lost and therefore it can still compete with the others.
Long story short, I really liked this place, I hope to go back again but 20th and Lombard is not my usual locale. I would like to give the burger a second run, though...
Monday, March 14, 2011
Pub Review: Fork and Barrel
On Friday night we made the trek up to East Falls to check out Fork and Barrel, an upscale gastropub from the owners of Tap and Table up in Emmaeus. My wife and I decided to walk 5 miles from the subway to East Falls, to work up a nice appetite. We walked along the river, it was bit chilly but a pleasant walk and certainly had me craving food and beer by the end.
The first thing you notice about Fork and Barrel is the lighting, the entire downstairs area is lit by candles only (luckily the fire department is right accross the street). It makes for a dim atmostphere, but once your pupils adjust it's quite nice. Next, the beer selection. This was about the most interesting beer list I've ever seen. The bar downstairs has about 8-10 taps, all imported beers. We did a flight of 5 and then tried a few more throughout the evening. Here are some noteables: Hitachino Classic Ale-A Japanese IPA aged on cedar; a German granitbock cooked with hot stones in granite mash tuns, an Italian stout with a hint of chili pepper, and a fantastic British pale ale on nitro. The pale ale was my favorite but that's just because I enjoy pale ales, especially when they are poured creamy as from a cask or on nitro (the beer name escapes me right now but when I update my beer list page I will get it in writing). The granitbock had one of the most unique finishes I've ever tasted, which I can only attribute to the stone. The bottle list was very impressive, as well, I didn't want to overwhelm myself by reading through every selection, but we did choose a nice Gose, which is a german wheat beer with salt and coriander. Aside: Gose is one of the few styles that does not adhere to the German purity law because of the use of spices but gets a pass as a regional specialty. In short, this place had a very special list of beers that could impress most beer geeks. No pint was cheaper than 8 bucks, and the flight of 5 was $18. Not cheap, but the beers were each pretty special.
Now the food. We shared the salt potatoes as an appetizer, they were these tiny baked potatoes that somehow were crunchy and came with a nice dipping sacue. We were with two other couples, and each couple decided on the roast pheasant for two ($35) for dinner. The pheasant was a lot of fun, we ripped it apart and made sure to get all of the "morsels" from it, as one friend called them. I think game animals tend to be lean, and there were some dry bites, but on the whole it was a beautifully cooked bird. The oyster stuffing was the best part, it was so moist and salty. The brussel sprouts were fine but maybe could have been better. Next time I'd probably want to try the lamb burger and/or the braised rabbit, but the "pheasant party" was a lot of fun; it was so funny to see them carrying three birds out of the kitchen to our seats.
After dinner we headed up to the upstairs bar, which is their casual area, serving a dozen or so different types of hot dogs and free peanuts. The upstairs bar has one cask beer and then a bunch of American craft bottles. We shared a Stillwater Stateside Saison, which I thought was fantastic.
I thought Fork and Barrel was pretty special. It's not super cheap in relation to other gastropubs, but it's really more of a restaurant than a bar. If I didn't hear familiar city sounds like car alarms outside I could have sworn I was in the British countryside. I'm glad it's not in walking distance to my house, or I'd be tempted to see what's on tap on a regular basis.
The first thing you notice about Fork and Barrel is the lighting, the entire downstairs area is lit by candles only (luckily the fire department is right accross the street). It makes for a dim atmostphere, but once your pupils adjust it's quite nice. Next, the beer selection. This was about the most interesting beer list I've ever seen. The bar downstairs has about 8-10 taps, all imported beers. We did a flight of 5 and then tried a few more throughout the evening. Here are some noteables: Hitachino Classic Ale-A Japanese IPA aged on cedar; a German granitbock cooked with hot stones in granite mash tuns, an Italian stout with a hint of chili pepper, and a fantastic British pale ale on nitro. The pale ale was my favorite but that's just because I enjoy pale ales, especially when they are poured creamy as from a cask or on nitro (the beer name escapes me right now but when I update my beer list page I will get it in writing). The granitbock had one of the most unique finishes I've ever tasted, which I can only attribute to the stone. The bottle list was very impressive, as well, I didn't want to overwhelm myself by reading through every selection, but we did choose a nice Gose, which is a german wheat beer with salt and coriander. Aside: Gose is one of the few styles that does not adhere to the German purity law because of the use of spices but gets a pass as a regional specialty. In short, this place had a very special list of beers that could impress most beer geeks. No pint was cheaper than 8 bucks, and the flight of 5 was $18. Not cheap, but the beers were each pretty special.
Now the food. We shared the salt potatoes as an appetizer, they were these tiny baked potatoes that somehow were crunchy and came with a nice dipping sacue. We were with two other couples, and each couple decided on the roast pheasant for two ($35) for dinner. The pheasant was a lot of fun, we ripped it apart and made sure to get all of the "morsels" from it, as one friend called them. I think game animals tend to be lean, and there were some dry bites, but on the whole it was a beautifully cooked bird. The oyster stuffing was the best part, it was so moist and salty. The brussel sprouts were fine but maybe could have been better. Next time I'd probably want to try the lamb burger and/or the braised rabbit, but the "pheasant party" was a lot of fun; it was so funny to see them carrying three birds out of the kitchen to our seats.
After dinner we headed up to the upstairs bar, which is their casual area, serving a dozen or so different types of hot dogs and free peanuts. The upstairs bar has one cask beer and then a bunch of American craft bottles. We shared a Stillwater Stateside Saison, which I thought was fantastic.
I thought Fork and Barrel was pretty special. It's not super cheap in relation to other gastropubs, but it's really more of a restaurant than a bar. If I didn't hear familiar city sounds like car alarms outside I could have sworn I was in the British countryside. I'm glad it's not in walking distance to my house, or I'd be tempted to see what's on tap on a regular basis.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Pub Review: Sticks and Stones
Sticks and Stones on East Passyunk near our house has had a neon sign up since almost when we moved in 3 years ago. They finally opened a month or so ago, and claimed in their press releases that they would be a beer bar but also a neighborhood hangout. I have been eagerly anticipating this opening with the hope that this bar would straddle the line between hipster beer bar and local place a bit better than some other places around here, though South Philly Taproom comes close it is West of Broad. Not to be lazy and picky but I was hoping to have a place right around the corner that was my ideal bar. So maybe I set the "bar" too high. But Sticks and Stones didn't even come close to it when we visited for the first and probably last time the other week.
Walking in, I liked the decor. A big picture behind the bar of what is apparently the owners grandfather or uncle in South Philly circa 1920 or maybe even earlier (just guessing on the year). The walls are lined with white subway tiles and chalkboards containing the beer lists, and the taps come out of the back wall rather than the bar itself, which was kind of different/interesting. The beer list was solid, I had a Bells Oatmeal Cream Stout that was quite nice, and Victory Schwarz Pils, a dark pilsner which wasn't my favorite but an interesting style. The taps and bottles were a nice mix of locals and out of state heavy hitters such as Bells. Our bartender was friendly enough, if slightly inattentive. So where did Sticks and Stones go wrong?
The food, mostly. My wife and I both opted for the burger. My thinking is, if you are going to have a burger on your menu, it should be solid. It doesn't necessarily have to be special but cooked to order, well seasoned, and with decent cheese and probably an option for bacon. I'm not even picky about the roll. The Sticks and Stones burger comes with a bleu cheese and a fried egg on top. I ordered it medium rare and it came out well done. We were the only people in the bar eating, as it was January 2 and most people were home recovering, so in my mind there is no excuse to screw up that order. I felt like the egg was just a gimmick trying to cover up the fact that I was eating a mediocre patty of under seasoned, overcooked beef. The fries were a mixture of sweet potato and regular fries with some sort of aioli haphazardly squirted on top of them. At this point I was disappointed. And then Elvis walked in. I thought he was the owner, some commenters have alluded to the fact that he may be just the manager. It's a small point but I was surprised to see him wearing a Chargers hoodie in South Philly. He was friendly but he rubbed me the wrong way; he was loud and obnoxious, flirting with these girls at the bar and flinging obscenities like nobody's business. I understand it's a bar atmosphere but as someone associated with the bar I thought his actions were a bit unprofessional.
The worst part is I saw him at my barber in Cherry Hill the next week. He asked me how my experience was and I said "Good." I didn't have the gumption to confront him. Live and learn.
Update: I've actually been back to Sticks and Stones and had a better experience. I didn't order food as I had already eaten, but the service was good and they accomodated our rather large party quite well. I'm sorry if I offended anyone who is a fan of Elvis or the bar, I should not have made my disappointment personal and I admit that I should have talked through my complaints with Elvis when I had the chance rather than through my blog. I stand by my review of my experience and my first impression of Elvis was not a good one. I am not saying he is a bad person I just didn't appreciate the foul language and atmosphere he created when he entered his bar.
Walking in, I liked the decor. A big picture behind the bar of what is apparently the owners grandfather or uncle in South Philly circa 1920 or maybe even earlier (just guessing on the year). The walls are lined with white subway tiles and chalkboards containing the beer lists, and the taps come out of the back wall rather than the bar itself, which was kind of different/interesting. The beer list was solid, I had a Bells Oatmeal Cream Stout that was quite nice, and Victory Schwarz Pils, a dark pilsner which wasn't my favorite but an interesting style. The taps and bottles were a nice mix of locals and out of state heavy hitters such as Bells. Our bartender was friendly enough, if slightly inattentive. So where did Sticks and Stones go wrong?
The food, mostly. My wife and I both opted for the burger. My thinking is, if you are going to have a burger on your menu, it should be solid. It doesn't necessarily have to be special but cooked to order, well seasoned, and with decent cheese and probably an option for bacon. I'm not even picky about the roll. The Sticks and Stones burger comes with a bleu cheese and a fried egg on top. I ordered it medium rare and it came out well done. We were the only people in the bar eating, as it was January 2 and most people were home recovering, so in my mind there is no excuse to screw up that order. I felt like the egg was just a gimmick trying to cover up the fact that I was eating a mediocre patty of under seasoned, overcooked beef. The fries were a mixture of sweet potato and regular fries with some sort of aioli haphazardly squirted on top of them. At this point I was disappointed. And then Elvis walked in. I thought he was the owner, some commenters have alluded to the fact that he may be just the manager. It's a small point but I was surprised to see him wearing a Chargers hoodie in South Philly. He was friendly but he rubbed me the wrong way; he was loud and obnoxious, flirting with these girls at the bar and flinging obscenities like nobody's business. I understand it's a bar atmosphere but as someone associated with the bar I thought his actions were a bit unprofessional.
The worst part is I saw him at my barber in Cherry Hill the next week. He asked me how my experience was and I said "Good." I didn't have the gumption to confront him. Live and learn.
Update: I've actually been back to Sticks and Stones and had a better experience. I didn't order food as I had already eaten, but the service was good and they accomodated our rather large party quite well. I'm sorry if I offended anyone who is a fan of Elvis or the bar, I should not have made my disappointment personal and I admit that I should have talked through my complaints with Elvis when I had the chance rather than through my blog. I stand by my review of my experience and my first impression of Elvis was not a good one. I am not saying he is a bad person I just didn't appreciate the foul language and atmosphere he created when he entered his bar.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Mexican in Philly Update
A couple of months back I did a writeup of eating Mexican in Philly. I have a new favorite, Los Gallos at 10th and Wolf (a funny location as there is a medicore Philly mob movie with the same name). Anyhow, it's basically a Mexican grocery, but they have tables and takeout service. Chef Jiminez is a first time business owner, and told us the previous owner of the shopfront told him the Board of Health never comes down to South Philly and not to worry about proper permits. Luckily he's didnt't listen and figured out all the bureaucratic kinks, because this place was awesome. The chef asked us to sign a petition to add more tables and make it more of a restaurant, which would be great. The tacos with crispy pork and pineapple are awesome, I think they are called El Pastor. The other stuff is great too. He has plans to start making his own tortillas soon. I read in one review (Philadelphia Weekly) that a lot of Mexican line chefs from great restaurants like South Philadelphia Taproom and Amis are telling their bosses how great this place is. Amis's Brad Spence ordered 80 tacos for a private party he threw. Cheap, authentic Mexican with no frills or hipsters in sight. Great stuff.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Pub Review: The South Philadelphia Taproom
SPTR is my favorite bar. It's a bit farther than some of the pubs we frequent, i.e., it is not on E. Passyunk, the new restaurant row. But I kind of like that. We took my mother-in-law there for dinner last night after the weak outing by the floundering Phillies, who have since been ushered out of the playoffs. It is kind of a hipster bar but not exclusively, and the servers are all pretty nice. Our server last night was a little lacking on knowledge of the beer list; I asked her if the Sly Fox Grisette was different than their bottled saison, and she replied, "If it has a different name it must be different." Otherwise it was business as usual at SPTR, which means a solid, solid beer list and excellent gastropub type fare. The Amish fried chicken special was awesome, as was the eggplant parm special. The pork meatball sandwich was very good if not special. Their mac 'n cheese is good, too, though I like my wife's better (with bacon and a potato chip topping). They also do a very good burger, not the best in the city but in my top 3 or 4 for sure. I was disappointed that the North Carolina bbq chicken sandwich, my all time favorite menu item, is no longer on the menu, I forgot to ask if it will return next season.
As far as the beer, I tried Philadelphia Brewing Co.'s wet hopped "Harvest in the Hood" ale, made with locally grown hops. I thought it was pretty good and tasted very fresh. I then had a Victory Moonglow (weizenbock), which I quite enjoyed. It has a nice fruitiness, a rich taste perfect for fall weather. Of course I had to try the Sly Fox Grisette. I'm still not sure if it was different than the bottled saison they put out year round, but I really liked the bottled version in the past while I thought this one was just okay.
Other thoughts on SPTR...They do a wheat beer fest called "Wheaties" in the summer, which I love, as I love wheat beer. They do special beer and food pairing dinners but I have yet to make it to one. The same owners have a coffeeshop across the street with takeout beer, appropriately named Brew (the tagline reads "beer and coffee together at last"). Brew has fantastic hand-brewed coffees from around the globe, and a nice beer selection. I still buy most of my beer in Jersey as I have the good fortune of working there and taking advantage of better pricing. But Brew is a nice option for trying something special or mixing a pretty good sixpack.
As far as the beer, I tried Philadelphia Brewing Co.'s wet hopped "Harvest in the Hood" ale, made with locally grown hops. I thought it was pretty good and tasted very fresh. I then had a Victory Moonglow (weizenbock), which I quite enjoyed. It has a nice fruitiness, a rich taste perfect for fall weather. Of course I had to try the Sly Fox Grisette. I'm still not sure if it was different than the bottled saison they put out year round, but I really liked the bottled version in the past while I thought this one was just okay.
Other thoughts on SPTR...They do a wheat beer fest called "Wheaties" in the summer, which I love, as I love wheat beer. They do special beer and food pairing dinners but I have yet to make it to one. The same owners have a coffeeshop across the street with takeout beer, appropriately named Brew (the tagline reads "beer and coffee together at last"). Brew has fantastic hand-brewed coffees from around the globe, and a nice beer selection. I still buy most of my beer in Jersey as I have the good fortune of working there and taking advantage of better pricing. But Brew is a nice option for trying something special or mixing a pretty good sixpack.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Bar Review: Stogie Joe's Tavern
Stogie Joe's has been a dive bar on E. Passyunk Ave. since before we ever moved into South Philly. But recently they redid their exterior, hanging a new sign and adding a patio area. They also got some buzz in Philadelphia Magazine's best sandwiches feature for their meatball sandwich. We figured it was time to give old Stogie's a chance.
The atmosphere is still that of a dive bar. Some South Phillly guys screaming at the Flyers game, run down decor, etc. Their tap list is not special, but for a dive bar it was pretty good, with a couple of imports and craft beers. Their fridge had a number of local bottled craft beers, as well. Nicole and I opted for a couple of rounds of Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale.
The food was solid. Nicole had the burger. It wasn't really that great, but they get a lot of bonus points for cooking it to her specifications. She said medium rare and it came out medium rare; a pet peeve of mine is serving well done meat when you asked for medium rare. I had the meatball sandwich, which was fantastic. I won't say the meatballs are as good as my aunt's homemade meatballs, but it was close. I chose sharp provolone and broccoli rabe for toppings, which went well with the sandwich, served on a nice roll. The rabe was a bit undercooked but definitely fresh.
The only real annoying part about this place was that they don't take credit cards, another pet peeve of mine. I wouldn't have minded so much except their ATM was out of service and I had to walk a few blocks just to pay my bill.
I'm not going to hurry back to Stogie Joe's, but the meatball sandwich guarantees that I will return at some point. It's not a bad corner bar.
The atmosphere is still that of a dive bar. Some South Phillly guys screaming at the Flyers game, run down decor, etc. Their tap list is not special, but for a dive bar it was pretty good, with a couple of imports and craft beers. Their fridge had a number of local bottled craft beers, as well. Nicole and I opted for a couple of rounds of Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale.
The food was solid. Nicole had the burger. It wasn't really that great, but they get a lot of bonus points for cooking it to her specifications. She said medium rare and it came out medium rare; a pet peeve of mine is serving well done meat when you asked for medium rare. I had the meatball sandwich, which was fantastic. I won't say the meatballs are as good as my aunt's homemade meatballs, but it was close. I chose sharp provolone and broccoli rabe for toppings, which went well with the sandwich, served on a nice roll. The rabe was a bit undercooked but definitely fresh.
The only real annoying part about this place was that they don't take credit cards, another pet peeve of mine. I wouldn't have minded so much except their ATM was out of service and I had to walk a few blocks just to pay my bill.
I'm not going to hurry back to Stogie Joe's, but the meatball sandwich guarantees that I will return at some point. It's not a bad corner bar.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Eating Mexican in Philly
Last Saturday Nicole and I ate at Xochitl (pronounce So-Cheet) in Headhouse Square. We had eaten there for restaurant week when the chef was Dionicio Jimenez, who is now at Stephen Starr's El Rey, and quite enjoyed it. I thought it would be fun to do a review of Xochitl by comparing it to the other Mexican joints we've dined at in the city.
Xochitl, was a huge disappointment this time around. I really like Zahav, the Israeli restaurant by the same ownership group, and I was lured by the supposed new concept of Xochitl, which Philadelphia magazine called "a casual cantina" with "a lower price point." I suppose dressing the waitstaff in soccer jerseys does promote a more laid back atmosphere, but I found the food to be very overpriced. Their new menu is all small plates, and they recommend that you order 2-3 per person to fill up. Nicole and I each chose two dishes and two drinks (a margarita and beer each), and the bill came in just shy of $100 (including tip). I don't know where to begin with my critique of this place. I'll start with the concept of small plates. At a restaurant with a great chef like Jose Garces, doing a tasting menu of small plates can be one of the most special meals of your life. But the concept of small plates, or tapas, at a place seeking a cantina vibe seems like a way to make the menu look more reasonable than it is. Reading the menu outside the door, one might tink, tacos for 12 bucks? Not too bad until you walk in and the waitress tells you will need to eat 2-3 plates of them to be satisfied.
Nicole pointed something out early on that now gets under my skin. She saw the staff bringing in bags of tortillas identical to the ones we buy at the Mexican grocer around the corner from our house for about a buck. Okay, so they don't have little old Mexican women hand making tortillas like they did at the authentic place we went to in San Diego. But then they cut them smaller to fit the agenda of small plates! They were so small that they wouldn't even hold the skirt steak filling that we chose.
Next, the drinks and service. The margarita was mediocre and 8 bucks, to me about 2-3 bucks overpriced for what it was. I'm no tequila connoisseur but I know my way around a decent margarita. The bartender did not appear that skilled; she was making drinks with a shaker and only shaking 4-5 times. A good bartender knows it will take a good 15 shakes to chill those contents. Their "special" of the night was a flight of Don Julio Tequila for $20 (you can do this everyday at Cantina Los Caballitos for $13). While we pondered the overpriced tapas menu, we watched our drinks sit on the bar for several minutes while the bartender was chatting with one of the hostesses. Our waitress did a good job overall, and though it wasn't her fault the food took forever to come out of the kitchen. Small plates should keep coming, not with 15-20 minute gaps between your last bite of one and first of the next.
I could overlook all of the above if the food was great. It wasn't. It was good, but not great by any stretch. The chorizo and virginia ham cuban sandwich tasted good, but the bun got soggy as you ate it. The potato and chorizo stew was oversalted. The crab ceviche was about the smallest portion of seafood I've ever seen, and it was nothing special. The skirt steak tacos were cooked properly but not especially flavorful (and on a tiny tortilla).
I will make a final complaint in honor of a coworker of mine. If you really want a casual cantina vibe, you have to provide free chips and salsa, not try to charge $9 for a bowl of guacamole.
If I were you, I would pass on Xochitl. But where should you eat Mexican in Philly? This post is already a bit long so I will do the others in list form:
Cantina Los Caballitos/Dos Segundos-This pair of cantinas are almost identical; one in South Philly one in Northern Liberties. The house margaritas are solid with fresh squeezed lime for around $5, and they do indeed provide free chips and salsa. Their menu is creative but not cute, e.g. their sandwiches come with Yuca fries and they have 3 kinds of wings. Their specials are always appealing; the pork belly tacos are fantastic. The menu has a range of price points but I don't think I've ever gotten an entree for more than about $12 bucks or so. The burritos are under $10 and will fill you to the brim. The beer list is pretty thoughtful, too.
El Vez-It's been too long since eating there for me to really review this old center city Starr mainstay. The chef may have been Jose Garces when I ate there, I'm not sure. We had fun, but obviously I didn't rush back.
El Rey-This is Stephen Starr's new center city Mexican joint, with a mixed menu of Mexican street food and homestyle, or "pueblo" food. The moles are fantastic, and Chef Jimenez took a few menu items from the old Xochitl including a stuffed poblano pepper that Nicole loves. As always with Starr, more emphasis is given to atmosphere than to anything else. The margarita was good and the beer list was just okay, though I really enjoyed the agave wheat beer from Breckenridge in CO. And walking through the kitchen to get to the speakeasy bar in the back is fun, if a total gimmick.
Distrito-This is Jose Garces's West Philly Mexican spot. A small plates concept that, for me, worked. I loved, loved, loved the nachos with skirt steak. I feel El Rey is a response to this, and I would choose this.
El Zarape-This is a hole-in-the-wall taco stand in South Philly. Very authentic kind of place, not tex-mex and without all of the spice and artificial atmosphere of most of these others. Good stuff.
La Esperanza-Okay, this one is in Jersey, Lindenwold specifically. Again, authentic, and very good. My friend's parents eat here all the time.
Tortilla Press-Another Jersey spot (Collingswood). I had this menu item: "Our Award Winning Chipotle Peanut BBQ Pork Platter" and loved it.
The Adobe Cafe-This is hardly Mexican, more of just a local bar on East Passyunk Ave. Most menu items are just okay, but their Texas Ranchero wings are fantastic.
Disclaimer: I've never been to Lolita, which I'm told is a very good BYOT (Tequila). Nicole didn't love the ownership group's Indian place, Bindi, but really we just haven't ever made it there.
Xochitl, was a huge disappointment this time around. I really like Zahav, the Israeli restaurant by the same ownership group, and I was lured by the supposed new concept of Xochitl, which Philadelphia magazine called "a casual cantina" with "a lower price point." I suppose dressing the waitstaff in soccer jerseys does promote a more laid back atmosphere, but I found the food to be very overpriced. Their new menu is all small plates, and they recommend that you order 2-3 per person to fill up. Nicole and I each chose two dishes and two drinks (a margarita and beer each), and the bill came in just shy of $100 (including tip). I don't know where to begin with my critique of this place. I'll start with the concept of small plates. At a restaurant with a great chef like Jose Garces, doing a tasting menu of small plates can be one of the most special meals of your life. But the concept of small plates, or tapas, at a place seeking a cantina vibe seems like a way to make the menu look more reasonable than it is. Reading the menu outside the door, one might tink, tacos for 12 bucks? Not too bad until you walk in and the waitress tells you will need to eat 2-3 plates of them to be satisfied.
Nicole pointed something out early on that now gets under my skin. She saw the staff bringing in bags of tortillas identical to the ones we buy at the Mexican grocer around the corner from our house for about a buck. Okay, so they don't have little old Mexican women hand making tortillas like they did at the authentic place we went to in San Diego. But then they cut them smaller to fit the agenda of small plates! They were so small that they wouldn't even hold the skirt steak filling that we chose.
Next, the drinks and service. The margarita was mediocre and 8 bucks, to me about 2-3 bucks overpriced for what it was. I'm no tequila connoisseur but I know my way around a decent margarita. The bartender did not appear that skilled; she was making drinks with a shaker and only shaking 4-5 times. A good bartender knows it will take a good 15 shakes to chill those contents. Their "special" of the night was a flight of Don Julio Tequila for $20 (you can do this everyday at Cantina Los Caballitos for $13). While we pondered the overpriced tapas menu, we watched our drinks sit on the bar for several minutes while the bartender was chatting with one of the hostesses. Our waitress did a good job overall, and though it wasn't her fault the food took forever to come out of the kitchen. Small plates should keep coming, not with 15-20 minute gaps between your last bite of one and first of the next.
I could overlook all of the above if the food was great. It wasn't. It was good, but not great by any stretch. The chorizo and virginia ham cuban sandwich tasted good, but the bun got soggy as you ate it. The potato and chorizo stew was oversalted. The crab ceviche was about the smallest portion of seafood I've ever seen, and it was nothing special. The skirt steak tacos were cooked properly but not especially flavorful (and on a tiny tortilla).
I will make a final complaint in honor of a coworker of mine. If you really want a casual cantina vibe, you have to provide free chips and salsa, not try to charge $9 for a bowl of guacamole.
If I were you, I would pass on Xochitl. But where should you eat Mexican in Philly? This post is already a bit long so I will do the others in list form:
Cantina Los Caballitos/Dos Segundos-This pair of cantinas are almost identical; one in South Philly one in Northern Liberties. The house margaritas are solid with fresh squeezed lime for around $5, and they do indeed provide free chips and salsa. Their menu is creative but not cute, e.g. their sandwiches come with Yuca fries and they have 3 kinds of wings. Their specials are always appealing; the pork belly tacos are fantastic. The menu has a range of price points but I don't think I've ever gotten an entree for more than about $12 bucks or so. The burritos are under $10 and will fill you to the brim. The beer list is pretty thoughtful, too.
El Vez-It's been too long since eating there for me to really review this old center city Starr mainstay. The chef may have been Jose Garces when I ate there, I'm not sure. We had fun, but obviously I didn't rush back.
El Rey-This is Stephen Starr's new center city Mexican joint, with a mixed menu of Mexican street food and homestyle, or "pueblo" food. The moles are fantastic, and Chef Jimenez took a few menu items from the old Xochitl including a stuffed poblano pepper that Nicole loves. As always with Starr, more emphasis is given to atmosphere than to anything else. The margarita was good and the beer list was just okay, though I really enjoyed the agave wheat beer from Breckenridge in CO. And walking through the kitchen to get to the speakeasy bar in the back is fun, if a total gimmick.
Distrito-This is Jose Garces's West Philly Mexican spot. A small plates concept that, for me, worked. I loved, loved, loved the nachos with skirt steak. I feel El Rey is a response to this, and I would choose this.
El Zarape-This is a hole-in-the-wall taco stand in South Philly. Very authentic kind of place, not tex-mex and without all of the spice and artificial atmosphere of most of these others. Good stuff.
La Esperanza-Okay, this one is in Jersey, Lindenwold specifically. Again, authentic, and very good. My friend's parents eat here all the time.
Tortilla Press-Another Jersey spot (Collingswood). I had this menu item: "Our Award Winning Chipotle Peanut BBQ Pork Platter" and loved it.
The Adobe Cafe-This is hardly Mexican, more of just a local bar on East Passyunk Ave. Most menu items are just okay, but their Texas Ranchero wings are fantastic.
Disclaimer: I've never been to Lolita, which I'm told is a very good BYOT (Tequila). Nicole didn't love the ownership group's Indian place, Bindi, but really we just haven't ever made it there.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Pub Review: Royal Tavern
The Royal Tavern, at 937 E. Passyunk Ave, is owned by the folks who own the Khyber in Old City and the pair of Cantinas, one in Northern Liberties one in South Philly. We used to go to the Royal Tavern more often before some of the pubs near our house opened or became known to us. It's presence was one of the reasons we chose the location of our house; cool pubs with great, affordable food within walking distance. They have a small but thoughtful beerlist with about 8 taps and perhaps 30 bottles. The draft list last night included Yards ESA, Golden Draak, and the one my wife and I both chose, Arcadia Ales' Whitsun, which our server described as an English wheat with honey and some hoppiness. It was a delightful summery type beer. Our server was very friendly, by the way, but we don't go to the Royal Tavern for the service--which in my past experience has been provided by slow and aloof hipsters--or the beer--the South Philly Taproom has a much better and bigger list. We go for the Royal angus burger, which they claim is the best in Philly. I for one, will not argue.
A well seasoned 8 ounce patty well proportioned to the decent roll it comes on, this carnivore's delight is topped with smoked gouda, long hot peppers, chile mayo, and bacon. It comes with amazing fries and a delicious malt vineger aioli for dipping. I can't tell you how fantastic this burger is. For me, it's better than Jose Garces's Village Whisky King burger and also much cheaper, at $10 including the fries vs. Whisky King at $26 and no fries. Even Village Whisky's cheaper burgers without foie gras will run you at least $16 with fries, and 2 more bucks for the Sly Fox dipping sauce. But I digress. The Royal Tavern burger is so addictive, I had a burger on Friday night at Eulogy (see previous post) and still couldn't pass it up. It's salty, spicy, smoky, fresh, juicy, an orgy for the taste buds, if you will. I only have two issues with it. I ordered it medium rare and it was cooked unevenly, it was medium rare in parts but some bites were more like medium well. I haven't had this problem in the past, though. Also, the long hots. As my grandpop says, "I like them but they don't like me."
Their other food is solid, too, e.g. they do decent brunch stuff and the meatloaf sandwich is fun, but if you are able to go only once, please order the burger.
A well seasoned 8 ounce patty well proportioned to the decent roll it comes on, this carnivore's delight is topped with smoked gouda, long hot peppers, chile mayo, and bacon. It comes with amazing fries and a delicious malt vineger aioli for dipping. I can't tell you how fantastic this burger is. For me, it's better than Jose Garces's Village Whisky King burger and also much cheaper, at $10 including the fries vs. Whisky King at $26 and no fries. Even Village Whisky's cheaper burgers without foie gras will run you at least $16 with fries, and 2 more bucks for the Sly Fox dipping sauce. But I digress. The Royal Tavern burger is so addictive, I had a burger on Friday night at Eulogy (see previous post) and still couldn't pass it up. It's salty, spicy, smoky, fresh, juicy, an orgy for the taste buds, if you will. I only have two issues with it. I ordered it medium rare and it was cooked unevenly, it was medium rare in parts but some bites were more like medium well. I haven't had this problem in the past, though. Also, the long hots. As my grandpop says, "I like them but they don't like me."
Their other food is solid, too, e.g. they do decent brunch stuff and the meatloaf sandwich is fun, but if you are able to go only once, please order the burger.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Pub Review: Eulogy Belgian Tavern
Located at 2nd and Chestnut in Old City, Philadelphia, and boasting a beer list including over 20 draft and 300 bottled beers from across the globe, Eulogy will always have a special place in my heart as one of the places that got me hooked on good beer. Oddly, it did so primarily on a night of excess during a bachelor party that turned me off of Belgians for a while. I have been to Belgium and I'm sure I had some good beers there, but I was a dumb 20 year old who didn't know what was going on. I do know I had a Stella in the town that makes it, Leuven. When I returned home, I somehow stumbled on this Belgian bar; this was before I even knew of Monk's Cafe. On an early visit I ordered a Hoegaarden and the waitress said that was a "girl beer" and that visit along with a series of others introduced me to the likes of Duvel, The Gnome (La Chouffe), and Piraat. I was already familiar with Chimay.
Fast forward to present day. I was in there with a friend killing time before meeting my wife a week or so ago and the waitress told me I should try the Jolly Pumpkin Madrugada Obscura, their summer seasonal, which is a belgian style stout (not sure about the summer part bc/ the Jolly Pumpkin website says the beer releases in January). Unfortunately we had to leave, but all week I was itching to give it a try, and went with some friends this past Friday night. We were just in time as it was the last bottle in stock. Jolly Pumpkin uses open fermentation with funky yeast strains, oak barrel aging, and bottle conditioning for all of their ales. I won't try to explain to you how all of that works--here is a link to their process if you are interested http://www.jollypumpkin.com/artisanales/brewing_process.htm--but the result is a series of funky, fruity, sour flavored beers that are very complex.
Okay, onto the Madrugada Obscura. It poured very dark and with a rich, chocolate tinted head. I have a hard time describing the "nose" of beers, and we were in a crowded bar but I seem to remember a fresh fruitiness to it. Initially the taste was quite sour, but as I drank it the malty stout character became more present. By the end the sourness was mostly what I was getting from it. I like Jolly Pumpkin's stuff, but I do find that the sourness, though not overpowering like a Flemish sour or a lambic, tends to dominate all of their beers. Sour is a flavor my palate hasn't quite adjusted to yet when found in beer. Also, the strong flavor tended to dominate everything else I drank that night, especially the white ale made by the Leelanau label of Jolly Pumpkin, which tasted like tart water after drinking the stout. All in all, I did quite enjoy the Madrugada and it was one of the more complex beers I've ever had if not one of my favorites. Trying to take into account we probably drank them in the wrong order, I still felt the white ale was lacking in the effervescence and depth of flavor that I love in a German wheat or even a Belgian double wit. The sourness seemed to overpower the style and had the opposite effect that it had on the stout--it made it seem one note and less complex. To finish off I had a nice schwarzbier from Port Brewing which had a decent amount of roastiness to and was a welcome break from the sourness of the Jolly Pumpkins. Oh yeah, I did eat dinner, too. The burger is solid, and the mussels and frites are good too. I prefer the food at a number of other brewpubs but Eulogy's beer list is tough to beat, as evidenced by my coworker calling several beer bars that "wished" they had the Madrugada.
A word about the bartender. I didn't catch his name, but he was excellent. He was equally comfortable discussing beer with a couple of beer geeks like my buddy and me as he was helping the patron who ordered "Something on tap that's like Stella but not Stella." He poured him a Duvel Green. Hey, everyone's beer journey starts somewhere, and I respect that the customer wanted to try something new. Another guy ordered a Jack and Diet. I wanted to tell him he was in the wrong bar.
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