Archive for March, 2009

JOE PESCE

Monday, March 30th, 2009

joe pesce setting
Armed with two $20 gift certificates courtesy of Messy's gym (they have a delicious referral program!), we headed up the street to Joe Pesce, wondering what two non-fish eaters would find on the menu. We must begin this review with a major disclaimer: we don't like fish. We only went to this fish restaurant because we had the coupons. Joe Pesce may very well have the absolute best fish in the universe, but we couldn't tell you. We can only write this review from the perspective of non-fish eaters. So please take it with a huge grain of sea salt.

joe pesce interior
Our friendly host immediately seated us in an almost empty dining room where we were greeted by some freakishly long silverware. Pesce's dining room decor is all over the place: large stone slab fragment frescoes, mixed texture seating, wooden slat screens and opaque blue water glasses which servers couldn't possibly be able to see through and tell whether or not a diner needs a refill. Our server passed our table over at least eight times through the course of our dinner leaving Picky quite annoyed (he drinks a lot of water).

joe pesce messy menu
Pesce is on the higher end of mid-range restaurants with entrees topping out just under $29, with some market price items and daily specials sure to push the ceiling up a bit more. Picky was intrigued at the "market price" listing of lamb chops – he'd never seen that before.

joe pesce mozz and tomato salad
Messy's large mozzarella and tomato stack ($10) was a nice and generous portion. From the menu:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Fresh Basil Drizzle & Balsamic Reduction

It was generous, and the pesto dressing was tasty, but the tomatoes and mozzarella just weren't that great. Granted, tomatoes are not in season, and that could account for some of their mealiness, but you can great mouth-watering mozzarella at Claudio's year-round, so there is really no excuse for the overall blandness of this appetizer.

joe pesce pasta with sausage
Picky's sausage and broccoli rabe ($18) plate was a nice enough portion served in a gracefully bending rectangular dish. From the menu:

Sweet Sausage & Broccoli Rabe Sautéed in Olive Oil & Garlic tossed with Cavatelli Pasta

The dish was dusted with Parmesan with no extra in sight. Unfortunately, the flavor didn't match the size of the dish. The sausage tasted more like simple breakfast links and the whole dish was underwhelming and dry. The dryness of the dish was only compounded by the servers repeatedly walking past our table without refilling our water glasses. Picky didn't bother asking for extra Parm.

While there were a good amount of non-fish options for Picky to choose from, there were no vegetarian options listed further than the salad section of the menu. Yes, we realize we went to a restaurant specializing in fish dishes, but we've gone to similar eateries and come away with wonderful experiences; see, for example: Kisso and Morimoto.

joe pesce tiramisu and lava cake
We finished off our meal with a splurge of two desserts to share. On the left is a chocolate lava cake and at right, a tiramisu. If these two items are on a dessert list, it's a safe bet to say we're going to get them. These were pretty yummy — nothing to write home about, but not disappointing, either.

We're obviously not Joe Pesce's target demographic. But we gave the eatery a shot and they didn't seem to want our palate there. Such is life.

Messy *1/2
Picky * 1/2

The final word: You'll probably want to order the fish.

Joe Pesce Restaurant
1113 Walnut St
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 829-4400
Mon – Thur 4pm-10pm
Fri Sat: 4pm-11pm
Sun: 3pm-9pm

Posted in American, Center City East, Wash West | 4 Comments »

SCRAPPLEFEST 2009

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

ScrappleFest
This past Saturday was ScrappleFest 2009 at Reading Terminal Market. I was working from 11a – 7p (at Fair Food Farmstand) and it was absolutely bonkers all day. If you don't know what scrapple is, here's a primer: wiki Scrapple. In my nearly 6 years in Philly, I had never had scrapple. It intrigued me quite a bit, but I just never got around to it. I was determined to have my first bite(s) of scrapple at ScrappleFest. ScrappleFest had the market's merchants sampling up their scrapple and a final judging of prepared dishes. Above is a shot of RTM GM Paul Steinke guiding the möbius strip of onlookers who were standing around the center court through the dishes.

But before I get to the whole shindig, I gotta backtrack a day to Friday night, which was the 6th Philly Foodblogger Potluck at Mark and Audrey's house (formerly Leah's). Messy and I were sitting and eating some cheese Marisa brought along when we started talking about scrapple. I forget how it came up, but it did. And Karina states how she had just made scrapple from scratch after never having had it ever. Crazy, I know.

I pulled my Blackberry Curve out of my pocket and fired up the browser to her blog and sure enough, there it was, a play by play of how she and a friend made themselves some freshly made scrapple: snout, trotters shoulders and all! Amazing. I would later run into Karina at ScrappleFest for a second as we were both running around the mob. Peep her take on ScrappleFest here. Back to the day of ScrappleFest…

I took my lunchbreak to go around and take photos of the action – flickr set up here. Not only were the vendors handing out samples of scrapple, they had other paraphernalia. Deitz & Watson had a scale model of a 1954 Chevy refrigerated deliver truck made of scrapple. Leah Mackin (different Leah) was selling her scrappleware – scrapple themed t-shirts, magnets, buttons and books! Godshall's brought out a double-layer scrapple sheetcake cheering on the hometown Phils.

ScrappleFest
So I made my way around the center court gaggle. I ran into the Inky's Rick Nichols to whom I confessed my scrappleless palate. He admonished me right in front of my friend Vince – the nerve! I kid, I kid. It's somewhat shameful that I had never chomped down a piece of homeslice before. I circled the displays and, for no particular reason, picked Deitz & Watson's sample to be my first ever taste of scrapple. Please notice that after only a few seconds of sitting on the napkin, about a centimeter of oil had already been osmosed from the scrapple slice. I took a nibble. I took a bite. I gobbled the whole damn thing up. I liked it. I'm not sure I'd order it at a restaurant, but I wouldn't turn down scrapple in the future.

But it wasn't all fun and games. There was judging to be done and a winner to be announced! I had to run back to work, but I'll quote from CityPaper's food editor Drew Lazor's ScrappleFest post:

I joined Rx chef/owner Greg Salisbury, Where publisher Laura Burkhardt and chef/author Aliza Green (who lent her expertise to the recent Main Line Foodapalooza) as a judge in the recipe contest, which featured RTM vendors' scrapple renditions. Some interesting stuff on hand, from two versions of scrapple lasagna to turkey scrapple meatloaf. In the end, though, Mediterranean counter Mezze took top honors for an addictive scrapple and scrambled egg stromboli. In second was the Fair Food Farmstand, which served its popular vegan Vrapple with pan-roasted pumpkin, apples and mascarpone grits. Third place went to Carmen's Famous Italian Hoagies, who threw hunks of scrapple onto a cheesesteak and called it an amazing day. (You can actually order this at Carmen's if you ask nice.)

Drew also posted some photos, but mine are better ;)

ScrappleFest vrapple
That's right folks, Farmstand co-manager Sarah Cain's vegan Vrapple beat out 7 true pork scrapple dishes for second prize. I'll just amend Drew's description from above to add that the pumpkin was maple-glazed (and DELICIOUS). Apparently the voting was close too. I can only imagine the anger at the market had an impostor taken home top billing. Above is a shot of the beautifully plated Vrapple dish prepared by Chef John Blanchet who spends his days and nights toiling away all over town at private events and behind the kitchen doors at Fork Restaurant. He also finds time to spend a few hours each Saturday afternoon volunteering at the Farmstand. I've learned tons of stuff from him in the few months I've known him.

Check out another account of ScrappleFest from another Farmstand volunteer, and friend, Nicole at Farm to Philly. She's featured in this month's grid Philly magazine!

And once again, a link to a photoset of ScrappleFest on flickr.

Posted in American, Events, Reading Terminal Market | 8 Comments »

DU JOUR SYMPHONY HOUSE

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

* * * DU JOUR IS NOW CLOSED * * *

du jour market
The good people at Gloss PR invited us out to a media tasting dinner at the new-ish eatery inside the big ugly pink building (a.k.a. Symphony House) that blocks the view of the lovely Drake building from our apartment, du jour. A transplant from the 'burbs (Haverford) since September of last year, they already have plans to open a second Center City spot at Commerce Square this spring.

du jour market
The interior feels sort of like a Cosi or other Starbucks-esque lunch chain. Minimalist modern with lots of reflective surfaces and hard lines. We were lucky enough to taste a special six course, eight dish (meaty) tasting menu (sorry, no photos of the food). Dinner is a new thing for du jour, which is normally a lunch/catering spot. This dinner was set up to help spread the word of their evening offerings. We sat down with GlossPR's Sheila Sheridan and talked the night away while Corie Moskow was busily buzzing around saying a few words to everyone there. Sheila was a delight to talk to and we even pointed her to a few new-to-her spots in town including a favorite of ours: Franklin Fountain.

First up was a small cream crock which was filled with roasted butternut squash soup with apple fennel slaw. Picky found the tiny serving size annoying compounded by the slivers of apple fennel slaw getting in the way. Messy, who is actually picky when it comes to squash dishes, absolutely loved this soup and found the tangy apple slaw to be a perfect accompaniment. The soup was nicely nutty-sweet and not too thick.

The second course had Picky's favorite for the night: seared ahi tuna tacos with guacamole, radish and salsa verde. Small, thick, 3" tortillas were decorated with all of the above. A perfect appetizer to leave you wanting more. Unfortunately, the Jamaican jerk wings with rum pineapple glaze, mango salsa and avocado dipping sauce had nothing to do with any Jamaican jerk seasoning Picky has ever had. It wasn't spicy at all – perhaps a nod to suburban tastes. If anything, it was too sweet with the glaze and mango salsa accompaniment. A simple skinless fried chicken would've done better.

Third course was a pair of flatbread pizzas — one mushroom goat cheese and one Greek chicken. Messy happily gobbled up more than her fair share of the tasty snacks. Picky, on the other hand, doesn't understand the flatbread craze, and found these pizzas to be nothing to write home about. But his very picky New York born-and-bred pizza standards are probably to blame.

Course number four was wasabi crusted salmon with coconut jasmine rice and wok seared veggies. In general, we just don't eat fish. Picky will have the occasional spicy tuna roll, but for the most part, nadda. Picky picked at the salmon which seemed to taste a little thick. Messy tore into the jasmine rice which she found particularly delicious — it could probably stand as a dish on its own. Picky agreed that the rice was a shining spot of the meal. It was juicy without being soggy with a nice balance of veggies mixed into the fray.

The big meat dish was a roasted pork tenderloin with herb cruzted spaetzle, swiss chard and a spiced apple jam. Picky found the tenderloin overcooked and chewy. It sat, unappealingly, at the bottom of a steep bowl with overcooked chard. We both found this dish to be a little strange underwhelming. Finally, the meal was finished with two small scoops of Capogiro gelato and sorbetto, a favorite of ours.

du jour market
du jour's location on the south end of Avenue of the Arts puts it in touch with thousands of diners each week looking for good eats close by. While people coming into town from the 'burbs may flock to it seeing a familiar eatery, urban passers-by might steer clear for the same reasons. Not to say this spot doesn't have potential, though. The Symphony House location was due to close ties to real estate magnate Carl Dranoff who is a regular at the original Haverford location (which opened its doors in 2000). He brought du jour to the city. Whether or not du jour makes any changes behind the counter to cater to a different palate will be seen in the months to come; perhaps at Commerce Square?

du jour market
At the very least, du jour offers up plenty of eye candy. The dishes should be pretty consistent as well given their catering background. We did get the vibe that it's primarily a lunch spot, though, and some of the sandwich options behind the deli counter looked like they were well worth a try.

du jour Symphony House
440 S Broad St
Philadelphia, PA 19146
(215) 735-8010
Mon – Fri: 7am – 9pm
Sat: 8am – 9pm
Sun: 9am – 9pm

Posted in American, Avenue of the Arts, Events | 1 Comment »

OSTERIA

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

osteria exterior
Thanks to a longtime friend of Picky's who lives out in Sacramento, CA, we had a lovely Christmastime dinner (yep, we're late) at the well-received Marc Vetri North Broad joint, Osteria. We made some last-minute reservations for a same-day late night dinner around 9 p.m. and snagged a table for two. We highly suggest calling more than an hour ahead of time for a table at this busy eatery.

We were greeted at the host stand and immediately led to our table on the south side of the floor. As we walked through the space, we felt the warm details of the establishment come through. Warm red wood everywhere. A nice level of noise to let you know you're somewhere people want to be, but it never rose to an annoying din. We were comfortably dressed, but just like 95% of Philly's restaurants, this place was pretension-free and anybody would be fine in jeans. We settled at our table which was a few tables over from the cheese prep station in the middle of the main seating area.

osteria bread
Our greeter was still crisply dressed towards the end of the night and was quite helpful in navigating the delicious menu. He refilled our quickly emptied bread tray and patiently told us what each slice of bread was — the slightly buttery foccacia was the best!

osteria bread and oil
Here you can see Messy reaching for one of Osteria's old-timey olive oil tins which you can, if you feel so inclined, purchase from Osteria here for $16. You can complete the pre-dinner bread experience with a bread basket as well. You're gonna have to click through for the jaw dropping price.

osteria appetizer
We picked out the baked asiago and fontina cheese with accoutrement. What was in the accoutrement? Some sprouts, jams and sour cream. It was a deliciously oily, if small, starter which had us literally licking our fingers in anticipation for our main courses.

osteria ravioli
Messy's "doppio ravioli" double ravioli ($16) was perfect. Each delicate piece simply dissolved on the tongue. The ravioli was listed in the primi section of the five part menu so it was a small portion that left her wanting more. Warning to vegetarians: Osteria is not a place for you. Messy enjoyed the experience and vibe of the restaurant, but there wasn't really much on the menu that could create a fully-satisfying meal out for a non-meateater. There were some vegetarian pizza options, but with the mouth-watering array of meats, Picky was not about to settle for a vegetable-based pizza.

osteria pork chops and sausage
For the carnivores, however, Osteria is pretty close to heaven. Picky's "casoelua" braised pork ribs and black pepper sausage with cabbage ($24) was divine and quite the portion too — a secondi portion with the flavors to go with it. The pork ribs gladly slid off the bone to be mixed with a string of flavorful stewed cabbage. The slices of sausage were juicy almost to a fault, but in a good way. Picky was stunned silent by the dish.

osteria dinners
Picky's bowl of pork looming large over Messy's delicate ravioli.

When ordering at Osteria, please take into account that the portions are doled out with the expectation that the patron will be having a solid four or five course meal. Plates from the primi section won't be enough for a hungry diner on a budget. Pizzas are made to be ordered aplenty and shared with friends. Osteria's menu changes seasonally as they rely on some wonderful local sources for veggies, fresh dairy and eggs and pork.

osteria tea and coffee
After our delicious meal, we opted for some coffee and tea. Messy was game for dessert, but Picky is a dessert traditionalist and didn't feel adventurous enough for Osteria's exotic conconctions. Coffee was by Moka d'Oro. The ($2) tea was unfortunately your average bagged Twinnings. But it should be noted that Picky got a full pot of hot water with which to steep his tea. Taking our time before heading into the December cold, Picky helped himself to two large cups and soaked in a bit more warmth from the space. Osteria was a nice way to cap off a delicious meal and fill our bellies with some warmth before heading out into the cold once again.

Messy ***
Picky ****

Messy's note: Clearly, this is a really great restaurant — maybe one of the best in Philadelphia. I want to give it some props, but as a vegetarian, it sadly left me wanting. I'll have to return with someone who wants to share a pizza.

The final word: A meat-eater's paradise.

Osteria
640 North Broad Street
(215) 763-0920
Dinner:
Sun – Wed: 5pm – 10pm
Thur – Sat: 5pm – 11pm
Lunch:
Thur – Fri: 11:30am – 2pm

Posted in Center City North, Italian | 9 Comments »