Monday, December 28, 2009
Butcher and Singer
An absolutely gorgeous building with stunning interiror decor is home to one of the best burgers in Philadelphia (perhaps even the best, but I have yet to try Village Whiskey). Still, it beats the Rouge burger (and so does its price - $9.95 - which includes a heaping pile of fries). There are 3 types of meats in the Butcher and Singer mouth-watering burger, and even though I was full after one half, I managed to pack the entire thing away because it was so delicious!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Osteria
Le pizza tradizionale margherita: tomato, basil, and mozzarella - The pizza at Osteria has been lauded for being the best pizza...ever. The flavor was delicious and the ingredients were fresh (especially the mozzarella). While I don't want to be the only one to criticize this pizza, I wish it didn't sag when you picked it up. I once heard that a really good slice of pizza is one that has a thin crust, but that doesn't droop when you pick it up. The pizza at Osteria will be 100% perfect after it attains that feat!
"Ciareghi" house made cotechino sausage with polenta and sunny-side up egg - Too salty, but the polenta was out of this world - it "calmed" the dish down and had a wonderful soft texture.
Candele with wild boar bolognese - While I normally don't like to order pasta at restaurants, I decided to do so at Osteria because Mark Vetri's pasta at his namesake is the best item on the menu. The candele was a bit too heavy for my liking, and I would have preferred a taste, as opposed to an entire bowl. It was heavy - and thus perfect for the cold winter night on which I was there - but too much for one person.
Chocolate flan with pistacchio gelato - I was not disappointed that this was not flan, because it was chocolate lava cake instead! The best chocolate lava cake I ever had was at a small french restaurant in the Upper East Side of Manhattan (L'Etats Units), but this may have topped that. The chocolate cake on the outside was soft and moist (not too well done like it sometimes is). The center was bursting with delicious, warm fudge that ran perfectly all over the plate and into the cold pistachio ice cream that created a perfect contrast.
"Ciareghi" house made cotechino sausage with polenta and sunny-side up egg - Too salty, but the polenta was out of this world - it "calmed" the dish down and had a wonderful soft texture.
Candele with wild boar bolognese - While I normally don't like to order pasta at restaurants, I decided to do so at Osteria because Mark Vetri's pasta at his namesake is the best item on the menu. The candele was a bit too heavy for my liking, and I would have preferred a taste, as opposed to an entire bowl. It was heavy - and thus perfect for the cold winter night on which I was there - but too much for one person.
Chocolate flan with pistacchio gelato - I was not disappointed that this was not flan, because it was chocolate lava cake instead! The best chocolate lava cake I ever had was at a small french restaurant in the Upper East Side of Manhattan (L'Etats Units), but this may have topped that. The chocolate cake on the outside was soft and moist (not too well done like it sometimes is). The center was bursting with delicious, warm fudge that ran perfectly all over the plate and into the cold pistachio ice cream that created a perfect contrast.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Oyster House
This restaurant really climbed to the top of my list because I had a fabulous, fun experience and loved the food, decor, and service.
Chincoteague (and one other type) Oysters - I recently started eating oysters, and these were wonderful. The waitress was really knowledgeable and described them quite accurately: tastes like the sea, not as salty as some others on the menu, medium to large in size. I didn't even want to use too much cocktail sauce because I enjoyed discovering these new flavors. Texture and consistency was lovely - slid right down!
Scallops - roasted brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, bacon pieces - I'll start with the one criticism: There were only 4 scallops, and they were tiny! However, this criticism easily turns into a compliment because I wanted more. Every bite on my plate was extremely flavorful and exceptionally prepared. The scallops neared a sweet, tangy, BBQ flavor (probably due to the bacon pieces I ate with them), but also had their own unique taste. The scallops themselves, although small in size, were perfectly cooked: soft and whole (not chewy or stringy). I wasn't expecting the side dishes to be as good as they were (I never do), but the sweet potatoes were incredibly - and naturally - sweet (with a little help from the delicious glazed sauce).
Chincoteague (and one other type) Oysters - I recently started eating oysters, and these were wonderful. The waitress was really knowledgeable and described them quite accurately: tastes like the sea, not as salty as some others on the menu, medium to large in size. I didn't even want to use too much cocktail sauce because I enjoyed discovering these new flavors. Texture and consistency was lovely - slid right down!
Scallops - roasted brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, bacon pieces - I'll start with the one criticism: There were only 4 scallops, and they were tiny! However, this criticism easily turns into a compliment because I wanted more. Every bite on my plate was extremely flavorful and exceptionally prepared. The scallops neared a sweet, tangy, BBQ flavor (probably due to the bacon pieces I ate with them), but also had their own unique taste. The scallops themselves, although small in size, were perfectly cooked: soft and whole (not chewy or stringy). I wasn't expecting the side dishes to be as good as they were (I never do), but the sweet potatoes were incredibly - and naturally - sweet (with a little help from the delicious glazed sauce).
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