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Recapping: Konstantinos Pitsillides' Kanella pop-up at Washington Square
Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer var so = new SWFObject("http://www.db798.com/pictobrowser.swf", "PictoBrowser", "500", "500", "8", "#FFFFFF"); so.addVariable("source", "sets"); so.addVariable("names", "Kanella Pop-Up at Washington Square"); so.addVariable("userName", "dlazor"); so.addVariable("userId", "16589864@N00"); so.addVariable("ids", "72157624486320101"); so.addVariable("titles", "off"); so.addVariable("displayNotes", "off"); so.addVariable("thumbAutoHide", "off"); so.addVariable("imageSize", "medium"); so.addVariable("vAlign", "mid"); so.addVariable("vertOffset", "0"); so.addVariable("colorHexVar", "FFFFFF"); so.addVariable("initialScale", "off"); so.addVariable("bgAlpha", "8"); so.write("PictoBrowser100901181437"); The second installment of Stephen Starr's Washington Square pop-up restaurant series, featuring Konstantinos Pitsillides of Kanella, wraps up this evening, meaning tonight's your last chance to check out the chef's Levantine-style menu. We popped by the pop-up last night (we didn't have reservations, but were easily accommodated at the outdoor bar - highly recommended) and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Starr and Pitsillides might seem like an odd pairing, but the mogul is something of a regular at Kanella - Starr says his youngest daughter will always pick the BYO (10th and Spruce) over any of his restaurants when given the option to choose a place for dinner. Pitsillides saw the three-night run as a challenge, as well as an opportunity to test out a slew of Eastern Mediterranean recipes he doesn't typically cook at his fiercely traditional Cypriot restaurant. Unlike the recent Talula's Table pop-up, which saw duchesse de fromage Aimee Olexy floating about the restaurant hob-nobbing with diners, Pitsillides stayed in the kitchen to oversee his team of SRO chefs, who cranked out plates at a quick pace for the no-frills, when-it-comes-it-comes dinner service. That really worked with this style of food, which was so hearty and shareable that it didn't really matter that entrées came before or after or during apps. What we had, in order (here's the full menu): - Keo, a Cypriot beer - Lahana, a salad of sautéed nettles, wild mushrooms and Vlahotiri cheese - Pan-roasted duck livers, Moroccan carrot salad - Grilled sardines (all bones in, eat 'em with your hands!) wrapped in vine leaves with pickled cauliflower - Grilled quail with chickpeas, figs and Spanish goat cheese - Spetzai-style red snapper, spring onion and tomato crust - Codfish cakes with purslane salad - Fresh figs with Greek yogurt, honey and walnuts - Lavender mousse with mixed berries Starr's next pop-up, scheduled for September, will feature Angelo Sosa, chef at Xie Xie in NYC and a current contestant on Top Chef D.C. Menu for Scott Schroeder’s Starr pop-up :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper Posted 2010-09-17 11:46:36
Recapping: Konstantinos Pitsillides' Kanella pop-up at Washington Square
- Keo, a Cypriot beer
- Lahana, a salad of sautéed nettles, wild mushrooms and Vlahotiri cheese
- Pan-roasted duck livers, Moroccan carrot salad
- Grilled sardines (all bones in, eat 'em with your hands!) wrapped in vine leaves with pickled cauliflower
- Grilled quail with chickpeas, figs and Spanish goat cheese
- Spetzai-style red snapper, spring onion and tomato crust
- Codfish cakes with purslane salad
- Fresh figs with Greek yogurt, honey and walnuts
- Lavender mousse with mixed berries
[...] third and final* chef to sign on for Stephen Starr-organized pop-up dinner, joining Aimee Olexy and Konstantinos Pitsillides. Scheduled for Tue., Sept. 28 and Wed., Sept. 29 from 6 to 9 p.m., the pop-up will take place at [...]
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Philly City Paper, Drew Lazor and Drew Lazor, mealticket. mealticket said: Check out photos from the @StarrRestaurant Kanella pop-up. Tonight's the final night! http://bit.ly/bnQ37I [...]
I love this idea as much as I love that space. I am stoked for Angelo's and am hoping for some testicle marshmallows.
I was there last night and had an awesome time. And Chef Pitsillides visited my table upon hearing from our server that myself and my companion are Armenian/Lebanese and Israeli, respectively. It was a nice treat. We dug into the... # Armenian Beef Salad with four kinds of onions (yes, I'm still tasting it today) # Codfish cakes with purslane salad # Grilled quail with chickpeas, figs and Spanish goat cheese # Braised Octopus, black eyed peas and charmoula # Fresh figs with Greek yogurt, honey and walnuts # Lavender mousse with mixed berries The quail and mousse were definitely my favorites. Plus the Arak was some of the smoothest I've ever had. Overall, a great night out.
kitchenplay, if you look on your bill you will see the arak was Ashkelon brand arak. Ask your Israeli friend about it--it is a very pedestrian brand in Israel, going for something like 10 NIS (less than $3 USD) per glass. This is not to take anything away from the meal or the cocktails; I attended as well and loved everything.
BarryG... hah, yes, my friend did have sticker shock for paying $9 for the glass of Arak that he was drinking just a few weeks ago for so much less in Israel. I just know that sometimes Arak kills my throat and this was so much more drinkable. I actually stuck to the Greek white wine, the name of which I'm forgetting. Glad you enjoyed your meal!
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