Archive: April, 2010

Notes from the Weekend: April 12

POSTED: Monday, April 12, 2010, 6:50 PM

Filed Under: Notes from the Weekend

Notes from the Weekend is a new Monday feature that sees the members of Team Meal Ticket compiling all the food/drink highlights uncovered during prime eatin' time, Friday to Sunday. Consider this a place for good deals, great dishes, wicked cocktails, recipe triumphs (and tragedies), bizarro conversations and more. We're eager to share our notes, but especially excited to read yours. We encourage you to leave notes from YOUR weekend in the comments. Have at it!

FD: Felicia D'Ambrosio
MD: Marie DiFeliciantonio
AH: Alexandra Harcharek
DL: Drew Lazor

Scheduled one hour, but needed two (due to insane crowding of tourists), to complete an Reading Terminal Market mission on Friday afternoon. Scored the Italian pulled pork sandwich at DiNic's, stocked up on the local spicy mesclun mix from Fair Food Farmstand and sneakily loaded up on Mueller's chocolate-covered pretzels and ate them all while no one was looking. —FD Good out-of-town friend visited Friday night, necessitating money-we-ain't-got spending and egregious saturated-fat consumption. Stalked out rail seats at a jam-packed Village Whiskey (118 S. 20th St.) for chicken-fried steak and buttery sips of Van Winkle 12; then the equally jam-packed Snackbar (253 S. 20th St.) for pork rinds with Frank's Hot aioli (!), crackly-topped pork belly brulee and chicken cordon bleu American style (sub ham and gruyere for bacon and cheddar). Oof. Fatter now. Worth it. —DL Although we didn't ski during our trip to Aspen, we still partook in "aprÃ¨s ski" at AJAX Tavern at the foot of Aspen Mountain. We munched oysters, Gruyere fondue with chorizo and the "Best Burger in Aspen" — Milagro Ranch grass-fed beef, chopped romaine, onion aioli and American cheese. —MD Fact: Saturday errands all over town are better when Chick-Fil-A happens right in the middle of them. —FD Burritos from Mexico on the Square (1511 Pine St.) are the size of Starter Loggs, and way tastier. —DL Constructed an APO-esque "bottled cocktail" — the classic grapefruit-, bourbon- and honey-laced Brown Derby — to bring to Bela Shehu's tres fabulous birthday party on Saturday night, and noticed a curious thing. Though appetizing platters of tasty-looking bites were all over, no one ate a thing. Since my friends generally descend on free party food like a pack of wild dingoes, this seemed remarkable enough to mull over. —FD On Saturday night, a collection of Jersey foodies convened in Point Pleasant for a potluck/viewing of Food Inc., hosted by Jersey Bites. We nibbled at deviled eggs with white fish, asparagus with wasabi hollandaise and baked clam pie. We were, however, so thoroughly creeped out by the documentary that the entire party abandoned the screen in favor of mini cannoli and Flying Fish Exit 16. —AH The bar side of Time (1315 Sansom St.) gets insanely busy on weekend nights. Fun to watch all those speedy, attentive bartenders, who blur by so fast in their all-black get-ups that you may think it's Ryu Hayabusa pouring you that Racer 5. —DL Picked up a small wedge of the Craig LaBan-approved Birchrun Hills Farm Red Cat cheese, a washed-rind version of their milder, raw cow's milk Fat Cat blend. From the bright orange rind to the creamy texture and pungent aroma, it's a winner all around. Catch it at Farm Food Farmstand or Di Bruno's while it lasts. —AH Mealed at the bar at James (824 S. Eighth St.) for the first time in awhile Saturday night. Handmade pasta alla chitarra with sloowwwwww-simmered, veal-ed up red gravy = insane. Twelve bucks gets you the perfect one-man portion. —DL Our Saturday morning adventure was captained by James Beard nominee Ryan Hardy of Montagna at The Little Nell. Hardy's whipped together rustic tomato soup, bruschetta with fava beans and parsley, arugula and artichoke salad, ravioli with lamb sausage and peas and mint ice cream made by hand with dry ice. —MD Bar (1309 Sansom St.) has decided to expand its already-sprawling menu, which currently features Cup Noodles and hot dogs — they now have pickled eggs that come in rocks glassses. Yelp Philly community manager Monica Silvestre was nice and bought us one. —DL Also in Aspen: Couldn't resist the omakase at Matsuhisa, and I have not stopped fantasizing about those seven courses since. My favorite dish was pan-seared sea bass with shaved truffles. in a bath of lemon-infused olive oil and truffle oil, topped with crispy shoestring potatoes. —MD Currently sporting a few ghastly burns on my hands after an attempt to recreate my favorite FARMiCiA (15 S. Third St.) salad, with my own twist: roasted beets with shaved fennel, spring greens, local feta from RTM's Downtown Cheese, organic dandelion greens, finished off with toasted sunflower seeds and lemon vinaigrette. The burns? Ovens are hot. —AH David Katz's foie gras "burger" is back at MÃ©mÃ© (2201 Spruce St.) — this time he's presenting a cured round of foie build-your-own style, with a cute lil' round roll, strips of pineapple and a bit of Benton's bacon. Also, you need to get to weekend brunch, where chef Corbin Evans is brewing authentic New Orleans-style iced coffee plus plenty more. —DL

uncklejason

Posted 2010-04-12 14:12:48

Sunday 5 course tasting at Fish was flawless. Unbelievable that perfection costs $28.

Drew Lazor

Posted 2010-04-12 14:22:55

uncklejason, seriously! Best deal around.

danya

Posted 2010-04-12 14:33:11

Felicia - it's a Rittenhouse-crowd thing, not eating in front of others. Or do those rail thin ladies eat at all? Not sure.

Paul Curci

Posted 2010-04-12 14:39:31

Is that EVERY Sunday at Fish? That place rocks!

Felicia D'Ambrosio

Posted 2010-04-12 14:58:23

Danya -- there were even teensy chocolate-filled cookies individually-screen printed with tiny anime pandas!  I did eat three of those while no one was looking.

Chrissy Chimi

Posted 2010-04-12 15:11:36

Ridiculously good quadruple layer mousse tart thing at the dessert place at 6th and Passyunk (sadly can't recall the name right now).

rory

Posted 2010-04-12 15:36:24

friday i don't even remember what i did for food. saturday met one friend who came up from DC only because he found megabus tix for $4.50 + he wanted nan zhou. Finally tried the hand shaven style with the pork soy sauce. Felt very happy and very full. 

That night, met another friend up from DC (both staying in the same hotel too. weird). Was going to introduce her and her new boyfriend to the village whiskey burger, but the wait was insane and they didn't bother to tell me they stopped seating the outside tables at 10 pm (boo! and they told me i'd get an outside table around 9:30. Double boo!!!). Fortunately, while waiting for VW, was getting properly boozed up @ the bar at noble. And then we said screw it and ate there...burger was awesome. Not as juicy as VW, but I love the beet and the bun more than VW. Also had the absolutely amazing gnocchi, the homemade chorizo, and a taste of the braised pork belly. Noble ftw.

Sunday barely ate anything before dinner after crazy saturday. Dinner? Some pop n fresh biscuits (so bad, yet so very, very good) and leftover collards and ribs from bebe's. conclusion: still slamming after 3 days in the fridge. Only disappointment was the lack of mac + cheese leftovers as well.

Molly Eichel

Posted 2010-04-12 16:08:02

I seemed to eat a lot of onion rings this weekend but the ones at Sidecar were clearly the best. The outside is so crispy, while the inside is so slimy. And that aioli is awesome, but the rings are even better when paired with the delicious tomato concoction that comes with their grits-in-bar-form (which are also good, but not as good as those tomatoes).

Amy Strauss

Posted 2010-04-12 16:08:12

Swung by Phoenixville's Farmers' Market bright-and-early  Saturday for their last day of their winter market. Sue Miller manned her Birchrun Hills' Farm table proud as the local community proudly mobbed her after her recent raved review. (Of course, I was one of 'em, grabbing some Red Cat + Birchrun Blue.) 

Another love I developed from this market visit was from the goat cheeses of Shellbark Hollow Farm of West Chester. The honey chevre spread is pure bliss, especially paired with apples and Asian pears.

Marc Steel

Posted 2010-04-12 16:13:40

Sunday was by far the day of eating... after fasting off a hang over for a few hours (not recommended) I picked up a slew of stuff at DiBruno Bros. cheese shop and made sandwiches for me and a friend. Scooped out long roll, oil, fresh mozzarella, prosciutto de parma, turkey breast, tomatoes, onions and balsamic. NOM. (served with an assortment of locavore favorite Herr's Chips)

At one point this weekend I tried the new Domino's pizza. I was checking out the website and before I knew it I had ordered a pizza and knew the name of the person making it. FTR, thin crust with ham and pineapple. My curiosity satisfied, I am so back on the Lazaro's wagon, for now and forever.

rascal b. schuylkillian

Posted 2010-04-12 16:36:44

Didn't do much eating out this weekend...but I did have some wicked roast pork and egg noodle soup for lunch on friday during Reading Terminal lunch time run.  Sang Kee has some terrific soup, especially if you don't mind people putting their hands on just about every element of your meal.  Despite the questionable sanitary standards there...they somehow turn what looks like a huge vat of bathwater into a huge savory bowl of soup with a heap of brined and roasted pork on top.  Perfect meal for a chilly day.

Enjoyed a few sazerac rye whiskeys on the rocks at home friday night, no major chowing.  Saturday night was kind of the same after a long day of fishing, house work and gardening.

Sunday, after another long day, got a case of sierra nevada summer ale because the distributor was 30 seconds from closing, and it was the first cold case of decent beer i found.  I am not much for sierra nevada or summer beers, but was pleasently surprised.  It went great with some grilled sweet potatoes, turkey burgers, radish/arugula salad and a smokey aioli i whipped up.

Drew Lazor

Posted 2010-04-12 17:07:48

@ Paul: Yes, the five-course tasting for $28 is every Sunday at fish. Only problem is getting a table! Gotta do it in advance by quite a bit...

@ Chrissy Chimi: Golosa! That place rules. It was in last week's NftW.

Lou Perseghin

Posted 2010-04-12 17:08:23

Great evening in the city Friday night with Mr. Drew Lazor. Great whiskey and trans fat crawl from Village Whiskey to Snackbar to The Franklin to Bar and finally to Time. Enough whiskey to pickle myself twice over, and more money than I would have liked to spend, but hey, I only get to Philly once in a blue moon right?

daytime drinker

Posted 2010-04-12 18:26:16

Felicia-I've known Bela for ten years and when its party time, its conversation, and drinks. Food always takes a back seat. Sounds like a swell time

Michelle C.

Posted 2010-04-12 21:54:35

Saturday: fat kid alert! Lunch @ Paesano's yielded a "mamma mia" special - turkey, sharp prov, arugula, tomatoes, hot & sweet peppers and garlic mayo. Ate half and guiltily ate the rest after my football game. Date night with my man started at Bistrot La Minette (tres fantastique!), followed by drinks at Chicks (FAB!), The Saloon and Southwark. Oh yeah, and cheesesteaks (wiz wit) at whatever random place that was least crowded on South.

Sunday: Self-loathing soufflÃ© which consisted of a salad, grilled chicken and a 6 mile run/walk. And, a Flyers win. Booya!

Carolyn

Posted 2010-04-13 09:06:17

Saturday we Philly Spring Cleaned Up and then treated ourselves to Cafe Estelle bacon at Green Aisle Grocery, and may or may not have eaten it all for breakfast. Ahem.

Hit up the Grid Philly party later in the afternoon, where Mugshots Coffeehouse was serving up yum vegan-tastic snacks, and Birchrun Hills Farm had a crazy-delicious cheese spread. Seriously, a giant heap of goat cheese on a platter. This is to say nothing of the Yards on tap -- I went with the Saison (two thumbs up) and the Brawler (one and a half).

Natalie D.

Posted 2010-04-13 11:35:06

Sunday bbq drink of choice: gin infused with lemon, honey, tea leaves and mint.  Add tonic water for a great sunny afternoon cocktail.

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 6:50 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Eat The Avenue Saturday, April 24

POSTED: Monday, April 12, 2010, 5:20 PM

Filed Under: Food Events

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On Sat., April 24 from noon-5 p.m., a $20 ticket buys you the unique opportunity to eat everything Passyunk Avenue has to offer. Flavors of the Avenue organizer the East Passyunk Avenue Business Improvement District hosted a press preview for their event last week, offering writers a taste of the storied South Philadelphia corridor that just earned good looks from the NY Times Travel section. Though the Avenue has been a destination for communion dresses, baskets of handmade ricotta and statues of the Virgin Mary for decades, the recent revitalization has accompanied an influx of new restaurants and bars. Modern fare from Fond, healthy, under-500-calorie options at FUEL and the old-meets-new stromboli and pizza of Stogie Joe's will be available next to Avenue stalwarts like Mamma Maria's, who is now offering la carte options as well as her signature multi-course extravaganza. Meal Ticket especially enjoyed Le VirtÃº's ethereal timballo (at twist on lasagne layered with crepes instead of pasta) and Izumi's bright sushi. The $20 tickets, available at visiteastpassyunk.com or 215-336-1455 before April 23 ($25 at the door) include samples from 20 restaurants, specialty cocktails, wine, beer and free live music. Crafty Balboa will host a craft market at the Singing Fountain; shoppers can peek at spring attire during the "Flavors of Fashion" show at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. outside the tent, which will be set up on Passyunk Ave. between Dickinson and Morris.

Posted by Felicia D'Ambrosio @ 5:20 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Flying Monkey stuff: Cupcake eating contest, cafe re-launch

POSTED: Monday, April 12, 2010, 5:02 PM

Filed Under: Contests | Food News | Openings

Photo | Drew Lazor

Just touched base with Rebecca Michaels of Flying Monkey, who had a couple tidbits to share about her spots in Reading Terminal and on Locust. On Wednesday, April 28, "at high noon," Flying Monkey in the RTM will host a cupcake-eating contest. There is room for eight contestants (some Wing Bowl vets have already signed up), and the challenge is to scarf as many of Michaels' full-size cupcakes in 3 minutes as you can. Requirements/instructions up on Flying Monkey's Web site. Contestants are encouraged to dream up tough-sounding (and ideally costumed) cupcake-centric personae. Right now the deadline to enter is April 14, but Michaels say she may extend that if there are still slots remaining. Flying Monkey Deuce, which opened at 1112 Locust last September, is currently closed for renovations. (UPDATE: They're just closed today — the cafÃ© will remain open through the buildout.) The building's landlord is working on a three-story addition to the space, and it's an expansion that'll give the small ground-floor cafÃ© a lot more elbow room. The new-look Deuce should be ready in June.

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 5:02 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Columbus Commons Wine & Spirits store closing for three months

POSTED: Monday, April 12, 2010, 3:44 PM

Filed Under: Booze | Closings

TheFlowerShowBlog

East South Phillians will be eternally aggravated to know that the PA Wine & Spirits store at 1940 Columbus Blvd. (next to Monster Pets and Bare Feet Shoes in Columbus Commons) closed on Sat., April 10 for renovations expected to take three months. Store employees advised Meal Ticket on Saturday afternoon that the location, a Premium Collection Store, would close at the end of the business day. The store is already missing from search results returned by the PLCB's store locator tool on its Web site. Alternate Wine & Spirits Stores in the vicinity, after the jump. Wine & Spirits Store # 5189, 2807 Front St., 215-925-1000 Wine & Spirits Store # 5157, 1237 S. 11th St., 215-952-1052 Wine & Spirits Store # 5155, Premium Collection Store; Society Hill Shopping Center, 326 S. Fifth St., 215-560-7064 Wine & Spirits Store # 5119, 724 South St., 215-560-6900 Wine & Spirits Store # 5134, 32 S. Second St., 215-560-7060

Posted by Felicia D'Ambrosio @ 3:44 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Saturday: Grid's one-year anniversary party at Yards

POSTED: Friday, April 9, 2010, 10:24 PM

Filed Under: Food Events

Philly-based urban sustainability mag Grid is celebrating a year in circulation tomorrow from 5 to 8 p.m. at Yards' new tasting room. In addition to brews, there'll be snackage from Mugshots, Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op and Birchrun Hills Farm, who make all that real good cheese. The party is free and open to the public.

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 10:24 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Jeppson's Malort cocktail challenge Victim Participant No. 1: Christian Gaal of Noble

POSTED: Friday, April 9, 2010, 9:38 PM

Filed Under: Booze

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Last week, we challenged Philly's best bartenders to come up with a tasty cocktail using Jeppson's MalÃ¶rt, a notoriously disgusting Chicago-based spirit. The first person to take us up on the challenge was Christian Gaal, the dapper Noble barkeep who Felicia D profiled back in July of '09. First things first: We made Gaal taste the MalÃ¶rt straight up. (His contribution to Flickr's "MalÃ¶rt face" pool can be seen above.) "It's rather bitter," he observed. That's kind of like if you were to describe a naked cannonball into the Bering Strait as "rather frigid." Nevertheless, Christian got to work right away on two MalÃ¶rt-based concoctions. The first, dubbed the Broad Street Bully, consisted of: 1 oz. MalÃ¶rt 1.5 oz. Jacquin's Rock & Rye .5 oz. Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy Peychaud's Aromatic Bitters First off, it should be noted that we brought the Rock & Rye, a Philly-conceived concoction, to Noble's bar at Gaal's request. He figured the cheap, gross and deathly-sweet liqueur, a combo of rye, oranges and piles of rock candy (read: sugar) would perform well slicing through the near-unbearable earwaxiness of MalÃ¶rt. The bitters, plus that small amount of Laird's (another local standby — what up, Scobeyville!) calmed both extremes for a real liquor drinker's drink served chilled and neat. MalÃ¶rt characterizes itself as a "two-fisted" drinking experience, and this all-booze recipe lived up to that descriptor quite well. Was the MalÃ¶rt "flavor" still a presence? Oh hell yes — on the finish, particularly. But the opening acts made this punch in the jaw a fun one to take standing. Gaal's second attempt at MalÃ¶rtifcation, named the Pain Center: An egg 1.5 oz. MalÃ¶rt 1 oz. Cointreau 1.5 oz. Bluecoat Gin Regan's Orange Bitters Bit of Gruet Brut Float of port Served in a tall glass with a straw, this drink (another working name: the "Spazerac") resembled a felonized doo wop-era milkshake due to the egg froth that Gaal rocked out so adroitly. It did not taste like a milkshake. The floral notes of Bluecoat — Gaal explained that the organic juniper berries Philadelphia Distilling uses give the gin its rare, subtle character — came through at the forefront with this drink, and the orange pith flavor of the triple sec and the Regan's in an unfolding role. Of Gaal's two experiments, the Broad Street Bully is the one we'd certainly order again. It became clear pretty early on in the MalÃ¶rt challenge that there are two modes of operation for this project: You can either embrace the liquor's extreme unpalatability and go the weird-but-tasty route, OR you can select additions and ingredients that temper those characteristics. It's been fascinating watching what Philly's bartenders have come up with so far. Next up in the MalÃ¶rt cocktail challenge: Colin Shearn and Al Sotack of The Franklin.

Pretty enough to eat: Noble’s Graceful Garden :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-04-13 10:05:59

[...] with tomatoes, cucumbers, basil and mint.”  Wicks was particularly excited for bartender Christian Gaal to incorporate the lemony herbs into his inventive [...]

Jeppson's Malort cocktail challenge Victims Participants Nos. 2-3: Colin Shearn and Al Sotack of The Franklin :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-04-16 17:14:12

[...] a notoriously disgusting Chicago-based spirit. The first person to take us up on the challenge was Christian Gaal of Noble. Now here are contributions from Colin Shearn and Al Sotack, barkeeps both at The Franklin Mortgage [...]

On Kraftwork’s menu :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-05-04 12:13:24

[...] from $10 to $17 to fill up, depending on the beer. A six-drink cocktail list has been developed by Christian Gaal of Noble, who’ll also be putting some time in behind the bar here; there’s also a tight [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 9:38 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Next week: Whole Foods tries to relieve a little tax stress

POSTED: Friday, April 9, 2010, 7:35 PM

Filed Under: Dealage

From this Sunday, April 11 to next Saturday, April 17, Whole Foods Markets in the Philly area will offer a slew of dealage to combat the anguish caused by the impending April 15 tax deadline. (Yep, we have yet to begin adding up all our restaurant receipts from 2009.) Peep game after the jump. - "W-2fers": Newman's Own Organic Pretzels, 2 for $4, and four-packs of Izze Sparkling Juice, 2 for $8. - Because Uncle Sam is taking all your cheese — Wisconsin cheddar for $3.99 a pound. - Because Uncle Sam is taking all your dough — buy one gen one free Haagen Daz Cookie Dough Ice Cream. - The "Whole Foods Market 1040 Deal" is a rotisserie chicken, 1.5 pounds of mashed potatoes and a pound of steamed veggies for $10.49. - The new Plymouth Meeting location, which serves beer and wine, will take 20 percent off cases of wine and sell 12-packs of PBR for $7.49. - All locations will be offering free coffee throughout the day on April 14.

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 7:35 PM Permalink | Post a comment

A new kind of tomato pie at Sweet Freedom Bakery

POSTED: Friday, April 9, 2010, 7:03 PM

Filed Under: Vegan | Vegetarian | Weird Regional Foods

Photo | Drew Lazor

Bakery-style tomato pie, the regional pizza style we discussed at length in our recent Meal Ticket supplement, is typically a vegan affair on its own, providing whoever's making it doesn't scatter a handful of grated parm over top. But now those who can't consume wheat gluten can enjoy the regional specialty, with the alterna-tomato pie at Sweet Freedom Bakery (1424 South St.). Co-owner Allison Lubert says that she wanted to come up with a savory offering for Sweet Freedom, which specializes in allergen-free desserts (no dairy, gluten, eggs, nuts, refined sugars, etc). After plenty of experimentation, she landed on a blend of brown rice, tapioca and arrowroot flours to serve as the base of SF's tomato pie, topped with a homemade organic tomato sauce that's chunkier than your average. Gluten-free crusts have a tendency to turn gummy, but they've succeeded in getting it to crisp up pretty nicely here. Would someone who's been grubbing on Iannelli's be duped by Sweet Freedom's rendition in a blindfolded taste test? Probably not, but it's certainly a solid option for those who avoid traditional pizza or tomato pie for whatever preferential or dietary reason. The slices, served at room temp just like they're supposed to be, come plain or topped with vegan Daiya cheese (don't have much experience with that stuff, but to us it just tastes like butter). Two bucks a pop.

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 7:03 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Get your late-night grub on at Darling's Diner

POSTED: Friday, April 9, 2010, 4:40 PM

Filed Under: Dirty Dishes

JeffCohn.blogspot.com

"Pie fashion" by Jeff Cohn for Darling's Diner

Unlike NYC where you have your choice of tamales delivered straight to the bar, Veselka's pierogies, pies and giant pancakes or even a multi-course fish fest at Blue Ribbon sushi at four in the a.m., your Philadelphia late-night dining options are beyond woefully limited. Pat's, Geno's and Jim's are all standing by with grease-dripped cheesesteaks, of course, and Center City Pretzel Co. hits the spot for a dollar or less. Sit-down affairs are limited to diners, but sadly the most famous of the 24-7s have been in decline for years (I don't even want to talk about the Melrose.) Darling's Diner in the Piazza at Schmidt's (1033 N. Second St.) noticed the doughnut hole and fired back with cheesecake, staying open Friday and Saturday nights until 6 a.m. In addition to ten varieties of their famous cheesecake ($5.95/slice), the full menu of sandwiches, salads, specials and "breakfast anytime" is available to late-night patrons. Those who really make a night of it might be interested to know the diner kicks off Saturday and Sunday brunch service at 8 a.m. Eyeball the full menu on Darling's Web site.

BarryG

Posted 2010-04-09 13:09:41

What is with this Piazza spots and the pictures of models smashing food all over themselves?  It's disgusting.

adam

Posted 2010-04-09 14:09:54

And I thought PYT's ads were bad....

MarketLady

Posted 2010-04-09 16:02:40

Go Darling's! If we could get the S. Philly Paesano's to close in tha AM on weekends, I'd be a happy lady. :-)

Posted by Felicia D'Ambrosio @ 4:40 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Le Viet in pictures; grand opening celebration April 11

POSTED: Thursday, April 8, 2010, 9:49 PM

Filed Under: Openings | Photos

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Le Viet (1019 S. 11th St.), the absolutely beautiful Vietnamese restaurant from Bruce Cao and family, has been open for a about a week, but they're fixing for a grand opening celebration (with some free spring rolls, and lion dancers!) this Sunday, April 11, at noon. Meal Ticket dropped in earlier this week for a bit of lunch. Cao, whose father, Sinh Cao, is Le Viet's head chef, says he wanted to bring a different kind of Vietnamese restaurant to the 11th Street, which is packed with eateries that put out good food but aren't so big on atmosphere. Well, this spot's got enough ambience for all of them, with its black leather chairs, polished wood and metal, a separate bar area (liquor license is coming) and an open kitchen cordoned off by a wall of spotless glass. Chef Cao's 50-dish menu, with prices topping out at around $18, skews traditional — roasted quail; pho dac biet; bun, or rice vermicelli, dishes; barbecue meat and rice platters. What separates the food here is occasional upscale presentation and honest-to-goodness family cooking. That hominess comes through in the house signature crab soup, thin rice noodles in a tomato-based broth with plenty of crab meat, garnished with shredded basil and lettuce. Cao explains that in Vietnam, it's traditionally something that your mom or grandmom would wake up really early in the morning to start. If it was good, the pot would be scraped by noon. The same goes here — get there early enough to order a bowl, because they only make one big pot a day. Another stunner was the Hen Xuc Banh Da, finely minced baby clams with onion, garlic, basil and other aromatics in a special sauce, served in a big sesame rice cracker bowl for a sort of Viet taco salad. After squeezing fresh lime over the seafood, you're meant to break off shards of the bowl and use them to scoop up the mixture. (Felicia D loved this one.) Le Viet is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Yeah

Posted 2010-04-12 15:14:36

I think 11th and Washington has enough Vietnamese restaurants already.  How about one near Rittenhouse?

Hell of an anniversary deal at Le Viet :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-10-11 12:34:21

[...] mark its first sixth months in business, the very pretty Le Viet (1019 S. 11th St.) is offering a $5 lunch deal throughout October. During the lunch hours of 11 [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 9:49 PM Permalink | Post a comment

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Bummer: Grub Street Philly shutting down
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Spike TV's "Bar Rescue" turns Swanky Bubbles into Sheer
Frozen Drinks Alert: Water ice cocktails at Noir
Afternoon Snacks: Rachael & Guy do improv, Bacon hot dogs, Seasonal cocktails both posh and... less-so
An edible guide to Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival
Now Serving: Jerry's Bar
Hell's Kitchen casting in Philly

About this blog

Founded in October 2008, Meal Ticket is a City Paper blog about food, drink and assorted other things that make you go mmm. We do recipes, interviews, restaurant news, commentary and much more. We don't do restaurant reviews here — those are handled in print, mostly by our critic (and Meal Ticket contributor) Adam Erace. Got a tip, question, thought or concern? Just want to say hello? Please shoot a note to caroline@citypaper.net.

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