purplesachi

went to jack's bistro this past saturday night and had a pretty good meal. the bone marrow and guinness braised meat with grits (for appetizers) were good and pretty filling (bone marrow was better than what i previously had in philly at barbuzzo).

main courses were sous vide duck salad and flat iron 138F, which were both excellent. the flat iron had this smoked plum tomato that brought the entire dish together (which was also served with grits).

too full for dessert, but for drinks they had the bakon vodka i've been looking for (around philly) which was mixed in what they called "hawaiian martini": bakon vodka, pineapple juice, tomato juice, jalapeno.

i've been experimenting with sous vide at home, so i asked how long they sous vide the duck and flat iron steak, but i was told it was a "trade secret". blah. i wasn't really wanting exact details, but i was curious to know if the beef was cooked for more than 48 hours. oh well.

if i'm ever back in baltimore, i suspect i'll head back to jack's bistro.

Close - you reserve dough. Don't know how far in advance that needs to happen.

i think you can reserve your dough the day you are going to go and eat it/ pick it up; in the past i've given them an approx time i'm coming in. BUT one important thing to know...after you reserve the dough, once you get there and tell them you are there (either for dine-in or take out), THAT'S when they make your pizza in the oven. so if you are picking it up for take out, you're still waiting a while for them to cook your pizza.

have been to Distrito (the newest Jose Garces joint) a couple of times now...it's kind of like a hot pink oyamel (literally). politburo and i happened to be there a few nights after Garces beat the blue-corn-and-mango-chutney king on iron chef, and he was serving a tuna toro ceviche that we were told he made on IC. meh - the toro wasn't nearly as luxurious as i was expecting.

the most outstanding things we tried on the menu have been filete de atun tacos (tuna, papaya, carrot, chayote, wasabi aoli, peanut) which come in a pair, and the esquites (sweet corn, queso fresco, chipotle, lime).

i'd skip the bone marrow, which was a complete waste of $7 (had to pick out the bone marrow with a fork, which was an awful utensil to serve it with, and hardly any marrow inside the bone), especially after just being at Ansill and totally loving the bone marrow dish there (already out of the bone, it was fried and the you spread it like butter over toasted bread )...

service was probably the worst part of our visits there. servers were always bringing out dishes that weren't ours, and when i asked multiple times about dishes that we were supposed to get, our server told us not to worry and that they would be coming out very soon. we never got the dishes, yet they were on our bill at the end of the night. though, i do have to mention that we were given free churros at the end of the night because of the service mishaps.

i still think i'd prefer to go to tinto...

yeah, apothecary is a great place to relax, though, i think i prefer the upstairs bar, on a slower night, when it's not super chaotic in there, and i can converse with the bartenders. i enjoyed the chocolatey rusteolo the times i've been. (i think they just started a happy hour during the week days; they are closed on mondays).

and the fact that it's across the street from capogiro is an extra bonus.

Adam Bernbach suggested I visit Apothecary when I was in Philly. If you know Adam, and you know his taste in music and cocktails, you'll know why he recommended it. The list is full of complex cocktails. I just happened to hit it on the night that the two guys who does similar things to Adam were not there. I tasted three different cocktails that hit the range from Dimetapp-flavored (Aviation) to slightly margarita-like but without the crappy rum (La Paloma) to a drink Papa Hemingway-style - citrusy and only slightly boozy tasting (La Floradita). They were also out of a ton of stuff to make their version of a Manhattan, a pisco sour, or gin ramos fizz. If you hit Apothecary it sounds like it is much better to hit it on a weekend when the two crazy bartenders are there. But even so, it was a nice place to relax after a long week.

---

[Apothecary Lounge Closed on October 2, 2010.]

I really like this one quite a bit. It is mild enough to appeal to vodka drinkers (an entryway gin, first Bluecoat then the hard stuff like 209 Mwahaahaa) but stands up on its own. A great addition! It is distributed by Capitol Beverage Group so your local wine shop can order it in.

agreed. since moving back to philly, politburo and i have bluecoat around the house permanently for our gin&tonics, and it's definitely mild enough to use in our gin concoctions we've been making from the food and wine 2008 cocktails book.

beer/bar: zeno's (college and allen streets)

korean food: seoul garden (locust lane)

indian food: india pavillion (calder way)

pizza: faccia luna (same chain as the one in alexandria, i believe; atherton street)

breakfast / brunch: the waffle shop (three locations: college ave; atherton street; Rt 26 ? i think..it's been a while...)

going to madison in a few weeks...does anyone have any updated suggestions on where to eat while i'm there?

i think i'm already slated to go to old fashioned...

thanks in advance!

I went into Amada with high expectations, given that its chef, Jose Garces, was a 2007 finalist for the Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic James Beard Award.

Eleven dishes later, and $240 poorer, I can say with confidence that Amada - at least on this night - wasn't even as good as the downtown Jaleo, and considering that it's a much smaller operation, that's saying something.

The highlights of the evening were the Sangria, a glass of Godello, the dip brought before the meal, and the dessert. In between came an armada of courses, ranging from decent (Albóndigas ($11), Amada's Empanada ($12) Chipirónes A La Plancha ($5)), to mediocre (Pulpo A La Gallega ($11), Boquerones ($12), Piquillos Rellenos ($12), to poor (Gambas al Ajillo ($9), Entrecote A La Plancha ($15)), to inedibly salty (Patatas Bravas ($4), Caldo Gallego ($7)).
. . .
Cheers,
Rocks.

i wholeheartedly agree about amada. politburo and i went this past saturday and the best thing i had that night might have been the dessert (banana torrijas). nothing was memorable, except the extremely saltiness of every dish we tried (boquerones, pulpo, patatas bravas, etc). the pato con datiles (duck confit flatbread) could have been any meat other than duck and it was extremely greasy. the hamachi special was seared too much, creating a rubbery, tough texture to the fish. and the dip brought before the meal was reminiscent of canned tuna and capers swimming in an excess of mayo and olive oil.

on top of the mediocre food, there was a very loud table at the front (next to the window) that almost started a fight with the table nearest to them (because they were asked to keep it down a bit). the waitress knew they were loud yet didn't do anything about it.

i'll give tinto a try, but i don't think i'll be heading back to amada any time soon. *sigh*

has anyone tried any of the recipes from daniel boulud's "braise" cookbook? i'm thinking about making 'spicy oxtails w/ pears and sweet potatoes' or 'ham hocks with lychees and bok choy' or 'lamb shanks w/ mint, prunes, and bourbon'

any hits? misses?

ah! i'm glad that someone started a post about this...i was considering trying this out just to see what the outcome would taste like. is anyone else trying it ? (though, i did consider scaling the proportions down)

i'm very partial to the rock candy ginger short ribs recipe i posted on here when i first joined. they are a little on the sweet side, but you can always adjust the amount of sugar you put in the dish. i've only received outstanding compliments everytime i make it.

It's been 15 years since you've had Pina's?!

man, i'm not that old, but 15 years ago i was in HS and sometimes walking home from the bus stop, i would stop in lee's hoagie house or pina's for after school treats! (unless i'm thinking of the wrong place...we're talking about the pina's that in the strip mall where graham's pub is, right?)

regardless, maybe tonight i'll bike over there and see what the deal is and report back.

For a little bit more fancy, seafood meal, you might want to try Blackfish. I actually just tried this restaurant this past Tuesday and it was good. The service was really great and it's also a BYO. This past Tuesday they had truffled hand-cut fries, which, imo, rivaled those at Poste (though, the ones at Blackfish were cut a bit thicker), which I thought were a steal at $6 for a side portion (which was really large). There are a few non-seafood items (which you can probably see on the online menu) as well. Also, if you didn't want to leave Conshochocken, this place is right on Fayette Street (which is one of the main roads in this town).

If you are in the cheesesteak mood, I have to agree with Hillvalley. These days, Chubby's beats Delessandro's hands down, and yes, if you're lucky, there are about 4 booths available if you can snag one. It's probably only a 15 minute drive from Conshohocken, depending on traffic of course.

I'll have to re-try Pina's. I haven't been there in like 15 years and from what I remember, it wasn't that great, but who knows - it's been a long time, and considering I live around the corner, I should probably check it out.

If I think of anything else in the area, I'll definitely post again before next Tuesday, because I'm always trying to find new places around this part of town!

Probably one of the better ethnic restaurants in the area, imo, is Golden Pyramid Restaurant. It's Egyptian / Middle Eastern, and might only be open for dinner (and maybe only open certain days of the week). You wouldn't think it so, because it's situated in a tiny tiny hole-in-the-wall building next to a gas station on Black Horse Pike in Mays Landing (probably only 15 min drive from Atlantic City), very close to the Hamilton Mall.

It's run by two Egyptian brothers (although, I believe when when I used to live down there, one of the brothers died and the restaurant shut down for several weeks? I could be wrong) and the food is excellent. Although the surrounding area doesn't necessarily evoke passion and romanticism, what I do like is that it was BYO. Even better, there is a Canal's liquor store right across the street (you don't have to cross Blackhorse Pike!) where you can pick up some wine. Plus, because it's quite small, it makes for a cozy interior.

If this place is still around, I would suggest checking it out, and maybe even calling first to make sure they are going to be open, and if they are still, indeed, a BYO.

Golden Pyramid

4176 Black Horse Pike

Mays Landing, NJ

(609) 569-9996

this may be a silly question (or maybe one that was answered elsewhere but i haven't had the time to look... ), but if i am brining the turkey, how much faster will it cook than if i hadn't brined the turkey? i'm cooking an 18 lb turkey (using saveur's cider/apple scented recipe from the november issue - the recipe is for a 10-12 lb turkey) and i'm trying to figure out when i should put it in the oven for it to be ready to eat at 5pm. i was thinking if i put it in at noon, then it should be done by 4, which gives me time to rest it and carve it. am i way off here? any tips appreciated.

We tried out a new recipe a few weeks ago on some neighborhood good friends. It came from the slow mediterranean cookbook (either that or All About BRaising, I can't remember) --

Braised sausages with plums

Throw in some polenta, a frisee salad and apple pie for dessert and nothing could have been easier to host good friends very easily and thus allowing us to enjoy their company instead of slogging away in the kitchen.

this was probably from all about braising, because i've been wanting to make that recipe but just never got around to doing so. i'm glad this turned out great (i'm assuming because no negative comments)...i'll have to remember to pull this recipe out in the near future.

interesting thread. i've had cow brains in seville, spain about 8 years ago. i can't remember how they were prepared, but i do remember they were soft and squishy. i had to try it just once.

when i was younger, i used to devour balut (which scott has referenced here) before i realized what i was eating. when i finally recognized a beak , i put it down and never looked back.

i guess this isn't that unusual (or maybe it is?), but there is a filipino dish, dinaguan, which the sauce is made from pig's blood and vinegar (plus add in pig's ears, and other pork products for the meatier substance). upon first glance, unsuspecting non-filipinos are told it's "chocolate stew" because of it's dark color and find the taste quite appealing. but if you tell them first what it's made of, most people cringe at the thought.

before i vote, what time would this dinner be? probably 7 or 8pm?

i just saw this today.

My plus one and I went and man, were we disappointed. There were few vendors even USING mushrooms, and they were all pedestrian; fried mushrooms, portobello burgers. You get the drift. Was the pit beef crusted with dried mushrooms and spices before grilling? No. Are there any mushrooms in your quesadillas? No. Can I go into the American Legion hall and pay for a cup of mushroom soup without a $2.00 wristband? No. Maybe we weren't cueing in on the right things, but I wasn't impressed.

i actually wasn't that impressed either, this year, though, i paid the $2 which i didn't think was that big of a deal to cough up when you arrived at the info tent. i went to the american legion to get the soup and it was just ok (i could have, and did, make better soup) - plus, in the sweltering heat (ok, it wasn't that bad for most people, but for me it was very hot) soup probably wasn't the most ideal thing to eat to cool me down, though, it did give me an oasis out of the sun.

i did see cream of mushroom ice cream and pumpkin/mushroom ice cream, but my grouchy self didn't feel like waiting in line with all rest of the jerks needing something cool.

i walked into the demo tent, just in time to hear ilan (from top chef) gloat about how he took a semester off to travel and learn to cook, blah blah blah. i couldn't really be bothered and left after a few minutes. it was crowded in there, and the sound system / speakers were pretty bad that even sitting in the middle of the tent it was hard to hear.

i honestly think the best thing about the festival, besides eating the kettle corn (at exorbitant prices, though) is buying the mushrooms: portabello, shitake, oyster. politburo and i walked out of there with like 8 large boxes of mushrooms. we could hardly jockey for front of the bus seats with our boxes (shuttle to get back to parking lot), but once we did so, almost everyone getting on was looking at us like we were crazy for buying so many mushrooms. meanwhile, all we could say to ourselves was how crazy all those people were for NOT buying any mushrooms.

i think i'm heading over to beck's for some beers while politburo is out of town. if anyone is interested, say hi (i'll probably be sitting at the bar solo, reading bill buford's heat).

politburo and i would be interested, of course, depending on if we are still in town (we're moving to philly at the end of october!)

Vit Goel Lighthouse Tofu, Annandale, Tuesday September 18th, 7pm

catharine (coordinator)

Scott Johnston

cucas87

grover +1

goldenticket

Ilaine +1

please count politburo and i in for vit goel lighthouse on sept 18. thanks.

like everyone else, i had a fantastic time learning about making chocolates. i might have to give up my normal salty treats to finish all the chocolate i brought home! it was also really great to meet other dr members!

jason - thanks for passing along all of your knowledge!

cucas87 - thanks for putting this together!

i know that this festival is still about a month away, but my schedule is getting jammed up and i almost forgot to make sure that i penciled it in my calendar, and since other people's schedules might be filling up, i thought i'd mention this now...

sept 8-9, 2007 is the annual mushroom festival held in the mushroom capital of the world, kennett square, pa (near longwood gardens, i think).

politburo and i usually go just to walk around and listen to speakers, learn about mushroom cultivation, people watch, and eat mushroom dishes from some of the food stands. there are usually mushroom farm tours (though, this year i think there is a small fee for some of the events), and i believe this year some top chef folks (and other chefs) are slated for a cooking demo (ilan, miguel).

but the real reason we end up going is because we are able to get a box of large portabello mushrooms (maybe 15-20 in each box) for a mere $15! there are other mushrooms to be bought there as well that are grown in the surrounding mushroom farms.

i'm not associated in anyway to the mushroom festival, but i thought i would share this with anyone who was interested in mushrooms.