Sushi and Other Snacks c/o Doma

L. and I spent the majority of Saturday toiling away at a few large packing tasks. Basically my entire closet and dresser. It was incredibly valuable and important for L. to be there, as she actually enjoys a little organizing, whereas I probably would have thrown my hands in the air and been far more slapdash about it. Also, she was absolutely appalled by the amount of socks I possessed and implored that I get rid of at least some of the most worn out of my sock brood, which I did only reluctantly. It was not literally a Herculean task, but it was figuratively. The thing about L. is that even though it wasn't fun, the packing, having her help me and be by my side made it go by far more quickly and I wouldn't have gotten nearly as much accomplished without her support. So big ups to L. for being some a kind, patient and firm friend, willing to treat me like the stubborn child I can sometimes be. [caveat/spoiler alert: right now I am sitting in a hotel room on the Oregon coast and I just saw something that may or may not have been a corcormarant and then also a pelican...also ducks here look different, some look like they really could be itty bitty flying penguins, and that makes me happy]. So, to celebrate our productive day, to Doma we went for dinner. I decided that instead of having just one piece of the ankimo - monkfish paté - I'd have their appetizer version of it, which came with a smattering of wasabi tobikko and rested in a ponzu sauce. Delectable as always.

L. had a sashimi starter I believe, which consisted of crab, salmon and shrimp.

I had long been fascinated by their tuna/jalepeno tempura appetizer and decided that I wouldn't depart from Philly without giving it a go. Quite generous in tuna portions and presented wonderfully, I was glad to have tried it.

L. tried the gyoza and had an unpictured udon soup to round out her meal.

I went with a few extra pieces of sushi for my additional course: salmon, ikura, toro, and a yellowtail and scallion roll.

This weekend was a weekend of incredibly cold tempuratures and additional snow, but that didn't phase us on the whole. Though my hands did seem to get dryer and dryer by the second. After dinner we didn't do anything crazy, just went back to the apartment and watched the newest Star Trek movie, which we both enjoyed...but it probably would have been good to at least slightly check in on what the ending of the last movie had been, as there were a few plot points that we didn't really follow. Another lovely meal with one of my favorite people, and another step closer to my actually leaving Philly!

Tuna and Mac Dinner of Champions, With Appearances by Salad and Lasagna

I got a bit excited about the opportunity to cook a big meal for everybody one night. Others contributed far more in the food department, but nonetheless I was happy to do a little too. Dad and I got excited about the possibility of tuna, and while not all of the Midwesterners among us were as excited, there were certainly a number of takers. Cuz K.'s fiance A. did most of the actual grilling. I just stood by and looked.

Uncle E. stayed out of it entirely.

I also made a spinach and tomato sauce lasagna, which I think turned out pretty well.

I've begun to add a top layer of panko to my mac n' cheese for an extra little crunch.

Tuna. Tuna. Tuna. We did some rather rare while other were far more cooked.

I also chopped up a not insignificant amount of tomatoes, red onion, corn and cucumber for a salad.

Final result? Pretty tasty plate.

Beautiful sunsets were also had.

Five Courses c/o Fond

T. contacted me soon after I posted my list of New Year's Restaurant Resolutions and gave me an idea of a few she was interested in checking out. From there I went with Fond. When the original date rolled around I think we both had kind of forgotten about it. So we rescheduled and refocused, and this time we actually followed through. I took the Broad Street Line subway down to South Philly and then made my way to East Passyunk. I was a little early so I walked in large loops until closer to the time of our reservation. It was a very nice evening. South Philly is weird to me. Not bad, just different I guess. Somehow the houses feel even closer together. And do any of them have any green space? In any case, I arrived first at Fond. The main server was sort of just standing at the door, looking up and down the street. The space inside is kind of small, so I wondered if this was his routine for being kind of 'out of the way' while his tables are eating. In other words, he stands by the door to avoid the appearance of hovering? But the flip side of that is that when you're walking into the restaurant you're immediately noticed. Once T. arrived there were some decisions to make. I had taken a look at the menu and saw a few different things I'd like to try, but the five course tasting menu seemed like a pretty good deal. We asked our server what was included in the meal, which he was happy to tell us more about, and at the end of his recitation we decided that it was a great way to go. The first course was a small shot glass of butternut squash soup. The soup itself was nice and rich, but frankly I'm never as blown away by butternut squash soup as others, and the shot glass presentation, while a nice serving size considering the other dishes, wasn't particularly original or inventive.
Next up was a tuna crudo. Or I believe it was tuna. Nice presentation. Delicately cut slices of fish. A nice little sauce and smattering of watercress. I didn't totally dig the seeds.
Next up was the special pate of the day. This was quite a generous portion, as we each got our own slab. I very much liked it and gobbled up a majority of it on crispy chewy pieces of toasted bread with a daub of the accompanying mustard. I did manage to save just a little, which they were happy to wrap up for me (it became part of a rather eclectic lunch the next day).
We then tried - a fish. I think it might have been skate? I'm hoping that T. can help me out. It was in a five spice foam broth, which reminded me more of old bay seasoning than anything else (this also was the overall taste I got from Morimoto's similarly described spice concoction). I remember thinking the fish was nicely cooked.
Then there was the palate cleansing rasberry cardamom sorbet. A delightful little treat. The cardomom was especially surprising. I also lusted after their spoons a little.
Next up was the Berkshire Pork Belly with Okinawan sweet potatoes, escarole and dijon jus. The pork belly itself was quite rich and fatty. I'm not as accustomed to its having one side with a definite crunch - the top layer was quite solid. I actually peeled it off and ate it separately from the lower, softer and fatty levels of the meat, and I'm not sure how I could have managed it better. While it was a different protein and restaurant, the pork dish reminded me slightly of the meal I had at Noble a few years back. The meat itself was good, but the accompanying elements of the dish (sharing the Okinawan sweet potato as an ingredient) didn't really make it pop for me.
And finally dessert two ways. Tangerine cheesecake and warm chocolate brownie. I was a much bigger fan of the chocolate brownie with coconut chai sorbet than of the cheesecake. I can't recall if T. felt the same or the opposite.
I'm a little confused about my overall feelings for the spot. I liked the atmosphere of the place (it's very, very small) and attitude of the staff was quite friendly. It was a Wednesday or Thursday, so we were one of only about four or five tables, and I do wonder if I would have been as happy with the atmosphere if the place had been packed. It was clear that the menu had a passionate chef behind it, but I'm not sure that I was as blown away by the entirety of the meal as I might have hoped. The pate and the fish courses were my particular favorites.

Dinner c/o Sampan

The Saturday after our wondrous Modo Mio meal was spent largely in prone positions. I went out in the morning and bought a few breakfast goods (and about $30 worth of juice because I was sooooo thirsty) and returned home to start frying up bacon. After we enjoyed our bacon, eggs and Three Peckered Goat coffee, I created something I have since dubbed 'Afternoon Slumber Party' time. This basically consisted of me bringing out the air mattress, inflating it, lying down on it after having placed the computer on the television console and pressing play on Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. Oh yes, and closing the curtains so the living room became a cave-like space perfect for Kevin Costner, Alan Rickman, Christian Slater and Morgan Freeman to shine through. M. cozied up with Zul on the sofa, and even my roommate came out to watch a bit of it. Once the movie concluded we went to the museum. But what I really want to talk about is the dinner we had that night. Sampan had been on my list, and I've been following the restaurant's twitter feed for a while, so that is where we ended up going. It's a very neon lights, bumping music, attractive waitstaff, 'let's be a scene' kind of place. But not necessarily in a bad way. At least not where the food is concerned. We decided to go the tasting menu route: 7 courses for $45 per person. We could choose two small plates, one kind of satay, one dish from the 'cold/hot' section, one meat, one fish and one side. And boy were there some tough decisions to make. One decision that was a little bit easier to make was what to drink. We went with a carafe of the white snow sake. As for the meal. It began with hamachi ceviche with tempura flake, soy and truffle. For such a tiny spoon, there was so much going on. It was the perfect opening to the meal. Really fresh, the tempura gave it a little crunch and the dab of truffle oil made the whole thing have this wonderful after mouth glow.
Next up were the General Tso's Soup dumplings with chicken, soy and ginger. I've long wanted to try a soup dumpling and expected the meat to liquid ratio to be slightly more in the liquid's flavor. Good, juicy, flavorful, but not quite as exciting as I had expected.
We had a moment's deliberation when it came to the satay, I alternately leaned towards the lamb or the Kobe beef, but in the end we decided lamb was the way of the winners. And win we did do. The cilantro element and 'citrus crust' were nice, but it was really the meat in and of itself, nice and pink, that made me the happiest about this dish.
For the hot/cold option, we went with their special of the night, which was some crazy dumpling with foie gras and something else fancy, but I forget what. I liked the crunch of the dumplings, and the pickled cauliflower that accompanied them, but it didn't have that melty rich taste that I most associate with foie gras. Still good. No complaints.
We chose the kim chi fried rice with egg for our side, which M. did a great job of stirring up while I was taking photographs of some of our other dishes. Not the spiciest or most pungent of kim chis, but this place isn't exactly a bastion of authenticity (and that's not a bad thing) so it was all good. I also think that I've just never really understood the appeal of fried rice. Give me the choice of any noodle or rice, and I'll go with the noodle nine and a half times out of ten. The one exception being, perhaps, risotto.
For our fish course we chose the seared tuna with chilled soba noodles, avocado and tomato. M. loved this course a bit more than me. Again, I think this is less about the quality of the food and moer a matter of my own foodie preferences. That or maybe it needed a little extra burst of flavor in the form of citrus or vinegar. That said, the tuna was well prepared and the presentation was delightful.
I was a much bigger fan of the crispy Szehuan chicken with Chinese greens, sesame, garlic and delightfully pickled slivers of cucumber. Perhaps not as 'exciting' a dish, but it was so much better than your corner store takeout Chinese store's version. And those cucumber slices were a nice cooling touch.
And then there was M. For dessert we were given two mini cones of soft-serve ice cream they make in house. One was chocolate chocolate chips ahoy (I think) and the other was Capt'n Crunch flavored. M. especially enjoyed the Captain while I was more drawn to the chocolate chip.

It was really a great meal. Definitely a good deal for the amount of food. And while not all courses took me away into foodie nirvana, enough did that I definitely want to go back and try a completely different combination of dishes (well, that hamachi ceviche I would have again). And, as the blog continues, you'll see that I actually have made it back, albeit more for drinks than food.

Soup and Tuna Tartar c/o Hickory Lane

Over the last couple of weeks I've really been trying to actually start going to some of the restaurants on my resolution list. I have also begun to make dates months in advance for such establishments. It makes me feel productive. On this particular night I met up with C., formerly of pizza,puppy and laundry nights. We don't see as much of one another now that she's commuting to Baltimore for her Master's degree, and this makes me sad. So a few weeks ago we made a plan that we would enjoy a dinner together during her school break. And we did. At Hickory Lane. It's BYO, so I brought my own bottle of Chateau Caroline, courtesy of my father. This is a relatively new place, just open for a month or so. On a Sunday night it wasn't too terribly busy. I walked in just moments after a larger party, or that's what it seemed like, as they were milling around the relatively small entry way. They were all men, so I was confused as to whether any of them was actually the host. That makes no sense. In any case, I was seated right next to that large party, though there were other tables available. I am fascinated by how restaurants choose to seat people. C. arrived and we both decided on what we wanted for our meals. I went with the French Onion soup and tuna tartar with ponzu sauce, wasabi lime ailoi and grilled lavash flatbread. C. ordered the mussels, and I can't remember what else.
The soup came out hot, but wasn't terribly remarkable. My personal preference for the actual soup is always slightly more savory than sweet, but this particular broth had more sweet notes to it. I liked the mountainous slab of cheese coating the whole thing, but struggled to actually consume it all (C. ended up helping in that regard). The tuna tartar was also a little underwhelming. The wasabi lime aioli didn't have as much or any kick as I might have expected. The tuna itself was nicely chopped (cubed?) and had the beginnings of an interesting sauce, but perhaps just needed a tad bit more in my opinion.
So, on the whole, this place seems solid but not all that special. Our waiter was friendly, the place had a dark walled, dimly lit, date kind of vibe to the place. But I guess I was not all that impressed with the quality of the food for the price it was. This seems to be a running theme lately. Have I lost my ability to actually love anything, I wonder?

Sushi c/o Sakura and the Neighbors

On Tuesday. This Tuesday is the Tuesday I'm talking about ... just two days ago. I went to my next door neighbor's to return the measuring tape I had borrowed a day or two before. I talked a little with he-J. and she-J. (different from the other Js) for a while and briefly held their baby, S. At some point they suggested I come on over for dinner. I had a little cleaning to do because S. - my roommate up til yesterday - was getting checked out the next day and I wanted to make sure that cat hair wasn't swirling around and that the kitchen was presentable. In any case, we agreed that I would return in a little bit once I accomplished those tasks. And that's just what I did. Dinner came c/o Sakura and included tuna, salmon, avocado and shrimp tempura rolls. And eel too I think.
It was a nice spread. While we snacked and chatted we drank cans of Coors Light and tasted the Rockies.
I also made friends with S. She and I have met a few times before, but I think this time she was a little more interested in what I had to offer, silliness and smiles mainly.

I ended up staying much later than I meant to, but in a good way. We've been friendly neighbors for a years now, but I don't think we have properly hung out since the 2010 Super Bowl. Thanks to all for the meal and the company!

Dinner c/o Twenty Manning Grill

Months ago I purchased a Rue La La deal for Twenty Manning Grill and after months of not using it, L. and I finally made use of it. We met on perhaps one of the hottest of days back in July. The restaurant has this system of misters for outdoor seating, and they were on, but not a soul decided to brave the heat even with that system in place. No matter. I started with a Gold Headed Ben, which was described as "a warm weather take on our fall Rye Street cocktail, Rye Whiskey, St. Germaine, fresh lemon juice, orange bitters topped with Cava Brut. It was refreshing.
L. and I had serious discussions about what our choice of meal would be. In the end I opted for their heirloom tomato gazpacho with pineapple sorbet. And I'll tell you what, it may have been one of the best of the season, fresh as could be, not too bready, and the basil pineapple sorbet was a really interesting twist. The sorbet was quite sweet, not all that savory, and yet managed not to overwhelm the tomato goodness of the main event. Good work.
For my main course I decided to try their pan seared butternut wild mushroom ravioli, which came was described as "wild mushrooms, fresh ricotta, parmigiano-reggiano, caramelized onions and crispy sage-brown butter. The presentation was a little surprising, as the ravioli seemed to have been sauteed a bit. They actually reminded me a little of potstickers, which somehow made a little more sense once I learned that the chef was Asian. Does that make me a racist? Maybe. They were good, but not all that mind blowing and perhaps a little steep for $16.
L. had the tuna burger and wasn't overly in love with it. Too fishy somehow. She also learned that she doesn't like cornichons...her loss, my gain. I had two glasses of a really nice red wine. Let me see if I can remember what it was. Maybe the Pinot Noir? Or the Malbec? Either way, I liked it a lot. I wish I could track down our receipt. Alas.
Afterwards L. and I made momentary friends with a man outside the restaurant who then bought us both glasses of wine, which we enjoyed while sitting on the bench outside the restaurant. We met a whole cast of neighborhood characters, and I think we both had a moment of 'huh, maybe living in Center City would be fun...if we had millions of dollars.' While not every element of the meal was a raging success, it was a great night and the establishment definitely has charm and verve. We asked the guy to take a photograph of us, but with L.'s camera and I haven't gotten a copy. Photo proof fail.

Omakase c/o Morimoto and My Father

As we were driving back from Gettysburg, I asked my father where he wanted to have dinner over the coming days. He usually has some concrete ideas, and they're usually places I've never heard of but enjoy. In this case, however, he had compiled a list but other than the Oyster House hadn't come up with any specific places as much as a theme of 'things I can't easily get in Tennessee.' On that list was good sushi, and because I had long wanted to try Morimoto that was my primary suggestion to him. So on Monday evening, that's just what we did. I met Dad there and we were promptly seated at one of the tables lining the restaurant. Morimoto is a high-concept kind of place. A Stephen Starr/celebrity chef vehicle that seems, at this point, a little dated in its decor. Colored lights changing from pink to green to blue along the space's aisles, neon green tables and white leather chairs bolted into the floor. On the night we were there the place wasn't too packed, so the effect of all this colored light nonsense (which made it seem like it was trying to be a club instead of a restaurant) had a slightly eery quality when compared to the relative lack of noise generated by the patrons or staff. I gravitated toward the cilantro gimlet and let me tell you. It was something special. A mix of Belvedere vodka, cilantro and mint; it managed to be refreshing without being too savory nor too tart. Just delightful. Though one will run you (or in my case, my father) $14. Pardon the color casts on the photos, the lighting was a challenge.
So we both opted for the omakase tasting menu. Dad got the higher price point while I got the lower, and that is also true for the beverage pairings as well. I don't know how this could have happened but I have no proof of the first course, which for me was hamachi tartare with fresh wasabi and osetra caviar paired with Domaine Chandon sparkling rose. Dad had pretty much the same dish but with toro tuna. Many of our courses were similar in that fashion, the main difference being the 'fanciness' of the fish or protein. Next up Dad had the Kumomoto oysters with three sauces: japanese orange salsa, citrus cilantro ceviche, and thai fish sauce with jalepneo. His oysters were paired with a Pierre Sparr Pinot Blanc. I love Kumomotos and Dad was nice enough to give me one, though like the idiot I am I have forgoten which sauce it game with.
For my second course I received seared whitefish carpaccio seasoned with garlic, ginger, mitsuba and chives and then finished with a yuzu-citrus soy. This was paired with Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc. I go back and forth about how I feel about yuzu. Sometimes I love it, sometimes I'm indifferent. In this case I fell in the middle, but the fish was beautiful.
Next up was the sashimi salad. In this case I was given the tuna while Dad was given...shoot, some fish we really liked but isn't included in the menus they printed out for us to take home. This was the first dish to be paired with a sake (yuki no bosha 'a cabin in the snow' junmai - ginjo and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Branching out from house hot sake really is a touch and go process for me, as some sakes have very strong banana flavors that simply do not float my boat. In this case, however, my boat was floated.
After an intermezzo of raspberry lemon soda (delicious) we went on to our next course, which for my father was the Lobster Epice: Chef Morimot's eight spice lobster with citrus creme fraiche and fresh chives and paired with a Trimbach Riesling. I think we we were both a little less that amazed by this dish. It looked wonderful, and was certainly good...but the eight spice element...well, it was very reminiscent of Old Bay seasoning. The citrus creme fraiche, on the other hand, was quite a hit with my particular palate.
My next course was wok seared wild alaskan king salmon in an umami broth with spring vegetables, glazed shitakes and fava pesto. This was perfectly cooked and the pesto and broth did wonders as they made friends on my tongue. This was paired with a Joel Gott chardonnay.
Next up for Dad was braised Kobe short ribs with wasabi furikake crust, wasabi greens, red wine reduction, and pickled carrot and turnip, which came paired with a folie a deux cabernet sauvignon. Mmmm. Rich was the bite I had. Rich but so good. I feel like maybe Dad had good things about that wine, but I could be making that up.
For my next course I encountered roasted Peking duck breast with kimchee, white miso vegetables, scallion pancake and candied kombu. I liked the clash of cultures this dish represented, the kim chi was an especially nice touch. This went down all the more smoothly with a Napa Cellars pinot noir.
Our second to final course was a chef's selection of sushi. I wish I could tell you that I remember what everything was. But I think the standout might have been the amberjack. This was also a sake pairing course, so I had the Shichi Hon Yar 'Seven Spearsmen' Junmai.
And finally, dessert: Gingner peach cheesecake with graham cracker crust, peach puree and rasberry something. This was good, but not particularly memorable.
While the decor was a little weird, the service was good and the food excellent. There were many things on the a la carte menu that I'd consider if I were to return, from the ramen to simply more sushi. Though I really am beginning to feel bad about the whole 'we are literally killing all the fish in the ocean' thing that's happening these days. A big thanks goes to my father for the dinner and company!

DIY Pseudo Nicoise

For lunch that second day I commandeered some of Dad's left over tuna steak, repurposed one of the grilled potatoes and created my low-rent version of a Salad Nicoise, rounding it out with mixed greens and olives. I think I just did a little salt and nothing else in terms of dressing. The lack of dressing was the salad's main flaw, but it was still good on the whole.