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Craig LaBan on restaurants and food
 
2:02
philly.com -  Craig LaBan will be available for comments and questions soon. In the meantime, post your questions below.
2:03
Craig -  
Good afternoon, my hungry friends, and welcome back to our weekly Philly food chat, "Romance Edition." I know I promised a couple weeks ago to fill you in on the dining highlights of my recent week at Disney World – but there really weren’t many, and the food was so unmagical (compared to the parks themselves), I think we can wait a while before I give you all the details of why the “Yak & Yeti” Asian place in Animal Kingdom really lived up to its name.
 
Judging from my in-box and voice mail, what’s really on your minds is the annual rite of Valentine’s Day dining. But as I told a poor fellow who called me yesterday, hoping to find that perfect place to propose to his girlfriend: do yourself a favor and try another night. If you haven’t already reserved a place at your favorite restaurant, forget about – those seats are taken, given the double-whammy of Valentine’s and Saturday night. Conversely, if you can get a reservation, it might not be a place you’d want to go anyhow.
2:05
Craig -  
I’ve never been a fan of celebrating Valentine’s in restaurants, and according to our online poll this a.m., 75% of the nearly 300 respondents agreed (at least 25% said they’d be cooking at home – my choice, too).  Ironically, I just came across the sore topic of Valentine’s in a book I’m currently reading, Waiter Rant (Ecco), in which the author, “The Waiter”, gives similarly frank advice:
“If you ask me, Valentine’s Day is one of the biggest scams going…Smelling blood in the water, restaurants replace their regular menus with “special” menus that give price gouging a good name….They hyperinflate their profit margins by shrinking portions, using cheaper ingredients, and masking inferior cuts…If everything you eat tastes like it’s been soaked in black truffle oil, then someone’s pulling [^&*!] Somewhere…
“And don’t get me started about the pain-in-the-[a$$] seating arrangments….Every year I ask (the owner) if he’s going to put a table in the ladies room.”
 
Waiter Rant, billed as a front-house version of Kitchen Confidential, isn’t quite as raw and entertaining as Bourdain’s iconic book (so far, at least, I’m only half-way through). But it is an amusing and frank peak into the server’s psyche and life nonetheless. A good topic, perhaps, for a future chat.
2:12
Craig -  
Still, don’t get the idea that I’m a total grouch about romance in restaurants – only on Valentine’s Day. So I thought this would still be a good occasion to explore the topic, even if you might not be getting a table this Saturday. But what, after all, is a romantic restaurant? Certainly it means different things to different people, whether it’s that prime seat in the corner at Vetri or a sharing, hands-on meal on the rugs and pillows of a Moroccan bistro. I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts and favorites, but here’s a quick, by no means comprehensive  list of some of mine:
For pure candle-lit exotic mood: Tangerine
A Renaissance classic: Friday Saturday Sunday
Some suburban charmers: Restaurant Alba (Malvern), Gilmore’s (W. Chester), Marshalton Inn (W. Chester), Rouget (Newtown), Inn at Philips Mill (New Hope), Majolica (Phoenixville), Mainland Inn (Mainland), Pond (Radnor)
With a little help from the blue agave: Tequila’s, Xochitl
Feeling French: Bistrot La Minette (those red banquettes); Zinc (great intimate boite of a room, but haven’t been recently); downstairs at Le Bar Lyonnais (or upstairs at Le Bec, why the heck not, if you can afford it?)
Italian: Le Virtu; Osteria (if you can get in), Vetri (so romantic, it’s now a cliché), Paradiso; Cucina Forte, L’Angolo (you gotta like small places); La Famiglia, Caffe Casta Diva  
Some cozy BYOs: Matyson, Blackfish (Conshy, where I actually saw a guy get down on his knees and propose – we’re still not sure if she accepted!), Pumpkin, Little Fish (see last Sunday’s review)
For steak: a steak house is so predictable. The Saloon has much more S. Philly character and great Italian flavored chops that are usually worth the price. (the Italian specialties, a bit less so...)  
Some sexy bars for a drink: Bar Saigon (above Vietnam); L’Etage (above Beau Monde); Raw (especially in warm weather when the courtyard is open), XIX (since they opened the windows, it’s a 19th floor stunner at sunset)
For dessert: Naked Chocolate Café, Apamate (churros and chocolate), Franklin Fountain (for old fashioned ice cream).
 
That’s just a starter list…what are your favorites?
 
2:13
[Comment From neil]
Any word on when Bibou will open?
2:15
Craig -  All I know is what my colleague, Michael Klein, has written: late February. There's romance potential there, too. Pif was always a cozy spot, and I know Pierre Calmels (ex-Le Bec) will be cooking with some ambition...
2:15
[Comment From mazza]
i am taking my mans to ansill for v-day. nothing more romantic than offal! :)
2:17
Craig -  Speaking of David Ansill (Pif's former owner), I joked with him recently that he'll be serving "his and her organ meats" for V-day, but he told me that he's seriously scaling back on the scary cuisine. I was shocked, knowing his love of spare parts cookery. But for Valentine's, he's doing, among other things, a couple pretty conservative items for sharing: crab-stuffed flounder and rib steak for two.
2:17
[Comment From kiss]
did you ever experience a waiter tell you that there is a limit to how long you can stay at a restaurant? I had this experience and wonder if it's a usual occurrence.
2:20
Craig -  Kiss - this is one of the great bozo moves a waiter can pull. Doesn't happen to me often (wonder why?), but I hear from plenty of folks who get the rush-rush and a check-drop before they've even put their lips to coffee. If a restaurant needs a table, and they have a bar, there's always the courtesy of a free after-dinner drink, which I think is an appropriate offer. Otherwise, slow diners are just the cost of doing business. Folks can expect plenty of this, though, on Valentine's Day, when pre-set menus are engineered for just such turnover...
2:21
[Comment From bob]
what are your thoughts on Philadelphia Magazine's assessment of Alison two?
2:24
Craig -  Hi Bob - I didn't read Philly Mag's take, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was different from my review. (After all, we didn't eat together) I certainly expected a different experience from an old hand like Barshak (to whom I gave 3 bells in blue bell) than the disappointing (and expensive) meals I had. I do expect this place to improve - it has good bones, a good feeling, a nice bar, and all the right ideas. The service  was also pretty good, though inconsistent (great on one  visit, seriously lacking on  another).    The cooking just needs to catch up.
2:25
[Comment From Jeff B.]
We were at Alison two before your review and we thought that Alison at Blue Bell was better. I do have to say that the Coconut Custard Pie was very good. But unlike Alison at Blue Bell our server at A2 responded to our question about the Skate Wing saying it tastes like crab meat....huh?!?! I think Alison would have been mortified!
2:28
Craig -  

Jeff - the skate was one of the highlights of my meal at Alison's, so I wouldn't quibble too much with  the description. I've heard it likened to crab before, and I sort of agree with it, at least texture-wise - those ribs of meat  have a  flakey white feeling when they're nicely cooked (though not crab's sweetness). Still,   it's such a unique specimen in the seafood world, I've yet to hear a perfect description.

2:29
[Comment From PP]
Hi Craig, it seems to me the first thing that comes out of every single waiter's mouth in Philly is to asks If I want bottled or fresh water. I know bottled water brings extra profit for the restaurant and every cent counts in the business, but it seems Philly is one of the very few cities that practices this which is more of an annoyance to me than anything. What's your view on this?
2:33
Craig -  PP - Philly is not the only place where bottled water is served (and pushed) in restaurants. Many, many people prefer it to the taste of tap, and are willing to pay. For many years, I used to enjoy sparkling water with my meals (don't know why that stopped). Certainly, merely asking is a smart sales technique, but it doesn't have to be obnoxious.  It's all in the delivery - are customers being embarassed into ordering the bottled water, or just being given the option? Servers also offer cocktails and wine, too, and that doesn't offend me either. I feel no compunction, though, to say "no, tap water is fine, thanks." Nothing wrong with that.
2:33
[Comment From Kevin]
so what is your take on the change over taking place at Philadelphia Fish & Co? sing of the times?
2:37
Craig -  I haven't spoken to owner  Kevin Meeker about this personally, so I really don't know the motivation, but it appears that the low-margin genre of seafood cookery is really taking a hit in this economy. Phila Fish and Co. had a pretty good run, though, as one of Old City's pioneers, and held on for a while as one of the nabe's better bargain options. That said, I think there's a need for a good barbecue restaurant in town, so if he hits it with a double-barrel smoker, that's a good thing.
2:38
Craig -  Just had a note from M. Klein, by the way, that Bibou is now penciled in for mid-March. (Delays? I'm shocked!)
2:38
[Comment From mazza]
craig is being too nice. if there is nothing like crab, and nothing like skate, then there is no possible way that they could be like each other. that waiter doesn't know his/her stuff, but that is not a huge transgression....
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