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Craig LaBan on restaurants and food
 
10:31
Philly.com -  Craig LaBan will be here at 2 p.m. Until then, write your questions and comments below.
2:03
Craig -  
Good afternoon, my hungry friends, and Happy Mardi Gras!! Are those pots of red beans and gumbo already simmering on the home stove? We are such a long, cold way off from the festivities in New Orleans (and that 21-degree bike ride to work this morning didn’t help!), but I only need to spend a few minutes of screen time watching the ParadeCam at Nola.com (the Times-Picayune’s website) and I am instantly back in the mood. I do wish there were more restaurant flavors in Philly to summon that genuine Big Easy feeling. Every year, I do try to find a new Cajun contender with a Nola-themed review, and some years it works (Ted’s on Main, Melange Café, Les Bons Temps, Cajun Kate’s), and some years it doesn’t (see this past Sunday).
2:04
Craig -  
It’s a good thing Philadelphia has its own repertoire of great flavors to keep us so well fed. We’re about to launch into our own notable  festivities with a mega sophomore edition of  Philly Beer Week – the topic of next week’s chat, when I’ll a host a panel of some of the city’s hoppiest beer authorities. For this week, though, we’re freestyling as usual. And we’ll start with some of my favorite plates in this week’s Crumb Tracker Quiz. Guess in order which three places I ate these dishes and win a prize: 1) Trahana soup and Cypriot goat stew; 2) Yankee pot roast and chicken croquette recession busters at a genuine S. Jersey diner; 3) Smashed onion burger….Ready, set…start crumbing!
2:05
[Comment From Chris]
Just curious, how do you choose which restaurants to review and in what order? Do you plan your review schedule before they even open?
2:07
Craig -  Hey Chris - I do my best to give folks a good mix from week to week, in style, neighborhood and price point. The large part of them are new restaurants, mostly because there is such an incredibly healthy stream of new ventures that these are the places people are most curious about. But I'm not averse to throwing in an oldie, or something totally unexpected (like the Uzbeki kebab house in Northeast Philly) just to keep things interesting.
2:07
[Comment From Jeff]
Craig: what are your favorite sandwiches in philly?
2:08
Craig -  Jeff - YOu're going to need to be a little more specific here. Genre?
2:08
[Comment From dave]
Where is your best vote for a Po-Boy in New Orleans? I'm gonna go with Mothers. Happy Mardi Gras.
2:11
Craig -  Dave - Mother's is fine, but it's also a tourist depot, so the crowds can be a bit much. My two current favorites from my last (post-Katrina) visit were the Parkway (un-be-LIEV-able) roast beef po-boys, and Liuzza's by the Track, which aside from making my favorite seafood gumbo, makes a BBQ shrimp po-boy to die for. Used to love, love, love the softshell crab po-boys from Uglesich's, but that closed years ago. So the next best thing? Cajun Kate's in Boothwyn (yes, Pa) made me an awesome softshell crab po-boy, fried right before my eyes. It truly was a delight.
2:12
[Comment From Shane]
What's your opinion of one of the better spots in the city to get a burger?
2:12
Craig -  See Crumb tracker three....
2:12
[Comment From Guest]
3 - sketch burger and shake joint
2:17
Craig -  Yes, Mr. Guest - this funky little spot on Girard Ave. in Fishtown is a burger lover's heaven, especially if you like them thick, heat-charred and juicy. They make American kobe burger that is the first so-called "kobe" burger I've had in a while that really merited a raised eye brow. An absolute juice-bomb, especially with a dab of wasbi mayonnaise (sticking with that faux-Japanese theme). More distinctive, though, was the excellent "smashed onion" burger made with Sketch's standard beef patty (still an excellent quality) in which a fistful of onions are worked into the meat while it's on the grill....the patty gets flipped and the onions char, too, softening, sweetening, melding with the beef in a way that is true, sloppy harmony. I should note, the spicy mac n' cheese, and the house made pastries are also excellent - I happen to be nibbling a chocolate-dipped coconut maccaroon right now!! Burger lovers, start your engines...
2:17
[Comment From Steve Herman]
In New Orleans, I think Domilise's has an exceptional po boy.
2:18
Craig -  Also a classic...
2:18
[Comment From carla33]
Hello- We had the experience of Chifa this weekend. Have you been yet? I just thought the menu was a bit all over the place...
2:22
Craig -  Hi Carla33 - thanks for this early report on Chifa. Obviously, this latest offereing from super chef Jose Garces is one most anticipated openings of the year, and I've been hearing largely raves from early diners, so it's interesting to hear this one early dissent. The concept here is more a fusion of two cuisines than his other concepts - Peruvian-Cantonese - so it's no surprise that it feels a bit less focused. I understand the inspiration comes from a genuine fusion phenomenon in South America, but Garces obviously puts his own personal spin on it. To be sure, the trick will be whether  he can make dinner here feel like a coherent taste experience - once they've had a few weeks to break this menu in. I know I'm looking forward to it
2:22
[Comment From Evan (philly)]
1. Kanella; 2. Bells. 3. sketch burger
2:27
Craig -  

Lots of folks so far have guessed #1, as Evan did here correctly (but #2 still remains at large....) But yes, Kanella, the Cypriot-Greek Byo near Washington Square is where I ate this fascinating ode to goat, both stewed, and served in soup. Trahana is an ancient soup made from cracked cypriot wheat berries rehydrated in hot goat's milk (and finished with a dice of haloumi cheese). Really, you need to like the farmy taste of goat to appreciate these dishes, but I do, and I found them to be fascinating,  and deeply flavored.  Kanella's review, by the way, is scheduled to be in the  Sunday paper on March 8....  

2:27
[Comment From Mark]
Hey Craig, I missed the physical edition of the paper this week. What are you reviewing next week? And how come the sidebar is never published online?
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