Sam R.'s Profile

Rustica serves up an excellent pie with really flavorful ingredients, but at a fairly hefty price. Their dough has density and depth of flavor, a long-fermented dough that stands up well to toppings. Their sauce is barely that: almost purely tomatoes with a bit of salt. Fruity and fresh-tasting. Their toppings are almost uniformly excellent: I would recommend the broccoli rabe. It's delicious and garlicky and goes well with everything.
Online ordering is certainly a plus, but that price, man, that price is a killer: $20 for a large pie with two toppings is a lot to ask. Every once in a while, though, it's worth it.

This jawn just opened, so I feel like I should be cutting them more slack, but the mediocre-to-disappointing meal I had leads me to believe that PBR is either wildly misguided or just painfully unprepared for the challenges of opening a new restaurant.

To begin, and to be fair, the space is wonderful: big, open, not presumptuous at all. Plus, I think it's great that the far end of Market is opening up a bit.

The beer list (tons of bottles, a very healthy selection of craft brews, many local) was very well curated, though drafts were only listed on a single chalkboard by the bar.

The menu seemed like it could be wonderful: a smattering of modern comfort food, classic Italian, and some semi-hip bar snacks. Once again, either the direction on these dishes is off or they really just need to play catch-up on execution.

Split between me and my guest, were:

Pickled vegetables: totally lackluster, just vinegar, not other real flavor. Could have used more sugar and salt and some seasonings. Texture on tomatoes was mushy (should have used cherries). The radish was good. Definitely needed better presentation (e.g. pickle menu at Village Whiskey, served out of a pint swing-top jar with toasts and a little ramekin of whipped ricotta)

Eggplant fries: For me, the highlight: texture was wonderful, soft and succulent on the inside with a wonderful, difficult to achieve tempura-style crunch around it. However, they were painfully salty. To the point that I'm sure it was just an accident, an executional flaw not meant to be an aspect of the dish. The sauce it came with was uniquely unmemorable.

Fish tacos: one of my favorite Mexican dishes which gets little-to-no love in Philly had a lot of things working for it, but plenty working against it. Served as two medium-sized piles of fish and veg. on squares of flour tortilla, I was kind of confused. The presentation seemed to compete a bit with the modern-casual vibe. The fish was a well-handled tilapia filet (hate that fish, but it does well here) the vegetables was a kind of crunchy slaw in a nicely tangy sauce which cut through the other flavor nicely. Biggest qualms: the hair-thin shreds of purple cabbage were aesthetically pleasing, but were too long and thin so as to feel ticklish and awkward going down your throat, akin to the fluff inside an artichoke. And the tortillas were bland, doughy, cold, and too small. Squares of mass-produced, room-temp tortillas were the biggest detractor. Fix that and the cabbage and it could be a great dish.

PBLT: Hopping on the pork belly train, this dish felt completely forced: the pork belly somehow found a way to be dry and stringy, the bread was ALL wrong: a mediocre white bread burnt on one side and barely toasted on the other. Decent tomatoes, an unnecessary pancetta mayo (mayo=good, muddled pork flavor clouding your palette=bad) and some crispy lettuce rounded out the impression that this was a hip twist on a classic, but portion size, execution, and even the direction of this barely qualified it as a sandwich.

And, throughout this experience, service was fairly atrocious: different servers kept poking their heads in at the wrong moments, interrupting conversations awkwardly, mixing up menu items, etc. I remember thinking that the people out the window on the 30-person line at Franklin Fountain were having a better service experience. Table was wobbly and they didn't offer to move us to one of the half dozen or so open two-tops.

The worst part of all of this, is that it will totally succeed: a watered-down gastropub at 2nd and Market with good beer, resonable prices, and such a great space will make a killing, provided they don't make any drastic mistakes. Maybe they're not trying to do anything exciting, but they should at least do it well.

Will come back in 4-5 months when they get their act together.

Went again; Very similar experience, with some additions:

Once again, food was wonderful, spic and complex, went great with a Yuengling lager. And again, service was almost comically bad.
Other things we tried:
Rabbit with peanuts: a delicious appetizer of VERY spicy succulen--yet-crunchy (a la carnitas) rabbit in a very spicy sesame sauce with crunchy peanuts.
Also: pork belly in soy broth. Less spicy, with a generous helping of pork fat, a cold meat appetizer that could have been an entree.

A recent date brought me to dinner at Fish, an impassioned exploration of fantastically fresh seafood and its most daring preparations and flavor combinations.

I started with a cocktail, a Pimm's Cup, combining the British, aromatic, gin-based liquor with a spicy, housemade ginger ale. Sweet and refreshing.

We were tempted by the oyster menu and had just a couple each of the Chincoteaque Salts and another variety I can't recall. Briny and delicious, with two tangy variations on the classic mignonette accompaniment. I loved the presentation, a rectangular steel trough filled with crushed ice and little name cards to tell them apart.

For an appetizer we split the Peekytoe Crab, a delicate salad of the sweet, luscious crab meat (served room) paired with cool micro greens, silky avocado, a touch of citrus, and the lightest touch of a vinaigrette, barely accenting the pristine ingredients. We agreed that we could probably eat this appetizer every day and be perfectly happy.

For mains, we agonized over the well-curated menu, focusing heavily on Maine seafood. I ended up with the monkfish, a robust preparation involving lamb belly, grilled octopus, a single, baby artichoke, and an intense, savory sauce with chick peas. Definitely a lot to take in and interpret, but it hung together nicely.

She had the one permanent dish on their menu: crispy skate wing over truffled spaetzle with a parmesan broth. The heady aromas had already wafted over from the adjacent table so I had an idea of what was coming. The skate was lovely, classic saute, but the spaetzle really blew me away,combining a chewy starchiness with an unexpected fluff normally reserved for gnocchi. Less daring, but sublimely executed.

Full, the varieties of house-made ice creams tempted us. Dense and creamy like a gelato, three scoops came to our table from a menu spanning around 7 interesting options. We chose the candied bacon (too sweet, but bacon-y), the caramel (mellow and buttery, not just tacky and saccharine, as a good caramel should be), and the sweet corn (a real standout, we considered bringing a second order home.)

Pricey, but a worthwhile extravagance, I will certainly come back, possibly to cram into their tiny bar for their happy hour specials (artisanal cocktails, lobster knuckles, and buck-a-shuck oysters) and maybe another date some time.

Food: 4/5 (Delicious and interesting, I wish there were more dishes showcasing the quality of the seafood more simply)
Service: 5/5 Helpful and only present when required
Atmosphere: 3/5 A little loud and close, but I loved the pink himalayan sea salt chunks carved into votives on each table
Price: 4/5 I can understand and respect their menu, but can imagine they'd do just fine with a dollar or two off each entree.

A culinary glory-fest, this asian market has a terrific selection at prices so low I'm always left dumbfounded.

What do you mean, this huge squid costs 2 dollars? You're surely not going to sell me a thick strip of beautiful, fatty pork belly for $1.50! My weekly grocery bill is literally halved? *Swoon!*

Spring Garden Market nearly defies comparison. Chung May can't compare in terms of variety. H Mart's vastness and delicious prepared foods call to me from Cherry Hill, but even that thrifty gold mine is more expensive than this joint.

At first it seems like any other urban asian grocery: an aisle of teas, an aisle of dried fungi, an aisle of housewares, and an aisle of cookies and candies, and an aisle of various bottled sauces and other preserved foodstuffs. The usual. But, surrounding this little island of the norm is a sea of extraordinary things to eat and enjoy! First, staying in the front portion of the store, there is a HUGE selection of frozen dumplings (including frozen soup dumplings, difficult to find) and in the back various tubs with baby corn, straw mushrooms, fresh tofu (firm or silk), and every permutation of bamboo (shoots, strips, julienned, giant cones) you could want.

However, the real treat is the back: a vast expanse, thrice as big as the front, of produce and fish and meat, all of it fresh and dirt cheap!

There's a terrific selection of asian greens: bok choi, choi sum, shanghai greens, baby bok choi, etc. as well as more hard-to-find items like chinese leeks and chive flowers line one wall. Pre-cut meats and poultry line another. A butcher mans a decent-sized counter but it is the fishmongers who take the place of pride, controlling 50 foot beds of ice, 5 different aquariums, and various buckets, trays, and tanks. None of these people speak very good english, but they'll help you find the right thing and prepare it however you want. The selections and prices are absolutely astounding: I am still speculating how they get such cheap fish. Is there a secret, mob-controlled asian fish distributor? Is it a front which gives the fish away to avoid investigation? Something is quite fishy. (kill me now).
The meat has all of the favorites: various cuts of beef, pork, poultry  plus tripe, pig's blood, the uteri of every animal, chicken feet, and various other organs. Likewise, the fish man has salmon, tuna, sea bass, snapper, roughy, lobster, and blue crab, but also more interesting selections: tilefish, char, a tank full of dungeness crabs (which I have never seen on the east coast), live conch, several kinds of squid, many kinds of shrimp, several different shellfish I couldn't recognize, and live frogs! Oh, and did I mention that most of these fish, huge with fresh, shining eyes, are less than three dollars a pound? No lie. Lobster's are $4.99, the tiger prawns are $5.99 and some things weren't marked, but it was all laughably cheap.

There are a few goods I may have to get elsewhere: certain hard goods, soaps, things for around the house that don't always find a place in asian families. However, Spring Garden Market has immediately become my de facto shopping spot for groceries. I'm so tempted to throw a Yelp party featuring all these goodies: ceviche for 30? Ten bucks! Bi bim bop for 50? Twenty bucks! Dim sum for a hundred? Thirty bucks!
Send me a message or a compliment and let's get to planning!

Stopped here for a late-night drink and dessert, hoping for a casual, date-friendly place for a sweet nightcap. I wont say we didn't get that, but we certainly weren't impressed and certain elements (like the price) were actually quite off-putting.

The decor was kind of like a slightly moodier Starbucks: one is greeted by churning vats of (fake?) chocolate and the carefully organized gift shop by the door, a bad, vaguely chocolate-related mural took up one corner, fake quotes about the ego-maniacal Brenner covered the other walls. It wasn't oppressive, but it was certainly trying too hard. We were led to a nice little two-top pointing out on open window and our order was quickly taken.

Very quickly our cocktails (good booze, well-mixed, but not worth 10 bucks a pop) were brought out and, soon after, our chocolate fondue. We opted for the Trio: a molten toffee caramel and any two chocolate fondues (milk, dark, white) served with strawberries, bananas, banana bread, marshmallows, and little grill to roast them.

The chocolate was far too sweet for my taste: the white had a lovely cocoa butter flavor, but the dark wasn't that dark and the caramel had a very bland flavor. All of them hurt my teeth, their saccharine flavors overpowering the already sweet accoutrement. Those too were disappointing: the fruit was okay (I would have liked to see local strawberries, but it might be a little early for those) but the marshmallows tasted like your standard Jet-Puffed (what self-respecting confectioner doesn't make their own marshmallows?) and the banana bread was room temperature. at best, and uninspired. All the same, I would have been much happier with less, and more savory fondues with more, and more thoughtful choices to dip.

I know there are entire worlds of chocolate connoisseurship, but the quality of the sweets at Max Brenner didn't even stand up to an ignoramus like me.

Naked Chocolate Cafe holds its position as my favorite late-night sweet spot in the city: cheaper, better, and its Rittenhouse location couldn't be closer.

4/5 for service, a "meh" for the cocktails, but thumbs down for everything else.

Parc simultaneously condenses and waters down traditional brasserie fare, providing a legitimate survey of french cuisine but doesn't inspire one to explore its subtleties.
It seems like Stephen Starr ate at a few french bistrps and thought he should deliver that *dining* experience to Philadelphians, but it seems like he missed out on the *cooking* aspect: french cuisine is defined by its traditions, its strict controls over technique and quality of ingredients that make the dishes more than just a collection of flavors.
The selections and preparations are not bad, they're just lacking soul: the beef bourguignon is good and tender and robust, but it doesn't conjure up any strong feelings. The wine list has its grassy whites and big, walloping reds, but none of them possess the well-grounded complexity one looks for in a good wine (especially not at Parc's prices!). Notable exceptions were the bread (house-baked baguettes) and the charcuterie plate (cured meats, country pate, chicken liver mousse) but even those are lacking: the bread could be chewier and definitely needed a few more minutes in the oven and the meats are tasty and rich but don't have those fresh flavors that write a story: one involving the pig, the farmer, the sausage maker, the truck driver, the chef, the waiter and, finally, you)

The restaurant itself is the fiction: Disneyland might be a little too strong a comparison, but Chevy's might be pretty close: it's not that they're doing it wrong, but they're not doing it right either.

Bar Ferdinand, the bustling small platery, is a mainstay of the Liberties Walk dining and retail center in NoLibs. Upon first inspection it seems like a posh bar with one thing on its mind: to be as hip and innovative and pricey as it can. A more thorough exploration, however, and a longer stay might reveal something else: an accessible and upbeat integration of spanish small plates into Philly nightlife.
Drinks are good, though not great for the price: nice beers, wines, and slightly too-sweet pitcher of sangria (red or white) populate the menu.
The plates themselves are the greater draw: bocadillos, croquettas, and pinchos (little sandhwiches, croquettes, and skewers) really stand out. Warmer, richer dishes like the cured meats, potato dishes, and empanadas are satisfying in one way, while lighter dishes like the grilled watermelon with jamon serrano can really make your summer night.
Outdoor seating can get a little loud because of the bars nearby, but not too bad.
Good for a casual date, big groups, not so much for business. Kitchen stays open til midnight, so a quick bite mid-evening can help you keep your energy up.

Though situated in the back of a jewelry store, Báhn Mi does Vietnamese street food with quality and authenticity beyond parallel.

In the busy overlap of Chinatown and Little Italy, Báhn Mi Saigon Bakery is dishing out its namesake sandwiches at a feverish pace (I'd recommend calling ahead during the lunch rush) and for good reason: they are satisfying like no other Vietnamese baguette in the city! But, the location dictates that this is a lunch for elsewhere: other than a few benches, there's no seating, so go to the park around the corner to fully enjoy this south Asian treat.
The menu is limited in its scope. Most obvious are the Báhn Mi, a crusty french roll with cucumbers, pickled daikon, various other accoutrement and: pork, chicken, sardine, paté, meat ball, vegetables, or beef stew. All can be ordered as spicy or not. Garlicky, refreshing flavors with the aroma of lemongrass and the zing of chilies make these sandwiches a must for lunch. Oh, and did I mention that the standard pork Báhn is only $3.75? A most places you can't get a grilled cheese sandwich for under 5 bucks!
They also have Báhn U'ôc Cha Lua (Thai sausage of some sort). a Papaya shrimp salad, and summer rolls.
An assortment of coffees and teas (hot, cold, some with honey and tamarind and other flavourings) and refreshing ices complete the menu.

Great for a quick lunch, Báhn Mi Saigon rarely disappoints.

Closed Mondays.
Minimum $15 for delivery.

Naked provides a casual environment for enjoying some of the highest-quality chocolate in the city. For the most part, the menu is playful while the chocolates and truffles are on the more elegant side, though all of it is well-executed.

Their specialties seem to be Spanish-style drinking chocolates which come in several varieties (e.g. spicy, fruity, iced) and their baked goods, including a wide variety of cupcakes. We had the Black Forest Stuffed cupcake: a rich, cocoa-y cake, stuffed with the traditional cherries, with a lovely, fluffy frosting on top. The espresso we had was a little bitter.

We also got a box of truffles: they have a wide selection of chocolates, mostly pretty traditional (mint creams, turtles, caramels, etc.) for $21.95 per pound and then another tier of more decadent and more adventurous treats, most of which go for $1.25 each. The chocolate covered coconut (lightly toasted, dunked in milk or dark) really wowed me from the first group, while a fascinating Buddha-shaped chocolate (ganache flavored with pink peppercorns and a touch of ginger) really intrigued my taste buds, mixing savory and sweet most delightfully. The same goes for the white chocolate with Hawaiian black lava salt.

Great for a late-night treat, an afternoon pick-me-up, and really indulgent gifts, Naked makes it easy to explore the world of artisanal chocolate.