Docsconz- The Blog

Summer Salad - Haricots Verts

One of the great pleasures of summer is fresh green beans especially the skinny French variety known as haricots verts. These, from Kilpatrick Family Farm, were blanched then quickly combined on high heat with a thinly sliced poblano chili (also from Kilpatrick's) and olive oil before cooling and combining with chopped black Cerignola olives and chiffonaded basil for a quick and tasty summer salad suitable for a picnic on the Lake or elsewhere.

Summer Fare

A recent dinner at home featured grilled chicken and Sheldon Farm corn on the cob. The corn was rubbed with butter, salt and chipotle powder. The chicken had been spatchcocked, marinated in Big Bob Gibson's white sauce and parcooked for several hours at 150ºF in the CVap oven before a final searing on a charcoal grill. The corn spent about 20 minutes in the same CVap before seeing the heat of the grill for a little smoke. With sauteed fresh haricots vert and tomato, this made for a fine summer meal eating out on our porch.

The Connecticut River July 2010

Blue Smoke in Saratoga

It's really not just Blue Smoke. There's a Shake Shack and a Paddock Bar too, all from the Union Square Hospitality Group. Situated by the Club House Gate off Nelson Avenue and near the paddock and horse path and with their own betting windows, the restaurants are perfectly placed to enjoy both the equine and hominid action of the Saratoga Race Track.

Even though it was a beautiful day after the track's opening weekend of hot and sometimes rainy weather, it was still Monday and the track was only lightly attended as were the restaurants, which at this point was just as well. With the track just having opened for the season this past Friday, the restaurants are still absolutely brand new. It showed in the time it took for small orders to be filled, but the quality of the food was still excellent and service was given with the trademark Danny Meyer reputation for friendliness and excellence. When I ordered fries at Shake Shack, the ones I received were not particularly fresh. When I asked the counterperson about them after I had tasted one, she didn't blink an eye. She took them back with an apology and within a couple of minutes I now had two orders of delicious piping-hot fries right out of the fryer. With a special "Sloppy Track Shake" to go along with the fries, we were good to go. The shake was a truly beguiling salted caramel with a generous heaping of Valrhona cocoa sprinkled on top. I couldn't finish the shake, but I made sure to siphon off the wonderful cocoa. At $7 the shake was not cheap, but it was truly decadent and worth the splurge, especially if splitting it with someone.

 

At Blue Smoke, the ribs came right away, but the pulled pork sandwich took a bit longer despite the lack of any line. Both were excellent, however, especially when eaten in the small dining area situated directly above Blue Smoke overlooking the Paddock Bar. The ribs were meaty with a Kansas City style sauce that mercifully wasn't too sweet. I prefer a non-tomato, vinegar based North Carolina style sauce with pulled pork, but the Blue Smoke sauce was still tasty without smothering the pork's flavor. There are also chipotle chicken wings and some desserts on the menu, but we didn't try them this time. 

The upstairs vantage point is a great spot to hang out, enjoy the meal, have a cold brew or glass of wine available at a small bar up there and observe the milling people and horses below or watch the race on the simulcast tv screens. We just happened to find Danny Meyer himself overseeing the early days of this venture.

 

The Paddock Bar is a nice spot for cocktails. Since I was driving I didn't indulge, but the Lynchburg Lemonade with Jack Daniels and house made lemonade and The English Twist with Bombay Sapphire Gin, Pimm's Cup No.1, lemonade and cucumber both tempted.

A few kinks still need to be worked out in distributing the food efficiently, especially when the days get really busy, but that will undoubtedly happen sooner rather than later. The enthusiasm of the staff at the restaurants and the expertise of Meyer and his crew will see to that. More importantly the food is as good as I expected (I expect a lot from the Union Square Hospitality Group though I must admit that Shake Shack burgers are not my favorite) and the location and ambiance are as good as it gets for food at the track. I'm not a betting man in general and I don't really go to the track to play the ponies. I go because it is fun to watch not only the incredible horses, but the people at the track as well. Now with the additions of Blue Smoke and Shake Shack as well as kiosks for a number of local Saratoga eateries, it is also a fun place to eat.

Starchefs 2009 - Sean Brock Shows His Kind of American Cuisine

Sean Brock and benne - precursor to today's sesame.

I apologize for having been remiss in not finishing my detailed individual profiles of the presentations at the 2009 Starchefs ICC, having only made it partially into Day 2 of the 3 day Congress. I don't know if I will be able to get to all of the rest of them in detail before the next Starchefs ICC comes up in September (It's not too late to sign up for what looks to be another outstanding Congress), but I will do my best to at least get up more photos and as much detail as I can recall from my notes. Given my current focus on Sean Brock and McCrady's, I thought it only fitting to resume (out of order), with some photos and a brief description of Sean's hands-on workshop and his demo highlighting his take on traditional Carolina Low Country Cooking.

In his hands-on workshop on the morning of Day 2, Brock focused on "Bringing Back American Heirloom Ingredients" and demonstrated his "Shrimp & Grits" in the process with the audience separating into small groups to use liquid nitrogen to grind and then combine an heirloom corn variety, Jimmy Red Corn" with South Carolina Shrimp. Once the ground shrimp and corn combination was plated, it was overlaid with a shrimp stock gel, various herbs and flowers and a piece of dried shrimp toast. I was fortunate enough to get a taste of this insanely delicious dish. I had been wanting to visit Sean Brock at McCrady's for some time anyway, but upon tasting this, I made it a priority.

Shrimp & Grits

For his big stage demo, Sean repeated the shrimp & grits, but followed it with two more spectacularly beautiful dishes utilizing heirloom ingredients grown on McCrady's S.C. Farm, Thorn Hill Farm. The first, called simply, "The Garden" utilized pristine root and other vegetables to form a colorful and quite beautiful tableaux. The second was a contemporary interpretation of an old Low Country dish with slave days origins, a rice and beans dish called "Reezy Peezy" or "Hoppin' John," the name it is more generally well known by. Hoppin john is generally a very rustic dish, one traditionally served on New Year's Day. Brock's version, utilizing an heirloom pea called "Sea Island Red" also utilized a variety of techniques that while making it visually unrecognizable compared to the original, still remained true to its ingredients and presumably (since I didn't get to taste it) to its flavor.

The Garden

"Hoppin' John"

Once again, the thrust of Brock's discussion focused on the value and importance of saving heirloom and heritage varieties of the foods that have contributed to the development of an American culinary tradition. His particular area of concern is the South, especially the Carolina Low Country, but his message is to do the same for all the Regional Traditions. Is it any wonder I had to visit McCrady's and that I hope to do so again and again (Husk too!)?

More Photos From McCrady's

I had the opportunity to take these photos at McCrady's prior to service the evening I dined there. Chef Brock was kind enough to let me accompany him as he tended to tasks like cutting the evenings herbs and receiving the day's harvest from the restaurant's farm as well as to take me on a quick tour of the restaurant.

McCrady's - Dining with History and Innovation

"George Washington ate here," McCrady's chef Sean Brock told me as he gave me a tour of the massive building that is the center of his varied culinary activities. During the new President's tour of the fledgling United States of America in 1791, George Washington did, indeed, eat at McCrady's, then, as now, a prominent dining location in the city of Charleston, S.C. At that time, though, McCrady's stood on the waterfront. The restaurant (then a tavern) didn't move, though the waterfront was later extended away via landfill, leaving some functional but less attractive buildings between modern McCrady's and the Charleston waterfront. While Washington dined with some of the area's most prominent citizens, a cannon stood underneath the window and was fired each time a toast was made to the President so that the rest of the Charleston citizenry could toast him too! While Washington enjoyed a lot of pomp and circumstance and probably ate pretty well, one thing he could not have enjoyed was the cooking of Chef Sean Brock. Too bad for him! I'm pretty sure George Washington would have been a fan of Chef Brock.

"The Orange From Valencia" - A Docsconz Video from Town House

The Orange From Valencia from John Sconzo on Vimeo.

"The Orange From Valencia" is a standout dish at the standout restaurant, Town House in Chilhowie, Virginia. Chef John Shields and his team have produced a dish that is not only delicious, but beautiful, creative, evocative and fun as well.

Prior to service, I had the opportunity to video Town House Sous Chef Matt Edwards preparing the orange "skins" used for the dish. This won't be freeze the eyes to the screen of anyone already solidly grounded in techniques using liquid nitrogen, but for those who are not and who are intrigued, it should be pretty cool. I apologize in advance. For some reason the focus in the video is not quite as sharp as I would like, but without the opportunity to re-shoot, I think it is still too interesting to not have used.

Thanks to Chefs John and Karen Urie Shields and their Town House team for allowing me into their kitchen with my cameras and thanks to Matt Edwards for graciously and patiently explaining the process for the camera.

The Charleston, S.C. Farmer's Market

The Farmer's Market in Charleston, S.C. appears to be thriving. On two recent visits, the market was teeming with people who were buying beautiful produce from the vendors and eating prepared hot foods from a number of stalls selling their product. Since it included the prepared food vendors as well as some crafts vendors, the market didn't really fit my strict definition of what a "Farmer's Market" is (should only be selling produce or prepared foods or crafts that came from plants and animals grown, fished or raised by the people selling them). Of course, that kind of market is extremely rare nowadays as most do incorporate prepared foods and crafts that while not made from products that were grown, fished or raised by those selling them, are at least, artisanal. Nevertheless, I was impressed by the quality and regionality of many of the products at this market, especially the peaches, shrimp, okra and green peanuts amongst others. One of the things I enjoy most visiting farmers markets when I travel is the regional variation that is usually present. This did not disappoint.

Town House - A Destination in Chilhowie

Most destination restaurants make it somewhat easy for a diner to choose it and make a trip there. They are generally not that difficult to get to and there are other attractions in the area. As examples, elBulli has Barcelona nearby as well as the incomparable Mediterranean Sea at its doorstep and The French Laundry has the entire Napa Valley wine country to beckon, while being within a reasonable drive of San Francisco and the Bay Area. Unless one lives in the area, Town House, in Chilhowie, Virginia - not far from the Tennessee and North Carolina borders, is not the easiest destination restaurant to get to. One can not take a quick and cheap flight and it isn't really a short drive from anywhere with a sizable population. Fortunately though, once one makes the effort, the area around the restaurant has some charms, including bucolic mountain scenery, top-notch farms, a venerable old hotel and the State Theater of Virginia – The Barter Theater in nearby Abingdon. More importantly though, it has the other most significant attribute shared by the best destination restaurants – it is absolutely worth the journey, as difficult as it may be.

Chef John Shields and his wife, Pastry Chef Karen Urie Shields did not start out in Southwest Virginia. Unlike their friend and colleague, James Beard award winner Chef Sean Brock of McCrady's in Charleston, S.C., they were not born in nor did they grow up in nearby Abingdon or anyplace else in the vicinity, though their Certified Sommelier, Charlie Berg, did, as did much of their kitchen and front of the house staff. The Shields' chose to come to Chilhowie in order to be able to put their collective culinary vision to work. Turning down the opportunity to be the Executive Chefs at and open Charlie Trotter's foray into Las Vegas , they preferred the opportunity to do their own thing, working for restaurant owners with the willingness, capability and vision to allow them to do just that. Sean Brock called Town House his “favorite restaurant in America.” After my dinner there, I can understand why.

Driving up, the restaurant appears very unassuming, located in a small storefront on the main street of a very small town. It is quite easy to miss, even with little else around. Once inside the door, however, things change. While not opulent like the restaurants of the Shields' previous employers, Alinea, Charlie Trotter's and Tru, Town House is quietly elegant and supremely comfortable: relaxed and yet, sophisticated. The kitchen is spacious and outfitted to do anything a chef in today's world is likely to want to do. The chefs can play and they can make very serious food. Much of the ingredients they use comes from within the region. On the afternoon I was visiting, they received a delivery of buttermilk from Cruze Farm in Tennessee. Aside from the buttermilk itself, which is of extraordinary quality, the most notable aspect of this delivery was that it was facilitated by a patron of the restaurant returning home from Blackberry Farm in Tennessee. Since Cruze Farm was on his way, he did the favor for the restaurant.

We arrived for our 7PM reservation with plenty of sunlight still in the sky and shining through the window on to our table. To be honest, I was a little nervous. In addition to my wife, I was dining with our 10 year old son and my sister-in-law, who joined us in Abingdon to visit the now closed nearby summer camp she and my wife had attended in their youth. I was nervous because I was uncertain how my son would deal with an extended tasting menu and though I had dined out with my sister-in-law on numerous occasions previously, I had never dined with her at a restaurant serving food like I was expecting Town House to serve. I was not sure how she would respond.

The opening salvo came in the form of a cookie sandwich. The amuse, two thin dark brown cookie wafers sandwiching Parmigiano cream, olive oil jam and Meyer lemon confit, told us that we would be in for a unique experience, both playful and tasty.

The next dish, though told us that we would be in for a special experience. We opted for the 10 course tasting menu (we did receive a few extra courses thrown in) for $110pp. The menu opened with Shields' “Chilled Vegetable 'Minestrone,'” a dish that stunned us with its beauty when it was brought to the table. Consisting of 19 different vegetables sliced into thin ribbons, rolled into cylinders and stood on end in a bowl with a vegetable consommé poured around it table side, the dish was equally impressive on the palate combining a myriad of flavors playing off each other. This was a home run on the first pitch, one of the more spectacular courses I've had anywhere. From this point on, I didn't need to worry anymore about my son and my sister-in-law. They were equally wowed and all in.

I will comment at this point on our drink pairings, which were orchestrated by Certified sommelier Charlie Berg. As would be expected of a restaurant with the aspirations of Town House, the wine pairings were superb with each glass working in a synergistic way with the food. More remarkable though, was how well Berg composed non-alcoholic pairings for my son's dinner. While we drank the Foggy Ridge “First Fruit” hard cider from Virginia, our son received a cocktail of Italian sparkling water with lemon thyme and fennel pollen, that was superb. Both beverages had good acid balance to complement the food with just enough sweetness to make them pleasurable and balanced. The remainder of the dinner worked equally well with Berg serving wines to keep me interested and cocktails to make my son feel special and well cared for. It was always a treat for him to anticipate what was coming next and he was never disappointed.

Our next course was the first detour from the tasting menu. Hamachi Lightly Marinated in Sudachi with Sea Bean, Caramelized Buttermilk Yogurt (Cruze dairy), Apricot, Arugula and Lovage was the first time my son had eaten raw fish. He (and the rest of us) was smitten. The flavors were clean and fresh and the dish had plenty of textural contrast. My son received a creamsicle like drink with buttermilk and orange. We continued with the cider.

The menu was back on track with the next dish, “The Orange From Valencia,” a visual, textural and flavor tour de force and an obvious homage to the contemporary cooking of Spain. The “skin” of the orange was an orange cream that was frozen in liquid nitrogen while coating a balloon. Once the balloon was removed, the “orange” was filled with amongst other things mussels, bread crumbs, marcona almonds and a flavored mayonnaise and then sealed. The combination was exhilarating, full of fun, texture and flavor. I particularly enjoyed watching my son's eyes grow wide and listening to him wonder aloud “how did they do that?”

The next course led to a 2008 rosé from the Cote de Provence, Saint Andre de Figuiere, for the adults and a lemongrass ice “berg” mixed with house made local cherry extract for my son. The common factor of the beverages was in fact cherry as the rosé held lovely cherry undercurrents. This was no accident as the course, another departure from the set menu, was a ”Soup of Cherries with Bronzed Sardine, Sweet & Spicy Ginger, Tomato and Almond Bread.” This was another dish benefitting from a strong Spanish inspiration. The soup was described by our server as having “gazpacho flavors,” which it did, in fact resemble, though it was sweeter than a classic Andalucian tomato gazpacho. Sardines are a very “Spanish” fish, commonly found as a staple throughout the country. Interestingly, our server described these as having been “steamed” as opposed to the more typical grilled sardine preparations one might find in Spain and elsewhere in Europe. On its own, the flavor of the sardine was strong and mildly off-putting to some at the table. The genius of the dish, though, lay in the combination of the sardine with the cherry soup. The fish provided the soup with a taste of umami and salt, while the sweetness of the cherries submerged the stronger elements of the fish flavor and left the most pleasant ones on the palate. The almond “bread” reminded me of Adria's sesame sponge. As with Ferran's sesame, the “bread” was incredibly light and airy, but still full of pure flavor. The almond component also served to add greater legitimacy to the soup as a gazpacho. This was a dish in which the sum was clearly greater than its parts.

How does one embody spring rain in a dish? Somehow, Shields did just that with his next course entitled “Representing Spring Rain.” Not only did the dish taste like what I would imagine the embodiment of an idealized spring rain to be; clean, crisp, pure and slightly sweet, it visually looked like an idealized version of what a spring rain might produce. It contained lavendar misted onto the plate, droplets of horseradish, nasturtium, fava bean, shiso, shaved avocado, parmesan water and banana ice cream. Not exactly an intuitive combination, this dish spoke of an amazing understanding of the building blocks of flavor as well as an astounding imagination. From an ingredient combination perspective, this was perhaps the most impressive dish of the evening.

Once again veering from the menu, we were poured a NV Piper-Heidsick Champagne, but we were instructed to drink a little sake that was also poured for us before tasting the dish and following that the champagne for the remainder of the course. Chef Shields brought the course to the table personally and gave us his description, describing it as “Middle Eastern.” This was a “Kusshi (Japanese origin) Oyster Lightly Poached with Rose Water, Oyster Broth and Cilantro Accompanied by Cabbage, Cucumber, Sweet Onion and Cauliflower.” Whether it was the unusual instruction regarding the beverages or simply the combination of ingredients, the dish was absolutely magnificent, one of the most delicious and novel combinations I have experienced. My sentiment was shared by the rest of the table, including my son, who only slightly struggled with swallowing the oyster.

Blis bourbon barrel maple syrup provided the foundation for my son's next pairing. To the Blis, Berg added a touch of Pedro Ximenez sherry vinegar. The rest of us were served 10 year old Bual Madeira from Cossart Gordon to accompany The “Scrambled Egg Mousse with (Blis) Smoked Steelhead Roe, Birch Syrup, Sweet Spices and Preserved Ramp.” This dish was decadence pure and simple and worked best when the spoon took a bit of every layer. As the fourth course in the progression (as listed on the menu), I think the table's response to the richness of this dish would have been different, but as the seventh course (as it arrived to us) and not knowing what was yet to come, this was the first dish that returned to the kitchen with some plates requiring additional cleaning.

That was not the case with the following dish, “Softshell Crab Roasted in Brown Butter accompanied by 'Caramelized Onions', Lime, Sea Grapes, Salt Cod, Vanilla and Mustard Oil.” Paired with a Jarana sherry from Emilio Lustau, this was another course that sang harmoniously and deeply. I'm a sucker for soft-shell crab in almost any variation that does not extinguish the wonders of the crab. Though the crab was essentially hidden in the presentation of the dish, buried under a number of ingredients, its essential nature and flavor shone through with the remainder of the ingredients adding nuance and originality. Though I was starting to feel the combined power of the meal, I was secretly hoping for more of this dish.

 

At this point, the last thing we needed was bread, but bread we received and bread I ate – a potato ciabatta served with olive oil. As with everything else, it was too good to pass up, though I limited myself to one piece.

In an evening filled with remarkable dishes, one of the most remarkable followed, “'Risotto' of Squid.” Prepared entirely of squid, without the benefit of rice or dairy, this dish could not have been a better replacement for a traditionally prepared risotto. The squid pearls had just the right degree of toothsomeness and the risotto was perfectly creamy all while possessing wonderful sweet squid flavor. Along with the initial “minestrone” this squid dish was my son's favorite savory course of the evening. He actually cleaned his plate with a bit of the well-timed bread.

Cola was the flavor component our sommelier was seeking for the next pairing. For us, he selected a Pinot Noir from Victoria, Australia made by celebrated winemaker, Chris Ringland. The 2008 Permutations. For my son, Berg chose a concord grape slushy to accompany the “Foie Gras Royale & Crisp Chicken Skin with Beet, Lemon, Pine Needles and Nuts, Blueberries and Black Raspberries.” The chicken skin, used to scoop up the foie gras and berries, was a great touch for this rich dish.

Our final savory course showed inspiration from Andoni Luis Aduriz. “Thorntree Farms Lamb Cooked in Ash with Black Garlic, Burnt Leeks, Smoked Bacon and Silverized Potato Starch and Eggplant Puree,” took off from Aduriz's classic dish of Veal in Ash, adding original elements and combining them to create a sublime dish and a suitable ending for the savory portion of this astounding meal.

The first dessert entitled “Parsnip Candy” consisted of parsnips done three ways (ice cream, dehydrated and candied), yeast sponge cake, aerated coconut ice cream, almond macaroon powder and banana pudding. We were poured a 2007 Vidal Fleury Muscate de Beumes de Venise, while my son received goat milk infused with lavender and clover honey with a lavender blossom on top. The dessert was delicious and refreshing, comparable in every way to the savory portion of the meal in terms of creativity, imagination and deliciousness.

By the time we arrived at desserts, we were the only patrons remaining in the restaurant. As if the evening didn't have enough magic already, Chefs John & Karen came to the table to invite our son into the kitchen to help plate the final dessert. With a grin wider than any I have ever seen, he gleefulyy accepted and trotted off to the pastry station, where, with direction from the chefs, did a creditable job of layering on the elements of “Powdered Chocolates,” which included steamed yuzu sponge, bergamot and an aromatic “salad” of herbs. He (and we) enjoyed eating it as much as he enjoyed constructing it.

This was one of the most singular meals I have ever had in this country. With outstanding food and beverages, unparalleled warmth, an elegantly casual space and great service, this meal would have stood out under almost any circumstances. When adding the pleasure of seeing one's young son discover, marvel and thoroughly enjoy the pleasures of a great meal, the situation is priceless. The enjoyment I received observing my son's excitement and pleasure was similar to my first meal at Alinea, shortly after it opened, when we were accompanied by our two, then teenage, sons as well as a friend of my eldest son and again, when dining at elBulli, with my then 16 year old eldest son. Each of those meals would have stood amazingly on their own, but were so much more fun and memorable by sharing it with them and sensing their pleasure and excitement. This was the case at Town House, where in addition to enjoying our son's response to the meal, my wife and I also enjoyed having her sister with us. My initial concern and apprehension quickly faded, replaced by a mutual sense of excitement and discovery. Town House with Chefs John and Karen Shields and their superb staff is truly special. It may not be the easiest restaurant to get to, but it is worth the trip!

The Red Hen - Shining in Shenandoah

The Red Hen in Lexington, Virginia is not a large restaurant. In fact, it is fairly small, so small that it employs one chef, one waitress and a dishwasher. Though its size is diminutive, its quality is not. Chef Tucker Yoder, the lone cook, uses plenty of seasonal, local ingredients along with a few select imports from outside the region, to craft a menu that is both interesting, beautiful and most important, delicious.

The Red Hen was the first serious culinary stop for my wife, my son and I as we headed below the Mason-Dixon Line to experience the region's apparent cooking renaissance for ourselves.

Chef Yoder works from an open kitchen, which also happens to have three seats at a bar overlooking it. Of course, that is where we sat. Some may prefer to simply eat their meal and and leave the workings of the kitchen to those in the kitchen, figuring that they are there to dine and that is sufficient in itself. While the food experience is, of course, paramount, I enjoy watching the choreography of a professional kitchen, whether it include many cooks or just one. Observing enhances (usually) my overall experience. If the cooks or the chef happen to be amiable, so much the better. At the Red Hen, it was fun watching Chef Yoder work. He is extremely efficient and methodical, but still outgoing and friendly. It was just as much fun chatting and interacting with him as he went through his paces and served the plates we watched him prepare directly in front of us. Watching the act of creation provides an additional connection with the meal, especially when it is done with the grace with which Chef Yoder cooked.

  

We elected to have the Chef choose our meal. I enjoy ordering for myself at restaurants I frequent or at places specifically known for a special dish or two, but at creative restaurants, I prefer to let the chef decide. While every item on a menu should be good, I think the chef's decisions provide additional insight into his thinking and tastes and is instructive to see what he is actually most proud to serve. It is also generally a good way to get variety. At the Red Hen, Yoder offers a five course tasting menu for $55 as well as a five course wine pairing for $25 to accompany it. For the quality of the food and wine served, the price is a downright bargain. We actually received more than five courses if one includes two amuses and a sampling of desserts.

Chef Yoder started us with a very interesting, unusual, pretty and delicious salad of strawberry, shiso and Mountain View Farms “Marmac” raw milk cheddar cheese. Mountain View Farms, located in nearby Fairfield, Va, makes a variety of cow's milk cheeses. The “marmac” was probably the tastiest I have had from south of New York State and was comparable to some of the better cheddars up there. The shiso added a distinct herbal element that while now familiar, still remains somewhat exotic. The combination of those ingredients with the fine local strawberries proved a very pleasurable start. I finished a lovely cardamom margarita with this course.

Yoder's skills and dedication to his craft were further illustrated with the second amuse of beets, house-made tofu, cracked wheat, cacao and walnuts. The tofu, silky and tasty was well made and combined well with its texturally contrasting dishmates. The beets provided their sugar, while some lovely arugula added peppery notes.

With the first flesh-centered course, Yoder's talents really started to shine even brighter. His roasted halibut with fava beans, curry and gnocchi put the recent halibut dish I had at Jean-Georges to shame. The colors and flavors were bright without overwhelming the perfectly cooked and seasoned fish. The fish was paired with a lovely, grassy 2009 sauvignon blanc from Altas Cumbres of Argentina.

Seared Scallop arugula, bacon and leeks followed and was a triumph. Scallops aren't exactly local to the Shenandoah Valley, but these were wonderfully fresh and sweet. The arugula in this dish was in the form of a bright green purée that added color and depth, but it was the house-cured lardons that brought it all together and added depth. Yoder successfully paired a 2008 Loire chardonnay/groslot gris from J. Mourat “Collection” with this dish.

The next course, Rabbit BBQ with smoked stock, biscuit and pickled seeds was good, but more interesting intellectually than on the palate. It was fun, but not an improvement over a good version of what inspired it. The 2009 Coteaux D'Ancenis rosé paired with it, was crisp and delightful.

Skirt steak Grits, Onions and swiss chard was marvelously full flavored. The grits provided an appropriate welcome to the South. The dish was balanced by a deep red malbec from Goulart Clásico 2009.

  
The wines paired with the savory courses were not break the bank wines. How could they be when the restaurant is only charging $25 for the pairings? They all, however, are good wines and great values. The selections are all interesting, complimentary wines that “come from vineyards using organic and biodynamic methods.” For me, the wines I choose for pairing with a specific food work best when they are chosen to harmonize with the food, not overshadow it. These wines harmonized well. There are other times, when I am focusing on great wines, I want food to be the supporting player, but this was not one of those times.

The Red Hen's desserts are imaginative and creative without being over the top. Delicious and satisfying, they provided a wonderful curtain to this very lovely meal. They included Blackberry Soup with Buttermilk Parfait; Lavender Custard with black pepper caramel and raspberries; Basil Genoise tofu with raspberries and Dark Chocolate with a white peppermint shroud. Chef Yoder paired some luscious dessert wines for us including two ciders from Foggy Ridge, the bracingly tasty First Fruit and the decadent Pippin Gold as well as Adesso Cagnina di Romagna, a sweet red wine to go with the chocolate dessert.

Contentedly full, our dinner came to a close. We paid our bill, bid adieu and waddled back to our lovely hotel, which fortunately, was within a comfortable walking distance. The Red Hen is simply a wonderfully charming restaurant serving delicious, fresh, creative food in a delightful location. No one passing through the area should miss it and those who live around there should do their best to make sure this little gem thrives.

The Pit In Situ

Ed Mitchell is an undisputed and well deserved star in the world of barbecue. He is one of the founders of the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party and a perennial favorite of that seminal bbq event. That is where I initially became familiar with him and enamored of his pulled and chopped pork. On my way home from South Carolina, we took a little detour to visit some friends in Raleigh, N.C. and to take the opportunity to try Mitchell's bbq-as-fine-dining restaurant The Pit for ourselves.

The first thing that sets The Pit apart from most bbq establishments is that at least on a weekend night (and I suspect any night) one needs a reservation for a table. Most bbq places I know are walk-ins. I wouldn't suggest trying that on a weekend night at The Pit. The place is massive and it was busy. It wasn't easy getting a table for 8 on a Saturday evening around 6:30, but my friend and fellow food blogger, Dean McCord of the excellent, Raleigh based  Varmint Bites, fortunately, managed. The time was important for us, as we were only passing through Raleigh on our way home from South Carolina and not even staying the night in the area (for the record, we made it as far as Fredericksburg, VA that night after dinner).

Most barbecue restaurants are pretty basic places, but The Pit, like it's NYC cousin, Danny Meyer's and Kenny Callaghan's Blue Smoke, is a seriously nice restaurant, with classy, modern decor, an impressive wine list and great and interesting beers on tap. With good service, it has all the accoutrements of a fine restaurant even if one is still compelled at times to eat with one's hands.

The Pit's menu is pretty extensive, much more so than I had imagined. In addition to chopped and pulled pork, they do the same with turkey, have various chicken dishes, ribs, salads, catfish and even bbq tofu! They also serve a wide range of cocktails. Since we were planning on driving though, I, regretfully limited myself to one glass low alcohol North Carolina craft beer. I liked the fact that they indicate a beer's alcohol level on their always changing draught beer list

We opened with a couple of Starters for the table. Their chicken wings were judiciously smoked and like Buffalo wings, served with blue cheese dressing. We also ordered a true calorie bomb, that given current governmental trends is likely to be banned in coming years - The Pit's Barbecue Fries a southern version of Quebec's poutine. This one had hand-cut fries, melted pimento cheese, chopped 'cue, chives and bbq ranch dressing. I generally don't mind a little culinary excess, but this was a bit much even for me. I preferred the wings and cornbread and hush puppies that were brought out. The hush puppies, in particular, were pure happiness for this northerner (being a Mets fan, I can't call myself a Yankee) who doesn't get them very often. They came hot, crisp and flavorful. My son would have happily filled up on them alone.

Not knowing when I would be able to return and not having the time for a protracted meal, I went for the ultimate Pit sampler, the Triple Combo, choosing chopped turkey, pulled pork, "Mother Mitchell's" fried chicken, collard greens and fried okra. It was a lot of food! Ed himself came out to chat with us before we ordered and suggested trying the turkey and the fried chicken. I'm glad I did on both counts. It was actually difficult to distinguish the turkey and the pork. Both were prepared in a typical North Carolina vinegar style, full of flavor and juicy. The chopped was very fine, while the pulled pork was chunky and meaty. Finishing two weeks in the South, I had eaten very, very well, but had commented earlier that day to my wife in the car, that one emblematic southern food I had missed was fried chicken. Well, I didn't miss it any more. Mother Mitchell's was worth the wait. The coating was crisp, not greasy and tasty. The dark meat inside was perfectly juicy and wonderfully sweet. While I'm not sure that it was quite as wonderful as my fried chicken gold standard, New Orleans' Willie Mae's Scotch House, it was in that ballpark. As much as I enjoyed Mitchell's superlative cue, the fried chicken was the culinary highlight of the night. The porky and slightly vinegary collards were delightful. The okra was crisp, but not quite as vibrantly flavored as I had hoped. Nevertheless, they were quite good.

Somehow we managed to sample some desserts. The banana pudding was sensational, though I could only manage a small taste. The key lime pie ice cream was wonderful as well, beautifully tart and not too sweet. The pineapple upside-down cake and chocolate-chocolate chunk ice creams were also noteworthy.

After dinner, Ed showed us the kitchen and explained his approach to bbq, saying that one must "not fear the heat." Instead of the classic "low and slow" approach to barbecue, he uses a a hot and fast technique, allowing the meat to rest and the heat to distribute throughout the meat. Of course, for his pork bbq, Mitchell uses whole hogs and makes a point of using Animal Welfare Approved hogs in his restaurant. The Pit cooks a lot of meat, cooking hogs, turkeys and chickens round the clock in an indoor pit designed by Mitchell.

The Pit impresses on a number of levels. Certainly, the food is excellent and much more varied than I expected. It also works as a very good restaurant experience regardless of its genre. While it is still not quite haute cuisine, it is a terrific family restaurant, even as busy as it is. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of The Pit is how well run it is. It is big and very busy, but it seems to run very smoothly, at least the night we were there. Service was very good, efficient, but not rushed. The food was fresh and tasty and nobody seemed stressed - neither the patrons nor the staff. It would have been worth the detour just to see our friends  or just to eat at The Pit. To have done both made a long trip into a very memorable and happy one!

My March to the Sea: A Journey to Some of the Best New Southern Cooking

Unlike another invader who came from the north, I did not descend upon the south to plunder and conquer, intent on leaving a wake of devastation. No, I came to discover for myself some of what I have heard so much about, the reawakening of contemporary southern cooking from Appalachia to the Carolina coast. While I have heard many good things about contemporary cooking all over the south and have become familiar with much of it in and around New Orleans of late, I decided to focus on a path that would lead me from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Carolina sea.

Starting out from a weekend of excellent eating in Philadelphia, I ventured south into Virginia with my wife and 10 year old son, shooting down past Washington, D.C. to Charlottesville to reacquaint ourselves with Mr. Jefferson, his home and his “academical village.” Unfortunately, we didn't eat anything of positive note there, as our time was spent revisiting old haunts.

Our next evening found us in Lexington, VA, to some the heart of the old south as it was the home of General Robert E. Lee. Set amongst the beautiful rolling hills of the Shenandoah Valley, Lexington is an atmospheric academic town, hosting both Washington & Lee University and The Virginia Military Institute. Both institutions boast of close associations to both Lee and Stonewall Jackson, Lee's close associate and legendary general, who ultimately succumbed from complications of “friendly fire.” Today though, Lexington has something special for those on the trail of really good food to go with their history and scenery.

Chef Tucker Yoder of the Red Hen cutting house cured bacon

The Red Hen is a cozy, casual restaurant located in downtown Lexington with beautiful, big flavored food that highlights the area's produce and respects the area's culinary traditions while expressing the culinary creativity of Chef Tucker Yoder. We sat at the 3 person kitchen bar overlooking the action, while Chef Yoder, who cooks alone, prepared our dinner and that of the other guests of the restaurant. Yoder utilized seasonal locally sourced elements such as rabbit, beets, arugula, grits, grass-fed beef, wheat berries, favas, house cured bacon from local heritage pigs and mixed these with ingredients brought to the mountains like scallops, halibut and chocolate to create a personal cuisine, that while not strictly local, had a definite sense of place and personality. Whether doing a version of North Carolina style barbecue with rabbit, vinegar based bbq sauce and pickling spices or pairing local, grass-fed beef with stone-ground Anson Mills grits or a perfect scallop with a bright green arugula sauce with house cured lardons or any of the other outstanding dishes, Yoder never failed to please. Amongst the excellent wine pairings, Yoder also poured two local hard ciders from nearby Foggy Ridge including the crisp and bracing “First Fruit” and with dessert, the acid-balanced, but sweet and delicious Pippin Gold. The Red Hen, though easy to miss due to its diminutive size, is not a restaurant that should be overlooked. In addition, the nearby Hampton Inn Col Alto, which incorporates an old mansion, is simply the finest Hampton Inn I have ever seen, let alone stayed in.

Dishes at the pass at The Red Hen

Hopping on I-81 South, a few hours later we arrived in Abingdon, Virginia, a town known for a few things including The Barter Theater, The Martha Washington Inn and the unfortunately now defunct Camp Sequoya, famous (to me at least) as the place where my wife and her sisters spent several summers of their youth. Heretofore always a main attraction of the area, Abingdon is now also becoming known as a town close to Chilhowie, Virginia, which is located about twenty minutes further north on I-81.What is so special about Chilhowie, you ask? While I suppose there may be other elements to recommend this quaint, blink-of-an-eye town, there is one thing that must make any contemporary food-obsessed person make a beeline for it. John Shields and his wife Karen Urie Shields, with Tru, Charlie Trotter's and Alinea on their combined resumes, decided several years ago to answer an add seeking a chef to run a restaurant in the middle of this small town. They took the job rather than go to Las Vegas to open the new outpost of Charlie Trotter. Arriving in Chilhowie in January of 2008. With restaurant owners happy to let them cook as they wished in order to make Town House a destination restaurant, the husband and wife team did just that and with an award as one of Food and Wine's 2010 Best New Chefs, the country has taken notice.

Chef John Shields of Town House

To my palate and experience, John, Karen and their team is the most Spanish, non-Spanish restaurant I have experienced in this country. With an aesthetic and sensibility similar to Andoni Luis Aduriz, Joan Roca and Francisco “Paco” Morales, the Town House Kitchen is using the best seasonal and local ingredients to serve exquisitely beautiful and delicious food such as the stunning “Chilled Vegetable Minestrone” with 19 different vegetables cut, rolled and placed on end in a bowl with a vegetable consommé poured around it. Additional highlights included a self-consciously “Spanish” homage entitled “The Orange From Valencia” in which liquid nitrogen is used to make an orange “skin” from orange juice with mussels, marcona almonds, bread crumbs and other delights occupying the orange's interior and a “risotto” of squid that utilized neither rice nor dairy products. Karen's desserts were equally exquisite, employing a symphony of flavors, herbs and textures to achieve beautiful, harmonious and delicious results. Since we were the last ones left in the restaurant by the end of our meal, John & Karen invited our son to help them plate the final dessert course. His ear to ear grin was priceless.

Vegetable "Minestrone" at Town House

Our son was enthralled throughout the four hour dinner, tasting and enjoying each dish as well as the imaginative and successful non-alcoholic pairings prepared specifically for him (or anyone else who would like them). The wine pairings poured for my wife, my sister-in-law (who met us to re-visit Camp Sequoya with my wife) were equally imaginative and satisfying. Both the wine and non-alcoholic pairings were overseen and served by Abingdon native, Certified Sommelier Charlie Berg.

Pastry Chef Karen Urie Shields of Town House

Though not limited to sourcing locally, John & Karen have committed to using the best of what this agriculturally rich region has to offer. While not the easiest place to get to, Town House is worth the journey and with accomodations like their own two-bedroom luxury inn Riverstead or the grand old Martha Washington Hotel to stay in, it can be quite comfortable as well.

We continued our journey to the sea, veering to the southeast to spend some time in the lovely mountain city of Asheville, N.C. It had been a few years since I had been to Asheville and it was a great opportunity to reconnect with some old friends. Asheville has become known as a beer making and beer drinking city, but that is not what we focused on. Instead, we went to a non-descript, self-described “dive” of a restaurant located in West Asheville called The Admiral. Non-descript and divey it may be, but The Admiral has certainly generated a following in Asheville. With food as flavorful as we had, it is no surprise that getting a last minute reservation proved difficult with us having to settle on the uncivilized time of 5:30PM (but at least they take reservations). With bold flavors and a lack of pretense, the restaurant struck me as a southern version of Momofuko Ssam Bar. Keeping the Benton's bacon, but substituting grits, peaches and green tomatoes for the Asian accents of David Chang, The Admiral delivered with dishes such as South Carolina quail with arugula, peach vinaigrette, avocado crema and pickled onion and Sonoma Farms duck breast with heirloom tomatoes, pickled plums, Benton's bacon and blue cheese amongst others.

South Carolina quail at The Admiral

Though not likely to open until late November, we spent a good part of the rest of the evening bringing together our old friends with some newer ones, who were telling us about their upcoming Spanish tapas oriented restaurant called Cúrate (which has me itching to return to Asheville once it opens). With a capable, motivated and seasoned team including the man who was primarily responsible for serving my table with poise, grace and fun during my first visit to elBulli, who will be responsible for running the front of the house and with advice and support from such luminaries as the Adria brothers and Jose Andres, Cúrate has the potential to be a destination restaurant in its own right.

Chef Sean Brock of MacCrady's

From Asheville, it was a hop, skip and a three hour jump straight down I-26 to the sea and Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston is a fascinating, charming and historic old city with plenty to recommend it. The city has plenty of excellent restaurants including ones like Fig, which boasts James Beard award winner Mike Lata running the kitchen, but on this occasion, the purpose was to visit a restaurant that has been on my wish list for quite some time – Sean Brock's McCrady's. What has intrigued me about Brock and McCrady's has been Brock's way of uniting two of my favorite culinary interests – preservation of biodiversity as it pertains to food and the use of creative technique to enhance the presentation and overall pleasure of a dish. Brock considers his style with food as “95% refinement and 5% play,” using various tricks from contemporary kitchen tools to enhance the delivery and sophistication of his dishes. With a farm at his disposal to help rescue and preserve seed stock of such important southern tradition foods as benne (the forerunner of modern sesame), Ossabaw pigs and various other entities, Brock has a kitchen and a pulpit to put them to use. His house-cured 18 month Ossabaw ham was silky and delicious in a way that I had never previously experienced outside of eating the best Jamon Iberico de Bellota in Spain. In the same way, the Ossabaw tenderloin reminded me in flavor of Iberico tenderloin in Spain, both cooked to a wonderfully flavorful and juicy medium rare. Brock is fanatical when it comes to flavor and freshness, using herbs freshly snipped from his herb garden just outside the restaurants entrance because, by using them freshly cut, they retain more of their aromatics and taste better. Brock is just as fanatical though, about preserving the bounty of the seasons, as much of the restaurant's kitchen time is spent preserving meats and vegetables for future consumption through curing, pickling or canning techniques. In the not too distant future, the Abingdon, Virginia born and raised Brock is planning on opening an additional restaurant in Charleston not far from McCrady's, called Husk. This restaurant will be dedicated to serving nothing but southern food, that is to say, food from the southern tradition and food that is grown and raised only in the South. It will be a place where much of Brock's heirloom seed and livestock are brought back to their rightful places of culinary glory.

Preserved parsnips at McCrady's

Sherman wreaked havoc and destruction throughout the South during his march to the sea almost 150 years ago. Additional destruction and devastation arrived in the south as with the rest of the country later in the twentieth century as the rise of modern agricultural practice and large-scale agribusiness  wreaked havoc on Southern culinary traditions nearly eliminating many heirloom products, putting many small farmers out of business and white-washing long-standing culinary traditions. Fortunately, thanks to organizations like The Southern Foodways Alliance and individuals like Glenn Roberts of Anson Mills and Sean Brock, all has not been lost. I am happy to say, that in my march to the sea today, southern food is still alive and prospering with great local product, great creativity and a respect bordering on reverence for the region. Depending on the kind of Southern food one is looking for, there may be different routes to highlight the specific target, such as the Southern Foodways Alliance's distinct culinary tours. I daresay, however, that for fine dining, nary a better path for a week's worth of incredible dining, solemn history and beautiful scenery can be found to surpass the one described here.

Keep your eyes on this blog for more detailed descriptions of my experiences at the above restaurants.

Stella Starr

With my friend Judith Klinger's words that she prefers to go to Pizzeria Stella in Philadelphia for pizza rather than stay in NYC , I had to taste for myself. I since suggested that another good friend try it when he was in Philadelphia and his raves seemed to match Judith's, amplifying my interest even further. To clarify, Judith is someone whose opinions about food, especially Italian food, I take seriously, very seriously. Judith and her husband Jeff live half their year in NYC and half their year in Montone, Italy, where they have successfully opened an Italian restaurant. Judith also keeps a blog, Aroma Cucina, in which she writes a lot and very well about Italian food. I have also dined with Judy and Jeff. They know their Italian food. I also value my other friend's opinion. Individually or together, their opinions spurred me to visit Pizzeria Stella.

On a recent weekend in Philadelphia, a get together with other food obsessed friends was a perfect way to try Pizzeria Stella, Philadelphia über-restaurateur Stephen Starr's foray into the world of Neapolitan style pizza. Stella, of course, means “star” in Italian, which means that Starr effectively named the restaurant after himself. I guess he was serious about making good pizze.

The restaurant, located in a corner building in a lovely part of old Philadelphia, is bright and expansive with plenty of windows opening out onto both streets. A new, adjacent bar makes the restaurant even bigger. The central pizza making station is spacious and centered around a classic domed Neapolitan wood-fired beehive oven with the name Stella tiled in on the oven's transom. The internal fire, off to one side of the oven, was raging when we arrived for an early dinner. A row of bar stools overlooking the workings of the oven and around it stood empty when we arrived.

Our focus was on the pizza, but we decided to warm up our appetites with a couple of orders of arancini, Sicilian fried stuffed rice balls named for their resemblance to “little oranges.” While not quite at the rapturous level of my beloved Ferdinando's Foccaceria or those made by Ana Tasca Lanza at The Regaleali Estate in Sicily, these were still quite good. The size of small meatballs, they were tightly packed with herbs and melted cheese in the center. They were smothered in a good marinara tomato sauce with shaved parmesan (pecorino or especially cacciocavallo would have been more Sicilian) strewn on top. The exteriors of the arancini were perfectly crisp and fried just right. These were compact balls that would not simply fall apart. The rice was al dente, perhaps a touch too much to my taste. The only real flaw of these fine morsels, though, was a relative lack of flavor compared to the virtuous examples cited above. I attribute that to a mildly flavored filling and the failure to use a saffron laced risotto milanese for the rice base. While these were in fact, very good and technically beautiful, I would have preferred a more inherently full-flavored rice ball with less sauce. Nevertheless, they provided a lovely start, as it is hard to find rice balls in this country as good as these outside of a Sicilian-American home kitchen.

We ordered 8 pizze. Unfortunately, I failed to request that they come out in waves. Instead. they arrived essentially simultaneously, one after another arriving at the table in short order. Since we ordered all the pies cut to share, this meant that not all the pies could be sampled fresh and hot by everyone without rushing through each slice.

As much as I would have liked to order every pie on the menu, there were simply too many to choose from, so we had to leave a few to try another time. Of course, we had to order the gold standard of Neapolitan pies, the Pizza Margherita, so-named after the former Queen of Italy. The pie, dressed in the red, green and white colors of the Italian flag, contained San Marzano tomato sauce, basil and fresh mozzarella di bufala blended on a crisply seared crust. The basil was justly applied just before serving preserving its aromatic strength. The buffalo milk mozzarella was soft and creamy and the sauce flavorful without overpowering the pizza. The crust was well charred with an adequate number of bubbles. While the center of the pie was a tad soft, it held up to eating by hand. While I would not say this was the best pizza napolitana I have had in the US (for one, I prefer that of Keste in NYC), it was damn good and would have been worth the visit even if it was the only pie we had.

Thankfully, we had other pies to sample too. Each was expertly prepared with only personal preference separating one from another. From a list of specials we selected a pizza with Squash Blossoms, ricotta, basil, San Marzano tomato sauce, mozzarella and a little chili oil, which gave it a fair kick. As was the case for all the rest of the pizze, the pizza was beautiful with a lot of flavor. Squash blossoms are a great vehicle, but don't generally provide a wallop of flavor, usually relying on an aromatic stuffing within. In the case of this pizza, the flavor came from the other ingredients with the blossoms providing just a subtle component.

The Sausage Pizza also had a kick, this time from the “long hot pesto”, which also added a splash of bright green color to the pie. The kick was balanced by tomato, basil and mozzarella. The Polpette pizza was amongst my favorites. In addition to the sliced meatballs, it contained ricotta, the same tomato sauce, basil and Sicilian oregano. The most aromatic of the pies, no surprise, was the Tartufo, which came with black truffle, fontina, an egg, which was spread out around the pie by the server and parmesan. It was yummy. I expected the Piccante with capicola, aged provolone, crushed red pepper and tomato to be devilishly spicy, but it was no more so than the sausage or squash blossom pizze. Delicious despite being over-charred on one side and the most novel combination, the Pistachio also had red onion (added after the oven), fontina and extra virgin olive oil. Surprisingly, my favorite pie was the Spinach, which came with oven roasted tomato, mozzarella and pine nuts. I shouldn't have been surprised as I generally love that combination and so I did here.

 

While I was not as enamored of Pizzeria Stella as my friend Judith, I did like it a lot. The quality and overall experience is such that it has to be considered one of the better artisanal pizza restaurants in the country, especially of those practicing Neapolitan style pizza. Though I consider it a notch below Keste, correctly timed Grimaldi's (in Brooklyn) and certainly Pepe's in New Haven ( the latter two are not strictly Neapolitan style pizzerias, at least not la vera pizza napolitana), it is most certainly worth a visit for any pizza afficionado when visiting the City of Brotherly Love.

Visiting Vetri

In 2005 in Bon Appetit magazine, Philadelphia area native, critic Alan Richman called Vetri “probably the best Italian restaurant in America.” Having secured a coveted 9PM Saturday evening reservation for four for The Chef's Grand Tasting Menu, which is only offered on Friday and Saturday evenings, I was finally able to form my own opinion.

The premise of The Chef's Grand Tasting Menu, considered by the restaurant to be the epitome of the Vetri experience, is to create “customized multi-course tasting menus for each table...a seamless succession of dishes and wines personalized to each individual's taste.” Each diner is presented a menu, hand-painted by Chef Marc Vetri, based on available seasonal ingredients for that particular evening's dinner. From this menu, with the consultation of the server and the wine staff, the table's meal would be constructed. At the end of the meal, the signed menu was ours to keep. Ours contained a total of 11 savory items and 4 desserts. Amongst the 4 of us, we were served 10 of the savory courses and all 4 desserts, with the specific placement of dishes determined in several instances by preferences cited at the beginning of the meal. The lone savory course omitted was “”red mullet with pepperonata and saffron mayonaisse,” the only fish on the menu.

Vetri, located in a town house in Central Philadelphia, is small, intimate and quite romantic. The dining room is warm and elegant, lending a feeling of being in a stately private home. The service is assured and efficient, friendly, but not overly familiar. With warm earth tones and low light predominating, the restaurant was pretty, but not particularly camera friendly, thus only photos of a few of the dishes came out well enough to present here.

For each course with the exception of dessert and the initial three pronged amuse, which we each received, two different preparations were presented with one served to one member of a couple and the other to the other member of a couple. It amounted to everyone receiving a 15 course meal as my wife and I tasted each other's savory courses and all four of us tasted each of the desserts. Serving the meal this way, saved on dinnerware, saved on plating, saved on wine and saved on time, but it scrimped on elegance, since it is never as elegant to eat from a plate that has already been sampled from. Of course, we didn't have to share plates, but that would have only been half the experience.

The amuse, separated on a long narrow plate into three sections was mostly forgettable, though I enjoyed the bit of pork belly more than the other components, one of which contained foie gras. We were served a glass of prosecco with the amuse.

Sliced Pork Butt with Horseradish and Radish Salad

The first platings from the menu followed a bit after. I received the “Sweet Onion Crepe” over white truffle fondue with Parmesan while my wife received house-brined “Sliced Pork Butt with Horseradish and Radish Salad.” My friend, David and I were the only ones indulging in the wine pairings, so his dishes tended to mirror my wife's, to enable the restaurant to present different wines to each of us. Of the first two dishes, the sweet onion crepe was the more elegant and the more delicious, a conclusion that would have surprised me, had I done the ordering for myself. The pork butt was truly nothing special. Had the pork packed more flavor or nuance, it may have justified its relatively inelegant presentation, but alas, it did not. I was served a glass of Domaine de La Patine, 2008 Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley to accompany the decidedly French feeling crepe.

Snails with Watercress Crema and Crème Fraiche

For the next progression I received “Eggplant Terrine with Salsa Rossa and Marcona Almonds”, while my wife received a Vetri signature, “Snails with Watercress Crema and Crème Fraiche.” Although it was highly processed, I could buy the association of the eggplant dish, which happened to be quite delicious, with Italy, however, not so on the snails, which once again felt more French than Italian. Of course, Italy is a large country with a varied cuisine, so there is plenty of leeway, but still.... Though considered one of Vetri's classics and a signature, I failed to find the magic in the dish outside of its pretty presentation. Flavor-wise, it was surprisingly drab. The Librandi Ciro Rosato 2008 from Calabria, Italy worked well with the eggplant as did the remainder of the pairings, even if none truly stood out as particularly memorable.

Spinach Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Shaved Ricotta Salata

Another signature was up next for me, Vetri's “Spinach Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Shaved Ricotta Salata.” Finally, here was a dish that clearly had Italian origins. To me, what separates the best gnocchi from lesser ones is their ethereal lightness. While delicious, these were anything but light. My wife was served “Cavatelli with Fava and Truffle Pecorino.” A subtle dish, it was lighter than the gnocchi, but unfortunately that additional lightness seemed to come at the expense of flavor.

The level of the food took a significant turn for the better with the next course. The “Porcini Ravioli with langoustines” was full flavored, delicious, Italian and original. I grudgingly gave up half the dish to my wife, but my hesitation soon turned to joy when I tasted the remains of her “Rosemary Pappardelle with Lamb Bolognese.” One of my two favorite dishes of the evening, I now started to get a glimpse of what all the fuss has been about with this restaurant. The pasta was ethereal and the bolognese sublime.

My other favorite dish came with the next and final savory course. A large double grilled veal chop was brought to the table for display before returning to the kitchen for plating and service. I was the beneficiary of Vetri's “Grilled Veal with Chantarelles,” while my wife, who is not crazy about veal received “Baby Goat with Soft Polenta.” I got to eat my entire plating of juicy, flavor-packed veal chop and lovely, earthy chantarelles and still taste the kid. The kid was tasty, but I definitely won with the veal. Vetri's charms were becoming clearer yet.

Unfortunately, my growing sense of appreciation was knocked back with a lackluster pre-dessert of strawberry sorbet with black raspberries. This wasn't bad, it just wasn't anything special. Wonderful things can be done with strawberries and raspberries, but this was far from wonderful.

I've noticed a trend with some finer restaurants when trying to show off their dessert capabilities during degustations. Rather than drawing out the dinner and serving each diner a taste of each dessert, they take the easy and lazy way out, by serving each diner a different dessert and having them share by passing the desserts around the table. That is not so bothersome when the dining partners are lovers or at the least very close friends, but what does one do if with casual acquaintances? Fortunately for us, we were all close friends, so hygiene was not a huge issue, but still it lacks elegance.

Usually, in these situations I wind up lusting after someone else's dessert, discovering one I liked better than my own during the pass around. On this occasion, however, that was not the case. Amongst the “Chocolate Polenta Souffle,” the “Cherries with Pistachio Zabaione,” the “Blackberry Zuppa Inglese” and the “Strawberry Zeppole,” my Cherries with Pistachio Zabaione was the clear winner. Out of the others, the only real competition came from the souffle. The zeppole was acceptable, but the Blackberry Zuppa Inglese was boring and totally forgettable.

Make no mistake, Vetri is a fine restaurant. It is warm, romantic and has fine food, lovely wine and good, professional service. They also emphasize some of the little things that help to make a dining experience special, such as the signed menu, take away muffins and detailed descriptions of the wines. With all due respect to Alan Richman, though, I do not agree that Vetri is “probably the best Italian restaurant in America.” Not even close. While our meal had some notable highs, it had some distinct lows and far too many simply good dishes to justify that sort of accolade or even its steep $135/person price tag (add $90pp for the wine pairing). Overall, I liked my meal, but I can't say that I loved it.

A Moon (Pie) Landing

Moon Pies are a southern snack tradition that started in Tennessee in the early 1930's. Consisting of graham crackers sandwiching marshmallow fluff and coated in various flavors, Moon Pies were a rare treat for this New York boy growing up. My favorite was the “chocolate” coated Moon Pie. While the quality of the chocolate may be suspect and I no longer care for them as I did, my son recently got to try his first Moon Pie, a chocolate double-decker, with an extra graham cracker and additional fluff. I'm afraid that Moon Pies will be only a rare treat for that New York boy too.

Carolina Shrimp

With Gulf shrimp under incredible pressure, it is nice to know that these beauties from South Carolina are still around. Sauteed with garlic, pimenton, white wine & butter, these were delicious!