Happy Halloween.
(Image by AG)
(Image by AG)
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Frank Pepe
Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana157 Wooster Street
New Haven, CT
(Visit their website!)
My dining companion really wanted to try this place so we took a trip into New Haven to see if it was any good. Frank Pepe's claims to be the first place that served pizza in the U.S. OZ said that the plain cheese and plain tomato pizzas were good.
Apparently, this is how one is supposed to judge a pizza. I had the sausage and mushroom one (half) and shrimp with garlic (other half). Pretty decent but not particularly spectacular in my book. The pizzas were a bit greasy but that is to be expected. They gave us really small soda glasses and didn't offer to refill them so I'm led to believe that the sodas are overpriced. That's not fair given that everyone needs soda with pizza. Pizzas came in large metal trays, hot out of the oven. I'll just say that there were plenty of leftovers and those leftovers were terrific. What is it about cold pizza that makes it so good?
Here's the medium mushroom and sausage and shrimp with garlic.
Apparently, this is how one is supposed to judge a pizza. I had the sausage and mushroom one (half) and shrimp with garlic (other half). Pretty decent but not particularly spectacular in my book. The pizzas were a bit greasy but that is to be expected. They gave us really small soda glasses and didn't offer to refill them so I'm led to believe that the sodas are overpriced. That's not fair given that everyone needs soda with pizza. Pizzas came in large metal trays, hot out of the oven. I'll just say that there were plenty of leftovers and those leftovers were terrific. What is it about cold pizza that makes it so good?
Here's the medium mushroom and sausage and shrimp with garlic.Friday, October 26, 2007
Greek Lady
Greek Lady
222 S. 40th Street
Philadelphia, PA
(Check out their website)
This busy hangout for Penn students is also a good place to get lunch or dinner. The restaurant has both a well-lit and stylish inside seating area and a comfortable spot for those who want to be outside. The marble (they look like marble!) counter tops are shiny and attractive while the roasting spits of lamb and beef behind the cash register are just so tempting. They have a grill and cooking area behind that so you can see the sizzling meals as they prepare them. Don't worry, the ventilation is pretty good because the place does not smell of cooking food at all. The place gets excellent marks for atmosphere.
On my first visit I tried the mousaka, which is ground beef with eggplant and mashed potatoes topped with bechamel sauce. This came with a side of lemon roasted potatoes and roasted peppers. Now, the latter is OK but this place has terrific lemon roasted potatoes. I don't know where they've been my whole life but these spuds are just wonderful. The lemon flavor teases your taste buds and then the well-cooked potato just brings it home. The mousaka itself was OK but not spectacular.
My dining companion and I also shared a salad of greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, onions, a hard boiled egg, and stuffed grape leaves. (I believe this was the Greek Lady Salad.) The salad would have been a full meal on its own and we should have known that. I was glad that we ordered the mousaka though because it really boosted the flavor of the meal. The salad isn't their specialty and it was a bit bland. All the meals by the way come with white or wheat pita. At least we had leftovers.
Here's the salad with cheese on the side. Did I mention the shiny metal trays? Classy!
I was really impressed with the restaurant on my second trip when I ordered the T-bone steak. The meat was tender and the blend of the steak with the lemon roasted potatoes, and the green beans (with tomato sauce) was just wonderful.
(Images by AG)
222 S. 40th Street
Philadelphia, PA
(Check out their website)
This busy hangout for Penn students is also a good place to get lunch or dinner. The restaurant has both a well-lit and stylish inside seating area and a comfortable spot for those who want to be outside. The marble (they look like marble!) counter tops are shiny and attractive while the roasting spits of lamb and beef behind the cash register are just so tempting. They have a grill and cooking area behind that so you can see the sizzling meals as they prepare them. Don't worry, the ventilation is pretty good because the place does not smell of cooking food at all. The place gets excellent marks for atmosphere.
On my first visit I tried the mousaka, which is ground beef with eggplant and mashed potatoes topped with bechamel sauce. This came with a side of lemon roasted potatoes and roasted peppers. Now, the latter is OK but this place has terrific lemon roasted potatoes. I don't know where they've been my whole life but these spuds are just wonderful. The lemon flavor teases your taste buds and then the well-cooked potato just brings it home. The mousaka itself was OK but not spectacular.
My dining companion and I also shared a salad of greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, onions, a hard boiled egg, and stuffed grape leaves. (I believe this was the Greek Lady Salad.) The salad would have been a full meal on its own and we should have known that. I was glad that we ordered the mousaka though because it really boosted the flavor of the meal. The salad isn't their specialty and it was a bit bland. All the meals by the way come with white or wheat pita. At least we had leftovers.
Here's the salad with cheese on the side. Did I mention the shiny metal trays? Classy!
I was really impressed with the restaurant on my second trip when I ordered the T-bone steak. The meat was tender and the blend of the steak with the lemon roasted potatoes, and the green beans (with tomato sauce) was just wonderful.
(Images by AG)
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Zinc
Zinc
246 South 11th St.
Philadelphia, PA
19107
(Visit their website)
My dining companion and I had not intended to go to Zinc. While wandering around looking for another restaurant, which apparently no longer exists, we came across this establishment. Pressed for time and hungry, we decided to give the cute looking place a bit of our business. We were not overly impressed.
Zinc - cute enough but we were not impressed with the service or the food.
The restaurant/bistro/bar is charming enough and, for a Sunday afternoon, it was doing brisk business. Unfortunately, the management had not counted on having so many people. Otherwise, they would have had more than one server on hand. The service was slow but we were the lucky ones. There was a patron who was sitting outside, hoping to get some sun and some service. She got the sun but was ignored by the server. She came in to remind the server of her existence at least once and then just gave up and came in to sit inside.
We ordered water with lemon and the server basically ignored us. It was not until my dining companion ordered a beer that we saw service. By the way, the other tables got their beer, drinks, and bread, well before we did. Not fair and we were not impressed.
How was the food? I had the lobster bisque with chunks of crab meat. It was tasty enough, I guess but it was a bit heavy and a bit too creamy. There is no need to overload the diner's system, is there? My dining companion had the Trevisse Rotie Au Fromage, which was basically a roasted radiccio covered with cheese and Saucisson. She said that the Saucisson supplied the salty taste but since the radiccio was grilled and the cheese was melted, there was no balance of tastes. "It was just more salty," she said.
For our lunches we tried to Les Escargots "Pastis". They basically put cooked escargots on top of delicate, cute little puff pastries and topped it off with garlic almond butter sauce. Not a bad dish but not overly impressive either. The rest of the menu was seriously overpriced and I doubt that the portions were large.
Overall, I wasn't impressed with this place. Maybe others who are not in a hurry and just want a place to watch pedestrians while sipping drinks will find Zinc to their liking.
(Images by AG)
246 South 11th St.
Philadelphia, PA
19107
(Visit their website)
My dining companion and I had not intended to go to Zinc. While wandering around looking for another restaurant, which apparently no longer exists, we came across this establishment. Pressed for time and hungry, we decided to give the cute looking place a bit of our business. We were not overly impressed.
Zinc - cute enough but we were not impressed with the service or the food.
The restaurant/bistro/bar is charming enough and, for a Sunday afternoon, it was doing brisk business. Unfortunately, the management had not counted on having so many people. Otherwise, they would have had more than one server on hand. The service was slow but we were the lucky ones. There was a patron who was sitting outside, hoping to get some sun and some service. She got the sun but was ignored by the server. She came in to remind the server of her existence at least once and then just gave up and came in to sit inside.
We ordered water with lemon and the server basically ignored us. It was not until my dining companion ordered a beer that we saw service. By the way, the other tables got their beer, drinks, and bread, well before we did. Not fair and we were not impressed.
How was the food? I had the lobster bisque with chunks of crab meat. It was tasty enough, I guess but it was a bit heavy and a bit too creamy. There is no need to overload the diner's system, is there? My dining companion had the Trevisse Rotie Au Fromage, which was basically a roasted radiccio covered with cheese and Saucisson. She said that the Saucisson supplied the salty taste but since the radiccio was grilled and the cheese was melted, there was no balance of tastes. "It was just more salty," she said.
For our lunches we tried to Les Escargots "Pastis". They basically put cooked escargots on top of delicate, cute little puff pastries and topped it off with garlic almond butter sauce. Not a bad dish but not overly impressive either. The rest of the menu was seriously overpriced and I doubt that the portions were large.
Overall, I wasn't impressed with this place. Maybe others who are not in a hurry and just want a place to watch pedestrians while sipping drinks will find Zinc to their liking.
(Images by AG)
Friday, October 19, 2007
Genazvale
Restaurant Genazvale
Windscheidstraße 14
10627 Berlin
Website
Georgian food is reputedly the very best food available in the land of the bear: the old Russian Empire's equivalent of French food. It is also very hard to come by in the United States; it is most likely to be encountered in Russian restaurants. It would be an exaggeration to say that I went to Berlin to find Georgian food, but my interest was quite piqued when I noticed a listing for Genazvale in my Time Out Berlin guide.
Georgia is a small Caucasian nation with two centuries history of being hitched to the Russian bear. They clearly hope this period of dependency is over now; since the recent "Rose Revolution", Georgia has sought to ingratiate itself with the West. After Britain, it is the largest troop contributor among the "coalition of the willing" (in spite of having only 4.7 million people). Russia has reacted with fury to Georgia's new course, unleashing national embargoes on Georgian products like wine and mineral water.
Russia's loss may be the rest of the world's gain. Georgia, long muzzled by the Soviet Union, is endeavoring to export its wine elsewhere. And restaurants like Genazvale may play a key role, introducing Westerners to Georgian cuisine.
Anyway, on to the food.
I had two meals at Genazvale, a cheery restaurant in the Charlottenburg district, within a quick walk of the Charlottenburg S-Bahn stop.
Genazvale's decor features images of mountains, a few balalaika hanging from the wall, and some paintings of men with Joseph Stalin mustaches (Uncle Joe is, alas, Georgia's most famous son).
I ordered two appetizers. On my first visit, I had some tasty spinach balls. On my second visit, I selected some really delicious eggplant appetizers. The eggplant came sauteed, folded over some walnut paste (Georgian food makes heavy use of walnut) and garnished with parsley. Delicious.
For main courses I had, respectively, chicken in walnut sauce (yes, they do make heavy use of walnuts) and a lamb stew. The chicken came in a tasty sauce, but came unaccompanied by vegetables - the dish was crying out for some onions at least. The lamb stew was delectable, served in a small ceramic container with a kind of inverted bread bowl on top. None of the ingredients were unknown: garlic and eggplant featured prominently, alongside the lamb and potatoes.
Alas, I'm not really a wine person, so I couldn't tell you about the Georgian wines. Order some yourself and pat yourself on the back for spiting Vladimir Putin!
Both meals came accompanied by fresh, tasty bread.
Only once did I have dessert. Here, we were on stranger ground. I ordered something described as a pudding, but it was very syrupy.
All in all, I found my trips to Genazvale worthwhile. The decor was nice. The food was tasty and different, though the ingredients were certainly not exotic and one could detect some similarities with, say, Persian cuisine. If you'd like a sample of a distinguished cuisine, still rare in the USA, this is the place to go.
Windscheidstraße 14
10627 Berlin
Website
Georgian food is reputedly the very best food available in the land of the bear: the old Russian Empire's equivalent of French food. It is also very hard to come by in the United States; it is most likely to be encountered in Russian restaurants. It would be an exaggeration to say that I went to Berlin to find Georgian food, but my interest was quite piqued when I noticed a listing for Genazvale in my Time Out Berlin guide.Georgia is a small Caucasian nation with two centuries history of being hitched to the Russian bear. They clearly hope this period of dependency is over now; since the recent "Rose Revolution", Georgia has sought to ingratiate itself with the West. After Britain, it is the largest troop contributor among the "coalition of the willing" (in spite of having only 4.7 million people). Russia has reacted with fury to Georgia's new course, unleashing national embargoes on Georgian products like wine and mineral water.
Russia's loss may be the rest of the world's gain. Georgia, long muzzled by the Soviet Union, is endeavoring to export its wine elsewhere. And restaurants like Genazvale may play a key role, introducing Westerners to Georgian cuisine.
Anyway, on to the food.
I had two meals at Genazvale, a cheery restaurant in the Charlottenburg district, within a quick walk of the Charlottenburg S-Bahn stop.
Genazvale's decor features images of mountains, a few balalaika hanging from the wall, and some paintings of men with Joseph Stalin mustaches (Uncle Joe is, alas, Georgia's most famous son).
I ordered two appetizers. On my first visit, I had some tasty spinach balls. On my second visit, I selected some really delicious eggplant appetizers. The eggplant came sauteed, folded over some walnut paste (Georgian food makes heavy use of walnut) and garnished with parsley. Delicious.
For main courses I had, respectively, chicken in walnut sauce (yes, they do make heavy use of walnuts) and a lamb stew. The chicken came in a tasty sauce, but came unaccompanied by vegetables - the dish was crying out for some onions at least. The lamb stew was delectable, served in a small ceramic container with a kind of inverted bread bowl on top. None of the ingredients were unknown: garlic and eggplant featured prominently, alongside the lamb and potatoes.
Alas, I'm not really a wine person, so I couldn't tell you about the Georgian wines. Order some yourself and pat yourself on the back for spiting Vladimir Putin!
Both meals came accompanied by fresh, tasty bread.
Only once did I have dessert. Here, we were on stranger ground. I ordered something described as a pudding, but it was very syrupy.
All in all, I found my trips to Genazvale worthwhile. The decor was nice. The food was tasty and different, though the ingredients were certainly not exotic and one could detect some similarities with, say, Persian cuisine. If you'd like a sample of a distinguished cuisine, still rare in the USA, this is the place to go.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Mantra - Entree
Mantra
122 South 18th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(Visit their website!)
The salmon fillet sandwich is a real treat. I was afraid that the bread roll would be too tough and hard but I was pleasantly surprised. My dining companion could not finish the sandwich, so I had almost half to myself. The salmon is well cooked and was neatly wrapped in the roll with greens, green chili peppers, and cilantro. There was also a light dressing that I couldn’t quite identify but it complimented the meal. We had a side order of sweet potato fries, which was topped with a sweet and hot sauce. One problem with order: we were told that we had a choice of greens or fries or something else. My companion ordered the sweet potato fries but when we got the check we found that there was an additional $2.50 charge for them. What’s up with that?
122 South 18th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(Visit their website!)
The salmon fillet sandwich is a real treat. I was afraid that the bread roll would be too tough and hard but I was pleasantly surprised. My dining companion could not finish the sandwich, so I had almost half to myself. The salmon is well cooked and was neatly wrapped in the roll with greens, green chili peppers, and cilantro. There was also a light dressing that I couldn’t quite identify but it complimented the meal. We had a side order of sweet potato fries, which was topped with a sweet and hot sauce. One problem with order: we were told that we had a choice of greens or fries or something else. My companion ordered the sweet potato fries but when we got the check we found that there was an additional $2.50 charge for them. What’s up with that?
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Fuzzy Navel
The Black Sheep Pub & Restaurant
247 S. 17th Street
(17th & Latimer, between Spruce and Locust)
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(Check out their website!)
One problem with Typhoon in Boston. These guys messed up my fuzzy navel. How do you mess up such an easy drink? There's peach schnapps, orange juice, and vodka. To make a great one, add ice. That's all there is to it. Why on earth would the people at Typhoon add Bailey's Irish Cream to my drink? It completely ruined it. Sorry, Typhoon but that's a strike against you. There is an impressive bar at your place but if your bartenders can't make a simple drink, that's not good.
The folks at the Black Sheep Pub in Philadelphia know how to make my drink! Well done!
(Image by AG)
247 S. 17th Street
(17th & Latimer, between Spruce and Locust)
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(Check out their website!)
One problem with Typhoon in Boston. These guys messed up my fuzzy navel. How do you mess up such an easy drink? There's peach schnapps, orange juice, and vodka. To make a great one, add ice. That's all there is to it. Why on earth would the people at Typhoon add Bailey's Irish Cream to my drink? It completely ruined it. Sorry, Typhoon but that's a strike against you. There is an impressive bar at your place but if your bartenders can't make a simple drink, that's not good.
The folks at the Black Sheep Pub in Philadelphia know how to make my drink! Well done!
(Image by AG)
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