Saute

Wade's Take:

April's dinner was Saute, a fairly new restaurant on Front Street, South of South Street. It was a neighborhoody place, filled with babies and regulars and oddly next door to a funeral parlor. The menu changes regularly, so it will likely be vastly different even a week from now.

My app was a hamachi ceviche. The hamachi (a young yellowtail) was thin cut and stacked sideways with citrus slices. Two dots of smoked avocado puree flanked the appetizer, and the entire thing was dusted with cilantro. The grapefruit pieces overpowered the hamachi. Granted, the hamachi is light, but it was completelty overwhelmed by the fruit. The smoked avocado pulled the flavor of the dish back down from sweet, but this appetizer still didn't land perfectly.

We shared a charcuterie plate among the five of us (howdy, Chris and John), which had a fantastic chicken liver pate with a lid of clarified butter. I couldn't get enough of this - I would even brush my teeth with it if that were somehow possible. The rest of the charcuterie plate was moderate. There was some sliced, rolled meats that reminded me of cheap pepper loaf.

Sticking with poisson, I ordered a bronzino for my entree. Served with the skin, it was cooked really nicely. It sat on a fontina fondue that had a cheez whiz cousin type texture. Atop the fish was brocolli rabe, red onions that were peppered and sweet, and pine nuts. What it was missing was a starch... maybe a bit of some coconut rice type substance.

Dessert was the milk chocolate mousse served in a phyllo cup alongside berries. There was much phyllo to get through once the mousse was finished, probably too much. The mousse was good, though - milky smooth and with a nice distinctiveness from the normal dark chocolate, bitter mousse most places serve.

The staff was what truly bumped this place up a notch. I really liked the cast of characters that worked there, including our waiter, the owner and the chef. By the end of the night, we had spoken extensively to all three. They were eager to hear feedback on the plates and tell us about future menu and space plans.

Food - 2.5 out of 4
(Staff - 4 out of 4)

Dave's Take:
Saute is a great neighborhood dining spot and the folks in Bella Vista are lucky to have it. No tourists from South St, no duck tours driving by. Just a nice comfortable place to have a good meal at reasonable cost.

To start, we shared a Charcuterie plate. This was really a pate plate with a few slices of mediocre cured meats. Since I believe charcuterie plates were sent from the heavens and serranos, prosciutto, lomo's etc., are the top of the food chain, I was a little disappointed here. I'm not a huge fan of pate but I can appreciate it when it does not taste like cat food. I must admit, the duck pate was excellent but the charcuterie was disappointing. Unless you are a pate fanatic, stay away from this.

For my personal app, I got the special duck meatballs with apricot cream. This was fantastic. The duck meatballs were rich, tender and delicious. This is what regular meatballs unsuccessfully strive to be. By themselves, they may be too rich but the tartness of the apricot cream cut the fat of the duck and resulted in a very nice dish. From the tastes of my compadres, it was the highlight dish.

Main entree was the grilled quail. Quail is one of my favorite of the game birds and is head and shoulders above the bland but popular chicken. This was seasoned with salt, pepper and herbs, split in two and accompanied but cherries and a puree. The bird was tasty and tender with nice flavor and similar to the duck, the cherries added a nice tart acidity. The puree was pretty bland (even though it was full of butter/cream) and brought down the dish. Would have been much better with a wild rice risotto or similar treatment. Overall, a solid performer.

Agree with Wade. The people make the place. The food is good and creative but hit or miss and flat on occasion. It could just be that the food is finding its place since its a new opening. If they can improve consistency and match the food to the service, this will be a home run. If you live in Bella Vista, take a walk over and give Sauté a try.

Attention- We noticed a liquor license application. Go before they get it approved. The place is way too small for booze and it will just increase the cost. I hope it does not ruin it.

3 fowls out of 4

Jess' Take:
I won't spend too much time on the Charcuterie plate since Wade and Dave did a nice job. I will say that if you're a pate lover go for it, if you're a cured meat lover steer clear. I am a pate lover so I was very pleased.

I went with the special black cod served with fennel. Nothing to write home about. The fish, while cooked well was a little tasteless. It was divided into two even, square portions, which sat happily atop the bed of fennel, which was much more tasty than the fish. After trying Wade's bronzino I had wished that was my main dish. Ah-well, next time I suppose.

Being a lover of brussel sprouts I ordered a side for the table (translate: for me). It was served with diced prosciutto and truffle oil. While that combination is enough to make even veggie lovers swoon, the brussel sprouts were just this side of ripe, and as a result had a bit of a hard, sour taste to them. Luckily proscuitto and truffle oil are pretty overpowering tastes, so unless you were really trying to taste the brussel sprout this dish was delish.

I give Saute 2.5 out of 4 artery clogging pates. I'll give it another go so long as it remains a BYO.

Supper

Jess' Take
Last night we hit Supper, a cozy and welcoming restaurant at 9th and South. The restaurant was actually a last minute decision. We were originally planning to hit Memphis Taproom, but the group decided we just weren’t into greasy bar food and beer so Supper it was. We started the feast with a charcuterie plate, complete with a variety of pates and mousses. It was delicious, especially the duck prosciutto. It was also the first time that I’ve had boudin blanc and I have to say, although a little scary looking – very tasty. Our waiter was not shy with the bread (and as a result I have a special place for him in my heart).



For the appetizer I broke tradition and ordered the same thing as Dave, the smoked butternut squash soup with cinnamon marshmallow and sage. It arrived in an oversized bowl with what looked like a schmear of fluffanutter along the inside that was just browned with a kitchen torch. Although I’m not a big fan of anything too sweat, this was a perfect combination of sweet and smoked spice. There were bits of cooked apples at the bottom of the dish that added just a little tartness. It was delicious.



Unfortunately I cannot say the same about my entrée. I ordered the chili dusted skate with crab, mango, red onion and yellow mole. The presentation was impressive, but the fish was way over spiced and the crab salad atop was very cold and would have been more at home atop a bed of green with a creamy dressing. The mole, which is one of my favorite sauces, was disappointingly flavorless (is that even possible?).



Although I was pretty full at this point, I couldn’t resist ordering a selection of cheese for dessert. I was very glad I did. I can’t recall the exact cheeses, but they definitely included a goat and a guere. They were served with smoke paprika crisps and some local honey that was out of this world.

I really wanted to like this place – and I did, aside from my main entre. It was great when the chef came out to see if we liked everything (luckily I didn’t have to lie at that point) and our server was friendly and not pushy. Would I go back? Probably. The soup was good enough.

I give it 2.5 out of a possible 4 schmears of fluff.

Dave's Take
Jess did a great job of describing the app and the soup so I will just expand on my entree.

I ordered the slow roasted pork belly with spiced yams, greens and pineapple mustard. The pork belly was great. Seasoned just enough to accentuate the flavor, it was rich and tender just like pork belly should be. Fantastic. The pureed spiced yams were good, but really heavy on the cream and butter. This made them too rich for my taste, especially since it is being served with pork belly after all, and masked the great natural flavor of the yams. The greens were crisp and tasty and maybe gave it a little health benefit? (OK, maybe not). Overall though, I was very pleased.



I was a little apprehensive on ordering the dessert. First, I noticed the inconsistency of the previous dishes. Sure, I was lucky but my compadres were slightly disappointed. Next, my cholesterol was already peaking since I just had, charcuterie, a creamy soup and pork belly. But I was outvoted so we ordered the cheese plate (which I mostly avoided) and split a dense chocolate cake (big surprise). It was good enough but this standard dessert was lost in my memory with so many others. Nothing to expand on here.



I loved the feel of Supper- comfortable and just trendy enough. The staff was not pushy, helpful and very nice. The chef made a effort to talk with the guests which was a really nice touch. The prices were reasonable. The entree's were inventive and creative. If they could only consistently execute the taste, this would be one of my favorites. As it stands now, I'll give it a 3 out of 4 tasty piggies. I certainly want to give it another try.

Wade’s Take:

January’s dinner brought a last-minute switcheroo, as we ended up going to Supper instead of Memphis Taproom (I pledge to thee, Memphis Taproom, we will grace and thrive in your beer selection soon). The advantage to this change in plans is that I didn’t have time to read-up on Supper, get online advice for what to order or find out anything about the chef. I was going in blind… no room for potential bias.

The appetizer course involved us ordering Dave and my old pal, the charcuterie plate. This one included a boudin blanc, country pate with pistachios, pickled okra, shoestringed spaghetti squash, duck prosciutto and an odd, somewhat pickled brussel sprout. The pates were right up my alley, and would be worth ordering again.

It was hard for me to focus, though, as I was having a love affair at the table with the complementary breads. I should have been complementing them. Garlic-infused and whole wheat breads, combined with their homemade supple and creamy butter, were tremendous.

I hardly ever order a special. I’m always suspicious. Is it leftovers they are trying to dump on unwitting customers? But I strayed from my norm, and ordered a Tuscan white bean soup with croutons and a whole egg on top. Let’s see… random seemingly leftover ingredients, an abundance of salt, oddly textured… is this Drexel’s cafeteria on a Sunday at lunch? Honestly, the soup was fine. It needed an exotic, tanged twist at the end to finish its straightforward flavor. Plus, during the whole bowl, I was enviously glancing over at my friends’ (much better) soups as they licked the bowls clean.



My small plate was the short rib with pearl onions, cheese polenta and some greens wispily coated in not enough horseradish oil. I agree with Dave, the short rib was surprisingly not as moist as would be expected. The pearl onions were superb, but the polenta was beyond strong. The overdose of salt, creamy buttered richness and intense flavor were too much. I expected Supper’s dishes to be more subtle, but after the soup and then this, my palate was overwhelmed.



Then, a phenomenon happened that I very much equate to a dissatisfying meal. Jess (also disappointed with her meal) and I revisited the bread and butter, left on the table from our first course. My belief is that we sought out the beginning of the meal again, when we had been happier and full of hope. Or perhaps we just wanted to bring balance back to our tastebuds after the mild unpleasantness of our dishes.

The dessert course was superb. I had a dense chocolate cake with dulce de leche on the side that was perfect. The cheese plate was excellent as well. Jess picked a gruyere that I am still thinking about, some 12 hours later.

Dave’s review will be more favorable, and his dishes were good. I think he may have a bit of a prejudice, though, as he ate tiring travel food (at hotels, airports) all week prior to the meal at Supper.

Two out of four butters.

Post script – I did try Memphis Taproom, finally. Not as good as I thought! I really wanted to like it, but ended up with greeeezy food that, although delicious and high-class bar food, wouldn’t lead me to wander back to Fishtown.

Distrito

Dave's Take:

Jose Garces has done everything in his power to make me not like Distrito but I just can't do it.

Jess put it perfectly. Continental Midtown and El Vez had a steamy interlude one night and out popped Distrito. I was surprised to see it wasn't Steven Star. It had all the annoying traits like an abnormal amount of hostesses that do nothing (thank god they're attractive) and a very pre-fab, chain looking interior that's trying too hard to be FUN. Absolutely did not share any of the classy and enjoyable aspects of Amada or Tinto.

Now I know this is an attempt to celebrate the street food and culture of Mexico City and it supposed to be a fun place and located near a college campus, blah, blah blah, but at my 3rd "enjoyment" of Sweet Caroline sung in Spanish by the lone roaming mariachi singer, I almost couldn't take it anymore (you can also enjoy My heart will go on, Hotel California and other "hits" multiple times during your dinner).

On to the food. It was great with one exception- the Camerones Ceviche. This was shrimp in a martini glass covered with a tomato sauce/salsa that tasted like cheap store bought salsa (the generic one without real veggies). It was very disappointing. The other Ceviche, the Atun, was awesome! Thin Tuna slices in a sweet and tangy coconut sauce with a hint of spice and some lime sorbet to tart'n it up. Very tasty.

Now, Tapas-style food is hard to write about because you get so much but luckily, its easy to enjoy. I'll concentrate on some highlights. The Bone Marrow- came out last and was a tasty treat. Marrow roasted in the bone served with accoutrements that included a Bacon Marmalade that I could have just eaten on its own. This is a sinful dish that is not American Heart approved, but it did win mine. Not as good as Ansil's (one of the best things I have ever tasted), but not a bad alternative. Huaraches is apparently Spanish for pizza, or flat-bread or something like that. Before I knew that, I decided to order the Guisados Huarache because it had short rib in the description. It was very good. Tender short rib with a BBQ type sauce that was rich, salty, smoky and overall fantastic. I also order the Tamales. These were good but were overcrowded by the rest. Steamed corn Tamale with a cubed pork sauce that was eaten quickly but not discussed about much. Special shout-out to the Crab special Jess got but I'll let her go on about that.

You can skip dessert, the Churros were good but probably not worth the calories that could have been consumed on another tasty Tapas. Same goes for the molten chocolate cake. It was good, but not great.

This will be a very successful endeavor. The Penn crowd is certain to flock like 2nd graders to recess and you can bet it will be their favorite place for mommy & daddy to pay. If I'm in the area, I'll be back but probably may not venture out to U-City just for a trip here.
Food gets a 3 out of 4 masked wrestlers. Overall experience notches it down to 2.75.

Jess' Take:

Since Dave was so thorough I’ll stick to the good & the bad (I think the ugly was sufficiently covered). The good: bone marrow… mmmm… Served in the bone, the experience of scooping it out is almost as enjoyable as the rich flavor. The portion size was sufficient for three people and we had a bit of a fish & loaves experience… it seemed to never end. When I asked for a doggie bag for the bones the server didn’t even flinch. Benson was one happy dog when we got home.

Another good: the rabbit mole. This dish was not the typical pulled rabbit that we’re so used to seeing, but actual pieces of rabbit meat, which needed to be cut with a fork and knife. Also very tasty and flavorful – although not a huge portion size.

Our server told us that we would be full with 2-3 plates per person but she obviously didn’t know who she was dealing with. We were satisfied after three plates/person, but could have easily ordered more. And should have – which brings me to the bad: dessert could definitely have been skipped. For all the effort and care put into each of our dinner plates, our dessert was disappointing. Maybe “bad” is a little harsh, so let’s just go with “not worth it.”

Over all a good food experience – the atmosphere is a different story.

Rating: 3.5 out of 4 happy dogs.


Wade's Take:

My eyebrow raises in concern. I’m having trouble focusing on what I eat. I’m sitting across the table from my fellow Philly Food Bloggers at Distrito, the latest in a chain of restaurants produced by Jose Garces. You may have heard of him; he’s the guy that’s created the masterpieces of Amada and Tinto. Both of these places are built on the concept of those teeny little taste sensations, tapas.

But my eyebrow still raises because I can’t pay enough attention to the details of what I’m tasting. I’m over-stimulated by Distrito’s colorful ambiance. It’s a fun joint, with lots of loud chatter and spastic energy. There’s a mariachi guitar player in the corner, belting out Spanish love songs… er, wait… nevermind. He just started singing N’Sync’s “This I Promise You,” mariachi style. I try to focus back on my food and what topical conversation we’re having. It’s hard. Distrito’s spaz-tastic nature is a trigger point for anyone’s latent ADHD.

But then I remember that if I have one skill in life, it’s eating. And that is what I’m there to do. We dive through round after round of Distrito’s tapas. There was a hamachi taco that was standard fare but overall unremarkable. Then there were the camarones ceviche… tsp tsp tsp… what’s that taste? Ah yes, ketchupy tomato paste with (clearly once frozen) shrimp, avocado, and plantain chips. More courses ensued, but some days later, they clearly aren’t that memorable.

I do recall the Tuetano. Incredible. Long hunks of beef leg bone roasted hot. What comes inside? My favorite. Bone marrow so soft you can scoop it out with a spoon. It’s accompanied by tortillas, bacon marmalade (heavenly), onion, jalapeno and cilantro. It was a solid dish. Ansill’s bone marrow still wins the ribbon, but Distrito buts up a good fight.

Dessert was molten chocolate cake – standard fare, served with avocado cream and lime sorbet. These were odd pairing that didn’t tango well in my mouth. We also ordered the churros with coffee ice cream and hot chocolate. This pairing was illustrious. Fried dough, chocolate and ice cream… how could you go wrong?

Beyond the wall of Mexican wrestler masks, past the mini car table in the lobby and further than the swing seats and glowing specials signs… there’s a restaurant in the midst of the Distrito circus somewhere. It may just not be worth finding.

Flash forward to one or two years from now. I’ll be sitting at a table at Distrito. It’ll be the first time I’ve been back since the original Philly Food Blog visit in September of 2008. I’ll be taking part in some birthday celebration, networking event or some such festive endeavor where the atmosphere matters more than the food. That’s why you go back to Distrito… not the food, but the spaz.

Two out of four repetitious mariachi guitarists.

Rae

Wade’s Take:

I don’t know what to think about Rae. It’s a schizophrenic place in a bustling, city setting. The food was as good as I expected, but I never felt comfortable inside its high-ceilinged, too new atmosphere.

It’s odd to be in the “best restaurant in Philadelphia” and hear 80’s music at the bar, and to have your dining companions be people strapped with luggage waiting for the Keystone train to Harrisburg. With the prices and the commuter patrons from across the northeast corridor, I felt as if I should have been dining with some small-talking, booze-loving business partners and expensing the whole deal on my padded corporate expense account. Alas, I have no padded corporate expense account, and my friends the fellow Philly Food Bloggers make no small-talk (thank god), but do love booze (from Thursday – Sundays only).

It wasn’t comfortable inside of Rae. I felt like a sniper could pick me off at any moment from one of the surrounding walkways, and the table was crowded. I hate crowded tables. It all truly made me feel that I was at the airport, waiting for a flight, not at Philly’s next great restaurant. Now that I’ve established that I’m a whiny prick, I’ll get to the real important part, the food.

The onion soup set my hopes high. The soup was textured with carmelized onions and a deep, hearty broth. It was good on its own, but amazing with its plate-side friends. Served with the onion soup were parmesan crisps and a rich onion fondue. Delectable. Had I not been in the company of my classy, sophisticated fellow PF Bloggers, I would have considered lifting the fondue vessel high above my head and letting its hot cheesified contents pour straight down my gullet.

For my entrée I ordered a beef tenderloin with braised short rib and marrow ravioli. I made a mistake by eating the small braised short rib (that was an accompaniment only) first. It set my taste buds dancing. The meat crumbled underneath my fork. A softer meat I have yet to know. Digging into the tenderloin afterwards was a disappointment, compared to the short rib’s success. The frenchie-french flavors in the reduction were done perfectly, but my meat was a cool lump of normality. The marrow ravioli sounds much cooler than it actually is in reality (although the thought of eating bovine stem cells made for a pleasant [albeit untrue] feeling of immune system enhancement).

The white chocolate mousse? Not my favorite dessert – but I am a victim of advertising. I see the word chocolate (white or not) and I still expected some hints of brown mocha on my mousse, or perhaps some flecks of dark cacao. What came out from the kitchen was a sweeter, albino version of my expectations. Did I still eat it all? Absolutely.

Did I mention expensive? I dropped a lot. Much more than usual. And then $22 to park in the Cira Center? Pshaw. Next month the PF Bloggers might have to eat at a diner to make up for lost cash. Maybe there will be real chocolate there.

Waterworks Restaurant

With this post we begin our true rating of Philly restaurants. Yes, we've been going to a new restaurant every month for three years, but here is the great moment where we officially crown ourselves Philly Foodies! Please don't discount the posts previous to this post, they are honest and true, if not a little sparce and lacking of detail. Enjoy and EAT ON!

WADE's take -

It’s 9:00 pm, an hour after my dinner at The Water Works. I’m sitting at my laptop, stuffing hard pretzels and sweet bologna slices in my mouth. Why am I snacking right now? I’m not full from dinner. Why aren’t I full from dinner? Because I didn’t lick my plate clean, let alone even finish my entrée. Hungry an hour later? That’s a true sign I didn’t dig a place.

Tonight’s dinner at The Waterworks wasn’t exactly a wash. It was a good meal, and a great locale. The location screams for happy occasions of all Philadelphia sorts. It’s easy to imagine the multitude of marriage proposals, graduation dinners, bridal showers and out-of-town parental visits filling the tables. In fact, it’d be perfect for all of those things. The Waterworks just doesn’t make my list as a spot to sample the best of Philly’s cuisine.

The water menu was overwhelming – we basically randomly selected what we’d be drinking (whatever it was – it was bubblicious, crisp and quite good).

The famous octopi were not available that night for an appetizer. We were crushed. Instead, I ordered lollipop lamb chops. This dish was worthy of being an entrée. The lemon-mint yogurt sauce was vibrant and refreshing. The lamb was tender and brimming with it’s own juices. Delicious.

I ordered duck for my entrée, like always. I’m not sure why I keep ordering this bird. It’s a risk every time you order that it’ll be a typical chunk of duck smothered in over-sweetened demi-glace or sauce a l’orange. The duck wasn’t bad – but the sweetened mashed potatoes put it way over the top (not to my liking).

Dessert led to a gain in points. I’ll let Jess talk about that more. Basically it was chocolate, crème and nutmeggy deliciousness.

I will go back, and when I do, it’ll be for dessert and drinks at the bar, and maybe another try at ordering that famous octopi.

Rating:
3 tentacles out of 4.

JESS' take -

Not fabulous, at least not what I was expecting. Especially because we couldn't wait for this restaurant to open... hey, its walking distance. Worth mentioning is the dessert. Delectable, wonderful and chocolaty. I'll second Wade's dessert and drinks at the bar, but not another dinner.

Rating:
2 tentacles out of 4.