Archive for the Out-of-Town Category

I recently had the opportunity to dine at Zahav Restaurant in Philadelphia, PA, home to tapas, Israeli style.

The tapas concept works well with many different cuisines, including this primarily Mediterranean-style menu. Many of the flavors were new to me. In fact, several pickled vegetables and exotic spices came to the table. None were too piquant or strong in flavor, but each was savory enough to contribute to a new flavor palette that I found both refreshing and inviting.

The dish pictured above features some of flavorful condiments, and the featured dish was a combination beef/lamb meatball. Each of our choices from an populated list of dishes was delicious, from cheese, to the buttery hummus, and the meat dishes like those meatballs.

Almost everything came with a touch of flavor on the side, like preserved lemon, which made each tapas the more deep.

Service was very kind, so much so our waiter almost every time left the table walking backwards, saying “Thank you kindly…” I remember it so, that I wrote it down in my notes from the trip.

If you’re a fan of small plate meals, with variety and out of the ordinary flavors, I couldn’t recommend Zahav more.

On a recent trip to the nation’s capital, we had the opportunity to dine at an attractive time at Citronelle by Michel Richard.

We’ve yet to see Chef Richard there in the kitchen, but this was a second trip; our first is quite memorable and well-regarded. This time around, there were some signature repeats, and many new touches.

We opted for the tasting menu, called Le Promenade Gourmande, since we sat down at 6 PM. We had the time.

• Amuse of seafood, oyster shooter and salmon tartare
• Split Pea Soup, Coteccino
• Virtual Calamari Risotto with Lobster and Crab
• Halibut in Lobster Broth
• Lobster Burger with Chips fried in Clarified Butter
• Lamb chop, in jalapeño-cumin sauce
• Short Rib, braised 60 hours
• Cheese course with Shiraz
• Egg-ceptional Lemon Meringue
• Pear Vacherin with Muscat de Beaumes de Venise 2007
• Petit Fours

The amuse arrived at the table, lit dramatically with a special plate embedded with LEDs. My beloved companion thought it was tacky, I liked it. This was an outstanding dish, the shooter included a cucumber water that was bright green and ever refreshing.

The pea soup had thin slices of an Italian pork sausage, and it perfumed the dish. Salty and scrumptious.

The Calamari risotto reminded me of the dish done at Town House in Chilhowie, but this was so much better. Other seafood added texture, and the “sauce” that made up the risotto was deeper in flavor.

The halibut was disappointing; the sauce was to die for, but the fish, as the first time, comes across a little too dry. At this point, the portions are getting larger, and in retrospect, I could have skipped this course. But give me that sauce in a thermos anytime.

The lamb was so succulent, so well-cooked. The sauce was intriguing. Again, the portion was generous. Getting… full.

The short rib is cooked sous vide for anywhere between 40-70 hours (each time, you’ll hear different lengths, I think it depends on the day). This is a delicious piece of meat.

The cheese course was nice, but again, with a full stomach, I could have saved this for another day. Their bleu was the star, reminiscent of chocolate!

The star dessert was the lemon meringue which was stuffed into a white-chocolate shell, to look like an egg. Whimsical, delicious. White chocolate and lemon curd = a good match!

The pear was another meringue creation, this time dried out, and painted with food dye powders. It was really beautiful, and I loved cracking the shell to see what was inside. This was visually stunning.

Petits fours = eh, I could have skipped this. I was over-stuffed.

Kathryn Morgan did an excellent job with wine pairings, although nothing compared to the Turley Zinfandel they served the last time I was there. The most outstanding was the 2004 Margaux, from Chateau Rauzan-Gassies.

Both times we’ve compared this to The French Laundry. Keller’s restaurant beats Citronelle on service, I think, which isn’t to say we weren’t served well at Citronelle. But everything at the FL had less personality, I have to say. The food was outstanding, but it lacked rough edges or punches. The flavors offered from Chef Deshaies menu at Citronelle simply seemed amplified. Flavors are more robust, more extrovert.

And the FL doesn’t offer wine pairings.

This is serious eating with serious prices - but for a special occasion, it’s still in top form, I think. Take two courses out (the halibut and cheese), and package to-go those little sweet snacks at the end, and I think you’d shore up a long promenade into even more perfect meal.

If sitting for 3.5 hours through 10 courses seems like torture, the other entrées which come in larger portions looked very appetizing.

Citronelle is located in the basement of the Latham Hotel in Georgetown, at 3000 M Street NW. Recommended!

While in Washington, D.C., I visited the Jefferson Memorial when it was close to lunchtime. Closeby, the Mandarin Oriental hotel loomed above, and I found myself in the dining room soon thereafter, at Sou’Wester.

I understand this space used to be an Asian-themed restaurant, but what it is now is hard to discern. It was a bright, inviting place, and everyone who cared for us was kind and attentive.

But I can’t say I’d ever say it was time to go back.

Complaints about the former place included small portion sizes and bad service. We experienced nice people, but the service was entirely too slow. Now, I’m all for conversation and time to relax from life’s hectic pace and all of that. But this isn’t called the “Zen Lounge.” The odd name of this place indicates strong wind. Fast service would be appropriate.

I tried some of their cooked oysters, and each was delicious. Presentation was nice, too.

Then we waited. Sure, they kept bringing these small biscuits and small corn cakes with butter, but… where was the food??

When my dish finally came, baked eggs with onions, chorizo sausage, and cheese, it was delicious. But it was overcooked. 4 slices of toast came with the two baked eggs and I know they’re used to “soup up the sauce of the egg yolks.” There were hardly any runny yolks; the eggs had been too-well cooked.

The chicken sausage sandwich came on a cute bun, but the side salad was small. And that was it. A little tiny sandwich, which ultimately was too salty.

My companion asked for a bottle of Coke, after seeing another customer order one. They came back to us with a brown bag. “Here sir, is your bottle.” He looked inside the bag… inside, an empty glass bottle of coke.

“What is this?”

“A bottle of Coke.”

“There’s nothing to drink?”

“Oh, did you want a coke to drink?”

“Sorta. If it’s not too much trouble?”

This place had at least 4 different staff walking around and checking on the dining room. Yet, how many folks were making the food? You were paying MO prices, for sure, and with small portions, confused service, and a long wait on mid-day Saturday, I can’t say I understand the urge to return.

On the other hand, Cityzen has never disappointed. The service is congenial, but it’s also attentive, and the food comes at a very reasonable pace. Sadly, I can’t recommend Sou’Wester based on my one visit.

Since it was warmer in town today, I actually thought of eating ice cream, which, with the recent snow, never crossed my mind. Ice cream is something I find interesting in culinary circles, because it’s something almost everyone likes, and likely because it’s so popular, so many styles and flavors are available.

Go into a supermarket today (okay, maybe an upscale one), and you’re likely to find a variety of different types of frozen treats. Note, I’m not talking flavors, but just styles.

• Ice Milk
• Ice Cream
• Gelato
• Sorbet
• Frozen Yogurt
• Sherbet

And who knows - there are also now variations with goat milk, soy, organic this and that, whipped varieties, etc. Which just goes to show - at least in the U.S. - ice cream is a big deal.

So someone asked me: “Why is it now, on your second trip to Paris, did you have to go back for the ice cream?”

Yes, on a cold, November morning, I got a triple-scoop of ice cream from Berthillion, and ate it happily with the wind in my hair. I had a hat on, so the wind didn’t bother me in the least. But I did return home with a nasty cold.

First, you should understand, many books on Paris tell you about this place, so my first trip, I had to try it. I mean, Ina Garten raved about it, and I generally trust her taste.

Second, the place is kind of cute. It’s located on the Île-Saint-Louis, the smaller of the two islands in the center of Paris on the River Seine. In fact, it’s positioned about dab-center in the island! It’s closed in August, when it’s hot, and yes, it’s open in the morning on cloudy, cold November mornings. And no lines!

I read that Italian ice cream may beat this out, but having not yet traveled to Italy, I can only speak for this stuff versus all those choices I mentioned above. First, texture is first rate. It’s a firm ice cream, but not necessarily as firm as the stuff in some of those small pints we have. It’s also extremely creamy and rich. Delicious stuff. But the real win is the complexity and weight of flavor. This is serious ice cream, and my favorite non-fruit flavor is the salted caramel. “Yum-O!,” I think I dreamt Rachel Ray yelling. (No, I didn’t really have a dream about Ms. Ray eating this ice cream, but you can sort of hear that voice of hers saying “Yum-O!” whenever you choose to write it out on the computer.)

Their ice cream can be purchased at a few satellite locations, and in select cafés. But it’s not available here, and I love that it’s still a family business. And yes, that ice cream was so good, should I get the opportunity to return, I’ll go for more. Just remember - there’s nothing called Berthillion in your grocer’s freezer here in the U. S.

Please note - two trips - one each per trip to Paris - really isn’t that bad. I’ve yet to buy my own ice cream machine (I’m looking for a self-freezing model the day I get a bigger kitchen that can accommodate it), so I really don’t get to try my hand at creative ice cream making. But I know this recipe might be the first I try.

One of the neatest looking things to eat is a Parisian macaron, a cookie, if you will, but one made of two lids made of egg and almond, and a sweet filling. I find them adorable to eat, and when I went to Paris in 2009, I tried some from Laudurée. They were good, but not necessarily outstanding. (My first sample came from Laudurée in Harrod’s, in London.)

This time around, we visited the store of the guy currently best known for his pastries: Pierre Hermé.

Just look at the concotions! Don’t you want to sample each one?

And there they are, down the line a bit, the macarons! We visited the store in the 6th, just across the street from the St. Suplice church.

As you can likely make out from the signs, Hermé is into some interesting flavor combinations, each one scrumptious.

I’m not sure how you’re really supposed to eat these - but I took the box back to my hotel and enjoyed them in solitude. Each one bursts with flavor, each a delicate sweet sandwich. Chocolate, tea, passion fruit. Caramel.

There are so many pastries to enjoy in this city, but don’t forget to try the macarons.