Campo's and Overpriced Denim

My friend Rudy is one of the few people who can convince me to change planned behavior. That is, if I was planning on not drinking, Rudy can get me to drink. If I'm supposed to leave for somewhere at three and take a train, Rudy can typically convince me to leave at six and drive with him. Rudy also convinced me to shell far too much money out on a pair of designer jeans just because he wanted to go to the jeans store. But they do look pretty good on me... (digression).

Anyway, Charlie's Jeans for Men is located on 2nd and Market...right by Campo's. Now I've always loved Campo's despite their relatively high prices, sometimes surly counter service, and a location pretty much always out of my way, but when in Rome, one should do like the Romans do.

I had my standard Chicken Salad. Their version is homemade (i.e. you know there's actual chicken in there) and the pieces are pretty chunky. There's also a decent amount of celery in the salad. There is, however, far too much mayo, as I still feel my arteries being clogged. I had the sandwich served standardly (with pickles on the side -- no free vinegar cukes here!) with lettuce, tomato on a hoagie roll. I added sharp provolone to the mix. Oddly, their sharp provolone is sprinkled on, leading to a little bit of a mess.

Taste wise, the sandwich was fantastic. Creamy mayo-chicken goodness, crunchy veggies, a soft roll, and a sharp tang from the cheese is about all you can ask for in life. With a soda, this came to a little pricey $10.

Rudy went with the cheesesteak, which he seemed to like a lot. His friend Paul, however, went with something worth discussing: The Stockyard. The Stockyard is a hoagie made with chicken, steak, both american and mascarpone cheeses, bacon, pepperoni, and fried onions. We watched them throw all of the meats on the grill, allowing the fats to meld, as they spread the bread with mascarpone. Then, melting the cheese, they put the entire heart attack on the bread. Now, Paul is not a small guy (he's probably around 6'4"), but he only got about halfway through what he called a great hoagie. On the flip side, when he brought his tray back in to have the other half wrapped to go, there was a big puddle of grease on the table. MMM...fat.

Anyway, Campo's is always a fun option down in Old City... 2nd and Market. Added Bonus? They sell beer.

Wawa Mac N' Cheese: Nothing Comes Closer To Home

A quick post as I've finally deciphered the familiarity of the taste of Wawa Mac and Cheese. Velveeta? No. Kraft Dinner? No, eh. Jones? Certainly not. But Stouffer's? Yes, everyone's favorite microwaveable meal is available already nuked at the Wawa. I cite two reasons:

1) Overcooked elbows: Alone, this is not a valid reason. But neither Wawa nor Stouffer can produce anything even close to Al Dente, resulting in a too-soft noodle.

2) Cream Cheese consistency: You know when you eat cream cheese and it reminds you of peanut butter, in that you can't seem to get the cheese film out of your mouth? And it's tasty, so you just kind of deal, despite being grossed out that your mouth is now enveloped in a coating of dairy. Well, mix that cheese with some canned Cheddar, and you have Wawa Cheese. What it lacks in sharpness or, well, flavor, it makes up for with that certain sense of home. Why does this remind me of home? Because nothing comes closer to home than Stouffer's. Point proven.

What I would give for a 24 hour Whole Foods in Rittenhouse...

The dish that brought me back: under $10 perfection

I'm not the biggest believer in Tampopo. Sure, the food is good enough, but there are better options. Typically I find the chicken a little too dry and the portions a little on the small side. This evening, however, I tasted their gold standard.

To be honest, yesterday I went for some Teriyaki Chicken mainly because it's close and inexpensive. Someone had ordered a Fresh Tuna Bi-Bim-Bop which looked simply amazing -- I quickly developed "order jealousy."

As I walked home today, something was pulling me towards Tampopo. Vic? Not today. Palumbo's? How much Chicken Salad can one person eat? Primo's? Like they'd be open at night. And as I appreciate food as much as the next person, Wawa Mac N' Cheese wasn't going to do it for me. So I walk into the minimalist space, run up to the counter, and get the Tuna Bi-Bim-Bop. Extra Tuna for $2.00 extra. Brown rice. And I wait... and wait... and 10 minutes later, they call my name. In the elevator, I'm trying to figure out how to take a picture of it, as it looks so good, it could be a display piece. Large morsels of rich deep pink floating over a bed of green and purple, red sauce, and brown rice on bottom. Magnificent.

I open up the plastic dish and immediately the smell of fresh tuna and spicy sauce comes flying out of the container. I mix the cabbage, avocado, lettuce, rice, and other greens in this atypical bi-bim-bop (remember, Tampopo is not a traditional restaurant by any means). The taste is incredibly fresh, if not overly spicy. The fresh fish has great bite, and the portion is very generous for $10. The veggies provide a nice crunch, the avocado (a fruit), a nice fatty contrast to the lean fish. Too much hot sauce marred the dish, but not enough for me to lose the fact that underneath that mask was a perfect combination of food.

Full and inspired, empty plate in front of me, I'm back to blogging.

Palumbo's Grill

It’s been a little long since I’ve written. As many of my b-school readers know, I’m one of the writers of Follies, and that was consuming most of my life for the last five months. There’s other stuff too, but that was the largest time sink.

I figured if I’m getting back into my blog, I might as well try to help out the business owner who is responsible for the weight I’m putting on, so that when he loses my business in the next few months (I’m training for my first ten-mile race), there are other customers to fill the void.

Jack Palumbo recently opened up Palumbo’s Grill on 21^st and Chestnut. What appears as a storefront diner actually dishes up fantastic home-cooked food at reasonable prices. I’ve been in there a number of times, so I think it’s best to comment on specific dishes rather than write about the entire experience.

Breakfast:

I’ve only tried the French Toast, but received three thick slabs of cinnamon bread perfectly egg dipped and fried. Frankly, there are many ways to screw up French Toast. They don’t.

Sandwiches:

Sandwiches are all offered “deluxe” with fries, a pickle, and cole slaw. Frankly, the slaw is a little peppery for my taste, and I’m not a fan of dill deli pickles. The fries are pretty standard, and they haven’t ever been undercooked. Sandwiches themselves come stacked high. The chicken salad is quite tasty and light on the mayo, which I like – it’s also enough for two meals. The grilled chicken on a hard roll with mushrooms and cheese was quite filling and a good flavor combination, but I felt that the chicken was a little overcooked and did not enjoy the sprinkling of rosemary.

The selection of sandwiches is rather limited for a diner.

Dinners:

This is where Jack provides value and taste. The first time I ordered dinner, I got the grilled chicken pomodoro (topped with sauce and cheese), served with rigatoni and salad. I got two meals out of it, and probably could have gotten three if I wasn’t too hungry. The chicken was good, but at the end of the day, it’s a chicken cutlet. The sauce had a nice spice to it, and the flavor permeated the rest of the dish. The rigatoni was cooked al dente and quite tasty – not typical for a diner. The bill came to under $11.

I should mention that you get either pasta or choice of two veggies. When I asked Jack what the options were, he had green beans and three types of potato. Hopefully as he’s added business, this has changed.

I’ve also had the Chicken Parm. I’ve never seen a piece of chicken that big in my life. I’m not really sure what breading he uses – it reminds me of a Panko crumb and brought new life to a traditional dish. This came with a side of the rigatoni, as well as a salad and garlic bread. The Caesar Salad served on the side is generous and tasty. Furthermore, the loaf of garlic bread that Jack gave me that night was buttery delicious.

Jack doesn’t have much of a dessert menu, but you won’t have room for it anyway. If you eat in, it’s BYO, but this isn’t exactly a date place. However, a couple of well hidden take out trays, and your guests will never know that Jack cooked dinner for you.

My favorite restaurant in Philadelpiha

There have been several “restaurant renaissances” in Philadelphia. It’s ironic that they’re all called “renaissances,” because in my research on the last 30 or so years, I haven’t exactly been able to find a “dark ages.” Perhaps my native readers can offer some enlightenment. It seemed that my first four years in Philadelphia was marked mainly by the “gourmet BYOB,” with restaurants such as Django and Pif joining the restaurant scene. The current trend seems to be focus on the continued revitalization of West Philadelphia, correlated strongly with my defection from UCity. Granted, with the exception of Pod and Nan, the fantastic 40^th and Chestnut restaurant, not a lot has happened in West Philly in the last 15 years, but it’s coming.

When you think of the remnants of the first restaurant “renaissance” in Philadelphia, there are some shared characteristics – long time waitstaffs, gourmet food done simply and well, and a feeling of comfort in the restaurant – you feel like you’re eating at a restaurant, not a theme park (although sometimes I enjoy this as much as the next person). The restaurant that I think best embodies this spirit is the famed Fri Sat Sun, my favorite restaurant in Philadelphia.

Fri Sat Sun is a funny place. First off, the décor is pretty tacky – and surprisingly similar to that of Japanese restaurant Aoi, but we’ve already discussed that. Neon tube lighting is ample at worst, and the dark space is in use of a makeover. However, that’s where the negatives end, in my opinion.

The service at Fri Sat Sun is exemplary. It’s my understanding that the waiters are all partial owners and this shows. Waiters are courteous, helpful, and gregarious, yet polite. There is such a difference when you experience service by people who have chosen this as a career, rather than as a stepping stone. Each time I’ve been there, I’ve been impressed. This time was no surprise, where my dining companion and I chose to split a salad, and they responded by bringing out half portions on separate plates for no charge.

A nice feature of Fri Sat Sun is their wine policy – all wine is offered at only $10 above cost. This gives you the opportunity to experience a really great wine at a pretty reasonable price. We enjoyed a Napa Cab that was quite good, and would have gone for a lot more at most other restaurants.

And then there’s the food. Simple, yet elegant. I have a few favorites on the menu, first of all being the Dijon chicken. Two chicken breasts are pan fried, and served with a dijon cream sauce. The portion is generous, and a pretty basic chicken dish is made spectacular with a wonderfully tangy sauce. Most dishes are served with haricot vertes and mashed potatoes, and this is no exception. The citrus tuna is also quite good – a large tuna steak is served perfectly seared. Desserts also stand out, with the rich cheesecake and thick mousse cake among favorites. Dessert portions are quite generous.

Fri Sat Sun won’t break the bank, either, with apps in the $7-11 range, entrees from $18-25, and desserts at an incredibly reasonable $5. It’s the combination of great, consistent, reasonably priced food and unbelievable service that make Fri Sat Sun my favorite restaurant in Philadelphia.

www.frisatsun.com

Pardon the Interruption

Minor setback in the blogging due to this thing called school. I'll be back shortly with the following reviews:

• Fri Sat Sun
• Mizu
• Why Au Bon Pain is the worst run restaurant chain in Philadelphia
• Jack's Firehouse
  

The Melting Pot

My sister was in town a couple of weeks ago and really wanted to go to the Melting Pot. For some reason I obliged.

The restaurant itself is fairly pleasant looking - large tables and fairly plain, cookie cutter decor. That's probably where my excitement about this restaurant ends. We start off by waiting about 10 minutes for the Host to find our reservation and get his act together -- this despite the place being empty and our telling him that we were in a rush.

Finally we sit, and the waitress gives us menus and takes our drink order...and forgets my drink. I'll chalk this one up to ineptitude. We pick our choices and the food comes out.

The first course is the cheese course. We order traditional Swiss fondue and a dish called "Wisconsin Fondue:" a mix of cheddar, blue, and fontina cheeses. Now I don't know if this is a requirement for fondue, but the bread that came out was stale. Other than that, this was a decent course -- i mean, you can't go wrong with cheese.

Then the main course comes out. We ordered a vegetarian plate, a fish plate, and a beef plate (there were five of us in all), and ordered both oil and broth as our cooking media. They bring out a number of batters and sauces and show us what to do. I try battering some meat. The batter (of course) won't stay on the meat. I stick the half-battered piece of steak into the fryer and overcook it. Even overcooked, the batter doesn't cook properly (the oil isn't hot enough). So I wind up with some nasty excuse for tempura beef. The salmon, veggies, etc. aren't much better. The nice thing is that it's hard to really truly overcook food in fondue -- it's probably going to stay moist. In few words: this became a meal of sauces, as they were the only way to mask my distaste for basically everything else.

All in all, my take is that this is a gimmicky chain with mediocre food. See, I did promise you some bad reviews...