West Side Gravy, Collingswood, NJ

 I'm signed up for a few of those local deal sites, but I find myself rarely being interested in any of the offers, until this one showed up from Rue Philly.  The deal couldn't be beat - $15 for a 3-course meal.  And the restaurant West Side Gravy was less than an hour away from us in Collingswood, NJ, and served up classic comfort food.

It took us a while, but we finally made it out there on a Friday night.  The place is next door to its more upscale sister restaurant Blackbird, which was packed -- a good sign.

I started out with a salad, knowing that I would help Redneckhunter eat his Mac and Cheese.  That was one perfect mac and cheese!  I think it had the most al dente pasta I've ever had in a mac and cheese -- really toothsome -- the cheddar, gruyere, and fontina cheeses were rich and creamy, and the breadcrumbs crispy.  It was a huge portion, so I'm glad we could share it.  Later was we were leaving we saw a poster for a local mac and cheese competition, at which West Side Gravy chef Alex Capasso was competing.  After having his mac, my money was on him to win it!  My salad was really nice too -- mixed greens with Granny Smith apples, gorgonzola, candied pecans, dried cranberries, and a light bright vinaigrette.

Our entrees were equally yummy.  The chicken was super super crispy, and it came with 3 pieces, so I had enough to bring a doggy bag home.  Redneckhunter got the open-faced turkey sandwich -- which made us nostalgic for grade school cafeteria lunch, only much much better.

For dessert, I got the chocolate peanut butter cup -- chocolate and peanut butter mousse, devil’s food cake, and peanut butter crunch.  Redneckhunter got the Boston Cream Cake.  Luckily the dessert portions were small, because we were stuffed by this point.  The peanut butter cup was the better of the desserts - great flavor and not too rich.  The Boston Cream tasted good, but was just a bit dry.

We definitely decided this place was worth coming back to, even paying full price.  The prices were incredibly reasonable with most entrees being under $10.  And we also thought that maybe one day we'd try the Blackbird next door.  

West Side Gravy
714 Haddon Avenue, Collingswood, NJ | 856-854-3444

Pies n' Thighs, Brooklyn

I have been wanting to go to Pies n' Thighs in Williamsburg for a while. Two things I love are fried chicken and pie, they're pretty much never bad, but when they're good, they are divine.  

So I finally made it for lunch with 1000yregg and Redneckhunter.  Since we were eating with our cousins later that evening (and we wanted pie!), 1000yregg and I opted to share a 3-piece chicken box, and I ordered a couple sides.  The chicken was hot, crispy, nicely spiced - perfect.

Redneckhunter got his own plate -- his beloved biscuits and sausage gravy, topped with cheese and scrambled egg -- called the Rob Evans.  He had to hand it to them - one of the best he's had north of the Mason-Dixon line.





The collards we ordered with the chicken were wonderfully bacony. I think it was the best of the sides.  1000yregg liked the hush puppies - they were little and crisp and light, but I tend to like mine bigger and denser.  Mac and cheese was fine, but I needed to save room for PIE!

We each got a slice.  I think Redneckhunter's was the best - banana cream.  Mine was pumpkin, and 1000yregg went with key lime pie.  Graham cracker crusts were buttery, whipped cream was smooth and delicious -- everything was just the right amount of sweet - fresh natural flavors and not cloying.  

Pies n' Thighs
166 South 4th Street
Brooklyn, NY
347-529-6090

Wit & Wisdom Tavern, Baltimore

We went to the new Four Seasons Hotel in Harbor East in Baltimore for a light dinner at chef Michael Mina's Wit & Wisdom Tavern last week. Upon entering, our first reaction was, "Are we in Baltimore?" With it's large panoramic windows overlooking the water, a large bar area surrounded by fireplaces and couches, and a modern minimal decor, it felt like we were another city.
The kitchen area is open, similar to Woodberry Kitchen, with a wood burning stove in the center. The restaurant was dimly lit while it seemed as if spotlights were lighting up the chefs and food prep area like a show.
I was very excited that pastry chef Chris Ford, formerly of Rogue 24 in DC, was currently directing the dessert menu.

We decided to stick to small plates and appetizers for our meal to save room for dessert.
For out first course, we shared the smoked housemade ricotta topped with roasted eggplant, black walnuts and vinegar. The ricotta was delicate and wonderful. I also had a fall vegetable salad which consisted of beets, squash, parsnips, and Benton's ham.

Our second course consisted of perfectly fried hush puppies made of Anson Mills grits topped with a sauce made of Crystal hot sauce and honey. They were crispy outside, soft inside, and the sauce with it's combination of sweet and spicy just put this dish over the top.
We also shared the roasted brussel sprouts and apples with apple vinegar.
I had a small bowl of the Carolina Gold congee with duck tongue confit, egg, and crackins. It was like a meeting of Chinese and French styles in one bowl. The duck tongues were so good, and the broken yolk mixed with the rice was so creamy and delicious.

We decided to get two desserts to share. First was the "Baltimore Bar" which was a reimagining of a Baby Ruth Bar. It was made with a layer of peanut butter ganache and a layer of chocolate mousse, all covered with chocolate and then topped with pieces of pretzel and candied peanuts. It was a beautiful plate: rich and satisfying with sweet & salty flavors.
Our second dessert was even better. We had the maple custard with orange toffee, bourbon, and almonds. It was reminiscent of a crème caramel with more intricate flavors.
I look forward to returning to give their entrees a crack, but I will always save room for dessert here.



200 International Drive
Baltimore, MD
(410)576-5800

Waterfront Kitchen, Baltimore

I had lunch at the recently opened Waterfront Kitchen, located in a Living Classrooms building in Fells Point, featuring local and seasonal cuisine.
We started with warm farmer's cheese flan as an appetizer. Consisting of goat cheese and egg, the flan was light, delicate and delcious. It came with toasted squash seeds, a schmear of Hubbard squash, and a frisée salad with pickled fennel.
For my main, I had the head-on Marvesta Farm shrimp poached in a tasty tomato nage on a bed of, not grits, but mashed celery root with some boudin blanc chunks. I left no shell or head uneaten.

My friend opted for the vegetable sandwich, which was composed of a grilled cauliflower "steak", roasted mushrooms, and these great pickle brussel sprout leaves on toasted whole wheat. It was a pretty hearty sandwich.
We shared dessert, a chocolate pate, topped with candied fennel sprinkles, creme anglais, cranberry sorbet and a lace tuile. It looked like a hostess cupcake, but the chocolate was smooth and rich through and through.

1417 Thames Street
Baltimore, MD
(443)681-5310

The First Gastronaut Society Dinner at Corner BYOB, Baltimore

Last week, Corner BYOB in Hampden held the inaugural dinner for their Gastronaut Society. The emphasis of the society is an exploration of "exotic meats". Members get a specially engraved knife, and discounts for the special dinners.
When I arrived, before being seated, members shared drinks and some hors d'oeuvres around the bar. My favorite was an oyster topped with pomegranate sorbet and American caviar. It had a pleasant mix of briny and sweet.
We also had asparagus wrapped with proscuitto and small toasts with pate and cornichon.

We were then instructed to take seats in the restaurant. There was no assigned tables, so we were able to sit with other diners and socialize. I liked this idea as I had come on my own. During dinner, we had great conversation and had a fun time sharing the experience of the meal.
The dinner was composed of seven savory courses, and the chef placed feedback sheets for each course that we were encouraged to fill out.
First up was kangaroo tartare with a raw quail egg and rosemary crostini. This was my first experience with kangaroo. It does not have much flavor, reminding me of a very bland lean beef. While I liked the presentation of the plate, it was just an ok dish.
I was happy that the next course took us into the wonderful world of offal. We had cow penis in a vegetable coconut curry broth. The penis had the texture similar to beef tendon or sea cucumber- firm, gelatinous, and it took on the flavor of the broth. While I wished the dish would have been served piping hot, I liked it.

The third course was braised boar cheek on a bed of parmesan truffled polenta covered with a foie gras froth. The cheek fell apart easily, and as you ate more, the foie gras flavor became more evident.
The fourth course was actually my least favorite as it was the least "adventurous". It was a pan seared diver scallop, cooked beautifully, on a bed of Napa cabbage with basil oil, prickly pear, spherical juice, steelhead caviar and a little rambutan.

The next plate was a roasted wild Scottish squab and brussel sprouts with a jerk lingonberry sauce. The meat of the bird paired well with the slightly tart sweetness of the sauce.
The last main dish was antelope loin with a green apple mustard sauce, salsify with Cherry Glen goat cheese, and bone marrow pommes Parisian. The antelope, particularly with the apple mustard was just great. I also liked the salsify. I don't think I could appreciate the marrow in the potatoes though.

The final course was a cheese plate with selections from Cherry Glen. My favorite was the Monocacy Silver that was served with dried cherries. We also had a fresh goat cheese, the Monocacy Ash, and  slightly bruleed Monocacy Crottin.
The next society dinner is in January. Can't wait.

Marquee Brunch at the Creative Alliance, Baltimore

I'm a fan of Blacksauce Kitchen, and their biscuits at the Saturday morning Waverly Market in Baltimore, so when I heard that they were going to be making brunch at the Creative Alliance in town, I could not pass up an invite to go. This was the second time running the event, and the host said they had got out some of the kinks from the first date the month before.
We ordered several items off the "Small Plates" part of the menu to start.
Before those items arrived though, they brought us small biscuits to start. These were not as good as the ones they have on Saturdays, but they were still tasty.
Our first item was an aged rum sticky bun. It had a generous rum flavor to it, and was my favorite of the starters.

The next item was warm beignets with a sweet lime glaze. I wish there was more of the sweet-sour glaze because it was so good.
We also ordered a small plate of their double smoked bacon. It had a sprinkle of pepper and was topped with what seemed to be a homemade ketchup.

We ordered three "Large Plates" and passed the dishes around so we could all try them.
My favorite item was the beef brisket with poached eggs on top of cider braised greens. The beef was cooked beautifully and had a great flavor that was complemented with the greens.
The second dish was the beef shortribs, fried okra pickles and stoneground grits. The beef was nice and tender.
Our third plate was smoked almond French toast with apple compote on a sweet potato shallot hash.
They are planning another brunch the first Sunday in December.

Mémé, Philadelphia

Fried Brussel Sprouts

Grilled Quail

Fougoo, Xtine, and I made a trip to Philadelphia to have dinner at Mémé, chef David Katz's casual eatery located just west of Rittenhouse Square. Fougoo picked the place because of the Ralph Steadman designed logo as well as having read some good reviews of the food.
The menu was seasonal and really simple: starters, mains, and desserts. I love eating out with family because we decided to share everything.
We saw a lot of tables getting the roasted bone marrow, cut longitudinally, served with bread and caper-parsley radish, and it looked good. However, Fougoo had recently had her share of marrow at her recent dinner at Beacon.

Sautéed Veal Sweetbreads

We ordered three starters. First up was fried brussel sprouts that came with a ham croquette all topped with a zesty lemon aioli.
We got the grilled quail served with pickled onions, candied bacon, date purée, and aged balsamic.
The sautéed veal sweetbreads were my favorite of the three starters. They were tender and creamy. It came with roast grapes, mushrooms and a walnut purée.

Magret Duck Breast

We ordered two main dishes. First was the Magret duck breast with chard, beets and a port reduction. The duck was cooked beautifully- it was tender, juicy, and wonderfully fatty. I also really loved the chard and beets.
The "Catch of the Day" was a trout stuffed with chorizo cornbread that was served with an heirloom tomato coulis.

Trout with Chorizo Cornbread

Chocolate Ganache Cake

Heirloom Apple Crisp

We saw all the desserts on the menu and decided to order all three of them. There was a wonderful dark chocolate ganache cake with vanilla gelato and an heirloom apple crisp also with the vanilla gelato.
My favorite was the vanilla panna cotta with port cherries. The texture was smooth and rich, and the vanilla flavor went well with the cherries.

Vanilla Panna Cotta

2201 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA
(215) 735-4900

Roberta's, Brooklyn

Brooklen, LBT, Jude, and I went one Sunday morning to East Williamsburg in Brooklyn to Roberta's for the the weekly NYC ritual of brunch. Brooklen had been wanting to go because he had tried their pizza at Madison Square Eats events.
When we arrived at the address, at first, we weren't sure we were at the right place. The exterior looked very modest, with a very small sign just above the doorway. Inside though, the space was great with long wooden tables, a red wood burning oven, exposed ceilings, a bar, and where we sat, a garden courtyard that looked into a radio studio.

We had to at least get one pizza. Immediately, we knew we wanted to try Paige's Breakfast Burrito pizza. It came topped with tomato, mozzarella, potato, red onion, jalapeño, egg, and Berkshire pork sausage. The crust on the pie was thin, crisp, and a little chewy with a decent char.
We also shared a tasty sticky bun and buttermilk biscuit. Both were scrumptious.

For our main courses, I ordered the fried eggs with beef tongue, salsa verde and potato hash. The tongue was great, really tender and delicate.
LBT got a breakfast sandwich of a hunk of sausage, egg, and cheese on a potato roll. It was a bit odd that they could not scramble the egg for her.

Brooklen got the ricotta pancakes with brown butter and maple syrup. We shared a small plate of thick fatty slab bacon.

261 Moore Street
Brooklyn, NY
(718)417-1118