Box 3 January 29

Box 3 January 29
Originally uploaded by Andyrob

This weeks food box from Abel and Cole seemed a little ordinary in some ways, without any major star such as an extra large swede or celeriac. There was a packed little punnet of alfalfa though. and the potatoes made a lovely potato salad with lots of garlic mayonnaise.

Dragon Beard Candy

Dragon Beard Candy
Originally uploaded by Andyrob

Gerard street in Chinatow. What does Dragon Beard Candy taste like? Sweet I guess.

Solaris Grille

Lately, TPB and I have seemed to miss the "morning" part of our weekend and find that it's mid-afternoon before we finally venture out, thus whittling our restaurant options to those happy places that accommodate such non-conforming folks who want a good meal between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m.

Solaris Grille is just such a place, one of the few places in Chestnut Hill that seats you at 3:00 p.m. Foregoing our initial sushi preference, I was pleased to find that Solaris's sunny icon appropriately conveyed its restaurant sense -- a light-filled, refreshing cafe. A nice antidote for a wintry afternoon.

Our server was wonderful, nicely attentive and helpful with choices and options. The menu itself offered a good selection of cafe food, and although we strayed from the heavier items, all seemed appealing.

We started with the mussels, served in a buttery wine and garlic sauce. The sauce, which tasted mostly like butter, was of course delicious, especially with bread, butter's natural companion. (I have to add that the bread, while fine dipped in melted butter, tasted a bit like Wonder Bread's take on the dinner roll). The mussels, however, tasted less than delicious and were quite salty. Nevertheless, we managed to finish them off.

Continuing with our appetizer strategy, we had ordered the boneless chicken wings (hot) and the scallops wrapped in bacon. Honestly, I'm not sure I need my chicken wings to have bones. Having famously refused to finger paint as a child, the less I get my hands dirty, the better. The wings had a great mix of spice, sauce and breading and, best of all, my hands remained free to sample other foods. Which included the succulent scallops wrapped in bacon, done to perfection in a way that was surprising and satisfying. Served with a generous helping of salad, this would be the perfect appetizer to share at dinner.


We finished the meal with what sounded like a winner -- the Lobster, Crab Claw and Avocado Salad. (While the picture appears to be taken ... in heaven, the lens was likely a little buttery). In any case, the half lobster came stocked with tail meat, and a small tower of crab and avocado salad (prepared with lemon aioli) was served alongside. This dish fell a little short for me. The lobster, while still being lobster and therefore good, was a bit rubbery in its coldness and the salad, offering perhaps the biggest portion I've ever seen for such ingredients, missed the mark. Perhaps it was the crabmeat (I'm from Maryland and many crab preparations here miss the mark), but the taste felt less than fresh and the strong lemon flavored enhanced, rather than contradicted, my suspicion. Although tasty, the "lemon aioli" binding was too generously applied.

Would I go here again? Absolutely. It's the perfect place to take a visiting mother, get a soup and sandwich combination, or grab something light that's not boring. It also fits nicely on a lazy afternoon while strolling through Chestnut Hill. Speaking of which, while you're there, please try Chestnut Hill Coffee Co., across from Borders (and skip Starbucks!). The espresso is magical.

Solaris Grille is located at 8201 Germantown Avenue, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, 215-242-4200 (and is open generally from 11 am to 10 pm except on Friday and Saturday, when it's open until 11:30 pm). Chestnut Hill Coffee Co. is located at 8620 Germantown Avenue.

Trio

Trio plays to its strengths. It's a cute BYO with neighborhood appeal. The decor and service are cozy and professional and its menu has remained largely unchanged allowing one to develop favorite items for which to later crave. The food is not cutting edge or expensive, nor would I be up to returning to a cutting edge restaurant multiple times. And I've certainly visited Trio multiple times, since it's located in my own backyard (practically). Which is how I arrived there this week, with a neighbor friend in tow, both of us looking for something fulfilling but casual.

Opened almost two years ago by Tom Jamavan, Michael Poole, and Van Chau (hence, "Trio"), the restaurant offers Pan Asian cuisine out of corner brownstone in the heart of the art museum neighborhood. Its consistent menu is supplemented by daily specials, all of which seem fresh and, in fact, "special." Its recent expansion to its successful take-out business is delivery and for this, I will always be grateful.

But the atmosphere still remains a draw to the restaurant, with one of the owners usually present to greet you and remember repeat customers. I am one of them, I admit. I have the appetizer menu down -- am I in the mood for the scrumptious, delicately fried Beggars' Pouches filled with shrimp and crabmeat, swimming in a light dumpling sauce, or should I stick with my standard chicken satay with slightly spicy peanut sauce and a cool and tangy cucumber relish? I have gone crazy with the sweet corn fritters (a Pan Asian take on comfort food) or the innocuous but pleasing steamed seafood dumplings. I've also heard good things about the Lemongrass soup, but have steered clear due to its spiciness.

Last night, I succumbed to my favorite entree, the Tamarind Lacquered Pork Chop. Lightly basted in the tangy "tamarind lacquer" and topped with green onion, the chop fits the bill on a cold night. Often, I order the Pad Thai, which also offers a reliably tasty, fresh preparation. I tasted my friend's Basil Chicken last night, which she cautioned to order "not spicy" so the chef does not over-pepper the chicken, and found its basil flavor fresh but not overpowering.

Trio has recently added a dessert cooler, filled with tempting options that we somehow managed to resist last night. The meal ended on a perfect note -- the owner asking if we would add ourselves to an invitation list for an upcoming event for neighbors. I couldn't be more pleased Trio's lasted these two years.

Trio is located at 2624 Brown Street, Philadelphia, PA. Photo of Beggars' Pouches by Philadelphia Weekly.

Dining In - Amada

There are many reasons I love living in the city. Among the top of them, however, is Dining In. A service that delivers food from restaurants throughout the city to your door, Dining In allows you to enjoy both a quiet evening at home and good restaurant food. Sometimes, it's perfect. Other times, you realize that waiting an hour and a half for slightly cold and now overcooked food was maybe not the best choice. Or you wonder whether Genji is giving its Dining In patrons the less-than-fresh sushi. Or maybe, as in my experiment with Amada, you're grateful for the food, but you realize a larger portion of the true experience is being there.

Which brings me to the next and most obvious point. See picture. That's Amada's wonderful "mixto" plate of meats. Certainly quite pretty for a "prepared food," it is infinitely more fun to receive this at the restaurant, accompanied by a server explaining each meat. Amada, like many of the Stephen Starr restaurants recently added to the Dining In roster (Pod, Jones, El Vez) offers much more than food as part of your dining experience. As I mentioned in my review of Pod, I know that the atmosphere often enhances the food and certainly the experience.

Nevertheless, Amada's food is amazing, something we already knew, but now we also know it travels well. The relatively simply beef brochettes, with garlic lemon and parsley, retained their medium rare interior and tasty subtle topping. The Entrecote a la Catalana, sirloin with spinach, membrillo and goat cheese, was topped with pine nuts. The membrillo had melted with the spinach, providing a rich sweetness against the tart cheese. Feeling as though I needed something traditional, I also ordered the Gambas al Ajillo, or garlic shrimp. I didn't need it. It offered shrimp, garlic and butter, a less exciting dish from a more creative kitchen. My favorite perhaps, was the Albondigas, lamb meatballs with shaved manchego. These meatballs, perfectly seasoned, were swathed in a velvet gravy that offered the richness and flavor of foie gras.

Even with my reservations (excuse the pun) that I wasn't seated at an expansive wood table set with minimal candles against white curtains, being treated well by a waiter, watching celebrities go by, I have to confess that my favorite part of eating this wonderful dinner was that I was in pajamas watching some ridiculous reality television show. Sometimes, it's nice to set your own atmosphere.

Dining In is available online at www.diningin.com.

Mission Grill

Mission Grill achieves the rare accomplishment of being within a block of my job and offering good food. In the "corporate district" consisting of the four to five blocks radiating north from 18th and Market Streets, there are little to no exciting options for dinner, aside from the Four Seasons. Mission Grill has remained largely undiscovered, however, which is a shame. Having eaten there several times for lunch, I tried dinner and was pleasantly surprised.

Nicely lit, offering more booths than tables, Mission Grill is inviting and warm, albeit a bit corporate still. The wait staff managed to be simultaneously kind and cool. Featuring tequila, wine and mixed drinks, the bar list was extensive. The lime margarita I ordered, although served somewhat strangely in a water glass, was quite delicious.

Armed with a margarita, we settled into the happy booth, far from the miserable cold, and dug into the "special," which has been offered each time I've visited: the guacamole/salsa appetizer. Mission Grill's guacamole, a dish often hard to find fresh, was perfect. Big chunks of avocado with the right mix of tomatoes and spices provided the right accompaniment to what tasted like fresh nachos.

Despite our being among the few diners there, the kitchen delivered the goods for dinner. The center cut pork chop with chipotle sweet potatoes and summer vegetables was done to perfection, offering a hearty portion. The sweet potatoes, mashed to fluffiness, contained a mild, pleasing kick. The summer vegetables, a throwback to the seemingly unseasonal menu (which offered a summer gazpacho as well), were done well. My friend ordered the salmon and easily substituted a side, which is always a nice option. Having ordered it well done, however, it arrived medium rare, a dicey trick for salmon.

My lunches there have ranged from boring to quite good, once I learned to avoid such items like the chicken caesar wrap (rather predictably boring) and lean instead toward the Totopos Seafood Salad, filled with crabmeat, shrimp, avocado, and jicama. I could also see lingering over drinks at Mission Grill's long wood bar. All in all, I remain hopeful that Mission Grill catches on just enough to stick around, but not too much that I would be denied a booth.

Mission Grill is located at 1835 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA, (215) 636-9550.