Chinese Take Out - Sang Kee

Help! I am desperate for suggestions on decent Chinese food take-out. After craving the mashed beef soup, I discovered that my favorite place, Shiao Lan Kung, is closed on Mondays. Opting instead for Sang Kee Peking Duck House, I was disappointed. Aside from the Peking Duck Rolls, it was not good. Clearly, stick with the specialty here.

The House Special Soup offered nothing special, steamed dumplings, chicken, pork, shrimp and spaghetti-like noodles, which were all then covered with fairly flavorless broth. The Peking Duck rolls, consisting essentially of duck, hoisin sauce and a wrapper (so exactly how you might prepare your Peking Duck entree order), were very good. In fact, you might want to order these instead of Peking Duck, which scared us off price-wise at $20/half and $40/whole. The watercress dumplings, which I mistakenly thought would be wrapped in watercress, were instead stuffed with watercress, along with shrimp and pork. I thought the taste was off, tasting a bit frozen to me, although this seems unlikely given that I witnessed fresh dumplings being moved from the back of the kitchen.

For an entree, we ordered Salt Baked Shrimp, Scallop and Squid (pictured above), in an attempt to satisfy the craving we had for Shiao Lan Kung's salt baked shrimp. Unfortunately, the dish merely provided battered and fried seafood. The scallops were unpleasantly mushy, although it was honestly hard to tell the scallop apart from the squid. Here's the interesting part -- I couldn't taste any salt. The sauteed snow pea leaves with garlic were an equally pale comparison, featuring what was distinctively not fresh leaves with a very mild garlic taste.

The duck was good and a decent beer made everything a bit better, but I'm still left looking for good take-out. Is this a failing of Philly or my own ability to find something? Suggestions, anyone?

Sang Kee Peking Duck House is located at 9th and Vine Streets.

Chima Brazilian Steakhouse

It's no Fogo. When a restaurant with an identical concept opens seven blocks away from the first, comparisons are inevitable. When Chima (pronounced SHEE-ma), another Brazilian steakhouse chain, opened in late May, those of us who enjoy Fogo de Chao (admittedly, another chain), were intrigued -- was the town big enough for both of them? I think the black button sums up my answer.

Having made reservations, printed out two-for-one coupons (something you can do by registering as a preferred customer on Chima's website), we presented ourselves at the front door. On the way to being seated, we noticed the din and, as my one friend put it, the "mess hall" feel. Carpets were vacuumed immediately as diners vacated, something I remember seeing last at ... Denny's.

Then came the service. Or the realization that there may never be service. After ten or so minutes of waiting without anyone presenting themselves, including just to give us water, I asked a man in a suit (who, luckily, worked there) for help. He took our drink orders, promised us water, and told us we could go to the salad bar if we wanted. He also explained the Brazilian steakhouse system, where diners put the orange side of the coaster/button up to have "gauchos" bring you meat on long skewers, and black side up to stop the gauchos from serving.

After we had made it to the salad bar, and ate most of what we got, we had still not received drinks or water or, most interestingly of all, seen our waiter. We began to think that maybe people don't get waiters here. After our drinks were delivered, we asked once again for water and got that. The salad bar itself was okay, with several unusual options like blue cheese mousse and corn mousse, neither of which were particularly good, tending to be less rich but bland. The carpaccio tasted more like a rare cut of roast beef, but wasn't too bad.

Onto the skewered meat. The meat was good, but what I would expect. There was one garlic sirloin offering that was unexpectedly flavorful. No filet mignon was ever offered. The prime rib though, was delicious. Lamb chops, sirloin, ribeye, marinated chicken, and chicken wrapped in bacon all made their way onto our plates. The side dishes -- mashed potatoes, polenta fries, and fried bananas -- left a lot to be desired. The mashed potatoes had been pureed to a thick, gluey consistency and the fries, although once very hot, I'm sure, were no longer resembling anything warm.

At several points, a man who looked like he was a waiter nodded approvingly toward our table. Later, this same man surfaced to ask us if we wanted more food or desserts. Our waiter! At long last! He kindly brought more fried bananas, one of the complimentary side dishes, as a dessert. I should have stuck with that, but ordered the cream caramel, which was oddly firm and not very tasty. I should have known better.

Even with two-for-one coupons, Chima failed to deliver value for the experience. Thanks to the service, the meal amounted to a two and a half hour experience, which was about two hours and ten minutes too long for my tastes.

Chima is located at 20th and JFK Streets, Philadelphia.

Audrey Claire

When it opened over ten years ago, Audrey Claire ushered in Philadelphia's wave of excellent, cozy BYO restaurants. Proud to be living a few blocks away at the time, I dined there frequently, when I could get a table. Although I hadn't been there in several years, I was looking to show off some of the true gems of Philly this past weekend and it came to mind as an affordable, beautiful restaurant, in a great location. While I am pleased to report that Audrey Claire is still those things, the food suffered a few missteps.

We began with a dish I remembered enjoying, the spicy hummus with house-cured salmon and herb-vinaigrette mesclun flat bread. Just as I remembered, it was amazing. The salmon was delectable, with a fresh, rich finish to the taste and nicely balanced against the remaining ingredients. The flat bread was exquisitely fresh and thin, providing the right backdrop to the ingredients.

For appetizers, I ordered an item off the antipasta menu, the beets with truffle oil and caramelized shallots. All of those ingredients sounded pretty good to me, but together, the earthiness of both the beets and truffles was too much. The caramelized shallots didn't cut those flavors enough for balance or contrast. I found it disappointing.

MOR's octopus salad was better, in that the octopus itself was fairly tasty, with a hint of balsamic that nicely offset the grilled flavor of the meat. It was a bit overdone, though, for my taste.

In keeping with my sense that appetizers are always better, our entrees, or "bigger dishes," as the menu names them, were less appealing. Pictured below, MOR's crab cake reportedly tasted like it was once frozen and failed to deliver on the delicious crab cake front he was craving. (This, I should add, supports my theory that Philadelphians don't know how to make crabcakes, although that could be my snobbish Marylander background talking.) My rainbow trout crab florentine was better, but not spectacular. The fish was unevenly cooked and the flavors, while good, weren't extraordinary enough that I wanted to finish the dish.

I still love certain things about Audrey Claire that have not changed: the hipster clientele that remind me how urban and wonderful a city Philly can be, the bustle of the place, even though the din can be overwhelming (and somewhat typical of the BYO scene), and the open kitchen and prep areas. The setting is amazing; the restaurant embodies beautiful weather with its green windows, open to the expanse of the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood corner. Next time, however, I might just stick to admiring it from a distance.

Audrey Claire is located at 20th and Spruce Streets, Philadelphia, http://www.audreyclaire.com/.

Manyunk Brewery and Restaurant

I am not outdoorsey. But in weather like this, the transitional time between summer and fall, all I want to do is be outdoors. Manayunk Brewery offers an excellent venue in which to appreciate the outdoors (at least in the way I like to appreciate it) -- a sprawling, huge back deck, overlooking the Manayunk Canal and bridge that makes for a relaxed, pleasing way to spend an evening.

Its brewery options are pretty good, too. I opted for the Manayunk Lager, an "octoberfest" style beer that was rich without being overpowering, flavorful with a sweet undertone. MFDC went from the lager to the "Schuylkill Punch," a raspberry lager with a 7% alcohol content. It was a bit too sweet for my tastes, even tasting sweeter than an average framboise, but this was to be expected given the description. Manayunk Brewery offers about 6 beers as daily specials, in addition to a few American beers.

Although the menu seems to have been updated, featuring ambitious-sounding entrees, I got the feeling that I shouldn't branch out. Beer pairings are suggested on the menu, but many of the beers were not being offered that evening, which was curious. We started with the crab dip (pictured right, in dim twilight with my apologies). It tasted better than it looked, which was oddly dark for a creamy dip. With notes of Old Bay and hints of lump crabmeat, however, I liked it, although the toast squares had turned more into hard croutons long ago.

I'm sparing you pictures of the Brew House Burger ("8oz of grilled Certified Angus Beef, tomatoes, lettuce and Onions on a brioche, served with beer-battered fries & spicy pickles"), which MFDC reports was very good and my Brew House Cobb Salad ("iceberg lettuce, diced tomatoes, marinated chicken, bacon, hard-boiled eggs, Roquefort cheese and avocado"), which was also good. You probably already know what those things look like. I have no idea why they are called "Brew House," considering the particular take on these dishes was far from novel, but they were adequately executed and tasty.

Not all restaurants are gourmet destinations. But Manayunk Brewery delivers good beer and a great view, a pretty perfect offering this time of year.

Manayunk Brewery and Restaurant is located at 4120 Main Street, Manayunk, http://www.manayunkbrewery.com/.

Parc

Stephen Starr's latest installment, a sprawling, cavernous French bistro, has captured Philadelphia in an extraordinary way. Perhaps it's the location, across from Rittenhouse Square, with plenty of open windows to appreciate the view. Perhaps it's the food, a good mix of expensive and less expensive, casual but trendy, tasty but familiar. Whatever the combination, it's become a tough reservation and the subject of all restaurant conversation in the last month.

Which made celebrating my birthday there all the more fun. Armed with plenty of warning about the din, I nevertheless decided it could accommodate my seven friends and me. It did, comfortably so. Told it was a bit more quiet, we were seated on the Locust Street side of what essentially occupies the space of two restaurants, forming an L around a bar. Starr seems to have toned down the schtick for Parc, instead embracing a straightforward rendition of a French bistro, devoid of neon and unisex bathrooms. The atmosphere was bustling but refined.

The service however, was a little off. Our server had an odd, slow-motion quality to her voice and reiterated twice (over the span of what felt like five minutes) that we should be sure to ask her any questions if we had them. When one of our drinks was wrong, she said, "it would be my pleasure to get you the correct drink," slowly enough to suggest sarcasm, although I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. When served correctly, all of the mixed drinks were delicious except for the Gingembre, a gingery mix that was way too strong for my tastes. The Citron Glace was a wonderful play on lemonade and perfect for the weather.

All agreed that the appetizers were amazing. From the Pissaladiere (a goat cheese, caramelized onion and nicoise olive tart, pictured first above) to my warm shrimp and avocado salad (pictured second), served with a lemon caper beurre blanc, they were dead-on for concept and only slightly off for delivery. My shrimp were overcooked, a disappointing misstep. Note the handsome "Parc" plates, a good sign that Parc may be around for a while. Many folks got the grilled sardine salad, with roasted tomato, arugula and parmesan, which was reportedly very good (I am, sadly, scared of the oily whole-fish nature of the sardine as a concept, but I support my friends in their passion).

The entrees were equally French, interesting and tasty. I ordered the roast leg of lamb with creamy polenta. The lamb and accompanying sauce were sublime. The polenta achieved a gelatin-like creaminess with the addition of what must have been cheese. Spread rather thin on the platter, it had dried out a bit, but did taste very good. I tasted my Chocoholic Friend's Coq Au Vin (the "plat du jour" for Sunday) and was impressed with how the richness of the red wine had permeated the dish, making it both homey and special simultaneously. The Moules Frites were delicious as well, although my chiles rellenos friend opined that the fries could have been better (although neatly served in a small, silver bucket). VBF's Poulet Roti was also deemed to be delicious.

Not to be missed are Parc's raw bar offerings. My Funniest Friend Ever (FFE) decadently ordered the lobster, which was a fun spectacle to receive and done to his liking. With an extensive offering and (my favorite) two sampler options, this section of the menu is sure to draw me back on a hot summer day.

The desserts weren't as spectacular as I would have expected but seeing as they did, after all, involve things like puff pastry and chocolate, I was still pretty happy. The profiteroles (kindly topped with a birthday candle) were very good, although the ice cream seemed to detract from the pastry flavor a bit. Served with its own small pitcher of chocolate sauce, however, I can't really complain. The baked chocolate mousse with a raspberry sauce was as delicious and decadent as it sounds. The tarte tatin was reportedly equally good.

Surrounded by great friends, in a beautiful setting, being served delicious French food, I couldn't ask for more.

Parc is located at the corner of 18th and Locust Streets, Philadelphia, http://www.parc-restaurant.com/.