LOS SERAPES

Mexican food, done properly, is a mini vacation South. When Two was a kid her parents took her to Chi Chi's for Mexican. Two always ordered the Chimichanga...a deeply deep fried melange of chicken and cheese and rice...no wonder Two shopped in the plus size department at Sears. When Two was a kid her Midwestern born and raised mom brought home a new product made by Old El Paso that provided all of the ingredients for a "taco". Two still remembers being sick to her stomach after that meal. Then Two went to Mexico and had real Mexican food in the Yucatan. She was served Mole that someone's grandma taught them to make and green "gravy" and red "gravy" pooling all over a plate of homemade refried beans and rice with a cooked to a state of no cutting necessary flank steak shoveled into the mouth with a homemade tortilla, followed by flan. Finding that food is not at all impossible here in the Delaware Valley, however finding the deep fried Chi Chi variety is equally easy and not always easy to avoid. Los Serapes in Horsham did a great job of transporting Two to a Mexico to which she had been and One to the one he imagines and will someday experience. The menu is typical. Guacamole, Seviche, Empanadas, Flautas...all the dishes you will recognize. What sets this place apart from the Chi Chi's of the world is that the vegetables are all fresh. The seafood is fresh. The dishes are creative. There is someone cooking in the kitchen who understands traditional Mexican food and at the same time enjoys adding a creative touch. One had Cocktail Seviche, which consisted of grouper, baby shrimp and scallops marinated and cooked in lime and orange juices. The ingredients were marinated in a tangy tomato sauce with olives, avocado and cilantro. It was served with homemade corn tortilla chips. Very good. As a main course One had the mole. It was excellent. It was homemade. Authentic. Two had the Carne Asada “Estilo Tampiquena”...grilled Filet Mignon strips accompanied by spicy cheese enchiladas, rice, re fried black beans, mild rajas poblanas, guacamole and homemade pico d’gallo. It was wonderful as well. Along the way One and Two sampled sipping Tequila from the Tequila menu. There is something about a really good tequila that can transport the sipper right to Mexico. Of course that same tequila can transport the sipper right to a hangover, so be careful with this menu. Oh. The restaurant is...yes...in a little strip mall. The quaint decor doesn't start until you get inside, but once there you will enjoy a mini Mexican vacation.

TAKASHI

Japan and France meld seamlessly into the delight that is Takashi. Tucked into the Chicago neighborhood of Bucktown in a small two story house converted to a charming restaurant, chef Takashi Yagihashi provides a transcendent dining experience. The Chicago neighborhood of Bucktown, according to popular theory, got its name in the early 1800's as a result of its largely Polish population's interest in raising goats, the male of which is called a buck. Now it harbors one of the largest communities of artists in the Midwest...along with numerous bars, galleries, and restaurants such as this one. 

We walked into the house~restaurant and were greeted by the staff. No attitude. No cross looks. No I am better than you are and do I really have to take that rag you call a coat...Yes. You sense attitude. The boutique, micro portion, attitude driven restaurant model gets on Two's nerves. Our waiter, by contrast, was warm and helpful in a there when we needed him and invisible when we were enveloped in our mini nirvanaesque cloud of delight that the atmosphere, food, and wine created for us. 

Like many menus these days, this one is designed as a tasting menu with smaller portions. However, the portions are not so tiny that they evaporate on the way to one's mouth. The menu is divided into small hot and cold dishes, main dishes, and dessert. Some sound distinctly French, like the Trio of Pate, while others like the Autumn roll are distinctly Japanese. When Two thinks of Japanese food, fish and wasabi come to mind. Sit down in a French bistro and wine reductions with meat and potatoes comes to mind. Red wine...saki...wasabi...herbs de provence...tofu...foie gras...oil...water...and yet, chef Yagihashi works magic combinations with the disparate ingredients and techniques of these two distinct cuisines. 

Two ordered Autumn Roll which was a great combination of textures. Smoked Salmon and Caviar, Apple, Crispy Baguette, Haricot Vert Mustard Caper-Golden Raisin Vinaigrette melded together beautifully. One ordered Chilled Fresh Homemade Tofu Oba Leaves, Green Onion, Bonito Flakes, Wakame, and Umami-Ginger Soy. The consistency of the tofu was unlike anything that will ever grace your grocers shelves. It was light with a gentle taste of soy and worked perfectly with the little piles of things dancing around it on the plate. 

One could hardly bring himself to share his Soy-Ginger Carmel Pork Belly with Pickled Daikon Salad tucked into steamed buns. Momofuku in New York serves a similar dish and that was the best thing we ate there last summer. Our waiter informed us that there is a bit of a friendly competition over whose is best. Well, Mr. Yagihashi, we think yours is. The Seared Main Skate Wing with Japanese Mushrooms was amazing as well set atop a creamy but light cauliflower risotto. Two ordered the Sautéed Maine Scallops and Soba Gnocchi. Oh man. Talk about finding treasures in unexpected places. Every piece of gnocchi Two has ever had has been a mere carrier for some kind of sauce. She found this gnocchi hiding under a foam covered scallop. They were delights all on their own and then to be nibbled with scallop and the foamy sauce they were transcendant. 

Dessert was outstanding. Somehow One and Two managed to stuff that in too. As Two sits writing this she wonders if this chair will continue to hold her expanding posterior. Get out the running shoes. In the meanwhile if you find yourselves in Chicago, DO NOT MISS TAKASHI.

One and Two give Takashi

C~HOUSE CHICAGO

One and Two are away for a few days. Friends were so excited when Two announced an upcoming trip.

"Oh how exciting! Which bikini are you taking? Where is One taking you?"

"Well, actually I am packing my warmest coat, gloves, and two pairs of boots."

"Are you nuts?"

One and Two arrived in Chicago. And yes. It's cold. It's windy. What two better reasons to pack in the carbs? Ten floors down from the room in which One and Two are staying is C-House, the award-winning celebrity Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s highly acclaimed restaurant designed by Arthur Casas, a Brazilian architect. The room is big and airy but has a nice sense of intimacy created by the warm wood tones and the coffee table design and cook books that are sitting around when one sits down to eat. Diners can order from the menu or they can select a tasting menu. There is also a tasting menu paired with beer. 

One and Two chose to order from the menu. The first thing placed on the table was warm, homemade brioche style bread. Inside the delicate aromatic puff of yeasty delight were little warm buds of cheese. Well, it's cold in Chicago. Why not eat two brioche loaves the size of large softballs...with warm cheese inside? Two lightened up and ordered 6 very fresh raw oysters from the C-bar, the restaurant's raw bar. They came with a great house made smoky tomato relish and did not fail to deliver a quick mental trip to the ocean. 

Two is constantly wondering why One keeps telling her that bringing tupperware to restaurants is tacky...but this sauce was amazing and so much went back to the kitchen. Tomorrow's eggs were screaming for it. But no matter. One keeps Two in line. One ordered Octopus Terrine with a fennel and satsuma salad with bacon aioli. Wow. It was outstanding. Imagine the smooth melt in your mouth pure pleasure of sweet cream butter but replace the flavor with octopus. It was outstanding. The aioli was a perfect compliment. 

As an entree One ordered Poached Sturgeon wrapped around peekytoe crab, fennel and pickled crab apple. It tasted like the bottom of a muddy river...in a good way. The fish was not overwhelming but definitely had the distinctive flavor of sturgeon. The fishiness was lightened by its pairing with the fennel and apple. Two ordered Scallops perched on parsley root, golden raisins and brussels sprouts. The dish was well presented and tasted great but nothing terribly unusual or breathtaking about the concept.

Like so many restaurants these days the food comes on large plates in small portions with even more amusing dribbles of sauce wrapping around the plate. It seems that some chefs recognize that in every grown adult is a little kid who just wants a big plate of mashed potatoes. Mr. Samuellson addresses this need with his offerings of sides that arrive family style in cast iron dishes in quantities to satisfy any inner child's needs for something to go with the increasingly decorative entrees that are offered. The brussell sprouts in balsamic vinegar were decent, though One's are better. But the Polenta...oh the polenta. It was loose and light and just outstanding. Had there been any left, Two would have dumped it into the zip lock she had used on the airplane for her lip gloss. 

In fact, the little girl in Two wished she had left the scallops on the raw bar and ordered the mac and cheese. Now that would have been a meal paired with the bread...

BISTRO ONE

Crisp, buttery Baby Bibb lettuce with homemade Danish blue cheese dressing and a hint of lemon is a really wonderful way to begin a romantic Valentine's Day meal. Dry aged Delmonico steak tied into a beautiful well marbled round, seared in a hot cast iron skillet with sauteed button mushrooms and young green onions, and placed in a hot oven to finish to a perfect medium rare with a wine and butter reduction sauce settled next to buttery spinach and baby potatoes is an equally knockout followup. Two simply swoons to recall the beautiful plate placed before her in Bistro One.

JARRETTOWN HOTEL ITALIAN RESTAURANT AND BAR

Obviously the whole restaurant review process is subjective, particularly when the reviewers are not only considering the quality of the food but the decor, the staff, and the overall gestalt of a dining experience. Certainly there are some aspects of the experience that are more objective such as the freshness of the vegetables or the quality of raw fish. But this review, we will warn you in advance, is among one of our more subjective. 

The food at the Jarrettown Hotel isn't bad. Of course if you tell your wife her new haircut "isn't bad," you should probably duck. It is an "Italian" restaurant. The quotes here signify an overall theme to the menu, but not, in our opinion a true taste of the cuisine of Italy. This is where Two gets opinionated. Drive down the road and look around you in this bucolic Bucks~Mont neck of the woods. What do you see? Is there much of anything left in its pure state? Look at the Mc Mansions being built. The Tudor styled mock colonial country french melange that passes for some taste of Europe or Early American style. One and Two drive by a restaurant in Willow Grove that bills itself as an American French Fusion Asian Bistro. What on earth is that? These restaurants and houses and malls are all like a Disney world illusion...like the land of make believe. 

The once classic stone inn that houses the Jarrettown Inn is still stone. There are parts of its original charm left inside. But what dominates is high end mall decor. It is restaurant design on suburban steroids. Think granite and brass. There is nothing Italian other than a Chianti or two. There is no stepping across the thresh hold to Italy. But sadly, the limbo is complete because there is no sense of the Inn's history either. Then open the menu. Italian 101. 

Any restaurant calling itself Italian first needs to realize that bread is life and life is bread. Bread should be fresh. Sometimes bread should be warm. Bread should never ever be tough, dry, and stale. You guessed it. The bread was tough, dry, AND stale. And there was no olive oil to resuscitate it in. 

One ordered the antipasti. There was nothing bad about it, but nothing memorable and nothing that wouldn't be available at your local market. The Caesar salad that Two ordered with grilled shrimp was not bad. No complaints other than again, nothing special. Two ordered the salad as her entree but the waiter brought it with the antipasti which made for too many vegetables spread across the bar. Then much much much...much later the waiter brought the pasta that One had ordered after the Caesar was long eaten so that One ate his meal solo. The gigantic bowl of pasta was topped with what was making a valiant effort to pass as fresh tomato sauce. The main dish took so long to arrive that dessert was out of the question. 

In some settings the ambiance is so pleasant that waiting isn't such a chore, but when the decor, menu, and food are conspiring to send the diners into the same nether world as Two enters when she even gets close to a mall, most pass. We are sure that many will like this place. After all, if there weren't demand for twice removed from their sources cuisine and architecture, then places like this wouldn't be so popular as witnessed by the full dining areas.

BISTRO ONE

Last evening the menu at Chez One offered pan broiled monkfish with a saffron shallot butter and white wine reduction that was cooked and seasoned to perfection. The only edible portions of the monkfish are its muscular tail and its liver. The tail meat of the monkfish is excellent. It is dense, sweet, and very similar to lobster tail meat in both flavor and texture.The fish was tender and juicy with a bit of browning from the broiler. The chef had procured fingerling potatoes that were more fingernailling in size. They were served with butter and chopped parsley. The thin skin gave way crisply between the teeth to the warm, starchy interior of the potatoes. Sauteed fresh baby spinach in garlic and Portuguese olive oil completed the plate. The meal was wonderful. The sweet, lightness of the fish was enhanced by the white wine sauce. The elements of the meal were simple, yet artfully arranged on the plate...the atmosphere quiet and unassuming. While Two ate hers, One explained the homely appearance of a monk fish...even that did not deter Two from soaking every bit of the sauce up from her plate with the Olive bread. What a delight on a Tuesday evening. Bistro One is highly recommended.

MT.FUJI JAPANESE SEAFOOD & STEAK HOUSE

Sushi originated in the 4Th century BC in Southeast Asia as a preserved food. Cleaned, salted fish was preserved by the natural fermentation of the rice in which it was stored. This Nare-zushi was taken out of storage after a couple of months of fermentation The fish was eaten and the rice was discarded.

Sushi spread throughout China and by the 8Th century AD it was introduced into Japan. The Japanese preferred to eat rice with fish, so their version of sushi, Seisei-zushi, included rice. It was consumed while the fish was still partly raw and the rice had not lost its flavor. The Japanese sushi became more of a cuisine rather than a way to preserve food. This shift led to Haya-zushi, which utilized both rice and fish. Rice was mixed with vinegar and combined not only with fish but also with various vegetables and dried preserved foods.

Which brings us to the 21ST century at an aging strip mall in Southampton, Pennsylvania, for dinner at Mt. Fuji. The whole strip mall restaurant concept is alien to Two. New Hope, Lambertville, and Doylestown are full of restaurants that have the luxury of great old buildings in which to locate. They have charm and character even if the food is challenged. So when Two met One and started going to restaurants inconspicuously tucked into strip malls it was a new experience. The word MALL makes Two cringe...where One is far more tolerant and open minded. Behold miracle of miracles Mt.Fuji manages to transcend location and deliver decent Sushi. One and Two sat at the Sushi Bar. There is also a drinks bar. There are a number of Hibachi tables. The restaurant is nicely divided into smaller seating sections that allows for some sense of intimacy in the surroundings.

The meal was good. One started with the Yaki-Tori which consisted of tender grilled chicken on skewers punctuated with grilled peppers. There were two very good sauces along with shredded daikon. Two ordered Jumbo Shrimp Shumai. Big crispy green dimpled fried balls of hot shrimpy stuffing were piled on top of one another with a dipping sauce on the side. If this was the bread then One and Two were, yet again, filling up on it. One and Two ordered two different rolls, one fresh and full of salmon, avocado, and cucumber - the other a spicy concoction with a friendly balance of sticky rice, crispy tempura shrimp, and a spicy sauce. Both the sushi and sashimi were fresh and flavorful. The sushi, sashimi, and rolls were all prepared and served on one dish, upon which the chef managed to impart a sense of both abundance and artful simplicity.

Tempura fried pound cake encased green tea ice cream was rather an uneventful ending to our meal. Two should have known better. Stick to the red bean or green tea ice cream.

Overall One and Two enjoyed their sushi meal at Mt.Fuji. Was it Morimoto? No. Was if transcendent? No. Was it a Sushi Experience...you know... the one where the chef gleefully, but with a deadpan expression, "challenges" you to try something that is still moving? No. But it was a great place to satisfy the Sushi craving that One and Two get from time to time. Enjoy.