A THOUGHT ON THE WINTER SOLSTICE

Two was in One's office today having a lovely conversation with one of his staff. He popped his head into the room and made some wise comment and then grinned and left. "He is in love. It's written all over his face," she said. One year, nine months, eighteen days, and three hours ago Two met One at La Morena in Hatboro for pork skin tacos. And every meal since then has been memorable in one regard. Set aside the service, the menu, the presentation, the wine...and what is left is the dinner companion.

As we leave behind the old and bring forward the new, as the days get longer once again, remember what really makes a meal wonderful...the person or persons that sit with you while the flavors cross your palette. One is not the only one with the look of love on his face. Two finds herself deeply in love as well on this cold Winter Solstice evening, waiting for One to meet her at an as yet to be determined restaurant...and who really cares which one as long as he is there to meet her.

PAGANINI DOYLESTOWN

I (Two) was having a conversation with my friend Pauline yesterday. We were praising our significant others for their formidable skills in the kitchen. Having graduated from the Cordon Bleu and having worked in restaurants and having cooked for admiring friends throughout the years, Two was unprepared to be intimidated by One's cooking skills. But alas, she was. One trained under two masters, his Serbian mother and her parents and the illustrious television personality of the 70's, Julia Child. One is impressive to say the least. Two has finally learned to cook along side him without wondering what it is that she thought she knew. Humility is a virtue, right? A virtue that Two continues to hone as One continues to shine in the kitchen. Pauline's significant other is no slouch either. He asked her to zest a lemon the other night for his pasta...then looked at her cautiously..."Do you know how to zest a lemon?" Whereupon she replied, "Do you even have a lemon zester?"

"No."

"Well I have two!"

Again, more humility in the kitchen. But honestly, what a wonderful lesson to be faced with learning - to have two great cooks in the kitchen.

Which brings me to our sad lack of entries this summer. We cooked from our garden. We cooked from Marie's garden. We went out, but mostly to sit at the bar and drink martinis and munch on bar snacks. Well, it's time to head out again. Last night we went into Doylestown for dinner al fresco. If you wander down past the Doylestown Inn you will come to a number of restaurants that offer outdoor seating. Paganini has a great outdoor garden festooned with trumpet vines that remarkably blocks much of the noise from another restaurant, 86, that features some sort of loud music. The fountain is also a lovely touch. All of the sauces are made to order, with each night featuring three pasta dishes. One had speck, peas, cream, and parmesagne linguine which was just right on richness, though One wanted more speck. Two had the special, rotini with red pepper flakes, capers, and feta. Also very good. Buffalo Mozarella and fresh tomatoes started the meal. There have been restaurants that blew our palettes right out of the atmosphere, stilling conversation as we marvelled over the unusual and sublime. This is not what you will find here. This is very well crafted Italian comfort food with fresh ingredients and rich flavors. By all means try Paganini.

MEALS

Meals has been in Stockton New Jersey forever. Two worked in the same building as an assistant pastry person years ago before it became Meals, when the restaurant was called Cakes and Catering. Not much has changed. Two's parents swear by the brunch served there, Two has had a number of nice homey meals there, and recently Two thought she might introduce One to a nice local place to eat...no strip mall in sight.

The evening started off on a great foot. Phillips Fine Wines is across the street from the restaurant,convenient since Meals is BYOB. Two knew One would love it. And he did. He asked the proprietor, Dick Phillips, if he had an obscure bottle of Chinon, which he did, and a true wine geek relationship was formed. Phillips is a wonderful wine shop and if this were a wine blog, Phillips would be tipping the edge of four wine bottles. Wine in bag, One & Two walked across to Meals and sat down to the worst corn fritters ever created. The fritter was a soaked in oil saturated soggy fried mass whose inside was full of bits of corn slogging through uncooked batter, none of which was improved by the slightly warm raspberry mayonnaise. The fritter dish sat piled with it's picked over carcass cooling on the plate while we sat and sat and sat...and sat. The wine bottle slowly emptied. The restaurant slowly emptied. We saw the lettuce part of the salads that we ordered appear on the prep bench in back and then they sat. The crowd had dwindled to two tables when the grilled duck met it's plate of lettuce. One ordered the flank steak to adornhis lettuce. Two has found more palatable and interesting lettuce in January than that cushioned her duck. The dressing was equally blah. The duck was not bad. One's flank steak was not bad either. It would have been better if there had been some wine left to go with it but alas we had to occupy ourselves somehow while waiting for our meal. Two knows plenty of people who have had good meals at Meals, so give it a shot. Maybe someone/everyone at Meals that night were off their game. The fritters didn't even make it to the field.

KRAFTWORK

Michael Thomas has left Bar Ferdinand to help create a new restaurant called Kraftwork. Sculptor Andrew Jevremovic, whose work is self described as sensuous, sustainable, and otherworldly has designed the room which additionally houses lighting made from unknown objects found outside the restaurant as well as the remnants of wall finishes found during construction. The resulting ambiance is casual with a strong industrial, yet relaxing sensibility. The place retains a sense of its history without being overly historic. The wine list is small but chosen with respect for the menu. One and Two had a lovely Rioja with their meal. Kraftwork is also a beer lovers paradise with over 20 beers on tap and take out growlers. Again, One and Two sampled two different beers and loved them both. The menu is seasonal and local wherever possible, reflecting Chef Michael's passion for a farm to table experience. Our first dish was Crispy Pork Croquettes. The plate was very reminiscent of Bar Ferdinand, with a refreshing shift from tapas to a more homey blend of flavors. The croquettes sat atop a honey mustard sauce, more mustard than honey, with a parsley caper salad and pickled red onions. The pickled onions, in our opinion stood out above salad and sauce. Pork croquettes were good as well. The charcuterie board, again reminiscent of Bar Ferdinand was very good, particularly the rabbit terrine. It came with a wonderfully creative herbed flat bread. Chef Michael is talking about creating his own sausages on premise so stay tuned for that event. We ordered the new Jersey asparagus with fried egg and shaved Manchego from the specials page. Each spear tasted like Spring...toothy and tender at the same time. The fried egg provided a simple, almost rustic sauce accent and the shaved Manchego....we wanted more of that in the ring with the asparagus. Last to arrive were the Ricotta Dumplings served with Roasted Red Pepper Harissa sauce. They were good. Everything was good, from the decor to the beer to the food to the wine to the casual, yet hip and fun staff. There is not yet transcendence. One and Two have had dishes at Bar Ferdinand that elicited a sigh from the first bite. Our Kraftwork experience did not provide that, though from all appearances, that experience is soon to come as everything aligns itself at this great new place to go in Fishtown. Definitely go and try Kraftwork.

WILD BLUE CATERING, INC.

Measuring the success of a catered evening is somewhat different than assessing a restaurant experience. The chef who endeavors to take his or her show on the road faces a unique set of challenges. To begin with, they guide the menu choices, but do not always choose them. The personality of the client and the composition of their guest list will often dictate the choices that are made. Then the food needs to be packed for safe travel to where it will be finished and served. And finally, the meal is usually served all at once. The chef is as a conductor at the event.

On a recent April evening One and Two arrived at Nova Care Center for a Children's Hospital special event to kick off the Eagles partnership with CHOP's Center for Autism Research, or CAR. The evening started in the sun flooded entryway of the building with cocktails. Guests were then moved to a cheese table further into the building. While the venue was lovely, it was an "event facility", and certainly did not have the charm of a quaint bistro in ambiance. Nonetheless our chef/caterer for the evening managed to create a culinary ambiance with a wonderful combination of cheeses and cured meats from DeBruno Brothers. The Mole Salami was wonderfully spiced with chocolate, cinnamon, ancho and chipotle peppers. There was a mustard oil and pear preserve as well as a white truffle infused honey both of which were wonderfully paired with the cheeses. His hot selections included a traditional as well as a lobster risotto. Both came steaming from the kitchen, something not always easy to accomplish in a catering situation. One wolfed down his lobster risotto before Two had a chance to try it, but from the look on his face it was pretty good. The sliders were made from local grass fed beef and were moist and flavorful. The duck steamed dumplings were very good. The quesadillas were also worth seconds that Two indulged herself. While the list of choices was not unusual or surprising, they did make sense for the cross section of palettes at the event where physicians, philanthropists, coaches, and hulking football players stood side by side enjoying the food. Dinner was more challenging for the group. The fresh pea soup was utterly Spring green...so green Two expected a tulip to pop from the center of the bowl. The peas were the stars with no other flavor overpowering them. One and Two loved the soup. Others at the table were not so sure. Two was reminded of her first pureed fresh spinach soup she served to her dad who promptly asked if she had cleaned the underside of his mower for the ingredients. The dinner was a simple selection of chicken with carrots and green beans with roasted potatoes. It was light, direct, and approachable. Dessert was served in the Eagles locker room. Calm down boys. Once the air started to clear of testosterone and the men started to collect themselves, the single bite pastries didn't stand a chance. Each was a delightfully subtle combination of flavor and texture, from little dollops of almond to miniature carrot cakes to raspberry with chocolate...all delightful.

Planning a catered meal requires both attention to detail as well as understanding the gestalt of an event. One course needs to flow seamlessly to another. It occurred to Two that dessert could easily have been placed right next to cheese and the two would have sung a beautiful song together. Overall, Wild Blue did a lovely job with the evening. One and Two also appreciated Chef Koye's use of local produce and grass fed beef, as well as his friendly and approachable presence at the event.

1/2

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