All'Angelo

I have been slacking for the last few months--catching up on old posts I started but never finished, hence the many posts showing up as "October 2007." This is another old post--I actually ate this meal some time last summer. I feel this place is pretty underrated though, so wanted to put this post up. I hope to update it soon given the menu has changed a bit and now includes small plates.
It was dark in the restaurant so forgive the lack of clarity.

First starter we had was octopus carpaccio.
By far the best octopus dish I have ever had. So unbelievably tender.
Even those who would not touch octopus before should try this.

Charcuterie plate
Pretty hard to look at the beautiful slicer in the dining room and not go for the charcuterie plate for two. Fabulous.

Ravioli with mushrooms
My husband ordered this pasta, which was a tad thick for my tastes. However, the flavor was very good and the ingredients top notch.

Spaghetti chitarra with summer truffles
This past summer spaghetti chitarra became my favorite pasta to try around town. I had one a few weeks before this at Angelini that knocked my socks off. This was not on that level but was still very good. The sauce was amazing but again, the pasta was not on the level of Osteria Mozza or Angelini.

We had a terrific Italian wine, and overall the food was very good. I believe we finished with a lemon budino for dessert and a solid cappuccino, though for some reason I didn't photograph it. I went back a month or two later and had another very good meal, this time with more attentive service. I hope to return soon and see how it is holding up against the stiff competition (insane how many Italian restaurants have opened in L.A. in one year!)

http://www.allangelo.com/
Location: Melrose just west of La Brea

Tetsuya's (Sydney, Australia) - as of 2007, best meal of my life

My husband and I went to Australia for our honeymoon in October of 2006. We had lots of great meals, but it is the dinner at Tetsuya's that I am still thinking about one year later. I didn't have a blog then, but I did take some pics and because as of yet I have not had a better meal, I figured I'd go ahead and share my experience now. Note we were just getting the hang of taking photos in low light so these are not the greatest.

It was my husband's birthday, and the last night of our honeymoon, so we decided to splurge and try Tetsuya Wakuda's famous restaurant. We took a cab to the restaurant, and the cab pulled up to a gate, as if we were going to a private house in the middle of the Sydney business district. After we were "buzzed in," we pulled into a circular driveway, and were greeted at our car and escorted in. Wow. Quite a first impression!

The restaurant is Japanese in style, and has one entire wall of glass, which looks out onto a Japanese garden. Very different from any U.S. restaurant I have been to. The restaurant has a pretty serene vibe, but does not feel stuffy. We did the tasting menu, which I believe is your only option, and opted for wine pairings, all of which we liked (but do not recall one year later).

Sweet Corn Soup with Basil Ice Cream
This was a nice start. It sounds weirder than it tasted--both creamy and refreshing.

Tartare of tuna on sushi rice with avocado
This was familiar but beautifully done. The presentation alone wowed me.

Tuna marinated in soy & marin, soy smoked ocean trout w/ asparagus, and marinated NZ scampi w/ chicken parfait & walnut
Again, some familiarity given all of our sushi excursions, but still top notch all around. The third piece, the scampi, but was the most unique for me.

Confit of Tasmanian ocean trout w/ konbu, daikon & fennel w/ seasonal green salad
I'd had Tasmanian ocean trout before but this by far took the cake. (Apparently this is a signature dish). The texture of the konbu (kelp) seemed to bring this dish to another level. The roe was also outstanding. Just a great dish overall.

Ravioli of Queensland crab w/ tomato & basil vinaigrette
This was delicious. The ravioli was perfectly cooked and the crab and the sauce went well together.

Twice-cooked deboned spatchcock w/ braised daikon & bread sauce
This may sound crazy, but this dish actually brought me to tears. To tears! And it was not just all the wine I had been drinking. It was to date the most memorable dish of my life. I had to ask them what this deliciousness was all about. Our server explained it was a baby chicken (poussin), which they debone, flatten out, then roll up and double cook (?). I hope I get to visit Sydney again so I can try this one more time.

Grilled wagyu beef w/ Asian mushrooms and lime jus
After the last dish, hard to compete but this managed not to disappoint. The beef was incredible and the preparation thankfully did not overshadow it. I thought at this point there would be little food left to come, but I was wrong...

Cheese plate
The cheese plate was nice. I don't recall much else, but I know I liked it.

Beet root and blood orange sorbet
Very refreshing and perfect for this point in the meal.

Vanilla bean ice cream w/ white beans and dates
I was so full but this was so creamy and delicious I had to eat half.

Ginger & lime creme brulee
I am sort of a traditionalist about creme brulee, but Tetsuya's version perfectly suited the style of food w/o veering too far away from what makes creme brulee so great. Another winner.

Floating island w/ vanilla bean & praline anglaise
This was not my favorite but I honestly could only take a bite at this point anyway. So full!

Cappuccino
As was true of everywhere in Australia, the coffee was very good.

The best overall meal of our lives to date, and a perfect time to hit that mark. The service was attentive but not overbearing. I hope others get to try this amazing restaurant!

Matyson (Philadelphia)

This was my third visit to Matyson. The first time, soon after it had first opened, I was pretty unimpressed. I returned in 2006, and thought the restaurant had really hit its stride. This visit did not change my mind - it's not adventurous food, but most dishes are well-executed with good flavors. My sister and I split a few dishes and all but one were very good. Plus, it's a BYOB, so very reasonable for the quality of the meal. Service was also courteous and attentive. Note the chef has left, but I hear the sous chef took over and quality has not slipped.

Grilled Quail & Spinach Salad
This was really lovely. It was served with bits of warm butternut squash, candied pecans, blue cheese, & honey mustard vinaigrette. The quail was so nicely done.

Fried Virgina Oysters
Sorry, no photo of these. The oysters were served with brussels sprouts, warm bacon vinaigrette, spiced onion marmalade. Just ok.

Baby Spanish Rock Octopus
This was served with Chick peas, chorizo, jalapeno, & smoked paprika aioli. A little scary looking but so delicious. Especially that chorizo. Wow.

Lemon Lime Souffle Tart with Blackberry sorbet


Chocolate cake
I don't remember much about this, except that it was very creamy and moist (a cross btwn a ganache and a mousse cake). I would have liked a contrasting flavor, but this would definitely satisfy any chocolate freak.

Website: www.matyson.com
Location: Just north of Chestnut on 19th in Center City.

Osteria (Philadelphia)

I ate here twice while visiting family and friends in Philadelphia in October. Consider me a huge fan!

The first time, it was just a friend and me, and we had the following:
Pizza margherita (tomato, basil, and mozzarella)
Although this was simple, it allowed us to get a feel for the pizza crust. It was thin and perfectly charred. The tomato sauce had just the right amount of tang and the mozzarella was very good.

Vegetable antipasto for one (shared)
This was good but not amazing. Perhaps as a California resident, I am not as impressed by this sort of a dish because of how well this is done out here. Not bad, but I would not get this again given the other offerings.

Pastas came next. I am a total pasta freak (hence why I so love Angelini Osteria and Osteria Mozza in L.A., and Lupa in NYC-- still have not been to Babbo!). Overall, I think Osteria's strength is its pizzas, not its pastas, but these were still pretty damn good.

Robiola francobolli with chanterelle mushrooms and thyme
The pasta was perfectly delicate, but I would rather have meat than robiola cheese inside, simply because it was a little too rich with that cheese in there. Still, if you didn't eat too much of it, it was delicious.

Lobster pasta (special)
I really think they ought to stop making this. It is really bad. The lobster is ok, but the sauce is kind of awful. Some one remarked to me that it tastes like Chef Boyardee and I sadly have to agree. I just picked at the lobster and skipped the spaghetti. With all the beauties on the menu, avoid this like the plague. And please, Powers that Be, stop serving this!

Dessert - polenta budino with gianduia
(no picture)
The budino was silky smooth, but the gianduia was too light a pairing with the already light polenta pudding. It seemed to need something rich with it.

A word re the service. Our server was kind of weird on my first visit. Hard to describe, but my friend and I both commented on it.

The second time though, I was with my family and the five of us tried a bunch of different things. We had a great server, way better than my dinner the night before. I made sure to tell the manager how great she was.

"Ricciola crudo" (marinated yellowtail with lime, chive oil and watermelon radish)
Fresh fish in a simple presentation. I only got one piece because we all shared--wish I could have eaten more. It melted in your mouth.

Wood grilled octopus, cured lemon, potato, and chives
This was very tasty. However, I have gotten to eat Osteria Mozza's version in L.A. several times this year, and the octopus itself is just much larger there, which I prefer. That being said, the octopus was cooked nicely and I liked the simple preparation. A definite thumbs up.

Side dishes- we tried the beets.
I am biased in this category b/c no only does my husband make a kick-ass beet salad with beets we get at our local farmer's market, most every restaurant in CA now serves a beet salad. They are a bit played out for me. However, these were prepared a little differently than most, and were perfectly fresh. Very good.

Pizza - Again, definitely the star of the show.

Pizza Lombarda
This pizza comes with baked egg, bitto cheese, mozzarella, and cotechino sausage. The sausage in particular is outstanding, and I think a few more pieces would serve the pizza well. However, as is it was pretty damn good. I was sad to have to share it, and of all the dishes, what I am most looking forward to eating when I next go to Osteria.

Pastas - we had two that night.
Lamb caramelli
This pasta was described to me as a tootsie roll shape, and you can see that is an apt description. While the pasta and the lamb inside were tasty, I found the sauce a bit too oily. Not my favorite.

Pork ravioli

This was sort of a delicious deconstructed ravioli. The pasta was silky smooth. I think Osteria just has a way with pork given how amazing the sausage on the pizza was. Definitely order this - best pasta by far of the 4 I sampled.

I also tasted my sister's wild black bass (she does not eat meat and thus had to abstain from most of the sharing). The fish was really tremendous.

Finally, we finished with the nutella pizza. Even with 5 of us, it was much too large--I could not even eat my entire piece. That being said, it was great, though I thought it needed some ice cream so ordered a scoop on the side. The kitchen kindly accommodated.

All in all, not only is the food great, but the convivial atmosphere is perfectly suited to the restaurant's name. Definitely the best Italian food I have had in Philly (note I have not been to Vetri yet), and the type of restaurant I think the city was longing for. I hope to visit when the weather is warm because the outside patio looked great.

Studiokitchen (Philadelphia)

Studiokitchen, which is basically a private dinner party w/ a tasting menu cooked by an amazing chef in Philadelphia, Shola Olunloyo, does not really exist any more b/c Shola focused on private catering. However, I was lucky enough to attend a studiokitchen dinner hosted by one of Shola's friends/clients in October and wanted to document it b/c the food was so outstanding. Here are the pics:

Roasted Foie Gras with Azuki Bean Puree and flavors of Yuzu, Lychee and Celery
A different take on the traditional foie gras preparation. Great piece of foie and I enjoyed this variation.

Scallop in a Po-Ha Crust with Apple, Fennel, Miso and Sudachi Lime

This was light and perfectly cooked and seasoned. A nice contrast to the dish before and after.

Sofrito "Risotto" with Roasted Prawns, Chorizo and Spiced Carrot Juice I loved the chorizo and the overall flavor of this dish, though the rice and prawns did not knock me out. Generally I prefer raw shrimp though, so that might have something to do with it.

Wagyu Tri-Tip with Parsnip Fondant, Black Trumpet Mushrooms and Oxtail Gyoza
This was just silly it was so good. I cannot imagine a person on earth (aside from vegetarians) not enjoying this dish. The oxtail gyoza with the parsnip puree alone would have been amazing--adding wagyu tri-tip just took this to the ridiculous level.

Chocolate "Coulant" Michel Bras, Frutti Di Bosco and "Earl Grey Creme" Gellee This was Shola's take on a traditional Italian dessert. A nice end to a decadent meal.

All the wines were supplied by the generous hosts and unfortunately, I did not write them down. They went very well with all the dishes. How sad there is no more studiokitchen!

His blog is amazing so check it out - www.studiokitchen.typepad.com