Travel

Dalessandro’s Cheesesteaks

January 31, 2008 by Dave!

I told you I’m not a food snob. Yes, I do love a really, really good meal–one that takes hours and involves many dishes, so you can relish the different flavors and enjoy the entire experience. But there’s more out there to experience than just posh places–there’s places like Dalessandro’s.

There is nothing, and I mean nothing, pretentious about Dalessandros. It’s a corner joint, with a formica counter and the most uncomfortable chairs I’ve sat on in a while. But who cares? This place makes a killer Philly Cheesesteak. For more information on a free vending machine service go to https://www.royalvending.com.au/vending-machines-newcastle-and-central-coast/.

Dalessandros Cheesesteaks

We went here on the recommendation of our friend who was getting married, she grew up in Philly. I knew I would love this place when I walked in. It smelled amazing. On the grill, just mounds of onions and mounds of meat. What more could you ask for? Grilled meat and cheese–two great tastes that go great together.

The ‘steaks were awesome. Dripping with cheese (they mix it in with the meat) and with a tomato sauce that rules… and they have peppers on the counter so you can spice it up if you want–although you certainly don’t need to. I also had one with cheese and mushrooms that was great, too. (Yes, we went back multiple times.) If you’re ever in Philly, I’d take this neighborhood place that knows how to make a killer sandwich over any of the touristy cheesesteak shops you see around anyday.

Filed Under: Food, Personal, Travel Tagged With: Cheesesteak, Dalessandro, Food, Philly

Morimoto

January 31, 2008 by Dave!

Last November (yes, November) my wife and I visited Philadelphia for a wedding. While there, I couldn’t resist visiting Morimoto.

Morimoto: Toro Tartare

For those who may not know, Morimoto is Chef Masaharu Morimoto’s restaurant in Philly, which was his first in the United States. In addition to being an accomplished chef, Morimoto was also on Iron Chef, and even though he wasn’t my favorite Iron Chef (go Sakai!) he’s still pretty damn good.

I had the pleasure of meeting Morimoto when he was here in Chicago at Fox & Obel for a book signing and tasting. At the Fox & Obel event, he made a daikon linguine which was pretty good (although most impressive were his knife skills, wow!!) and a tuna sashimi “pizza” that rocked.

My wife and I stopped by Morimoto for lunch, thinking it would be less expensive than dinner. It probably was, but we still spent an obscene amount of money for lunch–and it was worth every penny. We both had the chef’s degustation menu, and I had the wine pairing as well. And now, here’s the rundown:

*1. Toro tartare*, with shallots, caviar and fresh wasabi, in a dashi-shoyu-miran broth. Served with a mountain peach as a pallate cleanser.
*Pairing*: Brut Champagne, Veuve Clicquot, Reims France
The tuna tartare was amazing. Simply amazing. The fresh wasabi was delicate and floral, with just a hint of heat–not the punch you get with Americanized green horseradish passed off for wasabi so often (although, I like that, too–it’s just different). The broth was a nice compliment, and the shallots, fried and crispy were the perfect texture offset to the delicate tenderness of the tuna. And I normally hate champagne, but I have to say this was an excellent pairing. Finally, the mountain peach–a tiny little ball of peachy goodness… it made me really, really want a good Japanese peach, which you just can’t get in the U.S.

*2. Kumamoto oysters*, with a japanese salsa
*Pairing*: Sauvignon Blank ’06, Kono, Marlborogh New Zealand
Another hit. The oysters were amazingly fresh–in fact all the seafood was, which is why it was so delicious–and the “salsas” were very simple and complimentary. They tasted like the sea. It was fantastic. And the pairing hit the spot, too… a white that I really enjoyed!

*3. Scallop Carpaccio*, with hot oil and mitsuba leaf
*Pairing*: Riesling ’03, Ratzenberger, Steeger St. Jost, Germany
I think this was my favorite dish of the meal, if not, it’s a close tie. The scallops were just amazing, so fresh and delicious I am at a loss for words to describe them. I think I’d still eat this if I had a seafood allergy. Take a bite, EpiPen shot. Bite, EpiPen. Yes, it was that good. And once again, the pairing of the riesling was perfect. A wine I normally hate, that was just taken to another level with the delicate flavors of the scallops and the hot oil–which was not overpowering in the slightest. This was the dish.

*4. Sashimi Salad*, mixed greens with tuna tataki, striped jack and shoyu dressing
*Pairing*: Chardonnay ’05, Daniel Gehrs, Santa Barbara County, California
Can you go wrong with sashimi? Not when the fish is this fresh. Seriously. I wouldn’t say the dish was out of this world, or anything special, but when you have really fresh, high quality ingredients, it doesn’t need to be over the top to be amazing.

*5. Honeydew Sorbet* as a palate cleanser
Have you ever had honeydew sorbet? If not, have some!

*6. Soba carbonara*, soba with edamame, bacon and scallops
*Pairing*: Morimoto Soba Ale
On to the hot dishes… the soba carbonara is my second/tied favorite dish of the meal. First, you have to understand that I love soba. If buckwheat isn’t your thing, this wouldn’t be the dish for you! The soba were perfect… cooked just right to noodlely perfection. Then you add those amazingly fresh scallops and the coup de grace–bacon–and how could this not be amazing? Then, the pairing was a soba ale–hearty and with a nicely developed buckwheat flavor that just complimented the dish so well–as good if not better than any of the wine pairings. I want this for lunch today!

*7. Black Cod Miso*, cod, with red and yellow sweet peppers and sweet beans
*Pairing*: Pinotage ’05, Wildekrans, Walker Bay, South Africa
This was probably my least favorite dish of the meal… although, that is to say if you served it to me, I’d still be impressed. The problem is cod–I’m just not a cod fan. But I really did enjoy the sweet beans, and combined with the pepper they really did compliment the cod nicely. I just can’t get past cod. This was my favorite of the wines. I’d never had a Pinotage before, but I have to say, I like this grape. It was a deep red, and reminded me a lot of some American Zinfandels–not a wimpy wine. It’s not an expensive wine, either, but very tasty!

*8. Sushi Course*: oh-toro, kanpachi, kohada, hamachi, and mirugai
*Pairing*: Morimoto Junmai Sake
Delicious sushi and a sippin’ sake! What can I say about the sushi? It was so fresh it was very good. And the sake was very nice, too. Sometime sake can just be too harsh to me and have more of a chemical taste. This was a smooth, smooth sake… no knocking back this stuff, it had to be sipped to be enjoyed. And did I mention that by this time in the meal, I was enjoying a serious buzz? A serious food high and more drinking that I’d done in ages. They were not stingy with the portions of drink.

*9. Sweet potato cake*, with sweet beans, spiced whipped cream and a sweet potato chip
*Pairing*: Madeira, Blandys Alvada, 5 year
Another first. I’d never had a Madeira, but I enjoyed it a lot as well. The sweet potato cake was fantastic, of course. It was just sweet enough to satisfy the desert lust we were feeling, but not cloying or over-powering like some seven layer chocolate cake of doom. Very typical of the sweets/desserts I’d had in Japan, the sweetness was understated,but complimented by the sweetness of the Madeira. It was a perfect end to an amazing meal.

So, there you have it. If you read this far, you must be hungry. If you are ever in Philly, I recommend stopping by Morimoto’s, and believe it or not, you can have an enjoyable _and_ affordable lunch if you don’t go all out like we did. Many of the dishes we sampled were on the lunch menu as ala carte entree.

Don’t get the impression that I’m always this shi-shi with my dining. Next up: Dalessandros, the best “steak” I had in Philly.

Filed Under: Food, Personal, Restaurants, Travel Tagged With: Food, Morimoto, Philadelphia, Philly

DLG in the ATL

April 25, 2007 by Dave!

I’m in Atlanta, blogging from the Emory Conference Center, which I might add is quite nice. The facilities are cool and the staff are just the friendliest and helpful people…

I’m here for a work conference, which sucks because I won’t really get to see much (okay, any) of Atlanta, but the conference itself is pretty cool–met some really great people so far, very nice, in a similar line of work, so it promises to be a productive conference.

I don’t normally blog about work, and this isn’t really an exception. But I just had to say that so far, what I’ve seen of the Emory campus (which is limited to the Conference Center area and the Mill House) is just beautiful. If you ever have the opportunity to go to a conference here, I’d recommend it.

Filed Under: Technology, Travel

Brick Lane Festival

September 11, 2005 by Dave!

Today was the only day off work for this trip and as luck would have it, it was festival day. It was the Brick Lane Festival 2005/Banglatown International Curry Festival 2005. I love Indian food, so I decided this was a good way to spend my day!

I headed over to the festival around 1pm. It was pretty cold and overcast, and I was really hoping not to get rained on. The tube was closed all over for engineering work, so it was a pain to get to the right area, but I managed. On the way, I discovered the Old Spitalfields Market, which apparently used to a produce wholesale market, which has been moved, to the aptly named New Spitalfields Market. Supposedly they are called that because of the “Hospital Fields” that used to be there. I think it’s because all day long, the rain felt like spittle.

They still have a market at the old site on Sunday. For the most part it was a flea market type place, with some cute things here and there, amidst a lot of junk. I walked around the market for a bit, but didn’t stay long. I had some curry to eat.

I made my way down to Brick Lane and was not disappointed. Brick Lane was packed with people, eating various Indian food, Baladeshi food, you name it at various stalls up and down the street. There were also musical venues, with different bands playing, and yes, another market! This was the Sunday (Up) Market which is held at the Old Truman Brewery. There were more shops and vendors selling everything under the sun, and the area on the street near the market seems to attract a ton of street vendors selling even more crap. I took a look around the market and checked out a few bands–nothing special.

Although, at one venue there were these old guys dressed like Elvis dancing and entertaining the crowed. I couldn’t tell if they were promoting something or what, but they were funny.

Back to the food. There were Aloo, Pakoda, Samosa, Chutneys, Kebabs, Tandoori dishes, Parantha, Roti, Naan, Biryani, and too many different types of curry to possibly list/remember/try. The two most interesting things I had all day were a kebab wrapped in roti with some sauce that was really wonderful. A Bangladeshi gentleman next to me recommended it, saying the place was good, and they didn’t usually serve it that way. The other interesting thing were a sampling of Bangladeshi desserts.

There are differences between Indian and Bangladeshi food, although for a typical westerner like me, it’s often difficult to be sure which is which. This is even more difficult in an outdoor street vendor environment, where you are constantly being jostled by the crowd, so you can’t really have a long conversation about this dish or that. Still the desserts were really good. They were sweet, but not overly sweet–I really wish I knew better what they were. I’ll just say the next time you go out for Indian or Bangladeshi, don’t skip on the dessert!

All in all, it was a good day. I went home tired, but very well fed. There are photos up on my flickr gallery.

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: england food london personal travel

Cheese!

September 10, 2005 by Dave!

I finished up at work a little early today, so I decided to go for cheese… after all, I’m in England, I need to take advantage of eating cheeses here that I can’t get easily (or at all) at home. So here you go, six English cheeses for your reading pleasure–and my eating pleasure.

Keen’s Cheddar
This is a raw milk cheddar, made by Moorehays Farm in Somerset. I thought it was fairly typical for English Cheddar, pretty much like I remember having when I was a kid. This wasn’t quite as sharp as I like, I think it could have aged a little more. However, it’s still a very snackable, nice traditional English Cheddar.

Isle of Mull Cheddar
Yumness. This is my kind of cheddar. Slightly softer than the Keen’s and definitely with a more pronounced flavor. It’s a Scottish cheese, from the Hebrides. It’s got a nice sharp edge when you first bite into it that mellows out into a nice, slightly salty tartness. Definitely a winning cheddar.

Godminster Organic Vintage Cheddar
This cheese is organic because it’s made from the Godminster Farm’s organic cows in Somerset. It’s a very mild, soft cheddar, definitely softer than either the Keen’s or Isle of Mull. The flavor is nice and the cheese melts in your mouth, it reminds me slightly of a Havarti, both in texture and flavor–but not the Godminster isn’t quite as tangy as Havarti.

Caws Cenarth Perl Las Blue Cheese
I decided to take a break from the cheddars, and picked up some of this Welsh blue cheese. This is a pretty mild, but quite salty blue cheese. I liked it a lot, and think it’s great for straight eating–usually I prefer blue cheeses in other foods or sauces, to help take some of the edge of that tang. But this has just enough tang, balanced with a nice, creamy texture to make it good eatin’ straight.

Swaledale Ewes Cheese
This is the first second ewe cheese I’ve ever had (I didn’t realize Roquefort was ewe’s milk!) and I have to say I like it. Okay, I can’t remember a cheese I didn’t like, but that’s beside the point. It’s a very mild cheese, not too hard–firm, but still slightly crumbly. The description I read said that the favor “pastoral” but I don’t get that. I think it does have a fuller body than a cows milk cheese, and definitely a different flavor that I can’t quite put my finger on. I will say this, if you have the opportunity to try an ewe’s milk cheese, do it. I think ewe will like it. (Sorry. I couldn’t resist.)

Loose Potted Cheddar
I saved the best for last. I found the best cheddar I’ve ever had. It’s amazing. It’s made from unpasteurized cow’s milk, and it was sold from a large crock, full of chunks of the cheese. It’s not spreadable or anything, but it’s still pretty soft for a cheddar. Imagine firmer than a buffalo mozzarella, but not by a whole lot. The result is this amazing creamy consistency that just melts in your mouth with flavorful cheese goodness. It’s mild, but it has this incredible cheddar flavor with a level of intensity that lingers oh, so nicely. It’s an amazing cheese and hands down the best cheddar I’ve ever had. The guy at the cheese shop looked at me when I picked it and said, “This is a really good one. My favorite.” Damn, was he right. If anyone knows where to get potted cheddar in the States, please let me know.

Filed Under: Cheese, Food, Travel Tagged With: cheese england food london personal restaurants travel

Oh yes!!

September 9, 2005 by Dave!

Yes! Yes! Yes! This so rocks… Sunday is the Brick Lane Festival! You can be assured I will be there, pigging out. Yes!!

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: england food london personal travel

Safety Paint

September 8, 2005 by Dave!

I’m back in London, to finish up the project I was working on in July and August. I’m pretty jet lagged at the moment. I take the red-eye, thinking I’ll get some sleep, yet I’m always sitting next to the Kid-Who-Wont-Stop-Squirming.
Anyway, in the cab to the hotel, there was an ad for LTI, the company that makes the “World Famous London Black Cabs” which was essentially an ad about how safe your taxi is. The title says “You’re in Safe Hands.” It has a picture of the taxi with cutaway view to the features, like “Ultra-Strong Steel Chassis” and “Crash Tested to M1 Standards.”
But my favorite is “11-Stage Paint Process”. Yes, I feel safer already.

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: england london personal travel

Customer Service Horror Stories

September 4, 2005 by Dave!

Having been through my own customer service nightmare recently, with British Airways (which is still on-going, by the way) I am very sympathetic to travelers who get shafted on business trips/vacations by incredibly lousey customer service.

Here’s a recent horror storry from E. Spat about the horrible service and offensive customer service from Advantage Rent-a-Car. I’ve not used them before, but you can bet I sure as hell never will now.

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: travel

Some Girl(s)

August 10, 2005 by Dave!

You can’t go to London and not go to the theatre. At least, I can’t. Unfortunately, since I was working so much during this trip, it was hard to break away and get out in the evening; usually I was pretty exhausted by the time I returned to the hotel.

However, during our last few days in London, my wife and I did get a chance to catch Some Girl(s) at the Gielgud Theatre. (Coincidentally, I’ve seen several plays here in the past.)

I wanted to see Some Girl(s) because it was written by Neil LaBute, not because it was starring David Schwimmer.

I don’t really have an opinion on Schwimmer one way or the other. On one hand, he is a founding member of Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre Company, which is decidedly cool. On the other hand, he was on Friends, which is decidedly not. But I’m a big fan of Labute’s film work (In the Company of Men, Your Friends and Neighbors, Nurse Betty) so I figured this would be worth a trip… seats in London can be had pretty cheap.

Without going into all the details, the play centers around a nameless “Man” who is about to get married and is revisiting some of his past relationships, which ended badly (or did they?) in some sort of last ditch soul-searching exercise. I don’t want to give away anything about the play, so I’ll stop there. The female cast members were all quite good, although each of their characters felt a little stereotyped to me… not a lot of dimension, although, that seems to have been deliberate for serving the purpose of the visits.

Schwimmer was, well, as far as I can tell, Schwimmer. I’ve only seen one or two episodes of Friends. It seems to be one of those shows that people say, “oh, it’s better than you think, you just have to watch and get to know the characters.” So I try, and I see an episode that, evidently, wouldn’t be so downright stupid if I “knew the characters” and give up. Only to try again later and end up seeing a re-run of the same episode. Or is it? Anyway, as far as I can tell, the character development of “Man” in Some Girl(s) is a little too close for comfort to the Ross character

Schwimmer played on Friends. The character is a shlub. Likable enough, but still kind of a whiny shlub. Which Schwimmer does play well, but you never get past Schwimmer into believing the shlub. (Unlike the amazing Matt Malloy, who in In the Company of Man takes shlub to a whole new level, opposite the equally talented Aaron Eckhart… but I digress.)

Overall, not a bad night out at the theatre, but I wouldn’t expect Some Girl(s) to make it out of the West End. It felt a little like a piece that was being work shopped, and still had a way to go.

Filed Under: Arts, Personal, Travel Tagged With: england london personal theatre travel

Chowki

August 10, 2005 by Dave!

I had a chance to explore some of the curry houses of Brick Lane before my wife arrived. However, she wanted to try some Indian while in London, so we hit some review sites and found a place very close to a theatre we were going to see a show at. That place was Chowki.

The decor at Chowki was a little on the hip-for-the-sake-of-hip side for me, but it doesn’t matter. I would highly recommend the place, especially if you are out for a night of theatre. It’s less than a block off Picadilly Circus, so it’s very convenient to an amazing number of theaters and it’s also some of the most unique Indian food I’ve had.
For reasons I won’t go into here *cough*imperialism*cough* London is swimming with Indian/Bangladeshi restaurants. I couldn’t find decent Mexican there to save my life, but man, the variety of food from the Asian subcontinent was amazing.

Chowki features a rotating menu that showcases different regions of India each month. So there were only a few dishes on the menu that I recognized from the traditional Indian fare we get around Chicago. The August menu featured cuisine from Bangladesh, Gujarat and Karnataka.

We began with starters from Karnataka that featured a chili-chicken dish with onions and coconut that was so flavorful, with just a little kick. For our main course, we went hog wild, with some Chicken Kori Gassi, and another dish of flageolet beans and peagon peas, all rounded out with a “meat” kebab selection. We left very full and very satisfied.

Filed Under: Personal, Restaurants, Travel Tagged With: england food london personal restaurants travel

Dalessandro’s Cheesesteaks

Morimoto

DLG in the ATL

Brick Lane Festival

Cheese!

Oh yes!!

Safety Paint

Customer Service Horror Stories

Some Girl(s)

Chowki

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