Thanksgiving Day Buffet at Bistro St. Tropez

Hey, that rhymes!

Anyways… my friend Melanie, her Dad, and I checked out Bistro St. Tropez for Thanksgiving dinner. It was $35/per person (plus drinks, tax, and gratuity) and I felt that it was worth it! I am disgustingly full as I type this. I will jot down the menu below and add commentary on the items I tried.

Boston Salad
Bibb lettuce, gorgonzola, roasted beets, pears, walnut pralines and walnut vinagrette
This was a nice start! The beets were a perfect touch. My only (minor) complaint was the salad was a tad over-dressed.

Charcuterie & Cheese Station
There were various cheeses and thinly sliced prosciutto displayed on a 3-teired cheese stand and a board platter. I definitely noticed bleu (possibly Stilton or Roquefort), brie, and goat’s cheeses. I sampled the chevre on a crispy cracker. It didn’t taste like a cheap chevre either.

Corn Chowder
with lobster, shrimp and cockle clams
I skipped this due to all the seafood in it, but Melanie’s father said it was delicious.

Braised Pork Short Ribs
with Yukon gold potato purée and creamy Swiss chard
The ribs were super tender and not dry. It hinted of something spicy, perhaps in a rub? Very good. Not sure where the purée was as I only had mashed potatoes which were dry and lumpy. Probably the only thing absolutely not good on the menu, to be honest. I didn’t try the chard and I’m sorry I didn’t. I love Swiss chard!

Free-range Roasted Turkey
with giblet gravy
Not much to say about the turkey. It was turkey. I had a small piece, but it was certainly good and moist.

Cornbread Stuffing
with sausage, toasted almonds and apples
The stuffing I had really was not this; the stuff I had was more like Stovetop™ stuffing. I could not taste any sausage at all. It was good, but I would have preferred hunks of cornbread. Alas. It was still edible. Just my second not-favorite item on the menu.

Roasted Butternut Squash
with carrots, peppers, and zucchini
What can I say? I’m a sucker for roasted vegetables. I do believe they were lightly herbed, too. Probably with herbs de provence.

House-made Cranberry Relish
I failed to put some of this on my plate. Totally regretting not trying it. It looked really good.

Baked Virginia Ham
I never thought I’d say this, but I love baked ham. And this was simply scrumptious – nice and moist!

Grilled Alaskan King Crab Legs
with garlic parsley herb butter
I stayed away from the crab legs – due to the garlic herb butter. (I have a slight garlic allergy – not deadly, but enough to make me uncomfortable)

Bourbon Roasted Sweet Potatoes
I hadn’t seen the menu before we ate and I immediately knew that bourbon was involved in this dish. It was pretty obvious without it being overwhelming. Simply divine!

French Green Beans
with Truffle Wild Mushrooms
These green beans were expertly made. They had been blanched then sautéed with the wild mushrooms. Delicious!

Fresh Baked Rolls and Biscuits
with Pesto and Butter
I enjoyed a roll. It was a hard roll. I would have preferred some sort of French bread or brioche, but eh… it was good enough.

Dessert Station
Pumpkin Profiteroles, Lemon Tart, Apple Tart and Chocolate Mousse Cake
I enjoyed the pumpkin profiterole and apple tart. There was also a spiced whipped cream on the side that I put on both. A beautiful end to a supremely filling meal!

All in all, I think it was a great Thanksgiving meal! Definitely worth the $35. All the yumminess without the hassle of cooking and better yet – no cleanup!

I’d go back for a holiday buffet for sure. I also want to go back for a dinner some time.  Maybe I’ll start doing Philly Grub dinner meetups again.

Oyster House Receives Special Shipment of Arctic Char

Just got this press release – I’ve always wanted to try Arctic Char.

The Oyster House (1516 Sansom Street, 215-567-7683) has just received four, 10 pound Nunavut Arctic Char, a fish rarely available on the East Coast.  Often described as a cross between trout and salmon, the flavorful Arctic Char will be available on their menu for just a few short days.  As the name implies, these fish swim in some of the cleanest and coldest waters next to the Arctic Circle.  Their harvest season lasts only one month, which makes Arctic Char an extremely rare and special fish.

To highlight the distinct flavor and freshness of the fish, the Arctic Char will be simply prepared and served two ways:  Smoked Arctic Char with pickled vegetables ($16);  or Arctic Char with red wine bone marrow sauce and served with root vegetables ($31).

Pub & Kitchen To Celebrate 1st Birthday

On Wednesday, September 9 at 9 p.m., Pub & Kitchen (1946 Lombard Street, 215-545-0350) will celebrate its first birthday with $2 drafts, $3 glasses of “End of Summer” sangria and delicious Cape May Salt oysters for $1 each.  Also, Executive Chef Jonathan McDonald has teamed up with Yards Brewing Company to brew a special “One Year Anniversary Pub & Kitchen Ale” which will be tapped promptly at 9 p.m. to kick off the festivities.  At 11 p.m. Betty’s Speakeasy cupcakes and champagne will be served to all.

“It’s a small gesture of our appreciation to those who’ve helped Pub & Kitchen into a great neighborhood spot this past year,” says owner Dan Clark.  Managing Partner, Ed Hackett shares similar sentiment, “We’ve wanted to keep the friendly ‘corner bar’ feel and our customers have really made it happen.”

PUB & KITCHEN CELEBRATE’S FIRST BIRTHDAY

PHILADELPHIA, PA – On Wednesday, September 9 at 9 p.m., Pub & Kitchen (1946 Lombard Street, 215-545-0350) will celebrate its first birthday with $2 drafts, $3 glasses of “End of Summer” sangria and delicious Cape May Salt oysters for $1 each.  Also, Executive Chef Jonathan McDonald has teamed up with Yards Brewing Company to brew a special “One Year Anniversary Pub & Kitchen Ale” which will be tapped promptly at 9 p.m. to kick off the festivities.  At 11 p.m. Betty’s Speakeasy cupcakes and champagne will be served to all.

“It’s a small gesture of our appreciation to those who’ve helped Pub & Kitchen into a great neighborhood spot this past year,” says owner Dan Clark.  Managing Partner, Ed Hackett shares similar sentiment, “We’ve wanted to keep the friendly ‘corner bar’ feel and our customers have really made it happen.”

WHO:         Pub & Kitchen, popular neighborhood bar and restaurant

WHAT:      First birthday celebration

WHEN:      Wednesday, September 9 at 9 p.m.

WHERE:    1946 Lombard Street, corner of 20^th and Lombard Streets

Looking for a food service job?

New IHOP in Center City
A new IHOP will be opening in Center City Philly. The location is at Walnut & Juniper. They are currently taking applications for employment and interviewing at a temporary office on 16th Street (at Walnut) – next door to the Starbucks.

Village Whiskey now Hiring
Looking for a front of house restaurant job in Philly? Want to work for Jose Garces? Check out the ad on Craigslist today. Can’t wait to try it when it opens!

Social Networking Site Required
I can’t say that this is a surprise, but it’s definitely a sign of the times. A “High Profile Rittenhouse Lounge & Restaurant” requires that you provide your MySpace/Facebook profiles along with your resume for FOH positions.

Pizza Maker, Pizza Maker
Stephen Starr’s new pizza restaurant, Pizzaiolo, that is taking over Cosi’s old spot on Headhouse Square, is looking for a Head Pizza Maker. Social Networking not required, just know how to make the dough!

Got a job you need filled? Email us and we’ll let everybody know here on this blog and our Twitter.

Restaurant Review: Azul Cantina – Gayborhood

A fellow Philly Grubber had invited me out to dinner to welcome me back to Philadelphia. She suggested Azul Cantina on the corner of 10th & Spruce (across from Kanella’s), on the eastern edge of the Gayborhood.

Mexican is not on my list of favorite foods because it often contains dairy products which are a no-no for me.  When I think Mexican, I think swimming-in-cheese enchiladas or burritos.  However, after peering at the menu online, I was pleased to see there was a good selection of dishes that even the lactose-challenged could enjoy.

On my way there, my stomach began to feel upset.  I took some pills and hoped for the best.  I certainly didn’t want my stomach woes to get in the way of some good grub!  When I got there, Infytur, seated outside with her sweet pooch Boaz, had already ordered a margarita since the early Happy Hour was in effect.  I knew for a fact an alcoholic beverage was out of the question for me.  So I explained to the waitress that I had a bit of upset stomach, she promptly recommended ginger ale and bitters.  I don’t know if it was the pills I took or the ginger ale and bitters, but by the time the entrees had arrived my stomach was feeling just fine.

For starters, we ordered the traditional guacamole and grilled pineapple salsa.  Both came with chips. The guacamole was tasty, but pretty standard in my opinion.  To its credit, though, it was not overpowered by garlic.  In fact, I don’t think it had any in it at all.  The menu doesn’t list it as an ingredient either.  That’s a good thing because of my mild garlic allergy.  The grilled pineapple salsa was wonderful.  You could really taste the cilantro, which I love!  All in all, I felt we were off to a decent start.

For the main course, we ordered and shared Mescal Brined Pork, Black Bean & Goat Cheese Enchiladas, and Sweet Potato Enchiladas.

The Mescal Brined Pork presentation wasn’t very appetizing.  It sat on a black bean puree that was rather grey.  Though the pork had nice grill marks on it, it was slightly overcooked.  It was dry and chewy.  I could certainly taste the brine, though.  I meant to ask what they used for the brine, but I forgot.  I figured it was a typical salt-water-sugar brine.  It came with bacon-wrapped fried plantains which were absolutely scrumptious!  Then again how could anything fried and wrapped in bacon be bad? LOL

The Black Bean & Goat Cheese Enchiladas were very yummy, they were smothered with a spicy red sauce.  The black beans were in tact and not mushy.  The goat cheese (which I can have!) was a perfect pairing with the beans and helped “cool” down the spiciness of the sauce.  I’m not a huge fan of spicy-hot foods, but this was just too tasty to not thoroughly enjoy.

I took a big chance with the Sweet Potato Enchilidas – they were covered in a cabrales crema.  In other words, a cheesy sauce.  It looked too good not to sample!   Delicate, light, and topped with mole-cured bacon and scallions, it was really, really good.  Infytur suggested adding some of the spicy red sauce, which certainly added more flavor and dimension to it.

We pretty much finished everything, except for a few bites of the spicy black bean enchildas.  I was not going home right away, so I did not get a doggie bag for it.  We perused the dessert menu, but everything pretty much had dairy in it.  So we decided to stroll down to Capogiro for dessert.  I’ll save that for another post, another time, though.

In any case, if you’re seeking casual, adequate Mexican fare, then go right ahead and try Azul Cantina.  I have been told other places are better and cost less.  So I don’t think I will be rushing back real soon.

3.5 out of 5 Noms.

Azul Cantina
941 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA
215-627-5200