Brian Freedman
Posted by Foobooz on May 22nd, 2013
Brian Freedman extols the virtues of Fitler Dining Room, the most recent occupant of the charmed space that is the northwest corner of 22nd and Spruce.
For the short period of time that Fitler has been open, its food is remarkably confident: The distance between the intent of each dish and its execution is virtually nonexistent. And the way it straddles the line between higher-concept and comfort is something that many restaurants far further along in their evolution still struggle to achieve. Tagliatelle, hand-cut and tender, arrives all tangled around nettles, spring peas and ramps. Smoked chèvre melts when the hen egg nesting in the center of it all is broken and mixed into the noodles, creating a deeply flavorful sauce and providing a perfect framing mechanism for those bright spring flavors. Braised beef cheek arrived all shimmering black like some sort of lacquered jewelry box. For a chilly, early spring evening, it was perfect.
Fitler Dining Room opens in a charmed space, seems poised to succeed [Philadelphia Weekly]
Fitler Dining Room [Official Site]
Related: Food, Reviews, Brian Freedman, Center-City-West, Fitler Dining Room, Fitler Square, Reviewed
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Posted by Foobooz on February 13th, 2013
Brian Freedman really enjoys his brunch at Hawthornes. He even enjoys the 90-minute wait to be seated.
French toast—really more of a thrice-cooked bread pudding—is a standout. Tucked inside the crisp edges is a dense-yet-light center that’s silky with a bit of every sort of bread the kitchen uses here: brioche, challah, multigrain and more. It’s hearty and elegant all at once, and calls out for a side of some sort of meat. (I’d go with the sausage, all snappy-cased and tender, over the thick-cut bacon, which could have been crispier.)
Other standards are just as carefully crafted, the waffles light and nutty, the omelets delicate, moist, and flavorful with ingredients that have actually been treated as integral parts of the whole as opposed to merely stuffing: Mushrooms and peppers had been sauteed, for example, as opposed to having been dumped in there raw.
The Brunch at Hawthornes is Worth Waiting For [Philadelphia Weekly]
Hawthornes [Official Site]
Related: Reviews, Bella-Vista, Brian Freedman, Brunch, Hawthornes, Reviewed
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Posted by Foobooz on January 8th, 2013
Brian Freedman dines at Baan Thai in Northern Liberties and finds dishes inspired by their homegrown ingredients.
Rad-nar—tender, slippery flat rice noodles—are listed as being topped with a homemade “gravy,” a word that I’ve rarely experienced having been used so accurately as it is here. This was a gravy in the old-school sense, meaty, glistening and built from a stock that’s boiled down each morning. A nuanced, clear-flavored tom yum, rooted in a homemade chicken stock, also benefitted from the kitchen’s DIY insistence.
Personal Touches Take The Dishes at Baan Thai to a Whole New Level [Philadelphia Weekly]
Photo by Felicia Perretti
Related: Food, Reviews, Baan Thai, Brian Freedman, BYOB, liberties walk, Northern-Liberties, Reviewed, Thai
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Posted by Foobooz on December 19th, 2012
Brian Freedman is the latest to dote on Will, Chris Kearse’s Passyunk Avenue BYOB. Freedman even goes as far as decreeing the new spot one of Philadelphia’s best BYOBs.
Those scallops wobble perfectly beneath their caramel-toned crown. Drag them through the “almond-milk” sauce and they’re taken to a different planet entirely—mouth-coating and delicate all at once. Fork them with a cloud of uni creme—like some kind of ocean-borne foie gras—and they turn into the mollusk equivalent of Ecstasy.
The pork belly appetizer could be the swine version of the drug. Like some kind of savory, thick-bacon candy bar, the belly was joined by a winter bean cassoulet that was actually a brilliant play on the classic stew. (Kearse’s ingenious, ringingly clear version involves a 12-hour sous vide braise of the beans.)
The Much-Anticipated Will, in East Passyunk, Joins the Top Echelon of BYOBs in Philly [Philadelphia Weekly]
Will [Official Site]
Photo by Felicia Perretti
Related: Reviews, American, Brian Freedman, BYOB, East-Passyunk, Reviewed, Will
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Posted by Alex Tewfik on December 5th, 2012
Fishtown’s barbeque battleground is in full effect, and it seems as though Bubba’s Texas BBQ and Fette Sau are firing on all cylinders. Finding almost every meaty offering to be a success at Bubba’s Texas BBQ, Brian Freedman’s review shows promise for the little guy standing in Goliath’s shadow.
Pit master Robert “Bubba” Kolbasowski, a Texas native, is a stickler for details, and his 21-spice dry rub and homemade BBQ sauce are remarkable testaments to his focus on every aspect of what gets sent out of his kitchen. Fortunately, he uses his sauces judiciously, never over-applying them, which would be the BBQ-crime equivalent to certain other offenses that get prosecuted in the Hague. And in truth, his best meats really need no additional sauce beyond what he adds—just a pile of paper towels and beer, and they’re good to go.
Related: Food, Reviews, Barbecue, Brian Freedman, Bubba's Texas BBQ, Fishtown, Reviewed
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November 28th, 2012
“The stuffing, really, was the only dish that didn’t quite take flight. And though I was reminded over and again how my mother had broken her back over the homemade corn bread, how she had scrubbed each and every one of those mushrooms by hand lest the critic chomp into any grit, god forbid, those earthy-sweet little buttons, nicely sauteed with onions and garlic, dominated the flavor profile of the dish. – Brian Freedman on his mother’s Thanksgiving Dinner
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Posted by Foobooz on October 31st, 2012
Love of all things swine can almost be cliche these days and would be if pork weren’t so damned delicious. Brian Freedman finds the piggie offerings are particularly lovable at the Industry in Pennsport.
Sometimes, when work and life and relationships get the best of me, it seems the only thing that will salve my wounds is the flesh of our swiney friend. At which times, I’d say, you can’t do much better than starting off at the Industry with a pint of beer—maybe a Lagunitas Daytime IPA—and a plate of Indian BBQ chicharrones. They arrive dusted a vivid shade of red; that’s the Madras curry powder amped up with smoked paprika and other secret spices, and it’s all the more visually stunning against the tan puffs of deep-fried pig skin that serve as both the spice’s base and its foil. The combination of the two is perfect, and even better with a nicely hopped brew to start things off.
The Most Interesting Swine in the World? Find It at The Industry [Philadelphia Weekly]
The Industry [Official Site]
Related: Reviews, Brian Freedman, gastropub, Pennsport, Reviewed, The Industry
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Posted by Foobooz on October 24th, 2012
Brian Freedman provides his take on Le Bec Fin in top-10 format. And number ten on his list sums up his experience at Nicolas Fanucci’s Le Be Fin.
10. The Owner
Fanucci works the dining room like the professional he is, with a mix of charm, enthusiasm, deep knowledge and unflappable professionalism defining his interactions. He was GM at Le Bec before moving out to California to helm the dining room at the French Laundry; his career at the top echelon of American gastronomy has allowed him to wear the vestments of fine dining with real comfort and ease. Talk to him a bit and you’ll see just how personal this project is for him, how deeply he believes that Philadelphia needs a reinvigorated Le Bec Fin. I agree with him wholeheartedly; eating here is exciting again, and watching it continue to evolve promises to be one of the great stories of Philadelphia dining for years to come.
A Fresh Perspective on the Allure of Le Bec Fin [Philadelphia Weekly]
Le Bec Fin [Official Site]
Photo by Felicia Perretti
Related: Reviews, Brian Freedman, Center-City-West, Le Bec Fin, Nicolas Fanucci, Reviewed
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Posted by Aubrey Nagle on September 27th, 2012
Brian Freedman took a trip on over to Drexel‘s campus to check out Spencer ETA Burger, brought to campus by the team behind Sabrina’s (the brunch spot’s West Philly locale is in the same building). What he found there was “drunk-food par excellence” and patties with scene-stealing toppers that’ll make the biggest carnivore love Spencer’s veggie burgers.
The homemade toppings here take center stage, not just over the meatless burgers but over the beef as well. The meat is fine, mind you—plenty juicy and seasoned with a deft hand—but the toppings tend to be so generously applied, and occasionally so baroque in their constituent combination of components, they simply steal the proverbial show.
The Toppings Are What Stand Out At Spencer ETA Burger [Philadelphia Weekly]
Spencer ETA Burger [Official Site]
Photo by Felicia Perretti.
Related: Reviews, Brian Freedman, burgers, Drexel University, Hamburger, Reviewed, Reviews, Sabrinas, Spencer ETA Burger, University-City, West-Philadelphia
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Posted by Foobooz on August 29th, 2012
Brian Freedman does not enjoy his wine or dinner at the Latham Hotel’s new Urban Enoteca. And that’s putting it mildly.
Worst of all was the “rustic stew of coastal shellfish.” It arrived practically trailing cartoon odor-lines, like those wisps of smoke that followed Pepe LePew in the old Warner Bros. classics. Bland halibut, well-cooked but virtually flavorless shrimp, “Maine lobster” that was little more that the occasional shoestring of flaccid meat—all that and more came to the table in a menacing bath of unexpectedly thick tomato sauce squiggled with a Day-Glo saffron rouille whose sourness was cause for concern.
Urban Enoteca’s ‘Wine Bar’ Charges an Arm and a Leg for Even the Most Uninspired Brands [Philadelphia Weekly]
Urban Enoteca [Official Site]
Related: Reviews, Brian Freedman, Center-City-West, Reviewed, Urban Enoteca, Wine, Wine Bar
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