Posted by Foobooz on January 4th, 2013
Adam Erace had held out longer than most. Turned off by Hop Sing Laundromat’s hype and its proprietor’s self-deprecation, Erace at avoided Lee’s Chinatown cocktail bar. But for a first review of 2013, the bar beckoned. And although identified, City Paper’s reviewer tells his tale.
The off-menu tequila Old Fashioned was mostly booze but, paradoxically, not boozy. When the fire vanished from its tableside-flamed orange peel, it revealed a smooth tango of mezcal and reposado, smoke and oak set to plainspoken Angostura, agave and a spray of essential citrus oils. I sought that balance in the Triple A special, but there wasn’t enough fresh-pressed green apple juice to combat the lethal doses of applejack and absinthe.
“I know you didn’t like the Triple A,” Lee whispered when he set down the check, “so I took it off the bill.” I’d given no indication I hadn’t liked it. I’d even drunk most of it. Is Lee psychic or just a very keen observer?
The Truth About Czar Lee [City Paper]
Hop Sing Laundromat [Official Site]
Photo by Neal Santos
Related: Reviews, Adam Erace, Chinatown, Hop Sing Laundromat, Lee
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Posted by Foobooz on October 31st, 2012
In addition to the Stephen Starr defense in November’s Innovators cover story in Philadelphia magazine; the following men and women who have a large impact on Philadelphia’s food and drink scene were also given props:
- The Urban Planner – Paul Levy
- The Philly Promoter – Meryl Levitz
- The Culinary Powerhouse – Audrey Taichman
- The Veggie Activist – Yeal Lehmann
- The Barroom Progressive – Lêe
- The Iconoclast Chef – Michael Solomonov
Check them all out in Philadelphia magazine.
The Smartest People in Philadelphia [Philadelphia magazine]
Related: Food Nerd News, From the Magazine, Audrey Claire Taichman, GPTMC, Lee, Michael Solomonov, Paul Levy, Yeal Lehmann
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Posted by Foobooz on June 21st, 2012
Brian Freedman visits with Hop Sing Laundromat’s Lêe and finds out more about the man and his bar than even Freedman expected.
As for the drinks themselves—I’ve tasted maybe a dozen and a half of them, both as part of our interview as well as as a customer—Hop Sing’s are remarkably well-balanced and complex, and often succeed in unexpected, or at least too-rarely-seen, ways. With his sixth sense for flavor and balance, and with senior bartender Robert Fuentevilla on the team, the reality of Hop Sing hasn’t just met the pre-opening buzz—it has well exceeded it.
Behind the Scenes With Chinatown’s Long-Anticipated Hop Sing Laundromat [Philadelphia Weekly]
Hop Sing Laundromat [Official Site]
Photo of The “Failed Entertainment” | Felicia Perretti
Related: Drink, Reviews, Brian Freedman, Chinatown, Cocktails, Hop Sing Laundromat, Lee, Reviewed
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Posted by Foobooz on June 8th, 2012
We’re entering the third weekend of Hop Sing Laundromat being open to anyone who comes up to the unmarked storefront at 1029 Race Street (Well anyone who follows these rules and is dressed appropriately at least).
It is also the first weekend that the Chinatown bar will have a printed cocktail menu. The list has twelve drinks broken down by primary spirit. The descriptions are interesting to say the least, most with a tie to American history, and one referring to a certain restaurant critic. For cocktails we’ve tried and remember, our notes are in italic.
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Related: Drink, News, Chinatown, Cocktails, Hop Sing, Hop Sing Laundromat, Lee
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Posted by Jason Sheehan on March 1st, 2012
Remember how it all began?
So yes, it really happened. Around 8 o’clock last night, Lêe opened the gate that guards the door that leads to the lobby that opens onto the dining room at Hop Sing Laundromat and started allowing actual human beings (as opposed to cajoling members of the press, though there were a fair number of us in the crowd as well) into the bar.
It was gorgeous. It was bigger than it had ever seemed before (an effect of all the detritus of a long construction being removed, no doubt). It was lit with a hundred candles, the flames reflecting off of antique mirrors and lovingly polished and reconstructed fixtures and filled with the sounds of muted voices and music. The tables filled slowly as Lêe paced the entries–two and three and four of his friends, enemies and stalkers being let in at a time–but by the time he was done, the room was buzzing with conversation and quiet music.
And then the drinks began arriving…
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Related: Drink, Events, News, Opening Soon, Chinatown Bars, Chinatown Restaurants, Hop Sing Laundromat, Lee, Opening Night
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