Posted by Foobooz on April 15th, 2013
Craig LaBan travels to Conshohocken to try Southern Cross Kitchen, the latest restaurant from Kim Strengari and Marianne Gere. He was not happy with the shrip and grits, the fried pickles nor the fried chicken. They were all removed from the check but what remained didn’t impress the reviewer either.
Southern Cross has more than a few great beers to wash it down, with those 23 rotating taps featuring American stars from Firestone Walker to Left Hand’s refreshingly restrained English-style IPA, 400 Pound Monkey.
But let’s face it: the giant craft-beer list, as much as I applaud its thirsty march to prominence, is becoming an all-too common cover for restaurants that don’t have the rest of their act together. Anyone can order good beer.
And Southern Cross’ many menu flaws cannot be completely obscured by the latest high-octane Imperial IPA. Or I could be wrong, judging from the dude at the bar who obliviously devoured a plate of calamari that had such a fishy stink I could smell it from the hostess stand.
One-Bell, Hit-or-Miss
Southern Cross [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Southern Cross [Official Site]
Related: News, Conshohocken, Craig LaBan, Montgomery-County, One Bell, Reviewed, Southern, Southern Cross Kitchen
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Posted by Foobooz on December 17th, 2012
The drinks are the thing at South Street’s The Cambridge. The food, well Craig LaBan has some issues there.
I might have loved the Asian-styled pulled pork sandwich called Sensei Kris had the tender shreds of confit-cooked pork not been reheated on the plancha to a crispy black. The towering meat loaf sandwich layered atop an onion-poppy roll with a fried egg? Burned to a char. Even the lightly curried cauliflower florets that accompanied the dry fillet of salmon were roasted briquette-black.
One Bell – Hit-or-miss
Drinks: Excellent. Food: Not worth the long wait [Philadelphia Inquirer]
The Cambridge [Official Site]
Related: News, Cambridge, Craig LaBan, gastropub, Graduate Hospital, One Bell, Reviewed, South-Street
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Posted by Foobooz on October 1st, 2012
Craig LaBan drops one-bell on Peter McAndrews’ Nothern Liberties BYOB, Popolino. LaBan finds quality control issues and admonishes McAndrews to get back in the kitchen.
Too many dishes, though, stumbled over execution that can only be described as “sloppolino.” The lamb carpaccio was flavorful, but warmed so much that the curling shreds looked like cheesesteak meat scraped off a griddle. A clever saltimbocca variation of trout wrapped in prosciutto and sage was overcooked, as stiff as a board. The luscious tuna was wildly overspiced. Veal with mushrooms was drowned in cream. And the odd, mole-like cocoa sauce for the canneloni could not hide the lack of tenderness of the shredded oxtail tucked inside.
One Bell – Hit-or-Miss
Popolino [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Popolino [Official Site]
Related: Reviews, BYOB, Craig LaBan, Italian, Northern-Liberties, One Bell, Peter McAndrews, Popolino
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Posted by Foobooz on July 16th, 2012
Craig LaBan who has been a big fan of Matt Levin at Adsum and Lacroix comes away disappointed in the chef’s latest endeavor, Square Peg.
But along with Square Peg’s many other flaws, too many dishes here went wrong, with poor execution that’s uncharacteristic of a Levin kitchen, or just bad ideas. The chewy chicken wings lacquered in an over-spiced glaze of white chocolate-habanero cream was both. The pierogi, one of the highlights at Adsum, were both pasty and greasy. The fried clam belly sandwich was cooked to rubber bands. The shrimp crackers with the fried calamari, meanwhile, were undercooked, with uncuffed corners lodging in my teeth. The fried chicken “Cobb” salad was drenched in an oversweet Asian dressing. An attempt at house-made scrapple — a current rage — was disastrous, a livery gray loaf of dried-out pork pudding that made us long for an old-school slice of Habersett’s.
One Bell – Hit-or-Miss
Craig LaBan review: Square Peg [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Square Peg [Official Site]
Related: Reviews, Center-City-East, Craig LaBan, Matthew Levin, One Bell, Reviewed, Square Peg
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Posted by Foobooz on April 23rd, 2012
Craig LaBan gets to reviewing Paramour in the Wayne Hotel and finds the Main Line restaurant mainly missing the mark.
The savory kitchen, though, just kept missing the mark when it needed finesse, from the gesture of its complimentary amuse-bouches (chewy raw fluke was sliced too thick, then dabbed with a coconut emulsion that tasted like piña colada; the next night a crouton topped with seared beef, supposedly corned and smoked, was virtually tasteless) to the luxury seafood entrees. Some beautiful scallops were oddly seared to such a deep and tacky-textured brown, their caramelized crusts literally stuck between my teeth. A thick brick of gorgeous sea bass had a nice pairing with creamed corn and beans, but was underseasoned and overcooked.
One Bell – Hit or Miss
Paramour [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Paramour [Official Site]
Related: Reviews, American, Craig LaBan, Main-Line, One Bell, Paramour, Reviewed, Wayne, Wayne Hotel
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Posted by Foobooz on April 16th, 2012
Craig LaBan likes the concept of East Passyunk pizzeria and beer bar Birra, but his review highlights problems with poor execution and flawed recipes.
The chunky tomatoes were less of a bother (though not a plus, either) with spaghetti and meatballs pie, which was probably the best of the novelty offerings — the noodles baked to an extra little crunch, the meatballs tender with veal and milk-soaked bread. But the addition of tomato sauce and “white sauce” (molten crème fraîche) to the “cheeseburger” pizza completely disconnected Birra’s rendition from anything resembling its namesake. The sesame-dusted pickles were a highlight, but two of my favorite foods had essentially dissolved into one disastrous, indistinguishable heap.
One Bell – Hit or Miss
Craig LaBan Reviews Birra [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Birra [Official Site]
Related: Reviews, Birra, Craig LaBan, East-Passyunk, Italian, One Bell, Pizza, Reviewed
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Posted by Foobooz on March 12th, 2012
Craig LaBan reviews Route 6, Stephen Starr’s East Coast seafood restaurant and takes it to task for not being enough of a Philadelphia fish house of a bygone era.
If I’d eaten only starters here, Route 6 would have been in for a far more cheery review. More delights from the raw bar: a perfect shrimp cocktail, the tender meat infused with its poach in grapefruit juice and chiles; also a cracked Dungeness crab with a zippy Worcestershire-tinged Louis dressing, harking back to [Chef Anthony] DiRienzo’s San Francisco days. Deviled eggs generously stuffed with lump crab salad tingled with cayenne-mustard heat. The “chopped” salad was more of a flimsy mixed green salad tossed with grilled shrimp and Green Goddess dressing. But the Caesar salad was refreshingly crunchy and piquant, topped with plump, silvery anchovies.
One Bell – Hit-or-Miss
Route 6 [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Route 6 [Official Site]
Related: Reviews, Craig LaBan, Fairmount, North Broad, One Bell, Reviewed, Route 6, Seafood, Stephen Starr
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