Take a step back in time at the Olde Saylors inne. The place looks like the whitehouse and is over 200 years old. This is a family run restaurant and it shows the moment you walk in as a young family member is the host while his brother is the bartender. The main dining room is a classic old looking dining room from the 1950's. Very PA. Pocono's...
The menu is large and the prices are cheap, so are the cocktail's, it was unbelievable how cheap the food was. I started with the Manhattan clam chowder which was tasty but not spectacular.
When the waitress first came to our table she brought us a fresh loaf of bread and a big bowl of their famous and delicious coleslaw...
I ordered the down on the farm which was a ham steak and fried chicken. The ham steak was delicious one of the better ham steaks i have ever had, the fried chicken was tasty but I was disappointed because i was expecting a nice piece of fried chicken and i got 5 chicken wings that were fried. Another guest got the twin lobster tails and raved about them. A third person got the surf and turf and also said it was very good. The last member of our party got the crab cake and enjoyed that.
We ended our dinner with a hot fudge sundae with a chocolate brownie and that was tasty. The atmosphere was nice, the people were very nice, if you ever find yourself near this PA. mainstay stop inn and have a bite.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Barbuzzo ( 110 3. 13th st.) Philadelphia,Pa.
Barbuzzo opened in the fall of 2010 and the buzz about the place has been nonstop from day one. A weekend reservation is very difficult to book at the tony midtown hot spot. Last evening I was lucky enough to enjoy a meal at the restaurant.
We had a reservation for a group table but the 20 seat bar is first come first serve and we were lucky enough to get a few spots there. The bar is half a traditional bar and half the kitchen so we sat directly in front of the chef's. Some of the chefs were really friendly and joked around with us while other cooks were very locked into his profession.
Our dinner started with the goat cheese cheese board, good god this thing was awesome if you ever go get this for your group... next we moved onto the gnocchi that is pan seared with mushrooms and pancetta and onions, i think we started fighting over that dish. I could eat it every day... Next we had the bronzino and i think we fought over that too.
The restaurant is small, and not intimate it is also loud, but the food is spectacular the service is good. I highly recommend this destination.
We had a reservation for a group table but the 20 seat bar is first come first serve and we were lucky enough to get a few spots there. The bar is half a traditional bar and half the kitchen so we sat directly in front of the chef's. Some of the chefs were really friendly and joked around with us while other cooks were very locked into his profession.
Our dinner started with the goat cheese cheese board, good god this thing was awesome if you ever go get this for your group... next we moved onto the gnocchi that is pan seared with mushrooms and pancetta and onions, i think we started fighting over that dish. I could eat it every day... Next we had the bronzino and i think we fought over that too.
The restaurant is small, and not intimate it is also loud, but the food is spectacular the service is good. I highly recommend this destination.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
The Bayleaf (9th and Hamilton) Allentown,PA.
The Bay leaf restaurant in the heart of downtown Allentown has been a staple since the early 1980's. Last evening I met some family members for another glorious dinner. This is my second visit in the past 2 months and both times we all walked away filled and happy.
For one the menu is large, there are a number of apps and entrees to choose from. I started my evening with the seafood bisque soup, a pink creamy soup with lovely texture and taste. This is a true bisque as you will find minimum seafood chunks mostly just delicious cream heavily flavored with seafood. Another diner got the blue cheese salad. For years the Bay leaf has been known for there gorgeous salads and last night was no different. The salad looked beautiful and tasted the same. Another guest ordered the mushroom soup and it was also pleasing.
For dinner I ordered the grilled veal chop which was excellent. A large chop cooked to order served with perfectly cooked veggies and a wonderful port wine reduction sauce. The fillet tips with oysters has been a mainstay on the menu from day one and for good reason. The chicken with lima beans and marsala was another order we tried and it also satisfied the table.
They have a full service bar, but it is not for sitting at. The wine list is basic not embarrassing but it will not rock your world. The prices for the quality of food are excellent and the service is very professional. TheY offer on street and off street parking behind the restaurant. Definitely worth the trip into downtown Allentown.
For one the menu is large, there are a number of apps and entrees to choose from. I started my evening with the seafood bisque soup, a pink creamy soup with lovely texture and taste. This is a true bisque as you will find minimum seafood chunks mostly just delicious cream heavily flavored with seafood. Another diner got the blue cheese salad. For years the Bay leaf has been known for there gorgeous salads and last night was no different. The salad looked beautiful and tasted the same. Another guest ordered the mushroom soup and it was also pleasing.
For dinner I ordered the grilled veal chop which was excellent. A large chop cooked to order served with perfectly cooked veggies and a wonderful port wine reduction sauce. The fillet tips with oysters has been a mainstay on the menu from day one and for good reason. The chicken with lima beans and marsala was another order we tried and it also satisfied the table.
They have a full service bar, but it is not for sitting at. The wine list is basic not embarrassing but it will not rock your world. The prices for the quality of food are excellent and the service is very professional. TheY offer on street and off street parking behind the restaurant. Definitely worth the trip into downtown Allentown.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
DMitri's ( 23rd and pine st.) Philadelphia, PA.
I will always have a warm spot in my heart for this little gem. Dmitri's is like your favorite pair of jeans oh so comfortable and basic.
The restaurant which has 3 branches in Philadelphia offers little plates and big plates. I usually stick with the little plates and they are so fresh and yummy. The shrimp pil pil and the shrimp scampi are fabulous, the hummus is amazing, the grilled veggies are
fabulous the octopus is great you just can't go wrong with this place and the prices are cheap.
Definitely go to Dmitri's the food is worth it.
The restaurant which has 3 branches in Philadelphia offers little plates and big plates. I usually stick with the little plates and they are so fresh and yummy. The shrimp pil pil and the shrimp scampi are fabulous, the hummus is amazing, the grilled veggies are
fabulous the octopus is great you just can't go wrong with this place and the prices are cheap.
Definitely go to Dmitri's the food is worth it.
Francoluigi's ( 13th and tasker ) Philadelphia, PA.
So a friend told me about this pizza shop/deli which has a dining room off to the side that is referred to as the highnote cafe. Good to know I'm in. So i hi tailed it down to south Philadelphia via the subway and met some friends for a nice mid week dinner. I arrived about 15 minutes early and decided to go right to the dining room and feel things out. I mentioned to the maitre'd that i could go for a cocktail so the waiter, i believe his name was Dominic came right over and got me a drink. Now in the dining room their is a family celebrating a child's birthday and me at another table it felt a little weird at first but then the small dining room saw another group arrive before my friends and before you know it the place is packed. The waiter worked the entire room and he was fabulous, he had a side kick to help him and they had the place covered.
It is called the highnote because most evenings they have entertainment and tonight was jazz night so a young man filled the dining room with piano sounds of jazz that was just lovely. I kept waiting for DeNiro or Sinatra to come into the place it just had that feel to it.
Well we decided to start our evening with an order of meatballs. Let me tell you something people they were the best meatballs i ever had and i know that sounds so trite but they were like silk. They used a couple of different meats and pork ground everything up so fine that the balls were just so smooth and silky what a texture i could not believe how good these things were. Everyone at our table just melted...
For my entree i had one of the evenings specialty which was pasta with shrimp and scallops in a creamy pink vodka sauce. Hello delicious it was so good and tasty. Another dish at our table was a chicken dish that i tried and it too was wonderful.
There are plenty of Italian places in south Philly that deserve respect francoliugi's is one of them. No attitude, very comfy atmosphere good food, good people, nice ambiance a real gem to check out.
It is called the highnote because most evenings they have entertainment and tonight was jazz night so a young man filled the dining room with piano sounds of jazz that was just lovely. I kept waiting for DeNiro or Sinatra to come into the place it just had that feel to it.
Well we decided to start our evening with an order of meatballs. Let me tell you something people they were the best meatballs i ever had and i know that sounds so trite but they were like silk. They used a couple of different meats and pork ground everything up so fine that the balls were just so smooth and silky what a texture i could not believe how good these things were. Everyone at our table just melted...
For my entree i had one of the evenings specialty which was pasta with shrimp and scallops in a creamy pink vodka sauce. Hello delicious it was so good and tasty. Another dish at our table was a chicken dish that i tried and it too was wonderful.
There are plenty of Italian places in south Philly that deserve respect francoliugi's is one of them. No attitude, very comfy atmosphere good food, good people, nice ambiance a real gem to check out.
Zahav (237 St. James) Philadelphia, PA.
Zahav opened in May of 2008 and has been getting rave reviews from fellow foodies and restaurant critcs. I decided it was time take the trek and decide for myself.
We had a reservation for 4 people. When we arrived at the restaurant it was packed. Both dining rooms and the bar were filled with people but we were able to make a little room at the bar and get a cocktail.
The restaurant was running behind schedule and other diners were not in a hurry to vacate so we did not get seated for almost an hour after our reservation which frankly annoyed me because it was visible that they had over booked the place. On the other hand the bartender did give us some free drinks and the manager came over to us a few times and apologized for the delay. They were gracious and nice.
Once seated we decided to order the chef's tasting menu for the table. This was a great way to try a number of dishes. The Mesibah or party as they call it staeted with their hummus and fresh baked bread was outstanding and frankly i good just eat that with some wine at the bar solo and be happy on any given evening. Next we got a mezze which had a number of different dishes/spreads which you would eat with the hummus and fresh bread/pita. Each one of the mezze's were delicious you can't go wrong with this dish. Soup then arrived at our table that was also just wonderful, the soup was a small portion but that was fine because food just kept coming out. Next we had the foie gras and let me tell ya it was wonderful, just wonderful...finally our main course of a whole roasted lamb shoulder arrived, and frankly we were stuffed but we ventured on the lamb was well prepared and moist but we thought it was missing something, maybe a nice dry rub or a different glaze than what they used. The rice that came with it was not up to my style.
I would go back but not on a weekend the place was just too crowded, the food was good the service was exceptional so there were a lot of good things about this place.
We had a reservation for 4 people. When we arrived at the restaurant it was packed. Both dining rooms and the bar were filled with people but we were able to make a little room at the bar and get a cocktail.
The restaurant was running behind schedule and other diners were not in a hurry to vacate so we did not get seated for almost an hour after our reservation which frankly annoyed me because it was visible that they had over booked the place. On the other hand the bartender did give us some free drinks and the manager came over to us a few times and apologized for the delay. They were gracious and nice.
Once seated we decided to order the chef's tasting menu for the table. This was a great way to try a number of dishes. The Mesibah or party as they call it staeted with their hummus and fresh baked bread was outstanding and frankly i good just eat that with some wine at the bar solo and be happy on any given evening. Next we got a mezze which had a number of different dishes/spreads which you would eat with the hummus and fresh bread/pita. Each one of the mezze's were delicious you can't go wrong with this dish. Soup then arrived at our table that was also just wonderful, the soup was a small portion but that was fine because food just kept coming out. Next we had the foie gras and let me tell ya it was wonderful, just wonderful...finally our main course of a whole roasted lamb shoulder arrived, and frankly we were stuffed but we ventured on the lamb was well prepared and moist but we thought it was missing something, maybe a nice dry rub or a different glaze than what they used. The rice that came with it was not up to my style.
I would go back but not on a weekend the place was just too crowded, the food was good the service was exceptional so there were a lot of good things about this place.
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