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Eating D.C. – L’Avant-Garde

Aug19

Location: 2915 M St NW, Washington, DC 20007. (202) 652-1855

Date: November 24, 2023

Cuisine: French

Rating: Great food and great service

My friend Dave brought us to this excellent French restaurant.

L’menu.

An amuse of pepper mouse. Very creamy.

Bread and butter.

Bouillabaisse soup with macaroni & Marseille. rouille topped with puff pastry. I’ve never seen it in a puff pastry before!

The guts.

Scrambled egg topped with Pétrossian. Caviar “Tsar Impérial”.

Burrata di bufala, grapes, cherry tomatoes, with sherry and pomegranate molasses dressing.

Duck foie gras caramelized beignet with Port wine reduction. Foie donut anyone?

That’ll beat out the chocolate cream filled!

Duck foie gras over black truffle celery root rouille topped with puff pastry remoulade served with grilled brioche.

frisée salad to offset the foie.

French turbot fillet with citrus broth. baby vegetables.

Beef Matelote with wine, Taggiasche. black truffle coulis olives, Pecorino fregola pasta.

Pecorino fregola pasta.

Farmer Amish rabbit persillade, with all the baby vegetables vegetables wrapped in Dijon mustard, tender pork belly.

Pretty amazing meal with not only great food but super friendly, top service. Great fun.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: French Cuisine, L'Avant-Garde, ThanksGavin, Washington D.C

ThanksGavin 2023

Aug15

The 2023 Thanksgiving spread. More limited and fewer people.

A bracing raddicio salad.

Wild rice.

The infamous spicy cranberry chutney.

My mom’s lighter take on green bean casserole.

Our BBQ turkey. Pretty much as excellent as always. Nice and smokey.

Sliced

Bits.

Stuffing.

I made the gravy. A bit livery and at first it was too thin.

And as there was no corn starch in the house I had to make a traditional roux.

That did the job right quick.

The 2023 ThanksGavin plate.

The 2023 ThanksGavin plate.

The oven broke so no pies 🙁 Just some Haggen Daas.

and fruit.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: ThanksGavin, thanksgiving, turkey, Wine

Eating Tysons – Silver Diner

Aug15

Restaurant: Silver Diner

Location: 8101 Fletcher St, McLean, VA 22102. (703) 821-5666

Date: November 23, 2023

Cuisine: American

Rating: Great diner food

This is some simple stuff:

But they actually do a good job.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: McLean Va, Silver Diner, ThanksGavin, Tyson's Corner

Eating Tysons – Patsy’s

Aug09

Restaurant: Patsy’s American

Location: 8051 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, VA 22182. (703) 552-5100

Date: November 22, 2023

Cuisine: American (duh)

Rating: Solid

My parents (or maybe my Dad) are a bit obsessed with this small Virginia chain. It’s like the more modern, more commercial variant of all the small American restaurants we used to eat at in the 1970s — but stripped of the soul.

Actually this interior space was once a Chesapeake Bay Seafood House, a place that served AYCE seafood and that was popular with my friends and I during High School.

Ozzie Rolls. Like donuts, but about half as sweet. Sugared butter.

Seafood Platter. 6 oysters, 6 midneck clams, 3 jumbo shrimp, smoked mussels & blood orange mignonette.

Shrimp Cocktail. 6 jumbo shrimp, fresh lemon & cocktail sauce.

Field Greens. grape tomatoes, sun dried cranberries, dates, pine nuts, garlic croutons & champagne vinaigrette…blue cheese or Laura Chenel goat cheese.

Crab & Corn Chowder.

Short Smoked Salmon Filet. marinated and smoked, then hickory grilled with fresh asparagus, mashed potatoes & creole mustard sauce.

BBQ Baby Back Ribs with fresh, hand cut fries & traditional cole slaw.

Warm White Chocolate Bread Pudding. bourbon custard sauce, vanilla ice cream & caramel.

It’s not bad, but it’s so “white bread.”

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: American Cuisine, McLean Va, Patsys, Seafood, ThanksGavin, Wine

Eating McLean – Pulcinella

Aug06

Restaurant: Pulcinella Italian Kitchen

Location: 1310 Chain Bridge Rd, McLean, VA 22101.

Date: November 21, 2023

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Casual Italian Cafe

My parents love this extremely casual Italian eatery near their house. VERY casual and VERY Italian-American for my style.

A weird thing that happens when people get older, even aging foodies, is that their food taste “reverts.”

They have no license, so it’s BYOB.

Bread.

Burrata salad. Not bad actually.

Beet salad.

Fried Calamari. They “cut” the squid with zucchini (probably for cost reason).

Meatballs. A bit bland. Lots of filler. Big though.

Basic pasta.

Eggplant Parm.

Pounded chicken with peppers.

Chicken Piccata.

Veal Marsala. Did taste of marsala. Kinda tasty, but a bit sweet. Classic supermarket mushrooms.

Branzino.

Spaghetti comes with everything.

Tiramisu was ok.

And very AL DENTE green beans.

Overall, it was good for what it was. But just not really “up to my standards.” Portions were large and service was very friendly.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: italian, McLean Va, Pulcinella, ThanksGavin

Fatty Friday 2022

Jul07

It’s tradition at ThanksGavin (the 4 day feasting our family engages in each November) for one of my cousins to host the Friday Night dinner, which is like thanksgiving night all over again (but with different food). This year, Matt and his wife Andrea handled BOTH nights!

Shrimp Cocktail with home-made Cocktail Sauce.

Home-made Trout Dip. Very lovely smoked trout flavor and great creamy texture.

Toasts for the trout dip.

A pile of Snake River Farms beef.

Tomohawk steaks.

New York Steaks.

Sliced steak.

Salmon.

Home-made Béarnaise sauce for both the steaks and salmon.

Cauliflower Gratin. Covered in a Béchamel sauce that was infused with cheese then baked.

Crispy sliced potatoes.

Sautéed Mushrooms. Just like a steakhouse.

Sautéed Spinach.

Caesar salad made with my “famous” classic Caesar Dressing (includes anchoives and raw egg yolks of course).

My personal plate, avoiding the carbs.

The dessert spread returns the leftovers from Thanksgiving the night before.

Satisfaction!

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Dessert, Fat Friday, Meat, ThanksGavin, ThanksGavin 2022, thanksgiving, Wine

ThanksGavin 2022 – The Feast Itself

Jul05

And so we come to the traditional ThanksGavin Feast in its 2022 incarnation.

The main and kid’s tables.

Cute decorations this year.

And cute name tags.

The turkey straight out of the Green Egg.

Two turkey’s actually.

Mozzerella and Pepperdew appetizer.

The main spread of vegetables.

Salad dressing.

Kale Salad with a nutty dressing. With a meal like this a little fiber is always welcome!

Home-made cranberry jelly.

My mom’s home-made Cranberry Chutney.

Braised Leeks with Cheese. I’m really quite fond of leeks and probably ate at least 25% of this.

Roasted Beets.

Baked Sweet Potatoes.

Mashed Potatoes.

Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts.

Breads.

The “Turkey Station.”

Turkey. This is only part of the two birds, but you can see how well cooked it is with juicy smoked meat and a nice skin.

Just a portion of the delicious Challah Stuffing.

Vegan Gravy.

Regular gravy made from browned turkey wings.

Flounder Cakes that tasted exactly like crab cakes.

My 2022 Thanksgiving Dinner Plate. This year I was on a serious diet and so avoiding the carbs. I did have to cave in and pile a little bit of stuffing in the middle, but otherwise I avoided all the potatoes, beets, bread, etc and just piled on the meat and veggies. #thanksgiving

My brother’s plate, which had a different selection.

The main dessert spread.

The hot dessert spread.

Pecan Pie. My mom bakes the best pecan pie. I use part of the recipe (minus the crust) in my pecan pie gelato.

Filo Dough and custard.

Pumpkin Pie.

Grandmom’s brownies — they live on decades after her passing.

Grandmom’s blondies. I actually like these even better than the brownies.

Whipped Cream. I made whipped cream again. Just cream, vanilla, and a bit of powdered sugar.

Sweet Milk Gelato’s amazing Butterscotch Sauce. For the third year “running” (2019, 2021, and 2022 as 2020 was canceled) I whipped this up. Overcooked it slightly this year and it was a touch chewy. Still tasted amazing though.

My dessert plate. Sadly, the wine weakened my resolve and I broke down and had a little dessert. I didn’t finish the plate though and took about 1/3 of what I’d normally take.

Buster had Pig Ear for dessert.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Philadelphia, ThanksGavin, ThanksGavin 2022, turkey, Wine

China Gourmet – Wednesday 2022

Jul02

Restaurant: China Gourmet [1, 2]

Location: 2842 St Vincent St, Philadelphia, PA 19149. (215) 941-1898

Date: November 23, 2022

Cuisine: Cantonese Chinese

Rating: Pretty decent Cantonese

As part of the traditional ThanksGavin progression of meals we go out on Wednesday before Thanksgiving and this year we returned to China Gourmet, which we’d visited on Friday night the year before.

Cantonese banquet hall — Philly style.

Fairly typical interior that is pretty much straight out of the SGV. It sure was quiet on this wed night.

The menu. Clearly they do a lot of takeout.
Peanuts on the table.

Vegetarian Spring Rolls. Nice and crispy.

Hot and Sour Soup. Not a bad version with a good texture. A bit goopy (corn starch). Could have used slightly more white pepper and black vinegar. They had red vinegar on the table but that was too sweet.

Shrimp with lobster sauce. The goopy lobster sauce was actually pretty tasty and the shrimp texture was great. There weren’t ENOUGH shrimp, but hey.

Lobster with ginger and scallion. This was two tiny lobsters. The meat was succulent and the sauce very silky so a nice version of the wet lobster type.

Whole flounder steamed with soy and scallions. Very light moist fish with lots of meat. Quite nice.

See all that meat?

“Peking duck.” Cantonese Roast Duck with the buns but still quite nice (and quite fatty). Not that crispy but delicious.

Stir-fried snow pea leaves with garlic. Very solid garlic green.

Steamed broccoli.

Stir fried mushrooms with tofu and snap peas. The tofu was delectably soft and the veggies firm and delicious. Very nice dish.

Sliced Pork with Okra. I haven’t had this exact combo but this was a very nice pork dish with tender and flavorful meat and crunchy veggies.

Cumin lamb. This certainly wan’t the typical cumin lamb — in fact I could barely taste any cumin. The meat was very tender with some good “moutony” flavor.

Plain Lo Mein.

Veggie Fried Rice. A bit too charred for my taste.

Fruit.

Really a pretty good place, on par with a medium level SGV Cantonese. Not the best ever, but not Chinese American either (at least the way I ordered). Everyone enjoyed it too so my “something for everyone” ordering seemed to have worked out.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

To see more ThanksGavin meals check here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Cantonese cuisine, China Gourmet, Chinese cuisine, ThanksGavin, ThanksGavin 2022

Salty Saturday 2021

Aug10

Salty Saturday is the traditional family bagel and lox brunch we do on the Saturday after ThanksGavin.

For the last couple of years it’s been hosted at my cousin Matt’s house. This year (2021), it’s a touch more subdued than usual due to cooking fatigue, the pandemic, etc.

In his sunny dining room.

Across the way is the kids table.

The more restrained spread this year.

Philadelphia bagels.

Onions.

Lox.

Cheese.

Herbs.

Snacks, cucumbers etc.

Tomatoes, capers, cream cheese, whitefish salad, olives.

Freshly made goat cheese fritata.

And here is my plate — delicious but it did induce ridicule for including 4 full bagel halves!

To combat the salt, I also tried a strategy of pounding a cold press coffee, which seemed to work (a bit). Then we got in the car and drove off to New York!

See here for more ThanksGavin posts.

Made by my young cousin Audrey from my Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Bagels, Cream Cheese, Lox, Salty Saturday, ThanksGavin, ThanksGavin 2021, thanksgiving

ThanksGavin 2021 – The Feast Itself

Aug05

This year, after a brief pandemic induced hiatus, ThanksGavin returned to Philadelphia in 2021 — at my cousin Matt and his wife Andrea’s place.

Matt is in the back starting his kitchen prep.

For whatever reasons, possibly ennui, my photos are slightly more minimalistic than usual.

The savory spread.

Bread.

Butter.

Brussels with walnuts.

Squash.

Leeks.

Doubling down on the red are the roasted beets.

Potatoes Lyonnaise.

Cranberry jelly.

My mom’s cranberry chutney with a bit of citrus and cayenne — probably my favorite.

Veggies.

Turkey #1. BBQed in the Big Green Egg. And Turkey #2 was Done in the webber over charcoal.

Turkey!

More Turkey.

Stuffing.

Stuffing without butter.

My official plate for 2021!

Whipped cream I “whipped up.”

And some super decadent butterscotch sauce I also whipped up — given that I’m not the master of anything that belongs with gelato.

Brownies etc.

A spice/fruit cake.

Pumpkin pie.

Pecan pie.

Here is my pancreas busting plate.

Overall, some of the best ThanksGavin food yet, even beating out the awesome 2017 and 2018! It usually is, as the standards keep going up and up! To see a list of all ThanksGavin meals over the here, click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Dessert, ThanksGavin, ThanksGavin 2021, thanksgiving, turkey, Wine

Whacky Wednesday – Argana Tree

Aug03

Restaurant: Argana Tree Restaurant

Location: 620 Greenwood Ave, Jenkintown, PA 19046. (215) 887-7400

Date: November 24, 2021

Cuisine: Moroccan

Rating: Slow but good

After 2 years off for the pandemic the ThanksGavin was back on in its habitual Philadelphia. On Wed night before the holiday we always go out somewhere interesting, in this case just down the street to:

It’s really down the street from my cousins’ place. We walked.

The menu.

The dining room.

NV Henriot Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut.

Bread.

Olive oil.

Assorted Moroccan Appetizers.

Greek Salad. Feta cheese, Olives, Tomato, Cucumber, Boiled Egg and Red Wine Vinegar Dressing Over Mixed Greens.

roasted beet salad. Crispy goat cheese, grapefruit, raspberries pistachio, arugula, mustard dressing.

Falafel and yogurt.

From my cellar: 1976 Robert Ampeau & Fils Volnay 1er Cru Santenots.

From my cellar: 2012 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Anrecht.

Kefta Kabob. Ground lamb in Moroccan spices.

Spinach Briwats. filo filled savory pastry with Spinach, onion and feta.

Vegetable Briwats. filo filled savory pastry with carrots, leeks, zucchini.

From my cellar: 2000 Domaine de Marcoux Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes. VM 93+. Bright deep red. Exotic aromas of jammy red fruits, cinnamon and smoke. Juicy, tightly wound and powerful, with brooding flavors of black fruits, minerals and mint. Quite different in style from the basic bottling, with a structural underpinning that’s rare for the vintage. Finishes very long and firm, with strong flavors of dark berries and spices and somewhat austere but ripe tannins. Should prove to be long-lived in the context of the vintage. (Eric Solomon/European Cellars, Charlotte, NC)

Seafood Pastilla. Baby Scallops, Shrimp, Calamari & White Fish. served over Rice Vermicelli with Moroccan Spices

Lamb Shank.

Paella Valencia. Saffron Rice, Shrimp, Calamari, Baby Scallops and Chicken. I guess it came south from Spain.

Lamb Tagine w/ Caramelized Onions and Almonds.

Chicken Tagine with Apricots.

Seabass. Someone likes it plain.

Halibut.

Argana Tree was pretty tasty. I can’t say that it was fast, or that the plating was modern and slick, but the food was enjoyable and we had a great time. It was certainly great to see everyone again after 2 years hiatus!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Moroccan Cuisine, Philadelphia, ThanksGavin, ThanksGavin 2021, thanksgiving, Wine

Salty Saturday 2019

Jan24

Salty Saturday is the traditional family bagel and lox brunch we do on the Saturday after ThanksGavin.

For the last couple of years it’s been hosted at my cousin Matt’s house. This year (2019), it’s a touch more subdued than usual due to cooking fatigue.

Prep work in the kitchen.

In his sunny dining room.

Across the way is the kids table.

And a look at the spread.

As usual matt whips up a couple frittatas.

Olives to start.

Gratuitous zoom.

Several kinds of cream-cheese.

Whitefish salad — my salt favorite.

Pickled herring.

Veggies and leftover muhammara.

Onions, I guess, are feeling left out.

And here is my plate — delicious but it did induce ridicule for including 4 full bagel halves!

My mom’s chocolate chip banana bread.

To combat the salt, I also tried a strategy of pounding a cold press coffee, which seemed to work (a bit). Then we got in the car and drove off to New York!

See here for more ThanksGavin posts.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Bagels, Deli, Lox, salt, Salty Saturday, ThanksGavin, ThanksGavin 2019, Whitefish

Eastern Heat – DJ Kitchen

Jan22

Restaurant: DJ Kitchen

Location: 4040 City Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19131. (215) 586-8888

Date: November 29, 2019

Cuisine: Szechuan Chinese

Rating: Surprisingly good

For “Fat Friday” — the official Friday dinner after Thanksgiving, we broke with the tradition of another house meal and headed partially into center Philadelphia to:

DJ Kitchen — a surprisingly authentic Szechuan place.

Typical modern interior of the newer more casual Chinese joints.

Part of our giant 20 person table.

The kid corner.

The auspiciously colored menu.

From my cellar: 2006 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon. AG 94+. The 2006 Rosé Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon is powerful, intense and also classically austere in its make up. Crushed flowers, mint, red berries and cranberries are all finely sketched. The 2006 finishes with striking mineral-driven precision, and while it doesn’t have the opulence or exuberance of the 2002, it is still a very pretty and appealing Champagne. The Elisabeth Salmon is 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay, with about 8% still Pinot Noir. Dosage is 6 grams per liter. (Drink between 2018-2031)

Scallion pancakes for the kids. Certain adults, even certain adults who are supposed to be avoiding carbs, felt compelled to gobble these as well.

Spicy crispy cucumber. Solid (and garlicky) version of the classic cucumber opening.

Chicken in chili oil. Classic Szechuan appetizer of cold chicken in chili sauce. Not a bad version.

More bubbly.

Cumin fries (again mostly for the kids).

Pan fried pork dumplings. Pretty generic.

Dan Dan Noodle.

Mixed up. Not bad, but lacked the complex nutty flavor I like in great dan dan.

Dumplings in chili oil. These were delicious.

Vegetarian Spring Rolls with sweet sauce.

XLB (Xiao Long Bao). Always great little steamed pockets of delicate dough filled with pork.

From my cellar: 2017 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese. 92 points. Orange, pineapple, graphite and earth. Step up in weight here on the palate but has superb acidity that cuts through and drives onward. Great length and detailed layers give this excellent palate presence.

Homemade egg with tomato for the vegetarians. We had too many people with dietary restrictions tonight — always a touch difficult at real Chinese food.

Chinese cabbage with dried pepper. I love this dish. Really nice texture. Somehow makes cabbage delicious.

Mapo Tofu. Pretty good rendition — and one of my favorites.

Kung Pao Shrimp. Okay, but not a fan of the bell peppers (too Chinese American).

Tea Smoked Duck with hoisin and buns. More like Cantonese roast duck.

Dry pepper Chicken. Always a super delicious pile of crunchy fried chicken. This particular one was very spicy. Often it isn’t.

Not bad for 20+ people!

Overall, while not as good as a place like Sichuan Impression, pretty real Szechuan Chinese. About as good as a second rate SGV place — and for a city like Philadelphia that’s excellent. I enjoyed my meal a lot. The kids and vegetarians maybe a bit less so!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Chinese Food, Fat Friday, Philadelphia, Sichuan, Szechuan cuisine, ThanksGavin, ThanksGavin 2019

ThanksGavin 2019

Jan20

This year, after a brief California hiatus in 2016, ThanksGavin returned to Philadelphia in 2017 — and continues through 2019 at my cousin Matt and his wife Andrea’s place.

Matt is in the back starting his kitchen prep. Then outside lighting up the big green egg! Buster supervises. But the OG crew, shown here, consisting of my mom and aunt are still on turkey duty! From my cellar: 2007 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. AG 96. Taittinger’s 2007 Comtes de Champagne will be nearly impossible to resist upon release. Soaring aromatics, mid-weight structure and soft contours give the 2007 its alluring personality. Lemon oil, white flowers, mint, chamomile and green pear add brightness and freshness throughout, with a persistent, clean finish that makes it impossible to resist a second taste. Today, the 2007 comes across as a slightly more open version of the 2004, with freshness that makes that wine so appealing, and a touch of textural richness that recalls the 2002. Although the 2007 does not have the explosive energy or verticality of the profound 2006, it will drink better earlier. The 2007 has been positively brilliant on the three occasions I have tasted it so far. (Drink between 2018-2047) More sparkling. From my cellar: 1995 Robert Ampeau & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. 92 points. Opulent but balanced, dignified without slathered oak or exagerrated maloloactic fermentation. Good show. My mom brings out the snacks. Muhumarah. Homemade spicy middle eastern walnut and pepper dip. Crisps. Olives. From my cellar: 2002 Gros Frère et Sœur Grands-Echezeaux. RJ 95. Big, ripe, vanilla, chlorine nose; tasty, elegant fruit, lovely and sexy; long finish 95+ pts. From my cellar: 1999 Maison Roche de Bellene Latricières-Chambertin Collection Bellenum. 91 points. Sleek and full-bodied with dark fruits and good balancing acidity. Very minerally flavor profile with a smooth texture and a long, modestly complex finish. From my cellar: 2004 Château Palmer. AG 92. Deep red. Rich aromas of plum, redcurrant, chocolate and smoke. Sweet, lush and smooth, with a wonderfully fine-grained texture for the year. Highly expressive flavors of currant, cedar, chocolate and tobacco. The wine’s subtle sweetness, suave tannins and sneaky persistence convey an impression of very regular ripeness. More red. The savory spread. Turkey #1. BBQed in the Big Green Egg. And Turkey #2 was Done in the webber over charcoal. Turkey! Stuffing. Stuffing baked into a casserole. Gravy. Shallots. Simple Arugula salad. Brussels with walnuts. My mom’s cranberry chutney with a bit of citrus and cayenne — probably my favorite. Raw cranberry salsa — my least favorite but some love it. Cranberry jelly. Doubling down on the red are the roasted beets. Sweet potatoes. Bread. My official plate for 2019! From my cellar: 1965 Taylor (Fladgate) Very Old Single Harvest Port Limited Edition. 96 points. Brown and nutty in color, awesome! The dessert spread. Tower of sweets including the every popular Jagielky candy’s. Apple pie. Grandmom’s (recipe) brownies and blondies. Butternut squash pie (tastes just like pumpkin). My mom’s famous pecan pie, made totally from scratch. Cookies. Whipped cream I “whipped up.” And some super decadent butterscotch sauce I also whipped up — given that I’m not the master of anything that belongs with gelato. Here is my pancreas busting plate. Overall, the best ThanksGavin food yet, even beating out the awesome 2017 and 2018! It usually is, as the standards keep going up and up! To see a list of all ThanksGavin meals over the here, click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: holiday, Philadelphia, ThanksGavin, ThanksGavin 2019, turkey, Wine

ThanksGavin 2019 – Keep

Jan17

Restaurant: Keep

Location: 417 York Rd, Jenkintown, PA 19046. (215) 277-7947

Date: November 27, 2019

Cuisine: New American

Rating: solid New American

The first official event of ThanksGavin 2019 is Wed night, and this year my cousin (the reigning TG Poobah) chose:

Keep, a casual bistro-style New American in Jenkintown PA.

Cute little interior.

And our gang table of 20 or so.

Our special menu for the night.

From my cellar: NV Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut Cuvée de Réserve. RJ 92. Light yellow color with abundant, steady, tiny bubbles; autolytic, almond cream nose; tasty, autolytic, almond cream, mineral palate; medium-plus finish 92+ points

Pickles. Really zesty and delicious.

Olives. Awesome olives actually, with great EVOO and a bit of zest. I ate about 2 containers of these.

From my cellar: 2014 Jean-Claude Ramonet Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly. BH 90. A soft trace of wood frames pretty and cool but ripe yeast, apple and pear scents that slide gracefully into the nicely detail, rich and relatively generously proportioned middle weight flavors that possess a lovely salinity that surfaces on the focused and persistent finale where a touch of bitter lemon appears. This is already sufficiently forward that it could be enjoyed now but I would be inclined to allow it at least 2 to 3 years of cellar time and 5 will probably prove to be ideal. (Drink starting 2019)

Brussels Sprouts with hummus and Parmesan.

Cassoulet. Gusty!

Lentil Fritters. Third appetizer filled with gas inducing carbohydrates!

From my cellar: 1999 Dominique Laurent Mazis-Chambertin. RJ 93+. Medium red violet color; smoky, earthy, mushroom, barbecue sauce nose; lovely, complex, sous bois, shitake mushroom, mineral, raspberry, baked cherry palate; medium-plus finish 93+ pts.

Pelmeni. Shrimp dumpling, dill beurre blanc, creme fraiche, vmochanka. Sweet, and very Russian tasting.

Chickpea Tofu. Roasted eggplant, broccoli rabe, caponata, crispy garlic.

Salmon. Jail island Salmon, potato tart, bacon-celery escabeche, horseradish cream.

Big red for those who can’t handle the good stuff.

The burger. Beef patty, caramelized onions, egg yolk jam, fried fingerlings.

Shortrib Steak. 6oz shortrib steak, potato soubise, pearl onion, charred red onion, beef salt, jus.

More big red for the white haters.

Pastel Melodia. Orange scented cake, poached pear, membrillo, chantilly.

Chocolate tart, dark chocolate, cherry, creme fraiche.

Lemon sorbet.

Overall, not a bad dinner at all — particularly given our party size. They are very nice and have a good — if not particularly groundbreaking — kitchen.

For more Philly dining reviews click here.

More ThanksGavin events here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Keep, ThanksGavin, ThanksGavin 2019, Wine

White Elephant is Pretty White

Jan15

Restaurant: White Elephant

Location: 759 Huntingdon Pike, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006. (215) 663-1495

Date: November 26, 2019

Cuisine: Thai

Rating: Fine, but “Americanized” Thai

This year for ThanksGavin 2019 we arrived a day early in Philadelphia and so went out locally with my parents and Aunt & Uncle to:

White Elephant, a nearby strip mall Thai.

They have nicely decorated the fairly boring space. No Thai (language) on the menu!

Some kind of lobster roll.

Crispy Roll. Filled with pork, bean thread, and julienne vegetables, then fried until crispy golden brown, and served with sweet and sour sauce.

Coconut Soup. Seafood combination in coconut milk , with galanga, lime juice, mushrooms, onions, carrots, celery and red bell peppers.

Mushroom Soup. Thai style fresh mushroom soup with herb and Marsala wine.

Chicken tenders and fries for the boy.

Thai Eggplant. Thai sweet eggplant sautéed until brown and stir fried with chicken, onion, carrot, broccoli, red bell pepper, basil and aromatic herbs.

Seafood Lover. Sautéed seafood medley of salmon, calamari, shrimp, scallop, and green shell mussels, with, Thai basil, onion, broccoli, carrot and red bell pepper in delicious and spicy sauce.

Sweet Surrender. Fillet of salmon crusted with pecan and baked to perfection, served with mellow apricot brandy sauce.

Chicken Panang Curry. Chicken cooked in a traditional delicious Panang curry sauce with coconut milk, broccoli, red bell pepper and green beans….Chicken/Beef.

Chu Chee Duck. Crispy roasted semi-boneless duck, served in a special red curry sauce flavored with pineapple.

Overall, this was tasty because Thai is always tasty — but it was pretty “whitebread” as you would expect from a Philly suburb strip mall. No Thai on the menu, spice and flavors toned down a bit.

For more Philly dining reviews click here.

More ThanksGavin events here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: curry, Philadelphia, Thai cuisine, ThanksGavin, ThanksGavin 2018

Elephant Jumps

Jan18

Restaurant: Elephant Jumps

Location: 8110 Arlington Blvd, Entrance is on Gallows Rd., Falls Church, VA 22042. (703) 942-6600

Date: November 24, 2018

Cuisine: Thai

Rating: Very nice modern Northern Thai

On our last night of the ThanksGavin 2018 trip, back in the Washington DC area, we decided to check out a new Thai place my parents have been frequenting.

This is a newer place and has a cute name.

And a newish large mall as its location.

The interior is small but cute.

THAI SPICY SHRIMP SOUP. Tom Yum Goong shrimp, mushroom in thai herbs spicy soup.

FRIED WATERCRESS SALAD. Yum Puk Num Todd Grob fried watercress. served with minced chicken, fresh lime juice, onion, chili sauce.

EGGPLANT BASIL. One of those traditional Thai preps, a light slightly sweet, slightly spicy basil sauce, with sliced eggplant being the “main” ingredient.

GREEN CURRY with CHICKEN. green curry paste, coconut milk, eggplant, mushroom, basil. Had a bit of heat, although nothing like Jitlada.

CRISPY COCONUT SHRIMP. Fried shrimp with lots of coconut in the batter. Like an excellent Thai version of the American appetizer classic!

Overall, Elephant Jumps was quite nice. Stylistically it’s a bit like a Northern Thai place like Renu Nakorn — including the big mall — but Elephant Jumps is a bit more modern and stylish, with a smaller menu and slightly less intense flavors. Still, you could smell the fish sauce in the air, this is real Thai, with a lot of flavor.

For more ThanksGavin dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: curry, Elephant Jumps, Northern Thai, Thai, ThanksGavin, ThanksGavin 2018, Washington DC

Salty Saturday 2018

Jan16

Salty Saturday is the traditional family bagel and lox brunch we do on the Saturday after ThanksGavin.

For the last couple of years it’s been hosted at my cousin Matt’s house.

Prep work in the kitchen.

In his sunny dining room.

Across the way is the kids table.

And a look at the spread.

Olives.

Cucumbers and tomatoes as condiments.

Cucumbers and onions — looking pretty.

Capers and chives.

I like my cream-cheese with chives in it.

Muenster and Swiss. Always makes me think of the Muenster Rebellion but I love it still.

Two kinds of whitefish salad. Chunky smoked.

And creamy whitefish salad (lots of mayo). I actually like this one better.

Two kinds of lox, regular and pastrami lox — which I now love. Low salt too considering.

Pickled herring.

Roasted beets.

Matt made a frittata too.

And here is my plate — delicious but it did induce ridicule for including 4 full bagel halves!

To combat the salt, I also tried a strategy of pounding a cold press coffee, which seemed to work.

See here for more ThanksGavin posts.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Deli, Lox, Salmon, Salty Saturday, ThanksGavin, ThanksGavin 2018, thanksgiving, whitefish salad

Fatty Friday 2018

Jan14

Check them out in scale.

Matt is on the left seasoning them.

And close up of before going on the grill.

Matt somehow got these tomahawk steaks perfectly cooked first try.

Because it was a steak, he made an awesome wedge to go with it — and with the romaine scare it was actually hard to find even iceberg lettuce.

The ice berg lettuce.

A fully prepped (minus tomato) wedge salad. Amazing rich blu cheese dressing.

Salmon for those who don’t eat meat.

Bread, peppers.

Greens.

Potatoes.

Cauliflower.

Amarone goes great with meat.

Here are the steaks being sliced.

And what was left about 10 minutes later.

Bone it!

For dessert, we begin with my mom’s rustic cranberry tart. Looks perfect doesn’t it?

Pumpkin — oops butternut squash — pie.

Grandma’s brownies and blondies.

Cut up.

Apple pie from the previous night.

Candies.

Ice cream for ala mode.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Steak, ThanksGavin, ThanksGavin 2018, thanksgiving, Wine

ThanksGavin 2018

Jan09

This year, after a brief California hiatus in 2016, ThanksGavin returned to Philadelphia last year — and continues in 2018 at my cousin Matt and his wife Andrea’s place.

Matt is in the back starting his kitchen prep.

But the OG crew, shown here, consisting of my mom and aunt are still on turkey duty!

From my cellar: 2006 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Charmes. BH 93. This is quite a bit riper though there is no overt exoticism present with aromas of peach, spiced pear and apricot that merge into exceptionally rich and relatively big flavors blessed with ample amounts of palate coating dry extract that completely buffer the firm spine of ripe acidity and intense finishing minerality. This is balanced and driving with a linear finish that slowly fans out as it lingers. Superb.

Crudités.

Potato chips cacio e pepe (baked with cacio cheese and pepper).

The infamous caponata.

On the stove.

Gravy simmering.

From my cellar: NV Paul Bara Champagne Grand Cru Grand Rosé. BH 90. Oeil de perdrix color introduces a fresh and mildly fruity nose of strawberry and raspberry scents where additional breadth is present in the form of yeast and citrus nuances. The cool and relatively crisp middle weight flavors possess good if not better depth before culminating in a relatively dry finish that is shaped by moderately firm effervescence. This is certainly very pretty but not particularly deep.

Turkey #1. BBQed in the Big Green Egg.

And Turkey #2. Done in the webber over charcoal.

From my cellar: 2003 Gros Frère et Sœur Grands-Echezeaux. BH 89-92. This too is very toasty but the spicy black fruit nose manages to transcend the wood and complements powerful, dense, borderline massive flavors of superb depth, all wrapped in dusty, firm and ripe tannins. This is a big wine and while it’s no model of elegance, one has to admire the muscle and sheer concentration. This will take its time coming around.

We have three kinds of homemade cranberry sauce!

Cranberry jelly.

Raw cranberry salsa — my least favorite but some love it.

My mom’s cranberry chutney with a bit of citrus and cayenne — probably my favorite.

Carrot salad.

Doubling down on the red are the roasted beets.

Bread and butter — Buster, the ever enthusiastic Retriever, even ate some of the excellent cranberry bread (much to everyone’s chagrin).

The “and butter” from above.

Brussels sprouts with walnuts.

Sweet potato with harissa and pistachios. Fabulous, but spicy.

Shallots.

From my cellar: 1999 Paitin di Pasquero-Elia Barbaresco Vecchie Vigne Sorì Paitin. AG 92. The 1999 Barbaresco Sorì Paitin Vecchie Vigne is dark, powerful and opulent, with more than enough stuffing to age well for the better part of the next decade. Smoke, menthol, tar, black fruit and French oak blossom in the glass as this resonant, exuberant Barbaresco show off its unique, totally compelling personality. The French oak is present, but well balanced at the same time.
The turkey and stuffing plate!