Philadelphia's LAUREL is an awesome and amazing experience in every bite (1-25-19)

A quick trip to Philly to see a client and friend sing with the Philadelphia Orchestra ended with an amazing dinner for four of us at the famed LAUREL which is a tiny place holding only a dozen or so tables, but offers up some of the best tasting menu meals found anywhere; definitely a winner from Chef Nicholas Elmi and his awesome Chef de Cuisine, Eddie Konrad, who is presently competing on TV's Top Chef! I settled in with a cocktail called, "No Turn on Red" made from tequila, red pepper, honey, lemon and yellow chartreuse. I am not a fan of the latter, but this mix was super and my dear friend Johnny O. called his "Liquid Luck" from Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon, Chamomille, St-Germain and Yellow Charteuse "the best cocktail I ever had!"  "Sleeping with Sox On" was gin, Humbolt's tamarind, lemon, cinnamon and Amontillado sherry.

Our servers Sarah & Melissa were a super team and helped us choose the wine for the 10-course menu that was preceded by an Amuse shot of Birch Kombucha with green apple and mustard seed. Our first wine was the Meinklang Foam White sparkling Pinot Gris from Burgenland in Austria that was made without yeast, but still had hints of it. It paired excellently with the first course of Cured Halibut with Fermented Strawberry, Whipped Verjus foam and Horseradish snow. It was a miracle in a dish with a hint of salt and a nice kick from the horseradish.

Next came Bowfin Paddlefish Caviar with Philadelphia style ice cream(made without egg from Lancaster milk) with crispy potato(remember all these photos are on my FB page). Next was a divine dish of Braised Burgundy Snails with Melted Leeks and crispy black onion crumble dotted with borage leaves. Called their take on Vichysoise, this was way better than the boring potato soup. 

we moved on to a Christophe Thorigny 2016 Vouvray from the Loire which had a mineral boosted Chenin Blanc. Again the servers nailed it with the pairing with Seaweed Sourdough Tartine topped with Santa Barbara Sea Urchin, fermented blood orange, finger lime and nasturtium. It was like a little open faced sandwich that delivered so much flavor. Two of our guests were a bit offset by the urchin, so quick replacement sandwiches were delivered with smoked trout instead! What service and more for me to eat!

Kabocha Squash & Ricotta Gnocchi with black truffle, pumpkin seeds and oil and Grana Padana was an extra dish we chose to order and share and well worth the detour from the main menu.

Roasted Scallops with Sea Grape-Green Pepper(cornito & shishito) Ponzu and Umeboshi, a Japanese plum jam sauce(not sweet) arrived  with a plate of Machine Shop Boulangerie Seeded Rye Bread with House Butter(Green Meadow Farms) and Bay Leaf Salt. The bread was warm, crusty and divine and the scallops were a revelation. Just as delicious and impressive was Slow roated Tilefish with Celery Root puree, Sauce Americaine(made with Lobster, port and Madeira!!), Calamansi, Sweet Potato & Quinoa.

We moved on to Yannik Amirault "Le Gros Clos: 2016 Cabernet France from Bourgueil in the Loire that was earthy and another amazing pairing with the Roasted Peking Duck(from Long Island) with endive, winter Maitake mushrooms, blood orange puree, grilled duck jus and shitake mushroom jam, the latter being an impressive taste blast to the perfectly cooked duck. The "main" meat was New Zealand Venison with fermented cabbage, roasted beets, juniper jus and whole grain mustard chip. Again, the meat was cooked perfectly and declared by all some of the best venison ever eaten by any of us! The second red was a Pacina Sangiovese blend Chianti Colli 2012 from Senesi that was made for the venison.

A yummy Foie Gras Bonbon arrived with Sea Buckthorn white chocolate and pickled green peach that was a wonderful pre-dessert again loaded with flavors as every course and bite was for the entire 5+ hours we were there!

Dessert was Parsnip Paw Paw Creme Glace with Hazelnut Puree and Crispy Bread. The puree was a hazelnut butter that beat any peanut butter ever as well. A glass of Los Bernejos Malvasia was perfect for dessert with a richness that surprised us coming from Lanzarote in the Canary Islands!!

Just when we thought we were finished Chef Eddie arrived again with a Butterscotch pudding, rhubarb jam and sea salt, the perfect ending to the perfect meal in every bite indeed.

X2O marks the spot at X2O Xavier's in Yonkers, NY (1-22-19)

Just about 9 years ago the chef at X2O Xavier's won the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the region and for some years I tried to get into X2O located on the Hudson River with its magnificent views of the Palisades across in New Jersey as well as the George Washington bridge and on a decent night, the Manhattan skyline. After pretty much everyone I knew left Westchester County or passed away, I gave up trying to get in, but happened upon the name the other night as we were overnighting in Yonkers before a nearby family funeral. The place seemed a bit dated with worn fabrics and a large central 80's chandelier on the second floor, but we settled in for a fine meal and great service.

Will ordered a Rock the Cashmere made from Slovenia Vodka(featured here), pomegranate liqueur, Grand Marnier and Cranberry while I opted for the Misha with the same vodka, Meyer lemon and ginger syrup. They were slightly sweet and we asked for them less sweet, but still tasty. Homemade roquefort cheese biscuits arrived and I was hooked and then came a nice amuse of Potato Blini with seared halibut mango puree and micro greens.

We decided to order a glass each of the Darby Viognier/Rousanne blend called "Le Deuce" 2016 from Columbia Valley in Washington State which was perfect with our starters:

Will chose the delicate Steamed Japanese Custard with Warm Shellfish, Santa Barbara Uni and Tempura Haricots Vert. A warm dashi broth was poured over the small cup tableside, and while Will thought the dish not too excited, I had to admire it for its complexity and the yummy shellfish chunks. I chose the Spaghetti Chitarra with Uni Butter, Shrimp & toasted crumbs which had a really nice spicy kick and a rich thick buttery sauce.

The restaurant is not huge, but the one large square room(you need to get a table on the south wall for the prime view, and ours was the best) was fairly full and with a large menu to start, I was surprised there were so many specials. Will and I settled on two from the main menu(I was tempted by the crusted venison special) to split:

Veal Sweetbreads with Roasted Figs, Parisian Potatoes & Hen of the Woods Mushrooms with a Madeira Creme Fraiche and Leaf Spinach which was extremely rich, but tasty and the meat cooked to perfection, lightly breaded and tender as could be. The Long Island Duck Breast with Togarashi, Sushi Fried Rice with Confit Leg, Snow Peas, Peppers and Shitake Mushrooms, Hakurei Turnips and Black Miso Jus seemed to be in the leaning of the chef's yin/yang French/Asian fusion. You couldn't decide if you were eating French or Asian, but the meat was perfectly cooked to just past rare with a nice crunchy skin crust. An "Alfar" Rioja Vendemia Seleccionada 2012 from bodegas Gardi Grande was a brilliant Spanish medium to full bodied red with smoky overtones that was ideal with both dishes.

We ordered a side of Crispy Cauliflower with Nuoc Cham(fish sauce)butter that was delicious but less crispy than it should have been.

The chef sent out a complimentary side salad for us both of Grilled Broccoli with shaved Anjou Pear, pomegranate seeds, caramelized pecans in a honey-cherry vinaigrette that was rich and yummy but a nice foil at the end of the meal subbing for our dessert for sure! We felt very French having this afterwards.

As if it was not enough Mango Sorbet arrived in cones and then roasted almond Truffles with almost liquid centers. At the door was a giant jar of almond brittle, but we were stuffed, so they packed up a bagful only after giving us a giant box of about 15 of the truffles to take home as well. The staff was extremely helpful and kind, but kudos goes to Victoria who made us feel as if we were at home. It was a nice diversion after the long drive to NY and we will have to return when Sam heads to boarding school nearby next school year.

When in Yorkshire always jet off to JUDGES at KIRKLEVINGTON for a traditional British Country House experience(1-3-19)

Our final meal of this trip was with our best friends in Yorkshire, Sue & Steve, who have started a tradition of staying with us at whatever country home we choose while visiting Will's family. We returned to Judges at Kirklevington, just outside of Yarm(in Stockton-on-Tees) after a way too long absence, and the dining here is always top notch. The five of us enjoyed cocktails (although here a dirty martini becomes a dirty bloody martini with the addition of some tomato juice!) in the drawing room by a warm fire as we munched canapes of beetroot and passionfruit shooters and smoked trout pate on Sourdough toast, the latter was delish, while the former an interesting choice of combinations that somehow worked! We made our dinner choices, as one does in a country home prior to going into theConservatory/Dining Room, which was beautifully decorated for the holidays with blue lit icicles and more on the ceiling(check out the FB foto). We chose a Saint Veran 2016 Vers le Mont from Domaine Roger Luquet, which was an ideal white with all our starters and Steve's fish, while the red was a wonderfully aged 2009 Volnay Premier Cru Les Fremiets from Domaine Voillot that we all oohed and aahed over as we took our first sips midway through the meal.

Starters were all delish save for Will's Tempura Squid with Baby Rocket, Salsa Verde and Caramelized Lime. It was not bad, but why order tempura with a Mexican flair in an English country home! The Butternut Squash Risotto with Baked Feta and Nasturtium was a main, but they quickly adjusted the size for Sam's taste as he always heads for the risotto. Judge's Classic Crab & Prawn Cocktail with Compressed Melon, MarieRose(sauce) and Baby Gem was indeed a classic, while the Parsnip Soup with Honey was creamy and rich. My Hand Dried King Scallops with Pancetta and Sweet Corn Risotto was speckled with Braised Oxtail, Pickled Turnips and Nasturtium as was quite a large size even though it had only two gorgeous Diver sized scallops. The risotto was rich and creamy and perfectly paired with the little dots of oxtail.

Main courses were all perfection from the super Pan Fried Duck Breast with Fondant Potatoes, Kale, Baby Vegetables and Blackberry Jus that Sam & I chose. The duck was cooked just past rare and each piece was a s juicy as the next. Fillet of Halibut was tender and came with Lyonnaise potatoes, Butternut Squash, Chilli Puree for a little kick and Pancetta Butter Sauce, so this was a dish which paired with both the white and red wines so well.

Twice Cooked Pork Belly was a non-fatty cut with Butternut Squash, Pomme Puree, Black Pudding & Cider Jus; surely a choice for a cold winter's night as this was becoming.

Yorkshire Lamb Rump arrived with Parsley, Root Glazed Carrots, Celeriac, Fondant Potatoes, Pickled Turnip & Rosemary Jus. The chef obviously likes pickled turnip and it's a great winter choice to foil the richness of these dishes.

We ordered a bottle of Sauternes for dessert and they were out so substituted a less viscous and nowhere near as exciting 2015 Pacherenc du Vic "Bilh" from Collecion Plainot that we all could have skipped. Desserts were huge hits from the Sticky Toffee Pudding that Will seemed to have every other day while there, here served with Toffee Sauce and Vanilla Ice Cream. Dark Chocolate Fondant with Chocolate & Cardamom Sorbets came with Candied Walnuts & Blackberries while the Passionfruit Creme Brulee was accompanied by a Ginger Snap Biscuit and Lemon Balm. All were superb, but I headed right for the cheeses and got 7 winners: Montgomery Mature Cheddar was crumbly and orange and aged wonderfully, while the Ribblesdale Matured Goat was creamy and also aged for intense flavor. The French were represented by Livarot and Pont L'Eveque, while I joked that the French bishop's bridge was faced to the Brit's Stinking Bishop, one of our favorite cheeses of all times. Kiddarton Ash was a mild goat with ash and of course, no Yorkshire cheese plate is complete without Yorkshire Blue, which is one of th finest blues, but sadly not available much outside of the UK.

Mignardises arrived, but I had no room for the chocolates or gelees as we rolled upstairs to sleep knowing that we were headed home the next day. That said, we have already booked our summer stay and final dinner at Judges for this year!