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.
