"M" is for Meme

OK, boys and girls, here is today's quiz. You ask Waiter X, "What do you recommend?" in a very interested tone. He responds by describing 5 of the 7 dinner items on the menu in detail. Unfortunately, 1 of the 2 he doesn't mention is one of the entrees you were strongly considering ordering. What do you do?

A. Throw caution to the wind and order the entree you wanted anyway
B. Follow his lead and choose only from those dishes he spoke about
C. Leave the restaurant in a huff and scream to all patrons, "I will never come back to this dump! I found mouse droppings in my food."
D. Stare at him blankly until he slithers away to tell the kitchen, "Spit in the food of table 19."

Now I know that one of you probably chose answer C while others may have erred in choosing answer D, but in reality, those choices were both red herrings to distract you. The two logical choices on here are A and B, and it's important to explain why one is right and one is wrong.

As many of you undoubtedly remember from earlier months, "I am not a waiter, I don't want to be a waiter, etc., etc." However, I have read enough about waitering and eaten out enough to understand how "the dance" works. There are some waiters and waitresses who quite frankly I would never ask for their opinion -- it's usually easy to see if they don't care. But for those who do and show some interest in their jobs, it's never a bad idea to ask them for an OVERALL reflection on the menu. It's important not to get too specific -- if you ask, "How is the chicken?", you will almost always get the same reaction, "Good." You need to make them think and then listen carefully to what they have to say. The wait staff usually is pretty good at steering customers toward the better items, although if they recommend the most expensive items without even noting some of the less expensive ones, that's a dead giveaway that they are interested only in a big tip. It's tricky, but it often pays off.

Which brings us to the latest stop on our food tour, Meme.

Located on the corner that used to house Melograno (22nd and Spruce), Meme is a cozy and bright restaurant fighting for its life in the Rittenhouse district. It has a lot going for it -- a great location that draws a lot of food traffic, good early reviews in the press, and a really positive general vibe. It's an interesting menu with a various of appetizers and entrees. Things are sort of all over the map with no real consistent theme, but that's OK. It's all about the execution.

Before our hippy dippy waiter (cool and awesome were his two favorite words) came by to take our order, the wife and I had already pretty much decided on our appetizer of grilled calamari, which turned out OK -- a little bit overcooked, but not terrible. The key selection was going to be the entree. We had already eliminated the swordfish, linguini, and something else I don't remember. That narrowed it down to the steak, skate, duck, and pork chops.

Importantly, though, we didn't lead the waiter along and gave him a chance to offer his opinion on the menu. He specifically noted the swordfish, linguini, duck, and pork chops. That made our choice easy. I got the duck and the wife got the kurobata pork chop (he described it as the Kobe beef of pork chops). And let me tell you, I am glad we listened. Both were excellent.

Duck can be tricky -- it needs to be crispy on the outside and tender in the middle. It was cooked perfectly and paired nicely grits, collard greens, and a port sauce. I don't usually like grits or collard greens, but these both were very good on this dish. The wife's pork chop was even better. I have never had a pork chop that was so tender and flavorful. It was great. The accompanying succotash was also excellent. Really, it was one of the best entrees I have tried in a while. I was actually a bit jealous that I only got a few tastes.

Dessert -- a blueberry panna cotta in a teapot (sort of a thick blueberry yogurt) with a munchkin donut -- was just OK, but that didn't put a damper on the overall meal. It was a welcome change after a recent run of subpar meals.

THE FOOD: To think that we missed probably the most ballyhooed entree on the menu -- the roasted chicken for two (they ran out since they were closing for the July 4th holiday and didn't want to overorder). They even have a random lunch on Thursday only -- fried chicken with a biscuit and a Miller High Life for $12 (or so). Sounds like fun to me.

THE DRINKS: This was one of my main gripes. Meme is the prime BYOB zone, it's the size of a BYOB, looks like a BYOB, but it's not. We had brought a bottle of wine with us (my bad), but figured the $10 corkage fee wasn't worth it. We each got a glass of wine.

THE STAFF: Our waiter was quirky and a bit of an oddball, but I liked that he seemed to enjoy his job and really like the restaurant he was representing. I trusted his guidance and we were rewarded for it.

MAD PROPS FOR: The guy at a table a few down from us who, when a neighboring table asked their waitress, "How are the mussels," he leaned over and told them how great they were. The only thing better than a recommendation from a waiter is one from a unbiased, impartial customer. The mussels did looks extremely cool by the way -- they weren't your traditional steamed mussles, rather they were shelled and then presenting on a sizzling plate.

OVERALL: They are doing a very good job at Meme. The menu is small and, as I said, may look a bit disjointed, but they clearly know what they are doing. I would definitely go back.

THE CHECK: $100 for 2 of us. It's not a cheap place, moreso if you are going to be drinking, so save it for a special occasion.

On to the Ns...

Ineligible restaurants for round 14:

• Nick's Pizza -- The old childhood standby in the Dresher Plaza is, somehow, still going strong. Decent pizza, not bad cheesesteaks, but I used to go for the video games.
• Nineteen (XIX) -- Without question one of the most romantic settings in the city. Just be prepared to pay for it.
• Nodding Head -- Since this is where we ended up on our wedding night post-reception, I'll always have fond memories of this Sansom Street watering hole. But really, it's a great low-key bar, especially when the dart boards are open.
• North by Northwest -- Interesting jazz joint in Mt. Airy. I was only here once, and didn't eat, so I can't vouch for the food, good or bad.
• North 3rd -- Standing out in gastropub central over in Northern Liberties isn't easy. With Standard Tap, Honey's, and loads of other excellent restaurants nearby, I always thought North 3rd needed to step up its game. It's not bad, just not particularly interesting.

Candidates for round 14:

I could be dishonest and allow for voting this round, but the wife has already chosen Noble American Cookery for her birthday meal (http://www.noblecookery.com/) and since it fits into our "N" rotation, that'll be the next writeup. Sorry -- the regular poll will return for the "Os". As a replacement, we have a very special poll for this entry. Oh, and by the way, the wife said she likes receiving cash from her friends and family as gifts. Just in case you weren't sure.