Sunday, July 19, 2009

"O" is for Oyster House

One of my proudest culinary moments occured at Acme Oyster House in New Orleans the winter before Hurricane Katrina hit. I was there on my own for work purposes and figured I'd give a try to the city's legendary raw bar. Acme was not (I assume it is still in existence, but I don't know for sure) a fancy joint -- the oysters were meaty and drippy and pretty daunting.

On the board behind the shuckers stand was a toteboard listing the restaurant records -- I believe at the time the record was held by a professional eater who downed 175 or so oysters at one sitting. Now, loyal readers, don't be so stupid as think this story is going to be about my challenging his record. I'm not that good. But I was sorta proud of myself when I downed 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 raw oysters before calling it a day. I admit I was feeling a little queasy once I attacked my third dozen, but I got through the plate and didn't leave any remnants of Bourbon Street.

Which brings up to the latest stop on our tour, Philadelphia's Oyster House. Housed in the space that used to be Sansom Street Oyster House, all similarities end there. This is a totally different restaurant, and thankfully so. SSOH was old, tired, and just played out. Like Bookbinder's, it was one of those places that hit its heydey decades ago and never bothered to update its theme or decor. When I heard that it had been bought out and was being renovated, I was hopeful, though cautious, since I knew how much work had to be done.

Well, kudos to the individuals who did the renovations. Oyster House looks great. It is one of those transformational restaurants that makes you feel like you are not on a gritty downtown street. It sounds hokey, but Oyster House really does feel like a oceanside joint. All that was missing was the crashing of the waves. It helps that the joint was jumping as well, with people of all ages and backgrounds. Especially in the middle of summer, it was surprising to see how packed it was. Now, we were seated immediately at a table for 2 at 8 p.m. on a Friday night so it wasn't "Honey's Sunday brunch" crowded, but there was a lot of noise and a lot of customers. It was a fun place to be.

As for the food, it was good and bordering on very good. As expected, they had a decent selection of oysters. We chose a half-dozen New England a half dozen Virginians. It's hard to mess up quality product when it's served raw, so I pretty much knew these would be good, though they were pricey ($26 for the dozen). The best deal is at Happy Hour when you can get the "house" oysters (read: the cheapest ones on the menu that day) for a buck each.

For our entree, we split what I would call a "kitchen sink bucket for two." It was a whole lobster, mussels, clams, potatoes, and corn on the cob. It was quite a bit of food, though naturally heaviest on the mussels and clams. That said, they didn't chintz on the lobster so I can't complain there. Again, the biggest problem was the price ($53), which isn't awful for dinner for two, but it's not great.

I know the wife really liked the food, and so did I, but I did have to wonder about the value. It was a simple meal without any fancy cooking, which is fine, but I couldn't help wondering how much we were paying for the ingredient and how much we were paying for the renovations.

THE FOOD: I'm not a huge dessert fan, but the peach crumble was great great great. I felt bad that I ate a "shared" dessert with such rapid gusto, but I couldn't help myself.

THE DRINK: The worst part of the meal, by far, was the bloody mary oyster shooter I had. It was essentially a shot of vodka with a drop of tomato juice and a raw oyster at the bottom. It tasted awful.

THE STAFF: Minutes after we sat down, one of the gentlemen at the table next to us said, "My daughter is your waitress. Don't say anything about me being her dad, but I curious what you guys think about her service." Never one to pass up an opportunity for a good laugh, I told our waitress when she came back to our table, "Um, excuse me, but the gentlemen at this table are bothering us. I'd like to see the manager." Everyone got a good laugh out of it. I was proud of myself.

MAD PROPS FOR: The gorgeous raw bar counter. We ate at a normal table, but if I go back, I'll try to sit at the bar. It's huge and really takes up a prominent position in the restaurant. One of the many great renovations to this place.

OVERALL: I think Oyster House is going to do very well. It fills a somewhat unique downtown niche and there are lots of people who really like oysters (although I do know some folks who won't eat them) and I could see the suburban crowds enjoying it a lot, which is always key for Center City restaurants. As I said, especially for Happy Hour, it's a great place and a lot of fun. For dinner, just know it may be a budget buster.

THE CHECK: $125, with tip, for two. Seems like we've been running up quite a tab recently for some of our dinner's out. Good thing we are both gainfully employed and don't have a clothes fetish.

On to the Ps...

Ineligible restaurants for round 16:

  • Paradigm -- We had the company holiday party here in January. It's not quite as trendy and up-to-date as some of the other Old City spots, but it's not a bad spot for a drink. I wouldn't eat here.
  • Pat's King of Steaks -- I get it. This was the "original" home of the cheesesteak so it's a landmark. But shouldn't it taste better than dirt?
  • Pho 75 -- I was in an adventurous mood and tried the tripe pho. Yuck.
  • Plough and the Stars -- Another of the loud, crowd, college-age bars in Old City. I have actually eaten here a few times, but it's more a place to go to watch drinken kids falling over.
  • Porcini -- One of my favorite Rittenhouse area BYOBs. Very small space, very small menu, but the staff is very friendly and the food is very good. Definitely worth visiting.
  • Positano Coast -- I just had a surprisingly excellent meal here as part of a large party. I was worried it would have sort of a chain-like flair, but it was really well done.
  • Pumpkin -- One of the formerly-favorite BYOBs. It's been about 2 years since I've been but a friend took a turn as the waitress there and didn't have great things to say about the operation.
Candidates for round 17:

Friday, July 10, 2009

"N" is for Noble American Cookery

Ring, ring, ring...

"Hallo, Noble American Cookery, zis is Pierre."

"Yeah, hi Pierre. I have reservations with my wife tonight for her birthday and I was hoping there was something small you could do to acknowledge that, like maybe put a candle in the dessert or get the staff to do a song and dance routine. You know, something simple."

"We are bery dizcreet here, sir."

"Um, yeah, I was just kidding about the song and dance routine (uh oh, they are going to spit in our food)."

"Weez try not to interfere with the enjoyment of our other guests."

"Yeah, like I said, it was a joke. A candle will be fine, if that's not too difficult (uh oh, they are going to spit in our food)."

"What name is the reservation under? I will makez a note of it."

"Um, Johnson, yeah, Johnson, party of 12 at 5:30."

Click.

"Phew, that was a close one."

If only I had thought that fast on my feet (looks like those improv lessons went to waste). At it was, Pierre knew exactly who had called, when we were coming from dinner, and how much of a jackass I was. Uh oh.

And so it was that we stepped into Noble with a little bit of trepidation, gave the hostess our name, and were seated upstairs.

Noble truly is a fantastic, airy, well designed space. It was an ambitious project for the owners, without question, and one that certainly has its risks. Noble is perched a few blocks from prime walking territory, and while there are a few theaters on the same block, I don't know how much walk-up foot traffic the restaurant is going to get. And that's a shame, because it really does a dynamite job with its food.

The appetizer was decent (shrimp tostada), the dessert was only iffy (molten chocolate cake with a peanut butter filling and a marshmellow on the side in a too-powerful strawberry sauce), but my meal really turned on my entree. The pan-seared black sable with pea puree and creamy white potatoes was definitely one of the best meals I have had all year.

For whatever reason, I am always drawn toward "black" fish -- black bass, black cod, etc. -- and I really am not entirely sure why. I do know that I had a great black bass in San Francisco last December so perhaps that has something to do with it. Anyway, when they had a black sable (no, it's not a fur coat) on the menu at Noble, I knew it was a definite contender. And when our waitress specifically highlighted it her description (the "pick one of the following three things I am considering" approach worked again), I took a shot.

Thick yet tender, with crispy skin and achingly delicate white meat, the sable was cooked perfectly. I mean, perfectly. I usually find a way to screw up fish like this (almost always undercooked) so I know how difficult it can be to get it right. And the pea puree and potatoes, both artfully presented on the plate, were also great. It was the total package and I made sure to tell our waitress how much I enjoyed it. I didn't even taste the saliva in the food. :)

THE FOOD: The one problem I had with Noble is that it presented its dishes a little too much like art, which made them a little difficult to eat without making a mess. The tostada was a good example. It really was yummy, but it was a little scary cutting into it initially without fearing the whole thing would bounce off the table and into our lap.

THE DRINK: A good beer and wine list. I was still getting over a cold (and still am) so I just stuck to a glass of pinot gris. It was fine, but unmemorable.

THE STAFF: Since we had late reservations (at least for a weeknight), we were one of the last people in the restaurant. We chatted up our waitress quite a bit and found out her life story (girl from California, spent a few years in Missouri, was now in Philly because of her med school boyfriend). She could have done a better job professionally -- I swear she completely disappeared mid-meal for at least 15 minutes (I thought maybe she had quit on the spot) -- but she was a sweet girl so no demerits.

MAD PROPS FOR: The olive bread from Metropolitan bakery. It was excellent. They also have a cool bar downstairs that opens up in the street. Since there is no outdoor sidewalk seating, they were creative with making a space that looks out onto Sansom Street. It'd be fun for drinks on a summer evening.

OVERALL: An excellent job. Alas, not only was there no song and dance routine, but there was also no candle on the dessert. We had to ask them to go back and bring one out. Stupid Pierre -- the French suck.

THE CHECK: Not cheap -- $105 for two. But nothing is too good for my wife, right?

On to the Os...

Ineligible restaurants for round 15:

  • Oceanaire -- If you were looking for overpriced seafood, this was the place to go. I kept waiting and waiting for it to go out of business. Finally, a few weeks ago, it shut its doors.
  • Old Country Buffet -- I'll admit it. As a teenager, I loved this place. How naive I was.
  • Old Nelson -- One of my lunchtime regular hangouts. It's clean, it's efficient, and it's relatively inexpensive.
  • Olive Garden -- Everyone loves the Olive Garden. I mean, how can you not (oh, let me give you, let's say, 15 reasons off the top of my head)?
  • Osteria -- When it opened, Osteria was the place to eat in Philly and topped most foodies' Top 10 lists. However, as the glow has died down, I don't hear much about Osteria anymore, which leads me to worry about its long-term survival. I'll be curious to go back one day soon to see if they are still busy.

Candidates for round 15:

  • Oishi -- Quite an extensive menu at this Newtown enclave. Lots of sushi and non-sushi options, plus hibachi (it's dorky, but it's fun). Their website kicks ass, too. http://eatoishi.com/
  • The Orchard Restaurant -- Our second suburban entree for this week up in the Brandywine Valley. It one of the many "we tailor our menu to what's seasonal places" -- no prices on the menu either, which always worries me. http://www.theorchardbyob.com/
  • Oregon Diner -- As a rule, I am generally suspicious of diners, but I've driven by this place many times and it's always busy. http://www.oregondinerphilly.com/Welcome.html
  • Oyster House -- Formerly the Sansom Street Oyster House, it has reopened after a major renovation and much-needed overhaul. I walked by a few weeks ago and, visually at least, they did a nice job. http://www.oysterhousephilly.com/