The Top Food and Wine Lists!

After the question, "Is your hair naturally curly?" the most common question I hear is "What are your favorite restaurants of all time?" So I present to you:

The Philly Foodie Girl’s
Top 7 All-Time Favorite Restaurants

In no particular order:

Lacroix at the Rittenhouse, Philadelphia
Try it on Monday evenings, their BYOB night.
view the video at http://www.philadelphiapavideo.com/city/play.aspx?ItemID=72
Le Jules Verne – Paris
In the Eiffel Tower. Enough said.
410 Bank Street, Cape May, NJ
We dream about the Jamacian Steak on the patio!
Twin Bays Café, Phoenixville, PA
The best all around BYOB.
Aureole, New York
Maybe our best all-around meal of all time.
The Moshulu, Philadelphia
Been there a dozen times. The deck is a party in the summer!
view the video at http://www.philadelphiapavideo.com/city/play.aspx?ItemID=16
Philippe on Locust, Philadelphia (closed)
We still miss it.


Thank you to the folks at The Philadelphia Visitor's Channel for providing the links to the videos. Even thought nobody asked, I thought I would throw in:

The Foodie’s Hubby Top 5 Wines & Regions

5. Chianti Classico - La Forra Classico Riserva
4. California Cabernet - Richard Partridge Cellars
3. Right-Bank Bordeaux - Chateau Lynch Bages
2. Oregon Pinot Noir -Domaine Coteau
1. Chateauneuf-du-Pape - Domaine Vieux Lazaret Cuvee Exceptional


Next week: My favorite BYOB's in the Philadelphia Area.

XOXO,
The Philly Foodie Girl

West Chester, PA BYOB

Greetings Phellow Phoodies!

OK, I'm getting a little carried away after the Eagles victory over the Jets and the Flyers 3-1 early in the season. I'm also about to get a little carried away regarding our latest BYOB excursion, Butterfish in West Chester.

We're told that the restaurant resides in a former milk processing house, presumably when the property was farmland and not a shopping center and home to a Chinese buffet and Happy Harry's. It is charming, comfortable and somewhat minimalistic.

Our friends Linda and Bob arrived shortly before us and had already relocated to a table away from the activity of the kitchen. Good call. They had brought along a young Australian Cab ('05) which they were already enjoying and we opened our old-school ('05) Napa Valley ZD Chardonnay. Our other selection was a '03 St. Emilion from Teyssyier which would have to wait another night to be poured. (Note: My Philly Foodie Guy is the wine snob who agonizes over his collection for 15 minutes before we go out in order to find the best selection for our destination. I tease him while he ponders his decision but certainly get turned on when he somehow manages to pick the right wine most every time.)

I had the signature Hawaiian Butterfish which was a knockout! It was flavored with ginger and a touch of fruit. I had to thank our friendly and knowledgeable server for that suggestion. I always appreciate suggestions. My hubby opted for the 8-ounce filet was equally outstanding. The cabernet sauce was the hit of the plate and really brought out the flavors of the filet and Yukon gold mashed. Our fellow foodie friends opted for the crab cake and rack of lamb, both of which were outstanding! In fact the lamb looked so good Hub almost regretted passing it up over the filet. (He loves a nice rack.) Our friend Bob reported that he was equally overwhelmed by the sauces that came with the rack.

We highly recommend Butterfish. The entrees were delicious, the salads were a generous portion and the stuffed scallop appetizer was a hit at our table. We also loved the flourless chocolate cake and the pear and mixed fruit cobbler with ice cream. Just a few misses - the restaurant was a little loud and a little cold. We were also seated by the door and close to a lot of activity. My official rating: three-and-a-half XOs out of 5!

It's located in front of the East Bradford Shops on PA Route 52, a.k.a. South Bradford Avenue in West Chester. Its just about 3 minutes from Downtown West Chester and the University Area.

Before I give you a hug and kiss goodbye, please let me say Happy Birthday to our dear friend and dining companion Linda, who soon celebrates the first anniversary of her 59th birthday. Hubby agrees that if I look as good as Linda does when I hit that milestone we'll both be happy! Happy Birthday, Linda!

XOXO,
The Philly Foodie Girl

Fore! Tavola at The Springfield Country Club

OK, while we wait for the Philly Foodie Girl to finish bikini shopping and leave her next post, please let her hubby chime in with a quick word about Tavola at the Springfield Country Club.

First, let me say there is not much fine dining where we live in Delaware County. We enjoy some of the places on State Street in Media, especially Margaret Kuo’s Peking Restaurant and sometimes Iron Hill. So the big question was where to turn to on a warm Friday night in late September when we were determined to sit outside and enjoy the mild early fall weather? How did you guess Tavola's Restaurant and Bar? I’m not even sure how to pronounce it.

This is the former location of ‘Stephen’s’ at the Springfield Country Club, as in Stephen Finley of Finley Catering fame. The three of us, including our well-traveled daughter, were seated on the outside deck right next to a green on the golf course by Joe, our chatty host. Overall, the atmosphere was pretty interesting, as a mix of sixty-something golfers and mismatched thirty-something couples came and went over the course of our two hours there.

The food ranged from pretty good to adequate - the $29 filet good, the sugary sweet potato fries that came with it questionable, the salads adequate. The ‘Asian-flared’ mussels the Foodie Girl had were described only as ‘interesting’ since many of the shells were empty and the combination of flavors was mismatched. However, she did appreciate the effort to come up with some interesting dishes at a place like this.

The service was spotty, with long waits between visits from our server. When Jennifer the server did spend time with us she was quite nice and very accommodating and playful with our Junior Foodie. Maybe she had too many tables to tend to on a night the place was two-thirds full.

Overall, we believe we will probably return to Tavolas. In the warmer months I highly recommend opting for the outdoor patio. However, if given the choice between here and a real fav - Carson’s Dockside Grill on the newly refurbished Ridley Township Marina, we would choose Carson’s. (Pork Wings! Another story for another day!)

Please be sure to post your comments about your experiences at Tavolas or anyplace in the Philly area. Caio!