Grazing through December

T’was the day before the night before Christmas… and I’m busy being good!

Here are our thoughts on some restaurants visited for lunch, dinner and various parties throughout the month. Please note that you will find no mention of holiday cookies or home-made candy anywhere here!

Bridget Foy’s on South Street
I hit it for lunch on a wet Thursday afternoon. My go-to choice at Foy’s is typically the meatloaf with macaroni and cheese. Our server suggested the special of the day, which was Pappardelle pasta with a lamb ragout. Let me tell you, this was a top five pasta dish of all time, right up there with the fuscili at Carlucci in Chicago and gnocchi on the promenade in Nice. It was terrific! The lamb was sweet and the sauce had a touch of cream and Parmesan. I was so close to asking for another bowl to take away and probably would have if I didn’t have to spend the rest of the day in the city. I only hope that when I get back to Bridget Foy’s again they still have it on the menu.

Rembrandt’s in the Art Museum area
The Hub of Mine held his company’s Christmas Party at Rembrandt’s for about 30 friends, colleagues and clients. We had a really nice private room upstairs complete with a fireplace and bar. The folks served us a really delicious thin crust brick oven pizza which was a real hit. Guests also devoured several plates of their signature pork ribs, crab balls and a really cool concoction of blue cheese and walnuts served on a big leaf of lettuce. The party was a hit and the friendly staff did a really nice job for the guests. Hub and I had an outstanding dinner at Rembrandt’s this past summer, which was equally good.

Nooddi, The Noodle Bar in Media
It’s been a while since we’ve been to ‘The Nooddi Bar’ in Media. This corner BYOB serves a variety of classic Thai cuisine with an emphasis on noodle filled soups and entrees. In fact, we ran into a gentleman I had not seen in years who claims the Nooddi Bar has the only Thai that comes close to what he had in Thailand.

The Foodie Girl got all hot and bothered with the semi-spicy Tom Yum, a noodle dish with lemongrass and seafood in broth. I went for the Pad Se Ew (its hard to order these things without chuckling) which is sautéed beef with the wide rice noodles. Both dishes were very good, the service was efficient and we didn’t have to wait for a table. It’s also family friendly, which of course is important to us. Since it is BYOB I was able to dig into the cellar to find the right wine match. I came up with a knockout white, a chilled Copain Viogioner from California’s Catie’s Corner vineyard. It was fresh enough to stand up to the spice of the food and still keep it’s pear and floral notes.

Brunch with Santa at Brodeur's on State Street in Media
A year ago we had a really nice "Brunch with Santa" at the Desmond Hotel in Great Valley. It was packed with families who paid a bunch of money to see Santa and have a really elaborate brunch in a nice setting. Well, we waited too long to make plans this year so we were looking for an alternative. My sister came up with Brodeur's on State Street in Media. They were having a much lower-key Sunday Santa Brunch that our Foodie-In-Training and her one year old cutie would enjoy. Brodeur's is the site of the former New Orleans Cafe on the corner of State and Jackson Streets. Long time Media-ites still refer to it as 'Old Borough Hall.'

It turned out to be the perfect setting for a late Sunday morning with the kids. Brunch consisted of what you would expect: the standard breakfast eggs, sausages and so on, along with carved beef and omelet station. Everything was very good. Things were so good that my husband and brother-in-law wore out the carpet walking back and forth to the food line to fill their plates! The regular filling of the glasses with Mimosas was a nice surprise. However I think everyone would agree the deserts were the real hit of the day. I mean, who does not love a chocolate fountain?? Who is the artist who thought of liquid chocolate streaming like a waterfall into a bowl, just asking to have fruit and pretzels dipped in?

Perhaps what was most important that morning was the outstanding Santa Claus that greeted the kids. He remembered everyone's name and came around to the tables to speak with the families. I know Santa is used to getting his picture taken but this one really worked with the shy kids to get some memorable photographs. Kudos to the staff at Brodeur's. It's a good bet we'll be back for dinner on a weeknight soon.

Countryside Market & Deli in Swarthmore
We finally made it for breakfast to the oft mentioned Countryside Market! Its true, you really do forget you're in Delaware County when you're there. The omelets and breakfast sandwiches are different (in a good way) and can be requested exactly as you like it to be prepared. The service was very slow, both for waiting for our first cup of coffee and for the food to come out once ordered. (I'm not as patient as my darling is.) Maybe that is part of the country appeal. Another down side is the constant blast of cold air every time the door opens. I suggest asking to be seated away from the door if possible. We're told the sandwiches here are top notch as well. We will be back here again for round two and we'll let you know about it.

Happy Holidays!
Thanks to the hundreds of you who read my blog and a big thank you to those who have left comments. And Santa, if you’re reading this, please bring my wine-crazed husband a mixed case of 2005 Chateauneuf-du-Pape and maybe some overpriced Bordeaux.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

xoxoxo,
The Foodie Girl
(with an assist from Hub)

Hit or Miss at Media Asian Restaurant

If you’ve been following the Foodie Girl’s pictures, descriptions and accounts of the dining game you have probably read mentions of Peking/Tokyo Restaurant in Media. Typically we tap Margaret Kuo’s location on State Street for takeout on Friday evenings. She loves the sushi and I often opt for a trio of appetizers. (Beef Negamaki, the carnivore’s version of sushi, a dumpling called ‘Wasabi Shumi’ and Chicken Yakitori) This past Friday we braved the cold to dine in with our three year old.

We’ve actually been going to Peking for about 10 years or whenever it first opened in the mid-90’s. This location was remodeled and updated about three years ago to resemble an upscale Asian bistro reminiscent of Old City. It really is stylish inside.

All of this leads me to the comment I need to get off my chest. As much as we enjoy this place, love the new décor and especially the folks who work there, it has become wildly inconsistent in both food and service. Let me explain.

One of my traditional favorites was the Chicken or Filet Mignon Teriyaki. I could count on this consisting of a good size portion of chicken or filet served over grilled onions, with an ample amount of their delicious teriyaki sauce. It would also include a green salad, a small ‘side’ portion of dumplings or something similar, a steamed veggie like corn on the cob or carrots and finally steamed rice. Lately however, the grilled onions are gone, the sauce is barely there, the ‘side’ dish is gone, and the veggie is either gone or barely steamed to the point it is hard. What happened?

In the case of this past Friday, I once again opted for the Filet Teriyaki. When the plate arrived the filet looked different than what I expected but very good so I went with it. About half way through I realized that I was given the Filet with Bourbon Sauce instead of what I asked for. It was delicious but clearly different that what I requested. None of the other goodies they previously included the Teriyaki Dinner were anywhere to be found.

The Foodie Babe has also noted on numerous occasions that the attention to detail on her sushi rolls is not always there. While it is always very fresh she recalls that the rolls were always much neater and appealing to the eye in the past. (Apparently that is very important to sushi lovers)

Let me say again that the folks who work the front of the restaurant have always been terrific. This is a busy place on the weekend. Carol is the quarterback of it all and always double-checks our carryout order. She’s also quick with a treat for our little Foodie-in-Training. However, the service at the table is clearly hit or miss.

One last thing I wanted to get off my chest. What is up with the town of Media? They are calling themselves “America’s First Free Trade Town.” I have no idea what this means. Apparently it is not some sort of historical designation. It’s a riot to see these ‘Free Trade’ signs covering the windows of all the empty storefronts. I guess they’re just waiting for another mega bank to move in. It’s even funnier that most of the retail stores were closed at 8:00 on a Friday night during Christmas shopping season. Can someone help me to understand this?

Thanks for listening. I feel better now. Time to put the little one to bed.

Yo!
The Foodie Hubby