Fine Palate Review

The GF and I love to go out for New Year's Eve dinner. Most of the time though, we're left disappointed because it's typically an overpriced prix fixe that's bereft of quality cooking. That's often due to the fact that it is indeed NYE and oftentimes, the actual chef isn't in the kitchen. So we usually turn to the menu itself over the actual restaurant and hope for the best. We continued with that strategy for 2015's last meal out and we're glad we settled upon Fine Palate.

Fairly new to the restaurant scene, Fine Palate was opened up by the folks who brought you the food at Le Bok Fin. And located in Center City proper, Fine Palate's Courtney Dow and Chef Vince Joseph bring you an array of globally inspired cuisine. 

New Year's Eve Menu [$79 Pre-Paid / $95 At the Door]

Their NYE menu was $95 pp, but an even more reasonable $79 pre-paid. A bit awkward, but makes sense to source exactly what the kitchen needs on a night when reservations are easily canceled by patrons who might have last minute changes to their plans.

Complimentary Champagne

A perfectly crisp, tart, and floral flute of champagne was graciously provided to start our meal. A nice touch, to be sure.

Sazerac [$9]
Fig-infused rye, bitters, sugar with absinthe rinse

I also decided to enjoy a well-made sazerac that was nicely citrus forward with a light anise backbone. The rye certainly came through on the finish. 

Painkiller [$9]
Amber and dark rum, orange, pineapple, coconut, nutmeg, cinnamon

The GF enjoyed the easily quaffable Painkiller, which had a nicely subtle sweetness that came through with the coconut shavings. The foundation was enjoyably tart and citrusy, with the nutmeg and cinnamon providing some balance.

Artichoke Soup with Black Truffles

As a whole, the soup could have used a bit more salt, but it was certainly light and delicate, despite the earthiness from the black truffles. I did appreciate the bitterness from the radish - almost an apertif of sorts for the rich meal that was to come. 

White Truffle Scallops

The GF's scallops were beautifully presented, nicely seasoned, and delicately seared. The fragrant white truffles perfumed each bite. Stunner. 

Smoked Foie Gras Torchon
Seeded mustard, Seckle pear

I went more rich with the smoked foie gras. A healthy portion (or two) of the torchon was provided, along with some stone ground mustard to cut through the heft of the foie and a nice counterpoint of sweet pear and honey. Some crusty crostini was the perfect vessel to assemble each delicious bite.

White Truffle Risotto 

The GF and I each went with the risotto, though with white and black truffle, respectively. Each grain of rice had nice bite, but the risotto was still wonderfully creamy overall. And who could say no to a rain of white truffles? Could easily eat a pot of this. 

Black Truffle Risotto 

My black truffle risotto was more earthy, but just as delicious and even heartier. 

Mediterranean Blue Lobster
Butter poached lobster, celery root puree, porcini

For her main, the GF received a gorgeous butter-poached lobster. Sweet, snappy, and succulent, the lobster was accompanied by other elements that were spot on from the light celery root puree to the well-seasoned porcini.

Buffalo Filet Mignon
Potato puree, roasted mushrooms, black truffle jus

My buffalo filet was tender, moist, and surprisingly light. Better yet, it had a well-seasoned crust that wasn't overbearing, with the mushrooms and black truffle jus adding some earthiness to each bite. The baby radish was a nice countervailing element to provide some bitter balance. 

Creme Brulee

For dessert, we each received a small pat of creme brulee - sweet, redolent of vanilla, and with that expected crust of just-burnt sugar. Simple, but enjoyable.

Overall, Fine Palate exceeded my expectations for a NYE dinner. Usually when you see truffle on a prix fixe menu for the holidays, we're talking about truffle oil. Chef Joseph and staff clearly know what they're doing in terms of execution and balance. I'd highly recommend stopping by - I know I'll be back in 2016!

Russet Review

For New Year's Eve 2014, the GF and I decided to relax and have a late dinner around Rittenhouse. We'd been meaning to try Russet and figured that this was the perfect time to try the dishes offered by the husband-wife team of Chef Andrew Wood and Pastry Chef Kristin Wood.

Russet's a BYO and one of the few that takes credit cards. And in the spirit of NYE, we decided to bring a bottle of our favorite champagne. Crisp and very fruity with a medium finish, Moet's Nectar Imperial Rose is quite quaffable.

NYE Menu [$75 pp]

But on to the food! Russet was offering 5 courses for $75 pp, including some supplements which I took full advantage of. 

Bread Service
 

The rustic bread was nice, but served cold - perhaps it's because we had a 10PM reservation. The pat of butter was at room temp though, which I appreciated.

Heirloom Squash Turnover

Caramelized onions, pumpkin seed-arugula pesto, black walnut

The GF started off with the squash turnover which was buttery and delicious. The crisp texture of the turnover and the black walnuts contrasted nicely with the rich caramelized onions and squash. The pumpkin seed-arugula helped to brighten up each bite.

Oyster and Scallop Gratin

Celery, chervil, shallot

I went with the oyster-scallop gratin, which was served on a bed of salt. The mix of shallots, cooked celery, chopped oysters, and scallop was nice - briny and oceanic, with the bread crumbs providing some texture. The chervil helped to add some herbaceousness.

House-Cured Prosciutto

Local quince, grissini, pickled mustard seeds

I appreciate that Chef Wood house-cures his own ham and the prosciutto here was luscious and teeming with the porcine goodness you're looking for. The balance of the local quince and the pickled mustard seeds provided some brightness against the heft of the prosciutto.

Seared Foie Gras [+ $10 supplement]

Blood orange, thyme, buckwheat-meyer lemon madeleine 

The foie gras was prototypically luscious and rich, with the blood orange providing the proper foil. But the real star? The buckwheat meyer lemon madeleines churned out from Chef Kristin Wood. They were buttery, subtly sweet, and had a wonderfully crumbly texture. 

Woodland Jewel Mushroom Raviolo
Ricotta, Loc Tran's egg

The GF and I were looking forward to an oozing egg in the middle of her raviolo, but alas - it was only filled with ricotta, without much seasoning. The pasta itself could have used another minute in the water - more starchy than al dente. The sauce had some depth, but overall, each bite lacked seasoning.

Hand-Rolled Pici with Perigord Black Truffle [+ $18 supplement]
Roasted langoustines, leeks, pistachio, sauce Americaine  

Russet was offering a Perigord black truffle supplement for the pasta dishes so I opted to top off my pici pasta. A generous portion of earthy truffles was provided and though I prefer black truffles to be cooked to release more of that intense aroma, this added some nice depth.

The deliciously, buttery veloute coated the pasta well. However, while the langoustine claw was meaty and well-cooked, there were more than a few pieces of shell found interspersed in the pasta. I normally don't bring much attention to gaffes such as this, but it was so egregious, I did cordially mention it to the server. Alas, either the server didn't understand that I was pointing at about 4 pieces of shell on my bread plate or he couldn't care less ... 

Seared Branzino 
Caramelized parsnips, grilled vidalia onions, kale, parsley jus 

For her main, the GF went with the fish. Online, the offering appeared to be halibut with uni, but for actual dinner service, branzino was on offer sans uni. Regardless, the fish was moist, delicate, and flavorful. The caramelized parsnips and grilled vidalia onions added some texture and sweetness to each bite.

Slow-Roasted Border Springs Lamb
Floriani corn polenta, romanesco, green coriander, tomato fondue
  

I don't know if it's because it was 11PM on NYE or it was a NYE menu, but unfortunately my main was a disaster. I was really looking forward to the "slow roasted" lamb, which was incinerated beyond belief. About half of it seemed fried and the meat was not tender at all. The romanesco was bright and the corn polenta cake was decent however. But momma didn't raise a vegetarian - disappointing.

Bittersweet Chocolate Budino
Cranberry compote, cassis cream
  

Luckily though, pastry chef Kristin Wood salvaged the rest of the meal. The GF ordered the budino based on her infatuation with Chef Turney's salted caramel budino. This iteration was in cake form, with a nicely bittersweet chocolate ganache within. The cranberry compote provided acidity to balance the richness of the cake and the chocolate, with the currant cream providing some levity.

Mascarpone Panna Cotta
Blood orange, Grand Marnier syrup, oat crisp
  

My mascarpone panna cotta had the proper jiggle and was light and subtly sweet. The caramelized sugar oat crisp had nice texture and the Grand Marnier syrup wasn't overpowering or cloyingly sweet. The blood orange provided a bright tartness that was an appropriate end to the meal.

Russet is housed in a quaint Rittenhouse townhouse that was surprisingly bumping with conversation and music. Other than the gaffe with the langoustine pasta, service was just fine, especially considering most of the reviews on Yelp fault the restaurant on this point. Clearly, some of the courses on this particular night were disappointing, but I appreciated that Chef Kristin Wood was able to bring our meal to a nice close. Definitely willing to try Russet again.

Twenty Manning Grill Review

One of the best foodie experiences in Philly is COOK - a state-of-the-art sixteen-seat classroom where guests enjoy tastings and demonstrations from the city's premier chefs. Want a sneak peak of Chef George Sabatino's Aldine? Want a Chopped-style battle between two of Kevin Sbraga's chefs at his eponymous Sbraga or Fat Ham? COOK has you covered, though at a price. 

However, if you're looking for a more traditional, yet relaxed experience showcasing seasonal cooking in Rittenhouse? Check out the sister restaurants - Audrey Claire or Twenty Manning Grill. Though the post is more than a few months late, this past New Year's Eve, the GF and I had a tasting of sorts at the latter.

Bread Service
 

Dinner started with our server dropping off a bakery bag filled with fresh mini-baguettes, served with a couple of pats of room temp butter. A nice touch.

Formula 46 [$12]
Maker's Mark 46 Bourbon, Carpano Antica sweet vermouth, rhubarb bitters, brandied cherries
 

I started off the night's drinking with a bourbon-based tipple, which offered clean flavors. The rhubarb bitters added an herbal grapefruit essence, but the real star? The rich bandied cherries, which were a great intermezzo in between sips. 

TMG Bellini [$9]
Lunetta prosecco, white peach puree
  

The GF went with the bellini, prototypically offering light peach flavors amidst the prosecco's dry effervesence. 

NYE Prix Fixe [$50 pp]
 
Amuse Bouche
Herb mascarpone stuffed cremini mushroom
 

The amuse from the kitchen provided an earthy bite, heightened by the cheese and herbs. The balsamic glaze underneath helped to provide some acidity. 

Pan Fried Haloumi Salad
Micro greens, kalamata olives, blood orange, lemon vinaigrette

For the GF's first course proper, she went with the haloumi salad. Admittedly, Zahav's haloumi is better. TMG's iteration seemed a bit disjointed - the microgreens were few and the pan-fried haloumi was a bit greasy. In fact, the cheese lacked seasoning, though the mix of kalamata olives and blood orange offered some much needed salt and acid for each bite. 

Butter Roasted Skate Wing 
Truffle mashed potatoes, lemon-caper mineure 
 

In contrast, my first course was definitely a hit. Skate is one of my favorite fish to eat and this was well-prepared. Not overdone, it was completely meaty, yet tender and flaky. The fried leek chips offered some textural contrast and the lemon-caper butter sauce offered countervailing acidity to the heft of the truffle mashed potatoes. 

Pan Seared Butternut Squash Ravioli
Fresh ricotta, parmigiano-reggiano, caramelized onions, crispy sage brown butter, leek chips 
 

For her main, the GF went with the ravioli. Unfortunately, this was also a miss for her. The pan-searing rendered the ravioli dry and a bit too crisp. The innards fell flat as the caramelized onions and parmigiano-reggiano overpowered the butternut squash and ricotta. This ate more like fried perogis and seemed to be more of an accompaniment than an entree. 

Grilled Black Angus Filet Mignon
Rosemary golden Yukon potatoes, truffle cream sauce
 

Luckily, I went down the meat and potatoes route. Though the steak lacked any amount of char or grill marks on the outside, it was certainly tender and seasoned quite well. The truffle cream sauce lacked any truffle essence, but provided additional beefy heft to each bite. And to be frank, truffle may have adulterated the flavor of the beef. As an accompaniment, the potatoes were nicely tender, yet crisp on the outside.

Homemade Dessert Sampler

For dessert, the GF and I received our own plate of homemade dessert samplers. Fresh halved strawberries, an apple muffin, and a peach tart provided a decent end to the meal, in addition to a nicely tart cheesecake and decadent molten lava cake.

Champagne Toast

Always a nice touch for a NYE menu, TMG offered a complimentary champagne toast to send us on our way out into the night.

Though there were a few misses on our NYE tasting menu, Twenty Manning Grill offers decent flavors. The skate was on point and I'm definitely willing to give TMG another try the next time I'm in the South Rittenhouse area.

www.twentymanning.com