Pumpkin Review

Valentine's Day is the time when most restaurants provide set menus that are often overpriced. So navigating the glut of options for a romantic meal that won't set your wallet back too far or leave you feeling overly stuffed can be harder than you might think. But one of my favorite places to go? Pumpkin on South Street. Better yet? They're BYO - so bring on some bubbly to enjoy with your meal.

We brought one of favorites - Moet Nectar Imperial Rose - subtly sweet, lightly tart, effervescently fruity - easily quaffable.

Valentine's Day Prix Fixe [$75 pp]

Pumpkin had us put down a deposit of $50 ahead of time on a credit card. But that's less cash to have on hand since they're a cash-only BYO! 

Bread Service

Our meal started off with sourdough bread that came with some fruity olive oil and a confit garlic clove. 

Cauliflower Soup 
Apple, celery, hazelnut

From there, the GF enjoyed her creamy cauliflower soup that was accented by the fragrantly rich hazelnut and balanced by the bright acidity of the apple and the freshness of the celery leaves. 

Spanish Rock Octopus 
Citrus, squid ink, couscous

Pumpkin's take on octopus reached gustatory heights in my book and was easily one of the best iterations I've had. Lightly charred on the outside, the octopus cut like butter and was incredibly unctuous and satisfyingly savory. The squid ink provided some backbone to each bite, while the pink grapefruit segments offered some sweet acidity and the watermelon radish offering some countervailing balance. The couscous were moist pearls of caviar, filled with a moist and savory broth. Delicious.

Castle Valley Mill Grits
Taleggio fondue, saba, roasted grapes

The GF and I both enjoyed this next dish, which featured wonderfully local and stone ground heirloom grits. The sweet, yet nutty corn essence could not be denied and was wonderfully paired with the rich taleggio fondue. The saba and sweet roasted grapes were a surprising, yet welcome element to the dish, providing a wonderful juxtaposition to the rich cheese. 

Wild Striped Bass
Leeks, beets, salsify

The striped bass was wonderfully cooked - the fish was moist and the skin was crisp. The dashi broth was poured tableside and added some nice smoky elements to each bite. The leeks and salsify complemented the broth nicely, while the beets offered a break in the form of some subtle sweetness. 

Wagyu Culotte Steak
Escarole, pearl onion, potato terrine

American wagyu was on offer tonight and came appropriately medium rare. Well-seared and seasoned, the sirloin cap featured some great beefiness. The accents of star anise in the bordelaise wine sauce were stellar, with the caramelized pearl onions imparting some additional savoriness to each bite. Technique was showcased in the form of the creamy and crisp potato terrine, which was topped by a sharp cheesy fondue. 

Goat Cheese Cake 
Citrus, pistachio streusel 

The goat cheese cake had a wonderful tang and I appreciated that it wasn't overly sweet on its own, though the tart raspberry sauce and the citrus segments helped to bring it back to traditional dessert territory. The pistachio streusel offered nice crunch and nutty butteriness to each bite. 

Malted Milk Pot de Creme
Peanut butter, chocolate, praline

The malted milk pot de creme tasted like an elevated Reese's peanut butter cup and brought forth some childhood nostalgia. Great consistency and smoothness, with the toffee praline and chocolate offering a textural sweetness I enjoyed. 

Always appreciated, the meal ends with some toasted, salted pumpkin seeds to take home. Service was impeccable and extremely knowledgeable about each dish. Definitely need to stop by for Pumpkin's Sunday Prix Fixe and not just for Valentine's Day! 

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

Estia Review

There are many options for pre-theater dining in Philly. You can't go wrong with Sbraga or perhaps you'd like a juicy rib-eye from Ruth's Chris to induce a food-coma before the ballet (I kid, I kid). But if you're looking for a reasonable prix-fixe with well-executed Greek dishes in a beautifully designed space, I highly recommend Estia.

As you enter the foyer, it's hard not to notice the clean design - evoking the white of Mykonos, perhaps. 

The entirety of the main dining area is cavernous and spacious. 

There's an elevator to access the lower level, in case you can't traverse the stairs.

Book your private parties in the wine cellar room - gorgeous!

But let's get on with the food! 

Pre-Theater Prix Fixe ($30 pp)

The GF felt like a diet coke and loved the cute glass bottle. 

To me though, that simply meant no free refills! Womp womp.

Mykonos Mojito ($10)
Absolut Pear, muddle mint, lime, simple syrup
  

I had to try the Mykonos mojito, if not for the alliteration alone. The cocktail was nice - subtle notes of pear, not overly saccharine, nicely balanced. 

Hummus

Meals commence with complimentary sourdough and garlic hummus, topped with radish and olives. Service is great by the way - non-intrusive and repeatedly replenishing the sourdough and hummus.

Spread Pikilia
Tzatziki, htipiti, melitzano salata, grilled pita

The GF opted for the Greek spread. The tzatziki on the right was creamy and bright with cucumber notes. The hitpiti in the middle was delicious - a mix of red pepper, feta, and olive oil. The melitzano salata was a savory blend of eggplant, feta, garlic and olive oil. The pita was nicely grilled and the cucumber and pepper slices had perfect crunch.

Estia Mezedakia
Spanakopita, feta-stuffed meatball, spring mix salad

I had this mezedakia/tapas, which included a well-dressed mixed green salad. But of course, I don't order salads. I ordered this for the meatball and crispy spanakopita, which was filled with spinach and feta. The spanakopita was actually more like an empanada to me as I'm used to phyllo-wrapped spanakopita.

The juicy lamb meatball was perfectly cooked and filled with funky feta. Nice.

Arni Trahana
Lamb shank, trahana pasta, tomato kapama, pine nuts, currants, feta cheese

Wow. This well-seasoned lamb shank was served off the bone, but it was no less luscious and fall-apart tender. The trahana pasta was similar to soft couscous - perfect little nuggets to be imbued with the essence of the deliciously tart tomato stew. The pine nuts added texture and the currants provided subtle sweetness. The feta cheese brought a bit of salt on top of the stew - simply delicious. A must order.

Kotopoulo 
Organic chicken, caramelized onion, yogurt orzo, lemon chicken thyme jus

The GF went with the chicken, which was moist and juicy. It seemed a bit bland, but when paired with the perfectly crispy, salty skin, a nice bite indeed. The caramelized onion orzo had a depth of flavor that helped to bring this dish home.

Fruit Plate
Chef's choice of seasonal fruit served with yogurt

For dessert, we went with both prix fixe options. The fruit plate was replete with a melange of various fruit, including watermelon and pineapple, accompanied by honey and Greek yogurt.

Karidopita
Traditional walnut honey cake

This traditional walnut cake was extremely moist - similar to a tres leches, without being overly saccharine. Nutty walnuts within helped to provide an added textural component to the dessert.

Estia provided the GF and I with the perfect pre-theater prix fixe before we saw the Sister Act at the Kimmel Center. Well-executed dishes, attentive service in a beautiful space. Estia should be proud to be the Greek component to the stretch of Broad Street that strives to represent art and culture in Philly. 

www.estiarestaurant.com