Autograph Brasserie Review

I typically find myself bound to Center City dining. But when I heard of the great things coming out of Autograph Brasserie's kitchen, how could I not stop by Wayne, PA? Upon the vaunted foundation of esteemed Georges Perrier's Le Mas Perrier, Autograph is the next offering from restaurateur Marty Grims, known especially for White Dog Cafe and the Moshulu. 

Since opening earlier this year, Autograph has been come a Main Line hotpspot. While it's easy to simply say that it fulfills suburbia's need for Center City tastes, Autograph delivers more than that. To the left of the foyer, feel free to indulge in specialty cocktails at the gorgeous bar, complete with a custom trumpet chandelier from Portugal. Head right through the boulevard of private booths and you can dine intimately in the "Sycamore Tree" room. Gold petal lights flicker amongst the leaves as you enjoy house-made pastas and the ever-popular toasts. Make way to the backroom bar, which evokes a "Mad Men"-esque backsplash. This leads to a more formal Club Room, where 40-day dry aged steaks can satiate captains of industry or carnivorous connoisseurs alike. All the while, your head will spin at the multitude of autographed celebrity photos adorning the walls. 

Smoking Sazerac [$13]
Rittenhouse Rye, Peychaud's, caramelized sugar, Vieux Carre absinthe, smoke

No surprise here - I started off my meal with a whiskey-based drink. The smoking sazerac was right up my alley. Table side service highlights the interplay between the cocktail's elements. With the backbone of the smoke, the caramelized sugar and subtle sweetness of the burnt anise and absinthe worked well to balance the Rittenhouse Rye and bitters. Smooth and enjoyable.

Bread Service

Meals start off with house-made gougeres - airy cheese puffs with hints of gruyere. These were also some of the largest gougeres I've seen! 

Charred Spanish Octopus [$16]
Calabrian chili oil, preserved lemon, parsley, smoked pimenton aioli, crispy potatoes 

The octopus is tender as can be, with a light char on the exterior. Served with crispy potatoes for some heartiness and preserved lemon for some acidity, the real star for me was the smoked pimenton aioli, which had kick from the paprika. 

Short Rib & Horseradish Toast [$14]
Farm-house aged white cheddar 

There are a variety of toasts on the menu and I'd recommend getting at least one to share. The short rib and horseradish offers a richly savory route, with hearty short rib accented by caramelized onion, all balanced by aged white cheddar and bite from the horseradish. 

Foie Gras Torchon 
Brioche crouton, spiced cranberries, butternut squash bisque

The kitchen sent out an off-menu dish that was a standout. A deconstructed version of classic foie gras torchon was plated with buttered brioche croutons and spiced cranberries. Channeling fall flavors, butternut squash bisque was poured tableside to envelop the dish in a sweetness that offset the richness of the foie. I enjoyed the tartness of the cranberries coming through on the finish. 

Rainbow Trout [$28]
Horseradish creme fraiche, beets, hazelnuts, citrus herb salad

Seafood lovers can rejoice as fish is expertly cooked. Trout came with crisped skin, atop a bed of greens and horseradish creme fraiche. Along with a light citrus herb salad with beets, hazelnuts offered texture. 

Dry-Aged Angus Ribeye [$52]
14 oz, Greeley, Colorado

Autograph's beef is high-quality and my recommendation would be the 40-day dry-aged Colorado ribeye. With a well-seasoned crust, the steak cut like filet. The subtle funk you'd expect from the aging was cut by the rich bordelaise sauce and the acidity of accompanying sun-dried tomatoes. Deliciously decadent. 

Charred Cauliflower [$8]
Cilantro cashew pesto, jalapeno, queso blanco 

If you're looking for a lighter side to accompany your main, do try the charred cauliflower. It came out smoky and dressed with an herbaceous pesto, offering a salty hit from the queso and some kick from the jalapeno. 

Mac & Cheese [$8]
Truffle brioche, smoked gouda 

If you're like me and prefer rich on rich, the mac would not lead you astray. Once you get through the beautifully buttered panko crust, the truffle essence of the mac n cheese emanated an earthy umami. The cavatappi noodles were perfectly al dente and absolutely coated in a creamy gouda sauce. 

Warm Valrhona Chocolate Peanut Butter Fondant Cake [$10]
Tahitian vanilla ice cream, English Devonshire cream 

Autograph's got a variety of options to satiate the sweet tooth within. I went with the chocolate peanut butter cake, which was moist and revealed a gooey peanut butter chocolate center. Paired with the sweet vanilla bean ice cream, this was the perfect ending to a wonderful meal. 

So if you live in the Main Line area, I'd make it a point to head over to Autograph and become a regular. And for those of us living in the city, the case is certainly being made for suburban living, without losing any of the tastes we've grown accustomed to. 

FTC Disclaimer: This meal was organized by Fearless Restaurants. Regardless, my opinions are mine alone and, therefore, unbiased. 

Autograph Brasserie
503 W. Lancaster Ave.
Wayne, PA 19087
(610) 964-2588
www.autographbrasserie.com

Bank and Bourbon: 2nd Annual Bourbon Bash Review

Last year's inaugural Bourbon Bash at Bank and Bourbon was clearly one of Philly's foodie highlights. So there's no reason you would have missed out on this year's festivities at the Loews Hotel, right? Benefiting education through Donors Choose, tickets were an extremely reasonable $50 pp, with the organizers having a line of sight on surpassing last year's $35,000 total!

President & CEO of Loews Hotels, Kirk Kinsell was on hand, along with Executive Chef Thomas Harkins who was presenting highlights from Bank and Bourbon's lauded menu.

Once again, drinks and sponsors were plentiful. Cocktails were switched up this year though. Whiskey sours were a-plenty along with a fun ode to the upcoming Kentucky Derby by way of a properly made Mint Julep.

You should definitely start the night off at Bourbon Bash's charcuterie station, which thankfully made a reappearance! Charred bread, gorgeously silky chicken liver mousse, mounds of Benton's ham, huge hunks of Humboldt Fog cheese, and roasted figs ... pure heaven. Separately, there was also a station to indulge in oysters and Ahi tuna adorned with jalapeno and creme fraiche.

Honey-brined Duroc pork chops were paired with spring-time vegetables. Dry-aged cowboy ribeye steaks were tender and went perfectly with mushrooms. Moist Skuna Bay salmon was also on offer again and in place of the pastrami rubbed short rib from last year, pork belly took its place. Obviously, there were no complaints from me on this front! Incredibly tender, the pork belly simply melted in your mouth. Paired with caramelized onions and a homemade thousand island dressing, this was clearly what pastrami dreams of becoming.

Amidst all the options, there's a reason why so many folks made a beeline for the dessert station. It was massively outfitted with chocolate cakes and truffles, pecan pie bites, homemade donuts, bourbon caramel banana cream pies, and cookies. I couldn't help but sample a few of the strawberry rhubarb shortbread ice cream sandwiches that were being passed around. A fitting bite (or three!) to end the night.

Be sure to stop by Bank and Bourbon if you weren't able to make it to this year's bash. No reason to deny yourself great food, drink, and bourbons. I'd mark April 2017 on your calendars too! Judging by the success of the first two events, I don't doubt that a 3rd Bash will make its way back to the Loews Hotel in 2017.

FTC Disclaimer: I attended as a guest of Loews Hotel. However, all opinions are my own, and therefore, unbiased. 

David Burke's Primehouse Review

This is for a 2015 trip to Chicago, including the following posts:

Big & Little's, David Burke's Primehouse, Little Goat Diner, Philly's Best, and The Publican. 

Dry-aging steaks have certainly gone beyond the standard 28-day time frame. Case in point, if you're at Mario Battali's Carnevino in Vegas, you have the chance to indulge in a 240-day dry-aged riserva steak. Dry aging helps in intensifying the beefiness of your standard cuts of steak by breaking down the intramuscular fibers and lending way to a nice funk. And if you're in Chicago, there's no place better than David Burke's Primehouse to enjoy a proper dry-aged steak.

A Top Chef Master in his own right, Chef Burke's got a clear passion for beef. So much so that he was the first chef to own his own bull. Named Prime 207L, or simply Prime, this is the Black Angus bull that's sired the foundation for high-quality steaks. In fact, despite Prime's passing, his sperm has been frozen to continue the line of beef.

Rye-P-A [$16]
Templeton rye, absinthe, bitters, orange, IPA
 

After a long day of conferencing, I decided to start off with the Rye-P-A. I usually only drink stouts if I'm opting for beer, but was intrigued by the potential balance of the IPA with the orange and absinthe. Coupled with the stiffness of the rye whiskey, we're talking about a smooth tipple that comes through with floral citrus notes.

Bread Service
Gruyere popover, butter with Himalayan sea salt
 

A la BLT Steak in NY, there's nothing I enjoy more than a popover to start. This was one of the best I've had. Perfectly portioned with a nicely crisp texture on the outside, this was studded with salty hits of cheesy Gruyere. 

Once opened, the bread within was fluffy and just hot enough to melt the room temperature butter, which was topped with pink specks of Himalayan sea salt. Delicious. 

Bacon [$12]
Slaw, black pepper, maple syrup
  

I had to get David Burke's bacon dish (this is the Chef who had his own bacon bar!). And I'm glad I did. In fact, consider this one of my last meal dishes. Previous iterations of this dish were presented in "cake pop" fashion and I'm glad they did away with it in favor of this more beautifully presented spectacle of pork. The belly was incredibly flavorful, with the sweetness from the maple syrup rendering it into bacon candy. There was a nice outer crisp as well, which helped to provide some textural balance. There was a valiant attempt by the crisp red cabbage and pea tendril slaw to cut through the heft of the pork, but the richness of the unctuous belly could not be denied, Seriously the best steakhouse bacon I've ever had, even over Peter Luger's. Ridiculously delicious and a must order. 

At this point, the kitchen gifted me with the caesar salad with add-on's. Perhaps they were attempting to provide some levity to my meal, which regular readers know centers around carnivorous tendencies. The salad's expertly crafted tableside, with the option of adding on delectable crab croutons or white anchovies to impart some bright salinity to the dressing.

Caesar Salad [$14] + White Anchovies [$3] + Crab Croutons [$5] 

The greens were perfectly dressed, with a great depth of flavor from the just-made dressing. The hits of salt from the Parmesan Reggiano and the tasty morsels of lumb crab in the crisp croutons helped to provide additional savoriness to each bite. 

75 Day Dry-Aged Ribeye [$79]
20 oz salt brick beef
 

But really, I was here for the dry-aged beef. They offer several steaks, including the standard 28-day as well as 35, 40 and 55-day aged steaks. But I was here for the bad boy, the 75-day. Dry-aged using Chef Burke's patented Himalayan salt brick process, this 20 ounce bone-in ribeye was cooked nicely medium-rare. 

There was a clear beefy funk that was highly reminiscent of blue cheese, but with a buttery tenderness to the beef due to the tissue breakdown. In fact, the beef finished with a sweetness that was reminiscent of elk. This was delicious and well-executed in that the beef really shined over any overt seasoning or butter one may expect from your more typical steakhouses.

Mac n Cheese [$9]
Camembert, cheddar, bread crumbs  

I couldn't stop there - especially when there was mac n cheese on the menu. The noodles were nicely al dente and the melange of sharp cheddar and the funky umami of the Camembert helped to create a creamy and delicious bite. 

At this point, I was excited to tour the dry-aging room, clearly designated and locked, with the official patent proudly displayed. 

Manager Tommy Livingston (often mistaken for the Chef!), described the aging process and proudly highlighted the various cuts, including the ribeyes and the lard, which is aged as well. Apparently, the fat is melted and brushed onto their incredible dry-aged burger. They're even in the process of dry-aging pork, which'll make for an interesting treat. 

They still had one of their original steaks on display, representing almost a decade of aging! You can see how much of the actual beef gets eaten away during the process. Amazing, though probably not entirely edible. 

So if you're in Chicago and looking for a proper steak experience, look no further than David Burke's Primehouse. And if you're interested in trying more nuanced flavors compared to your standard 28-day dry-aged ribeye, the 75-day is the way to go. Don't forget a side of that incredible bacon! 

Bank and Bourbon Review: Bourbon Bash

Located on the ground floor of Philly's Loews Hotel, Bank and Bourbon took over the reigns from Sole Food a year ago. So in an effort to celebrate their success since then, an inaugural Bourbon Bash was hosted on April 28th. Even better, proceeds were used to provide charitable support for DonorsChoose, a U.S.-based nonprofit supporting our public school teachers and students.

Midway through the event, the GM of Philadelphia's Loews Hotel, Sean Clancy, welcomed everyone and introduced newly named President & CEO of Loews Hotels, Kirk Kinsell. Together they noted that including ticket sales to Bourbon Bash [a very reasonable $49 pp], over $32,000 was raised! In fact, the event was so successful that the intent is to make it an annual event.

So what exactly does a ticket to Bourbon Bash get you? Unlimited drinks and tastes of Bank and Bourbon's finest dishes? Check. Steaks aged to 28 days? Check. A killer charcuterie station replete with Benton's Ham, duck rillette, and Birch Run blue? Check. Desserts to satiate anyone with a sweet tooth? Check, check, check, & check. So let's take a look at what was on offer.

Naturally, a broad selection of bourbons were on hand for the night. In addition to the open bar, there were stations throughout the venue featuring Jim Beam's family of bourbons, including Single Barrel, Devil's Cut, and Rye, along with small batch bourbons in the family like Knob Creek and Basil Hayden. Maker's 46 also made its mark, with generous pours being enjoyed all around. There's a reason why some of these bourbons round out my bar cart amidst some Pappy and Elijah Craig. Great everyday drinking. But for those interested in allaying some of the sweet, sweet "burn," there were plenty of cocktails to be enjoyed as well! 

Devil Went Down to Georgia 
Jim Beam Devil's Cut, ginger, pineapple, sage

Clearly the most popular libation, this had great ginger spice notes that were balanced by the sweetness of the pineapple that was brought back by the sage. Through it all, the undertones of Devil's Cut were there. Really nice. 

Level 33
Passion tea, honey syrup, Pinnacle vodka, yellow chartreuse, fresh citrus 

For those who prefer vodka, Level 33 featured citrus flavors that were tempered by honey and anise notes.

The speed of all the lines at the food stations was surprisingly fast. However, the line at the charcuterie station was clearly the longest - at a "snail's pace" of approximately three minutes (read: sarcasm).

 
The fact that Bank and Bourbon had mounds upon mounds of Benton's ham on offer, along with its Tennessee counterpart of aged Hamery and Creminelli Utah ham, was a testament to the quality of their efforts. Duck rillette, stone-ground mustard, Birch Run blue cheese, toasted house-baked bread, pickled vegetables, and other delectable delights rounded out the station.

Clearly, there was plenty more to be had - from seafood to steaks. 

Ahi Tuna | Rappahannock Oysters

The tuna was fresh and seasoned delicately with lime. While the spicy carrot wasn't overtly pronounced, the farro added some texture to each bite. The Rappahannocks were prototypically sweet and not overly briny. The accompanying mignonette helped to provide some balance. 

Salmon 

 

The salmon was beautifully cooked and delicate in its preparation. The mushroom-based sauce helped to bring some depth to each bite.

Duroc Honey-Brined Pork Chop
Fava, peas

The Duroc pork chop was moist and accompanied by gorgeous favas and peas. In fact, as good as the pork was, the star for me were the legumes - great bite and flavor.

Pastrami Short Rib 

The pastrami short rib was beautiful to behold. The rub was pronounced and the short rib had great texture and taste. Less fatty and more pure beef flavor, it had that classic pastrami cure. It was balanced by the watermelon radish.

Cowboy Ribeye 

And of course, the star of the show was the cowboy ribeye. You could taste the beefiness that comes from the month-long age. It was amazing at how quickly these bad boys were being grilled, plated, served, and turned over. The generous servings of steak were tender and well-seasoned. The heft was only heightened by the savoriness of the accompanying mushrooms, which were luscious in their own right.

From there, we naturally needed to end the night with the requisite satiating of the sweet tooth. What better way than by engaging the incredible dessert station. And by engaging, I meant engulfing.

Espresso Parfait

Having tasted the delicious mini Rocky Road and Orange Creamsicle ice cream sandwiches being passed around by the servers, we knew we had to try some of the items at the dessert station. Amidst all the bourbon, the espresso parfait was a welcome spark to the night. The espresso really shined through the custard of chocolate, which also featured a milk chocolate shard atop a quenelle of whipped cream.

Malted Chocolate Cake | Blueberry Hand Pie | Mini Doughnuts

The blueberry hand pies were expertly fried, with a light sugar dusting coating the sweet crust of the pie. The innards were satisfyingly creamy and redolent with warm blueberries. The mini doughnuts weren't so mini. They were huge! More importantly, they were delicious. It took everything I had not to get up to get another and this is coming from someone who doesn't have that much of a sweet tooth. Lightly crisp on the exterior, the doughnuts were fluffy within, without any overt flavors to detract. And the malted chocolate cake? Light, fluffy, chocolate-y, with a malted marshmallow topping? Consider me stuffed, because I ate it all (with some help from the GF!). 

Believe me when I say that Bank & Bourbon and Loews Hotel pulled out all the stops. The quality of the food was surprising for an event that had this many attendees. Even the plating of the individual dishes left me wondering why I hadn't stopped by for dinner just yet. Service was exceptional and the turnover for the food and drink pours were seamless. This is one event that should not be missed. So the lesson here? Mark your calendars for 2016, especially if you missed out this year. I know I'll be on the lookout for their 2nd anniversary bash! 

FTC Disclaimer: While I was invited to this event gratis, all opinions are mine alone and are unbiased.

www.bankandbourbon.com