Parc (Philadelphia) 01/2014

Parc is a French bistro restaurant on Rittenhouse Square. It looks French from the outside and it looks bistro, and French, from the inside.The menu looks French too, mussels are Moules, snails are escargot and so on. It's buzzing with, a moderate volume of noise and heaps of activity as waiters move about and patrons come and go constantly letting blasts of cold air bathe patrons at tables near the door. Ambiance is great.

We decided to have a four starters and one main course. We explained that we would like to share everything meaning that we wanted an extra spoon for the soup and an extra plate for the other courses. The table

was barely large enough to accommodate water, wine, bread, which was excellent, three different sorts,
 
and butter, salt and pepper and one plate. We were surprised when four dishes arrived at once. We sent a couple back so as to have some space on the still quite crowded table.
French onion soup convinced us that we should stop ordering this dish. Covered with a thick layer of elastic cheese the soup was a little sour, probably because the onions were insufficiently caramelized. This is a testing dish to get right and this one, as have so many others, was not quite right.


 


Escargot in a garlic sauce with mushrooms and hazel nuts was very rich with a dominating flavour of garlic. The crushed nuts in the sauce did nothing for the dish. The sauce hid everything!

Half a lobster came with lemon wedges and a strong spicy tomato sauceThe lobster was sweet and tender, the sauce overwhelming. Escoffier would turn over in his grave.
 
The charcuterie plate was excellent, although, somehow the onion jam had a vinegary taste.

Our last course was skate. The wing had been removed from the cartilage and was nicely presented and very good.
A side serve of thin chips, skin on, was served with mayonnaise. We enjoyed them.

 This is a restaurant which reeks of atmosphere, French in every way except for the food which has been 'Americanized' with heavy and inappropriate sauces. I might call it 'Bistrot American'. Service is efficient and, in our case, artificially friendly. Probably because I was taking photographs several people asked if everything was alright or if we were happy with everything.

Score:13.5/20

Carr's Restaurant (Lancaster Philadelphia) 01/2014

One goes down a narrow staircase to enter this subterranean restaurant housed in a couple of rooms. It has a warm and comfortable atmosphere.
 
 Large white clothed tables

 are well spaced.  Seating is especially comfortable.
 
On one wal there are two cabinets displaying an interesting collection of antique cork removers and  taste de vin'.


 




























They have a reduced but very adequate menu on Sundays.  It is divided into 'starters', 'entrees' which are main courses, 'a taste of lancaster county', which are less expensive main courses such as grilled meatloaf ($14) or pork and sauerkraut ($16) and 'salads'. During the week they have a more extensive entree menu which is concentrated on meat of various sorts.
Despite that emphasis we chose a crab, artichoke and spinach dip ($12) as our first starter. It was a very rich and cheesy with a good flavour of crab. A very satisfying start.
 
Pei Mussels ($11) are a small tasty variety which were offered in a white sauce or in a spicy tomato based suace. We both enjoyed this although I prefer the plump variety we get in Australia.
 
Grilled veal tenderloin, lobster americaine sauce, asparagus, butter crushed potatoes, roasted onions ($28) was, in the American tradition, a decent size meal. The meat could have been a lot less tough but it, and the whole dish was well matched for taste.
 
Rib cap of beef, bone marrow butter, gnocchi with asparagus, and roasted onions, marrow enriched red wine jus ($28) was very good too. the jus, which I asked for separately, was not over reduced, the gnocchi excellent, the meat tender and tasty and not overcooked. 
 
They have a reasonable wine list with a fair selection by the glass.
They include a note that they will cook food as you wish but undercooked food may be a health risk and they take no responsibilityfor it.
Only two courses but after this we were thoroughly satisfied. For a good meal in pleasant warm and comfortable surroundings this was as good as we have ever had in Lancaster'
 Score 14/20

Pour (Lancaster, Pennsylvania) 01/2014

Lancaster is a town of about 50,000 people. It has a charming old city with a beautiful old opera house, a fine orchestra and several well regarded restaurants. Only a few years old Pour is one of them. It's a small fairly dark crowded venue with minimum decor with no particular theme.

Staff are helpful and keen for feedback.
Their menu is divided into 'Social Plates' 'Charcuterie' and first, second and third or dessert courses.
Wine selection was limited. We drank an overpriced quaffable Cote du Rhone

We had a fair selection of them all. Duck fat chips were quite tasty but not crisp perhaps because of the potatoes they used. Regardless I did not care for them.

Ox tail was a small piece of dry overcooked meat on a soft polenta covered with fried onions under, hardly a sharing dish.

Charcuterie is interesting in that you create your own from a selection of about ten different items ($4ea) We selected a proscutto, another very tough meat and a couple of cheeses. The serve was tiny with two almost transparently thin slices of tasty cheese.

Ravioli stuffed with goat cheese were very firm. With two or four at the table i think two or four ravioli would have been much more appropriate than three which then need to be divided.
 

Thankfully the main courses were much better.
 A creation of carrots was an attractive presentation of a variety of carrots, cooked and raw.
 
Seared white tuna was a little too spicy for a delicate fish.
 
Beef rib was tender and good tast but the 'Roubillard style' mashed potato were nothing like the original recipe.
 
Talopea was another good choice.
 
We tried three desserts. Most outstanding was the chili chocolate ice cream. Too hot and spicyfor me but others loved it. It's the one on the right. It looks benign!

 We are finding that the middle range American restaurants are disappointing. They are inconsistent, and lack that professional touch that distinguishes the better restaurants. They don't quite make it in presentation, taste and imagination. You get a decent meal but they are not exciting. 

Score:13.5 /20

Nobu (Manhattan) 01/2014

We have been coming here for years and it hasn't changed. The people even look the same! It's always busy and it is worth making a reservation if you want to be sure to get a table.
The menu is also unchanged and so is the quality of the food so it's getting a bit boring.
Saki comes in a metal teapot with ice in the bottom of it.
 
Dumplings - two tiny dumplings and a large dish of dipping sauce!!
 
Something I did not order- guess what (?Tuna)
 
Salads
 

Eggplant with a sweet sauce, a very nice dish
 
Blackened codfish, excellent
 
Dessert, not a Japanese speciality
 
 Score:13.5 /20

The Modern (Manhattan) 01/2014

We would never have found this most excellent restaurant if not for a suggestion from John Salsbury, former chef/owner of the, sadly missed, now closed Petit Bourgoise. 
The restaurant, adjacent to MoMA on 54th Street, occupies a long room divided into three sections, a remarkably well stocked long bar with small tables, 

a step up to the simply decorated functional central area 

with adequate sized tables and comfortable seating,
 
and a white clothed area looking over the MoMA sculpture garden where only the Chef's menus is served.
There are a lot of floor staff who are very busy with the fairly rapid turn over of patrons at lunch time. As such they are rather impersonal.
Food is beautifully presented, art on a plate, many of the dishes would not be out of place next door. The style is modern French American demonstrating technically outstanding cooking. Flavour combinations are well matched and interesting, textures are variable resulting in meals that are exciting and fun. 
Bread is presented in an an artistic open metal basket.

A terrine starter

Jerusalem artichoke soup, When I pointed out the brioche was burnt the waiter initially said they are meant to be toasted but replaced them at my request!

Egg in a jar was a superb complex way of serving an egg, much better than any we've had before.

Pork belly was superb in every way.

We finished with beignets, five of them, with three sauces. These were a bit ordinary and do not compare with the sensational ones served at Cafe du Monde in New Orleans.

All in all this is an outstanding restaurant. It is also quite expensive. Wines go from about $20/glass. Add taxes and an 18% tip and you can soon have an impressive bill. If you can afford it this is a place you should  definitely visit.
Score:17 /20