June 2nd, 2010-10 Arts

Hello for the last time! (again) :(

Today we created a quick and easy scallop and grapefruit ceviche to top off our cooking experiences with SNS Food Review and Cooking. Here are the results:

Recipe: http://www.metro.ca/recette/5484/grapefruit-scallop-ceviche.en.html

May 26th, 2010-10 Arts

Hello for the LAST TIME :(,

For our last meal out, we went to 10 Arts by Eric Reipert and we were lucky enough to be invited to a special event hosted by 10 Arts for the LocalAbundance with recent Top Chef contender Jennifer Caroll. LocalAbundance is an organization founded by James MacKnight that sets the standard for sustainable food and educate people about locally grown healthy food. We always knew we wanted to have a nice last meal to go out with a bang so we thought to ourselves, as such huge fans of Top Chef, what better way to end our project than with a meal prepared by a Top Chef semi-finalist and one of our own favorite contenders. The first course was a variety of oysters from the East and West coast. The oysters were served only with lemon instead of cocktail sauce on purpose because Chef Jen wanted you to be able to taste the differences in the oysters. The second course was a wild cape cod sea scallop, which was prepared with mint, jalepeno, and grapefruit. The citrus complimented the cold fish and it brought out the flavors. It was a pleasing transition into the more heavier courses. The next course was the wild alaskan halibut with smoked steelhead caviar prepared with cucumber, radish, scallion, and dashi broth. The caviar stole the dish with its smoky and full taste. The eggs were large and orange, so they were the first thing you saw when you looked at the dish. The fourth course was a wild black sea bass, prepared with pea tendrils, morels, prosciutto garlic broth. The garlic broth was really poignant and fragrant and smelled as good as it tasted. The fifth course was a ling cod prepared with carrot, lime, and shrimp sambal. The cod was light and tender. The sixth course was a king salmon prepared with fiddlehead ferns, leeks, and red wine reduction. Even though we were becoming full from the previous dishes, it was really delicious! The dessert was creme fraiche and bluberries prepared with mousse, blueberries, caramel popcorn, and sweet corn sorbet. It was was inspired by the pastry chef's take away from her experience at the local carnival. All of the fish dishes were prepared with extremely fresh ingredients and when each new dish, James MacKnight spoke about where the specific fish was caught and how they were all caught within 36 hours of being served at 10 Arts. The restaurant was uniquely designed with surperb interior designs. It is inside the Ritz Carlton, so it has similar decor as the hotel. The dinner was 95$ per person, and the seating arrangement was very interesting. There was a cap on how many could attend this event, so they had large tables with about 25 people total. We were seated at a table for 6, so we had other people sitting with us interacting. This was the perfect way to end our experience as food critiques for our senior comprehensive project at Penn Charter.

10 Avenue of the Arts
Philadelphia, PA 19102-2500

(215) 523-8221

May 20th, 2010-Chiangmai

Sup,

Today in Lafayette Hill at Shelly's house we created our interpretation of Chicken Pad Thai. Here are pictures from our night and we will post the recipes we used soon!

Recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/pad-thai-with-chicken-and-shrimp-recipe/index.html

May 19th, 2010-Chiangmai

Shalom,

For this weeks meal we visited Chiangmai in Conshohocken. We've done Asian Fusion when we visited Azie, but we wanted to experience a traditional Thai meal. It's a small restaurant with a homey feel and appropriate decor that creates a foreign atmosphere with extensive design. While it's not a particularly big place size wise, it's a place with a big attitude. The hostess came up to us upon our arrival and seated us instantly. After, our waitress brought us our drinks and gave us the perfect amount of time to figure out our order. Once our order was placed our drinks were refreshed. Shortly after, the appetizers arrived. We had the Tulip Dumplings, Crispy Rolls, and Som Tum Salad. The Dumplings and Rolls were delicious, but the salad was sub par. Not something that we would recommend. Also, the portions were rather small but still satisfactory and ranged from $4 to $10 dollars. About ten minutes later we were served our entrees. We tried the Softshell crabs, Bold and Spicy Shrimp, and Chicken Pad Thai. The Softshell crabs were a special and we were glad we caught it. The shrimp wasn't as spicy as expected, but still good, and the chicken pad thai was some of the best we've had. All ranged in price from $11 to $20 dollars. Even though we skipped out on desert, we were pleased with our meal and our experience and while we may not recommend the salads, we were pleased with every other aspect of our meal. We hope if you chose to dine at Chiangmai that you enjoy your meal as much as we enjoyed ours!

108 Fayette Street
Conshocken, PA 19428

610 397 1757

May 7th, 2010-Spasso

Hello all,

So for our re-creation of our meal at Spasso we prepared bruschetta. Overall, it was a huge success and extremely easy! It turns out it's a great dish that anyone can make. We strongly recommend it for anyone who needs to cook something good and cook it fast. Here are the pictures from our afternoon in the kitchen!

Recipe: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/bruschetta_with_tomato_and_basil/

May 6th, 2010-Spasso

Greetings and Salutations,

Last week we ventured out to Olde City to have dinner at Spasso Italian Grill. The weather was nice, so we suggested to our hostess that we sit outside; they were very flexible and allowed us to sit where we wanted. However, the only table that was available outside was the last table, farthest from the restaurant. Again, since it was such a nice night we decided to sit at this table. The waiter was very nice, and immediately gave us water and read us the specials of the night. Unfortunately, this was the only prompt aspect of our dining experience. After we ordered, our food did not arrive for about an hour. We ordered an Antipasto and Bruschetta as appetizers. Both we very tasty and delightful. For the entrees we ordered Gnocchi con Aspargi, Crab Raviolli, and Penne Spasso. Both the Crab Raviolli and the Penne Spasso we quite delicious, however, the gnocchi was less tasty than expected. The asparagus that came with it had more flavor than the actual gnocchi. Other than the slow service and the bland gnocchi, the ambiance of Spasso was very welcoming. Inside, we saw families having a casual dinner. Also, there was a lot of space inside, which gave us the impression that this would be a nice place for a party. Overall, for large events or big dinners where time is not of the essence, we would recommend Spasso sans the Gnocci.

Spasso Italian Grill

34 South Front Street

Philadelphia, PA 19106

215 592 7661

May 7th, 2010-Seasons 52

For our cooking experience this week, we re-created the Tiger Shrimp Penne Pasta with market vegetables sauteed in a lemon basil sauce with parmesan cheese. We got our recipe from Martha Stewart and included snap peas, asparagus, carrots, and broccoli. We concocted our own version of the lemon basil sauce that seasoned the pasta well. Here are pictures from our time in the kitchen!

Recipe: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/penne-with-shrimp-feta-and-spring-vegetables

April 30th, 2010-Seasons 52

Greetings and Salutations,

This week we ventured to Season 52 in King of Prussia for yet another dinning experience. We made our reservation online, and they were thankfully very prompt about getting back to us. Also, they were very flexible about changing our reservation upon our request. We were seated in their party room on the upper level, which had a wonderful ambiance. However, the lower level had an equally pleasing ambiance and seemed full and bustling with people. Our waitress greeting us instantly with a very peppy attitude. She took our order immediately and frequently checked back in with us throughout our meal to make sure everything was to our liking. For a starter, we ordered the Ripe Plum Tomato Flatbread. It came in a timely manner and the portion was adequate. Needless to say, it was devoured. Next came our entrees. We ordered the Tuna Crunch Salad, Tiger Shrimp Penne Pasta, Char Crust Filet Mignon (with divine steak sauce), and Wood-Roasted Pork Tenderloin. All were cooked as requested and delicious. The salad was entree sized and filling, and the other entrees weren't too overwhelming. Another plus is that everything on the menu is under 475 calories. Delicious and healthy food can be found at Seasons 52. Also, four times a year the menu is changed to use seasonal ingredients. This leaves the menu fresh and appropriate for the time of the year. Finally came the desserts. Their desserts are called "Mini Indulgences". Each are 2.50$ while the Entrees range in price from 15 to 25$ and the appetizers range from 3 to 10$. The desserts were small yet satisfying and served in mini shot glasses so they can be shared among the dinners. We ordered the Old-Fashioned Carrot Cake, Key Lime Pie, Fresh Fruit Cheesecake, Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse, and Belgian Chocolate Rocky Road. All were delicious, we still can't pick a favorite. Overall, the service was great, the ambience was pleasant and relaxing, and the food was very satisfactory. We would recommend seasons 52 for anyone, try it instead of Cheesecake factory next time you're at the mall!

Seasons 52

160 N. Gulph Road

Suite 101

King of Prussia, PA 19406

610 992 1152

April 15th, 2010-Azie

Hello all,

After our meal at Azie, we decided to make some asian fusion inspired food. Today, we cooked fried rice and ginger chicken and shrimp wantons. Once again, we were successful in our mission to recreate tasty food that anyone can easily make at home. Included are pictures from our night of prepping and preparing.

Recipe: http://chinesefood.about.com/od/dimsumwonton/r/wontons.html and http://chinesefood.about.com/od/rice/r/vegetable-fried.html

April 14th, 2010-Azie

Hello all,

This week we went to Azie for our latest restaurant. As we walked in, we could tell we were going to have an enjoyable experience. The atmosphere was all positive. The decorations were beautiful and the layout extremely stylish. It appears to be a perfect spot for dates, family meals, or friendly get togethers. In the middle of the dining area, a huge long table lined the inside of the room. A perfect spot, we thought, for an event dinner. Upon our arrival, the hostess was very pleasant and took us to our table instantly. Once we sat down, our waitress was ready to greet us and take our drink orders. After she brought us our drinks, she was back in the perfect amount of time to take our orders. For appetizers, we had a tempura calamari and Truffle French Fries with truffle butter. Both were ready in no more than five minutes and delicious. The truffle butter in the fries was the perfect amount, not overwhelming the dish, and a thick mayonnaise based sauce was given with the tempura calamari, which complemented it perfectly. The price of the appetizers ranges from 8 to 16 dollars.

For our main dishes, we ordered the Azie Fried Rice, Crab Meat Pad Thai, Grilled Swordfish, and Teriyaki Chicken. All were extremely tasty. However, we were too full from devouring our appetizers to finish our meals. The fried rice was different, seemed to lack soy sauce and heavy on the pepper, but their take on fried rice was new, exciting, and tasted great. The Swordfish was complemented with pesto linguini and chunky mozzarella tomato sauce. The combination created an overall balance for the dish that brought it to a new level of taste. The pad thai also had a great kick, and included crab meat, egg, bean sprouts, scallion, and tamarind sauce. Together, the ingredients created a new blend of flavor. Finally, the chicken included sauteed crunch green beans. The chicken was done perfectly with the right amount of sauce and the dish included an abundance of the crunchy and well seasoned green beans. The price of the main courses ranges from 16 to 30 dollars. Overall, we were very satisfied with our meal and our waitress appeared sporadically to check up on how we were doing and to re-fill our drinks.

Finally, we ended on a high note with dessert. We ordered the Cheesecake with a Berry Sauce. Although they did not meet our request to get the sauce on the side, the dessert was light, airy, and the perfect amount of sweet to complement our entire meal. We were very satisfied with our experience and would recommend this asian fusion restaurant to anyone.

Azie on Main

789 East Lancaster Ave

Villanova, Pa 19085

501 527 5700

April 9th, 2010-Cafette

Hello all,

Last weekend we re-created one of our desserts from Cafette. We found two separate recipes, one for pound cake and the other for lemon curd. Together, we made our own interpretation of a lemon curd pound cake, and were rather successful! Here are pictures from our cooking endeavor.

Recipe: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=524037

April 7th, 2010-Cafette

Hello all,

So this week we had our first meal as food critics! We ventured to Cafette in Chestnut Hill for our first experience. When on the phone making our reservation, the hostess was very pleasant and amicable. Once we entered the restaurant, she was there to greet us with a smile. However, once we got to our table, things began to move a little more slowly. All three members of the staff were very delightful, but particularly slow.

We ordered a total of three courses, beginning with a starter of Grilled Golf Shrimp with Bloody Mary sauce and pickled celery heart. The sauce was delicious, but the shrimp a little small and unfulfilling. Although we enjoyed it, the dish probably wasn't worth the price. Starters ranged in price between 5$ to 9$. Then, we moved on to our entrees. We ordered the Louisiana Style Crabcakes, Stir-Fry with chicken, and Gorgonzola Pasta. The crabcakes included a cajun remoulade which blended nicely and added a wonderful kick to the dish. the Stir-Fry with chicken was presented very well with a plethora of colors. The flavors were also very balanced and complemented each other very well. Finally, the Gorgonzola Pasta was covered in a delicious gorgonzola cream sauce. While the sauce was rich, it was by no means overpowering. It accented the cheese and worked nicely with the spinach and sundried tomatoes. All were exceptionally delicious and worth the reasonable prices which never extended 20$. Finally, we had our dessert. We tried the Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Raisin cookies along with the Pound Cake with Lemon Curd. The cookies were underwhelming and not worth the price (which ranged from 5$ to 8$).

The ambiance of Cafette works in it's favor. The lights covering the awning of the outside patio created a pleasant atmosphere and the tables were spread out evenly among the space to create a nice balance between diners. The rustic decor complements the homestyle of cooking that Cafette conveys. The cool glass mural apparent when one enters the restaurant matches it's location, showing that the designs pay great attention to detail. The flat wear and napkins weren't that consistent with the price but matched what the restaurant had to offer.

Overall, we would recommend Cafette on a nice summer night. Come with patience, but be prepared to enjoy your meal.

8136 Ardleigh Street

Chestnut Hill, PA 19118

214 242 4220

www.cafette.com

Welcome!

Hello all!

Welcome to our blog for our Senior Comprehensive Project! Throughout the next 8-10 weeks, we will be venturing to a wide variety of restaurants for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and critiquing as we go. Also, we will be choosing our favorite dishes and re-creating them ourselves. Our hope is to create a user friendly blog that our peers, teachers, friends, and family can use to find new places to eat and new recipes for meals. Check back soon for our first review and adventures with cooking!

-Skylar, Nicki, Shelly