Posts tagged restaurant week

i’ve tried to eat here many times, but the wait is always ridiculous. my friend decided to make a reservation for restaurant week & when he told me he had 2 extra seats available i couldn’t say no (even if i already ate out twice before in the same week!).

basically, everything is family style and the table has to agree on the dish. you can choose from 6 of their categories (on their regular menu). [2 small, 1 satay, 1 cold&hot, 1 fish, 1 meat, and 1 side]

for our 2 small dishes we went with the edamame dumplings (truffle, pea shoot and sake broth) & the chicken bao bun (chili sauce, shallot and sweet basil).

they bring all the food out according to the size of your party, so we were each allowed to have 2. these dumplings were possibly one of the most amazing things i’ve ever eaten. they were stuffed with edamame and absolutely delicious.

each person was allowed one of these. they were spicy & amazing.

for our satay we went with the kobe beef (apricot, soy and mirin). the beef was prepared perfectly, and the apricot sauce was great.

next up was our selection from the cold & hot menu. we went with the wild mushroom salad (goat cheese, puffed rice and truffle). it’s one of my friends favorites on the menu, so we thought we’d give it a try. it definitely had a kick to it, but i really liked it.

we didn’t need to think twice about what kind of meat to order. filet mignon (with soy butter and mustard) it was! heavenly!

the meat also came with fries. while they were some damn good fries, i don’t really know how they fit in with the menu…

for our fish selection we went with the seared tuna (on top of chilled soba noodles, avacado and tomato). very good!

and lastly (!) our side [really an entree, let’s be real] was the kobe beef fried rice (tomato, scallion and crispy shallots). there was barely any beef, but at this point we were all so full it really didn’t make a difference. and besides, we had more than enough beef in our other choices that it didn’t really bother anyone.

we also ordered a side of the crispy brussel sprouts (fish sauce, puffed rice and chili). another one of our friend’s favorites, and once again, we were not disappointed. 

for dessert they offered mini soft serve cones. sampan is known for their outrageous flavors, and tonight was no different.

for the vanilla we had popcorn!

& for chocolate we had almond joy! both were out of this world. the perfect size dessert to finish off our meal.

i will definitely be back to sampan. their menu has many more options i’m dying to try and everything was just amazing. they offer this type of menu (chef’s tasting) for $45 (it’s $35 over restaurant week) all year round. but honestly, you can share a few things and have more than enough for your table.

[unfortunately i was unable to take photos because of the lighting, but here’s a review none the less!]

we were able to choose from their regular menu and were allowed 2 small dishes (mezze), 1 main course (al ha’esh) & a dessert. they also bring out hummus with house-baked laffa & salatim (a selection of small salads). restaurant week offers this selection for $35, but it’s actually offered all the time for $38.

for my mezze i ordered the fried cauliflower (labaneh with chive, dill, mint & garlic) and a soup with chicken. it must have been an addition to the menu because instead of the latke they had that. i must say, i was really looking forward to the latke. however, the soup & cauliflower did not disappoint. they were both very good.

for my main course i went with the hanger steak (with eggplant two ways, sesame & pine nuts). luckily it wasn’t that big of a portion because i was already extremely full! the steak was cooked perfectly to my liking and it was delicious!

next up was dessert. at this point i didn’t think i could eat anything more, but then the caramel semifreddo came out with dulce de leche & pistachio cookies. somehow i found room for them…

overall, the food was absolutely incredible. i’m a huge fan of trying new things, and zahav did not disappoint. it is on the expensive side, but everything is definitely shareable and it’s more than enough food. i would definitely suggest going if you haven’t been before!

i’ll admit, i was kind of skeptical to try this for restaurant week. it was quite the pre-judgement since i’d never even stepped foot in the place, but i wasn’t really sure how the food would be. they’re known citywide for their drinks (beer & specialty cocktails) but i never heard anything about their food. i basically pictured a larger franklin mortgage with small portions and a less than thrilling menu.

well, i couldn’t have been more wrong!

first off, the decor and ambience of the place is so unique. it’s dimly lit, but from the wooden signs and tables to the lights and bottles lining the wall it had a great “speakeasy” feel. which if you seen my posts in the past is a huge plus for me. [plus look at those bartenders!]

(via)

they sat us at a long table made of wood and poured us water into small mason jars. more points for creativity!

even after studying the menu for 2 weeks, i still had no idea what to order. not to mention their drink menu was pages long! 

i went with a drink that had way too many ingredients, but came in a tiny tea cup! it was wonderful. it was properly named a cyclone punch a la wondrich and was made with cognac, rye whiskey, apple brandy, yellow chartresue, maraschino liqueur, orange curacao, bedenictine, fresh lemon and sugar. whew.

once we had drinks, it was time to order. i started off with the roasted butternut squash soup with pistachio oil & cracked black pepper. 

while i did find it kind of odd that it came in such a shallow bowl (not easy to eat), i have no complaints about the soup. it was definitely one of the best butternut squash soups i’ve had (and i’ve had a lot). between my other 5 friends we also ordered the bavarian pretzel with house made ranch & whole grain mustard, and the field greens that came with shallots, chives, cabot cheddar croutons & a broken lemon vinaigrette. both items received no complaints!

for the second course, i went with the hanger steak that came with the roasted fingerling potatoes & baby carrots in a beer and veal jus. (sorry for the poor quality. it was dark!)

i got my steak medium, and it came out just the way i like it (pink!). although, i think my favorite part were the carrots. my other friends ordered the roasted chicken (caramelized pearl onions, turnips, fresh beans & a roasted lemon chicken jus), new york duck breast (sweet potatoe puree, baby carrotts, chocolate coffee salt, crispy duck prosciutto & a natural jus) & the nj fluke (pan roasted sunchokes, scallions & truffle emulsion). some restaurants during RW tend to really skimp on the portions, but everyone honestly left very full (& happy).

& lastly, dessert!

there were a few options to choose from, and thanks to a fellow philly foodie, i went with the chocolate cake! it was amazing. 

overall, i had a really positive experience at farmer’s cabinet. one downside was that we were seated at 730 and didn’t order until close to 8. however, after that our food came out fairly quickly. i would highly recommend trying this restaurant, if not for the food then definitely for their drinks!

[next up: zahav & sampan]

all i can say is, finally!

barbuzzo has been on my “restaurants i’m dying to go to but can’t ever seem to get a table” list for quite some time now. way back in december my friend emailed out that she got a table for january 22nd at 5pm [early yes, but we took it]. there was no way i was turning that down.

the menu starts out 2 crostinis with “from the chef.”

smashed fava-goat cheese (w/ preserved lemon, mint, evoo) & smoky chickpea (w/ roasted garlic, cumin, smoked pimeton). both were insanely delicious.

next up was the “first course.” between the 5 of us we ended up getting all 3 options.

i went with the roasted beet salad (w/ goat cheese, orange, pistachio pesto, tuscan kale). my friend who also ordered this and i decided that while the salad was very good, we would have liked some more fruit & beets. but flavor wise it was very good!

one of my friends ordered the sheep’s milk ricotta (w/ sherry soaked figs, evoo, vin cotto, herbs and sea salt). i asked her how she liked it and all she was “very good.” so, i think i might have to order this next time i’m there!

my other two friends went with the barbuzzo meatball slider (w/ warm caciocavallo, balasamic onion jam, rustic tomato sauce, sweet potato chips). again i asked their thoughts and all i got was a “really good.” they did say that they really liked how the cheese was on the inside (!) and therefore the buns weren’t soggy or sliding off the meatball.

next up, “second course”!

3 out of the 5 of us ordered the pan seared gnocchi. we ordered it vegeterian so we did without the prosciutto. it came with kohlrabi, wood roasted mushrooms and homemade truffle butter. to quote my friend liz, “they are little puffs of heaven.” and they were. it was delicious.

my other friend ordered the grilled bronzino with artichoke-mushroom farro and sicilian tomato pesto. she really liked it. 

& lastly my other friend ordered the capricciosa pizza with san marzanos, fior di latte, proscuitto cotto, hot coppa, artichokes and castelvetrano olives (she ordered it vegetarian style though). the pizza was huge, but at least she has left overs for today!

& for dessert… salted caramel budino (obviously). it’s layers of heaven. the bottom is a dark chocolate crust with a vanilla bean caramel on top (& whipped cream). the salted caramel was out of this world. i’m going to be craving this for days, i just know it.

overall, very positive RW experience. i definitely need a week off before i hit up 2 more restaurants next week! stay tuned!

[yes, i know i went last RW - but it’s kind of our thing now. especially after seeing the menu!]

we started off with their bread basket which is always amazing. i mean, warm mini pretzels?! hello, philly. & for the appetizer I chose the kobe steak sashimi with yuzu-soy dressing, mizuna & crispy taro chips. the dressing had a bit of a kick to it, and our group had mixed reviews about the amount of spice used. i really liked it. it was refreshing and not heavy. last RW they had lobster bisque (amazing, but ridiculously filling). our other friend had the shrimp cocktail which she had no complaints about.

[other options included shrimp cocktail and baby wedge salad]

for our entree all of us decided on the herr farms black angus filet mignon with espresso dust & black truffle butter. the sides were creamed jersey corn & haricots verts (aka green beans). the filet was the perfect size & was delicious. the sides were also great. definitely an upgrade from last RW’s ribeye (huge!) & mashed potatoes (filling!). 

[other options included bbq rubbed lancaster chicken breast and day boat jersey fish “al cartoccio”]

now the best part, dessert!

chocolate cream cake & creamsicle cheesecake with blood orange gelato and caramel. we were slightly disappointed to find that s’mores were not an option (it was listed on the website menu for RW). but, the chocolate cake was amazing, so everyone was okay with that. i had the cheesecake which was very good. the gelato added a nice refreshing taste, especially after that meal!

paired with a glass of white wine (& the company!) i would call this a major success.

Sadly I didn’t take any pictures of the actual meal on Wednesday (sorry Ali!), but I did snap a few on my iPhone of the inside.

We sat up on the balcony, and had a view of the restaurant below. We were seated next to the the glass and I actually had to move my chair over because it was freaking me out!

The architecture inside was gorgeous! We were all planning our weddings around the staircase and huge bar.

What I really enjoyed about the Restaurant Week menu was that everything was also on their regular menu & it was a great way to taste some things without paying the actual price.

First Course: choice between baby wedges & maine lobster bisque (all 4 of us chose the bisque… obviously)

Second Course: choice between the black angus ribeye, glazed king salmon & a chicken dish (sorry, can’t remember!). all of us chose the ribeye…being that it is a steakhouse and all.

Dessert!: chocolate cake & creme brulee. this was an even split. i had the creme brulee and it was amazing.

We also split a bottle of red wine. By the end we were all so full we could barely get up from the table to walk outside.

Overall: SUCCESS. 

[highly recommended!]