Is That a Banana Leaf in Your Pocket or Are You Just Happy to See Mee Siam?

Another check for the list of places we’ve been wanting to get to for a while now: Banana Leaf in Chinatown. Friday close to midnight, the place was packed with Malaysian club kids, Center City types, and immigrant families feasting on fragrant fish head curries, treated duck web, and chicken feet in the tropically decorated (bamboo, fake flora) space. Queasy? Fear not. The huge menu offers plenty of normal, delicious stuff. Tofu satay. Noodle bowls. Rendang. Crisp on the edges and chewy in the middle, the spool of roti canai was the perfect pull-apart finger food dunked into yellow chicken curry. The seafood tom yum crackled with chili heat, the orange firebroth rife with vermicelli, shrimp, calamari, scallops, baby corn, and snow peas. The tofu in the mee Siam (stir-fried vermicelli in chili peanut sauce) made us believers that the fauxtein could be as good as real meat. The edges of each cube were golden and caramelized, the interiors spongy and soft. Dy-no-mite. Mugatu never would have wanted to kill the Malaysian prime minister had he sampled the food at Banana Leaf. And could their bathroom be the coolest in town? The stainless steel vessel sinks are shapes like woks!

Photo: blogalicious

From the Road: Savannah

Hey, ya’ll! Blogalicious was way down the lovely lowcountry last week, enjoying lots of sweet Carolina 'que, local Bluffton oysters, yummy, heart-stopping Southern food at Paula Deen's obligatory buffet. Of course, we were right there with the snaps, even if folks were looking at us weird.

Alabama-style BBQ-ribs, pulled pork, brisket, and chicken-from Jim 'N' Nick's in Bluffton, SC.
Southern-fried chicken at the $13 buffet at Paula Deen's restaurant, The Lady & Sons.

The Pink Pig, a very bubblegum-colored cinderblock BBQ in Levy, SC.

Inside the Pink Pig.
Pulled pork sandwich.
Four kinds of BBQ sauce.

Diver scallops with shaved white asparagus, avocado, and Cara Cara orange at Local 11 Ten, a swanky seaonally-driven Savannah resto with fresh-local menu.

At Local 11 Ten, Basque shrimp and grits, a Spanish riff on the lowcountry classic with tomatoes and chorizo.

Photo: blogalicious

Restaurant Paparazzi

Where one gelateria ends, a seasonal American BYOB begins... Food & Drinq had the tip on Nicholas a few weeks back. Looks like they're all moved into the stone-and-Stucco Pennsport storefront that last housed Best of Philly winner Caffe Carmen. (Sorry for the lack of interior snaps; all the windows were covered with pesky wood blinds.) With Ugly American and Peppercorns, Nicholas marks the third new resto that will open in Pennsport in so many months.

Photo: blogalicious

Restaurant Paparazzi

Thank the beautiful weather for this tidbit: After landscaping our ass off, we were on the way to Black & Brew for a refreshing iced La Colombe and noticed that the “For Rent” sign at the old Tre Scalini was gone! Lights were on inside the space across from the singing fountain, and a nose-to-the-glass look inside showed contractors taking measurements of the faux-stone walls. On the sidewalk: a suit (realtor maybe?) and Big Pussy look-alike (owner maybe?) who promptly wanted to know what we were doing. We told Puss, a man of few words, we lived in the hood and asked a few questions:

Blogalicious: Did you get the space rented?
Big Pussy: Yes.

B: Is it going to be a restaurant?
BP: Yes.

B: An Italian restaurant?
BP: Yes.

Awesome… We definitely need more of those on East Passyunk. But, hey, there are worse things. Here’s hoping the new tenants’ first order of business is to paint that horrific Miami Dolphins-colored front.

Photo: blogalicious

A Tree Grows in NoLibs

For your viewing pleasure, some pics from Arbol Cafe:

















Asado a la olla con kiveve (short rib with butternut squash polenta and sugarcane molasses)










Chicken empanadas with coleslaw, made by Tommie, former chef at the famed white-tablecloth La Preferida in Asunción


Designed in Argentina, fabricated in Miami, and shipped to Philly, the parrilla grill in Arbol's pending garden

Photo: blogalicious

En Fuego

The four major Puerto Rican food groups: pork, rice, plantains, and hot sauce. To the left is a plate of lechon asado from Cafe Colao, which we wrote up in last week's Weekly. What? You missed the article? Of course you can have the link. Check out those caramely strips of skin on that pig. So good, though our favorite might be the hot sauce-in-a-squeeze bottle, a blood-red Tabasco base the female chefs doctor up with more peppers and spices. Check the PW Wednesday for our review of Arbol Cafe in Northern Liberties.

Photo: blogalicious

He Got Game

Lately some gossip girls have been tittering about a new chef at South Philly Tap Room. This is muy fortunate because SPTR has been awesome on just about every level except for food, which always rested somewhere between average and shitty. Enter Michael Zulli, executive chef at Bridgewater’s Pub in 30th Street Station. Credit the guy with making a train station restaurant far better than it has to be with interesting dishes like yak burgers and West African boar stew. Zulli’s game theory translates to the new SPTR menu with tequila-glazed ostrich kebobs, buffalo steak with sunchoke chips, and a BLT salad where the ‘B’ stands for bear bacon. We’re most excited about Mr. Mancuso’s Cheese Plate, from the underrated Mancuso & Son on Passyunk and Mifflin. Check out the rest of the menu below.

APPETIZERS

Cape May Clam Chili
Rice, sour cream, jalapeno corn bread… $9

Kennett Square Mushroom Soup
Roasted garlic crostini… $6

Hangar Steak Salad
Chopped greens, shallots, ginger… $10

Bear BLT Salad
Smoked bear bacon, creamy Caesar dressing… $7

Grilled Rock Octopus
Lemon, Herbs, Olives… $8

Ostrich Kebobs
Agave nectar, tequila, black pepper… $9

Chicken Wings
Thai-glazed or Jamaican jerk… $8

Shrimp and Grits
Hot sauce, diced pancetta, cheese grits… $11

Rocky Mountain Oysters
Flash-fried, Sriracha mayo dipping sauce… $7

Strawberry Salad
Smoked Gouda, toasted almonds, vinaigrette… $8

Hummus
Stuffed grape leaves, olive salad, pita… $8

Fried Zucchini
Tempura-style, cucumber yogurt sauce… $6

Poutine
French-Canadian cheese fries, mushroom gravy… $7

Mr. Mancuso’s Cheese Plate
Selected by the city’s best cheese monger… $9

SANDWICHES

SPTR Beer Burger
Chimay Trappist cheese, beer-braised onions… $10

Crab Cake Sandwich
Jumbo lump, English muffin, remoulade… $14

Peppadew Chicken Panini
Pesto, Peppadew peppers, mozzarella… $9

The Blue Pig
Wild boar burger, wild boar burger, Gorgonzola… $12

Tenderloin Cheese Steak
Certified Angus beef, shaved Parmesan… $9

Scallop Sliders
Hickory-maple BBQ sauce, country slaw… $11

Veggie Burger
The best veggie burger. Ever. With guacamole… $10

Portobello Cutlet Sandwich
Open-face, mozzarella, tomato, broccoli rabe… $8

Fried Artichoke Gyro
Green salad, feta, tzatsiki… $8

ENTREES

Spring Chicken Pot Pie
Rich and creamy, flaky puff pastry… $10

Fish and Chips
Cod and shrimp, Ketel One cocktail sauce… $14

Buffalo Steak
Sunchoke chips, roasted corn salsa… $16

Swordfish Chop
Macadamia crust, pineapple, coconut rice… $19

Spaghetti and Yak Meatballs
Tomato curry cream sauce, garlic flat bread… $12

Italian Mac and Cheese
Sun-dried tomatoes, broccoli rabe, Mascarpone… $10

Tofu Stir Fry
Rice noodles, ginger, greens… $11

Photo: University of Arizona

A Little Pitchy, Dog

Amid drizzles and fireworks yesterday, the Fightins rallied in a sixth-inning strike to try to break their three-years-running opening day losing streak. Chase: Homer. Jimmy: Homer. Bullpen: Homer, five of them, actually… for the Nats. So we lost. So what? If these past few seasons of Phillies baseball have taught us anything, it’s that come the playoff race these opening series losses will hardly make a difference…

Anywho, even with an L in our column, there’s still plenty to be happy about. It’s baseball! We’re in a recession and a crippled housing market and the dollar sucks and Kristy Lee Cook is still on Idol, but baseball, the American pasttime, has a way of just making us feel all happy and worry-free.

One of the best things about baseball is food, natch. Popcorn. Peanuts. CrackerJacks. And of course hot dogs, like the ones from Texas Wieners, a Philly icon we haven’t been back to since our parents made us walk there in the snow when we were, like, seven. Down deep in South Philly, in the shadow of the Melrose, the location is so offbeat it’s a wonder this black-and-white-tiled dog joint has weathered its neighborhood. The Works is a dog, split, topped with raw chopped white onion, and zesty brown mustard sauce, and encased in a soft bun that wraps the wiener in a comfy carbohydrate pillow. Cheese Works adds cheese; the Texas Tommy is bacon and cheese; the Texan is loaded with home fries, onions, and peppers; and the Chicago-style gets pickles, mustard, onion, tomatoes, and peppers. Texas Wieners also does burgers, corn dogs, triple-thick strawberry milkshakes, and something called a Fish Cake Combo, a fish cake and wiener together on a roll. The combo comes without the Works, since that of course would make it gross.

Photo: Texas Wieners