Neal’s Yard, LondonOrange marmalade with gold leaf
Amidst the frenzy of summer in London, it’s comforting to know that scotch eggs and marmalade with gold leaf can still be part of your customized picnic basket from Fortnum & Mason. In three hours, Context Travel’s Janine Catalano narrates a three century evolution in British gastronomy with “a walk through central London from less than a common perspective.”
Roasted Bone Marrow with toastSt. John Bar & Restaurant, London
Chef Fergus Henderson’s 1999 book, “Nose to Tail Eating: A Kind of British Cooking,” caused a sensation when published. It placed Chef Henderson and St. John’s at the forefront of an omnivore movement, in direct opposition to modern meat consumption, in which the whole animal is eaten – trotters, tripe, kidneys, heart, sweetbreads …
It would be easy to walk right past The Little French Restaurant on London’s narrow Hogarth Street. The diminutive road, opposite Earls Court underground station, is lined with at least a half dozen small cafes, shops and quaint flower bedecked townhouses. Yet a passerby would be hard pressed to dine in a more charming French bistro.
Grilled goat cheese at The Little French Restaurant, London
Grilled calamari stuffed with cheese, As Greet As It Gets, London
Not only is London’s population a polyglot of the former empire, but Britons have embraced an unprecedented broadening of their culinary palate. As Greek As It Gets, a restaurant in fashionable Earls Court, says it all in words and in the authenticity of its menu offerings.
As Philadelphia continues refining its vibrant Center City restaurant scene, the suburbs, a former culinary wasteland, are blooming with innovation in attractive locations.
The lowering sun casts a gold light on the swift flowing Delaware River as diners at Charcoal tuck into tender chunks of hanger steak, superbly seasoned octopus and wild mushroom soup with green curry.
It’s 9:00 pm on a Thursday evening and the Kitchen Bar Restaurant is nearly full. For a weekday night in leafy suburban Abington Township, where even most of the fast food chains are already closed, this is uncommon.
There’s a lot of competition for customers seeking good dining on Philadelphia’s Sansom Street since it’s in proximity to everything of interest in center city.
“The idea of the Laos government is to become the battery of Southeast Asia,” Robert Zoellick, World Bank president, Time, 12/09/2010
According to the teachings of the Buddha, life is comparable to a river. It moves from cause to cause, effect to effect, one point to another, one state of existence to another, giving an outward impression that it is one continuous and unified movement, where as in reality it is not. So does life. It changes continuously, becomes something or other from moment to moment. (The Buddhist Concept of Impermanence)
Is Laos in the 19th century racing towards the 21st? Not since the 1970’s has this most relaxed of southeast Asian societies faced the prospect of monumental changes globalization is bringing to this ancient land. In a series of articles for Suite101 and the Examiner, I explore these shifting forces even as I experience centuries of tradition.
Muang Ngoi on the Nam Ou, Laos
Forested mountains and ethnic villages may dominate photos of northern Laos, but it’s the region’s swift rivers an energy hungry southeast Asia covets.
In the misty mountain provincial capital of Luang Namtha in northern Laos, a mere 50 miles from the Chinese border, a traveler would not normally expect to enjoy a perfect grilled cheese sandwich, stuffed with banana, while sipping a shot of Lao Lao.
In the far north of Laos, overlooking the swift flowing Nam Oh River as it cuts a path through towering forest covered limestone mountains, the Nong Kiau Riverside Resort and Restaurant melts into the lush countryside.
An aromatic mix of onions, garlic, herbs and chili enveloping slices of fresh fish fillet may be the ingredients for Mok Pa, but the banana leaves are the secret.
galangal, on left, is darker, related but not the same as ginger, on right
Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam have been on the Asian trade routes to Europe for millennium. Southeast Asia was adept at fusing earlier European, Chinese and Japanese culinary influences and a century of Western colonial cuisine. The kitchens at restaurants of today’s tourist route destinations continue to preserve the past as well as innovate.
Laotian cuisine, like the nation, is much more than that land between Thailand and Vietnam. Neither as sweet nor spicy as its neighbors, the dishes of Laos are multi-layered creations of herbs, greens, meats, fish, vegetables and spices not used in Western cooking. Yum Kai Tom is one such dish that’s both easy to master as well as being quintessential Laos.
ingredients for Yum Kai TomArthouse Cafe
There’s no lack of fine restaurants in Laos’ UNESCO World Heritage City of Luang Prabang. Once the royal and spiritual capital of several southeast Asian kingdoms, Luang Prabang epitomizes tropical post-colonial romanticism. The historic core rests high on a peninsula and restaurants take advantage of the spectacular mountain scenery of northern Laos. The Arthouse Cafe, on Kingkitsarath Road, is no exception.
Purple sticky rice
Luang Prabang’s popular and excellent Tamarind Restaurant makes a terrific Khao Gam.
Stuffed Lemongrass is delicious, as the lemongrass permeates the meat with its citrus flavor.
Stuffed Lemongrass
Vientiane, the capital of Laos, has no lack of interesting dining opportunities from a vibrant street food scene to the legendary Mekong River at sunset providing a stunning backdrop for a relaxing dinner at the Kong View Restaurant.
Kong View restaurant, Vientiane, Laos
A tuk-tuk full of saffron robed monks pass by the entrance to Ban Vilaylac. Their Wat is directly across the street. Appropriate location since Ban Vilaylac’s potted garden entrance bridges centuries of traditional Vientiane and French colonial Laos cuisine. Next door, reservations for either lunch or dinner are hard to come by at Makphet Restaurant, yet there are no celebrity chefs, yet the lines of appreciative diners can be long.
view from the Charming Lao Hotel
Much overlooked, Laos north central town of Oudomxai is surrounded by stunning scenery to view while enjoying good Laotian cuisine at The Charming Lao Hotel.
Stuffed squid at Dibuk Restaurant
In a building as old as many bistros in Paris, under ceiling fans stirring the languid tropical air, guests of the Dibuk Restaurant in Thailand’s old Phuket Town can spend time dining with the Indian Ocean lapping nearby.
Tom Kha Gai and its ingredientsChef Wan at Look-In restaurant
The Look-in Restaurant, just off Bangkok’s busy Sukhumvit Road, is not on most visitors’ tourist map – not yet.
Tom Kha Gai, Thailand’s incomparable coconut soup with chicken and flavored with galangal is a Look-in knockout.
The finest restaurant in Vietnam’s capital of Hanoi is also its most fascinating. Koto, next to the Temple of Learning, is in an elegant, three-story French Art Nouveau townhouse.
Koto, Hanoi, Vietnam
There’s a quiet side to Cambodia’s bustling Siem Reap, home to Angkor Wat, on the banks of the Siem Reap River. The town’s best restaurant and small hotel, Bopha, is located at 512 Acharsva Street facing the east bank. It’s a haven of calm.
at Bopha, Siem Reap, Cambodia: traditional fish stew
Pho at La Viet
The Italian Market/Queen Village district, to any resident of Philadelphia, is inexorably morphing into a little Southeast Asia. A stroll through these historic colonial neighborhoods provides visual evidence of Asian grocery stores, restaurants and professional offices catering to this increasing community. The area around 11th Street and Washington Avenue includes a sizable number of Asian businesses and one very good Vietnamese fine dining restaurant, Le Viet.
Butterfish at Kinnaree restaurant
Set in an unassuming strip mall in suburban Philadelphia, Kinnaree Thai French Cuisine balances traditional Thai dishes with centuries old French influences.
You can read more articles by Marc d’Entremont at:
Four cities, three countries, four restaurants serving superior food, providing community training and accepting reservations – you’ll need one.
Place setting at Koto, Hanoi, VietnamCarrot cake at Koto, Hanoi, Vietnam
Koto, Hanoi, Vietnam (Know One, Teach One), founded in 1996 by Australian Vietnamese Jimmy Pham, has set the standard for grassroots not-for-profit restaurant ventures.
Forest Refuge & Papaya Cafe, Luang Namtha, Laos
Trekking first brought Karen and Andrej Brummer from New Zealand to Luang Namtha, just like nearly all visitors. Yet they soon felt a desire to remain and do something: Forest Refuge Bamboo Lounge.
Cabbages & Condoms Restaurant, Bangkok, Thailand, is famous, amusing and serious. Where else in Southeast Asia will there be a condom decorated Christmas Tree.
I tried to dine at Makphet three times during two trips to the Laotian capital of Vientiane. Given the hype about this must-go-to restaurant, I was pleased that the experience was worth the wait.
Ingredients for Yum Khi Tom
A classic recipe, Yum Kai Tom incorporates all the basics that elevate Laos cuisine to a food experience.
Interior of Dibuk Restaurant, Phuket Town, Thailand
For the best bistro (far) east of Paris, try Dibuk Restaurant, old Phuket Town, Phuket Island, Thailand – no joke.
The Philadelphia Restaurant Revolution started in the mid-1970’s with Chef Georges Perrier’s Le Bec Fin and the opening of the Restaurant School. The city’s culinary wasteland suddenly bloomed with some of America’s most innovative cuisine. Now, finally, the Revolution has broken through to the suburbs. Click the links to read my reviews as Philadelphia Fine Dining Examiner on Examiner.com
Bacalhau á Lagareiro at Massa Pizza & Grill, Ambler, PA
Why would a fine dining Portuguese restaurant want to call itself a pizza parlor? Situated diagonally across from the Ambler Theater, Massa Pizza and Grill is an excellent addition to Ambler’s growing reputation as a foodie destination.
Leila's Bistro, Jenkintown, PA
Leila’s Bistro is where Edith Piaf would dine if she found herself in Philadelphia’s suburbs.
Valley Green Inn, Chestnut Hill, PA
The 160 year old Valley Green Inn could not be more romantic and will make you comfortable with its decor and fare.
clockwise: Duck Quesadillas, Pecan pie w/ice cream, Cedar Hollow Restaurant, Malvern, PA, Crab Cake
Within the past couple years the interior of Cedar Hollow Inn has been nicely remodeled with the main dining room benefiting from a southwest theme. Cobalt blue glasses contrast with the tan/reddish orange wall colors, crisp white table cloths and artistic prints depicting southwestern themes complement the space. Chef Stephen Guiseppe has added good southwestern inspired dishes.
Naturally, center city Philadelphia still shines as a culinary Mecca. Keeping up with Stephen Staar’s numerous and successful concepts is as difficult as keeping up with the Kardashians. Yet the Continental Diner stands out as a hands down favorite for Philadelphia natives.
Seared Skate w/ Fregola Sarda & lump crabmeat, Tripe w/ Fresh Tomato and Parmigiano Reggiano, Paradiso, Philadelphia, PA
Paradiso Restaurant & Wine Bar at 1627 East Passyunk Avenue, near Tasker Street, is in the heart of South Philly. Yet being at the center of Philadelphia’s Little Italy, home to cheese steaks, pizza and veal parmesan with canned sauce, Paradiso is a haven from the typical Italian-American fare of too many area restaurants.
Check Examiner.com often for my restaurant reviews. You can subscribe either to this blog site or by clicking the link next to my name on one of my reviews.
King and Prince Shrimp and Grits in a Tasso Cream Sauce
The King and Prince Beach and Golf Resort on St. Simons Island, Georgia, finesses a classic dish served in every southern dinner elevating Shrimp and Grits to a fine dining star.
It was the end of a pleasant sunny early November day in the now quiet off-season of St. Simons Island, one of Georgia’s premiere barrier island destinations. The elegant 1935 King and Prince Beach and Golf Resort, listed on the National Historic Register and Historic Hotels of America, set a table befitting its Old World heritage. The formal place settings with an array of flatware and crystal stemware lay on starched white linen lit by softly glowing candles. The guests are not what the media would identify as royalty or even VIPs. We’re nearly two dozen jaded, or nearly jaded, travel and food journalists – critics to the core.
Southern Culinary Traditions
We were the guests of The King and Prince. Our four day tour to explore the culinary traditions of southeastern Georgia was organized by Leigh Cort Publicity. Such media trips involve a considerable amount of activity, not the least of which is eating and drinking. To make an impression worthy of an article the fare has to be more than just free.
Tradition versus an Old Standby
Personally my foodie radar was picking up more an old diner standby rather than a fine tradition when the itinerary indicated that dinner would include a Shrimp and Grits cooking demonstration. Google any of a dozen recipes and discover everything from bullion cubes to extra sharp cheddar used to mask tasteless farm raised frozen shrimp mounded on top of instant grits. Believe me I’ve had my full of disappointing versions.
Chef Dwayne Austell and Vinny D’Agostino
It took only a moment after entering the dining room for my nose to detect a subtle aroma of warm smoked meat. It was emanating from the chafing dish that was keeping the sauce at serving temperature. I should have guessed that a Johnson & Wales University graduate Food and Beverage Director, Vinny D’Agostino, and Georgia low country native Sous Chef Dwayne Austell would rise above the ordinary.
Wild Shrimp and Tasso Ham
Quality ingredients are essential for a great dish and there is no comparison between farm raised and wild shrimp. Fortunately, much of America’s shrimp is wild and the package will be labeled appropriately. The high tides and lush nutrient rich salt marshes of low country and barrier islands provide an excellent clean environment for Georgia’s abundant shrimp. The Georgia White Shrimp is especially plump, meaty and flavorful. Yet the secret to Chef Austell’s outstanding Shrimp and Grits is the addition of smoky, cured Tasso ham – an essential ingredient in much of southern cajun cuisine. What is actually a pork butt rather than a ham gives the cajun spiced light cream sauce a rich flavor that lingers in the mouth.
The Recipe – for 2 servings
Ingredients:
• 2 cups heavy cream
2/3rd cup diced Tasso ham
1/2 cup fresh or frozen kernel corn
1/2 cup seeded diced tomatoes
4 Tablespoons diced green onions
4 to 6 ounces fresh shelled wild shrimp
2 Tablespoons cajun seasoning mix
1/2 cup grated asiago cheese
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
cooked grits
Preparation:
First prepare grits using the best recipe I know for Creamy Stone Ground Grits
Add just enough olive oil to lightly cover the bottom of two saute pans and heat over medium setting.
In one pan add the shrimp and cajun seasoning. Saute no more than 5 minutes. Overcooking results in tough shrimp.
In the second pan add the ham and corn and saute for a couple minutes. Add the tomatoes and green onions, combine and saute a few minutes more. Add the heavy cream and asiago cheese. Bring to a simmer and cook for two minutes.
Combine the shrimp and all the pan juices into the sauce.
Serve over the prepared grits.
Wine Pairing
Vinny D’Agostino, a sommelier as well, paired the entree with a nice Georgia Chardonnay from Frogtown Cellars. The minimal acidity of a Chardonnay, preferably unoaked, works well with the creamy sauce. A California or Washington State Chardonnay would be a fine substitute since Georgia wines are not widely distributed.
Even if you’re not dining a few hundred feet from the ocean, this fine recipe from the King and Prince Beach and Golf Resort can conjure memories of warm lazy days under Spanish Moss dripping oak trees and sea gulls laughing overhead.
Ernie asked Chester Gould if he’d autograph his wall and the result was the original poster sized sketch of the iconic 1930s sleuth that graces the entrance to Ernie’s Cafe and Steakhouse.
beer flights at Flat Branch Pub & Brewing
The names of 38 beers are printed around the border of Flat Branch Pub and Brewing but their beer menu lists over 100.
Firelight Pizza Company
When was the last time you came across a portable wood fired brick oven on a city street?
Sparky's Ice Cream
Unfortunately Sparky’s Homemade Ice Cream, 21 S. Ninth Street, known for their very small batch exotic flavored creations, sold out of their Brown Sugar Chocolate Cicada Ice Cream.
Peanut Butter & Bacon Mashed Potatoes at Bleu
Peanut Butter & Bacon Mashed Potatoes was inspired – three simple ingredients taken to new and delicious heights for the simple reason “why not.”
Chef/Manager Dan Stripp of Shawnee Inn’s The Gem and Keystone Brewpub
Gem & Keystone Brewpub’s Dan Stripp and his team of “artists, skateboarders and rock stars” are unconcerned they’re on the cutting edge of national trends.
Gem and Keystone Brewpub: (clockwise) Limestone Springs Trout with Asian sauted vegetables, cold smoked Baby Back Ribs, Soft Pretzels with Cheddar Ale Dip, Lettuce Wedge salad with Calkins Creamery Blue Cheese, Jumbo Lump Crabcakes
Sous Chef Corey Scott could have inherited his family’s 480 acre resort but why do something predictable? Sous Chef Travis Dente, a dishwasher a few years ago, created the recipe for their cold smoked wood grilled baby backed ribs with a deep flavored smoky BBQ sauce that sent me over heaven.
Sous Chefs Travis Dente and Corey Scott of Shawnee Inn’s The Gem and Keystone Brewpub
From India to rural Pennsylvania, Chef Gaurav Navin brings a world’s experience to Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort’s menu using locally sourced products.
Travel with Pen and Palate 
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