Black Sheep

Here goes a throwback to that December meal at Black Sheep. I've heard a lot of mixed reviews about this place--a single malt whisky bar and modern gastronomy restaurant--before trying it out myself. 

I don't think I've ever agreed with a quote as much as I did when I saw these words on the table. I really believe that being open-minded to and appreciating all types of food is important. It's a privilege to be able to eat well and feed yourself good food--and by good food I don't just mean fine-dining because there are tons of great street food, hole-in-the-wall finds, and, most importantly, home-cooked food.

So anyway, I will let the pictures do the talking. We decided to try the 4-course set menu they had available at the time:

So, which came first, the chicken or the egg? Above is a chicken wing glazed in dark beer, salmon roe, and orange & Cointreau foam. It didn't taste like chicken so it was really a palate teaser.

Next up was a seafood soup composed of butter poached scallops with wakame garlic and brown butter, blood clams cured in vinegar with clam broth. I really liked the soup and actually finished it in 3 slurps, partly because it was good but mostly because it was THAT little. 

Steamed prawns with prawn maltose, prawn dumpling with prawn head, peanuts, and coconut and prawn spring roll with prawn head togarashi mayonnaise.

Kitayama wagyu striploin - grade 6 wagyu, sousvide and finished with torch, beef jus, crispy leeks, sorrel leaves, squid ink stained mashed potato. I really admired the presentation of this plate...it's actually a work of art. I'm not much of a steak person but I liked this dish better than my choice of main.

This was a 36-hour pork confit, confit chicken covered in leek ash, truffle sand, vinegar foam, and watermelon radish. Suffice to say, the most interesting part of the dish was the truffle sand.

Praline cake - coco glaze, praline mousse with dark chocolate and cake brownie, crispy praline base. I really liked the crushed barquillos used for the base of this cake!

Cigar cake: Cigar panna cotta in mint glaze with coffee sponge & coco nibs, singleton jelly. D said that he could really taste the smoky, cigar flavor in this dessert and could not stop eating it.

And just when we thought the meal was coming to a close, this bounty bowl of truffles and macarons was placed before us...

And my favorite out of the bunch...the foie gras rocher--foie gras rolled into white chocolate and candied walnuts. This was so rich, fudgy, and just an out-of-this world kind of tasty. I want to have it again and again and again. 

Overall, dessert stole the show while the rest of the savory dishes were nothing spectacular and unusually small in size. I've been back quite a few times since but for drinks with friends as opposed to dinner and I say--go for the drinks. What I do really like though is the personalized touch Black Sheep has -- the menu comes customized with your name on it and before you get up to leave, you are slipped a pretty lengthy hand-written thank you note.

Black Sheep
Penthouse of W Fifth Avenue
Corner 32nd and 5th
BGC, Taguig

Zaytinya

"Your tastebuds are excited because they are asking, what is happening here?" read the front-page of Zaytinya's menu. 

Zaytinya is José Andrés' Greek/Mediterranean tapas joint in the Chinatown area of D.C. The space is large, bright, airy, and overall very Santorini-esque. I love how the high ceilings and huge potted trees inside make me feel like I'm sitting outdoors. I normally would have opted to sit outside at this time of the year, but the abnormally lengthy winter and extremely bi-polar weather meant that it was still freezing outside. Sad face.

We started off with Htipiti--marinated roasted red peppers, feta cheese, and thyme. Dipped in pita bread, it was fantastic. The peppers were sweet and had a lovely deep roasted flavor while the feta offered a nice, salty balance.

 

Next up, sea scallops accompanied by dill yogurt, sugar snap peas, and radish. This was delicious--one of my favorites!

I think I secretly judge mediterranean restaurants on their octopus. The best ones I've had are at Donosti in the Philippines. This octopus was a little different as it was grilled with marinated onions, capers, and a yellow split pea purée infused with saffron and lemon, which apparently is a flavor combination characteristic of Santorini in Greece. It was smokey, deeply flavorful and yet soft and tender at the same time.

With all the different kinds of brussel sprouts I've had, it's interesting to see the different ways they're cooked. The best ones I've had are still, hands down, from ilili, with the roasted ones from Il Pittore coming in as a close second. These were crispy brussel sprouts with coriander seed, barberries, and garlic yogurt.

 Finally, my favorite--a family-style sampler platter of meats and poultry. This hearty dish consisted of a mix of chicken, lamb, and beef kebabs, some of which were lamb bahar (spice-rubbed lamb kebab, tabouleh, and tahini sauce) and shish taouk (grille chicken skewers with sumac, onions, grilled tomatoes and garlic).

We capped off this lovely meal with some coffee and 'turkish delight'--which was more like a deconstructed baklava. It was a surprisingly light dessert composed of walnut ice cream, yogurt mousse, honey gelée, orange-caramel sauce, and caramelized pine nuts. What a beaut.

Zaytinya
701 9th St NW
Washington, DC

Le Diplomate

There is something about a classic French bistro that always makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside *smirk*. Perhaps because the decor and food--regardless of where I have it--always transport me to my summer abroad in Toulouse and Paris in the tenth grade. It seems so long ago but I can still vividly remember the exact way I felt whenever I reminisce my trips to the beautiful gardens and historic castles, the crepe stall outside of Alliance Française whose crepe batter seemed to be infused with rum and that I enjoyed with dollops of nutella, or my host mom's home-cooked meals that always begins with tough-as-hell french baguette (just the way it should be!) and never fails to include a cheese board and, for some reason, beets cooked in a variety of ways.

I am also a huge fan of how refined french food is, for the lack of a better word--the food is rich but at the same time, simple and real. So when R had told us she had booked Le Diplomate for dinner, I was ecstatic. I had no clue it was a Stephen Starr restaurant, either!

We started with a lavish bread basket that was so good we wished it didn't make us full so that we could enjoy everything else we ordered. If there are two things I judge a restaurant on, it would be their bread basket and bathrooms, and this bread basket was out of this world.

What followed was the most perfect buttery and garlicky escargot, a very tasty warm shrimp salad, and a selection of delicious regional french cheeses. And wine--lots of it.

We reveled in the good and hearty food set before us and, over good drinks, reminisced about how much we missed being complete. You never really realize how little time you'll have physically together as a family once your siblings start graduating from high school--but such is life. It's really a necessary part of growing up.

I had a heavenly bowl of moules frites -- steamed mussels in white wine served with thinly crisped fries and addictive aoili dip. Amazing. The sauce was the perfect combination of herbs, garlic, and white wine. I am a sucker for mussels and, hands down, this was one of the best ones I've had.

Below is the roasted scallops with red wine salsify and truffle sabayon. I am aware of the fact that scallop dishes always come in just a few pieces, which is why I'm always reluctant to order the entree, but this was a winner. 

The other dishes ordered were the steak frites and trout amandine--all of which were wiped clean from the plates save for the trout because it was a whole fish!

I can't say enough good things about Le Diplomate--the food was spot on, the atmosphere was bustling, and the evening breeze that was streaming in from the open windows across our table was lovely.

Before our food had arrived, I was talking to a friend from DC who visits Philly often and likes to explore the food scene himself. He had already claimed 'le dip' was his favorite restaurant in DC and sums it up quite nicely: "Even away from Philly, Stephen Starr makes his presence felt." Truth.

Le Diplomate
1601 14th St NW
Washington, D.C.

Mercato BYOB

After a longggggggg hiatus, I have resurrected (shout out to M for making all of this possible because of his cord!!) and...I don't know where to begin given the backlog of posts I have collected since the beginning of 2014 (yes, it has been that long! spring semester was just extremely busy for me).

I figured it would be a great way to kickstart this resurrection with one of my first Philly meals of the year with S--my forever soul sister--in Mercato, an Italian BYOB.

We always have the best heart-to-hearts over good food. I swear we aren't only alike in heart and looks (I can be ambitious...she is a goddess) but also in taste palettes!

Whole grilled artichoke - EVOO, sea salt, citrus aoili 

Market salad - radiccio, rainbow chard, black mission figs, goat cheese, maple vinaigrette,  candied hazelnut

Pan seared diver scallops - wild mushroom, english pea risotto, parmesan crisp, truffle oil

Market fish

I forget what this market fish is--probably sea bass--but it was so clean-tasting.

Pistachio gelato and milk chocolate mousse parfait

Dessert--specifically the mousse parfait--was delicious and the texture was unique but comforting. I normally don't like Italian cuisine but Mercato definitely tops my list.

Mercato
1216 Spruce St.
Philadelphia, PA