Matyson, 37S. 19th Street, Philadelphia.
http://www.matyson.com//
There is a quaint Philly BYOB restaurant named Matyson. Named after the Chef Matt Spector and his pastryChef wife Sonya Bidegain.
Right in the heart of Center City, the location is super, but parking at 5:30 was a bit frustrating. The warm muted gold walls and ochre ceiling highlighted some original works of art, charming. The old Philadelphia wood floors anchored the color scheme. A small space, maybe 16' w by 40' long, the chatter of wine bottles and dinner crowd arriving, was typical Philadelphia, but nothing our of the ordinary.
We began with the Foie Gras & Wild mushroom wontons, and the Jumbo lump crab cocktail, served with small hame-made potato chips - -cute. The Dinners rated a "10" for presentation, garnished festively. The puree squash soup was what I started with, then the herbed Chicken. Sound boring? - - certainly not. It was a perfect meal. The dessert menu was a very nice selection of "made on the premises" pies, treats and house-made sorbets and ice creams. Simply elegant and 5 our of 5 of us would go back, but I'll look for another parking spot.
Guest review by Lori Riddington
(Dining Duo to Lori: GREAT review! Keep eating out and let us know where--and where n0t-- to spend our money and our time. Send a review of 100 words or less and we'll share it with the rest of you)
Friday
Per Se Restaurant
www.perseny.com10 Columbus CirNew York, NY 10019(212) 823-9335
As our loyal readers know, we don't review a restaurant unless we've been there three times but since Per Se is such an extraordinary experience and almost impossible to get into, we’re writing about it on one visit.
Bravo Thomas Keller! Per Se stands amongst the top five meals Michael has experienced in his lifetime including his tours of Bordeaux and Paris. The service headed by Jonathan Gilbert at our table cannot be compared to any other New York dining experience. The attention to each detail, the timing and, most of all, the sampling of nine courses, each one an unforgettable experience on it's own, proved exemplary and shouldn’t be missed in this lifetime.
Of particular note, the "Oysters and Pearls" (see below) consisted of a sabayon (beaten egg and wine) with fresh oysters and white sturgeon caviar and the parsnip-vanilla soup which served as an amuse bouch and a perfect beginning. Run don't walk (but call two months in advance) and sell whatever stocks you have left; $1100 for lunch for two with wine pairings. Don’t worry, tip was included.
The trash-talking reality chef Gordon Ramsay helps other restaurateurs turn around troubled restaurants, but his advice hasn’t helped him much with his own fine dining establishments. Four of his restaurants—in L.A., NYC, Paris and Prague—“were starting to hemorrhage” money last year, said Ramsay. An auditor recommended Gordon Ramsay Holdings Ltd. file for bankruptcy, while Ramsay, age 42, sold his Ferrari and considered listing his London home for sale. He’s exited Prague and given ownership of L.A. and Paris back to the hotels in which they’re housed. Check, please.
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"I’ve never thought of myself as a particularly finicky eater, but it’s hard to be a good sport when each dish seems to include no fewer than a dozen ingredients, one of which I’m bound to dislike. I’d order the skirt steak with a medley of suffocated peaches, but I’m put off by the aspirin sauce. The sea scallops look good until I’m told they’re served in a broth of malt liquor and mummified litchi nuts. What I really want is a cigarette, and I’m always searching the menu in the hope that some courageous young chef has finally recognized tobacco as a vegetable. Bake it, steam it, grill it, or stuff it into littleneck clams, I just need something familiar that I can hold on to." -- David Sedaris from ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY (and 1/2 of the Duo is hooked on all his utterly hilarious books with equally keenly wicked insights).
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