Visiting Vincent Bartolino at the Tangier

Vincent Bartolino & Tangier's Madam Debbie






















1801 Lombard Street
Philadelphia, Pa 19041
215.732.5006
www.tangier.thekalon.com

Well here is how the story begins.........

Every time I venture to Philadelphia I always hook up with Vincent Bartolino a.k.a Chris Martino, my longtime best friend. Since Vincent has moved to the outskirts of South Philly he has become a regular at this bar call the Tangier. It is a quaint almost-hole-in-the-wall that has more character than any mainstream bar in any major city. It is built by the personality of the people who run it and patron it. Brett, LJ and Anders were the bartenders I met whenever I have ventured to this watering hole, and do they know how to pour a cocktail. The one lady you can't forget-- that if she wasn't there the place would crumble -- is Debbie. She rocks the Casbah with her quick wit and Philadelphia charm.

I ventured in this particular night with my brother Chris and the Hellcat in tow. We were in for a wild night. We ate some cuisine off their menu. I had the wings which were outstanding to say the least. The meat was nice and juicy with hot sauce all over my fingers. Yum Yum. My brother Chris had the burger (which won honorable mention for the best burger in Philly) which he explained to me as cash money when I asked him to describe it for me. Hellcat had a tasty looking fried fish plate that she explained was good but after seeing what my brother and I had just scarfed down that she would have rather have that because it is more beer and cocktail type food. I in this choice would have to agree.

After we had our meal we ventured outside to enjoy our cocktails on Lombard Street where we were joined by Debbie. We had great conversation and barrels of laughs. It is always good to go home and enjoy the family.

Venturing down the to Jersey Shore & hitting the Crab Trap

2 Broadway
Somers Point, NJ 08244
(609) 927-7377
www.thecrabtrap.com

It's always nice to venture home to Philadelphia, and every time I DO go home, I always try to travel to my second home in Atlantic City. When I was younger my parents had a house in Longport, New Jersey which is right in between Ocean City and Margate.

I lost my father on April 10th, 2007. I am back now in Philly/Atlantic City to spread my father's ashes at the 28 mile wreck. The 28 mile wreck is a shipwreck that is 28 SSE of Atlantic City. We took out my father's best friend's boat and handled our family business. On the way back we all decided to go to the Crab Trap, because it was a restaurant that my father would take us to when we were kids.

The Crab Trap is set on the point between Linwood and Ocean City adjacent from the 9th Street Bridge. It is a little mom & pop joint that has been there for 40 plus years and is still owned by the same family today. It has your local type of Jersey Shore Seafood menu. Scallops, shrimp, clams, mussels, crab cakes, shellfish platters and crab legs. The food is, for the most part, good. They do serve the dressing from the bottle and used par baked bread but it reminds me of home.

I dined on some very tasty Delaware Bay Oysters. I had order 2 dozen and the server only brought me one. She was a little young and overwhelmed. She was a shore girl that was living here for the summer while school in Philly was out. That is the norm here at the Jersey Shore. I had their raw clams as well as some Clams Casino. I will say that it was one of the better Clams Casino I have dined on in recent years. Surprisingly my younger sister Cyndie was getting down like no tommorrow on some raw shellfish. She was sometimes prissy growing up at the Cappello ranch but it was great to see her get down with the raw product.

The rest of the family dined on the normal fare, which is all good. It was especially good to go back to the restaurant where my father took us as kids. I miss him very much and it was a way to be close to him again, even if it was only for a few hours.

Tap at 1180 -- The Gastropub has landed in Atlanta

Tap: A Gastropub
1180 Peachtree Street
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
404.347.2220
www.tapat1180.com

A gastropub is a British term for a public house ("pub") which specializes in high-quality food a step above the more basic "pub grub. " The name is a portmanteau of pub and gastronomy and was coined in 1991 when David Eyre and Mike Belben opened a pub called The Eagle in Clerkenwell, London. They placed an emphasis on the quality of food served, though The Eagle was not the first pub to offer good food.

Gastropubs usually have an atmosphere which is relaxed and a focus on offering a particular cuisine prepared as well as it is in the best restaurants. Staying true to the format requires a menu that complements the assortment of beers and wines the gastropub offers.

Some describe gastropubs as the Anglo-equivalent of the French brasserie or the Japanese izakaya.

The question at hand: Does TAP follow the confines of a gastropub??

Bob Amick & Todd Rushing started off recruiting a very good chef in Todd Ginsberg. Chef Ginsberg's experience has taken him all over the world and I would say the highlight would have been working for Super Chef Alain Ducasse. The menu is very earthly and delightful with tones of New American flair with deep roots of the gastropub cuisine embedded in it.

The Hellcat & I ventured to another business meeting in the lovely Midtown section and ended up at TAP. Well, the patio was packed to the gills and it was only 5.30pm. There was a 1/2 hour wait for a table of three. This does follow the formula for Bob Amick restaurants -- the place to be seen!!! We decided to take a walk around the space and see what it had to offer. There are three floors with a staircase and an elevator connecting all levels. One item that was very perplexing because I am a chef and this wouldn't make sense to me: The kitchen was all the way on the top floor and the prep kitchen was in the basement? The patio is the busiest part of the restaurant and the food is being cooked on the third floor?? Why??

We finally were seated at our table. the menus are really cool. Kind of like an old school clipboard with a catalog cut into sections. They range from info, brunch, lunch, supper, wine and beer. The beer selection is what I like. They had some great beers and some ones I haven't tasted yet. I started with an Ommegang Rare Vos. Very nice, tasty, refreshing and a nice kick of hops at the end.

The Supper menu as it is called was very gastropub. I started off with the Brutus Salad -- baby yukon gold potatoes, applewood smoked bacon, rocket (arugula) and the optional fried egg -- must have the egg on the salad. Hellcat had the Tomini cheese, tomato jam and crusty bread. It is hard to mess this dish up but Hellcat likes her crostinis and they were not up to snuff. Small detail but still matters. Our business associate Brad Lev -- owner of Lit Kitchen -- had the Tempura Pork Dumpling with whole grain mustard sauce. The dumplings were fantastic but the sauce was off -- maybe too much mustard in the sauce and not enough salt. I must say it was a good meal for the restaurant only being open for less than 2 weeks.

In closing -- if you are looking for a cool place to hang with your friends and enjoy good beer and a nibble this may be your place -- for dinner though I might think differently since most of the people are here to drink and party it up. It would be quite loud for you and a loved one to enjoy a quiet meal.

Tamarind Seed in Colony Square -- The reincarnation of Tamarind

Tamarind Seed
1175 Peachtree St
Suite 110
Atlanta, GA 30361
(404) 873-4888
www.tamarindatl.com

Nan Niyomkul is one of the best chefs in our fair city -- I was very happy when Tamarind Seed finally opened it doors. I have known the Niyomkul family for many years going all the back to my Ritz Carlton days. Charlie and his wife Nan along with their two children Eddie and Dee Dee, have always worked hard to bring Atlanta Thai food that was bar none when it comes to both the quality of their ingredients to the passion they put into making it -- Tamarind Seed is a direct reflection of this process.

The Hellcat and I stopped by after having a meeting earlier in the evening. We walked in the door and there was Eddie running the show as if the original Tamarind never closed -- he looked happy to be running the floor and giving the guests a great experience. We sat in the bar area at this table that looked to be a craved tree with a glass top. I had the Singha brew as always and Hellcat had some house chardonnay. We were handed menus and the drooling & fighting began on who would order what and if we were going to share with each other.

We opted for a few simple choices: We ordered the traditional Tamarind pork dumplings with banging sauce and the duck breast salad. The dumplings were moist and juicy and exploding with pork goodness. When those dumplings were dipped in the soyesque sauce it was like being in heaven. The duck salad was also another knockout. The duck was cooked a perfect medium with all the juices flowing. The salad itself was quite refreshing for such a hot and humid Atlanta day.

If you are looking for the best Thai in town you must venture to Tamarind Seed and ask for Eddie -- he will set you on the right path to salvation. There are very trusted hands in the kitchen and some of the best looking people in Atlanta on the floor. No need to say more!!

Mirch Masala - Bad Ass Indian Cuisine

Mirch Masala
1713 Church St
Decatur, GA 30033
(404) 296-9999

No website Available

So the Hellcat and I were traveling through Decatur some weeks ago when I blurted out, "Man, I haven't had any Indian food in a long time." It just so happens that we were passing by Mirch Masala and the Hellcat said we should stop by and check it out.

So I quickly turned the car into the parking lot and it was off to Indian heaven. Their menu is very diverse as well as very tasty. There are many different ways to start meal, but my choice would be to go for the variety of Naan they have to offer. From Garlic Naan, Keema (lamb) Naan, Bullet (garlic chili paste) Naan and the regular, any choice would be be a good one. Hellcat and I have tried them all and I like the Kema Naan because the lamb is baked right it the fresh dough and Hellcat enjoys that Garlic -- it is what it is -- different strokes for different folks as they say.

Besides trying the Naan's we also tried the Keema Samosa to which we both agreed that they are off the chain -- moist lamb, crispy crust and perfectly cooked -- there is an Indian type applesauce they put on the table -- make sure you get some of that sauce with your samosas. There other appetizers that will tickle the fancy that feature chicken, veggies and yes, more lamb. The Lamb Sheekh is another standout. Lamb is formed around a metal skewer and then grilled to perfection, pulled off the skewer and placed on a bed of sizzling onions. Cash Money all the way!!!

The entrees are very large portions -- you will be taking home a doggie bag from here. We samples a few of the entrees from the Chicken Tikka (chicken marinated in various herbs and spices, grilled and sent out on a sizzle platter, Bombay-Aloo (Hearty Chucks of Potato with tomatoes & peas served with a curry gravy and Lamb Curry (Chunks of Lamb stewed in this bas ass dark curry). Mostly all the entrees are served with a nutty basmati rice that pairs well with most of the dishes.

The service staff is very friendly and takes the time to explain the menu for us non-Indian folk -- although I will state that the few times myself & Hellcat went to Mirch Masala there were more Americans that Indian. If you are in the Decatur area and are craving for the favorite curry it is definitely worth the trip.

Dante & Luigi's - A South Philadelphia Institution

Dante & Luigi’s
Corona di ferro
762 South 10th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147

Est. 1899

Ph: 215-922-9501
Fx: 215-922-3437

www.danteandluigis.com