I Really Have To Be Careful How I Read Things

As I was thinking about the restaurants in Palm Springs that I wanted to tell you about, I saw this headline in a restaurant newsletter: 

Is competition driving a return to casual dining?

I scanned it quickly and all these things started going through my head. Why would COMPETITION DRIVING cause people to return to a more CASUAL WAY OF DINING?

Was it about Nascar and people going out to eat after they saw a race? Were towns with car races (i.e. “competition driving”) having more success with their Applebee-type restaurants than towns that have didn’t car races? Or maybe racetracks were opening casual restaurants and they were packed? I was really confused about how “competition driving” (which is a strange term all on its own) could be linked to “casual dining”.

Well, I’m sure you’re smarter than I am and realized immediately that the word “driving” was part of the verb. And it was really about COMPETITION spurring on (or driving) people to start eating in casual restaurants again. I hadn’t actually known they had left, but never mind.

That brings me to these three wonderful restaurants in Palm Springs, one of which was definitely casual; one was pretty nice (but the customers dress casually); and one was a slightly fancier place.  

The Cork and Fork is a wine bar attached to a cooking school. It’s a good way to get folks into both businesses, I think. They serve small plates, which is definitely the current new thing. Being a huge fan of tapas, I love the idea. The only time it’s a bit tricky is when you’re in a large group and you have to order lots of duplicates, but we didn’t have that problem. There were three of us, which was perfect!

The food was great, but even better was the service. I LOVED our server. I had checked out the menu in advance and told her I was really looking forward to the duck tacos. She said they always had pork tacos, but never duck. I was really confused until I realized that I had been thinking of another restaurant I’m going to tell you about called The Cork Tree. Both had cork in the name, so I don’t think I was totally crazy. When we figured the whole thing out and laughingly said, “Well then, good bye, we’re off to the Cork Tree for duck tacos,” she was appropriately amused.

She might not have been so jolly a little later when I pulled her aside and said, “I’m SO sorry, but I HATE my cocktail. It’s really the worst thing I’ve ever had.” I’m so dumb that I didn’t realize that “a wine bar” wouldn’t have real liquor. And when I saw a group of cocktails on the menu, I thought they would be normal. 

My savvy daughter explained to me (after the fact) that my Cosmo was made with SOJU (distilled rice wine liqueur) and not vodka. It DID say “Soju Cocktails” on the menu, but I thought a Cosmo was a Cosmo. Anyway, the server was sooo nice. There was no problem. She brought me the Pomegranate Sangria instead, (which was also pretty awful, but my limit is ONE on the number of things I send back per meal). She didn’t hate me and I just loved her. 

Pomegranate Sangria

There was so much to choose from that it was really fun. Thai Shrimp Cakes were a delicious way to start. The shrimp cakes were good, but the sauces were outstanding. I LOVED the Japanese 5 spice aioli, which is interesting because I usually can’t stand 5 spice powder. 

Thai Shrimp Cakes

I hadn’t really wanted to order the Handcut Sweet Potato Fries, but I’m really glad D(aughter) talked me into it.  We in the No’th call the orange ones “yams” and the white, not so sweet ones, “sweet potatoes”.  That's what these were and they were a revelation. They had the best attributes of both regular potatoes AND yams - crisp and slightly floury like a white potato with a hint of the sweetness of a yam. Perfect. And the sauces were really well done. The chipotle lime was my favorite. There was also a super fresh pesto and a honey Dijon. 

Handcut Sweet Potato Fries

The Farmer’s Market Salad had good things in it like sliced Brussels Sprouts, Kale, Gorgonzola and Candied Pecans and it had a white balsamic dressing (which I love). I liked it, but, actually, I’ve never has a better Brussels sprouts salad than this one.

Farmer's Market Salad

The Pork Tacos were sooo good. They were little open-faced, 2 bites worth of juicy pork on a round baby taco shell. It was a good thing that there were only two of them (and D wasn’t eating pork). I could have eaten 20. 

Pork Tacos

The little bowl of Mac and Cheese was just the right size. It was cheesy and rich, flavored with chipotle and topped with crunchy crumbs.

Mac and Cheese

What else? Oh, a Rustic Pizza. It had wild mushrooms, Parm, Gorgonzola and mozzarella. I usually like a thinner crust, but this was so crisp and charred (in a good way) that it was irresistible. 

Rustic Pizza

The gelato was wonderful. They feature different flavors every night. I can’t remember which one we had (mango, I think), but I do remember we didn’t have any problem finishing it. 


Last was the Pistachio Ice cream Sandwich. It was served open-faced, (like the tacos). If I liked pistachio ice cream, I would have liked it more. (Oh, what we sacrifice for our kids!)

Pistachio Ice Cream Sandwich

But overall The Cork and The Fork was wonderful with really friendly service, whic hmeans as much to me as the quality of the food. 

Roy’s is one of my favorite restaurants on the planet. It’s hard to believe that it’s a chain. Unfortunately, the Roy’s in Philadelphia closed (I guess there wasn’t enough of the Aloha spirit there), but we always try to go to the one in Rancho Mirage when we’re out there.

I don’t usually order the prix fixe menu anywhere, unless it has at least two out of three dishes on it that I would have ordered anyway. This time I did.

                                                                      

The Duck Confit Dim Sum was not as good as I would have hoped. The duck filling was a little dry and sparse. I think it was actually the first time I’ve ever been disappointed by a dish at Roy’s.

Duck Confit Dim Sum

The Teppanyaki Shrimp was flavorful with all the bits and pieces on the plate - Farro, Edamame, Braised Pearl Onion & Ginger Miso Cream – complementing it nicely.

Teppanyaki Shrimp

The signature dish at Roy’s is the Miso Butterfish and it’s always wonderful. H had it and the next week, I saw Roy himself on The Talk making that very dish. (By the way, I ONLY watched because of him and I only watched that segment.) 

Miso Butterfish

I was excited to see that dish, but, unfortunately, it seemed really complicated and the ladies cooking with him were so confused and confusing that it did not come off as that easy to make at home. But the recipe itself doesn’t look that hard, except that finding the ingredients might present a challenge.

The last night we were in Palm Springs we went to The Cork Tree. It was lovely...after we left our table (in one of those kind of charmless ancillary rooms that restaurants have for putting the overflow) and found seats outside on the absolutely beautiful terrace. If I don’t like my table, I don’t like the restaurant, so I’m glad there was no problem switching.

My Raspberry Lemondrop was lipsmacking good, except for one tiny thing. (I AM a pain, I admit.) The stem and the glass were incredibly sticky, which was a little annoying every time I picked it up. My strategy then became to drink it in as few gulps as possible!

Raspberry Lemondrop

And I finally got to have my Duck Tacos! They were worth waiting for. Flaky shells held the tender duck with frisée, feta, grape tomatoes and a yummy chipotle sauce. I had only one complaint. There were too many! H was happy to take two off my hands, though.

Duck Tacos

H had the Kale Salad, which was a tasty version. The best part, though, was the cool angled bowl it was served in. 

Kale Salad

Actually, they served many of the dishes separated out into equal portions in small, very striking angled bowls. My Scallops were surprisingly served like that. 

Seared Jumbo Scallops with Creamy Himalayan Black Rice

They were sitting on black rice (my fav) with smoky bacon in a rich blood orange beurre blanc. SO good and three huge scallops were more than enough. I think having it served in separate bowls may have made the portion seem bigger than it was. That’s a good tactic to use at home.

H had the Duck Breast with Smoked Mushroom Risotto, which was also presented in an interesting way. It was deconstructed with each element lined up on a long thin platter. Really rich and really well cooked. My picture really doesn’t do it justice. I got its bad side. 

Duck Breast with Smoked Mushroom Risotto

The gelato and sorbet were just fine, but here the three separate bowls of two scoops each were too much. I’m so bad that I didn’t write down the three flavors, but I think the gelato (vanilla?) was the best. 

It was a gorgeous night outside on the terrace, our server was really amiable (he asked how we liked the unusual serving dishes) and the food was luxurious and beautifully presented. When we got back from California, I was greeted by a lovely message from the restaurant saying they were happy to confirm our reservation and they were sure we would love the duck tacos!

How did they know I was looking forward to having the tacos? It’s a little trick I use on OpenTable. (Have I told you this before?) As you make the reservation, they ask if you have any special comments or questions for them. I usually fill in something as a little test. The best reaction I ever had was from Roy’s during another Palm Springs visit. I said I was really excited to have their 1988 cocktail and right after we were seated, the waiter came to the table and said, “Are you ready for your 1988?” BEFORE I had had a chance to say a word.

The worst reaction to my OpenTable comments was at Amis in Philadelphia. I had noted that it was our anniversary and we were “really excited” (my key OpenTable phrase) to go there for the first time. Nothing. Zilch. Nada. That set the stage for a place that was uncomfortably crowded, had lackluster service and was SO noisy that it felt like we were at a high school basketball game (on the losing side).

So those were my favorite Palm Spring restaurants on this trip. Next time I’ll have to do another in-depth study to find others that stack up. It’s a really hard job, but someone’s got to do it. 

Top Chef Masters - Art Is Sassy, Roy’s Egg Is Sooo Not Weird, Jonathan Inspires And Michael’s A Darn Good Chef

Scenes from last week…I love reliving the last few moments of Michael’s triumph. I love him. I wish he could compete every week. Ah well, this next group looks like it has a few spicy numbers.

I like the neckline of Kelly’s dress in the intro. I’ve seen it so many times by now.

The new chefs walk into the Top Chef kitchen. First up is Jonathan Waxman from New York’s Barbuto restaurant. He’s been a chef since 1971. Tom tells us he’s called the Godfather because of all the chefs he’s trained, including Bobby Flay. Gail: “Jonathan changed the culinary landscape by opening Jams in the 1980’s." She says Julia, James and Wolfgang used to hang out there. His charity is Meals on Wheels. He says he’s his own competition.

Ooh, cute Roy Yamaguchi walks out. Roy is fantastic. I love his restaurants and it doesn’t hurt that he’s cute, really cute. Gail says he’s the first ever James Beard award winner. Really? He has tons of restaurants.

(Do yourself a favor, if you are ever in a place where there is one, go to it. They’re wonderful. I’m still nursing my bottle of Lychee Liqueur inspired from one of his cocktails.) A graduate of the CIA, James says Roy is the king of fusion cuisine, my fav. He’s playing for Imua Family Services.

Cutie patootie Art Smith, owner of Table Fifty-Two among others, is next. Gael says everyone thinks of him as Oprah’s chef, but I have feeling from the previews that he’s going to bust out of the nice guy stereotype and be his own man. That soft Southern accent may hide a steely interior. He’s nervous because he’s been a judge. He’s there, because he wants to make money for his charity Common Threads.

The last chef is Michael Cimarusti of Providence restaurant in LA. Gail: "Extraordinary seafood restaurant." He has TWO Michelin stars. His charity is the Grameen Foundation. He’s proud that he’s the youngest of all of them, by at least decade. He thinks of Jonathan as a rock star.

Jonathan says Art has a weight advantage.

The Quickfire challenge begins with drawing knives. They draw numbers one through four. They have to make a dish that corresponds with that aisle in the supermarket…AND with only a 20 dollar budget. Art reminds us that he’s cooked for presidents and kings and NOW? 20 dollars? Is he saying that’s beneath him? Hmm, is he already coming out of the niceness box that Oprah had him wrapped up in?

Jonathan complains that he doesn’t “deal” with canned stuff. He also says his eyes don’t work that well, so it’s hard to read the labels.

Michael is kind of screwed, I think. He has to shop from the baking and protein bar aisle and he’s definitely not a pastry chef, he says. (His wife is.)

Roy is in the pasta aisle. He says he does cook pasta, but with an Asian spin.

Art has beans, crackers and rice. He’s thinking risotto. Art says he can teach Michael a few things.

They’re told that the judges are food experts, but not in the conventional sense. We learn that judges Peter, Becky and Dave all work at Whole Foods. Who did they have to pay off to get on Top Chef?

Roy says he cooks Hawaiian fusion with a lot of Asian ingredients. There is no soy sauce in the pantry. He’s a little flummoxed. He tells us he has 37 Roy’s Restaurants.

Jonathan can’t get the pressure cooker to work. Art can’t either. Funny. Michael shows him. Good line from Jonathan, “If you’re not clear about your vision, the dish is not going to be that clear.” (Interesting…coming from a guy who can’t see.)

This is a great episode, because it’s about the cooking, not so much about personality, although it is hard to contain Art. But it’s clear that these guys all know what they’re doing. Top Chef Masters is sooo much better than regular Top Chef and, needless to say, it’s many classes above TNFNS.

Art says what he’s learned about cooking (while he namedrops all the people he’s for, but in a slightly endearing way) is to cook WHAT he loves and to cook WITH love.

Michael is making a chocolate mousse type thing.

At the last minute, Roy throws a fried egg on top of his pasta dish. (I LOVE fried eggs on pasta.) Roy says he likes to work on a menu for a long time and executing a dish in a short time could be his downfall.

Jonathan says he doesn’t think Roy has been in a supermarket in over 30 years.

Roy

Pasta With Fried Egg & Asian Flavors

I like that the judges don’t know whose dish is whose. One judge: “The vegetables are weird.” Another one: “I’m digging it.” Art (to us) belittles it as just a pasta dish and thinks it’s boring. Another judge thinks the combo is weird. Becky likes it because she’s never had eggs on pasta before. Who are these people?

Haven’t they ever stir fried spaghetti with a bunch of vegetables and served it with a yummy crusty runny fried egg on top. It’s fabulous. These folks know nothing. ANOTHER one says, “I’m finding this really strange.”

Sorry, Roy, you’re obviously too good for them. Seriously, an egg on pasta is not weird.

Jonathan

Mint, Lentil & Roasted Pepper Salad

One judge: “I really, really like this – lentils with the peppers. This is really good.” The most thoughtful one, the woman (of course) says, “There’s a spice in there, a real bite to it.” The last judge says: “A lot of good flavors, just too much on the onion.” I can’t help feeling that these folks (except the woman) are employed as shelf stackers, rather than anything having to do with actual food.

Art

Multi-Grain Risotto With A Crispy Rice Salad

I have to say just the name of this dish sounds a bit strange. What’s a CRISPY rice salad and why would you have it with risotto? From Mr. Know-Nothing: “Great combination, even the textures. Nice crunch. This is great.” Other Know-Nothing: “I like that crunch, the rest of the dish is fantastic.” (I’m not saying this dish ISN’T good, I’m just mad that the judges were so prejudiced against the egg on the pasta.) Art seems to be clearly in the lead.

Michael

Chocolate Parfait With Ginger Sauterne Syrup & Sesame Crackers

The egg-hating judge: “Oh my god, I absolutely love it.” The woman tastes the liquor. The other guy loves the ginger: “Very well done.”

The results:

Jonathan:

3½ stars

Roy:

4 stars

If they gave him that high a rating, what were they complaining about? Probably the woman gave him 5 stars and that made it come out higher.

Art

4½ stars

Art says (to us), with a little giggle, I’m going to take the show. He IS cute.

Michael

5 stars

Jonathan says he’s a great chef and Michael nicely says that using chocolate probably gave him an unfair advantage.

That is sooo true. I try NOT to order chocolate desserts in restaurants usually. (Crazy, I know) But I really feel that that’s no real test of a chef. Chocolate would taste fabulous chopped up in a cereal bowl with milk. I want something more challenging.

Jonathan says he’s dead last, but he’s comfortable with his cooking.

They draw knives, but must not reveal the name on it. They have to put together a mystery box of 11 ingredients. Then each chef must use 7 of those ingredients to create a dish for The Elimination Challenge. The twist is that the chefs know for whom they’re gathering the ingredients, so I suppose that gives them ample opportunity to mess with their fellow chefs.

I don’t really like this, it comes under the category of mean, a bit. Just let them cook, but whatever. Let’s see what they do with this. Why do I think Art may be quite sneaky and tricky and give sweetbreads to a seafood chef, or Russian ingredients to a Hawaiian fusion chef or goodness knows what else?

They will be cooking for the critics and culinary students. They have 300 dollars and 45 minutes to shop. I’m relieved when Jonathan says, ”The word sabotage (with) a professional chef does not exist.” He says he has great respect for the chefs, so he’s not going to screw with them. Good for him. Let’s hope his colleagues feel the same way.

Luckily, Art says, “No chef wants to be in the weeds and hopefully they’re doing the same for me.” Whew! Michael also says you’ll see “more camaraderie” and “less back biting amongst the Top Chef Masters than regular Top Chef. Oy, we haven’t heard from Roy. I hope that doesn’t mean he has something nasty planned.

Jonathan remarks that Roy hasn’t been in a supermarket in over 30 years.

This is interesting. We see a scene where the chefs all dress in civilian clothes and cook for each other with Kelly. They make a fabulous meal and sit down together. Cute.

Roy drew Art. Art’s biggest fear is that there will be some weird thing to butcher. He opens the box and is thrilled with the ingredients. He practically claps his hands with glee. He says “Perfect.” One down. Roy says you have to give people opportunities and set them up for success rather than failure. Roy is too sweet. He wants to give Art ingredients that will showcase his talent.

Art drew Roy’s name. He gave him great ones too, including mahi mahi and short ribs.

Michael and Jonathan drew each other. This is becoming a love fest. Michael proclaims that Jonathan was one of those chefs in the 70’s and 80’s who shaped “the framework of what’s going on today.” So nice, so sweet. Their mothers would be proud. He gave him pork chops.

Jonathan says it’s always better to give than receive, as Michael opens his box. BUT Jonathan gave him no fish. Interesting. What’s THAT about? He did give him interesting ingredients, including kumquats and Jerusalem artichokes, but not one piece of fish. Was he trying to expand his range or handicap him? I’m not sure. They have two hours to cook.

Roy continues to be worried about the time constraints.

Michael says he’s known for fish, but he’s comfortable with meat as well.

Jonathan’s eyes are bad. I feel bad for him, although I still don’t know why he didn’t get fish for Michael. They’re cooking along. They help each other. Art tells us he uses food to bring people together.

Roy is having problems with the thickness of the fish and it cooking at different times. Jonathan says he only likes to use a few ingredients at a time, so using all 7 is challenge. If he sees more than 3 things on a plate usually, he’ll edit it. And he doesn’t usually concentrate on presentation that much, but today he will.

They come down to the wire and Michael doesn’t have enough time to sauce all the plates, which he says was very disappointing.

Art is charming when he comes out in front of the diners. He says there’s no better way to show love to people than to feed them. “Feed people and they will come.” He says he really wants to win for his charity that not only teaches kids how to cook, but how to be good people.

Art

Fried Chicken Two Ways & Mango Pie

Gail: “This just oozes Art Smith. It oozed out of him when he was describing it.” That may not be the most attractive way to put it, but I get what she’s saying. James is bit reserved, because he says it feels as if this is totally in Art’s comfort zone. One of the culinary students is thrilled there’s a little dessert at the end. Another one says everything on the plate complements each other.

Roy

Short Ribs Kalbi & Mahi Mahi With A Lemongrass And Ginger Crust

Roy greets them with aloha. I love that. Even the dish sounds it’s on vacation. Gael says she usually never orders mahi mahi in a restaurant, because it’s so boring, but this is delicious. Hey, where’s Jay? I just noticed he’s not there. Oh, that’s why Gale is, I guess. One student didn’t like it and says all she tasted was lemongrass and it was overpowering. Another one enjoyed the sides more than the main proteins.

Michael

Loin Of Lamb With Sunchoke Puree, Broccoli Rabe & Purple Cauliflower

Michael mentions that he didn’t have time to sauce everyone’s plate. Should he have said anything? I guess they would have noticed. Gael: “The sunchoke purée was absolutely perfect with the lamb and all those vegetables.” James says nothing was bad, but “nothing tasted incredibly delicious, BEYOND the piece of meat.” Maybe if he had been given fish, it would have. Culinary student (kinda OLD culinary student): “Really excellent dish.”

Jonathan

Pork Sausage & Chop With Cauliflower Celery Root Puree & Black Truffle

Jonathan explains to the table that it was challenging for him to use all those ingredients, because he normally cooks with three. He says (to us) that he was happy to see the culinary students looking so enthusiastic. He was amused at the critics “eyeballing” his food, which is not known for its presentation. He told us he and Gael Greene go way back. Go way back…wink, wink or just go way back?

Gael (with a huge smile on her face) says she loves “the philosophy of doing a homey 80’s dish.” James: “A very, very successful great home cooking kind of dish.” A student thought it was creamy and smooth. Another one enjoyed every second.

Back in the kitchen. Roy says Jonathan is so calm and collected, just the way he was in his restaurant back in the day.

Art says he’s really nervous and he knows that judges can be not so nice.

At Critics table, Michael says he ran out of time at the end. Gael says his dish was better without sauce, so she was happy she didn’t get any. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad.

OH my, listen to this from James. With his head cocked to one side, he asks Michael,” Do you feel the ingredients were synchronous on the plate?” Does he mean do they go together or does he mean were they made at the same time? Whatever. The word actually means “occurring or existing at the same time, so it makes no sense.

Michael says, not giving away for one second if he knows what James is talking about or not, that he tried to bring out the flavor of everything on the plate. Gail loves the mushrooms and Michael says there was a squeeze of mandarin juice at the end. Gail says that gave it a brightness.

James wants to know if Michael was stymied by the ingredients. He says not at all. James say he doesn’t really feel everything worked together as a whole, but then he says, “Job well done.” Huh?

Art says his goal was to show what he’s about and that he equates food with love. James says his mango cobbler was a knockout. Art says Jonathan told him to just let it be, honey. James is amused that they called each other honey. James says he wasn’t so sure about having 2 kinds of chicken dishes on the plate. Gael says the crispy crackling crust on the chicken was extraordinary.

Roy says it was challenging to make 13 portions by himself. Kelly says her piece was a bit overcooked. Gael says hers was perfect. Gael enjoyed the flavor of the marinade for the beef.

Gael wonders why Jonathan picked such a big plate and that the sauce went running all over the place. He says he would have preferred a smaller plate, but he’s more concerned with the flavor.

James, squinting at Jonathan in a kind of haughty way, asks, “What made you decide to treat the truffles in that finely shredded way, rather than shaved?” Are we supposed to be impressed that he noticed the treatment of that minuscule ingredient? Actually, I am…very.

His answer is very interesting. Jonathan says to get the full value of the very expensive truffle, he uses a microplaner. He says you can spread that truffle to 50 plates instead of 10.

He also no longer uses boutique chickens, for which he was very famous at Jams. He talks about that in this interview and says they’re too expensive and he uses Bell and Evans.

Gale says that when she “dug in… it was all so earthy and it all made so much sense.” Deep in his core he’s still that California chef. Gael says that exuberance was on the plate. Jonathan says what made it all possible was the encouragement of his fellow chefs that made it all possible.

Back in the kitchen, Roy grabs for the vodka instead of the red wine.

Gale appreciates the sense of respect that the chefs all had for each other. She was awed by it and she loves Art’s sentiment.

Kelly says Roy was conflicted the whole two hours. James says you could taste the tension in his food. Oy! Gale says some chefs are great at thinking on their feet and that Roy’s clearly not one of them. She softens her remark (a bit) by saying he was brave for admitting it himself. Should they be dissing him that much? 37 restaurants IS 37 restaurants after all.

Gale liked all the components of Michael’s dish individually, but that they didn’t really have much to do with each other.

Okay, my prediction: I think this is looking like a Jonathan Waxman win from the critics. But he had the lowest score before, so Art will bring it home. YUP, that’s my prediction.

Gale thinks Michael’s sunchoke purée brought his dish all together.

Gael says everyone was wild about Jonathan’s food. James says that HE (James) was not “there with the truffle.” James does say that that plate of food was fundamentally connected, which he can’t say about the others.

Jonathan says to have the critics talk about his food to his face is like judging one’s children. Art sighs hugely and puts his face in his hands.

And the results:

Jonathan

Quickfire – 3 ½ stars

Diners – 4 1/2 stars

Critics – James 4; Gael 4; Jay 4

Total – 20 stars

Roy

Quickfire – 4 ½ stars

Diners – 3 stars

Critics – James 2 1/2; Gael 2 1/2; Gale 3

Total – 15 stars

He’s dismissed. Awww.

Michael

Quickfire – 5 stars

Diners – 3 1/2 stars

Critics – James 2 1/2; Gael 3 1/2; Gale 3

Total – 17½ stars

James is tough!

Art

Quickfire – 4 ½ stars

Diners – 5 stars

Critics – James 3; Gael 5; Gale 41/2

Total – 22 stars

Art pulls it off. Go me. Who knew it??! Although I DID think it was going to be closer and that Jonathan would score higher. Jonathan is happy that he gets a donation and I think he’s actually relived not to have to come back. Art is kinda crying and he wants to call his mom. Art says he’s never won anything before and he did pull out a deserving win. I do wish Jonathan had won, though, because (fish or no fish), he is the grand master of them all.

Roy's - You Had Me At Aloha

If you have ever had the great fortune to visit Hawaii, you know that the entire state is imbued with the "Aloha" spirit. It's that almost indefinable attitude of goodwill and friendliness that you find on every street corner or inch of beach. The lovely ladies greeting us at Roy's, Roy Yamaguchi's Philadelphia outpost, exuded that spirit from my first interaction with one of them on the phone. When they turned out to be 2 out of 3 triplets, somehow that added to the fun. (The third triplet, much to the chagrin of one of my dining partners - a single and very male male - is a boy. That busted alot of his fantasies.)

Anyway, we (my husband and I) awaited our friend at the bar, a smallish but well-designed area with high round tables and chair-stools that were surprisingly comfortable. My Roy's Cosmo was everything it should have been. VERY COLD, glass VERY FULL, a good balance between the top end Ketel One Citron and cranberry and lime juices. The beer was served in an ice cold glass. Sam Adams Summer was a good choice. Our waiter was very charming, offering us menus to gaze at, while he gave us the skinny on the place - appetizers served family style, what was really good etc.

Triplet Number One (honestly, she could have been Number Two or Number Three, I didn't think to ask about birth order) took us upstairs to our requested mezzanine table, where we overlooked the entire restaurant. If you don't get to make it upstairs, don't worry, Aloha is in every corner of the place.

Our affable waiter, Jay, or maybe "J" - you never know these days, presented us with menus. A pleasant, but slightly mumbly bus-person or wait-person assistant, not sure, came by with a plate of edamame. She gave us some lengthy explanation about something, but we really couldn't understand her. When she came back, we asked for a repeat and it turned out she was just telling us to eat the center peas and leave the pods on the plates, but that we COULD eat the pods if we wished, but some people found them rather chewy. TMI. Either serve them already peeled or get the explanation down to a sentence, clearly spoken: These are edamame, eat the peas inside and here are plates for the pods.

First courses ordered and awaited.

The Lobster Dim Sum, which had been suggested by my friend at the bar was flawless. The filling was moist and supremely lobstery tasting, with a dash of white truffle foam, which frankly neither added nor subtracted from the dish.

The Baby Romaine Salad was imaginatively presented. Beautiful leaves, some reddish, of perfect romaine were dressed in a Caesar dressing and arranged upright in a baked croute which had been formed into a circle. Polenta croutons decorated the plate which was dotted with a bit more Parmesan. It was good that I knew they were polenta croutons; otherwise they would have seemed soggy. "A" for presentation, the dressing could have been schuzzed up a bit to give more of a kick.

Auntie Lei’s Aloha Roll was an excellent rendition of a Spicy Tuna Roll. Each roll was stuffed with a piquant and rich tuna mixture and topped with avocado, hamachi or salmon. They were topped with black and white sesame seeds. Yummy.

Before our main courses arrived, we were informed that if we wanted to order the chocolate soufflé, we should let our server know then. That was slightly jarring to think of a chocolate soufflé right after eating spicy tuna. We demurred and continued our conversation. I have no problem with the wait-person mentioning this AS ONE IS ORDERING, but not in the middle of the meal. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt that he was just looking out for us, but he should have mentioned that as he gave us our menus.

We also had to ask to have the messy looking plates of edamame garbage removed. It should be automatic that that happens. The only other lapse in service was infrequently filled water glasses, which is another no-brainer that should happen like clockwork.

After a bit (maybe too long a bit) our entrees arrived. The sea scallops were browned off perfectly but still slightly undercooked inside, as ordered. They were moist and presented on a bed of deliciously prepared quinoa, which, normally, I detest. Tarragon (which I also normally hate, but it didn’t register as objectionable) Vinaigrette was rakishly strewn about the plate. Very modern, most attractive. Probably the best part of the dish was the piquillo peppers. They were stuffed with a crab mixture, which captured the full essence of the crab and was smooth as silk. They were the perfect foil for the simply flavored scallops.

The Salmon was grilled on an hibachi, very attractively and crustily browned. The person on the grill does his or her job wonderfully. It was served with a Citrus Ponzu which, although not life changing, was a well thought out accompaniment. On the plate was also an amalgam of cucumber and beansprouts speckled with tiny scallions.

The last main course was New Zealand Grouper. The flavor was sweet and fresh. This was the one dish where the presentation was definitely not the thing. The fish was sitting sadly all by itself in the corner of the plate, while the other elements took the spotlight. The Yuzu Sabayon was a gorgeous giant teardrop in the center of the plate. But its attractiveness only highlighted the plainness of the fish.

We moved on to dessert. The Pineapple Upside Cake was a fairly traditional, although delicious, rendition. I’ve been noticing individual upside down cakes all around lately. I like them.

The other two desserts were quite tasty as well. The Mascarpone Cheesecake was creamy and rich, although I could have lived without the balsamic vinegar reduction. The Ginger Crème Brulee was the plainest-looking of the three, but really it was divine. It was sweet and smooth with a lively ginger aftertaste. The shortbread served with it was fine.

I liked Roy’s…a lot. The more restaurants I go to and the more wonderful food I eat, the more important service becomes to me. Not snooty, most-people-are-not-good-enough-to-eat-here service, but warm, welcoming, genuine caring for the well-being of the guest service. I did find that here, and with such excellent food, it’s a place I plan to visit again. And maybe...if we're lucky...Triplet Number Three will make an appearance.