The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College

The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College
4207 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (215) 222-4200

The Restaurant School is probably West Philly's best kept secret.  This oversized house has been converted into the Walnut Hill College, which grants 2 and 4 year degrees in culinary arts, hospitality, hotel management, pastry chef, and more. The unique nature of this restaurant is the dramatically reduced price (dinner for 2 came to $70) and the fact that everything from the dishes, the menus, the desserts, the cocktails were all crafted by students.  All the servers were also students. Reservations fill up quickly--the night we ate there there were NO time slots available on open table.

The school is impeccably decorated.  Indeed, I'd presume to say a hefty chunk of student tuition goes to lawn care and landscaping.

What a gorgeous main dining area.  Loved the decor and open air feeling presented by the vaulted ceilings and huge skylights.

The menus were hand made and sown into baskets to enclose the night's offerings.

9:00 Cuban Bread. 3:00 Multi grain  12:00 squid ink bread.  Strawberry Rubarb compote.  The butters were honey Jasmine and Colongi salt butter (sea salt).  Fantastic butters (especially the honey jasmine).  Ended up having two baskets of bread.

Honey Jasmine butter (balls) and Colongi salt butter (triangles)

As an aside, I ordered the most amazing, refreshing summer cocktail, called the English Garden: Beefeater's gin, apple juice, St Germain lime juice, muddled cucumber. Definitely buy the ingredients and make this at home!  You won't regret it.

(above) Tequila lime salad: grilled shrimp, romaine, red and yellow pepers, grape tomatoes, corn, avocado, black beans, red onion and queso fresco, topped with tortilla strips

(above) Chilled mint pea soup: creme fraiche*, fried mint leaf
*soured cream containing 30–45% butterfat and having a pH of around 4.5
This was perhaps the dish I was not satisfied with.  The consistency was almost gelatinous, too thick for my taste, and when I brought it up to the student asking for a critique, she definitely agreed.  Also, it was missing something...just too bland for my taste.

(above) Sesame Crusted Rare Tuna: Grilled baby Bok Choy, edamame puree, pickled ginger bean sprouts, daikri radish.  Loved the fantastic terriyaki sauce and the tuna was cooked JUST right.

(above) Indian spiced chicken: scented rice, mache*, roasted garlic naan, charred scallion, cucumber raita, spicy pickled vegetables.
*edible salad green Valerianella locusta, also known as corn salad and lamb's lettuce

(above) Strawberry Mango Galette.  Pastry cream, balsamic sauce and coconut sorbet

(above) Lemon Rosemary Ricotta Cheesecake. Pistachio crust, nut brittle, honey sauce.

On a closing note, the other dining room was too spectacular not to include in this review:

The Melting Pot: Philadelphia

The Melting Pot: Philadelphia
1219 Filbert St, Philadelphia, PA 19107 (215) 922-7002

I don't normally review chain restaurants, but The Melting Pot offers the unique experience of fondue cooking at the table side.  Fondue in the traditional sense is a dish of melted cheese served in a communal pot (caquelon) over a portable stove (réchaud), and eaten by dipping long-stemmed forks with bread into the cheese.  This has been generalized to include other types of fondue (chocolate for example).

(above) CHEDDAR Fondue. Aged, medium-sharp cheddar and Emmenthaler Swiss cheeses, lager beer, garlic and mustard powder and seasonings. Served with artisan bread and seasonal vegetables as well as fresh fruit.  The breads pictured here are sourdough, white, and wheat bread.

(above) PEAR & GORGONZOLA (335 cal) A bed of mixed greens topped with fresh pears, Gorgonzola cheese and sliced almonds, topped with an apple cider vinaigrette.

(above) CALIFORNIA (149 cal) Mixed baby salad greens, Roma tomatoes, candied pecans and Gorgonzola cheese with Raspberry Black Walnut Vinaigrette

 (above) All entrées include seasonal vegetables and signature dipping sauces.

 (above) SEAFOOD TRIO (419 - 513 cal) Sesame-crusted ahi tuna, succulent Pacific white shrimp and Atlantic salmon.

(above) FRENCH QUARTER (883 - 965 cal) Premium filet mignon, all-natural breast of chicken and Pacific white shrimp seasoned with Cajun spices and accompanied by flavorful Andouille sausage.

(above) We got the 4 course flight of wine.  With the Cheese fondue: SeaGlass Pinot Gris.  With the Salad: New Age White Blend.  With the entre: Dreaming Tree Red Blend.  With dessert: Greystone Merlot.

For dessert, we got: Flaming Turtle We consider it fondue candy. It’s an irresistible combination of milk chocolate, caramel and candied pecans flambéed tableside. Each chocolate fondue comes with fresh strawberries, blondies, bananas, pineapple, cheesecake, Rice Krispies Treats®, marshmallows, pound cake and brownies.  (not pictured--much to my chagrin)

FINAL NOTES:

• The courses came out WAY too quickly.  I was barely done with my cheese fondue when the salad course came out ALONG with the 2nd wine.  So I had 2 dishes on my table and two (almost full) glasses of wine.
• The concept of serving raw meat and having YOU cook it is nice--if you are into that sort of thing.  But, for $140, while better than a stick in the eye, I'd rather have the food cooked FOR me.  So, if it was unclear earlier, each course is accompanied by a fondue that you cook whatever the entree is or dip (in the case of the cheese and dessert fondue).  The only course not served with fondue was the salad course appropriately. 
• Our server was rushing and constantly checked back to "make sure we were ok" but the way it was said was something more to the effect of, "I get off soon and want to go home, hurry up and eat and leave me a tip."
• Probably the best part of the meal was the fondue dessert.  Honestly, if I would go back it would be for a few cocktails or glasses of wine and a few dessert items.  Perfect for a romantic date or outing.

Le Castagne

Le Castagne
1920 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 751-9913

Le Castagne is an upscale northern Italian restaurant located in Rittenhouse Square. Upon arrival the exterior is ornately decorated and a large window opens to the street from the bar giving the restaurant an open air feel. Le Castagne is translated Chestnuts in Italian which highlights the importance of Chestnuts in northern Italian cuisine and also the historic presence of Chestnut trees on the street in Philadelphia that aptly bears its name.

(above) the bar is well designed and carries a great variety of liquors. At the right is a large window that opens onto the street which is a nice touch.

The inside is well decorated with track lighting, large, flowing floor to ceiling curtains and unique wall lighting.

Of note is a large painted sculpture on the wall that resembles birds in flight or waves to me.

(above) Gnocchi al tartufo bianco. Gnocchi in a white truffle cream sauce.  Gnocchi are a dish of little dumplings made from potatoes, semolina, flour, or a combination of these ingredients

(above) Barbabietole arrosto. Roasted heirloom beets, goat cheese mousse, caraway crumble. Balsamic vinaigrette.

(above) Costata di vitello alla griglia. Milk fed veal chop, roasted garlic, lemon.  One of the highlights of the night, tender and juicy and prepared to a wonderful medium.

(above) Crema di Castagne.  Chestnut custard, chocolate, candied chestnuts, and meringue.  Served with a glass of limoncello.  Excellent finish to an excellent meal.

I will end with a bittersweet moment to an otherwise excellent meal.  We were chased out of the restaurant by a server who mistakenly thought we had not paid the check. I've never been followed out of a restaurant in my life and I'm not sure what happened, but we felt the staff could have handled the situation with a little more finesse.

Otherwise, this was an excellent meal and would certainly return again.  Great spot indeed for an after work cocktail with that beautiful bar and open air theme with the huge window.

Pumpkin

Pumpkin Restaurant in Philadelphia
1713 South St, Philadelphia, PA 19146 (215) 545-4448

Pumpkin Restaurant in the Rittenhouse Square area is a hidden gem among the Philadelphia restaurant scene. They offer new American Cuisine with local ingredients.  BYOB and cash only.

Inside the restaurant is an intimate environment with seating for 26.

(above) The owners have taken great care restoring the place even putting in interesting lighting and ceiling tiles.

(above) Chilled Golden Beet Soup

(above) Scalops, Cauliflower

 (above) Malted Milk Pot De Creme.  Chocolate, Banana, Caramel, Praline

After dinner pumpkin seeds were a nice finishing touch.

The New American Bistro

The New American Bistro
Local BYOB restaurant in the Folsom, Pennsylvania area
217 Morton Ave, Folsom, PA 19033
(484) 497-8111

This family restaurant is not too imposing on the outside, but inside awaits great food with great prices.  This is sure to please any gathering of friends and family.  It is also a BYOB, which leaves a little more in your wallet.

A chalkboard inside the entrance lists the day's specials and regular fare.

(above) A standard shrimp cocktail to start.  Shrimp was good and the cocktail sauce was not too spicy.

(above) The standard house salad was pretty tasty indeed.

(above) Chicken Parmigiana served with Capellini* Pasta
*diameter between 0.85 mm and 0.92 mm is a very thin variety of Italian pasta.

(above) Chicken Saltimbocca. This is chicken cutlets that enclosed a mix of prosciutto, spinach and Parmesan cheese. Very tasty.

(above) Caesar Salad.  Not too much to be said here, standard caesar salad.  Was what one would expect, and not particularly memorable. Dessert was a different story.

(above) delicious Limoncello cake.  Cream Cheese frosting, strawberries, whip cream.

(above) Double Chocolate cake, strawberries, whip cream.

Yanako

Yanako
4255 Main St, Philadelphia, PA 19127 (267) 297-8151

This terrific sushi jaunt is nestled on Main St, Manyunk amid a bustling, mostly affluent, yuppie community. The decor was enticing so I decided to pop in for something to eat. And I'm glad I did.

(above) I started out with some standard edamame, a preparation of immature soybeans in the pod, found in the cuisine of Taiwan, China, Japan. They were slightly salted as is common and the beans are extracted (inside your mouth) from the pod, and the pod is discarded into a nearby receptacle.  In my opinion, the beans were cooked a bit too long, I like a more crispy, chewiness to my edamame, but that is personal preference.

(above) Negimayaki.  Pan seared scallions wrapped with thinly sliced New York strip steak and tossed with a house-made teriyaki sauce.  This was a delicious course.  The components melded together well and the teriyaki sauce was very sweet.

 (above) Since the main course had such extensive detail and variety, it required several pictures to capture its beauty.  The top row was the Seven Seas roll which was made of tuna, yellowtail, cucumber and tobiko topped with alvocado, tempura crunch and spicy aloli. The middle row was the Kimono which was smoked salmon, eel, avocado and cream cheese, topped with tempura crunch and eel sauce. The bottom row was the Younger Sister roll composed of tuna, avocado, cucumber and kaiware topped with salmon and wasabi tobiko.  The middle row was flanked on the sides by a standard shrimp tempura roll.

Fun Facts:
tobiko: Japanese word for the flying fish roe. It is most widely known for its use in creating certain types of sushi. The eggs are small, ranging from 0.5 mm - 0.8 mm.
tempura: Japanese dish of seafood or vegetables that have been battered and deep fried
aloli: Provençal traditional sauce made of garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and usually egg yolks. There are many variations, such as the addition of mustard
kaiware: sprouted daikon radish seeds. Frequently used in Asian cuisine.
wasabi: more or less Japanese horseradish

 (above) another view.  Furthest left row is Seven Seas, the middle row was the Kimono, and the bottom was the Younger Sister.  Flanking the middle row was a shrimp tempura roll on either side of the Kimono.

(above) detail of the Younger Sister roll.

(above) Flourless chocolate cake with a mint syrup.  Sesame brittle and semi ice cream all house made. Delicious, the mint syrup was a unique touch.

One fun thing about the restaurant is they have their own rewards card you can get points on and redeem for free food. Thought that was pretty cool and certainly will be back for more.  Also nifty is the ability to sit behind the sushi bar and watch your food being prepared.