MEDITERRA

MEDITERRA RESTAURANT
29 HULFISH STREET, PRINCETON, NJ 08542
609-252-9680
Lunch Mon-Sat 11:30am-4pm Sun noon-4pm
Dinner Mon-Thu 5pm-10pm Fri-Sat 5pm-11pm Sun 4pm-9pm

Per their website: "Tap into the extraordinary cuisine of the nearly 2 dozen cultures surrounding the Mediterranean… add extra emphasis to Italian and Spanish… pair our largely locally sourced ingredients with an ever-changing but always superb collection of fine and affordable wine.."  I was in town for the day due to a ballroom competition and decided to give this place a try. It is situated on Hulfish St about 15 minutes from the actual university.  Not walk-able from campus, but a short drive away.
The entrance immediately sets the place off as a place of pretentiousness and fru fru, but inside people were dressed casually and it did not have the feel of a white table cloth, white glove affair. I would put it at the mid-range on the "fanciness" scale.

My dance partner started with the Falafel: chick pea fritter & tzatziki sauce.  I tried a small piece and am happy to report the tzatziki sauce was superb. Tzatziki is a Greek sauce served with grilled meats or as a dip. Tzatziki is made of strained yogurt mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, lemon juice or red wine vinegar, and sometimes dill, mint, or parsley.

This was the soup of the day which was quite good.  Had a slight bacon aftertaste.  Roasted Brussels sprout and bacon soup.

For my starter, I had the Butternut Squash Soup which was very good. It was not particularly spectacular but perfectly palatable and certainly a good start to the meal. In comparison to other restaurants however, it was not a stand-out feature.

We also indulged in a cheese board. Artisanal Cheese Plate: hand-crafted local & imported cheese.  The waiter did not describe the cheeses so our best guess was some cranberry raisin bread with gout, cheddar and blue cheese.  It was served with grapes and an accompanying strawberry jelly.

Griggstown Farm Za ‘atar Spiced Chicken: organic red quinoa, roasted fennel & plums.  Chicken was tender and cooked well. It was served with plums which was a nice contrast to the chicken.  Quinoa was nice as well.  Excellent dish.

Garganelli: spicy sausage, broccoli rabe, roasted tomatoes & Parmigiano Reggiano. Not a bad choice.  My dance partner said it was not too spicy and overall was a nice dish.

Grilled Wagyu Flank Steak: baba ganoush, roasted heirloom carrots, roasted mushrooms and port wine reduction. Nicely presented and executed.

At that point we were pretty full but they did have a nice selection of breads that is worth showcasing.

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Spraga

Spraga
521 SOUTH BROAD STREET #303, PHILADELPHIA, PA 19147
215.735.1913

Spraga, it has been too long my friend. Having eaten here a few times I decided it was high time for  a review.  This is located along Broad St in perfect proximity to the Kimmel Center and Academy of Music. If you are seeing a show at 8pm, a 5:30pm reservation here would be a great bet. Service is usually impeccable albeit a bit pretentious.  Portions are medium sized--not enough to leave you stuffed to the brim but enough that you are full after the meal.

Foie gras soup was served as the amuse bouche. Pumpernickel croutons with rose flower petals.

Next on the agenda was the hamachi: honeydew, coconut, jicama salad.  Japanese amberjack or yellowtail, Seriola quinqueradiata, is a bony fish in the family Carangidae. It is native to the northwest Pacific Ocean, from Japan to Hawaii. It is greatly appreciated in Japan, where it is called hamachi.  Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jicama, Mexican yam bean, or Mexican turnip, is the name of a native Mexican vine, although the name most commonly refers to the plant's edible tuberous root.

Lamb tartare: cumin yogurt, gem lettuce, dill.  Cumin is native to the Levant and Upper Egypt. It now grows in most hot countries, especially India, North Africa, China and the Americas. The spice is especially associated with Morocco, where it is often the fragrance of the abundant street cookery of the medinas.

Mushroom risotto: fava beans, asparagus pesto, enoki.  Enokitake, also Enokidake or Enoki, is a long, thin white mushroom used in East Asian cuisine.

Corn agnoloti: charred scallion, cilantro, queso fresco. Queso fresco — "fresh cheese" — is a Mexican cheese, traditionally made from raw cow milk or a combination of cow and goat milk. In the States, we'll most likely find pasteurized versions. The flavor is pretty innocuous — fresh, bright, milky, and mild — but is a perfect complement to a variety of dishes.

PORK CHOP (FOR 2): grilled peach, cherries, black eyed peas, swiss chard. Fantastic dish.  Immaculately prepared, tender, and tasty to finish.

Of Note:

French pressed coffee

Dessert almost seemed an afterthought.  It appeared like someone smeared the contents of the dessert onto the side of the plate.

Macaroons never hurt to end the meal.

Victor Cafe

Victor Cafe
1303 Dickinson Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19147
Monday – Thursday: 5:00pm – 10:00pm
Friday: 5:00pm – 12:00am
Saturday: 4:30pm – 12:00am
Sunday: 4:30pm – 10:00pm

The Victor Cafe is a music lover's rendezvous.  It features Italian cuisine complemented by performances every half hour or so of opera by the waitstaff. The restaurant is over 95 years old.  It has a rich history not just in opera, featuring such greats as Joan Southerland, Luciano Pavoratiti, but also is famous for its camero appearance in the Rocky Balboa movies.

The Victor  Cafe started as a record store which is significant because above the entrance there is a dog sitting in front of a phonograph player, symbolizing the history of the restaurant.

The restaurant is perfect for a birthday or celebration as the Victor Cafe rendition of the "birthday song" sang operatically is unforgettable. Several tables were having birthday celebrations on the day we were there.

Cold puree of roast pepper with garlic. Tasted similar to gazpacho.  Nice start to the meal.

Victor Salad* Iceberg lettuce, tomato, and hardboiled egg in our house Gorgonzola cheese dressing.

Cannelloni Fresh pasta stuffed with ricotta, spinach and veal, served with marinara and béchamel $17. Béchamel sauce, also known as white sauce, is made from a roux and milk. It is one of the mother sauces of French cuisine. It is used as the base for other sauces.  Roux is flour and fat cooked together and used to thicken sauces.

Chicken Cacciatore: means "hunter" in Italian. In cuisine, alla cacciatora refers to a meal prepared "hunter-style" with onions, herbs, usually tomatoes, often bell peppers, and sometimes wine. Cacciatore is popularly made with braised chicken or rabbit.

My favorite dessert- creme brulee of course. Not bad here.

My uncle got the Strawberry panna cotta. Pretty good choice here.  In all, the restaurant had above average food, nothing to write home about though.  However, the big plus is the live music performances and if you are an opera aficionado or music nut, this is your spot.  Even the music / record industry history adorning the walls is enough to keep you busy for hours.

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