Craig LaBan

I joined the Inquirer as its restaurant critic in 1998, after a stint covering the food beat for the Times-Picayune in New Orleans. Having eaten about 500 restaurant meals a year here ever since, I never cease to be amazed by the diversity and sophistication of Philadelphia's kitchens. To travel from its many authentic ethnic neighborhoods to the gastronomic temples of Walnut Street to its beery gastropubs, cozy BYOBs and multitude of greasy-but-great steak joints, is to know this town delivers satisfaction at every level of the food chain. Including online dish.

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Email Craig at claban@phillynews.com

Rick Nichols: Meet the ultimate handmade meatball
Drink: Layers white blend wine
At Del Frisco's, a Grade A fuss over a big tab

Drink

Posted 07/03/2009

This refreshing bottle alert is brought to you by the Department of Summer Slakes, Jersey Shore Division: the 2008 Layers from Peter Lehmann is a beguilingly complex white blend that evokes an Aussie version of Conundrum - but at a nicer price.

Novità Bistro - 06/26/2009: Chef Hassan Zanzoul cooks fine if familiar Mediterranean fare. But his Moroccan dishes are a rare treat; he should stick to that road.

By Craig LaBan, Inquirer Restaurant Critic

I used to think it wasn't possible to have too much of a good thing, and for the longest time, that was my sentiment regarding our abbondanza of Italian BYOBs. And yet, when Novita opened its doors on the 1600 block of South Street in the fall, the realization that there were nearly a dozen Italian BYOBs now within a five-block radius had an unexpected effect.
Drink - 06/26/2009: With a name like Orphelin ("orphan" in French), this bottle certainly tugs at my thirsty heartstrings. I imagine all those poor little Rhône-style grapes, grown out of enterprising curiosity at Washington's mega-Chateau Ste. Michelle but not used in any of its signature blends, sitting around, searching for a bottle.
Umai Umai - 06/19/2009: Sushi man Alex McCoy composes raw delights and unique rolls, colorful and exotic, at his Fairmount bistro.

By Craig LaBan, Inquirer Restaurant Critic

The "Umai tree," as the devout fans of chef Alex McCoy now call themselves, has spread its roots in a quiet but effective way that most restaurateurs could only hope for. With little fanfare in the press, and little paid advertisement, McCoy has built a loyal clientele for his cozy Fairmount sushi bistro over the last three years purely by word of mouth, rolling his inventive maki below the radar and reeling in regulars with an unconventional eye and fish that is equally distinctive.
Drink - 06/19/2009: Frenchman Jean Bousquet, who moved to Argentina in 1997 to launch his namesake winery in the 4,000-foot high vineyards of Tapungato in Mendoza, has garnered a growing reputation for ripe and earthy malbecs at a nice value.
Seasons 52 - 06/12/2009: Grilled or wood-fire-baked fare at this chain in Cherry Hill Mall aspires to fresh and healthful, but stumbles in the taste test.

By Craig LaBan, Inquirer Restaurant Critic

Could a concept as enlightened as seasonal, healthful cooking possibly exist at the Cherry Hill Mall? Yes, I know we're talking about the hallowed ground where the first climate-controlled indoor mall east of the Mississippi was born nearly half a century ago. I know we're talking about a town so thoroughly infested with big-box commercialism that any hop
Drink - 06/12/2009: The flute section at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts has found a crisp, new voice in a cocktail called the Crescendo Fizz, now debuting under the peaked, white catering tent.
Fountain Restaurant - 06/05/2009: By Craig LaBan, Inquirer Restaurant Critic

'Jackets required" is one dining-room edict that's doing a quick fade to endangered status. And while I don't regard my blazer with quite the disdain I have for ties (and the stuffy chokehold they once clamped on upscale dining), it is not a restriction I'm going to miss terribly.
Drink - 06/05/2009: The classic grapes of France have thoroughly dominated the emerging vineyards of the New World, but a planet can only drink so much chardonnay and cabernet. So it's no surprise that popular alternatives from other countries are starting to find their way into the American soil.
Saute - 05/29/2009: This latest one-name wonder - a Queen Village BYO and its young chef crafting creative cuisine - merits many words of praise.

By Craig LaBan, Inquirer Restaurant Critic

There is a fine art to coining the perfect one-word restaurant name. And Philly has seen a host of seemingly prosaic choices - Fork, Supper, and Salt, to name a few - that rose above their implied mundaneness to achieve a memorable cachet.
Drink - 05/29/2009: I like a rosé with curves, and the 2008 Sofia from Francis Ford Coppola's winery turns out to be a beauty with substance that goes well beyond its eye-catching, voluptuous bottle.