http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/craig_laban RSS Feed for Inq Col Craig LaBan en-us Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:41:07 GMT http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/craig_laban/20080720_Time.html With a turn of the silvery little spigot, a stream of chilled water pours down from the elegant glass "fountain" tank perched on our table at Time. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/craig_laban/20080720_A_Frenchman_s_wine_finds.html It isn't always easy for a wine-loving Frenchman to drink within the borders of Pennsylvania's state-run wine system. True, the state's catalog of French wines is massive by most measures, with more than 2,200 retail selections covering most major regions and producers. But Amaury de Condé still couldn't get his hands on many of the quirky, artisan gems he would happen a http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/craig_laban/20080713_Pasta_shells_and_more_at_Shore.html Frank Sinatra, may he rest in peace, must be the patron saint of spaghetti. It's the only way to explain why every red-gravy joint on the East Coast has a shrine to the man, from the portraits of a fedora-topped young Frank to the endlessly looped soundtrack of his crooner hits that are as ubiquitous as little shakers of grated parmesan cheese. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/craig_laban/20080706_Whoa_whoa_wild_food_days_.html I never thought I'd taste a better Jersey oyster than the one I ate plain a few years ago while standing thigh-deep in the Delaware Bay. Plucked from the cold fishery waters where it was growing and shucked on the spot by an oysterman, that plump Cape May Salt slid down my throat with a sweet-yet-briny liquor that left a magic glow. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/craig_laban/20080629_Kaffa_Crossing.html My quest for a good Ethiopian meal in this town led past a few odd diversions before the happy discovery of Kaffa Crossing in West Philly. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/craig_laban/20080622_Swallow.html It isn't every day that visitors get razzed by a pack of rowdy Eagles fans for having the wrong license plates - and still fall in love with Philadelphia as the destination of their dreams. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/craig_laban/20080615_Pearl.html I had already been to Pearl, it seemed, before I'd ever walked in. But it wasn't a Little Pete's flashback I was having when I cracked the door at 1904 Chestnut St. No, that greasiest of greasy-spoon coffee shops had been transformed into something at the complete opposite end of the Pretension Spectrum. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/craig_laban/20080608_Rouget.html The color looked different when Brian Held saw it in a book. It reminded him of the warm red of a rouget, the coveted Mediterranean rockfish that inspired the name of his restaurant near downtown Newtown. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/craig_laban/20080601_Dream_Cuisine.html For a moment, the South of Jersey had become the South of France. The twinkling glow of trees strung with lights framed the patio where we sat at Dream Cuisine. An illuminated church spire rose over the horizon. And as a gentle spring evening breeze rustled across our table. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/craig_laban/20080525_Sonam.html Many an ambitious young chef has gotten lost in the uncharted wilderness of fusion cooking, where the path between inspiration and incoherent nonsense is perilously narrow.