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.

Live chat: Join Craig at 2 p.m. on Tuesdays in the Inquirer chatroom. See latest chats by Craig and others.

Book: The Philadelphia Inquirer Restaurant Guide is available through our online store.

Email Craig at claban@phillynews.com

A Frenchman's wine finds

By Craig LaBan, Inquirer Restaurant Critic

Posted 07/18/2008

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

Time

In the old Ludwig's Garden space, there are a beer bar, an updated chop house, and an absinthe lounge, all under one roof. The sum of the parts? A pretty nice threesome.

By Craig LaBan, Inquirer Restaurant Critic

Posted 07/18/2008

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.

Drink 07/11/2008: The vibrant Spanish white called Albariño has begun to capture the imagination of winemakers around the world, so it's little surprise that intriguing renditions have appeared on Pennsylvania shelves from California (Bonny Doon's Ca' Del Solo, $18.99) to Uruguay (Bouza, $14.99).
Pasta shells and more at Shore 07/11/2008: By Craig LaBan , Inquirer Restaurant Critic

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.
Pearls of great taste 07/04/2008: The ultimate oyster turns up in Avalon, and more magically memorable morsels and meals are making it a perfect-plus summer down the Shore.

By Craig LaBan , Inquirer Restaurant Critic

Craig LaBan 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. The oyster was plucked from the cold fishery waters and shucked on the spot.

The ultimate oyster turns up in Avalon, and more magically memorable morsels and meals are making it a perfect-plus summer.

Join the Inquirer's food critic for his annual review of Shore dining.
Drink 07/04/2008: When the wines of Hungary are mentioned, most people think of the exotic sweet wines of Tokaji, and the hearty, rustic red known as Bull's Blood.
Kaffa Crossing 06/27/2008: Coffee shop plus: A big thumbs up for this hands-on Ethiopian food, ringing with exotic homeland spices, a West Philly adventure-eating must.

By Craig LaBan , Inquirer Restaurant Critic

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.
Drink 06/20/2008: Good hard cider is pressing its case alongside the craft beer boom, and Ace Perry Cider is one of the most intriguing fruit brews to show up on tap handles around town.
Swallow 06/20/2008: Some dishes exemplify simplicity done right; others are just simple.

By Craig LaBan , Inquirer Restaurant Critic

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.
Drink 06/13/2008: Sometimes, a dense red wine just needs a moment to wake up. But 20 minutes in the glass is about all this 2004 Embruix needs to begin expressing the power, finesse and complexity a great modern Spanish wine can bring.
Pearl 06/13/2008: Off Rittenhouse Square, familiar Asian fusion gets fresh flash and finesse from a French-fluent young chef.

By Craig LaBan , Inquirer Restaurant Critic

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.
Rouget 06/06/2008: By Craig LaBan , Inquirer Restaurant Critic

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.

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Modo Mio 08/31/2007: By Craig LaBan , Inquirer Restaurant Critic
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