A slightly off-the-grid choice in Fishtown

Here is an excerpt from Craig LaBan's online chat of Feb. 23, 2016:

Reader: After reading about the best Fishtown/Kensington spots, we decided to try Lloyd Whiskey Bar. The sweet potato Thai pork and chicken and waffle sliders were outstanding, as was the whiskey and beer lists. The bourbon sweet tea was a nice concoction. Another thing we loved about it was that the happy hour went until 8 p.m. – later than usual.

Craig LaBan: I'm glad you liked Lloyd, definitely one of the slightly off-the-grid places Fishtowners call their own - great whiskey list at fair prices with a kitchen that doesn't hold back when it comes to creative takes on indulgent food (i.e. pork belly and deep-fried duck skins.)

Reader: Wondering if you've heard of Alex Garfinkel in Kensington. He's doing some amazing supper-club action in the neighborhood. Went to a dim sum event last night. Crazy good.

C.L.: I've heard of Alex before, but I tend not to write much about supper clubs, with all the restaurants I need to cover. I'm glad to put that name under my hat for the future.

Reader: Do you see more restaurant openings in Fairmount?

C.L.: You just had two notable ones - A Mano and Bar Hygge - which are the first exciting openings in a while. So that's progress. I can't wait to try them both. I'm a Tod "Townsend" Wentz fan, and he's got a good chef with lots of Italian experience manning the kitchen there. As for Bar Hygge, that's a sibling to Earth Bread + Brewery in Mount Airy, and any time I get a chance to drink some of Tom Baker's funky crazy masterful beers, I'm generally in a good mood.

Reader: Double Knot is a terrific physical space with very good dishes on the menu (the cod-fried rice was my fave), but it gets tiresome trying to control the pace when encouraged to order dishes to share. All eight of our dishes came out within a 15-minute span. Restaurants need to be able to turn over tables, especially on busy nights, but there needs to be some balance so people aren't rushed. I'm more inclined at these sorts of places to order two to three dishes at a time and then keep having the waitstaff come back over and over.

C.L.: Thanks for this early take on Michael Schulson's very cool subterranean lair, which spreads beneath a moody new coffee shop and the neighboring Sampan space. I took a little tour and am excited to taste what I saw leaving the kitchen. The sushi looks outstanding, overseen by Kevin Yanaga from Izakaya in A.C., and also the aromatics of skewered delights grilling over the robatayaki grill. A great concept - and it was already packed. I'm not surprised to hear about the pacing . . . nothing new. This service concept descends almost directly from Buddakan, where Schulson worked (in Philly and N.Y.C.), and to me it has always seemed to benefit the kitchen, rather than the customer, eliminating the art of pacing, and accelerating the speed of turning a table. I agree it has its virtues and place in this world of casual, free-flowing, plate-sharing dining culture. But what will ultimately separate the good places from the factories is the ability of a skilled server to conscientiously pace a meal so their guests are happy, eating the right amount of dishes at once, with plenty of table space, without feeling crowded. I think your solution to order only a few dishes at a time is definitely the way to go. Sort of gives the power of pacing back to the customer.