Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Craig LaBan

Craig LaBan
Email claban@phillynews.com   Follow on Twitter

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 chatroom.

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

4 Bells: According to Craig, the best restaurants in the Philadelphia area.

Chef Zeng Feng Zhang works the noodles in the kitchen of the new Nan Zhou<br />Hand Drawn Noodle House, its seating capacity more than doubled.
Review: 2 bells for Nan Zhou
By Craig LaBan, Inquirer Restaurant Critic
03/22/2013
Chef Zeng Feng Zhang runs one of the best restaurant magic shows in Philadelphia - even if few know his name.
Video: Nan Zhou Hand Drawn Noodle House
Gallery: Nan Zhou Hand Drawn Noodle House
 
Review: Three bells for Fond
Wine and beer collide at Victory with limited release
03/22/2013
Remember when wine became popular enough to be "the new beer"? And then it flipped when craft beer became "the new wine"? It was inevitable the two would collide someday into one crazy fermented creature, and now we have it, an all-out
 
Cold case: Beer in cans is cool again
 
Pa. House: Privatize liquor sales
 
Wine & Dine on Atlantic City's Boardwalk
 
Italian blast from the past in South Philly 03/20/2013
Blast from braciole past Mr. Joe's Cafe is one of those timeless corner luncheonettes that feels like an institution though it's barely seven years old. That's because there's real history here, where Vince Termini's father, Joseph, founded the famous bak
 
Drink: Goose Island Sofie 03/15/2013
Selling out the brewery to Anheuser-Busch InBev is, in the eyes of craft beer drinkers, the equivalent of ditching Gryffindor for Voldemort and the Death Eaters. So it's no wonder Chicago's homegrown Goose Island has taken the beer-geek heat since its sal
Two bells for In Riva 03/08/2013
By Craig LaBan, Inquirer Restaurant Critic
Stella didn't invent the notion that a Neapolitan-style pizzeria could become the new neighborhood bistro. But in Philadelphia, at least, Stephen Starr's stylish take on the concept three years ago, focused on serious wood-fired pies, fresh salads, and prices still within reach of local regulars, certainly landed ahead of the trend - and has remained influential.
 
Drink: Two great Irish whiskies 03/08/2013
Smooth Irish whiskey is rolling in Pennsylvania, where sales of the most popular brand, Jameson, grew by 20 percent last year. But with a discount and free shipping on the PLCB website in March, this is the month to explore some of the Emerald Isle's fine
 
How to stop kids from fighting at dinner 03/05/2013
Here is an excerpt from Craig LaBan's online chat: Craig LaBan: What's been making your dinners, drinks, and snacks happy? My new invention to keep the kids from fighting at dinner? Personal nachos! Made these babies to order - chili for some, black beans for others, hold the salsa, heavy on the cheese - all a hit thanks to those addictive, amazing fresh chips from Tortilleria San Roman in the Italian Market. Are they the best chips on earth? ¡Creo que sí!
Two bells for Indian Hut 02/28/2013
By Craig LaBan, Inquirer Restaurant Critic
My wife took a bite of crispy cauliflower, and her eyes opened wide: the glossy red "Manchurian" sauce swirled from a deceptive first hint of sweetness to a sudden sour, then a wicked, swelling chile heat.
 
Tasty wines from South Africa 03/01/2013
South Africa's Swartland district is best known for sheep, wheat, and a bush that turns black after the rain - inspiration for the name. But its wines are gaining new renown, too, thanks to charismatic winemakers such as Adi Badenhorst of A.A. Badenhorst.
 
Of hamentaschen and herring 02/27/2013
Here is an excerpt from Craig LaBan's online chat: Craig LaBan: The weekend of Feb. 24 was the Jewish festival of Purim, and that means our oven was full of fresh hamantaschen, those tricornered cookies filled with apricot, cherry, and raspberry jams. (See recipe o
Review: Two bells for Tavro Thirteen 02/22/2013
'I don't love moving. Really, I don't," says Terence Feury. "I want to be somewhere for the long haul."
 
An amazing deal on a riesling 02/22/2013
Few wines can match the dynamic moves of a good riesling - the world's most underappreciated grape. And when you find one like this 2011 Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett from Dr. Fischer in the Saar, on sale in Pennsylvania for an amazing $13, you'll realize t
MORE STORIES
 
BYOs with a worthy steak 02/20/2013
Craig LaBan
Review: One bell for Red Owl Tavern 02/15/2013
By Craig LaBan, Inquirer Restaurant Critic
 
Drink a City Hall at Pub & Kitchen 02/17/2013
Barnes, Art Museum fall short of culinary artistry 02/13/2013
By Craig LaBan, Inquirer Restaurant Critic
 
Khyber gets nod for New Orleans flavors 02/13/2013
Craig LaBan
Review: Two bells for Citron and Rose 02/08/2013
By Craig LaBan, Inquirer Restaurant Critic
 
Reb Roy at Citron and Rose 02/08/2013
How romantic: Dishes for two 02/06/2013
By Craig LaBan, Inquirer Restaurant Critic


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