Chatting With Craig LaBan: What went wrong at Bonchon?

Craig LaBan: I've been doing some eating - some fantastic (see my three-bell rave on the fine farm-to-table revamp of the Mainland Inn in Harleysville), and some not great at all (see my Sunday take on Chinatown's new Bonchon, the Korean fried-chicken franchise that earned a rare "no bell" rating).

In other news, we were all extremely concerned to learn that chef Eli Kulp of Fork, High Street on Market, and a.Kitchen was seriously injured in last week's horrific Amtrak accident. Eli's wife issued some hopeful updates from his Twitter feed this weekend. I speak for the whole Tuesday Philly Food Chat Crew when I say: Get better soon, Eli.

Reader: Is wine in a can a new thing? I just saw someone (Marc Vetri, maybe) post a picture of a canned rosé. I love the idea for portability.

CL: Yes, this is definitely a new thing - particularly good for picnics and wines that are really meant to be drunk young. The cans are lined, so there's no tinny aftertaste. . . . Also, it's a knockout for chilled white wines. . . . I can imagine dragging that behind my canoe.

Reader: Went to Tired Hands Fermentaria in Ardmore. Unbelievable space, great menu, though small, and, of course, a great beer selection. Plans to review?

Reader: Have you had a chance to visit Helm yet?

CL: I've heard nothing but good things so far about Helm in lower Kensington, but it's still a bit too soon for a visit from me. Noord chef Joncarl Lachman, who was a guest on this chat a couple of weeks ago, said it was his favorite new BYO in the city. . . . Same for the new Tired Hands. That place is a big step up for one of the region's most talented brewers. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all came together.

Reader: I liked the chicken at Bonchon more than you did, though I was surprised that they actually had other things on their menu. . . . I didn't see anyone who ordered anything but the fried chicken.

CL: The chicken, to me, was very mediocre at best (as is obvious from the review), but there is a full menu of Korean standards on that menu. I've seen them noted in reviews of other Bonchons in other cities (like Boston), so it's not unique to the Philly location. It makes sense in such a decent-size space to offer options, but these cooked dishes seemed a bit beyond their capabilities to execute well.

Reader: Perhaps the issue with Bonchon, and similar, is that they are the "fried-chicken place," but then have a menu that must be executed otherwise, even if 99 percent of sales are the chicken. So the folks responsible for executing the menu have to prep and worry about other things that take away from being perfect at the core of the business.

Reader: It's a franchise . . . they have recipes, and they aren't able to execute them. That's really what it comes down to. Poor execution and training.

Reader: It wasn't in a can, but the draft wine at Triangle is solid.

CL: Haven't been to the new Triangle yet. But wine on draft has really picked up over the last few years, with local pioneers like Johnny Brenda's, London, and the Tria Taproom bringing in some wines on keg that are exceptionally fresh and vibrant. The can concept is a natural follow to that draft/keg trend, and with so many new canning lines facilitating the can renaissance in craft beer, it makes sense.