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Craig LaBan visits Philly restaurants in New York

Homesick Philadelphians need not go hungry in the Big Apple. Yes, I'm well aware Manhattan has a few nice places of its own. But, sometimes, a person just needs a little taste of the "215" to keep it real. And NYC has options.

Amada, New York City.
Amada, New York City.Read moreDaniel Krieger

Homesick Philadelphians need not go hungry in the Big Apple. Yes, I'm well aware Manhattan has a few nice places of its own. But, sometimes, a person just needs a little taste of the "215" to keep it real. And NYC has options.

Some Really Big Philly Names, in fact, are just about to make more noise in the city, with hummus master Michael Solomonov and another Stephen Starr production set for May openings, plus a new Amada that Jose Garces opened last week. It's too early to know how those projects will fare. But there are already several Philly flavors representing, from the roasty crunch of High Street's anadama loaf to the heady sting of Han Dynasty Sichuan dialed up to level 10 to a taste of the fish taco that launched El Vez (and Jose Garces' star). Do they live up to their proud pedigrees? Here are my reports on four:

High Street on Hudson, 637 Hudson St., 917-388-3944; highstreetonhudson.com: If ever there was a "New Yorky" restaurant in Philly, it would be High Street on Market, the casual cafe beside big sibling Fork that turns offbeat pastas, fermentation, and extraordinary breads into an all-day exploration of grain-based deliciousness. Red-eye danish with country ham? Yes, please.

The principal culinary creators here - chef-partner Eli Kulp and baker Alex Bois - honed their craft in NYC before landing in Philly. So it's no surprise the concept they helped craft with co-owner Ellen Yin has resonated well at its second home in the West Village. Set on a busy corner, with bare wood tables and the aroma of a charcoal grill coming from the bustling open kitchen, it already feels like a neighborhood haunt, though with a few New York touches (Channing Daughters' Long Island wine; Meadowood cheese; the signature duck meatball sandwich now called a "sub") rooting it in place. But the magic is due to spot-on execution from Bois and some familiar names, talented chef Jon Nodler (culinary director at High Street in both cities, plus a.kitchen) and his pastry chef wife, Samantha Kincaid. Craft-alum Taylor Naples is chef de cuisine. At dinner, we devoured the bread with inventive dips (the "burnt" celery root puree dusted with fermented mushroom powder was a wow), then a stunningly delicate tempura-fried broccoli drizzled with funky chowchow spice. A fascinating "risotto" was made with tender sunflower seeds instead of rice. An earthy brown paccheri pasta made from toasted oats and malty barley came topped with a Bolognese made of buffalo.

The real showstopper, though, was a sublime honey-lacquered whole chicken for sharing, cooked like Peking duck then deconstructed and nestled inside the leaves of a Caesar salad alongside a bowl of silky liver mousse and warm potato rolls whose mottled brown crust actually looked like potatoes. The best news? My new chicken crush is on the menu back home on Market Street, too.

Han Dynasty, East Village: 90 3rd Ave., 212-390-8685; Upper West Side: 215 W. 85th St., 212-858-9060; handynasty.net: Philadelphia had never really seen an enthusiastic embrace of authentic Sichuan cuisine until Han Chiang brought his chili-fired pyrotechnics to Old City. New York City? Not so much. With vibrant Chinatowns in both Lower Manhattan and Flushing, New Yorkers have plenty of reference for true Sichuan heat, and so the critical reception for Han Dynasty's New York debut in 2013 varied from tepid (New York Times) to raves (New York magazine.)

But Chiang's genius has always been a willingness to adapt and meet his audience more than halfway with a concept still rooted in genuine flavors but presented in a flexible format meant to please the masses. At his new Upper West Side branch, Chiang admits dishes can land on the tame side ("they don't even like bell peppers!") But at a recent lunch in his unassuming little East Village space, the flavors popped with that familiar Han Dynasty zing, from the signature dandan noodles (twirled in an anise heat balm of chili oil and sesame paste) to tender lamb dusted with earthy cumin and the crackly crisp of chicken wings in a "dry pepper" spice that was both magnetic and sweat-inducing.

The kung pao chicken, weirdly sweet like a General Tso's, was one big disappointment. And so was the somewhat gruff server . . . until we told him we were from Philly. "Hey," he said, suddenly brightening, "me, too!"

Upland, 345 Park Ave. South, 212-686-1006; uplandnyc.com: Most Philadelphians don't know Upland yet. But they intimately know its cocreator, Stephen Starr, and it's fascinating to see some familiar characteristics emerge in his budding stable of chef-driven NYC originals (Morimoto and Buddakan, which he opened in Chelsea Market 10 years ago, were spin-offs of his Philly hits.)

At this lively American brasserie on Park Avenue South, that DNA is expressed in a polished accessibility - a mass appeal that feels comfortably refined, if not necessarily particularly edgy. The big room, with gingham table runners and deep green booths, bustled with a laid-back cheer and attentive service at our weekend brunch. Illuminated walls lined with wine bottles and jarred lemons evoked the sunshine of chef-partner Justin Smillie's California hometown of Upland.

And the food draws easily on that bright California spirit, too, interpreted through the Italian lens of pizzas and pastas that play to Smillie's background at Jonathan Waxman's Barbuto, and Il Buco Alimentari. With Starr as impresario now to support his vision, Smillie shows a knack for giving those familiar flavors a thoughtful tweak. A simple gem lettuce salad with creamy avocados is brightened by a citrusy-kombu dressing layered with fried garlic and crushed walnuts. Slow-fermented pizza dough, slightly thicker with an extra Cali-style puff, showcases creamy plumes of hand-pulled stracciatella and lemon-tinged house sausage crumbled among "blast freezer-shattered" kale.

The cacio e pepe is a picture of simplicity mastered, the house bucatini glazed in a creamy, pepper-flecked froth of Pecorino. The skirt steak, meanwhile, showed Smillie's talent for intensifying flavors, with a deeply penetrating black garlic rub I could savor for hours after brunch. Granted, it took two tries for the kitchen to cook it right after my first $29 steak was sorely overdone. But Upland's staff handled it with patented Starr hospitality: a swift no-fuss redo, served with apologies and a smile.

El Vez, 259 Vesey St., 212-233-2500; elveznyc.com: On our way into El Vez in Lower Manhattan, a boy of about 7 was just leaving when he turned back and shouted: "¡Adiós, amigos!"

A couple of guys in Wall Street suits looked up from their "margaritas fantasticas" in the Old Rancho-style saloon at the entrance. But the boy was clearly waving to his people - a vast and riotously colorful dining room filled with so many kids it looked like a field trip from nearby Battery Park City School.

That odd demographic duo - high-rise families and financial district workers - defines the neighborhood vibe at Stephen Starr's Manhattan revamp of his Philly hit. And tempers the flavors, too. If the original at 13th and Sansom was at one point on the lowrider edge of fun Nuevo Mex cuisine (with a still-unknown chef named Jose Garces at the helm), this sprawling rendition a decade later feels decidedly mainstream.

A burrito bar annex during the day gives office workers an appealing indie alternative to Chipotle (with 1,200 possible combos!) At dinner, though, while there's still effort at scratch cooking and excellent handmade tortillas, many of the flavors we had were workmanlike. The guacamole was good and fresh, but the thin chips were greasy and not crisp. The mahi-mahi tacos, still the standard in Philly, were dry, lacking crunch, and slathered in too much chipotle mayo. The Holy Molé, a colorful trio of molés in terra-cotta pots, pays homage to El Rey (Starr's other Philly Mexican restaurant), but only hinted at the original recipe's true depth, with barely a flicker of spice. Our best dish was a giant molcajete filled with peppers, onions, and "al carbon" grilled guajillo-marinated skirt steak and achiote chicken. It was a satisfying, glorified take on fajitas.

As we left, I couldn't help but notice the new Amada from El Vez-alum Jose Garces, right across the street. What a coincidence!

claban@phillynews.com.

Amada's opening menu is here.