Philadelphia Restaurants & Food

Sunday, Nov 22, 7:03 AM

Web Search powered by YAHOO! SEARCH

Latest Episodes

Click here to watch previous episodes of The Philly Dish

RECIPES

Coming home to November

When it was all ready one afternoon last week - the dry-brined turkey a rosy chestnut brown, the Sister Frances' Potatoes (named for one of the last of the famously celibate Shakers), the brothy, purposefully not creamy blue-pumpkin soup (with a sour jolt of preserved lemon), Melissa Hamilton beamed at what she had wrought: "Ah," she announced, "Thanksgiving in November!"

RECIPES

Roast Turkey

14- to 16-pound fresh turkey

3 tablespoons kosher salt

Stuffing of your choice

3 to 4 tablespoons softened butter

1 cup water

More>>

Recipe Search

CRAIG LABAN RESTAURANT REVIEWS

Meritage

It's the same name but a completely different restaurant at this old favorite now that; the most recent owners have gone casual with a cheery yellow redesign and lowered prices, and hired a rising kitchen star in Anne Coll. Formerly Susanna Foo's executive chef, Coll brings an uncommonly deft Asian fusion touch to gorgeous contemporary fare that is among the city's best fine-dining values. Service is earnest and personal, while the longstanding wine focus remains, but with an effort at affordability.

Dinner Tuesday to Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, until 11.

500 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, PA
215-985-1922
www.meritagephiladelphia.com

Make a reservation

Post a review

More Craig LaBan restaurant reviews
LaBan restaurant chat | Read the archives
2008: The year in bells
Restaurants A-Z

VOICES

Rick Nichols

K-never fear, k-nishes here

Michael Klein

All of a sudden it's dining time in Swarthmore

Jill Wendholt Silva

Say blue cheese! Many ways to enjoy this creamy, versatile dip

Joe Sixpack

A beer a day for 10,000 days

Archives | Craig LaBan | Rick Nichols | Jill Wendholt Silva | Joe Sixpack

CRAIG LABAN \| INQUIRER REVIEWS Girasole Bolete Brauhaus Schmitz Swift Half Oyster House		DAILY NEWS REVIEWS Kong Ikea Cafeteria SmokeEaters Pub David's Mai Lai Wah Bebe's Barbecue

TABLE TALK

Stephen Starr's spy network

- 11/20/2009

The restaurateur says he retains TWO mystery-shopper companies -- and they keep tabs on each other.

All of a sudden it's dining time in Swarthmore
Table Talk | Italian restaurateur finds success at lower price
First, Rittenhouse Square; next, a burger joint
A true pan-Asian mans the pans at Chew Man Chu

PHILADELPHIA FOOD BLOGROLL

Beer Radar: Joe Sixpack's blog | Foobooz | Foodadelphia | Fork You! | Fries With That Shake | I'll Have Another STOUT | Jersey Girl Cooks | Living on the Vedge | Mac & Cheese | Meal Ticket | Messy and Picky | Philly Food and Drink | Phoodie.info | Unbreaded

Pie contest has ulterior motive - what crust! - 11/19/2009: Marilyn Paige adores apple pie, but she knows her limitations. "I can eat it, I just can't bake it," says Paige, a student/scrapbooker/photographer. "And I don't believe you can buy a great slice of apple pie in Philadelphia without paying a fortune."
Pumpkin can be so much more than pie - 11/19/2009: Every year the pumpkin parade arrives earlier - before Labor Day, even, the fluffy pumpkin lattes and baseball mitt-size pumpkin muffins emerge on cue from behind coffee bar counters. Limited-edition pumpkin ales follow, along with sweet-smelling doughnuts and seasonally confusing ice creams. And before long, chunky cans of purees are lining supermarket aisle-end displays, seductively promising smooth-as-silk pies.
Drink - 11/20/2009: Philadelphians have been drinking a long time over at McGillin's Olde Ale House - since the days of Abraham Lincoln, to be exact. So it's only fitting that the venerable tavern in the 1300 block of Drury Street should celebrate its forthcoming 150th birthday with an anniversary beer called 1860 I.P.A.
Kong - 11/20/2009: There was so much syrupy hoisin and sweet sauce streaked across my first dinner at Kong - Northern Liberties' new ode to Hong Kong street food - that it was pretty clear Michael O'Halloran's "authenticator" wasn't having the desired effect.
K-never fear, k-nishes here - 11/20/2009: Not that you would call him svelte. By any means. But I ask Mitch Lipkin, 60 now, hasn't he lost some weight? "I lose some. I find some," he shrugs.
Northern Liberties Koo Zee Doo BYOB offers Portuguese cuisine - 11/20/2009: Until recently, if you had a hankering for Portuguese cuisine - and it's hard not to - you had to trek to the Northeast or New Jersey. With the opening of Koo Zee Doo BYOB on Second Street in Northern Liberties, it is easier for Philadelphians to say, "Bom Apetite!"
Looking for the right wine? No problem - 11/19/2009: All the pressure should land on the chef at Thanksgiving, because when it comes to bringing the wine, there are no "wrong" answers. After all, this holiday meal is typically such a riot of divergent flavors, from tart cranberries to sweet potatoes to the meaty bird and its lusty dressing, that it's impossible for a single wine to match the feast's many moods.
Quick Chicken Fajitas - 11/19/2009: Southwestern fajitas with meat and colorful vegetables make a delicious, light meal. Typically, the meat is marinated overnight and then grilled, but I use a warm marinade and cut the chicken into thin strips to eliminate the wait.
Turkey Days: These haunts serve up Thanksgiving classics year-round - 11/19/2009: THANKSGIVING can't come soon enough. When the leaves start to change, and the city is cloaked in the sweet scent of fall, there are few things as comforting as the thought of gathering around the dining room table at Mom's house to argue about politics and football while we stuff our bellies.