Philadelphia: Vetri (December 2011)

My spouse and I dined at Vetri on New Year’s Eve (December 2011), so my review is a few months late. We live equidistant between Philadelphia and New York City, but because it is easier to travel to NYC (less traffic), we generally choose that NYC over Philly, except on New Year’s Eve, when traveling to New York becomes nearly impossible. Marc Vetri’s flagship restaurant (he also owns the more casual Osteria and has interest in two others) is thought to be the best restaurant in Philadelphia (we agree!), so it made the top of our list for our special holiday dinner. We liked that the restaurant offered its regular $135 per person prix-fixe tasting menu (note that the price will be raised to $155 in September 2012) rather than a special holiday menu. (When a restaurant offers a special holiday menu, we generally find that the quality and variety suffer while the prices are raised. This wasn’t the case with Vetri.) Both a wine pairing and a beer pairing are available at an additional cost. My spouse liked the beer pairing – something we haven’t been offered ever before. 

The staff worked unbelievably well together in their smallish space on the first-floor of a townhouse in Center City. 

There is a public parking lot directly next door to the restaurant. The restaurant has no bar area, so you don’t want to arrive earlier than your reservation. The mood was really festive, from both the diners and the staff. The staff was completing their last shift of work before the restaurant closed for the first week of January; staff members were traveling abroad to learn more about food and cooking. Who isn’t in a great mood on the last day of work before vacation? 

The food was fantastic, from the homemade pasta (spinach gnocchi, almond-ricotta tortellini) to the roasted and crispy capretto (baby goat). I think we each received 6+ dishes, and we each received a different dish for every course (so because we shared, we each sampled 12+ different items). 

We would love to be fortunate enough to dine here again! It will be hard to choose another Philly restaurant over this one.

Deerfield Beach Florida (December 2011)

New York City: Bar Masa (December 2011)

My spouse and I dined for lunch at Bar Masa in early December 2011. We took a quick trip into the city to dine after our Global Entry interviews at Newark International Airport. From there, we emailed our passports to get our visas for Brazil and Argentina. The sushi was amazingly fresh! Masa is located on the fourth floor of the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle. The restaurant was opened by Chef Masa Takayama in 2004 and is considered one of the most expensive restaurants in the world, as well as the most expensive restaurant in New York City. Located next door to the restaurant is Bar Masa, a more accessible dining experience offering an a la carte menu.

Pittsburgh: Courtyard by Marriott Pittsburgh Downtown (October 2011)

My spouse and I have stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott Pittsburgh Downtown several times over the past few years, but I’ve never written a review about the hotel. The hotel is well located if you are attending an event at the convention center, the Consol Center (such as a Penguins hockey game), PNC Park (a Pirates game), Heinz Field (a Steelers or University of Pittsburgh Panthers football game), or an event at the Benedum Center or O’Reilly Theater. There are several restaurants just outside the doors of the hotel, in addition to their own Sonoma restaurant which is open for lunch and dinner (it’s a fairly sound choice and has both indoor and outdoor seating). Nearby restaurants (within the same block or so, although all on the opposite side of the street) include Seviche, Sharper Edge Bistro, Nine on Nine, and August Henry’s Saloon. The hotel has a separate “bistro” breakfast area (not included in the room rate), and it an attractive outdoor courtyard area featuring various types of seating as well as a propane grill. Internet (both wired and wireless) is free, and the hotel provides some computers in the lobby for use by the guests, as well as two printers dedicated to printing boarding passes. As typical with most “value” Marriott properties, this hotel features a pantry area where you can buy drinks and snacks, although there are many convenience stores and drugstores within a few blocks of the hotel. The hotel has a small fitness center, as well as a few meeting/event rooms. Valet parking is pricey, but there is a garage just a block away (at the corner of Ninth Street and Penn Avenue) that charges just $5 for 24 hours on weekends (too inexpensive, in my opinion, especially on weekends when there are many events - it’s no wonder the city is in financial difficulty!). Most king-bedded rooms at this hotel are spacious with high ceilings (there are a few rooms in a sort of annexed area that you reach by going down a few steps from the main part of each floor, and those rooms are not as large and can appear cramped). Despite a very busy weekend for sporting events in Pittsburgh, we were allowed to check in early on our most recent visit, which has never happened before - what a pleasant surprise! We were assigned an accessible room because it was the only room available when we checked in. Normally, we would refuse such a room, feeling that it should be reserved for someone who really needs it, but we were encouraged to take it by the front desk clerk who explained that it really wasn’t much different than a regular room and that they didn’t anticipate needing it for that purpose that evening. She was correct in that the room wasn’t much different than other rooms we’ve had at this hotel - the bathroom was larger, the toilet featured a grab bar next to it, and the room had a doorbell (which could be turned off via a light switch), but other than those things, it looked just like a standard room. The room had a built-in refrigerator beneath the bar area, which we didn’t recall from previous visits, where we had to request that a small fridge be delivered to our room. The bathroom wasn’t truly accessible, though, in our opinion, and when we mentioned it to the (same) front desk clerk at check-out time, she said that some accessible rooms were more accessible than others. Our main concern was that the combination bathtub/shower unit was not suitable for someone in a wheelchair because it didn’t offer roll-in/zero-clearance access, nor did it have a two-part shower head with an attachment that one could remove and use if seated. The clerk confirmed that the rooms on only certain floors featured such showers. Our only other general comment on the room (which we didn’t make to the clerk) was that there wasn’t enough counter space in the enormous bathroom. For the two of us, we needed more space, and found that the rolling/nesting part of the writing desk was easy enough to move into the bathroom to provide an additional storage area. This hotel remains a good option in Pittsburgh - although there are more luxurious properties, they usually come with a higher cost that doesn’t equal value to us for our typical less-than-24-hour stay in the ‘burgh. 

Pittsburgh: Courtyard by Marriott Pittsburgh Downtown

My spouse and I have stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott Pittsburgh Downtown several times over the past few years, but I’ve never written a review about the hotel. The hotel is well located if you are attending an event at the convention center, the Consol Center (such as a Penguins hockey game), PNC Park (a Pirates game), Heinz Field (a Steelers or University of Pittsburgh Panthers football game), or an event at the Benedum Center or O’Reilly Theater. There are several restaurants just outside the doors of the hotel, in addition to their own Sonoma restaurant which is open for lunch and dinner (it’s a fairly sound choice and has both indoor and outdoor seating). Nearby restaurants (within the same block or so, although all on the opposite side of the street) include Seviche, Sharper Edge Bistro, Nine on Nine, and August Henry’s Saloon. The hotel has a separate “bistro” breakfast area (not included in the room rate), and it an attractive outdoor courtyard area featuring various types of seating as well as a propane grill. Internet (both wired and wireless) is free, and the hotel provides some computers in the lobby for use by the guests, as well as two printers dedicated to printing boarding passes. As typical with most “value” Marriott properties, this hotel features a pantry area where you can buy drinks and snacks, although there are many convenience stores and drugstores within a few blocks of the hotel. The hotel has a small fitness center, as well as a few meeting/event rooms. Valet parking is pricey, but there is a garage just a block away (at the corner of Ninth Street and Penn Avenue) that charges just $5 for 24 hours on weekends (too inexpensive, in my opinion, especially on weekends when there are many events - it’s no wonder the city is in financial difficulty!). Most king-bedded rooms at this hotel are spacious with high ceilings (there are a few rooms in a sort of annexed area that you reach by going down a few steps from the main part of each floor, and those rooms are not as large and can appear cramped). Despite a very busy weekend for sporting events in Pittsburgh, we were allowed to check in early on our most recent visit, which has never happened before - what a pleasant surprise! We were assigned an accessible room because it was the only room available when we checked in. Normally, we would refuse such a room, feeling that it should be reserved for someone who really needs it, but we were encouraged to take it by the front desk clerk who explained that it really wasn’t much different than a regular room and that they didn’t anticipate needing it for that purpose that evening. She was correct in that the room wasn’t much different than other rooms we’ve had at this hotel - the bathroom was larger, the toilet featured a grab bar next to it, and the room had a doorbell (which could be turned off via a light switch), but other than those things, it looked just like a standard room. The room had a built-in refrigerator beneath the bar area, which we didn’t recall from previous visits, where we had to request that a small fridge be delivered to our room. The bathroom wasn’t truly accessible, though, in our opinion, and when we mentioned it to the (same) front desk clerk at check-out time, she said that some accessible rooms were more accessible than others. Our main concern was that the combination bathtub/shower unit was not suitable for someone in a wheelchair because it didn’t offer roll-in/zero-clearance access, nor did it have a two-part shower head with an attachment that one could remove and use if seated. The clerk confirmed that the rooms on only certain floors featured such showers. Our only other general comment on the room (which we didn’t make to the clerk) was that there wasn’t enough counter space in the enormous bathroom. For the two of us, we needed more space, and found that the rolling/nesting part of the writing desk was easy enough to move into the bathroom to provide an additional storage area. This hotel remains a good option in Pittsburgh - although there are more luxurious properties, they usually come with a higher cost that doesn’t equal value to us for our typical less-than-24-hour stay in the ‘burgh.

New York City (October 2011)

My spouse and I visited New York City for a 1-night stay in early October 2011 to celebrate my spouse's birthday and to take part in the NYC Wine & Food Festival. We arrived in the city and immediately traveled downtown to the Meatpacking District to listen to a panel discussion by Mario Batali, Marcus Samuelson, and Andrew Zimmern, which was moderated by Dana Cowin. Afterwards, we ate at Spice Market. We walked around Chelsea Market before traveling back uptown to attend a presentation at the New York Times building by Eric Ripert and Jennifer Carroll. We had a bit of time beforehand, so we had drinks at Heartland Brewery. Then we tried to check into the hotel that we booked, the Crowne Plaza Times Square, but they ended up walking us to the nearby Intercontinental Times Square (where we had stayed previously, and which was actually a better/step-up hotel). That evening, we dined at Marea, and we were pleasantly surprised to find that my sister-in-law had purchased a gift certificate that offset the price of our dinner. What a great night! The next day, we traveled back downtown to dine outdoors at Dos Caminos.

Hotels:

InterContinental Times Square Link to my review

Crowne Plaza Times Square Link to my review

Restaurants:

Dos Caminos Link to my review

Spice Market Link to my review

Marea Link to my review

 Heartland Brewery Link to my review

New York City: InterContinental Times Square (October 2011)

My spouse and I stayed at the InterContinental Times Square for one weekend night in early October 2011. We hadn’t planned on staying at this property, although we had stayed here for another one-night weekend stay in mid-May 2011 (see my review titled “Newer Property, Great Location)”. We remitted 25,000 Priority Club points for a free night stay at the nearby Crowne Plaza Times Square (see my review titled “Admirably Handles a Problem”); however, because of some weather-related maintenance issues at the Crowne Plaza property, we were “bumped” to this higher-category member of the IC Hotels Group chain. Having stayed at this property before in mid-May of 2011, we didn’t mind the last-minute change. We were given a standard room (as opposed to the sky view corner room that we had in May), and the room size was similar, as was the bathroom. As I said in my May review, the room furnishings are attractive, as are the bathrooms, which are spacious with nice rainfall showers. Gilchrist & Soames toiletries are provided, and robes and slippers are available as well. The standard room contained an armchair and ottoman, something that the sky view room lacked. The standard room had a mini-bar, although the bar contains sensors, so don’t take any item out (or put any of your own items in) or you will be charged accordingly, even if you don’t actually consume anything. (I didn’t recall the sky view room having a mini-bar, but perhaps I just didn’t notice it). I don’t have much more to add from my May review; the hotel is well located if you are visiting the Times Square area and is near the Port Authority, where we usually park. There is a doorman who hails cabs, but the line was lengthy on a rainy evening. We simply walked to Ninth Avenue (which is one way going uptown) and easily caught our own cab there. We bought some breakfast pastries from the Todd English Ca Va market, which were good and a bit different from what we typically see at Starbucks. Our second stay was as good as the first!

New York City: Crowne Plaza Times Square (October 2011)

My spouse and I (tried to) stay at the Crowne Plaza Times Square for one weekend night in early October 2011. We remitted the 25,000 Priority Club points for a free night stay. When we attempted to check into the hotel, we were asked for the usual information and then asked to wait while a manager was contacted. Because check-in doesn’t normally require a manager, it tipped us off that something was wrong. The manager told us that one part of the hotel had been damaged in recent heavy rains (which was true; we live in within a 1.5-hour drive of the area and have been received a much-higher-than-usual rainfall over a short period of time) and was unsuitable for occupancy. He said that they were moving us to another hotel. (This was my first “hotel bump” ever!) We were concerned about which hotel they might move us to, but we need not have worried. The alternate property was a step above the Crowne Plaza Times Square – we were moved to the InterContinental Times Square. The InterContinental is only about five blocks away from the Crowne Plaza; we would have booked that property originally, however, it would have “cost” us 30,000 Priority Club points per night, and we didn’t have the extra 5,000 needed to “upgrade” to their top-of-the-line brand. We were also told that the Crowne Plaza would arrange for a taxi to take us to the InterContinental, and we were asked if we wanted to have some complimentary drink coupons to use while we waited in the hotel bar for our letter to be prepared that would bump us to the other hotel. We accepted the drink coupons, and enjoyed the bar at the Crowne Plaza for a brief while. The bar was extremely lively on a Saturday night between 5:00 and 6:00 pm, which made for an interesting place to wait. Drinks are pricey but comparable to other hotel bars in the city. It took the front desk manager quite a long time to prepare our letter; he had made it sound as if it would take only minutes (causing us to debate whether we even wanted to accept the drink coupons), but it was closer to one hour by the time the letter was ready and we could depart. And so much for the taxi that they had arranged – they gave us a $10 bill and sent us on our way. It probably wouldn’t have been too difficult to hail a taxi in the nicely covered/protected porte-cochère if it hadn’t been raining so heavily; but because it was, there were no cabs to be found, despite the best efforts of the friendly doorman. We pocketed the money and walked the few blocks to the InterContinental. We met another couple who was in our same predicament, but we also saw guests who were checking into the hotel, so I’m not sure how the hotel decided who was walked to the other property and who held reservations that were honored as reserved. All-in-all, I think the Crowne Plaza handled things admirably, and we were barely inconvenienced at all. The only comment we have is that it would have been nice to receive a telephone call (even on the day of) telling us of the change so that we didn’t have to trek to the hotel only to be told that we would have to trek back to where we just came from. But I guess they can’t really do that; hotels probably count on a certain number of no-shows, and if guests found out that they had been bumped to a higher-category property, perhaps they would show up. The miles that we remitted for the stay were redeposited into our Priority Club account, and we received a free night at a better property, so how could we complain? Admirably handled a problem.

New York City: Dos Caminos (October 2011)

My spouse and I ate Sunday brunch at Dos Caminos in the Meatpacking District in early October 2011. Dos Caminos is part of a chain of restaurants, with four locations in New York city (besides Meatpacking, there are restaurants in SoHo, the Lower East Side, and the Upper East Side), as well as outlets in Atlantic City, Las Vegas, and Fort Lauderdale (Dos Caminos is part of the larger BR Guest restaurant group). The large outdoor patio was what most attracted us to this restaurant. They have heaters and umbrellas on the patio, neither of which was necessary on the afternoon that we dined there. The indoor space seems rather extensive, too, for a seemingly small triangular-shaped building, with seating on the street level as well as in a second-story dining room. Restrooms are in the basement, although I didn’t see an elevator or any other alternative for the physically challenged, although I’m sure that there must be. The menu is affordable, and brunch offerings included more than just breakfast items; a limited selection of Mexican entree items from their regular dinner menu was also available. Service was good, even when our initial server passed us off to another server; the transition was smooth, with the new server quickly introducing herself and explaining the transfer. Dos Caminos participates in the Open Table reservation system, so it is possible to see available times and locations online. We had a fine meal at Dos Caminos - nothing to write home about, but decent food at affordable prices, and the outdoor space at the Meatpacking location is enjoyable on a lovely-weather day. A comfortable and affordable meal!

New York City: Spice Market (October 2011)

Our lunch in early October 2011 was the first Jean Georges restaurant that my spouse and I tried. We were attending some lecture events for the New York City Wine & Food Festival and were looking for a Meatpacking District restaurant to dine at between those events. This restaurant is located quite near the Highline and the Standard Hotel. There is some outdoor seating at Spice Market, of which we would have gladly partaken, but the very reason that we were in the area – the Wine & Food Festival – deposited an outdoor event (an Iron Chef-type set on which people could pretend) on the restaurant’s doorstep, making it very loud with lots of foot traffic. 

Because it was our first visit, the waitress recommended the tasting menu so that we could sample many of the menu items (less than $50 per person for 8 dishes). She explained that the dishes were served family-style, then further explained that it meant that dishes would be delivered from the kitchen whenever and in whatever order they were ready. (This was news to us - family-style usually means that one serving bowl/platter is shared among many diners.) The menu is extensive, and it would have been difficult to choose only a few dishes for ourselves. We particularly enjoyed the rare tuna appetizer served with chili tapioca, the cod with basil sauce, the grilled chicken with kumquats, and the thai jewel dessert served with coconut ice. 

The restaurant interior is attractive, with Southeast Asian theme, and the servers are uniquely attired (perhaps a bit scantily with regard to the tops that the female staffers were wearing). The table seating is not comfortable, in my opinion. The tables are close together, and we had the unfortunate privilege of being places adjacent to the service stand, despite the fact that the restaurant was rather empty when we arrived. (To their credit, though, they did a good job of spacing everyone out based on their arrival time, which is why we got “stuck” where we did.) The restrooms are on the basement level, along with a bar and some lounge seating. (I’m not sure if any allowances - such as an elevator - are made for someone who is physically challenged.) 

We had a small problem with one of our shared desserts, but we pointed it out to the server and it was quickly removed. The manager of the restaurant delivered a replacement dessert a short while later, along with his sincere apologies as well as a message that one round of drinks was on the house. 

So our meal ended up pleasantly; we feel that the real indicator of a good restaurant/good service is how they fix a problem. We enjoyed our lunch here, would eat there again if the situation presented itself, and look forward to trying another Jean Georges restaurant in New York City in the future. Try the tasting menu!

New York City: Marea (October 2011)

My spouse and I had first heard of Marea from a friend of ours who lives in the city (it’s the favorite Manhattan restaurant of our friend). Then we started to read about the restaurant in various magazines and online forums, and when we saw it highlighted on an episode of Top Chef and learned about the amazing ricci appetizer, we really wanted to go. We made a reservation for a prime time, 8:00 on a Saturday evening in early October 2011, using Open Table. 

The restaurant atmosphere is very comfortable, with the main dining room sunken a few steps from the street level. Restrooms are on the basement level, and I didn’t see any provisions made for someone who is handicapped, although I’m sure there was some other alternative available. Jackets are ties are not mandatory for men, however, many men were wearing one or the other. There is a large bar area should you arrive early and want to have a drink while you wait for your table. The tables are fairly close together in the dining room, yet we didn’t feel uncomfortable or as if we had to whisper for fear of being overhead by the nearest tables. Service was efficient but not overbearing. We didn’t care for the bread service – we prefer using butter on our bread to dipping it in or spreading it with olive oil (however fine that olive oil may be), but the food was excellent otherwise. 

The amuse-bouche was a “shooter” glass of tasty pea soup. We each chose the 4-course prix fixe option, which I believe was priced in the $90 range. We shared the signature appetizer dish, ricci (which is a crostini topped with sea urchin uni topped with somewhat liquified lardo), which is served for the table, not per person. It was priced at $15 for the table; I’m not sure what happens when you have four or six companions; I would think the price would be incremental but nothing was stated as such. I had a crudo tasting as my appetizer (even though there was a supplemental charge of $6), allowing the chef to choose the three dishes (but you could have chosen on your own, too). Allowing the chef to choose for me was the wisest choice that I made all evening - the quality of the fish was superb, and the garnish/accompaniments were perfect! Left to my own devices for the pasta course and the entrée, I probably could have chosen more adventurously. The Marea menu is so extensive, that it quickly became evident that I should have done a bit of research prior to my visit. I’m not a frequent eater of fish (I didn’t even realize that I liked fish until I dined at Le Bernardin a few years ago!), so some of the menu items and ingredients were unfamiliar to me. I chose a risotto dish with mushrooms and Romano cheese, followed by the capesante (scallop) entree. I found the cheese to be overpowering in the risotto, and although the entree was tasty, I though some components (figs and eggplant with olives, I believe) were overwhelming and I wasn’t completely sure how the ingredients worked together. I’m not a food expert, but I do cook, read cookbooks and food magazines, watch a lot of food-related TV shows, and of course, I like fine dining – my favorite restaurants are Per Se, Momofuku Ko, The French Laundry, Alinea, so I like to think I know a little about food, but like I said, I didn’t see how the components in the scallop dish related. My spouse’s choices were much more adventurous. and thus, much more successful - I preferred his pasta course (fusilli with octopus and bone marrow) and entree course (halibut) to mine (he also had the oyster tasting, which I didn’t sample). Dessert for my spouse was the cheese tasting (which was great) and for me, the panna cotta at the recommendation of the waiter, which was superb. It is clear to me that when I relied on the chef and the waiter to choose dishes for me, the results were excellent and different than when I made some “safe” choices on my own. The bill was delivered with some tasty mignardises, which was a nice, sweet way to end the meal. 

Overall, we had a great meal at Marea: the food was tasty, the total bill didn’t break the bank (unlike some of those other restaurants that I mentioned), and it the restaurant is somewhere that diners can return to more often than those other restaurants because of the extensive menu and numerous choices. A delicious meal in comfortable surroundings!