Beneluxx

(My camera hates darkness. Sorry for the cruddy shots.)

Popped into Beneluxx, the new wine, beer, cheese, and chocolate-tasting restaurant located down the stairs on 3^rd Street this past weekend. Remember SoMa and A Bar Named Sue? That’s where Beneluxx is located.

The gist of Beneluxx is that you can sample wine, beer, cheese, and chocolate by the ounce –fifty wines, thirty beers, thirty cheeses, and twenty chocolates. Fondue, mini pizzas, sandwiches, sausages wrapped in galette, soups, and salads are offered, too. Fun!

Skreeeeeeeech! (Needle on vinyl.)

Before I start my long rant (it's always the whiners that write long reviews), let me say that nothing we put in our mouths from Beneluxx was bad and everyone working there was amiable. I write this with the utmost love for Beneluxx, and I hope someone will tell them to read this review. (I looked for a comment card, but there wasn’t one.)

When sitting down at the tables equipped with glass-rinsing systems (fun when drunk!) lining the wall across from the bar, the first thing you notice are bottles of bleach solution attached to the wall between EVERY table. The small sign below the bottles recommends that cautious individuals use the bleach solution to spritz surfaces. This. Is. Fucking. Weird. Is the owner O.C.D.! Any germaphobe is already packing Purell and antibacterial wipes. Take these bottles down at once. Weird. Weird. Weird.

The menu! Oh, god. Where do I start? Um…if you have to warn your customers that the menu is a novel when handing it to them, you might want to rethink it. The menu is horribly organized; it took us a good fifteen minutes to decide on the first drink order. It didn’t help that not a single one of our three menus included the same pages (some missing, some in different order).

My partner actually designs how people use information, and he tells me that the “information hierarchy” is poorly designed on Beneluxx’s menu. I dig holes in the dirt for a living, and I could tell that this menu was poorly designed. We spent a lot of time flipping back and forth between pages that logically and visually didn’t relate to each other.

The pairing suggestions were unhelpful. Listing five wines (nothing specific; just Zinfandel, Merlot, Reisling…) next to each cheese is like telling me to throw a dart. Towards the back there were two more pages with pairing suggestions (redundant!) for a select few cheeses, beer, chocolate, and wine. Just an example: all but one of the cheese and wine suggestions were for goat cheese. I like goat cheese, but, if you don’t, you’re screwed.

I’m not a professional information architect, but may I suggest handing me three pages only...

Page One

• Side One - White wine organized from light to heavy.
• Side Two - Red wine organized from light to heavy.

Page Two

• Side One - Cheese organized by texture.
• Side two - Chocolate grouped into white, milk, semi-sweet, and bitter-sweet.

Page Three

• Side One - Beer. I’m not a beer drinker, so have no suggestion for organization, but alphabetical wasn't working for the beer drinkers in my group.
• Side Two - Other food menu items.

Can’t fit it all? Yes, you can! Pare down the descriptions to essential words. Get rid of those unhelpful suggestions, and rely on the in-house experts. Intensively train your staff, so they are also knowledgeable. The staff was nice, and I could tell the non-expert staff was making an effort to learn. I know you’ve only been open a couple of weeks, but their knowledge will come in time.

Beneluxx, please hire a professional to design your menu. If you did already, fire them. Every day you have a customer struggle with the menu like we did, is a day you lose customers.Ok, I’ll keep this short…

Go ahead and sample all of the beers at Beneluxx. At around sixty cents per ounce, it’s not expensive to sample all thirty. Yes, it's more expensive than buying a few beers, but.... One ounce of beer is about two small sips – not much – but it’s fun to sample and compare. Plus, you can depress the glass washer to your delight.

Sampling all the wines will put a dent in your pocket. Sample a few, and settle on one or two for the rest of the evening.

Sample as many cheeses as your colon can handle. One ounce of cheese (you can order more than one ounce of any item, but we stuck with one ounce for everything) is perfect for sampling, and the prices are not outrageous. I went with three goudas – goat, cow, and sheep’s milk – for comparative eating. My partners went with two different cheeses each. We all shared like good kids.

I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but one ounce of chocolate is a bit much if you’re sampling a few different kinds. Half of this plate went into my bag and was eaten for breakfast the next day. I found the chocolate sampling the most interesting. There was even a chocolate that – gasp – I didn’t like. It tasted like beer!!

Hungry, we tried a few items from the food menu. The traditional Swiss fondue came in a tiny ramekin with bread. Additional accompaniments can be ordered for a charge. We went with the apples. There was barely enough cheese for the bread and apples, so I wonder what happens if you order more than one accompaniment?

All of Beneluxx’s mini-pizzas include meat. The Iberian, with chorizo, La Peral Blue Cheese, port Dijon cream, Spanish onions and peppers was the most interesting, so all three of us vegetarians forwent the chorizo. This pizza was flavor-packed with salty, pungent blue cheese, caramelized onions, and sweet port Dijon cream. A winner!

Sampling by the ounce is always more expensive than going whole hog, but look at it as a learning experience. Food was good, sampling was fun, but getting there was painful. Hopefully, Beneluxx fixes the menu train wreck, and gets on with gettin’ on.

Beneluxx, 33 S. 3rd St., Philadelphia, PA, 19106 Tues.-Thurs., 5p.m.-midnight; Fri. and Sat., 5p.m.-2a.m.; Sun. and Mon., closed.

Balsamic-Braised Cipolline with Pomegranate

Can you believe I've never plucked and eaten a fresh cherry from a tree? I have eaten a less commonly found in backyards fruit, the pomegranate, straight from the tree. The house I grew up in had a much neglected and improperly sited pomegranate tree (large bush, really) under a towering tree in the backyard. No one cared for this fruit tree, and I remember myself being the only one excited when the tree produced a handful of fruits each year.

Cracking open this strange fruit, plucking all the ruby jewels nestled together in membrane-divided pockets, gently biting down on a handful of seeds to release the tangy, sweet juice of the flesh surrounding the seed, and then, of course, spitting the seeds from the porch in a contest with my best friend made for at least thirty minutes of fun to fill my carefree, youthful days.

Pomegranates make an appearance this time of year, and I usually indulge in at least one. Eating a pomegranate is time consuming and somewhat meditative – the opposite of how I generally eat food. The way I like to eat a pomegranate is a few seeds at a time, biting gently down to release the juices, then spit the seeds out. You can eat the seeds, but it just feels wrong to me.

These gems are appearing more and more on salads, and other foods, like the balsamic-braised cipolline onions with pomegranate recipe in the Thanksgiving issue of Bon Appètit, ever since being proclaimed a super-food. I gave Bon Appètit’s Thanksgiving menu another try, and this time it was a success. Except the pomegranate seeds.

If you enjoy crunching and swallowing pomegranate seeds, leave them in the recipe. Spitting seeds out table-side is not allowed, so for those who are pomegranate seed-spitters like me, save the pomegranate for contemplative solitude (spitting contest).

I will name him George, and I will hug him, and pet him, and squeeze him.

Cipollini must mean cute-as-a-button, because that’s what these small, flat, sweet bulbs are. How could I resist these when I spied them in the store? Actually not onions, cipollini are the edible bulbs of a grape hyacinth, Muscari comosum.

Onion or not, cipollini taste like onions, and caramelized onions are like candy to me, so I could not pass up this recipe. I ate these with this year’s Thanksgiving faux turkey (turned out well; details soon), but meat-eaters should try these braised cipolline with beef. Having eaten a grilled steak once a week until the age of 15, I do know what beef tastes like!

Balsamic-Braised Cipolline with Pomegranate
Adapted from Bon Appètit

2 pounds cipolline onions
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

• Blanche cipolline in boiling water 1 minute. Drain, cool briefly, trim ends, and peel.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.Add cipolline, salt and pepper to taste, and sauté until brown, 12 minutes.
  
• Add vegetable broth, wine, vinegar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 15 minutes.
• Increase heat, and boil until cipolline are tender and the liquid has thickened, stirring often, 5 to 15 minutes depending on amount of liquid left in pan.
• Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.
• *Crème fraiche was omitted from this recipe, but, if you like, add 3 tablespoons of crème fraiche or heavy whipping cream to the cipolline right before removing from heat and transferring to serving bowl.

Twenty Manning

Twenty Manning, a stylish restaurant serving Asian-influenced fare in the Rittenhouse area, was one of the venues offering a vegetarian option during Restauraunt Week a while back, but there was no love in the reservation department. Get there early on a weekday any other week, and you have the pick of the place.

My partner and I popped in for a quick dinner at Twenty Manning straight after work, and being one of the first people there, we snagged a white linen-draped bistro table outside before the people started pouring in.

We started with the vegetarian summer rolls, one of my all-time favorite appetizers. The tofu accompanying the rice noodle and veggie filling was spiced and flavorful.

My coconut green curry stir-fry with tofu, baby bok choy, snow peas, Chinese guy lan, grape tomatoes, and Japanese eggplants was beautiful to look at. It was clearly evident from the color and flavor of the vegetables that they were the freshest of fresh – Chef Kiong Banh goes to the market daily to hand pick the produce. The curry vegetables had a smattering of curry sauce at the bottom of the bowl that was instantly soaked up by the rice. Being a sauce fiend, I wished the sauce had been more generous.

My partner loves fish, and orders this protein almost unfailingly when dining out. This means I don’t get to partake – hmm, you think it's deliberate? This gorgeous plating is of oven roasted salmon, carrot ginger puree, English peas, and white truffle coulis. Stuck my fork in the carrot ginger puree, and it was lovely.

The food at Twenty Manning is fresh, delicious, balanced, and artful without being ridiculous. Food portions are moderate – neither teeny-tiny plates, nor American supper-sized.

I’ve only heard great things about Twenty Manning’s sister restaurant, Audrey Claire, a Mediterranean BYOB right down the road. Research tells me there are a few vegetarian dishes on Audrey’s menu. Gotta go soon, if it's a good as Twenty Manning.

Twenty Manning, 261 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, PA, 19103
215-731-0900
Sun.-Wed., 5p.m.-11p.m; Thurs.-Sat., 5p.m-1a.m.

Philly Food Blogger Meet-up

Philly Food Blogger Meet-up and Potluck
Friday November 2
Center City Philadelphia

Are you a Philly food blogger? Have you ever wanted to meet other Philly food bloggers – ya’ know, in person?

A few Philly food bloggers (Foodaphilia, Fork You, Straight from the Farm, Messy and Picky, Philafoodie, yours truly, plus others) have been cooking up a meet-up and potluck to bring this group of like-minded, voracious people together.

If you consider yourself a Philly food blogger (blog, vlog, or podcast about food, restaurants, recipes, or any victuals in the Philly area), and want to meet-up for this event and future events, please send your name, blog url, and email contact to mac.and.cheese.review (at) gmail (dot) com.

An invite will follow with event details.

White Chili

One of my favorite things to do is kill two (or more if I'm really good) birds with one stone. Whether or not this philosophy of action is time-saving or efficient, I like to think it is. A one-mile-or-so round-trip walk through the city from my Philly digs allows me to stroll past the farmer’s market at Headhouse Square, the Italian Market, and the Asian grocery stores along Washington Street to gather groceries – a very efficient grocery route if done in one outing.

I visited all of these places last week in order to gather ingredients for this recipe…but I did not follow my own philosophy of action. I went to the Asian market for seitan, limes, and cilantro, and then returned home. I then went to the farmer’s market for poblano and Anaheim chilis…and came home. Finally, I went to the Italian Market for cannellini beans. Not efficient.

With all of these ingredients back at home, along with kitchen staples, homegrown jalepenos, and home-canned yellow tomato sauce (sauce is orangish), I was ready to tackle the white chili recipe from Cooks Illustrated – a magazine that has NEVER let me down, unlike…cough cough…Bon Appètit.

But white chili doesn’t have tomato sauce in it! Nope. And neither does the recipe in Cook’s Illustrated. A few months ago I sat in the car discussing the best use of yellow tomato sauce with the friend who supplied me with the jar. Yellow tomatoes are less acidic than red tomatoes, and it didn’t seem right to waste yellow tomato sauce on a dish that called for the classic acidic red tomato sauce. The only thing we came up with was white chili. (Any other suggestions?) So, I adapted a white chili recipe in a past copy of the infallible Cook’s Illustrated to include the yellow tomato sauce.

The original recipe calls for chicken and chicken stock, but I subbed seitan, and 2/3 of the chicken stock with the yellow tomato sauce, and the remaining chicken stock with vegetable stock. Obviously, not every one is going to have yellow tomato sauce on hand, so just keep with the stock in the original recipe (3 cups), or blend some fresh yellow tomatoes in a food processor.

I never want regular chili again. Really. I’m tellin’ ya, Cook’s Illustrated does not fail - even with me futzing with the recipe! I'm happy to report that I efficiently killed two bowls in one sitting.

White Chili
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
serves 6-8

2 (10-ounce) cans seitan, drained and chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 poblano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and cut into large pieces
3 Anaheim chiles, stemmed, seeded, and cut into large pieces
2 medium onions, cut into large pieces (2 cups)
3 medium jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups yellow tomato sauce
1 cup vegetable broth
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced
4 scallions, sliced thinly

• Heat oil in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat, and brown seitan (about 5 to 10 minutes), and remove from the skillet.
• In a food processor, pulse 10-12 times (1 second each) half of the poblano chiles, Anaheim chiles, and onions until the consistency of chunky salsa. Transfer to a bowl, and repeat with the remaining poblano chilies, Anaheim chilies, and onions. Combine with the first batch. (Do not wash the food processor.)
• Add the minced jalepenos (more or less depending on heat preference - I went with one), chile-onion mixture, garlic, cumin, coriander, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the skillet, adding more vegetable oil if necessary. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Transfer 1 cup of the cooked vegetable mixture, 1 cup of beans, and 2 cups of the tomato sauce to the food processor and process until smooth.
• Return the mixture from the food processor back to the skillet with the chile-onion mixture, and add the vegetable broth, browned seitan, rest of the beans, lime juice, and cilantro. Cook over medium heat until thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve with scallion garnish.

Weekend Field Trip

As far as outdoor weddings go, I think October is one of the best months to hold such an event – mild weather, beautiful foliage, and an abundance of decorations such as gourds, seed heads, and wild flowers straight from nature.

My weekend was spent driving to the currently Technicolor Shenandoah Valley in Virginia to witness two classmates tie the knot at an Arboretum, with a reception following in a beautiful octagonal barn. While wedding are beautiful, but sappy ordeals, this wedding topped my list of favorites thanks to the bride and groom limiting the cheesy music (James Taylor...and that's not even that bad) to the first dance. From there on out, the best cover band ever rocked the barn with songs from artists I actually wanted to dance to – The Psychedelic Furs, Debbie Harry, The Ramones, and The Cure. It was like high school prom – if I had gone and they had played good music.

A most fortuitous stop along the way at a “trading post” with a large tepee out front lead to the purchase of the elusive sorghum syrup – a dark, sweet syrup made from the canes of grass-like sorghum. Tables and stands hocking apples, apple cider, jellies, and canned produce populated the roadsides, but I passed on these as I have a bag of apples already in the fridge and a refrigerator door overflowing with jars of jellies, relishes, and condiments. (One day, I promise to document the craziness that is my fridge door.)

Gaja Gaja

Update: no longer open.

Places open and close all the time on South Street. Gaja Gaja, a Japanese/Korean restaurant, opened their doors a few weeks ago amid the bars and cheese steak purveyors along this tourist hell hole. I thought I’d give Gaja Gaja a go, since lately I can’t seem to get enough sushi.

The small interior is minimal-chic, and the open store front makes for great people watching in the warmer months. We sat by the open front, but because the tables were so close together, the only way to get to the far side of our table without asking the person at the next table to move was to step through the window.

The sushi is your standard fare, and there’s nothing exotic when it comes to their veggie sushi variety – cucumber, avocado, kampyo, and shitake mushroom. They were accommodating in letting me sub a veggie roll for the California roll that comes with the 14-piece lunch special. (Fake crab meat is not vegetarian; it’s fish. I don’t know how many people tell me I can eat California rolls because it’s not real crab.) The sushi rice was slightly undercooked, but hopefully that was just an off batch.

I could kill my self for not remembering the name of the Korean dish my partner ordered, but it’s basically a cold soba noodle dish with assorted vegetables and an egg on top with accompanying hot red pepper sauce – like bibimbap, but with noodles instead of rice. This dish of noodles and fresh vegetables was light and healthy, but I couldn’t help thinking the salad-like, fresh, unseasoned vegetables were a watered down version of what you might get at a more authentic Korean restaurant. I’m just used to getting pickled veggies on top of my big bowl of rice/noodles at Korean joints. And Gaja Gaja didn’t offer any kimchi to toss in the bowl. Isn’t kimchi almost mandatory?

Miso soup accompanied both of our lunch specials.

If you’re on South Street and are looking for lighter fare than the cheese steaks that scent the street, Gaja Gaja’s sushi and Korean-esque food might be your ticket. Get there before it changes.

Gaja Gaja, 627 South St., Philadelphia, PA 19147
215-923-0313
Sun.-Thus., 11:30 a.m-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.; closed Mon.