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Dear Friend:
 When we go out to eat, we all gravitate toward our favorite dishes - even me. I love Flor de Mayo, a Cuban-Chinese restaurant in my neighborhood in New York. When I walk in, they don’t even give me a menu because they know what I’m going to order. I always vow that I’ll try something new – but I never do. So I understand what it’s like to crave a favorite dish.
That’s why I was so pleased that you booked our recent wine dinner without knowing what you’d be eating that night. I know that’s scary -- and I appreciate that you trusted us enough to leave your order in our hands. What a great compliment!
Everyone was served the same three courses and each course was paired with a special wine. You told us you enjoyed trying dishes you wouldn’t ordinarily order. Three dishes were so popular that we’re adding them to the menu: Beef Carpaccio with Truffle and Parmesan Panna Cotta and Herb Salad; Black Sea Bass with Apple Samosas, Curried Pumpkin Sauce and Fall Vegetables; and the Warm Apple Pie, Caramel Semifreddo & Hendricks Farm Pub Cheddar Cheese.
We’re flattered you trust us and that inspires us to constantly strive to surprise and delight you with our creations.
 New Year’s Eve --- It’s rare that we don’t offer choices for special events. For New Year's Eve we’ll offer a 4-course prix-fixe meal with a choice of at least 5 options for each course. We’ll include a few favorite menu items as well as some new dishes. The cost is $73 per person plus tax and tip. We’re now taking reservations at 215/641-2660.
Latkes – During the 8 nights of Chanukah, we’ll be serving our homemade potato pancakes. They’re probably not the same recipe your grandmother used but we think you’ll enjoy our Potato Latkes with Truffled Smoked Salmon Tartare.
Holiday Parties – Hold your next personal or corporate holiday lunch or dinner in our dining room. We’ll do all the set up, clean up and, of course, cooking. We’ll custom-design an event and menu just for you. Remember to bring your own bottle. Just give me a call at 215/641-2660.
Gift certificates – The newest trend in gift-giving is experiential gifts. Treat your spouse, friend or colleague to a memorable meal. We have sharp blue and gold gift certificates. Stop by to pick one up or mail us a check and we’ll mail the certificate back to you or directly to the recipient.
Winter – If the restaurant looks different, it’s because we’ve packed up the patio furniture and put up the vestibule. And, as the weather has gotten cooler, we’ve added hearty winter soups to the menu. We’re having a lot of fun making soup the old-fashioned way. We start by roasting the vegetables. This brings out so much flavor and texture that we don’t have to add butter or cream. Just last week we served Roasted Root Vegetable Soup; Roasted Tomato Soup with Feta and Oregano; Lentil Soup with Crispy Prosciutto; Black Bean Soup with Orange and Cumin; and Butternut Squash Soup with Honey Pecans. And that’s just last week…
 Art Culinaire – Remember the Turkish Lamb Ravioli with the Grilled Lamb that was on the menu this summer? A variation of that dish, the Lamb Manti with Yogurt Sauce, Browned Butter & Pinenuts, is getting accolades. In October, it was featured on the cover of Art Culinaire, a hard-bound magazine that is considered “the Vogue of gourmet magazines.” I have several copies at the food counter if you’d like to see it or you can pick up a copy at Kitchen Arts & Letters at 1435 Lexington Avenue in New York City, at the Cook Book Stall at Reading Terminal Market or at Previn at 2044 Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia. You can say you tasted it first!
Persian Braised Chicken – At home, I like to make Persian Braised Chicken served on Basmati Rice. It’s a dish I learned from my Persian friends in college. I use chicken thighs, which give the dish a wonderful flavor. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Now, you can try it. I’m going to dress it up with Pomegranate, Foie Gras and Walnut Salad and add it to the menu from time to time. It’s not your typical restaurant chicken dish – but with its ethnic, rustic flavor I think it is typical of the type of dish you expect from us.
Crab Cake – Our crab cakes are popular but periodically we like to change the presentation and accompaniment. So I started to experiment with the flavors in that crab, artichoke, spinach and parmesan dip that everyone loves and then I played around with seafood macaroni and cheese. I came up with Crab Cakes with Toasted Orzo, Artichoke, Parmesan Gratin topped with Toasted Bread Crumbs and Wilted Greens. We only use fresh, domestic jumbo lump and lump crabmeat. It has a much sweeter flavor than imported or pasteurized crabmeat. And instead of bread crumbs, we complement the crab with fresh herbs, scallions and red peppers and pair it with parsley caper sauce.
Mango Upside Down Cake -- For a little while pineapples were tasting better than mangos. So we were making Pineapple Upside Down Cake instead of Mango. But, guests kept asking for mango. Now that mangos are back in season we’ve switched back to them. Guess what, now people are asking for Pineapple Upside Down Cake again!
Ingredients
Spinach -- There was a silver lining to the recent spinach scare. We substituted wilted greens for spinach and found that we like it much better. The wilted greens are just full of flavor. We’re using them in place of spinach in the Wild Striped Bass, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Prosciutto and Foie Gras Sauce; in the Pepper Crusted Tuna with Sherry Shallot Broth and Shoestring Potatoes; and in the Toasted Orzo that accompanies the Crab Cakes.
 Spices – I love experimenting with spices and that hasn’t gone unnoticed. Each year, the flavor experts at McCormick team up with chefs, cookbook authors and television cooking personalities to compile a list of the flavor trends that will be shaping the way Americans eat in the coming year and beyond. They asked me to participate in their McCormick® 2007 Flavor Forecast. One of the trends we’re putting on the menu is the pomegranate/sumac combination you’ll taste in the Persian Braised Chicken.
Madras Wafers – Guests often ask me about the Madras wafers I use with the Smoked Salmon. I get them at Shiva, an Indian market in the same center as Blue Fin in Plymouth Meeting. If you go, check out their freezer. Sometimes you’ll discover surprises like frozen samosas – which are great when you’re entertaining. I fell in love with samosas on a trip to Singapore, which has a large Indian community. And I’ve been making and serving fruit samosas. Check out our new Sea Bass with Apple Samosas, Curried Pumpkin Sauce and Roasted Fall Vegetables.
Brussel sprouts – We get lots of requests for the recipe for Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Balsamic Bacon and Parmesan. If you want the recipe, just leave a note and your email address on the comment card the next time you visit the restaurant. I’m happy to email it to you.
 Stay warm,
Alison |
