FAVORITE DISHES 2011

[Delucacheesemonger]

Now that the first third of 2011 has ended. Please list your three favorite Philadelphia area restaurant dishes eaten thus far this year. Mine are the following;

Grilled 31 oz. prime rib at the Prime Rib

Pork Belly with lentils and Fab Fab french fries at The Dandelion

Nick's roast beef sandwich double drowned with rabe.

Notably off list was the lamb shoulder at Zahav due to unbelievable salting the last two times there
and the wet brisket at Percy St due to inconsistency in the restaurant.

[ssturn]

Hmmm . . . in no special order . . .

- Truffle Fries at Capital Grille (King of Prussia)
- Short rib flatbread at Distrito
- Arugula and Prosciutto pizza at Basta Pasta (Skippack)

I originally listed more . . . then saw that we're looking for just three. :-)

[Delucacheesemonger]

Just looked at this thread again, Prime Rib and Nick's still the same, but Dandelion, first took away lentils and raised the price 30%, then they took the belly off the menu entirely, oh well, things change.

[barryg]

I hope it comes back in the fall/winter. I can understand not having it on the summer menu.

[iguanachef]

Still hunting a few but so far
Iron Hill Brewery - Cheesesteak Egg Rolls & Steak Salad

will add more as I have explored more. Been here for 2 weeks and of the handful of places that has been the best.

-----
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant
147 E Main St, Newark, DE 19711

[cgarner]

First of the season soft shell crabs at Docks Oyster House with a side of their ribbon like french fried potatoes
The bolognese at Caruso's in Souderton (it tastes like my grandmothers cooking) with a bottle of old vine zinfandel (I don't remember which one, but it always goes well with the bolognese)
Wild Mushroom Risotto at San Marco

[DaisyM]

Roasted lamb with pomegranates at Zahav. Okay, the whole tasting menu at Zahav...that hummus is incredibly close to the amazing hummus we had in Israel.

[Cpmullie]

I'm going to put 3 possibly lesser known dishes that might not the the best in the city, but possibly the best you've never had.

thousand layer bread at Rangoon

whole grilled artichoke with zesty citrus aioli at Mercato

saag paneer with garlic naan at Ekta

Wow.... I swear I'm not a vegetarian.

[tzanghi]

Grilled Marinated Chicken Breast, Mushroom, Spinach, and Goat Cheese Crepe at Beau Monde.

This was by far the best meal I've had in 2011. To be honest, Shrimp may have been a better choice than chicken breast in this dish, but I chose the chicken to save a few bucks on behalf of my parents. They really know what they're doing over there, I'm not sure why Beau Monde doesn't receive more love around here. Also, the dessert crepes(I tried at least some of 4 different ones) were top notch as well, but they don't seem to fit the criteria of this topic.

[rocknroll52]

Fish & Chips at Dandelion

I can't think of three that really stand out so I'm just putting this one - Dandelion has the best fish and chips I've ever eaten! I also recommend ordering one of their cask ales.

[Bossa_Nova]

Marrow bone with ramps and shallots at Adsum

[barryg]

Ended up at Dandelion last night and recalling your rave reviews of the pork belly I ordered it--WOW, definitely one of my favorite dishes of the year and one of the best pork belly dishes I've had, period. But no lentils on my plate, and the price is now $18, not the $14 it was when they first opened. Oh well, it's still worth it, and the bread they serve is good and complements the dish well enough.

[potroastcat]

Moussaka at Kanella was pretty tasty
White bean burger and onion rings at PYT

[coookie]

cumin lamb - han dynasty
lahm b'jeen - manakeesh
special banh mi - nhu y

[ilovesummer]

chickpea dish at Amada
hummous with fava beans at zahav
salatime at zahav

[bess]

House-made sausage at Southwark

Han Dynasty cucumber salad

South Philly Tap Room fried chicken w/ jalapeno/honey corn bread

Sweet potato fries from the green truck at Temple (can't remember the name but I wish I had reasons to be in that neighborhood again)

Monsu Eggs Basildict for brunch

[Buckethead]

- New version of kibbe naya at Zahav
- Trout gravlax at Bibou
- Cobb salad at Village Whiskey

[Buckethead]

Just wanted to update that the kibbe naya at Zahav has changed again and it's not nearly as good as the version I mentioned here.

[cwdonald]

How is it different?

[Buckethead]

As far as I can tell, the only thing that's the same is that it's raw meat. It's beef now instead of lamb, served with shisito peppers and a few other things. It was good, but the version before that (lamb, with black harissa and I don't know what else, with a thin slice of what I think was cucumber wrapping it up) was one of the best things I've ever eaten. That dish has changed quite a few times since Zahav has been open and that version was my favorite.

[Bacchus101]

Ok, today, right now this is what comes to mind.

Zahav -Lemonnana + Hummus-Foul
Oyster House -Dock Street Hop Garden - Southern Fried Oysters with Chicken Salad
Amada - Stoudt's Gold Lager Ensalada Verde/Caldo Gallego

Hope it is ok that I also had a drink.

[barryg]

Smoked gouda grits at Catahoula.

[crazyspice]

I think I should wait until after the Blackfish dinner tomorrow night to decide. Just in case!