😋 The best foods we’ve eaten this week | Let’s Eat

We on The Inquirer’s Food team go out to eat. A lot. Today, we’re sharing some of recent favorite bites.

Also in this edition:

— Mike Klein

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Our favorite recent bites include a white chocolate-strawberry ice cream sandwich, Center City Philadelphia’s newest omakase experience, and what must be the prettiest mousse we’ve ever seen. You might say it’s as cute as a button ... mushroom.

Longwood Gardens is in the heart of mushroom country, and the Caramelia dessert of chocolate mousse, espresso caramel, and cocoa soil at the scenic, on-site 1906 Restaurant was an unexpected surprise that was both delicious and adorable. The shell here is made of white chocolate, which my friend and I inhaled before getting to a creamy center, offset by chocolate “soil.” — Kiki Aranita

1906 at Longwood Gardens, 1001 Longwood Rd., Kennett Square.

The white chocolate-strawberry ice cream sandwich from Helm BYOB is special not only for the taste but for the fact that it’s also gluten-free. (The cake on the sandwich is made from masa flour.) I like to visit Helm to remind myself that one of our OG new American BYOBs is still thriving, still bringing an exciting, seasonally-driven creativity to their chalkboard menu. It’s also a trip to remember how alone they were when they opened 10 years ago (aside from Taco Riendo) and to see all the development and new construction that has since sprung up in “Olde Kensington.” But their creativity and culinary curiosity have also extended to an exceptional attention to dietary concerns, and has transformed Helm into one of the most exciting places for gluten-free diners to eat. Even better, the combination of strawberries and the earthy corn savor of the masa was surprisingly delightful. Desserts, it turns out, are among Helm’s best courses. — Craig LaBan

Helm BYOB, 1303 N. Fifth St., Kensington

Stopping at Alice in the Italian Market, Craig grooves to the grilled hamachi collars, to which chef-owner Dave Conn gives a Mediterranean treatment with salt, olive oil, green herbs, and lemon zest before applying a finishing blast over the coals to caramelize its skin.

Alice, 901 Christian St., Bella Vista

Chef Jeff Chen, whose background includes Hiroki in Fishtown, is a couple of weeks into his solo restaurant debut with Kissho House, which has a bar serving a small-plate/robatayaki menu on the first floor. Step downstairs into the sleek calmness of his eight-seat sushi bar for a lovely omakase experience, where staff will fuss over you as you enjoy 17 or 18 courses of nigiri (all but a few imported from Japan), poached octopus, and such dishes as corn mousse layered with ikura and uni. At $150, it’s a true value. — Mike Klein

Kissho House, 1522 Locust St., Rittenhouse

➕ Check out our rundown of more than a dozen omakase experiences in Philadelphia.

➕ We have even more tasty dishes to share with you. Read on for word of stellar meatballs, madeleines, and pretzel buns.

Now that Corio has obtained its liquor license and opened fully, we now see it for the casual Italian restaurant that this stretch of University City/Powelton Village needed. Pizza, check. Salads, yes. Pastas, most assuredly yes.

It’s a golden moment for the city’s Mexican restaurant scene, as Craig LaBan writes, and Amá, the Kensington restaurant from chef Frankie Ramirez, is a major newcomer.

Giordano’s, a landmark produce business in the Italian Market, closed last week after a century. What’s next for the property at Ninth and Washington?

Gordon Ramsay snuck into the kitchen at Pretty Girls Cook in North Philadelphia one night, and what he found wasn’t pretty. Then he shared his findings with owner Dominique Shields. Gordon Ramsay’s Secret Service airs tonight on Fox.

Poe’s Sandwich Joint, inside Human Robot’s brewery in Kensington, has a second location soft-opening today at Human Robot’s Brewerytown location, 2711 W. Girard Ave. Owner N.A. Poe is calling it Poe’s Side Piece, and it has a separate menu.

Dim Sum Factory, an offshoot of the popular Tom’s Dim Sum with locations now in Northeast Philadelphia, Horsham, and Flourtown, plans a fall opening at 865 W. Lancaster Ave. in Bryn Mawr.

Campbell’s Place, a fixture in Chestnut Hill since 1970, has closed, as owners Vanessa and Rob Mullen say they want to move on to a different chapter in their lives after nearly 18 years. The business is for sale. Meanwhile, Fiesta III pizzeria next door, which closed last fall, is expected to reopen soon.

Tai Lake. if you’re looking for Center City group dining around a lazy Susan, this Chinatown stalwart is a good bet. Craig booked friends for a king crab feast, a three-course banquet that could be one of the most spectacular splurges you can find. At $75 a pound this time of year, the crustacean does not come cheap. (The crab that Craig had reserved for his party of eight was a 10-pounder.)

The chefs prepared it three ways. In the photos above, the legs are steamed, parts of the crab body are fried in a salt-and-pepper crust, and the rest is incorporated into fried rice served inside the hollowed-out shell of the crab. “That dinner was worth the trip all by itself,” Craig’s New York friend wrote.

Read about the experience here.

Tai Lake, 134 N. 10th St. Hours: 1 p.m.-midnight daily.

Monday is National Oyster Day. A new event, the Shells of Liberty Oyster Bash, will pair Carpenters’ Hall and Fishtown Seafood for family-friendly fun from 3-5 p.m. in Carpenters’ Court (320 Chestnut St.), including games, tours of the hall, crafts, oysters for purchase, and demos from the Independence Seaport Museum, Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, and Bayshore Center. Following are the adults-only festivities, from 5:30-7:30 p.m., where a $75 ticket will get you a dozen oysters curated by Fishtown’s Bryan Szeliga, beer from Triple Bottom Brewing, and talks with food historian Dr. Stephen Nepa. Proceeds go to Partnership for the Delaware Estuary; tickets are here.

Haddon Township has launched Almost Friday, a townwide happy hour, every Thursday from 3-6 p.m. Restaurants and deals are here.

The Delicious City Philly podcast is hosting its inaugural Hoagie Throwdown from noon-5 p.m. Sept. 7 at Other Half Brewing in Fishtown, billed as a competition among more than a dozen hoagie makers along with live pro wrestling from Pro Wrestling Entertainment, other entertainment and vendors, and a celebrity hoagie-making competition inside the boxing ring. Tickets (starting at $45) and details are here.

The family behind Pizzata Pizzeria/Pizzata Birreria is reeling from the unexpected passing of co-owner Vinny Gallagher’s wife, Jess Anasti, at age 39. Friends have created a GoFundMe to support Gallagher and the couple’s children, who are almost 4 years old and 9 months.

One of Pennsylvania’s prized crops may be imperiled by spotted lanternflies. What is it?

A) corn

B) apples

C) wine grapes

D) tomatoes

Find out if you know the answer.

What is happening at Essen Bakery? — various readers

Tova and Brad du Plessis’ popular bakeries in South Philadelphia and Kensington announced a temporary closing in late May for “rest, reflection, and recharging.” The couple have shared their struggle and their plan for reopening.

📮 Have a question about food in Philly? Email your questions to me at mklein@inquirer.com for a chance to be featured in my newsletter.

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