Kebab Paradise at Samarkand
Lay me down atop a bed of freshly fried potato chips scented with garlic, and heaven already is close at hand. But add eight hot skewers of assorted meats cooked over the coals in classic Uzbek style, and you have a sharing platter at 14-year-old Samarkand Steak House that absolutely lives up to its menu name: Kebab Paradise. Whether you’re into tender chicken, a ground lyula meat blend of lamb and beef, tiny lamb ribs that require getting your fingers slicked with fragrant fat, there’s something for every kind carnivore on this mega platter, which easily feeds four as a centerpiece for $150.
My two favorites were the rib eye roulette, pinwheels of thin-cut beef rolled around garlic onto the swordlike skewer, and plump lamb chops that were incredibly tender. One bonus skewer of veal liver cubes is best left unidentified until your tablemates try it and realize how good it can be. When you sandwich each bite between those warm potato chips and a crunchy mop of shaved raw onions, everything tastes good.
Kebab Paradise, $150, Samarkand Steak House, 1135 Bustleton Pike, Feasterville-Trevose, 267-288-5077; samarkandsteakhouse.com — Craig LaBan
A smoked pork chop Poconos surprise at Native
Great food and Poconos are words too rarely uttered in the same sentence, but Native in Honesdale is one place that puts it all together in the most satisfying way. This ambitious farm-to-table restaurant and bar is courtesy of Alex and Caleb Johnson, a married couple who met in Philly while working for Safran Turney Hospitality at their 13th Street hits Barbuzzo and Little Nonna’s. Native’s menu leans deep into local sourcing from area farmers, with some outstanding pastas (try the cavatelli with wild boar Bolognese or salmon ravioli in Champagne-dill cream), craft cocktails, local beers, wild game, and charcuterie (like the venison tartare and elk summer sausage with pickled ramps).
The most memorable dish, however, was an epic pork chop that gets infused with lard before it’s smoked and is then topped with a pickled blueberry glaze, whose sweet-tart juices mingle with a hearty side of barley mixed with summer succotash. With a caramel-striped goat cheese cheesecake to finish, this is one restaurant that’s worth the drive from anywhere in the Poconos for a special meal.
Smoked pork chop, $38, Native, 560 Main Street #B, Honesdale, Pa. 18431, 570-647-4933; nativehonesdale.com — Craig LaBan
Meatball Martini at John Roberts Cellar
I’m always hesitant to contribute to this list because the best thing I usually eat every week is a homemade meal by my husband. He’s not a professional chef but the food he makes us has what he claims is the most important ingredient in cooking — TLC (he throws a healthy dose of schmaltz in too, obviously).
That being said, we went out in Media this week and stopped at the new John Roberts Cellar, which I first read about in the Inquirer’s awesome Delco newsletter. To snack on with our wine, we ordered a meatball martini, which was both kitschy and tasty. The meatballs were homemade, the sauce was solid, and the ricotta was fluffy. We had a ball — or three, to be exact — eating it. — Stephanie Farr
Concha at Tequilas
I just tried the Rittenhouse spot Tequilas which, of course, has excellent tequila and a delicious dinner menu, but I can’t stop thinking about the concha dessert. A twist on the common Mexican sweet bread, this one is light green, flavored with the herb hoja santa. Sandwiched in the middle of the airy, soft pastry is a generous dollop of avocado whipped cream. I could’ve eaten like five more that night alone and I’ve been raving about it ever since. — Rosa Cartagena