Here is an excerpt of Craig LaBan's online chat:
Craig LaBan: The Inquirer Sunday launched a big database of restaurant health inspections called Clean Plates, a comprehensive and useful resource to check on your favorite restaurant and see what's going on with cleanliness. A couple familiar names were on the list of serious repeat violations (Jack's Firehouse, Tinto/Village Whiskey), as detailed in the story that accompanied the database. I always wondered why the chef at West Tavern at 15th and Callowhill dubbed himself "the Dirty chef." Apparently, Philly's health inspectors agree.
Reader: Mesibah lamb for $36 and BYOB deal at Zahav! Mind recommending a wine to bring along?
C.L.: I love it when Zahav does meal deals on the world's greatest lamb dish. Also, while BYO is always nice, Zahav makes good use of its liquor license and plenty of excellent, unique things to drink - the whiskey-spiked limonana, for starters. But try one of their Middle Eastern wines. Château Musar from Lebanon will make your head turn. Sadly, the owner and longtime winemaker, Serge Hochar, recently passed away. . . .
Reader: I notice Zahav also has the Sevilen Majestik on the menu - a great Syrah-based wine that would be perfect with good "lamby" lamb.
C.L: Thanks for that rec. Zahav's wine list is one of the city's most distinctive and surprising. Love that they've stuck close to the kitchen's theme for the drink program.
Reader: Any wine from Château Musar to pair with Mesibah lamb?
C.L.: Last time I was at Zahav, a friend who was footing the bill sprung for the Château Musar "Hochar," a cinsault/grenache/cabernet blend from Bekaa Valley, 2009 ($87) that blew me away. I had no idea Lebanon made such great wines.
Reader: What happened to Society Hill Society?
C.L.: Michael Klein wrote that there has been no word from the owner, Reed Barrow, on what went down. They lost their chef a couple months after my fairly positive review. New menu looked promising, but obviously, it wasn't a sustainable business.
Reader: The discussion thread I read pointed out that the price was too high for a neighborhood restaurant and the concept was too pretentious and not relevant. That makes me wonder about Olde Bar that Garces just opened.
C.L.: SHS was definitely aiming slightly higher than neighborhood-level prices, but it was a great revamp of a historic space. I don't see why Society Hill can't support some ambition. It didn't quite connect with its audience for whatever reason. The revamp of the bar at Olde Original Bookbinder's is another story. A lot of history and nostalgia is tied up with that space. With Garces power behind it, I'll be very curious (and excited) to see how that plays out. Hopefully, with some great snapper soup.
Reader: I really enjoyed your list of 15 best things you ate in 2014, and I think I already have a nominee for best things to eat in 2015: the crispy red polenta with roasted wild mushrooms, Parmesan, and a soft-cooked egg. One of the most comforting, and vividly delicious, things I've had in a long time. Everything else at dinner was quite good, too, but that dish is a standout.
C. L: This dish comes from Southwark. Good to hear that Southwark - an old favorite - still has some impressive moves.