As I look back, 2006 seems to me to have been a time of culinary maturation: Philadelphia's food puberty, if you will. This was the year of re-births of the classics (Striped Bass), greater accessibility at the city's haute temples of gastronomy (Le Bec-Fin and Lacroix), and a seemingly paradoxical back-to-basics avant-gardism (Ansill and Snackbar).
In food terms, then, 2006 was a banner year. And while a full accounting of all of my favorites would crash the Aroundphilly.com server and bore the heck out of you, there were, indeed, a few dishes that stood out.
The bone marrow crostini at Ansill (627 S. Third St., Philadelphia, 215.627.2485) was one of them. It's nothing more than a crisp-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside scallop of marrow set atop a tiny piece of toasted bread, and garnished with a single leaf of parsley and a sprinkle of pink sea salt. But the flavors run so deep, and the juxtaposition of the unctuousness of the marrow and crunch of the crostini is perfectly balanced. There may be no better snack in Philadelphia right now than a single glass of meaty, Syrah-based Cotes-du-Rhone and an order of marrow, all enjoyed at Ansill's art-nouveau bar.
Pork belly, too, was everywhere. In a fabulous repudiation of all those ridiculous fad-of-the-week diets, this fatty, supremely rich cut of the pig has oinked its way into the consciousness of nearly every Philly foodie this past year. And while there were a number of excellent ones-it sometimes seemed as if I enjoyed at least one preparation of it every week (thus reducing my life expectancy by at least 20 years)-my favorite one these days is the little rectangle of it at Snackbar (253 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 215.545.5655).
There, it's set into a bowl of dashi alongside a slow-cooked egg, which you're supposed to poke with a fork, releasing all the gooey yolk and enriching an already sinful dish. Health food it's not, but it's so tasty that the pleasure alone might actually help you live longer. That's what I tell myself, anyway...
This was also the year of the Brussels sprout, that maligned mini-cabbage that every American kid grows up hating on account of its occasionally impenetrable bitterness. But this year, a number of restaurants finally figured out how to make the most of it, and the best preparations of it were simply wonderful.
It was Fork (306 Market St., Philadelphia, 215.625.9425) that edged out the competition with its Brussels sprouts salad. In my review of it, I described the sprouts as "halved, lightly browned, and served with escarole, bacon, a poached egg, and cranberry-shallot vinaigrette. It was an American take on the frisée aux lardons salad, but heartier and more autumnal." It's been a few months since I had the salad, and I still think about it. It's just that good.
2006 was also the year of a more populist mindset at some of the city's most famous restaurants. Le Bec-Fin (1523 Walnut St., Philadelphia, 215.567.1000) introduced a $90 prix fixe menu, and Lacroix's (210 W. Rittenhouse Sq., Philadelphia, 215.546.9000) new chef, Matthew Levin, spruced up the menu to make it more approachable to non-expense-account guests. As far as specific dishes, though, I fell madly in love with the beef tartar at Le Bar Lyonnais, downstairs at Le Bec. The next time you're on a date, head on down to Le Bar, pull up a seat at, well, le bar, and order two glasses of red and one order of the beef tartar. You'll get out of there without going bankrupt, and the "wow" factor can't be beat. As for the beef itself, it's proof that oysters and Champagne aren't the only aphrodisiacs out there. Raw beef, apparently, has its amorous benefits, too.
This, of course, is just a start, and an exhaustive list would be...exhausting. The truffle-butter-enriched, panko-crusted risotto fritters at Gayle (617 S. 3rd St., Philadelphia, 215.922.3850); the sea scallops with homemade gnocchi, corn, prosciutto, leeks and foie gras sauce at Alison at Blue Bell (721 Skippack Pike, Blue Bell, PA, 215.641.2660)...
Our dining culture here, I'm convinced, now rivals that of New York or London or perhaps, even, Paris. From forward-thinking chefs to adventurous restaurant lovers to that inimitable casualness that is the hallmark of our city's dining culture, this is a town on the culinary rise.
