Last night's post-apartment hunt, birthday & engagement party (Cara & Stef, respectively) at Buddakan was a little slice of heaven on Ninth Avenue (who knew?)! Since this was my second visit to the monstrous Philly institution, I prepared myself for days to be swept away by Stephen Starr's ingenious Asian fusion dishes.
Since there were 11 of us, our fantastic waitress Gloria simply asked us what we liked, what we were allergic to/disliked and how much we wanted to spend (Harlan, if you're reading, PLEASE get some tips from Gloria, stat!). So, we didn't really know what we'd end up with but seriously, it was pretty much the best that Buddakan had to offer. And, it didn't hurt that they had one of my favorite Chardonnays, Sonoma-Cutrer, by the glass! So now, my picks of the night:
APPIES:
-Tuna spring roll:looked like a small cigar. Not too fried, light on the shallots. Simply divine.
-General Tso's soup dumplings: perfectly steamed and not too spicy.
-Edamame dumplings: don't let the name fool you. The edamame was pureed and flecked with shallots and a light broth to make for the perfect vegetariam dumpling.
-Chili rock shrimp: my favorite dish of the night. Reminiscent of Nobu's famed dish, the fried little prawns had just the right amount of kick and weren't overly gingered. Delish!
MAIN DISHES:
-Wild Mushroom Chow Fun: my roommates would have called this the "long broads." The wide rice noodles and several types of mushrooms (shitake, trumpet, et al) made for a substantial side dish
-Charred Filet of Beef: the playing card-size rare slices of filet and the slightly spicy mustard sauce definitely won my heart
-Sweet and Crispy Jumbo Shrimp: just what the name promised - huge prawns drenched in a citrus flavor but remained crisp and not at all soggy
DESSERTS:
Chocolate Mille Feuille: DO NOT MISS THIS! Think: bananas foster on the bottom, chocolate mousse on top. Accompanied by a to-die-for spicy cinnamon chocolate ice cream.
Surprisingly, the big name, big hype restaurant delivered again. I'm already anxiously awaiting the next birthday dinner party I'm attending there on May 1...
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4 comments:
MMMMMMMMM SONOMA CUTRER. Also don't you remember how good the mao poe (sp?) tofu was? We had it at that dinner with jamie? don't you remember that night? like, really really clearly?
I know, SC totes reminds me of our days at butai. OMG i unashamedly told everyone it was practically my first time there since i do NOT remember one thing we ate w jam jam. gotta love those marsteller holiday parties and flute!
this sounds awesome
-General Tso's soup dumplings: perfectly steamed and not too spicy.
totally rockstar status.
YUM that sounds wonderful
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