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| Philadelphia - USA |
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Extraordinary
June - 2008 |
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5 Stars
& 5 Stripes
Overall - 'Cuisine & Service' |
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The
Ultimate Award:
Seven Stars and
Stripes® |
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| In a setting that served as the unofficial meeting
place of the First Continental Congress in 1774 and subsequently the location
of the celebration of the first anniversary of independence in 1777, City
Tavern in the heart of the historical district of Philadelphia has seen its
fair share of significant moments. Austrian born
Executive
Chef and owner Walter Staib, the indubitable master of culinary wizardry
and PR, continues to carry on the tradition of 18th century Americana in a way
fitting for a National Geographic documentary. |
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| Our cuisine experience at City
Tavern included a resplendent display of period costumes worn by just about
everyone in contact with the public including the entrepreneur himself
Walter
Staib. It is even rumored that the sweet potato biscuits being served on
premise were derived from an original recipe used by Thomas Jefferson at his
home in Monticello, but they are careful to stress the legendary aspect of the
celebrated baked biscuits. |
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| City
Tavern - Edmund Buehrmann |
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| Since Staib has become a sort of ageless persona with
a more important role as inspirational leader, he has most of his day-to-day
cookery handled by Chef de Cuisine William Sederman, Sous Chef Anton Smith and
Chef de Pâtissier Tammi Michael. It is fitting that as a leader in the
field of hospitality and cuisine, Staib has been the recipient of some of the
most prestigious awards that exist in the culinary arena, including the most
sought after recognition in Germany, the esteemed Knight's Cross of the Order
of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. |
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| City
Tavern - Cuisine |
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With all the accolades aside,
we still had to test their mettle, inner strength, spirit and courage in the
domain of culinary ingenuity while totally absorbing the whole dining
experience as a special event. We started with a Smoked Trout with White
Asparagus and Truffles, which we were told is produced in small artisanal
batches by a local fisherman. The normally delicate flavor of the white
asparagus was further advanced when taken together with the elusive tantalizing
smoky trout. |
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It was absolutely outstanding and as I recall,
a whimsical bottle of Riesling Affentaler, Baden Germany 2005 was
presented as an artfully balanced dry white wine with vivid green apple aromas
and traces of honey and spice. Noteworthy also was Chilled Cream of Cucumber
Soup with Crème Fraîche and Hackleback Caviar. Considering the
humidity of this summer in Philadelphia, it was a welcomed course served
complete with a chilled soup spoon. |
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| City Tavern -
Cuisine |
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| After an intermezzo of Madeira Granite, with
just the right amount of sweetness, then a creamy toffee aroma coupled with
impressions of an old cognac and a long fruity finish, the first of the
entrée coursed arrived. A very tender and tasty rendition of Frogs
Legs Provencal proved to be a surprising success with a combination of
herbs typically including basil, fennel, lavender, marjoram, rosemary, savory,
sage, and thyme, the traditional aromatics of Provence. A classic bottle of
Chablis Premier Cru, Vaillon Domaine Christian Moreau, France 2002, was
offered as pairing for this course. I couldn't think of a more appropriate wine
as it offered a crisp, lively and appetizing wine with white flowers, pear,
apple, nutty and spicy aromas. This was a serious and stunning
wine! |
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| Finally, dessert of
Strawberry-Chocolate Bavarian with Almonds was brought to the table.
Picture a teetering tower of strawberry and chocolate mousse topped with fresh
strawberries and almonds. It was a decadent display of creative bakery, which
we enjoyed while sipping on the light sparkling foam of Mumm Napa Brut
Prestige, Napa Valley California NV. Our whole dining experience was
enjoyable and satisfying all the while being watched over by the good-natured
servers in period costumes complete with Revolutionary War rifle and hatchet.
It was a very comfortable feeling! |
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by
Thorsten & Edmund Buehrmann
Editor: John
Lomitola
Editor-in-Chief: Ingrid Lemme |
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| © 2008 ~ Seven Stars and Stripes, Inc. |
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