Auspicious Chinese Restaurant

11 Cricket Avenue, Ardmore, 610.642.1858

A new, upscale Chinese restaurant has come to Ardmore. With glass storefront windows and neighbor to the famous Milkboy Coffee, Auspicious has over a dozen white clothed tables. Intimate, modern, clean and a sincerely friendly staff. We finally had a chance to try it tonight. We opted for take out and were pleased to find they had a few choices for kids. Really, they're just regular menu items only smaller portions.

So, here we are on a Thursday night, calling at prime "suburban" dinner time...6 o'clock sharp...to order up some chow. Only a 15 minute wait for take out, but crowded inside and people without reservations waiting in line. Nice!

Kids had Ninja Noodles ($5.95) with chicken, carrots and broccoli (chicken lo mein) and sesame chicken with rice ($5.95). One meal would have been enough for my two girls. The lo mein was good, fresh and also had bamboo and string beans. The sesame chicken came in bite size pieces, glazed slightly sweet, but mild.

I had the Fragrant Lemongrass Chicken ($10.95) with brown rice, but instantly imagined that I had opened wide and sprayed a can of lemon-scented Pledge in my mouth. Fragrant is a gross understatement. Won't be ordering this one again. Husband had Stir Fry Creations in which you "create your own". You choose the ingredients and how it's cooked. He went for the Fiery Chile Garlic Beef ($11.95) with broccoli, snow peas, mushrooms and water chestnuts. It was labeled as spicy but not spicy enough for him. Overall, fresh and nice flavor, but the beef was of the thin skirt steak variety. If he had to do it again, he'd try it with the chicken.

When hubby paid for the take out with his debit card, the woman behind the counter walked out and around to hand him the food. Nice touch. I like that Auspicious is trying to be more of a restaurant than a take out place.

James

824 S. 8th St., Philadelphia, 215.629.4980

James landed at #6 on Philly Mag's 50 Best Restaurants of 2007, and Food and Wine voted the risotta alla Kristina one of 10 Best Restaurant Dishes of 2007. When you read all the accolades, you'll know you simply can't go wrong. But, I'll tell you about our experience anyway because, well, you never know.

Our group of six arrived uncharacteristically late. Rather, we arrived in tiers--10 minutes, 20 minutes, and 40 minutes late--prompting the manager to make us aware of the group with reservations after us. Apparently, James does not prefer parties larger than four, but there is one group table and we were sitting at it. So much for a relaxed meal with all eyes on us.

Promptly after we listened to the Specials, expertly recited by our server (but, way too complicated to repeat here), and navigated the wine list, the appetizers arrived. Fortunately, we weren't moved through our meal at light speed as anticipated; everything was paced appropriately. Guess the other large party cancelled?

Our good friend, John, offered me $100 to try the crispy sweetbreads, ‘sauerkraut’ and mustard ($16), but when I found out I had to eat ALL of it, I chickened out. Animal organs are worth more, don't you think? I opted for the sauteed sea scallop with belgian endive compote and gorgonzola butter ($12). I will point out that it is ONE scallop, but a perfect one. In fact, I was able to share my ONE scallop and it was voted the best appetizer at our table. So, I don't know what the editors at Food and Wine are thinking when they had that risotta - which was pretty darn delicious, too.

My friends will have to comment here. I know they had the langostino tempura with whipped ricotta, grapefruit and black walnut ($18). Again, just one, and really good. And, something with oxtail....

For my entree, I had the olive oil poached Scottish Salmon with fricassee of porcini, chestnut and brussels sprouts ($26). Normally, I'm not drawn to brussel sprouts, and I almost didn't choose this dish because of them. But, for brussel sprouts, they were actually pretty good. Small and a little nutty. Kind of like me! Anyway, the Salmon was amazing. AMAZING! I'm pretty comfortable saying I've never had salmon like this before. It literally melted in your mouth. But, it was so rich I couldn't even finish it, and portions weren't extra large.

I know the others had red curry braised wild pink snapper with mustard greens & mussel-potato saute ($27). Scrumptious. And the four story hill farms poularde (that's chicken) with spinach, porcini mushrooms and apple-infused pan sauce ($26). This entree was voted Best of Philly 2007. And, hopefully, they'll comment here about what they liked.

Overall, it was an upscale, casually elegant dining experience. The staff was incredibly professional and friendly. The food is obviously fresh and top notch. I dare you to find something wrong.

Read other reviews: Craig LaBan, Philly.com, Gayot.com
Photos by Jason Varney and Michael Persico.

Chick's Cafe & Wine Bar

614 S. 7th Street, Philadelphia, 215.625.3700

If you were ever afraid to venture inside this corner bar like I once was, don't be scared. It used to look neglected as if it was a dark, lonely hideaway for serious drinkers. But it's been recently renovated and restored and worth a visit. Our group stopped in for a drink after dining at James. We were pleased to find 50 wines by the glass and a good beer selection. The staff was incredibly friendly, too. The menu looked interesting with lots of small plates and a huge variety of cheeses to pair with all those wines. Next time, we'll try the food.

Gioia Mia

2025 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, 215.231.9895 (Edited to add: This has recently closed.)

Girlfriends, you need a night out. If, for any other reason, than to unload your husband-related frustrations, like one of us did Wednesday night at Gioia Mia.

Gioia Mia (pronounced joy-ah mee-ah) is a casual, comfortable Italian restaurant with an open kitchen and many wines by the glass.

You'll certainly have no problem getting a prime table at the time of your choice on a Wednesday night. We were the first ones in just before 8 p.m. greeted by Max, a lovely gentleman with a heavy Italian accent.

We started with the tableside prepared Caesar Salad--a close version to the original recipe. But, you better like garlic because you'll offending anyone within sight and tasting it the next morning. Then, on to the Tortine di Granchio con Funghi, which is sauteed lump crabcake over portabella mushroom in a light tomato sauce. I'm a traditionalist when it comes to crabcakes, (I was raised in Maryland, after all.), so I didn't love that particular combination.

I had Pesce del Giorno--Branzino, baked whole than fileted at the table. Always a nice touch (but, better when they get all the bones out). It was very moist and light with tomatoes, olives, onions and lemon juice, accompanied by green beans, simple yet crisp and fresh in a light olive oil and herb roasted potatoes.

Girlfriend Mo had the Ravioli all’Aragosta, lobster ravioli and jumbo shrimp with asparagus in a tomato-cognac sauce with fresh sage. Girlfriend Roz had the Risotto alla PescatoraRisotto with shrimp, mussels, baby clams & calamari in white wine sauce. You can also have it with red sauce, but the white was recommended. No one complained...well, about the food, that is. We girls love to vent.

Dessert was shared since we were all stuffed, but a good meal must always end with something sweet. The Tiramisu (My must-have dessert in any Italian restaurant.) came in an oversized martini glass. Creamy, thick with nearly a shot of dark rum at the bottom, much of it soaked into the lady fingers. Yum!

Read some other reviews: Philly Weekly; City Paper.

Copper Bistro

614 N. 2nd St., Philadelphia, 215.627.9844

Closed June 2009

Good, not great. That was the consensus after dining at Copper Bistro in Northern Liberties recently. It's a small restaurant situated on the main drag. Notable features include an open kitchen, exposed brick wall with little nooks of candlelight and copper kitchenware as decor. There are two dining rooms; the main one with the kitchen and a smaller one in the back with about 4 or so tables. We sat at this table in the back practically tucked into the fireplace. As much as I love fireplaces, I don't want to eat in one. Thankfully, it wasn't working!

The menu is a melting pot of cuisines: French, Belgian, Asian, Mediterranean and more. We started with the cheese plate ($12.50). I love cheese plates. You learn about new cheeses and usually they're paired with an intriguing side you would never otherwise know about. At the same time, I hate cheese plates--the portion size is always a tease. There was a french cheddar, a goat's milk and fig bread. Not bad. My entree was Day-Boat Scallops with Wild Mushroom Ragout and Potato Rosti Mushroom Jus ($23.50). Husband had shrimp. I'm waiting for him to elaborate on that. For whatever reason, our entrees took really long to show up so we ran out of time for dessert. (We had a play to get to.) Aside from the long wait, the server was friendly and knowledgeable. But overall, nothing wowed us. The best part was the 2005 Frog's Leap Cabernet, but we brought that.

Ardmore Station Cafe

6 Station Road, Ardmore, 610.642.3889

Always packed when we go for a weekend brunch, but worth waiting for a table. The menu is extensive, however on our last visit, I noticed no waffles! Pancakes and French Toast come with just about any kind of topping you can think of, including stuffed with cream cheese. Think dessert for breakfast. They have healthy options too, but why do that? If they're serving La Colombe coffee (which they are), you can be sure they know a thing or two about quality food. Although the syrup comes in the plastic containers with the pull back tops, you can order pure maple syrup for $2. If you go with more than four people, you will be waiting extra long for a table - no reservations. Prices aren't dirt cheap, but definitely affordable. They also serve lunch, but I haven't tried that yet. I've read a few other reviews and they're all positive.

Pizzicato Ristorante

248 Market Street, Philadelphia, 215.629.5527

We stopped in here with the kids for something light after the Sleeping Beauty performance at the Arden Theater on Sunday. At 5 p.m., there was just one table for four left. Score! They also offer kids entrees, which aren't on the regular menu or even posted on the menu outside the front door. They had the basics: pasta with butter, chicken fingers, french fries, etc. They even had kids cups and milk! Our little ones opted for the chicken fingers and fries. Four good size, but rather flat, chicken fingers arrived. Way too much for our distracted group. It might be wise to split the dish next time. I didn't taste them - they looked fine, for what it's worth.

The grown-ups started with Spicy Fried Calamari with portabella mushrooms, parmesan cheese and raspberry coulis. It had a nice kick and wasn't overly breaded, but I didn't realize it was a raspberry coulis until I pulled it off their website to write this. Then, we had the Grilled Chicken Pizzette with spinach, fresh mozzarella and red onion. It normally comes with Proscuitto, but we asked that they keep it off. The Pizzette is about 10 inches round and had a light crust. One hungry person could easily polish this off. The concensus, however, was that it was just okay, not really bursting with a ton of flavor. There's a lot on the menu, though, so I'd give it another shot.

The staff was amazingly friendly and accommodating. And, by 6 p.m., there was only one table left of people. Good time to go, I guess.

Siamese Princess

36 E. Lancaster Ave., Ardmore, 610.896.2755

Based on how it looks from the outside, the Siamese Princess is not a restaurant you would normally walk into on a whim. A neon OPEN sign in the window is never a good sign. It has the potential to be intimate, but the small and narrow room is brightly lit, tables have vinyl coverings and black aluminum chairs. Fresh flowers on each table is a thoughtful touch, but the decor overall is pretty tacky and generally lacking warmth. Needless to say, we had pretty low expectations for the food. But, it was surprisingly good, and inexpensive (Prices range from $4.95 to $16.95, and 10% off if you pay with cash.)!

We started with the Tom Yun Goon soup- shrimp, lemongrass, mushrooms in a broth and spicy enough to make your mouth numb. The traditional chicken satay on skewers with peanut sauce did not disappoint. The three large chicken breasts could have been my whole meal. For entrees, we had Bold and Spicy Shrimp (Clearly, there's a theme here.), sauteed shrimp, lemongrass, basil, mushrooms and hot chili peppers. A few too many capers, but fresh vegetables were crisp. The sauce was just spicy enough. The Green Chicken Curry came with a side of white rice, had julienned vegetables and was also spicy, but they can dilute it for you. It could have had more chicken, but overall it was fresh and really good.

The staff of two were friendly. We didn't have to wait long at all for our food, but that could have been because it wasn't crowded, even for a Saturday night. People don't know what they're missing! I overheard the diners next to us, evidently frequent visitors, talking about sending friends there who also loved it.

This restaurant will be getting a return visit!

Marrone's

2744 East County Line Road, Ardmore, 610.642. 9567

Marrone's Pizzeria is the quintessential Del-Co dine-in Italian fare, pizza-and-more restaurant. And, you get the classic Delco warmth and attitude, which by my experience is hit or miss. The place is deceivingly big. There's a room in the way, way back that makes you feel nearly out of the restaurant. But, gosh darn it, you will get a seat.

Portions are large. Pizza is good, if not a little too cheesy. Not an overwhelming selection of toppings. Order a salad and the Italian house dressing comes in a Grolsch bottle.

Basic kids menu. Plus, they get crayons and paper to keep them busy. Worth a try.

Margot

Edited to add: Closed

232 Woodbine Ave. Narberth, 610.660.0160

It was a Friday. I called three hours ahead to reserve a table and found our prime times to eat (between 8 and 8:30) were open. As a side note: although we've been in the "suburbs" seven months, we're still dining on city time. We were easily the last people to be seated. Out here, the restaurants clear out by 9:15. In the city: restaurants are just getting character.

I had heard from acquaintances that Margot was THE place to go for good food, intimate dining, and, bonus, it's a byob. I looked up the reviews and most were positive so it was clearly worth a visit. Much of what I read was true: the parking wasn't great with only on-street available, the dishes are basic but have a surprise ingredient. Narberth is a movie-cute town, but this restaurant isn't even close to the main drag. Aside from that, the food and service was good. Our server was friendly and honest about dishes.

Margot is a small room with unfittingly bright turquoise-greenish walls, some exposed brick, open kitchen. Votives on the white-clothed table, but lighting was still a tab brighter than I care for. Noise level wasn't horrible, but we sat next to a spirited group, if you know what I mean.

Husband had Margot's Bolognese with Rigatoni. I don't eat red meat, but it smelled really great and apparently didn't disappoint. I started with the Sweet Potato Pancakes with carmelized apples, chipotle and chive sour cream. There was a nice balance of sweetness and spice that worked well. I nearly ordered the Sea Bass special as my entree until I overheard the person at the next table complaining about it. He took one bite of his and never touched it again. I decided to try the Jumbo Lump Crabcake with Lemon Tarragon Nage, parsnip puree and baby bok choy. Definitely a winner.

Overall, it was good, but we wouldn't go running back.