There are some interesting-sounding items on the menu, but overall, the menu needs to come down out of the nosebleed section. :-P

Lori

"They art trying too hard."

EXACTLY!!!

You nailed it Linda C.

Jim

The restaurant business is tough - especially in the Philly area. So many good ones to choose from. Sounds like they are trying to be overly unique.

Most of the menu does not appeal to me. However, I would order the seared scallops and farotto with squash. I would not want the foo-foo puree. Don't mess with fresh scallops - unless it's lemon, wine or capers. They are perfect by themselves.

I make a farotto with baked acorn squash. I bought a bunch of Heart of Gold squash last weekend so I'll be using that instead. Farotto is not that easy to come by here but I substitute Spelt berries and they work even better.

I've re-read the menu several times as you all have commented, and to be honest, I am even less impressed with it now then when I posted it. I will mention one change, the pork duo used ot be served with a caraway spaetzel and a red cabbage something which actually sounded much better to me than the current offering.

The only comment I have read on the farotto was in the press release that they have linked.

"Disappointingly, perfectly seared scallops ($25) were paired with a faro risotto that was too heavy for a summer menu."

And the Wagyu beef is something I will probably avoid now that I know it is prepared "sous vide". Somehow that just doesn;t appeal to me....

"Waygu beef had been cooked under vacuum, showing KaplanâÂÂs knowledge of matching proteins with correct cooking technique. The accompanying âÂÂpotato skinâ gnocchi were a little gummy but packed with flavour."

I dunno - a couple of the girls have suggested this as a night out destination, I am thinking of suggesting an alternative.......

Here is a link that might be useful: Food Writers Review

Personally?? I'd recommend an alternative...

Hmmm...
After studying the menu, there are a number of things that I would try and sound pretty good, but one thing that I see from a design standpoint... If they listed the appetizers as Summer Salad of Mixed Greens, Poached Laughing Bird Shrimp, Sweet Corn Soup, etc. (then in the fine print below each, describe the item) I think it would be fine. But by putting all the ingredients in a row, essentially giving tomato relish the same presence as sweet corn soup, then all the ingredients seem to be wordy and distracting.

But I do have one HUGE pet peeve... with all these fine local ingredients they're serving to the adults, is that all they could come up with for kids? chicken fingers, fries, etc. What about a simple small portion of roast chicken with baby carrots? Slice of pork filet with green beans (haricot verts) and sweet potato fries? sweet corn soup without the relish? Plain spaetzle with butter and pecorino with a side of watermelon? I see that time and again when we go out to eat and I don't understand it... ok off my soap box now!

Not surprisingly, I have a slight different take on this.

I really am grateful of people who spend their entire professional life and life savings trying to do well in one of the most dificult of all businesses, namely restaurants and give us immense eating pleasures.

Unless they are really stupid, (and there are a few of those,) they have gone thru incredible amount of obstacles to put a restaurnt together for the public to enjoy. For various reasons, some succeed and many failed. In any case, every item on the menu I would assume must have been tested, refined, T & T before they are put on the menu. No one would be crazy enough to try something that's not been proven pleaseing to most of the customers.

I would not pay that much attention on the discriptions of the dishes on the menu, especially a restaurant which focuses on new ways of cooking. Many of the dishes may sound totally outrageous yet the end result is heavenly delicious.

You will never end up going to a restaurant operated by Jose Andres if you read his menu first. Yet his The Bazaar is the only LA restaurant given four stars by the LA Times. You may have to wait three months to get a reservation to eat there. One of his creations is cotton candy wraped seafood, for instance. And how about liquid almond sorbet? Liquid olives and avocado tempura? There are also roving carts offering foie gras cubes also wrapped in cotton candy? Throw in cocktails with flavored "air"?

I would definitely tryout Palate. If I only get to enjoy 1/10th of his creations, it would be worth it. I don't have that much interest in going to restaurant who can prepare traditional recipes well. For me, while it is not that easy to cook typical dishes well, it is not that difficult either. I am more interested in the pursuit of gastronomic adventures. I am not going to spend money and time to go some place to eat something that I can cook myself.

The reviewer mentioned a dish, "vacuum cooked" Wagyu beef. I don't know what he/she meant by that. Perhaps it should be "sous vide" cooked? Now, that would require a lot of skill to sous vide cook wagyu beef!

Looking at the plating of the dishes, nice and elegant, nothing too pretentious either and the design of the interior is very friendly and pleasant also.

dcarch

Maybe I lived in California too long, but that menu didn't seem very unusual to me. There were some interesting things that I would want to try, but it doesn't look ''far out'' or anything. I just read the menu, didn't look at any reviews or pictures.

You make some good points, dcarch, and I would have to agree with much of what you said. They may serve good, innovative food, who knows?

However, focusing on the verbal aspect of the menu, I find the descriptions ostentatious and silly. It's like a parody of many trendy menus I've seen. A stand-up comedian could entertain a crowd just by reading the menu items slowly, pausing for laughs after each one.

Jim

"Tried and true" in restaurant parlance means that it sells well. Doesn't necessarily have to taste good. Heck, in my town a restaurant must have several steak items to survive. They don't have to be outstanding. Just big portions, low prices = return customers, and is the recipe for success. Know your dining audience. No restaurant in my town would serve that menu and survive for the long haul. They can offer bits of it as specials, but it is the wrong menu for my demographics. Yes, people say they like to try things when they go out, but at the end of the day, I would venture to say that more folks want a familar favorite that they don't have to cook. Any restaurant in a small town that caters to the minority eating habits will be closing its doors within a few years, if not sooner. It is unrealistic to think that you can convert enough repeat diners to fill the restaurant every night. The fact that this restaurant is in PA, within probably a 10 minute drive of places that still have scrapple on the menu makes me think it will be shortlived.

I worked very closely with a friend who opened an upscale restaurant outside of Orlando. Before his first night, he did several "friends and family" nights where we were served lots of different items from the menu. We had to rate each dish. He did not print the menu until after those early dinners. Good thing, too, as several great sounding dishes did not make the cut after reviews.

jojoco - looking at the menu I don't see where funnel is mispelled.

"Seared Foie Gras, Pearl Onion and Local Strawberry Compote, Funnel Cake"

Do you think they meant fennel? Funnel cake has always been a fried pasty to me. But I don't think funnel cake or fennel sound good with the above ingredients.

Teresa - they fixed it!

goldgirl - that explains it. I thought I was losing my mind! I kept looking at it thinking, what are these people seeing that I can't? LOL

Not much there I'd eat.

We have a couple of restaurants like this in Baltimore (Woodberry Kitchen, for example). I've had some good meals at these places, they can be a wonderful treat...BUT....the staff are quite condescending, like they invented using local products in their rather strange foods, and we "common people" should be grateful for the privilege of eating their food. And their food is terribly expensive, as is Palate - roast chicken for $23 ($23 will keep me in chicken for a month). And, while presentation is important, silly arrangements of food are just silly. A couple of years ago everything was stacked. Now it's all named local produce or "molecular".

Maybe because I've been cooking for 40 years (zucchini and tomatoes from the back yard), I'm not as impressed by restaurants like these as my kids are, who love these places and would probably love Palate.

I think they're trying for locavore meets high end. I like foie gras with a sweetish sort of compote, but fall fruits would have been better than strawberries, and the funnel cake idea would have been better in a dessert form.

The entrees sound more thought-out--I like the idea of a pretzel crust on pork belly.

But the kid's menu is dreck.

But I give them credit for trying, and when you're just starting out, you want to set yourself and your cooking apart. I live in LA, and eat out pretty often, so I'm not put off by the menu or the descriptions.

Maybe they're trying "too hard" but that's better than not trying at all. If I'm going to a new place, I don't expect the same old same old.

There is one thing that i find extremely off putting about this menu and menus like it.

Customers should never be put in a position of having to wouldask what something is. I think it makes them feel inferior to the wait staff and chef and that's not a good business model.

I know that all of us ask for clarifications on a menu, perhaps a question on preparation and sometimes there are a few things on a menu we have never heard of...that's not what I'm talking about.

In this case they seem to have gone out of their way to use words that most customers, including me, would leave me scratching my head as to what the dish actually was. I really don't want to spend a half hour having the menu translated for me....now in Tuscany I could do that!

My DH would have gotten right up and left this restaurant he'd that annoyed about the descriptions.

Ideefixe --
I had to look up "dreck" as I had no idea what it meant. LOL! I like it. I could find uses for that word sometimes!

Ann

Chase - When I first looked at the menu my thought was, "I'm not sure what I feel about it because I have no idea what most of this is or means." I didn't feel like admitting that, though. Your comments sum it up PERFECTLY for me. I'd be right behind Clive on my way out the door!

And so what if you don't know what it means? How does anyone ever learn anything? Why not ask and order and give it a whirl?

I love tref. YMMV.

FOR THE RECORD - In case it hasn't already been noted, the menu has changed since Alexa first posted. I just "re-read" it and was wondering why I didn't understand it better at first. Then I double-checked I saw that dishes mentioned in this thread are no longer on there. (The new menu could use a proof reader as well.)

ideefixe - I'm all for learning/trying something new but I know that for me, and I suspect others, it would be uncomfortable (stressful? annoying?) to be handed a menu where I pretty much couldn't decipher what anything was until I got to the kid's menu. Unless it were the type of place that would expect that and where the waitstaff was trained to cheerfully go through every item in the way that they'll typically recite the day's specials.

ideefixe, I have no problem with asking questions about a menu as I mentioned in my post.

The issue I have with this menu, or at least the original one, is that just about every entree would require some sort of explanation for me to understand what I was ordering.

I really don't want an entire menu explained before I can decide. At my age, I would have forgotten the first one by the time the last one was described!

The menu appeals to me a lot, I wish they were closer to me.
I understood almost everything, I like the option of the vegetarian burger, made of rice and black beans, quite unusual.

I've attended tons of gourmet dinners, yet I'm not a gourmet cook; I do wish it would rub off on me. I tend to analyze how much trouble it must have been to put all this together.

To answer the original question Does this menu appeal to you?. Yes, very much so! I love menus like this because to me it is a great food adventure! Also it give me ideas of different foods to cook here in my house.

Alexa - where are you going for lunch? Will the Palate be your destination?

Teresa

It appears to me that the menu has changed somewhat since Alexa first posted about it. Wonder if any of the restaurant's staff reads the CF?? LOL

Lori

Seems like things have changed on this thread as well.

Yes, the menu is much easier to decipher now. Pity the menu for the children hasn't changed.

Teresa

I am attaching a link to the food review Alexa posted. Can anyone tell me what the "snakey" looking thing is in the 6th picture down. I read the article and tried to pair it with the descriptions of the items the critic tried.

Barnmom - maybe the appearance will do as much for you as the erotic tomato photo I posted yesterday did. (wink)

Here is a link that might be useful: Review of the Palate Restaurant

Teresa, I wonder if it's the Pretzel-crusted pork, served on a soft pretzel? At first I thought it was some sort of long sausage, but if you look close, it could be a pretzel. Plus, the dish is served with a cabbage slaw, and in the photo, there appears to be red cabbage under whatever is on top. And that is the only recipe with cabbage on the menu.

The duo of pork with belly and tenderloin was a winner. The belly was expertly cooked by Kaplan, the fat rendered crispy on the outside and creamy in the meaty inside. The tenderloin was crusted with pretzels, and the plate was finished with curried cabbage slaw and a reduction of golden raisins, mustard seeds and vinegar.

Barnmom is right, this thread has changed too. We've slimmed down from 61 responses to 43.

......and it seems the related thread has vanished.

It seems it's true, there may be a "gang" who thinks they call the shots for the vast majority of us that just want to talk food, cooking and life.

Whoever it is that has decided they are the forum police, maybe you need to go!

I'm seriously fed up with the actions of a few at the expense of the many.

Me too Sharon, but I bet things do not change!

I think many of us feel the same way about the so called "Forum Police". There have been too many posts and threads pulled in the past year.

As for the menu, it didn't appeal to me before and it appeals to me even less now that I see the dishes plated.

Ann

Maybe it was just the lighting or the camera, but those dishes looked garish to me.

Teresa

Ann - the forum police are the GW people that moderate the forum. No one here has the ability to have things pulled but I'm sure you already know that. Sometimes I'm glad the posts are pulled.....sometimes I think we would be better served if the "piling on" threads were left. Perhaps the writers would be embarrassed when they reviewed their comments later.

I've only been here three months, but it does not surprise me how many things are pulled. Cyber bullying is out of control at all levels and ages. PLEASE NOTE: I am not saying you are one of them.

On another note - after reading the bio on the man that has opened Palate, I hope he succeeds. He teaches cooking at a tech school and he seems to be into alot of new ideas. While many do not appeal to me, I love the approach to local ingredients. With the way the economy is, we can't let the local producers fall by the wayside.

Alexa - did you and your friend decide where to eat?

Teresa

teresa,

It doesn't work quite the way you think.

The real forum moderators do not spend time reading each and every post on each and every forum deciding what is OK and what is not. They may dip and out but that's about it.

Generally posts and/or threads are pulled because someone "tattles" to the moderator who then looks at the thread and makes a decision to pull part, or all, of it.

Someone here is "tipping off" the moderator to threads they find out of bounds. I think their intentions are honourable, but not sure why they think they are the judge.

Then again I don't understand why anyone thinks they have the right to judge anyone else about anything....period, full stop.

I think there is only one person who is charge of all Gardenweb. Not sure, and it would be a BIG job. But I think that's it.

"I think there is only one person who is charge of all Gardenweb. Not sure, and it would be a BIG job. But I think that's it."

Aliens. Fer sure. Directed by the mother ship.

Sushipup wrote: "I think there is only one person who is charge of all Gardenweb. Not sure, and it would be a BIG job. But I think that's it."

Well I think it's a good thing there is software to block out swear words, etc. to help that one person out - if that is the case. They need to maintain a certain decorum to keep their advertisers.

Sushi - when Spike ran it I think he was the only one. Surely there must be more employees now that it has gotten so big. Maybe not.

Teresa

No doubt....threads are pulled because of tattlers. And those who email others about threads being pulled are hugely suspect.
Spike's name is Robert Stewart. I remember when he was running the whole thing out of his apartment overlooking the river in New Brunswick. Susie was still a student at Rutgers.
I think I still have a snail-mail card he sent me when I had the cancer surgery.
Spike and Susie came to a get together....just a few years back.
Wonder how many are still here who remember that?
And a few days has not improved the many.
Funny thing, since the internet, we now have the privilege of looking at a manu before we are seated with a napkin on out lap and presented with it.
I wouldn't eat at Palate if I saw the menu first. Nope....there are lots and lots of good places in the area to eat insead.

Spike did not run it by himself ----he had help from Mickey. I know that for a fact because Spike sent me to visit Mickey once ;)

That should have read that a few days didn't improve the MENU....and that we now can check the MENU!
I think Mickey was grateful to Spike for the increase in attendance now and then!

yes, I also remember the days of Spike, and we've changed much since then. Fortunately I never was sent to visit Mickey but I did get a few "friendly warnings" about my "tone".

As for the menu, it does look better to me, but not a lot. The pictures did not help, I was also wondering what in the world that thing on the plate was that looks like a sausage.

The problem I have is the designated "mixture" of foods. I like the pork duo, but detest polenta. The duck sounds good, but not the faro/risotto.

If they are amenable to substitutions, then I could find a meal I enjoyed, I'm sure. If not, then I'd go away hungry AND annoyed. I've long since outgrown having someone else decide what goes on my plate, if I'm paying for someone to cook my meal, I want to choose.

Annie

Spike sent me on a vacation to meet Mickey once. I misspelled the word duck. Oops. To this day I cannot link my GW account to my usual email address. I have to have emails go to a secondary account.

Yeah, that menu sounds pretty pretentious to me, and who names a restaurant after the roof of your mouth? ;0)

Several years back, in my town, someone opened a new restaurant. The circumstances of her funding were a bit shaky but the word was "she's a good cook and knows the food business."
The menu was published on the web....looked wonderful...but there were more than a few misspellings and grammatical errors...but the choice of foods was lovely.
Then they put up a sign...saying "restorante italian"...and I knew they were in trouble.
After about 7 months of rotten service, cold food mixed with very good service and wonderful food and bad service....the bad service and cold food won....and they closed.
I suspect Palate has taken more time and effort in writing a strangely worded menu and attending to cutsey details like silverware set askew and the hip wait staff in jeans and black t-shirt than to the quality of the food and service.
Time will tell!

Time will indeed tell, LindaC. I drove past a local restaurant whose marquee pronounced that tonight's special was "chicken piccadda". I figured if they couldn't spell "piccata" they probably shouldn't be serving it.

They're still open, though, mostly because they have karaoke on Friday nights, LOL, and I could have overlooked any spelling or grammatical errors if the food was good. It wasn't.

annie

As long as they don't misspell "duck" on the menu...

There is a very popular restaurant in my city with an exceptionally pompous and pretentious menu. I've concluded that such menu writing is simply another branch of creative writing, kind of like composing real estate listings....

Anyway, I can almost always find SOMETHING on any menu to order, once at least. This local place has been in business for at least 10 years, so I guess they're doing some things right.

Perhaps we should also consider the following; There are restaurants you go to because you want a quick meal, restaurants you go to because you want cheap food, restaurants you go to because you want a romantic atmosphere, restaurants you go to because you want normal familiar good food, ----.

Palate may be a restaurant you go to because you enjoy something that�s new. I am not saying Palate is good or bad. It probably is not a restaurant you would take your family for a regular dinner, not the first time anyway.

It appears to me that Palate is a well thought out place based on many factors, including their mission statement. Keeping in mind that a good chef may be a lousy menu designer. As I tried to illustrate my point by the examples I have given, strange ingredients can be surprisingly good.

There is a very famous restaurant, Stone Barns at Blue Hills in NY, expensive, and reservation in advance a must.

http://www.bluehillfarm.com/

A very interesting restaurant that they farm their own organic food and meats next to the restaurant. If you dine early, you can take a tour around the farm. The restaurant is owned by David Rockefeller.

The menu is very unique, creative and impressively original; however the few times I was there I did not like the food which I ordered. I felt the entire concept was a little dictatorial. Take it or leave it, this is the way we cook. For instance, a beef dish came basically raw. I can eat raw beef, but that�s not the point, they never told me on the menu, or the waitress that the meat would be near raw.

Still, I respect what they are doing, I highly recommend going there just for the adventure and experience. You may find that what I didn�t like, you like.

dcarch

I saw this article/survey in the Eatocracy section of CNN. It seems to fit with Alexa's thread - given some of the responses.

I chose General Snootiness as the thing I hate the most. I worked in a variety of food service industries. I CAN tolerate bad food and a variety of other things. I cannot stand pretentious, snotty people. Especially waitstaff that wants to treat you like you are an idiot.

Teresa

Here is a link that might be useful: Worst Restaurant Flaw