Sbraga lives up to Top Chef acclaim

Chef Kevin Sbraga just opened his first restaurant Sbraga last weekend following a summer of anticipation among the Top Chef winner's fans and the Philly food community. We actually never watched that season of the reality show, but grabbed one of the last available seats on Open Table this past Friday night to see what the buzz was all about. It turned out to be one heck of a good meal.

Sbraga requires all seated patrons to choose from a $45/person prix fixe menu - four courses with six options each. First course appetizers, second fish, third meat, fourth dessert.  

Lamb Belly  (Jason Varney/Sbraga)

The same items are available a la carte to customers sitting at the traditional bar and the kitchen bar. We are big fans of watching chefs cook from a kitchen bar, but glad we sat down for the four course dinner at Sbraga. Unless you really don't want dessert, we agreed that diners should just go for the full experience. The portions are small, so getting just an appetizer and an entree may leave you hungry an hour later. We did the math and ordering our same four individual items works out just under $45 for me, and just over $45 for Bradd, anyway.

The winning dishes for us were the foie gras soup and the lamb belly with broccoli and sesame granola. To make the lamb belly, Sbraga alternates lamb breast with fat in thin layers, cooked to perfection and served with the crunchy granola on top. It results in a striking combination of flavors and textures. Sort of like pork belly, but meatier and possibly more gratifying.

I wish we asked what goes into the foie gras soup broth because it was just divine. Distinct from any flavor we've had before. Literally stops you mid-slurp to ponder about how unique it is.

Recap of the Chinatown Night Market

This past Thursday, Chinatown played host to the latest Night Market in Philadelphia. It's a relatively new concept organized by The Food Trust that exploded quickly when hundreds of people unexpectedly showed up to the first Night Market in East Passyunk in 2010. Since then, Night Markets have been held in University City, Mount Airy and now, Chinatown.

Philadelphia's Night Markets are several blocks of food trucks, tents and tables offering a global selection of ethnic foods. They offer a great way to try some of the newest or most locally-famous food trucks that you may not get to during the day. We picked our targets based mostly on the lines and what we hadn't eaten before.

Bradd and I took our first shot at live blogging an event during the Chinatown Night Market, so if your reaction to any of our last few posts was "what the heck are they talking about," that was it. I have to hand it to journalists and other bloggers who do this regularly because it was a lot of work! It was fairly thrilling at first (in our heads) but after a while, you kinda feel like you're looking at your phone more than all the cool stuff going on around you.

Regardless, I'm glad we did it and now you can peruse our thoughts on more of Philly's food trucks in the posts below. Cut us a break on grammar and photo placement - our iPhone and Android devices have great Blogger apps, but it's still tough to juggle your phone, food and best writing skills in the middle of a crowded street. Scroll down for some additional photos of the event, too.

If I can offer a little wisdom to newbies at future Night Markets: 1) You have to go into it expecting crowds and lines, but if you take your time and explore in small groups, it is manageable. 2) I don't see why people bother waiting in the insanely long beer lines. If you really need a beer, swing into a local bar or discretely pack a few of your own, with cups. 3) Don't approach it feeling like you have to try 10 different trucks. Many of the portions were a decent size so I, at least, was full after a just a few stops.

In our bizarre order to consumption:

Night Market: Strada Pasta

Just had the sage and butternut squash lasagna with gorgonzola sauce from Strada Pasta. Wow, really rich flavor and perfect for the season. First really seasonal item I've seen at the Night Market so far tnight.

Not sure I could handle a big plate of it, but food truck portion? Yes please. Nice guy too, said he uses all local ingredients. Craig LaBan must have been to Strada's table right before us, because he tweeted that the squash ravioli was a "sleeper gem."

Night Market: Hardena Resto

"Hey, check it out. A PSU tent." And that is how we ended up at Hardena Resto. It is an Indonesian place in Point Breeze. We got the beef cubes cooked slowly in coconut milk and spices with rice. Would pass for some late night food or a PSU tailgate. Beef was tender, but something was amiss with the flavors.

Night Market: Crepewalk

Crepewalk's veggie crepe from the Chinatown Night Market. Onion, red/green peppers, spinach, broccoli, cheese and feta sauce...

Ohhh the feta sauce, you made my night. Good crepe made even better with a delicious light sauce. LOT of onions, probably could have skipped a handful and gone with more peppers.

Here is the chef at work and some food shots. Sorry for the partially eaten shot but crepes don't look like much on their own!

Night Market: Zsa's Gourmet Ice Cream

Ordered the chocolate truffle ice cream for $3. The little crunch was a nice touch and the chocolate flavor was rich without being over done. Ideal portion size. There were about ten flavors to order.

Also got the vanilla ice cream sandwich. It was rock hard initially but softened quickly. I thought it was quite good. The vanilla mixed nicely with the cinnamon chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.

Night Market: Vernalicious

Interesting new food truck at the Night Market. Bacon BBQ, banh mi and german sausage. Bacon was solid albeit slightly undercooked. Chicken banh mi had a nice kick, but needed better bread. Combined the bacon and banh mi for a few bites. Good combo

Night Market: Nomad Pizza

we are live blogging from the Night Market in Chinatown tonight. First attempt, testing it out on an iPhone and an Android. Check out this vendor - Nomad Pizza. They have a portable wood fired oven.