Out and About

No Passport Required

Take a culinary world tour—right here in Queen Village— with stops in Paris, Morocco, and South China.

By Michael and Cait Allen

Whether you need a taste of warm-weather travel in the dark winter or a place to kindle Valentine’s Day romance, a decision like in those old adventure books stands before you. Do you turn to page 25 and follow your fancies to France? Do you cross the Mediterranean for North African shores on page 50? Or perhaps you sail the ports of the South China Sea on page 66. Bon voyage as you fall in love again, Queen Village-style, with these three long-treasured getaways.

Bistrot La Minette, 13 years, 623 S. 6th St.

Owner Peter Woolsey hails from a family of artists, each of whom has added to the authenticity of the bistro—from the bar assembled from antiques with his father, to the scenes captured by Peggy, his photographer wife, to the architecture absorbed during more than two years studying in France. “If you ripped the restaurant off its foundations on 6th Street and dropped it into the middle of Lyon, the locals could not tell that it was foreign. That was my goal,” says Peter. Achieved, sir. Well achieved.

We start with the mixed greens of the salade verte, with its creamy, soft dressing that has a bite like the first fall breeze at the end of summer. The oeuf du pêcheur is a true artistic creation: fresh-baked toast, mussels in a cream sauce, and a poached egg atop, ready to richly burst. Next, a first for us—for shame!—escargots à la Bourguignonne. Bathed in garlic butter, each nestles in its own custom tureen. They are delicate and delicious.

For the business end of the dinner, we cast a line for the truite meunière, a beautifully prepared trout dish over a sea of sauteed greens and fingerling potatoes. The wine-braised boeuf bourguignon is a blend of hearty short rib chunks, bacon, and a decadently savory dark sauce. Don’t miss the mac-and-cheese, baked with a tang of Gruyère. But the night is not ready to end. There may need to be sips of rosé and a shared thousand layers of mille feuille aux framboises. With all respect to the residents of Lyon, we’d prefer to keep Bistrot La Minette safely mortared right here!

Escargots bathed in garlic butter. Photo by Peggy Baud-Woolsey

Marrakesh, 43 years, 517 S. Leithgow St.

Sitting on cushions under the mosaic of colored lights, owner Sameer Albaroki talks of the warmth and friendliness of his native Morocco as we are offered rose water to rinse our hands. We reflect on the ancient trade routes that crossed the Mediterranean and brought so many visitors and cultures to the coast of Africa. There’s no experience more immersive than this in Queen Village.

Mint tea and course after course of traditional fare is served by lantern light. Zaluk—a roasted tomato, garlic, and eggplant salad—is served first. Next is the Moroccan favorite, bastilla, prepared with chicken, egg, and cinnamon inside a crispy, sugared shell. The braised chicken

A taste of Morocco at Marrakesh.

Bastilla, Morocco’s famous chicken pie.

with cumin sauce is perfectly balanced in spice and salinity. The lamb with honey and almonds is delicate, sweet, and careful on the palate. These are followed by chicken couscous, with raisins more grape-like than the withered ones in those little red boxes.

After all of this incredible hospitality, the tea, baklava, and bowl of fruit invite a casual wind-down to the evening feast. Sameer himself will then bid you a heartfelt farewell back into the city night.

Mustard Greens, 29 years, 622 South 2nd St,

Owner Bon Siu hails from South China and the megacity of Guangzhou (once anglicized as Canton). The cuisine of this warm, seafaring region is light and accessible, not fierce and arresting like the spicy North. “I like clean and simple,” says Bon, as he explains the décor, which intentionally departs from the traditional red and gold of old Chinese restaurants. Once an aspiring artist, Bon brings a philosophy of Modernism not only to his interior design but to his culinary creations as well. “Simple flavors allow the taste of fresh food to shine through,” he says.

We love the chew of the wrapper of the meaty pork dumplings zipped with a tang of vinegar. Amazingly plump barbeque shrimp almost jumps from the fishing net into an intriguing dark glaze of smoky and sweet. Here, the bed of julienned vegetables glistens like sunshine on water with that signature Cantonese essence. The crab-fried rice has been on the menu since the restaurant’s opening, and its lump crab is gigantic and sweet. “Do you like fish?” Bon asks. The fabulous sauce on the steamed skate wing punches with pungent, complex spice but pulls back before becoming overly hot or unsettling.

Once you’ve reached the end of the adventure book, if you are like us, you will turn back the pages to each decision again. What happens on the other adventures? If I turned left instead of right? Well, don’t miss a thing! All of these destinations await. Might as well embark on all three! ■

Top: Skate wing steamed to perfection. Below: Mustard Greens’ delicious dumplings.

iberty ree

by Thomas Paine

In a chariot of light, from the regions of the day, The Goddess of Liberty came, Ten thousand celestials directed her way, And hither conducted the dame. A fair budding branch from the gardens above, Where millions with millions agree, She brought in her hand as a pledge of her love, And the plant she named Liberty Tree. The celestial exotic stuck deep in the ground, Like a native it flourished and bore; The fame of its fruit drew the nations around, To seek out this peaceable shore. Unmindful of names or distinctions they came, For freemen like brothers agree; With one spirit endued, they one friendship pursued, And their temple was Liberty Tree. Beneath this fair tree, like the patriarchs of old, Their bread in contentment they ate, Unvexed with the troubles of silver or gold, The cares of the grand and the great. With timber and tar they

Old England supplied, And supported her power on the sea; Her battles they fought, without getting a groat, For the honor of Liberty Tree. But hear, O ye swains (’tis a tale most profane), How all the tyrannical powers, Kings, Commons and Lords, are uniting amain To cut down this guardian of ours. From the East to the West blow the trumpet to arms, Thro’ the land let the sound of it flee; Let the far and the near all unite with a cheer, In defense of our Liberty Tree.

215.886.6111 (Glenside, PA) 215.725.3637 (Philadelphia, PA) 215.572.6937 (Fax) www.libertytreecare.com

MIKE DUFFY

Certified Arborist PD-1766A