philadelphia dining and cigars...

so i stuck around philly one more day to practice after the successful concert at curtis with joey.

i had a disappointing dinner at susanna foo , one of the premiere fusion chinese restaurants in the country. though they don't formally use the word fusion, the merger of chinese dishes and french techniques constitutes the same in my book.
while the dumpling platter was good,( and they were gracious enought to provide for one what is normally for two, ) i would have preferred there be a tasting order-like a good cheese plate- so that i didn't have the more delicate lobster ravioli, soybean puree and emulsified coconut-lobster sauce after the mongolian lamb pillows stuffed with tarragon, cumin and leeks with an ancho chile sauce, or after the steamed diver scallop dumplings with thai curry-tomato sauce.

the slow roasted scottish salmon with sake and miso marinade though well cooked, was tasteless...
then again it was scottish (why did i order it?)salmon......

the evening ended at my new favorite cigar bar, mahogany where i enjoyed an opus x. this is a tremendous cigar made by fuente.
i believe the secret of the cubans is that everything comes from the same soil.
whereas many otherwise lovely dominican cigars are marred by the connecticut leaf wrapper, i believe what makes the opus x cubanesque is its native grown wrapper.. a true competitor to cubans.
if you're a lover of fine cigars, and liquours, this place is a must.
i enjoyed a pierre ferrand reserve (try the abel or ancestrale sometime, and highland park 12 yr old scotch.

great chairs and great conversation, and when i'm next in italy i'll thank one leonard insalaco for his tips......

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[4 beats plus fermata]

now i understand why your playing has kaleidoscope of flavors ... my trust is in ramen noodles -before or after playing...perhaps instead ...