Q&A | Dan

Dan, one of my best friends from college, and I met during sophomore year while working on our school's yearbook. It wasn't until senior that he and I started becoming really great friends, where we became each others' ear and shoulder for support and began embarking on many great trips together (through Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston), usually for art/design, shopping, and good food. As I've mentioned in my El Vez post, Dan and I, as restaurant-design fanatics, unofficially started what we called our "Starr Restaurant Tour" of NYC, Philly, and beyond. Dan and I are always on the prowl for really solid design aesthetic as well as delicious comfort food when we have our long-awaited reunions between here and Philadelphia. I look forward to many more adventures with Dan (and documenting them here, of course). Who knows -- maybe he'll be switching cities soon (NYC, I hope), so we can hang out more often as we should! Thanks again, Dan!


Dan and me at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (the day we hit up four "Starrs" -- including Barclay Prime as Dan will mention below -- in one day)!

NAME
Dan

CURRENT CITY
Philadelphia, PA

FAVORITE ALL-TIME RESTAURANT
Barclay Prime in Philadelphia – I have only frequented this Stephen Starr gem once (with none other than Stefie), but I would go again in a heartbeat.

MOST REGULARLY FREQUENTED SPOT(S)
I am a very “comfort food”-oriented person, so places (in Philadelphia) you can find me most frequently tend to serve simple, all-American cuisine (such as Marathon Grill, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, and Pizzeria Stella). Italian eateries such as the Olive Garden, Café Dolce, and Pizzicato are also regularly frequented.

DRINK OF CHOICE
During the day, a Starbucks Caffè Americano; at night, a pomegranate martini (or any martini really)

SOMETHING YOU SECRETLY INDULGE
I cannot pass up the sight of a Philly soft pretzel, especially fresh ones from sidewalk vendors in Center City.

DISH YOU MOST ENJOY PREPARING
strip steak (cooked on the grill) with garlic mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables

THE HOMEMADE DISH YOU ALWAYS LONG FOR
My mother’s homemade five-layer lasagna – made with a sauce passed down from my grandmother and served with garlic bread – is fantastic.

GASTRONOMIC GETAWAY/ADVENTURE OF CHOICE
Although I have been to Italy once (spent a weekend in Rome in 2008), I would love to go back and explore the edible offerings in areas such as Venice and Milan (and to sample wine in the Tuscany region). One thing to know about me is that I could live solely on Italian food, and “going straight to the source”, so to speak, seems like the perfect adventure.

CULINARY ICONS
Giada de Laurentiis, Emeril Lagasse

MEAL YOU WISH YOU CAN REPEAT BUT SOMEHOW CANNOT
An amazing confit de canard that I had in Paris two summers ago (at a restaurant whose name I cannot remember unfortunately) – I have not been able to find an equivalent duck confit in America.

ABSOLUTE "CAN'T-STANDS"
cooked carrots, black olives, anything overly spicy

FAVORITE DESSERT OF ALL TIME
triple chocolate mousse cake sprinkled with chocolate chips

FAVORITE COOKBOOK/COFFEE TABLE BOOK
Unfortunately, I do not own any cookbooks or food-related coffee table books at this time, but I am always open to suggestions!

CULINARY WORDS THAT NEVER LOSE THEIR PANACHE
à la mode, caramelize, pinot

FOOD BLOG(S) YOU JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF
Four Tines!