Craig LaBan

1 week ago | inquirer.com | Craig LaBan

At 8:30 on a Wednesday night, the palm-fringed upstairs dining room of Maison Lotus had nearly cleared out. Despite being the hottest new reservation in Wayne, this multilevel French-Vietnamese destination had already synced to the early-to-bed rhythms of Main Line dining in its first two months. So it was no mystery, with closing time fast approaching, why the staff seemed rushed as they brought us a fleet of oversized plates all at once, no matter whether our crowded table could hold them.

2 weeks ago | inquirer.com | Kiki Aranita |Craig LaBan

The arrival of the Michelin Guide is a momentous occasion for Philly’s dining scene — one that, even if you don‘t care about Michelin‘s vaunted star ratings, may very well change the way you eat in the city’s best restaurants as they strive for one of the restaurant world’s most heralded achievements and a new kind of diner potentially stalks the reservation books.

2 weeks ago | inquirer.com | Craig LaBan

Chloé Grigri and Vincent Stipo don’t have commitment issues when it comes to most things. The two have been inseparable since they began dating in 2014 after Stipo, then the beverage wizard at Vernick, fell for Grigri’s Provençale-American charm during a visit to the Good King Tavern, the French bistro in Queen Village she’d opened the prior year with her father, Bernard. They got married on a South Philly deck during COVID and now have a 2-year-old daughter named Margot.

3 weeks ago | inquirer.com | Craig LaBan

There are no fewer than 50 classic regional varieties of mole simmering in cazuelas across Mexico. Greater still are the subtle variations and nuanced flavors that season these intricately complex and saucy stews. They are as numerous as family trees.

3 weeks ago | inquirer.com | Craig LaBan

My lucky mission each summer is to dive into the Jersey Shore’s restaurant scene to eat and write about what’s fresh in beach dining. The downside is that I rarely have the opportunity to return the following year to some of those new favorites. This spring, while waiting for the Shore’s post-Memorial Day food story to unfold, I began revisiting spots I’ve covered in years past.