Slate Gets Two Bells


Craig LaBan may struggle classifying Slate but the kitchen is providing an identity worth noting.

My absolute favorite: a nod to the chef’s Greek heritage, a homespun revamp of lamb gyros so overdue, I can’t believe it took this long for someone to conceive it. Heat-charred slices of Paraskevas’ lamb and onion puree – spiced with poblanos and aromatic with cinnamon, cumin, and clove – come rolled inside a soft pita with fennel slaw and minty, homemade tzatziki. Opa!

On a lesser magnitude of ambition (but no less satisfying) was a thrilling encounter with chicken that wasn’t a boneless breast: an entree of apricot-glazed thighs, tenderly braised and served over Israeli couscous with tart cucumber-chive chutney.

Two Bells – Very Good

Slate [Philadelphia Inquirer]