john b

I found a four pack of DH Punkin on Friday. I've decided that I am not a big fan of the style. But...if I had to pick my favorite pumpkin beer, it would be the DH-- spicy aroma, pumpkin flavor, nice body, a hint of a bitter finish.

The madelines are incredible. I am also a fan of the coffee cake.

Chef Reinhart, Thank you for taking the time to participate in this most interesting discussion. Living in the Northeast (Philadelphia area), I have access to great bread, pizza and bagels. Friends and family who have moved out of the area complain about the lack of good bread, etc. and the explanation always given is, "It's the water." I've been told that it is the mineral content of water in the northeast that makes the difference. Is this accurate? Along these lines, when baking at home is it best to use tap water as opposed to filtered or bottled water? P.S. Is there any Philadelphia area pizza which would make your "Top 10"?

...the talking pig in Toy Story

Am I the only one who's still Qing old school? I just lick my finger and stick it in one of the lid vents on my WSM. If I count one one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand without my finger starting to blister, I know I'm in the 225-250 range

and they have their own current thread, which I missed (blaming it on lack of sleep from the night out in NYC).

Can I include pumpkin beers? 'Tis the season... I had Heartland Brewery's seasonal offering last night, Smiling Pumpkin Ale. Either I don't like pumpkin beers or I have yet to find one that I like. Well, the trend continues. The pumpkin pie flavors were there, although subtle, but the beer lacked body, was on the watery side. Next time, I'll stick with the Farmer John's.

I like comparisons when reading tasting notes or reviews, like, "Not very hoppy for a pale ale, much less hop presence than Sierra Nevada Pale Ale." It gives me a point of reference with which I can relate.

How much of the wine consuming public's opinion of over-oaked, high alcohol, big, sweet wines is the "emporer's new clothes syndrome", i.e. the "experts" like these wines so I should like them, too??

Lunch at Tortilla Press today. The food was excellent (the guac could have used a bit more salt and a shot of hot sauce). Service was good, not great. I really like the decor--fun and colorful. We had an "indoor/outdoor" table--the table was inside the restaurant but next to a large, open picture window facing Haddon Ave. The lunch time traffic was noisy and distracting. I'd definitely NOT sit at that table again.

Actually I want a big old Victorian with a wrap around porch in Haddonfield that's steps away from the lovely little "downtown Haddonfield" area that has several nice restaurants/BYOBs as well as an awesome collection of consignment stores for an Olympic class full contact shopper like myself. Right now I'd give the restaurant nod to Collingswood over Haddonfield. Nunzio's, Word of Mouth and Tortilla Press are excellent. I haven't been to Sapori yet. In Haddonfield, I really like Little Tuna (the soup and salad lunch for $9 is a steal). Oriental Pearl is one of the better Chinese restaurants in the area. I wasn't impressed by Cafe M.

Buy a pint of Bassett's, have it packed in dry ice, and eat it on the way to Capogiro. That's what I'd do.

There's a place in Burlington on Rt 130 called the Blue Claw. I have not eaten there, but I've been told that it's good and reasonably priced.

My "I used to be a beer can collecting geek and my collection is boxed up in the basement" just went off. The first beer can was a flat top. Here's a photo and some other info: http://www.bcca.com/bccacan1.html Staying with the Iron City theme, I have an Iron City can or two from the 70's that are still full. If the feds ever find out, my house may be designated a Superfund site.

Grease truck food was (and probably still is) best consumed after 2 AM as you stagger home from Old Queens, or so I've been told

Are you my neighbor?? (I'm ten or so minutes down Lenola Rd from Tac's)

Tony's is my lunch spot about twice a week. The Margherita is REALLY good, as is his "plain old pizza." If you haven't tried his chicked parm sandwich, try it. In addition to the food, Tony is a very nice guy. Ralph's, on Station Ave in Haddon Heights, makes a square tomato and garlic pizza which is very good--medium thick crust topped with crushed tomato, cheese, fresh chunks of garlic and parsley. Their regular Neapolitan is rather ordinary. Passariello Pavillion, on Main St in Moorestown, has pretty good Neapolitan pizza. Has anyone tried the Marlton outpost of Pietro's? It was better than most of the local pizza, but I thought the cheese/sauce/toppings were too heavy for the crust.

Pizza at Mack & Manco's is a must. They have three boardwalk locations. Voltaco's, on Asbury Ave around 14th, 15th or 16th (I can't remember which block it's on) has good hoagies and hot sandwiches (chicken parm, etc). Katie mentioned Bubba Mac. Another good place in Somers Point is Charlie's, a bar/restaurant. Their boneless buffalo wings are excellent. I can't think of any good rainy day activites, other than a trip to AC for some gambling.

So it seems like my NYC friends were not being their usual cynical selves... Am I correct in assuming that we should avoid Little Italy (I had though about checking out Di Paolo's) altogether??

We're planning on dinner somewhere downtown (hopefully Babbo or Hearth) on a Saturday in September, and I just found out that it will be during San Gennaro. We'll have the afternoon, before dinner, to bounce around the city. My friends who live in Manhattan laugh at the idea of going anywhere near Mulberry St. during the festival. "It's packed with people, you can't even move...mediocre food...cheesy carnival games...etc." I can deal with crowds, but will I be wasting my time looking for good food? Will the festival have any effect on the demand for reservations at the better downtown restaurants?

Cheap, gets you drunk quickly and makes you want to beat up Cowboy fans?? Well, ya gotta hope. John, will you be making your annual appearance at FTF?? I think so, even if only for an hour or two. If I could just find a designated driver I'd stay longer, but hanging out being surrounded by so much good beer is too tempting.

Cheap, gets you drunk quickly and makes you want to beat up Cowboy fans??

I've done my own not so scientific research on this topic. At a party I hosted, most of the guests were Budmilloors drinkers. I bought variety cases from Victory and Flying Fish. At the end of the night, the lighter flavored beers (Victory Lager and FF XPA) were still in the cooler, most of the bigger, more flavorful beers were gone (my plan backfired! I was hoping they'd drink the light stuff and leave the rest for me ) On the flip side, I've seen people spit out a sip of something "good" and say, "That doesn't taste like beer!" So who knows...

Take out from Fuji last night (it's dangerously close to my house): Negimaki Beef Teriyaki appetizer--beef stuffed with scallions and ginger in teriyaki sauce--yum. Sushi and sashimi deluxe--one tuna roll, nine pieces of sashimi, eight pieces of nigiri sushi. Two a la carte pieces of toro nigiri sushi--I could eat toro until the mecury level in my blood killed me. When I went in to pick up the food it wasn't ready. They invited me to sit at a table and wait, and poured me a cup of tea. I was able to watch the "action" at the sushi bar and in the dining area. It's nice to be in a place where the waitstaff is so friendly with all of the customers. They really seem to enjoy their jobs. Our wine was a 2003 Ratzenberger Rivaner from Moore Bros.

How often do you hear, "Oh, you like sushi, you MUST try ___. It's the best."? Well, I'll try it and every time I think the same thing, "It's not Fuji." Fuji has set the bar pretty high. Now I need my monthly fix.