Natasha

Guess what? I took Mike's suggestion, and asked if they couldn't make a healthy profit if they marked the bottles up three times vs the four times they were asking. At first, I was told that they were sorry but this was the best they could do. Then, lo and behold, today I got an e-mail offering new pricing, and the Gabbiano will be $22.99 plus a 20% handling fee per bottle (they were adding that to the higher price too.) I'm very happy as I opened the e-mail just as my husband got done telling me that we had to pay to upgrade no matter the price as he just couldn't serve Corbett Canyon. I guess it's true that it never hurts to ask. Thanks for the help.

Yikes, $250 a case for Guinness! My husband thinks that it isn't worth an extra $1,500 to $2,000 to serve wine that isn't really very good anyway. I'm torn about it. We are going to explore the beer next. Thanks for the feedback.

My daughter is getting married this July at The Mendenhall Inn in Chadds Ford. Like a lot of these establishments, the house wine for a wedding is something pretty undrinkable so we had been planning on upgrading the wine. After submitting several different names and being told they could not get them through the special order program of the LCB, we got a list from the Mendenhall of wines they could obtain. We knew there would be a hefty mark-up so we weren't trying to get too fancy, just something drinkable, and to that end, we asked for pricing on about 6 different bottles. For example, the Gabbiano Chianti that sells for $11.99 at the State Store was one of our selections. The price that I received on that bottle today from the Mendenhall was $44.50 per bottle. I asked if this was the best they could do, and I was told that it was. Earlier in the process, I asked about supplying the wine ourselves, and I was told that it is against the law for them to allow us to do that. Anyway, I'm pretty sure that we're screwed as far as the wine goes, but I thought I'd ask you knowledgeable folks if this is indeed a reasonable mark-up, and if you were in my place, what would you do? Thanks!

I read in Main Line Today that Francis Trzeciak of Birchrunville Cafe is now the executive chef at the Inn at St. Peter's. Has anyone been there lately? They have lovely outdoor dining and the addition of Trzeciak could make this a real destinantion restaurant.

Thanks, philadining & Katie. Does the Saloon Girl costume have any bartendrix overtones? A whip, perhaps?

Katie, are you working this evening? I have an internet friend who is visiting the city from Hawaii and she is dining solo. I thought your bar might be a friendly place to eat, and I shall recommend that to her if you are working. Thanks!

We had dinner at Franco's last night after going to the Renoir show. Service was friendly and a little slow, but not terribly so. A homemade pasta dish with a cream sauce was a tasty appetizer. The entrees were adequate. We ordered two desserts, but only got 1 that we actually ordered. They were out of chocolate mousse so the kitchen substituted a molten chocolate cake without telling the server until he went to pick it up. He did offer to take it off the bill if we were unhappy with it, but it would have been nice to have a chance to choose something else ourselves.

I picked up some sausage last week. The curried lamb was a real stand-out. I think it had some fruit and something that gave it just a little zing at the finish. They were out of the seafood sausage, but that is really good too.

Thanks for the heads-up on the new stores. These are my stomping grounds since I live in Downingtown, but as you say, both shopping centers are littel sunken out of view. SaxChik, I've been dreaming of that guacamole since I last had it. It is seriously good (and cheap!)

Aww, this is sad. That little 8-seat bar was a good and friendly place, and much appreciated on my one and only trip there. It sure is a pretty spot, and will do well in its new incarnation, I bet. Katie, land on your feet quickly, and let us all know where we can find you next.

We had a fast dinner at a new mexican place right in the heart of Downingtown. My husband thought he recognized the name from a truck in Coatesville (but I don't remember what it was.) The chips were homemade and served with a red and green sauce. Very tasty. I had the carne al pastor served with 4 small tortillas. I've never had tacos al pastor so I can't compare these to anything, but they tasted good. The star of the show though was the guacamole. It was served in a huge bowl, and consisted of chunks of avocado, fresh tomatoes, cilantro and onion. I would go back just for that and the chips. I noticed that they had beef tripe soup on the weekends if anyone is interested in that. Last night, we had another excellent dinner at Allegre. We go there often and are never disappointed. They don't do a lot of sophisticated items, but everything is always well prepared. My salad was a special: spring mix greens, grilled eggplant , asagio cheese, & fresh tomato in a balsamic dressing. The entree was tilapia with clams and mussels in a white wine sauce.

Yes, it was definitely the Corpse Reviver #2 (there was a #1?) You made the Parisian Martini for someone sitting next to me. It looked really good. My first drink was something you made that uses the same base as your mimosa. It ws good too, but sweeter than the Corpse Reviver. I will definitely be back with husband in tow. Thanks!

Hi, I just wanted to post a thanks to Katie for 2 great cocktails (what did you call the lemon one?) and making me feel at home at M on Friday night. The bar is really comfortable and everyone is friendly. What more could you ask for? Perhaps a barkeep who is really great at her job? M has that too!

Katie, are you working tomorrow night? I have to kill some time solo in the city, and I can't think of a better way to do it than sitting at your bar and making your acquaintance. I've been wanting to stop in for some time, but I hope next time my husband will be with me and we can have dinner!

I googled and found a lengthy discussion of Cavallos on another site. Turns out that Rich Pawlak has eaten there, and I hope he won't mind my repeating his comment: "It's kinda like StudioKutchen to the 4th degree, Italian style." Sounds pretty interesting.