reggie_212

I'm going on a date with a great woman who unfortunately for the next week has a restricted diet. She can't eat dairy, can't have salt, and can't have soy products. I have no clue where to take her. Does anyone have any decent suggestions for restaurants where there would be dishes conforming to her diet? Thanks in advance.

Starting with the basics...Bayside Milk Farm on 35th Ave and Bell is probabaly the best option for cold cuts, bread, and prepared foods. It's a bit pricey but their turnover is quite high and it's pretty good. As for pizza, I am partial to Jack's down in Bay Terrace. HOWEVER, I suggest you don't order pies fresh as for whatever reason, the pizza by the slice is much better. Maybe it's like wine and gets better with age. The best gyro is at gyro corner on Francis Lewis and 33rd or 34th.

With all due respect....is it possible that for someone named "Fat Guy" the imposition of a couple of blocks might not if anything be a benefit?!?!?

SIGH....Since I've moved here from NY I’m loathe to recommend it but I think your requirements are filled by the Berkshires of Massachusetts. If performance arts are something you're looking for, the Boston Symphony has their summer home here in Lenox (www.tanglewood.org) and there are several other performance ensembles (Jacob's Pillow). There are also some surprisingly some excellent museums in the area (Mass MoCA, Clark Institute, the Norman Rockwell Museum). Besides the cultural attractions, the Berkshires are made up of several charming, quaint New England towns with Main Street charm. Stockbridge, Great Barrington, Salisbury, CT all would be nice to visit. In terms of dining there are several options including decent sushi (Bizen), American bistro (Pearl's), and an okay steakhouse (the Dakota). It's only a two hour and 10 minute drive from the city as well if you don't leave prime time.

OOPS, forgot to add one interesting thing. Could someone confirm for me whether or not there are open container laws in Philadelphia? On New Years day there was a clown parade and it seemed like Bourbon St or the Las Vegas Strip, the only two other places I know of where open alcohol is permissable. Is it that there are public alcohol laws and the city just turns their head for this particular event or are there no laws to speak of.

Just to share some of the food experiences from my weekend in Philadelphia, I took the advice provided and headed over to the Reading Terminal Market on Friday around noon. It was a chilly but sunny day so the walk over from Rittenhouse Square down Walnut was actually enjoyable. When we arrived the place was packed with it seemed both locals and tourists alike. Whoever said we in New York have nothing like it was exactly right. How jealous I am such a market exists in a city not my own! After walking around a bit my girlfriend and I decided on Tony Dinic’s (sp?) for both a roast beef and roast pork sandwich. When you’re waiting on the line you can see them scoop out the simmering slices of meat onto the bread and I have to admit, it didn’t seem too appealing when they were prepared. While they were better tasting than I would have thought given the preparation (and I preferred the roast pork to the roast beef), I thought it was a decent hero but nothing to go out of my way for. The meat was a bit on the gummy side and the roast beef didn’t have any distinct flavor. Maybe because I enjoy typical Italian deli rare roast beef thinly sliced, but the “braised” roast beef there wasn’t very flavorful. We picked up some shellfish from the seafood vendor right next to Dinic’s (the shrimp turned out fabulous) and some produce from Iovine’s (sp?). I would have liked to have tried the seafood frying stall on the south-west corner of the building but seating there was limited. Seating was also a tough deal everywhere it seemed and if possible, additional seating areas would greatly enhance the market. On Sat, we went over to DiBruno’s and I thought it was a pretty nice place. One quick note, On 18th Street I believe, we passed by this boarded up store that had a DiBruno sign and I thought I had been had by some clever egulleters who were trying to play a prank on the New Yorker! But it turns out they had moved around the corner. As advertised, they had a fantastic cheese counter and their salumeria and prepared food counters rival anything I’ve ever seen. One slight criticism though, It was hard figuring out which line was for what being how crowded the market was. So I got stuck behind this one guy and other people began cutting me. Add into this the salumeria guys really do…let’s just say: “take their time.” I understand the pace of life I’m used to is much quicker in NY but with a store full of people, you would think they could put the pedal to the metal. Would it hurt to put a number counter up either?!??!! Also, by the time we got there on Saturday they had run out of bread so that was annoying. I guess on New Year's eve you can't expect exceptional service or quality, so this might be an outlier observation. All in all, it was a fantastic weekend and all the suggestions came in quite handy. Thanks!

Thank you all for the wonderful tips and suggestions. They are much appreciated. The reception here is much better than what I would have expected given my previous experience with Philadelphians, but then again that is just from attending Flyers-Rangers games at the formerly appropriately named F-U arena. It is especially difficult shopping for the right ingredients if you're either new to an area or just visiting. I have noticed though a proliferation of "gourmet" type shops opening up in several cities. When I was in grad school in Chicago, Fox & Obel (http://www.fox-obel.com) had just started. Not that it's really gourmet, but a manifestation of this is Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. Who would have shopped at these places ten years ago!?!?!??!

Menton1, Thanks for the tip. I will definitely check it out during my visit. I was hoping though for a broader selection such as a butcher and seafood counter.

I'm spending New Year's with my girlfriend at her apartment by Rittenhouse Square and never having spent much time in Philly, would anyone have any suggestions for a gourmet market in the area? We're planning to stay in and cook and I'm used to having a Zabar's type store around me.

The best way to stay sober is to drink when one of the guests is a minority. I swear you would think he was filming in Nebraska with all the white people he's entertaining.

I'm originally from Queens and grew up with a White Castle a mere 4 blocks from my boyhood home. Fast forward a decade later and I found myself in Chicago with a White Castle within close proximity. If someone else can verify this for me, why do the White Castles here in NY put ketchup on the burgers but the Chicago White Castles don't? Or is my memory flawed? Also, a girl I dated recently was a big fan of the chicken rings.....Could someone tell me what part of the chicken might I find "the ring" from?

I agree with everything FG had to say....But if you're an avid purchaser of generic brands and prefer cost savings, I doubt Citarella and its ilk would be suitable substititutes. That's like inquiring about the kinds of undewear Jack's 99 cent store sell, and then reccomending a trip to Bergdorf's....

Glogg, with the umlaut above the "o" is a traditional holiday drink that is typically only served in the several parties leading up to Christmas. I've visited Sweden several times (what can I say, I have a thing for hot blonde women ) and have never had it in any other month than December, from St. Lucia day and on. You would never find it off-season in a restaurant in Sweden. Basically, it's red wine that's simmered with cloves, cinammon, and a few other spices.

No one's mentioned this yet but how has that oil spill affected both the region and the seafood?? It's been about a year and a half since the tanker sank and I'm wondering whether this has had any adverse effects that I, as a tourist, would experience. The most palpable issue I think would be price increases in seafood but I haven't noticed a marked increase in other Spanish cities like Barcelona or Madrid.

Well, this might sound kind of pedestrian. But I've had some excellent comfort food at the Georgia Diner on Queens Blvd in Elmhurst. It fulfills the under $30 requirement. Plus, in my mind I think it may be the best diner I've ever been to. Even after discovering this particular diner, a girl I was dating and I were driving past the Georgia Diner, and she points at it and says: "My parents come all the way from Manhasset to eat here." Of course, I understood why.

Quite an ethnic list... Aren't there "continental" restaurants which can be included??

Was this the documentary about the guys in Brooklyn who started some wine bar/panini place in Williamsburg? I remember seeing it but am not sure whether it's the same documentary. Now that I think about it, it has to be te same. I remember a scene where Maccioni's son, who manages the place on 55th st went out to buy a camera for a girl who was having a birthday party.

For all other startups in most any industry, I would agree this would be the range of return your're looking for. However, a restaurant is a peculiar enterprise and I'm going to say that most people that look into getting into a restaurant partnership aren't really driven by the value of the investment. I would think most people who get involved in restaurants are doing it as a favor to a friend or have so much disposable cash that a few bucks mean little. Let's put it this way, no one's going to invest their retirement account in your restaurant. From my understanding of people who have previously invested in restaurants, the motivation was not financial gain but rather all the little perks that are involved with being a partner. As one friend said to me: "I never need to call for a reservation again!" It's these indivuduals who think of owning a restaurant as status who might be your best bet. Think about Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm. But that runs into another problem in that with so many partners, even if you were to get this thing up and running, the partners would be expecting comp meals, free wine, and banquets for ten of their friends. How do you manage investor relations?? I'm not sure if this will help, but a great place to network and meet potential investors is alumni gettogethers. Depending on your school and your age, they're going to be some fabulously wealty people you might be able to meet.

Elyse, just out of curiosity, what does HF stand for????

Thanks for the info. Do you have a kegerator made by a company called Summit?? I've seen it advertised on some websites for about 650 to 700 dollars. It does seem nice, especially with the wheels making it portable anywhere--Draft beer in the bathroom! The conversion kit works out to be a bit cheaper. A little fridge that can fit the quarter barrel and CO2 tank goes for approx. 150 to 200 new. Add the conversion kit which is about 200 for a standard kit.

The only brand I'm familiar with here in the states that have the nitrous oxide cartridge is Guiness. It's amazing how this little invention has such esteem in Britain. Thanks for the link.

I've been doing a little research into getting myself a little fridge and transforming it into a kegerator. While some of my other early 30s friends have advanced to a more mature stage in life where they're buying homes, having children, etc, I myself am regressing to my old frat days where draft beer was available in home. There seems to be quite a few kits available online so my question is has anyone actually done the conversion? The information seems to indicate it is as simple as drilling a hole and screwing on the tap. Is it that easy? Also, would any of these conversion kits be compatible with all kegs of beer? I'm interested in primarily storing either Bass or Newcastle and I'm wondering if whatever equipment I do purchase can hook on to the imported keg. Just one last question for those in the NYC area, I've been told by someone that NYC regulations prohibit the use of carbon dioxide tanks without a license making the home kegerator technically illegal. Is this true and if so, would I actually have to go out of city to get my tank filled?

You do realize there were approx 55,000 other fans with you??? Plus, when you live in NY you can't really let jealousy affect you all that much. In this city especially there's going to be people who have something more than you. NYC has always been a city of extremes. Having graduated with my MBA last year and remaining unemployed all this time, and having several friends who graduated in 2000 when each had approx. two dozen offers per, I would be a nutcase if I let envy take a hold of me. Fine, I might not live on Park Avenue, eat at fabulous restaurants three times a week, vacation in exotic place, or purchase Knicks season tickets to hold on to for when they turn it around and are good again (I really do have a friend who did this), but I don't have cancer either. So life is good. Anyway, back to food. For tonight, we're serving arroz con pollo, fried plaintains, and flan in honor of our Miami hosts. Cuba Si! Castro No! Free Elian!

OH, PULEAZE...... you red sox fans are so self-righteous. as if rooting for the sox is noble and a choice made by the valiant and courageous, rather than an accident of location. get off your high horse. i don't know if there is a God and i've never seen evidence s/he exists. but if there is a God, s/he is definitely a Yankee fan.

ouch!! harboring a bit of bitterness there? when i went to tufts in the early 90s, both medford and slummerville were serious shithole townie neighborhoods. but at a bar a few weeks ago i started talking to a girl that had just graduated and she was just raving about how nice sommerville has become and how hip it is. that's gentrification for ya.