spikemom

Funny that he isn't going to Morimoto. Here's what "Iron Chef: The Official Book" has to say about Chen (p. 207): "Though Chen stayed with the Iron Chef for the whole 6 years, he was not blessed with many big victories. He never won a single Tag Match, and he often lost against Revengers and other Iron Chefs. At 22 losses, he had the most defeats of any Iron Chef. "But his battles were rich in content. Many viewers were touched when seeing him battle. He is the only chef to have taken part in eight Special Battles. With six contests, he has the highest number of battles against other Iron Chefs...Most important is his 9-month-long winning streak of 14 battles. Neither Michiba nor Sakai was able to accomplish such a feat... "Chen's biggest accomplishment, however, is his record of being on the show longest and taking part in the highest number of battles. His physical and mental strength is to be revered. He is probably the most memorable of all the Iron Chefs."

Rich, Checking the restaurant listings of a September 1978 issue of Philadelphila magazine, I found the following BYOBs: The Cafe at Bon Appetit, 213 South 17th Street Thai Royal Barge, 23 & Sansom Knave of Hearts, 230 South Street (which later acquired a liquor license) Laxmi, an Indian restaurant at 808 South Street Jade Palace, 2222 Cottman Avenue La Paella, 1301 W. Rockland (which later acquired a liquor license) Bill Marklee's Tower Inn, New Hope Ingleneuk Tea House, 120 Park Avenue, Swarthmore It's About Thyme, 109 W. State Street, Media Peking Restaurant, Granite Run Mall, Media Argyle Rooster, 213 Kings Highway, Haddonfield Giovanni's 24 West Ristorante, 24 Kings Highway West, Haddonfield Le Bistro Restaurant, Bridge Street, Stockton Margate Fishery-Captain's Galley, 12 South douglas Avenue, Margate The December 1978 issue includes Shanghai Garden, 919 Race Street La Petite Ferme, 245 South Easton Road, Glenside Hotel du Village, Phillips Mill Road and North River Road, New Hope The Way We Were at 20th & Lombard does not have a BYOB icon attached to it, but I believe it was a BYOB--it had only 8 tables. Also, Marrakesh is not listed, but I believe it was BYOB when it was new. Obviously, this isn't a comprehensive list, but it may jog some memories.

Thanks to everyone for your help.

I will be traveling to Italy in a few weeks and hope to rely on frequent ATM withdrawals so I only have to carry small amounts of cash day to day. (This worked very well on a recent trip to Paris.) I'm presuming that Rome, Venice and Florence will have plenty of ATMs, but does anyone know if I'll have difficulty finding them in Greve, Panzano and other towns in Tuscany? We'll be staying at a villa near Greve during the second week of our trip. Thanks in advance.

Holly, The menu says Evergreen is open noon to midnight on Sunday. No tables--takeout only.

I tried one of these yesterday. Wish I could be more enthusiastic. The exterior eggroll wrapper was a nice light gold, slightly crisp, tough on the ends where it was folded. (I broke it in half to get to the heart of the matter.) Since it was straight from the fryer, I had to wait four or five minutes for it to cool down enough to eat comfortably. The filling was truly disappointing. The ground beef (rather than shredded) was studded with many, many tiny nuggets of chewy cartilage. Seasoning was good (seemed to be simple salt and pepper), and there were slices of sauteed onion in the mix. A thin, translucent layer of "cheese product" between the meat and the wrapper never melted, even though the filling was scalding. So that's the cheese steak roll. I'll leave it to someone else to report on the fried chicken gizzards ($2 a pint, $3.90 a quart).

Holly, I'm with you on Frog and The Commissary. I loved the original Frog so much that I had trouble warming up to the new one. Now that it's gone, of course, I realize that it's OK for a restaurant to grow up, and I miss it. Still have a lunch menu from the final week framed in my kitchen, and I use the cookbook all the time. When I'm feeling especially nostalgic, I head up to Roller's in Chestnut Hill, where the old Frog food lives on, including many of the desserts (and even the menu typeface). And how about City Bites at 2nd and Walnut, Poses' really out-there marriage of contemporary art and casual food? Looking back, it was a Steven Starr-style restaurant before Starr was into restaurants. Our kids loved the cheesesteak pizza. I miss Russell's at 17th and Lombard, and still pine for its swiss chard ravioli with tarragon cream sauce. It later became Ecco, and is now La Baia. Anyone else remember In Season, the restaurant that Andy Schloss operated with a partner on 13th Street below Spruce? The idea was to serve whatever was in season, and the food was very adventurous. Why does venison with chocolate sauce (probably a type of mole) stick in my mind? And since I lived just a few blocks from Holly Moore's, I climbed those stairs more than a few times.

Holly, Pennsylvania doesn't have a state fruit. But it has a state fish (the brook trout), a state bird (the ruffed grouse), a state mammal (the white-tailed deer) and a state beverage (milk). I'd nominate the apple--I've had some terrific Pennsylvania apples.

Thanks for all the great suggestions, Houston. Not sure how many places I can hit in three or four days, but I'll definitely go for a mix. Jay, I may give you a call once I find out where I'm staying. BTW, this is my first trip back to Texas since 1978. My first job out of college was at the now-defunct Grand Prairie Daily News. Texas played a key role in developing my palate: it's where I learned to eat spicy food (at various Mexican restaurants) and how to drink terrible coffee (at the Jack-in-the-Box next door to the paper).

Yo, e-Gulleters. I may be coming to Houston for Super Bowl weekend (only if the Phila. Eagles are in it) and am looking for your guidance to: 1. Bodacious sandwiches; 2. The best BBQ; 3. Small restaurants where the chef cooks with passion and individuality. I write about restaurants for Philadelphia magazine, and love delving into local specialties when I travel. So if there's a chicken fried steak in Houston that I should not miss, let me know. Thanks!