gbredben

I should add that most of the scrapple I purchase in stores is probably made with standard wheat flour.

From what I understand, scrapple has always been made with regular wheat flour. My guess is it's a response to allergy information concerning wheat. The recipe should still be identical, though.

Ordered a great cheesesteak from Angelo's Food Truck at the NE corner of 16th and Chestnut. From what I understand, he disappeared to complete some education courses. But he's back cooking as good as ever now.

Just wanted to say thanks to Rich for another great beer tour. Here’s some of my observations of the event from last Saturday. Monk’s: The mussel quiche and side salad was delicious. Ended up getting Monk’s Flemish Sour Ale because the St. Bernardus and Lucifer lines kicked. Still a great beer choice. Ludwig’s: Great spread of food and a lot of great German beer on tap. Had a Spaten Octoberfest that tasted great. Next stop McGillin’s and a Sam Adams White Ale. Real nice Belgian, lots of floral hints and gold color. Great wings as well. On to Manayunk Brewing. Chose an IPA to go with their great pizza. Next stop McMenamin’s and two beer selections: Monty Python’s Holy Grail Ale on draft and the Yards 10th Anniversary Philly Pale Ale on the hand pump served with their famous Guinness Irish stew. On to General Lafayette and a Grim Reaper, a great Imperial Stout, served with great bruschettas. Next, Standard Tap and smelts. Beer selection for me was the fantastic Victory Dark Lager. On to Yards and for some of their great porter. Next up was The Grey Lodge and a Russian River Damnation. I also brought along my growler for a fill of the Stegmaier Brewhouse Bock. Finally, on to Independence Brewpub for a feast. The Oatmeal Stout was the standout served with a fudge covered chocolate bundt cake topped with vanilla ice cream and caramel topping. Yumm!!! Also, a nice 10th Anniversary Glass was a nice highlight. My congrats to Rich for another great beer tour. Can’t wait till next year!

I've had a very good cheesesteak from Montesini's Pizza at the Bellevue. A bit pricey, but very good.

Went with a friend last night and it was packed. With the news out, I won't be getting a good seat anymore. The menu is great, but it's tough for me to order anything besides the Twice Cooked Pork. And while the fried bananas sound great, Capogiro is a natural for dessert!

What cold? Forecast for Friday is supposed to be near 60 degrees here. Perfect weather. I can't wait!

Italian Market would be a great source as well. D'Angelo's I know carry the sausage, which he makes fresh at his store. Also, check your local supermarkets.

You might be able to find it at Total Wine/Liquor World on Naamans Road in Claymont. I've bee Anchor Steam selections there. Also, try Canal's on Rt. 130 near Delran. At worst, you could try State Line Liquors across the border in Maryland.

Have been enjoying the Troeg's Mad Elf and Grant's Deep Powder. Will also take a number of seasonals to enjoy while cooking Christmas dinner over the weekend at my dad's house.

Will have be serving Dogfish Head Punkin Ale, Troeg's Mad Elf and a 1 year old aged bottle of Rogue's Chocolate Stout for dessert.

Standard Tap rates the best with me for one reason only: Fried Smelts. Best bar food ever!

No pictures, but on Monday at the Reading Terminal I tried a DiNic's beef brisket sandwich. Tender brisket served on a roll in a spicy tomato sauce. very good sandwich, but the pork sandwich still better.

Country Store meats are very good and are sold in a lot of the local country and meat stores in the Danville area. Robert George is an independent butcher. He spends the early part of the week smoking and preparing meats. Hours are Thursday 4:00pm to 8:00pm, Friday 8:00am to 8:00pm and Saturday 8:00am till 12 noon. Directions: Take PA 54 north to PA 642 west. Turn left on PA 45 west and go approximately three miles. Look for sign on right. They also have real good ham, kielbasa, sausage and scrapple. I usually come back after a trip from upstate with a minimum $75 of meat for me and all my friends. Definitely worth the trip. I was told that they will do mail-order for their less perishable items. George Farms 15 Potts Grove Rd Danville, PA 17821 Phone: (570) 275-0239

When I'm not making my own bacon, the best bacon I enjoy comes from the Robert George farm which lies about 6 miles west of Danville, PA. Great hickory taste and hickory smell when frying up. However, since that bacon is not readily available in the Philadelphia area, I enjoy the smoked bacon from Sonny D'Angelo and the Niman Ranch varieties available at Trader Joe's. Also, picked up some great apple-wood smoked bacon at Di Bruno's. Damn, now I'm starving!

The Shop-Rite here in near me in South Philadelphia at 24th and Oregon always has a pretty good selection of British items including teas and HP sauce in stock. However, if I'm looking for my clotted cream or Colston Bassett Stilton fix, it's then off to the new DiBruno's in Center City.

Went over to Society Hill Beverages on Wednesday evening. Picked up a case of Dogfish Head Punkin' Ale and a newly arrived case of Flying Fish Octoberfish. Got both home and threw one bottle of each in the freezer to cool them down quickly. Wow, a lot of great taste. Both the Octoberfish and the Punkin' are very strong this year and recommend both highly. My holiday weekend is all set.

Ordered my tickets. This was a kick-ass event back in February and can only hope it will be so again. Plus the proceeds go to a great charity. If you're a beer geek and a foodie in the Philly area, this event is not to be missed. Be aware that there are only 500 tickets being made available for this event. Wonder if the guys from Dogfish Head will be rapping again? Eat, drink and be merry! Link: http://tickets.worldcafelive.com/eventperf...ces.asp?evt=676

Angelo's at the northeast corner of 16th and Chestnut. Actually came in second when the Daily News held their Best Food Truck in Philly competition last year.

That would be John's Food Truck. My favorite stop every morning. Fresh brewed Lacas coffee, muffins from BJs, great egg and cheese sandwiches with choice of Italian roll or croissant, beef or turkey bacon or turkey sausage, great bagels too. My favorite truck, especially since it's around the corner from where I work.

Brandywine Picnic Park is nice for a summer outing if you have a large crew and don't mind spending some cash. http://www.picnic.com/

Wow, will have to get over this week to try it. I've been wondering if anyplace in Philly did great Szechuan.

I picked up a pack of 4 at Safeway (former Genuardi's) on Namman's Road in North Wilmington. They had a sale on them for this week. Did them on the grill in a Montreal seasoning to Medium-Well. They were very juicy, tasty and delicious. The only thing however, is that the were rather small portioned, almost like a filet. Very tasty however. I know Espositos carries them, but they are cut differently from the roast. Also, check out Harry Ochs. My porterhouse I picked up there last weekend was fantastic. Also picked up a first cut beef brisket for smoking. While the flatirons were good, getting a good porterhouse from Harry Ochs or D'Angelos in the Italian Market would probably be more satisfactory for you.

The DDC had a dinner there some time ago which was fabulous. Mexican food with a french twist. Wonderful food and great service. While I haven't been back since, the quality should be the same. Highly recommended.

Looking forward to try the Middle Ages Black Heart Stout and Sly Fox Ahtanum IPA. Both received great reviews on the Beeradvocate web site.