Holly Moore

It is not just the food, it is the situation... If lightning strikes twice and I again find myself at the helm of a twenty-two foot sailboat on Peconic Bay at the end of Long Island during a thunder storm where lightning hit the water near our boat, I would again seek the safe harbor of Wooley Pond, the marina there and specifically the bar in the restaurant at the marina. Our crew of three, starving and soaked and chilled from the storm, a genuine huddled mass, made our way to the bar only to find that the restaurant was closed between lunch and dinner meal service. The barman took pity, set us up with beers and shots and headed to the kitchen. He returned with three steaming bowls of the best clam chowder served, at least, along the Atlantic coastline - New England style, prepared from cream, packed with clams and diced potatoes and seasoned with a bouquet of herbs. Our downtrodden souls met their match. Never again has a meal brought such hope for fair winds and a sunny tomorrow. Otherwise I'd go back in time to the old oyster roasting room at Bowen's Island, before the fire, where I struggled to keep up with the oyster roaster and his shovelfuls of oysters. Mrs. Bowen would be there telling of the time she kicked out the mayor of Charleston because he was politicking and not paying or eating.

John's Country Kitchen for Southern Breakfast. Liver mush, pork brains and less exotic southern breakfast fixings. Price's Chicken Coop - takeout fried chicken dinners only. Tony's Ice Cream - Old fashioned, unfancy ice cream place. Upstream - Carman's son-in-law is chef - seafood. You're not to far from Lexington and its twenty plus barbecue joints.

So you're claiming that you bought a box of chocolate on Sunday and have only consumed two pieces?

Pretty much explains the success of Yelp and Zagat.

Having worked corporately for/with four fast food companies I totally understand the thought process, series of meetings and research studies that led to such a f-upped decision. One of the reasons I stopped working for/with fast food companies.

Caesar Salad - prepared as intended coddled egg, anchovy et al.

From Grub Street New York "Bouchon" uses frozen fries because: and because Unless, that is, they used McDonald's fresh fry cooking line - sink with peeler and cutter, fry basket holding rack, blanching fryer, fry basket holding rack, finish fryer - approximately 16 feet plus storeroom space to store and cure potates. A busy McDonald's went through a lot more than 200 lbs of potatoes in a day - one employee could handle it. Yes McD's switched to frozen, arguing labor cost and consistency. But McD's also stopped serving hamburgers fresh off the grill for the same reason. There is no way frozen fries match fresh cut fries, properly fried as in pommes frites. Not Keller's finest moment. Edited to add: Just checked. Bouchon charges $7 for reportedly frozen shoe string potatoes and calls them "pommes frites."

Egg cookery at any restaurant that claims to serve breakfast. Especially scrambled or poached eggs. French fries at places known for their burgers. Always amazed when a restaurant will go to the point of grinding and blending the beef, baking its own buns, blending ketchup and then opens a bag of frozen shoestring fries. The greens at a barbecue joint - and, though inedible, the woodpile out back.

Can't bring myself to be a fan of a place that won't cook a medium rare burger. Their hot dogs are good. I agree with Stephen on the fries - very good, especially for fast food, but could be more crisp.

DVR here too. Fast forward not only through the commercials, but also through the inane, short chatty segment that Top Chef inserts about 40 minutes in so they can double the number of commercials at that point.

La Colombe fan here. I use their Corsica blend for home brewing and am totally impressed by the skill of those working the ever present line.

A good omen. Shola's Q&A has opened ahead of schedule. Lead - Speck will open within the next month. See the Q&A and ask your questions at the StudioKitchen blog Q&A

Not yet. That's the first question I've asked Shola to answer on the Q&A.

Shola is doing a Q & A on Speck on his StudioKitchen blog. I have kicked things off with a few questions. Everyone is welcome to jump in with their question(s) by leaving a comment on the blog post at any time over the next few days. Shola will begin answering the questions on Wednesday. Here is the link to the Speck Restaurant Web Site

Shola is doing another Q & A on StudioKitchen and Speck on his StudioKitchen blog. I have kicked things off with a few questions. Everyone is welcome to jump in with their question(s) by leaving a comment on the blog post at any time over the next few days. Shola will begin answering the questions on Wednesday.

Sure, it's still PR if the action was taken to mollify an ugly situation. Didn't realize Ochs is the only hundred year merchant. That kinda makes it worse that the market is even considering eviction rather than working with him.

Bob, Thanks for the excellent summary of RTM's lease structure. I hope that, indeed, Harry G. Ochs and Sons comes through this unscathed. Yes, the expanded Fair Foods stand is a great use of Rick's Steak space. But, as I recall, when Rick's Steak eviction was initiated, the board's intent was to replace Rick's Steaks with a Tony Luke's franchise. One could conclude that Fair Foods getting the space was a PR move undertaken because the Rick's Steaks unjust eviction had become such an inflammatory and divisive issue. I take exception whenever RTM management compares itself to the Gallery and other malls to justify or minimize its actions. That the board and management see Reading Terminal Market as any way similar to a shopping mall is a big part of the problem. It is not just Harry G. Ochs and Sons that I believe has earned special consideration. Any long term merchant has. The hundred year merchants, especially, are the soul of the market; its historic foundation. The lead commitment in the Market's Mission statement is "To preserve the architectural and historical character, and function, of the Reading Terminal Market as an urban farmers’ market." I'm not sure how a lawyer letter threatening the eviction of one of the market's oldest merchants helps to preserve the market's historical character and function.

Yeah, I want to try one too.

Ad Sum's contribution to curing Tastykake's woes - the Kandy Kate Slider

Maybe it is a generational thing or an issue of self-perception, but I cringe whenever someone labels me a foodie. I think many food writers and restaurant folk use "foodie" a tad derisively to separate themselves from food amateurs. I don't think I've ever heard a restaurateur or a Bourdain type refer to him/herself as a foodie.

Just did a quick calculation. Based on the monthly rent and stand square footage - the annual rent is something in the area of $76 per square foot. That is a lot for a butcher shop. Would be interesting to learn how much the rent has risen since the convention center took over the market.

Harry G. Ochs and Sosn Butchers are facing eviction from Reading Terminal Market - reportedly for being in arrears on their rent. According to Mike Klein's article Ochs & Sons recently signed a new lease which substantially increased the rent and has fallen a number of months behind in their rent. More facts need to come out, but I would think that part of the Market's mission would be to do what it takes, up to and including subsidizing the rent, to keep a long term merchant (over 100 years) the caliber of Ochs # Sons part of the market.

I agree. I experienced similar discomfort at Roadfood.com where cheesesteaks are considered sandwiches - listed in the same category as BLT's and Tuna Melts.

Personal opinion is that D'Alessandro's fits within the Corollary. My favorite cheesesteakery, Steve's, Prince of Steaks, way out in the wilds of Northeast Philadelphia, is an exception to the corollary, simply proving the need for ongoing research. Just speculation, but perhaps there is a cheesesteak triangle, defined by South Philadelphia, Northeast Philadelphia and Roxborough. Yet, if so, how would one account for White House Subs in Atlantic City. Perplexing.

My father used to make them - sometimes stuffed with cheese. As I recall he par-grilled the bacon to a point where it got crisp. I remember him doing them under a broiler, turning a few times. Toothpicks to hold the bacon onto the dog. The Texas Tommy is the Philadelphia version of a bacon hot dog. Tony Lukes and some other places simply place a grilled dog along side grilled bacon on a hot dog bun and then, because they can, top it with cheeze whiz. Bacon along side seems like an much simpler, though less aesthetic, approach to a bacon hot dog.