Holly Moore

Flash is fine when it only takes a couple of seconds to load. Much longer and it is the media getting in the way of the message. Music, unless it is Bill Monroe singing Blue Moon of Kentucky, is unnecessary and intrusive. If a site must load music, make it obvious how to shut it up. Maybe it is just on the PCs I regularly run, but downloading a pdf menu pretty much takes over all my resources, making it impossible to do anything else but wait. And wait. I see two reasons for a restaurant going with pdf menus. Either the web designer wants to make it easy for the restaurant to post frequent menu changes or the web designer is lazy and doesn't want to type in the various menus. Whether well-intentioned or not, pdf menus always bring a grimace. Speaking of menus - why do some restaurants not show pricing? No pricing and I figure the restaurant's prices are higher than one might expect and I go into "if I have to ask, I can't afford it" mode. At least the sites being discussed here exist. Nothing is more frustrating than going to a new restaurant's web site to find out what they are about, and getting a space holder message - "Our web site is coming soon." So dumb, some restaurants.

Bitsplitter tweeted me this courtesy of Venomous Porridge. Warning, some adult language.

One doesn't need restaurant writers and critics to tell a restaurant how it is doing. Customers and plates arriving at the dishwasher station do that quite adequately. One simply needs journalists to spread the word about the restaurant and hopefully drive traffic to it. A valid concern for out-of-the-way restaurants. But I don't believe picking up the tab and other expenses is a legitimate way to accomplish this additional goal.

Sounds good. Out of curiosity, are farmers able to participate with both market organizations, Food Trust and FTC, or is it an either/or situation?

"The Last Network Food Star" or what LancasterMike said.

Did the CIA solve the case of the Purloined Peas? Is that really why Alex was vanished?

Probably should have made sure they had everything they needed first...something like gas for cooking seems important. It was a learning moment and to their credit they quickly caught their error once they threw the chicken in the fryer and nothing happened.

So what makes one a "serious foodie?" I'd suggest that somewhere within said serious psyche would be the inability to visit Philadelphia without lining up for a cheesesteak - if for no other reason than to expound on it later on eGullet.

Wonder how they handle sales tax, health inspection and business license? Parking too without being chased away. Park in front of some restaurants and drive away with four flat tires. Curious that all the great food trucks are from west of the Mississippi and mostly the west coast. Wrong truck went home. Banana pudding rules.

Maybe because I'm not a tremendous fan of watermelon - I just haven't seen much variance in watermelons, at least in flavor. Yes, ripeness plays a part. But even with a nicely ripe watermelon I don't recall ever pausing and saying, "That was a really great watermelon."

Had fried chicken that started off sous vide in buttermilk. The chicken flavor was excellent. It was nice and moist. The texture however was pretty much lacking. If it wasn't so moist I'd say it was over cooked. Wondering if the breaking down of texture is a side effect of chicken cooked sous vide or if maybe it had been in the water bath too long.

Anyone want to grab some seats on a week day, I'm game.

Saw a sign for leek cheese on the door of a dinner off US Route 6 in northern Pennsylvania. Anyone familiar with the product? Wondering if it's a northern PA thing.

It does...only the prism through which it's judged is the food on the plate. I mean, isn't that what you do in a restaurant too? You judge the chef based on the food that came out on the plate, not based on the drama (or the lack thereof) that went into producing it. For a diner, yes. And I accept that is the premise of the show. That episode was Restaurant Wars - with turnout. Some of the judges are leading chefs and understand that a chef's skills extend beyond the plate that arrives at the table. It was the ideal opportunity for Tom to take chef skills into consideration.

One of the judges responded to a contestant something along the line of, "We don't judge you on what happens in the kitchen, just on the finished plate that we receive." Perhaps they should call the show "Top Cook." Especially during restaurant wars one hopes that chef skills would impact the judges' determinations.

Though I'm still a BLT purist, especially with summer tomatoes and bacon fresh off the grill, this BLT with avocado and green apples served at the Mango Cafe on Isla Mujeres in Mexico is mighty good. The mayo in the center is homemade and infused with honey and rice wine.

Great for rinsing off pots and dishes and for disciplining cats. Commercial Dishwasher Pre Rinse Spray Hose

Of course Philadelphia has some of the greatest restaurants in the world. We just keep them hidden from outsiders. Here's a hint though - if you go to the back door of a certain south Philadelphia cheesesteak place, knock two loud, one soft, and tell the man who answers the door, "Yo, whiz wit," you will be admitted to Philadelphia's oldest Michelin three star restaurant. On a sadder note, tis a pity to go through life not able to appreciate the cheesesteak.

Middle of the road here. Not twig thin and not extremely thick.

Their fried chicken starts out sealed in buttermilk and in sous vide (can sous vide be a verb?) for about a day.

Studio Kitchen Returns - With the September opening of his restaurant, Speck, Shola will resume the Studio Kitchen experience. "Nine courses and a few surprises," according to the announcement on the Studio Kitchen blog. Reservations may be purchased, prepaid, on line as tickets. Two four seat counters - communal in that any number up to eight may sign on.

This isn't about publicity but aesthetics. Gaudy is as gaudy does.

Errr. Too late to edit, but the formula should have read Hell's Kitchen and not Kitchen Nightmares.

Master Chef = (Kitchen Nightmares + Sucks)2

Two non-food Le Bec-Fin experiences. A month or two after I started my job at the ad agency that brought me to Philadelphia I invited one of our clients to my apartment - 11th and Spruce - for drinks. We then headed out for dinner. I was still new so suggested we walk until we find something interesting. Two blocks later we happened upon a French restaurant. It turned out to be Le Bec-Fin. I had no idea what I was getting into. I'm pretty sure the client did. It was a great meal, I'm sure, but too long ago to remember. What I do remember is attempting to pay with my AMEX card and being told they didn't accept credit cards. However they would be glad to bill me. The bill arrived a couple of days later. Without asking for an id and without knowing whom I worked for, Le Bec-Fin extended me instant credit for the cost of two dinners and a bottle of wine. Sometime in the 90's I was at Le Bec-Fin for lunch with six or seven friends. The guy next to me punctuated a conversation point with a swing of his arm. He knocked over my full glass of red wine. Within seconds six floor staff swooped in, stood me up and wiped off my jacket and slacks, sopped up the wine, covered the spill with a smaller table cloth and just as quickly vanished. I don't think any of the neighboring tables noticed. Probably the most superb instance of service I have ever experienced. I'm not sure either of those events would/could take place at any other Philadelphia restaurant except, perhaps, the Four Seasons.