Holly Moore

Anybody know if St. George's is still doing their Greek Lunch of Fridays? I drove buy today and didn't see a sign. Any other similar chruch lunches - Greek, Polish or whatever?

Yeah? Next you're going to tell me there is no Santa Claus. I believe in Jersey tomatoes. I have always believed in Jersey tomatoes. I will always believe in Jersey tomatoes. There are agri-manufactures that are doing their best to breed the flavor out of Jersey tomatoes, but as long as Jersey has small farms and roadside stands there will aways be Jersey tomatoes.

I believe mofango, a dish, got confused with Freddy and Tony's in the North 5th Street area which mashes up a mean mofongo. Rita's Auto Mall Cafe is not the same as Rita's Italian Ice. They take pride in their home made chicken cutlet sandwich.

I think Thomas Sweet in Princeton invented this contraption. Scoop de Ville in Philadelphia has it too.

I'll second Rich on Chink's Steaks. They semi-freeze the milk used for the shake into a slurry, making for a perfect texture milkshake. My favorite there is chocolate, with a whole banana mashed in. Zwahlen's in Audubon, out King of Prussia way, does great shakes with their fresh frozen custard.

Philadelphia's best out-of-the-way barbecue and dim sum. I'm saving the local dumps for Bourdain if he ever makes it to Philadelphia.

Philadelphia is indeed a culinary mecca, and not just for scrapple, cheesesteaks, pork sandwiches, hoagies and pretzels - although Philadelphia excels in all of these. Consider our last three years of BYO's, the Reading Terminal Market, Carman's Country Kitchen, even many of Steven Starr's operations. Quite a few publications rate Philadelphia as one of the top dining destinations in the country. ← It's nice to be a booster of the city where you live (better than putting it down) - I do it too (although I'd never say food is our strong point) - but I respectfully disagree with this assessment. And - if it's true - can't you do anything more creative with the Philadelphia segment of this show than cheesesteaks? I moved from Philadelphia over 30 years ago - and it was supposed to be "cheesesteak/pork sandwich/hoagie/pretzel city" then. The dining scene has changed in 30 years - and if Philadelphia is a top dining destination - I'd assume it has more to offer now. By the way - as someone who enjoys good wine/spirits at dinner - I find that BYO's are usually restaurants that are too marginal or cheap to get liquor licenses (or sometimes they're in places that are cursed with ridiculous liquor laws). And - when you're a tourist - it is usually inconvenient - or very inconvenient - to find a place to buy booze - and to schlep it to a restaurant. And that's doubly true in a state like Pennsylvania - which (I think) still has state liquor stores. Is it possible to buy even beer or wine in a grocery or other normal type store in Pennsylvania these days (last time I looked - Pennsylvania wasn't in the Bible Belt )? Robyn ← Yup, I am a "booster" - but a booster based on the facts, not based on blind loyalty as might have been implied. Beyond "booster," perhaps someone who has a broad knowledge of Philadelphia's restaurants and I suspect, a far more current knowledge. Despite my HollyEats persona, I have managed to dine rather well on my occasional non-cheesesteak days. Hopefully you will have a chance to return to Philadelphia one day and see for yourself how things have changed since your ADA years which I calculate to be the mid 70s. Philadelphia's recent crop of BYO's are anything but marginal. As to being too cheap to purchase a license, it is expensive to get into the restaurant business. Liquor licenses can cost as much or more, depending on area of a city, than a restaurant's kitchen installation. In Center City Philadelphia often the only way a talented young chef can open his or her first restaurant is as a BYO. And if a restaurant can flourish as a BYO, without relying on liquor profits, it is indeed a very capable restaurant.

Funding is a problem for any start up business, especially with a young owner with minimum assets. My experience is that brilliant chefs are luckier than most in that moneyied types become entralled with a chef's cooking ability and become investors in a restaurant, giving the chef a percent of ownership.

Philadelphia is indeed a culinary mecca, and not just for scrapple, cheesesteaks, pork sandwiches, hoagies and pretzels - although Philadelphia excels in all of these. Consider our last three years of BYO's, the Reading Terminal Market, Carman's Country Kitchen, even many of Steven Starr's operations. Quite a few publications rate Philadelphia as one of the top dining destinations in the country.

Do you really mean nothing from the garden? If so, that'd have to be a Wiz Witout. Sorry, onions qualify as rabbit food, even fried, on a technicality. ← Ya got me. Also there is the cheesesteak hoagie with iceberg letttuce, sliced tomato and fresh onion which I eat when needing a balanced meal. So for now I'll just say no sprouts, avocado or squash blossoms.

careful, you don't want to give yourself away as a tourist (I don't think the camera crew will draw any suspicion... ) watch the terminology: I'm thinking back to the local lingo I hear around Philly and I don't think we don't put our meats on buns around here, I think we use rolls! ← Only cheesesteak I ever had in LA came with a choice of sprouts or avocado. So rather thay worrying about buns or rolls, I'm focusing on limiting Chris to a Whiz Wit, with nothing from the garden.

Thanks all. I sensed russets would have more flavor but I wasn't sure if I needed the smoother texture of a "boiler." My goal is to attempt the silky smoot texture of classic vichyssoise as I remember being served in a glass bowl over ice - vichyssoise can't be chilled enough. The downside - just pureeing will not do. The soup then has to be pushed through a sieve. Twice. That's one technique I hate. End up with with soup all over the kitchen and the cook.

My approach is basic. Peel off the loose leaves. Steam it until the remaining leaves peel off easily. Melted together butter, cider vinegar salt and pepper for dipping. Patience comes in biting the pulp off the individual leaves until one comes to the heart. Scoop out the tiny leaves in the heart and savor what remains.

The Amish place is the Dutch Eating Place in the Reading Terminal Market. Got another suggestion for breakfast. 5:30 AM on Delaware Avenue. Johnny's Hots. Your clue that it has to be good: Plant workers and truck drivers lined up for a sausage, fried egg, peppers and onion sandwich on a roll.

Come on all. I'm going shopping tomorrow for vichyssoise ingredients. Some knowledgeable old guard cook or chef hereabouts has to have made vichyssoise and knows what potatoes work best.

Best way to experience Philly 'tude is to order your drink from the steak window at Pat's.

My quest for Philadelphia restaurant or food shop vichyssoise has been a flop. Only version I found had the texture of applesauce. Look's like I'm going to have attempt my own. Found a good recipe here: Vichyssoise, but it doesn't say what type of potato works best - baking or boiling - waxy or mealy. Any suggestions?

In my write-up of Sweet Lucy's I gave them five grease stains with the disclaimer that if they were below the Mason-Dixon line I'd probably give them four. We're not talking Allen and Son or the Skylight Inn, but it's as good as I've found this far north.

The promos for today's episode of Hell's Kitchen show Ramsay screaming, "This is crap." It's not clear whether he is yelling at the aspiring chefs or the show's producers.

Any Philadelphia recommends for a grand and reliable Vichyssoise? Ideally one on the thinner side and from an establishment where one feels comfortable in jeans. The other day I picked a quart from one of the gourmet takeout places but it had the consistancy of apple sauce. Looking for a more traditional version of the classic. Neat link, by the way. Turns out that Vichyssoise was created in New York City, not France - though the chef had a french heritage.

If the kids can handle barbecue, try Sweet Lucy's on State Street off of I-95, on the way from Center City to Sesame Place.

Great french fries are my most disappointing of all Philadelphia eating quests. I am guessing that Nodding Head like its sister restuarants has shoestring cut fries which accounts for their lack of crispness. I am truly at a loss as to where to find a great Philadelphia frency fry, defined as not shoe-string, fresh cut, twice fried, crisp on the outside, mealy inside.

For someone of my ilk, at least, good food makes me happy, horribly prepared food can depress me. I remember my first meal in a week, following surgary that required a gastro-tube pumping away for that week - I was looking forward to it. Scrambled eggs. They were indeed horrible. Fried hard, no flavor, no moisture. Sawdust. I'd think hospitals would realize the impact food has on a patient's spirits and that the mind does play a major role in the process of healing. If budget is the issue - just like I have to pay an extra fee for phone and TV, I'd gladly pay $20 or $30 a day for decent food.

Seriously Holly, where did you come across that? I would love to see that book. What's the publication date on the thing. Off to my friend Google, and, failing that, my pals Lexis and Nexis. Those two guys know everything. ← OK, here's the scoop from Milton Sandy Jr., himself. It turns out Mr. Sandy is an eGullet member and is a prominant poster on the original Slugburger Thread

Seriously Holly, where did you come across that? I would love to see that book. What's the publication date on the thing. Off to my friend Google, and, failing that, my pals Lexis and Nexis. Those two guys know everything. ← Here's my source for info about the book. I'm guessing someone by the name of John T. has problably shared a bottle of bourbon with the guy and can point you towards him and/or the book. Edited to add: The nice lady from the Corinth Chamber of Commerce has never heard of the book and thinks it may be a joke title. However I have left a message on Mr. Sandy's answering machine so hope to have an answer soon.