Holly Moore
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Posts posted by Holly Moore
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Dinner this past Tuesday night at Swett's in Nashville helped me define a true Meat and Threes restaurant.
1. You know you're in a real Meat and Three when the follow up question to "Biscuit or Cornbread" if you answer "Cornbread" is "Baked or Fried."
2. You know you're in a real Meat and Three when the menu reads Chicken Fried Steak and not Country Fried Steak.
I'm sure there are others.
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First, get off and stay off the Interstate. If that's impossible, take a small town exit, drive away from the plastic places surrounding the exit. Most any small town, especially most any small town in the south, has at least one good eatin' place. I'll drive down Main Street and the side main streets. Can usually find a promising place.
Or ask. My resources: sheriff's or police office, fire department, local newspaper editor. But never, never, a motel desk clerk. Never.
Finally, keep driving. Don't cave and end up at a Denny's or McD's. Hang in there. There is road food out there. You'll know it when you find it.
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Miscellaneous Fried Clam Fact (or "Downeast Legend": According to Mabel of Mabel's Lobster Lobster Claw, shucked clams for frying become more expensive in mid July / early August because the shuckers head north to pick blueberries.
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But there are times when we gay folk want to let our hair down and kick up our heels (high or low), and at those times, we seek out establishments that not only accept our business, but understand the vibe.
Not all of these places can be called Bump, though. Which is what makes Hamburger Mary's a welcome addition even if they haven't gotten their burger-and-service chops down pat yet.
Certainly there are other such places (Judy's, Judy's, Judy's!). But are there any "straight-run" establishments that may have caught on to this fact yet?
Word has it that such behavior just might be permitted at Carman's Country Kitchen though if you're in drag and on roller skates the counter seats may not be all that demure.
I'd be more interested in the converse. Are there Center City restaurants that are less than gay-friendly?
Two stories from my restaurant back in the early 80s:
In planning the decor I saw a picture of a sign from an inn in the UK. I thought it was cool and wanted to hang a similar sign at the entrance. It read "Patronized by diverse ladies and gentlement of quality, distinction and elegance." My investors wouldn't go along with it fearing that it might give customers the "wrong idea." Unfortunately I listened to them.
Two of my best and most regular customers were of the stiff lipped, prim and proper Delancy Street ilk. They chose my place to celebrate their only son's 21st birthday. He chose his 21st birthday to come out to his parents. A memorable scene ensued in our small, intimate dining room. Alas it was the last time I saw those regulars at the restaurant.
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Louis Lunch just off the Yale campus in New Haven is credited by some to have invented the Hamburger back in 1895 when they first opened. The use a unique cooking process - a vertical broiler.
A great hamburger.
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I've heard of a "clam crawl" that was organized on a different board, and it sounded great -- but I have no idea how to organize these things.
Holly? Anyone?
If this is to be an eGullet event someone needs to volunteer to put it together. I see a problem in the geography - the New England Coast from CT to Maine, but I'm not one to put a damper on things if someone wants to take a shot at it.
Anyone interested in organizing it can contact me by PM or email and we can hash it out. But let's not do the "hey I've got a barn thing" in this thread. That's agains eGullet policy.
In the meantime, johnnyd's suggestions makes a lot of sense.
The least we can do is visit our local purveyors and weigh in here on our findings, ayuh?Maybe folks can hit their local clam shacks, ideally with camera, and report back on this thread. This thread could become a great source of info on all fried clams all along the coast.
And if you're looking for someone to tag along on a tasting, post the idea in the ISO thread tagged at the top of the New England Forum.
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I'm not sure starting to suck is valid. I'd say it's figuring out what to order. To date the brisket seems to be the consistent disappointment for the South Street location. Also it's relatively new - let's see where they stand in a few weeks.
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Have been back to Tommy Gunn's South Street for a couple of more lunches. Better experiences though the service is still a tad funky. Could be bacause they're not all that busy so noone is running at full adrenneline level.
First time I went with their "South Streeter." Smoked, grilled hot links on a french roll topped with homefries and sauce. A very good sandwich.
Today I had the Rib lunch special. Three ribs with a side and soda for seven something. The ribs were the best of everything I've tried to date. The only meat with a deep smoke flavor. Very moist and juicy. A little on the fatty side. But on a par with Sweet Lucy's. Corn salad is a a fine way to serve cold corn.
The disappointing brisket sandwich. I'm guessing the brisket suffers from the trip down I 76 from Mannyunk to South Street.
and the baked macaroni and cheese.
Still need to give the pork sandwich a try.
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We agree on whole clams, though I didn't always feel that way. I grew up in North Jersey where Howard Johnson's was my favorite dinner spot. I'd almost always order their fried clams - made from strips.
Sometime around my 8th or 9th year the family hit Cape Cod on the way to Maine. I insisted on dinner at a local Howard Johnson's. Big mistake. Instead of strips the Cape Cod HoJo's served whole belly clams. To my 8 year old mind - "ICK." My parents were only too happy to split my rejected dinner while I switched to a safe turkey and stuffing dinner.
I suspect at some point this thread might debate breaded vs. battered.
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Scordelia started things off in the Native To New England thread:
I have eaten fried clams all over New England, and the best ones are at the Thirsty Whale in Bar Harbor, ME.Something as important as fried clams deserves its own topic.
A subject upon which I have strong feelings:
The consistently best clams I have come across are from Johnny Ads in Old Sudburry CT. They are also the most convenient - on Route 1 about a quarter mile off of I-95.
Tied for second are:
The Crossroads Restaurant way up Downeast in Pembroke ME, served with homemade tartar sauce and Allison's on the square in Kennebunkport ME. Their recipe goes back generations.
Crossroads and Allison's also both offer some of the best blueberry pie in Maine
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They're brands unique to New England, and I think distinctive: Old Settler Bread and Cain's Riviera Salad Dressing. I believe Old Settler bread is still available, but I just checked the Cain's site and saw no mention of Riviera Dressing.
Clam Fritters.
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I asked the cook at the South Street location. He says the meats are slow smoked over hickory - 7 to 10 or more hours - at their catering kitchen in Manayunk.
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Some meat and three menus:
Beacon Light Tea Room, Lyles TN
Bell Buckle Cafe, Bell Buckle TN
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I hit Tommy Gunn's on South Street yesterday for lunch. The good news is that my camera and I made it in and out without involving the police.
Off to a bad start though. I stood in front of the order taker for a couple of minutes while he talked to his boss or someone on the phone about sales and such. Finally the grill guy stepped in and took my order.
Being the type of guy who isn't willing to take other people's word that a hot stove burned, I ordered the brisket sandwich. Came across more as steamed than smoked, no flavor of beef or smoke, no telltale red ring. After my meal both the cook and the order taker asked how I liked the brisket. I was honest. The cooked asked if I tried the sauce with it. I told him yes, after my first bite. The sauce helped but I shouldn't have needed it.
I also finally got to try the fried macaroni and cheese. Think of a macaroni and cheese Moon Pie. It is formed into a disc and then twice breaded to get a thick crust. It was nicely browned and super hot inside. I like it though I'm not sure if it was the novelty or the dish itself. Anyone know - is fried macaroni and cheese a regional dish somewhere?
I'm going back a couple of times to try the pulled pork and the ribs. Hopefully also for a better experience.
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Overall D. C. has a top rung that is superior to Philly, Baltimore, Richmond, Pittsburgh, etc.
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I don't know how familiar you are with Philadelphia restaurants, especially our 21st century crop of BYO's, but Philadelphia is a world class restaurant city on a par, at least, with DC, and certainly not to be compared with Baltimore, Richmond, Pittsburgh or etc.
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How do you think any local chefs even get nominated for Beard awards in the first place or begin to come under some national media scrutiny? Do ya' think Tom and the accuracy and persuasiveness of his advocacy has anything to do with it? Writers and critics visit with other writers and critics from out of town. Who's doing a better job as a critic as a chauvinist for their city, Tom or Craig LaBan in Philadelphia? Who has been more persuasive in their local network? If LaBan were doing a better job (don't get me wrong, he's an excellent critic) the chef from Django would have been nominated instead of or alongside Vetri--and I'd remember his name since I've eaten at his wonderful restaurant four or five times. But no, 4 DC chefs got nominated instead. And that means that Tom has been right or more persuasive with more people more often, and that when other chefs and writers and foodies visit DC, I'm betting they leave more often than not concurring with Tom. All of this benefits DC as a whole by more and more people thinking of it as a food town, which benefits all of us in the long term, not just those nominated.
Isn't that caring and supporting and loyalty enough?...
I was going along with your thoughts all the way until your cause and effect rationale embracing a local critic's influence on a chef's national reputation. I suggest a chef’s “IT” factor and the chef’s and/or the restaurant's selection of a PR representative will play a far greater role in creating a nation reputation than having a leading, local critic as a vocal advocate.
But it terms of the James Beard Awards you may be right. Here is the restaurant and chef nomination process from the foundation’s web site:
Administration: The Restaurant Awards are administered by a volunteer committee of 17 leading food editors and restaurant critics representing the United States.Balloting: Anyone can recommend a candidate for a Chef and Restaurant Award. The Foundation usually receives 1,500 submissions in September, which are tabulated by an accounting firm and reviewed by the Awards Committee to develop the Nominating Ballot. Up to 20 candidates are placed in each award category on the Nominating Ballot, which is distributed in January to over 300 judges throughout the U.S. The results of the Nominating Ballot produce five final nominees in each award category. Nominees are announced in March. A chef may not be nominated in more than one chef or restaurant category. The final ballot listing the five finalists for each award is distributed to the judges again. The highest score in each category determines the award winner. In the event of a tie, there are two award winners.
Judges: The body of judges comprises all past Chef and Restaurant Award winners, the Restaurant Awards Committee, leading regional restaurant critics, food and wine editors, and culinary educators.
They don’t name the “leading food editors and restaurant critics” or the judges, but in the case of Philadelphia vs. DC, I’d be curious as to the geographical representation of each group. It could be that one of the two areas has a greater representation of judges. Supporting your premise, if DC has the greater representation and therefore more Sietsema than LaBan readers, it might account for DC’s impressive showing.
Beyond that, while Philadelphia's BYO's, even more than Stephen Starr, are the major story of the Philadephia Dining Scene, that story has been the menu and the cuisine of each BYO and not the chef. I'm not sure why this is, but I can't think of a single BYO chef who has anywhere near the local media status of a Georges Perrier, a Susannah Foo or any of Stephen Starr's imports.
It's not that the BYO's don't give their chef's credit. The chef's name is almost always featured on the menu. Maybe it's because the restaurants are relatively small operations. Maybe the restaurants don't spend on PR. Maybe a BYO's small kitchen is a close-knit team - more NE Patriots than NY Yankees.
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clickable link for cuisine of Charleston mentioned above ... very cool site! Thanks, BetsyinKY!
Hmmmm. No mention of Bowen's Island. Can't be all that complete.
I noticed that the site is branded by American Express. I wonder if the only places listed are those that accept AMEX cards? If you go to the home page for that site, you'll see similar sites for other cities.
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Woodman's claims to have first subjected the lowly clam to batter, breading and hot oil.
Parker House dinner rolls from the Parker House hotel.
Perhaps baked beans. Maybe chowder?
and, of course, the Dunkin' Donut Munchkin.
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Finally made it to Sweet Lucy's. The exception that proves my rule about avoiding most bbq joints that try to be all things to all people. Sweet Lucy's pulls it off and then some. Got a new favorite Philadelphia BBQ joint. Just wondering what took me so long to get there.
One thing I noticed. Sweet Lucy's serves butter instead of Country Crock or similar "buttery spread" with their corn bread. Only bit of unauthenticity I saw.
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Back in my reviewing days I used to piss off some readers and the occasional editor by straying too far afield. But that variety kept it interesting for me - the opportunity to occasionally write about something other than the local Philadelphia restaurant scene.
I'm also not certain Baltimore is that far away for someone in the DC market. For those living north of the Beltway, it might be easier to get to Baltimore than to downtown DC.
As to writing about one's vacation eating discoveries - alas I too was guilty of that though readers tended to encourage such columns - just one question. How, Mr. IRS auditor, can you call it a vacation? See here's my published column on Las Vegas. It was obviously a business trip.
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Two non barbecue considerations:
1. Maybe you know of Carl's Frozen Custard already as Fredericksburg is not that far south of DC. - but I can't imagine driving I-95 without stopping in for a dipped cone of home made frozen custard.
2. Plan your trip so you spend the evening in the Charleston SC area. That way you can eat shovelfulls of roast oysters at Bowen's Island on James Island just south of Charleston.
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Picking up on what Sandy just said, there are two kinds of barbecue places.
First the regional ones that only do their regional speciality - ie a Carolina place doing pulled pork, a Memphis place doing ribs or a Texas place doing brisket.
The other are the conglomerations that sell Carolina pulled pork, Memphis or KC ribs and Texas brisket.
Typically the places that specialize do a much better and much more consistent job than the places that try to be all things to all bbq eaters. More often than not they might get one thing right, or two. But not every kind of BBQ that they sell. And sometimes they have complicated their kitchen to the point that they get none right.
This is not always the case, but often enough that I shy away from the BBQ USA types of places.
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Last time I was there I saw bags of chopped racoon and muscrat for sale. Not much in the culinary arena makes me squeamish, but that sure did.
Really? Because I saw those too (don't know whether they were chopped or not) and thought they were cool: also 'swamp rabbit', whatever that is.
Now bags of chopped circus animals, that'd be a different story. But we know that those only go into hot dogs and elementary school lunch meat.
Interesting because as far as I know all such neats require state or federal or some sort of inspection when sold retail. Wonder if someone is farming racoons and muskrats?
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With my aiding and abetting we're starting to stray pretty far afield of Daniel's initial post - neat pics by the way and great wrap-up despite the provolone controversary.
If we're going delve deeply into cheesesteaks may a suggest starting a new thread either in general food or Philadelphia, though we could probably just add on to one of many existing Philadelphia Threads.
I'm sorry to hear about Faidley's. I found their crab cakes to be the gold standard, and happened to meet Mrs Faidley who struck me as very hospitable and pround of her crab cakes to the point that she would never permit anything less than a piping hot crab cake. Sounds like she wasn't around during your visit.
Bookbinder's Review Philadelphia Weekly
in Pennsylvania: Dining
Posted
Writing a bad review on Bookbinders, any Bookbinders, is as edgy as panning a book by Paris Hilton. With Bookbinders, any Bookbinders, it is "guilty until proven innocent."
Lauren McCutcheon's whole "what's the use" attitude which opens and closes the review
and suggests a chip on her shoulder that she failed to check at the door.I've always maintained that the people who hate Bookbinder's, any Bookbinder's, a.) don't order the right stuff and b.) aren't lucky enough to have someone on expense account picking up their check.
The only things to order at Bookbinders, any Bookbinders, are Snapper Soup (Old Original served the best I've ever had anywhere), fresh oysters, a decent sized lobster and strawberry shortcake. Perhaps their finnan haddie. These they have historically done very well. Stray and you're gonna be disappointed. Anyone who knows Bookbinders, any Bookbinders, knows that. Ordering Yellowfin Tuna Tartare at Bookbinders - yeah that's a really good idea. Almost as bright as her going to Bookbinders and not ordering basic boiled or broiled lobster - and the way she simply mentions the lobster I'm betting she didn't.
As they say, any publicity is good publicity. McCutcheon's review has only hastened me to the new Bookbinder's. No way I'm taking her word on this.
I'm surprised the editor didn't move the column to the front page. Nothing like a total pan review to move papers.