Holly Moore

I'm on the road for another 10-12 days, eating around a bit. But game for any manner of expedition once I return.

I had a totally difference experience, Katie, with the guy I thought was the owner. My first time I just stopped in to look around - already had filled up elsewhere. I asked the guy behind the counter how it works. He explained it. Then he took his tongs, snagged a falafel and handed it to me. The next day I was back for lunch - my usual obnoxious self. Same guy behind the counter. Made a joke about me being with the FBI, with all those pics. More jokes when I asked for a side of fries, "Included." A diet coke, "Included." "You guys won't let me spend any more money." Maybe there are good twin/evil twin co-owners. Then again, I know when I had my restaurant, we too had good twin/evil twin co-owners. Me and Me. All depended on the tides, the moon, and who didn't show up and what broke down and what we were out of and whether the guy who kept hitting on my waitress was there for lunch.

Not crab cake. Way too high class for a Philadelphia Surf 'n Turf. It's a fish cake that is mashed into the hot dog. And I had the name sorta wrong. It's Johnny's Hot Sausages.

My feeling is that when wandering some alien land one should first seek out the restaurants that are unique to that city - that can't be duplicated elsewhere or at least that can't be duplicated well elsewhere. Here are the restaurants that are, in my experience at least, unique to Philadelphia or the Delaware Valley: Hoagie Shops Cheesesteak Shops Pork Sandwich Shops Carman's Country Kitchen John's Hot Sausages (Grilled Hot Sausage, Egg, Peppers and Onions) Reading Terminal Market (sort of - other cities have great but different markets). The aforementioned Ralph's is something like the longest continually open Italian Restaurant kept in one family. Capogiro for their wonderfully creative gelatos Maybe La Tierra Columbiana which combines Cuban and Columbian cuisiene. Perhaps Taconelli's for Pizza because of their giant hearth over and because it is necessary to reserve one's dough. These are the ones that immediately come to mind. Be curious to see what others people come up with - unique restaurants found only in Philadelphia or types of restaurants founded in Philadelphia. Most all have been pretty extensively discussed in this forum. An always fun adventure is to take cheesesteaks or hoagies or pork sandwiches and eat about a bit, researching your favorites. The other option is to simply seek out restaurants that are very good at what they do. I'll let others do that list. Brief commercial: My site has a good sampling of low end restaurants to help in your quest. Eat well and often while you're in town.

A Tony Packo's Chili Dog

Yocco's doesn't really do a Chili dog. Rather the sauce is their version of Coney Island Sauce or All-The-Way sauce similar to and different from the sauce that is found at the Coney Island dog places throughout the U.S. I think that may be why some walk away from Yocco's somewhat disappointed. For the typical east coaster, with some local area exceptions - any dog that has meat on it is taken for a chili dog. Yocco's doesn't help by calling their sauce a "chili sauce." But it is only a chili sauce in that chili powder is an ingredient. The Yocco's dog would indeed be a medicore chili dog, by real chili dog standards. But it is a very good Coney Island style dog.

In my experience the meat is usually D&W - but I place the meat way low in priority when deciding how much I like a hoagie. The roll is first, the quality of the aged provolone second, the salad fixins, the oil and other garnishes third and the meat last. I think that's because the quality hoagies shops seem to use very similar quality meat and by the time everything else is layered on, the meat is somewhat overpowered by its supporting cast. My two favorite Philadelphia (City of) hoagie shops - Chick's and Sarcone's - and one I am coming to like a lot - Campo's - all use Sarcone's bread, not Amoroso. Note to Holly - Next time you order dogs and brats from Usinger's see if they'll throw in their equivalent sausage products to Philly hoagie meats. Could make a world class German style hoagie

I'm a fan of the Calabash Seafood Hut though I haven't been there for a few years. A. They fry consistantly good seafood. B. They've been frying consistantly good seafood for a long time. C. I like saying Calabash.

Ahem Katie. Donkey's Place Hey, it's important for Katie to show that she's not biased or is pandering towards her fellow moderators. I checked the eGullet User Agreement. Read it twice just to make sure I hadn't missed anything. There is absolutely no ban against pandering to moderators.

Ahem Katie. Donkey's Place

4 coveted Grease Stains at HollyEats.Com

No, have not gone back. Struck me as just another mediocre carry out place. Have you tried them?

Now that I scoot about, I go and pick up my own stuff. Before that I used diningin.com and ordered from Billy Wong. Very good and much better than basic delivery. Kinda expensive though.

According to Usinger's any of their film wrapped dogs (as opposed to loose, 6 lb cartons) are good for up to 30 days refrigerated. But I typically work out of the freezer. Bring out a pack or two each week. The fresh brats go so fast it's never a problem.

How about this? Restaurants pay their employees a fair wage, reflect those increased costs in their menu pricing, and then impose an absolutely no tipping policy. Strikes me as a lot less hypocritical than an across the board service charge. Tips are "To Insure Prompt/Proper Service." But if they are automatically charged, with the guest having no say in the matter, they serve no purpose other than to lower the restaurant's labor cost and, perhaps, save some on associated taxes and fringe benefits. I am all for tipping if it is totally my choice as to what to tip. I am totally against it if it is forced in the terms of "service charge." That said, in Europe I accept the automatic service charge because that is the way it has always been done. And, because I am a guilt-ridden, insecure, American tourist, I always throw in some more because, well, because I am a guilt-ridden, insecure, American tourist.

Did you mean bottom of the menu? Because if it is on the bill, that means you already ate. Oops. Menu. There I go, doddering again.

Restaurants that impose tips for a party of six or more (except in the case of catering where the tip is negotiated up front) are more interested in avoiding hassles with employees than they are in customer hospitality. Customers are under absolutely no obligation to tip. None. Even when the service is world class, there is no legal requirement to add a tip to the bill. Four of us run up a bill of $2000 at Daniel and I want to leave a $5 tip I can. I wouldn't. But I can. A question to restaurateurs reading this who impose a service charge on parties of six or more. How would you handle it if I told you I was dissatisfied with the service and only wanted to leave a ten percent tip, or no tip? Would you call the police if I refused to leave the mandated service charge? One occasion, when I have hosted a large group and noticed the service charge boiler plate at the bottom of the bill, I called the host over and explained that I would determine the size of the tip or our party would leave. The mandatory service charge was immediately waived.

I'm thinking a visit to the Shake Shack

Lancaster Mike, Thanks for the great list.

Anyone know if the Shake Shack's fries are frozen or fresh cut?

I didn't realize Chick's advertised in Philadelphia Magazine I know Chickie's Deli on Federal in Philly has won for the hoagies.

Me too. Wanted to go back for seconds.

If this happens after mid August, I'm likely to pop up from Philadelphia. Between Pittsburgh and med rare here.

I have grown more and more disenchanted with Jersey Tomatoes over the past few years. It has gotten so that I'll only buy them at the smallest of farm stands. My favorite is deep in South Jersey (I think on the same road as Uncle Dewey's BBQ) where there's a small unmanned stand with a couple of baskets of tomatoes, an umbrella to protect them, and an honor can to leave your payment. These tomatoes have never disappointed. I shared my woe with the guy at the Headhouse Farmers Market who is driving up his field grown tomatoes from Virginia. "Jersey's," he said with scorn. "Tonnage. They grow them for tonnage. Not flavor. You can only plant so many tomatoes on an acre and have them taste good. I grow mine for taste." It's sad. But the majority of Jersey tomatoes seem to have gone the way of the delicious apple.

Haven't made it to the places the Munchmobile hit, but based on this from the article - and their buying into Best Cheesesteaks.Com's absurb proclamations that the roll should be soft to the point that it almost melts in one's mouth and that most Philadelphians prefer provolone - the Munchmobilers suffer a knowledge credibility gap far wider than the Delaware River. I'll concede that Atlantic City's White House Subs (absent from this article) may indeed be the best restaurant in Jersey, at least south Jersey, and that their hoagies and cheesesteaks are Philadelphia class, But saying that the Jersey Cheesesteaks they ate are better than Pat's or Geno's (fine cheesesteaks but not the Gold Standard by any means) and therefore better than all Philadelphia cheesesteaks is like saying that Gallo Hearty Burgandy is better than Thunderbird and ergo the best US wine.