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Sfuffy

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Posts posted by Sfuffy

  1. Nope, it is I who stands corrected.  S. 3rd.  I always thought that "Hot Bagel" was their name.  Still, I've always had a pretty good bagel at that joint.  Sorry to hear of the diminution in quality.  Was that based on one or several visits?

    It seems that a "Hot Bagel" sign is common in these parts - I passed by Philadelphia Bagel on Delaware Ave. today and noticed that "Hot Bagel" is spelled out underneath their name. Is this to somehow distinguish them from the cold bagel bakeries that have escaped my notice? :raz:

    This was the first time I got a puffy bagel at South Street but I've been somewhat disappointed before with poorly shaped and somewhat underbaked bagels. (As well as the fact that they only seem to have bialies 1 out of 3 times I go there. :rolleyes: )

  2. Ess-a Bagels are great too. 

    I think it's something in the NYC water that makes 'em special.

    I don't think it's entirely the water that contributes to NYC bagels being special. It doesn't account for the comparatively large selection of good bagel shops in North Jersey. I think it's due in large part to the common legacy of craftsmanship that's been passed down over the years - until the 1960's (with the advent of the bagel-making machine), the Bagel Bakers' Union had a firm grip over the bagel trade in NYC and parts of North Jersey. Long after the demise of the union, its former members and those who learned at their feet (or hands in this case) spread their bagel-making expertise through the NY metropolitan area.

  3. I typically get my bagels from South Street Bagel since they're in the neighborhood

    Whaddabout Hot Bagel on S. 4th? I think they're boiled. Got bialys, too. I've always been satisfied. I'm a fan of Essa Bagel in NYC, and Hot Bagel's come pretty close.

    Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you're talking about South Street Bagels on S. 3rd which has the "Hot Bagels" sign out front. That's where I got the disappointing bagels.

  4. I typically get my bagels from South Street Bagel since they're in the neighborhood and are usually more than passable. However, the last few times I've seen a noticeable dimunition in quality and yesterday I got a bunch that were totally wrong. They were much too high for a bagel (almost roll-like in height) and when I cut into them I could immediately see why - the insides were airy and puffy, the total opposite of what a dense, chewy bagel should be.

    So, I think this is a good time to start exploring my other Philly bagel options. I was raised on NY-style bagels in North Jersey and like a chewy, dense (though not dense like a rock) with a golden brown, crusty (though not crunchy) exterior.

    Where can I find this (or a close facsimile) around here? (And if anyone knows where I can get tsibele pletzel (sometimes known as onion flatbread to the uninitiated) then you'll have my undying gratitude.)

  5. You know it's really amazing that this thing has escalated to the point the Trentonian reports. By the way, the Trentonian is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp...we aren't talking Washington Post or NY Times here folks. I will say that I think it would be ridiculous for Casino, whether or not they were originators or sell the original Italian hot dog, to move into a center where a really good hot dog joint is firmly established.

    Actually, The Trentonian is owned by the Journal Register Co.

  6. As a point of reference for tapas pricing check out www.jaleo.com. This is a very successful (and very good) tapas restaurant in DC. The website lists all their tapas, hot , cold, and seasonal with prices. I've eaten there a couple times and don't think you can get out of there for less than $25-$30/ person. (Three tapas and a glass of wine) And three tapas orders probably wouldn't fill you up.

    All of Jaleo's tapas are under $10 with the majority of selections in the $6 to $8 range - very reasonable. And there seems to be a lot of Spanish imports on the menu. While I can't speak to their quality, Jaleo also has a large variety of wines in the $30 a bottle range.

  7. A meal constructed of a Tortilla Espanola, a serving of sliced to order Serrano ham with bread and accoutrements and a fine draught beer or glass of sangria would probably run you about $20 (before tip) and be quite satifying as well as a mini vacation to an authentic Spanish tapas experience as you might have in Barcelona or Madrid.  You ought to give the menu a look and see if you could cobble together a very pleasant meal for yourself within your budgetary guidelines.  I believe it's totally possible if you're willing to approach with an open mind (and slightly open wallet!)  :biggrin:

    Well, except for the fact that such a tapas experience would cost you half the price in Spain. Why is tapas always such a high-end endeavor here in the States instead of the affordable neighborhood staple it is in Spain? (as evidenced by Amada and the recently deceased Mallorca) Not to mention that thanks to the PALCB, a single glass of Marques de Monistrol Cava Brut goes for $9 when I can buy an entire bottle in NJ for $7!) :wacko:

  8. I haven't seen the movie, but I believe the sushi restaurant is Hikaru down at 2nd, near South.

    Saw the film on Sunday and having eaten at Hikaru about 10 days ago, I don't believe it's the sushi place featured. The restaurant in the film had dark wood (cherry?) banquettes with opaque glass privacy screens above the seats. Hikaru has blonde wood seating and more open seating arrangements.

  9. I wish the LCB had a better way to search for stores which carry a particular item. Instead of having to specify the county, you should be able to do a zip code proximity search to find the closest store with the item is.

    They also need to fix the zip code search on the Store Locations search page. Right now, it only finds those stores within the exact zip code you enter rather than listing stores by distance from a particular zip code. For example, when I enter my 19147 zip, I only get the South St. and S. 11th St. locations but not the new Columbus Crossing store even though it's only about 1 1/2 miles from me. And if I'm traveling somewhere I'm not familiar with, I can't find the nearest store if there isn't one in the town I'm in. Very frustrating and not very customer-friendly to say the least.

  10. I went over into the Food and Dining section of philly.com, looking for (a) clues to this reported Craig LaBan food cart review (for which I should probably just go down to my building lobby--I get the Inky delivered) and (b) that deviled-egg recipe that ran in last Sunday's "Image" section, and I stumbled across a series of fairly vehement posts in the philly.com Food discussion forum under the heading "Copa Too DO NOT GO!"

    Judging from these posts, the popular Center City casual eatery (and, I assume, its sister, the original Copabanana at 4th and South) has changed hands and gotten a lot worse.

    The Copa Too doesn't share ownership with the original Copabanana. It was split off a couple of years ago. (One wonders why they didn't realize that letting them keep the name might come back to bite them one day.) The University City Copa is owned by the 4th and South people.

  11. Stopped by Famous Deli today, and must agree with some previous comments that it seems like a whole new place. It actually looks much the same, but gleamingly clean, with very  friendly, almost over-attentive service.

    As I sat down, they brought a carafe of seltzer, a nice onion roll, and later a plate of pickles containing two old sours and two new half-sours. I ordered a "regular" brisket sandwich, for 9 bucks. It was so big  I could barely get it in my mouth: (there's actually a bigger size for three more bucks,  "the Zaftig")

    The pickle portion is a big improvement over Famous's old one pickle per plate portion. But I still miss the complimentary steel bowl of pickles (and pickled tomatoes) of my North Jersey deli youth.

    It was very delicious, warm, flaking-apart brisket on good rye bread, fine on its own, better with a little touch of horseradish.  I still like the cold, thinner-sliced style like at Koch's, but this was every bit as good, certainly juicier and more tender.

    A big thumbs up for the thick-cut warm brisket - it's the only way to eat it. The rye looks a bit soft (and unfortunately seedless) similar to the bread I had when Russ Cowan owned the Chestnut St. Kibitz in the City. I'd be curious if it held up under the warm juciness.

    Other sandwiches going by looked great as well, and just as insanely large.

    The sandwich looks like just the perfectly sized deli sandwich to me :raz: - not at all insanely large (except when compared to the former Famous 4th's stingy size).

    Looks like I'm gonna have to stop by and give them a try.

  12. spoon?  we don't need no steenking spoon.  don't you know about squeezing the cup?

    Of course, but it's a bit tricky with the rigid, wax-coated paper cups used by water ice purveyors. Back in the day, when I used to get Italian ice as a kid in North Jersey, it came in plain white paper cups with straight fluted sides. They were easy to squeeze and didn't crack or rip when squeezed.

  13. Just a note of business news:  the giant ice cream house Dreyer's (Not to be confused with Breyer's) controls about 85% of the mass-distributed ice creams in the US today.  Dreyer's is actually partners with Nestle, and that now includes Haagen Dazs, Edys, Dreamery, Godiva, Starbucks, and Healthy Choice.  Unilever controls most of the rest including Ben & Jerry's and Breyer's. 

    Of course, it is a secret where all these brands are made and just how much crossover there is.  No wonder these premium brands mostly taste the same these days!!  (Ahhh, if only it could be like Italy, with artisinal Gelato stands on every corner...!!!)

    Actually, when Dreyer's & Nestle combined their ice cream operations (Nestle is now the majority owner of Dreyer's and is in the process of buying them up in total), Dreyer's was forced to sell off the Dreamery and Godiva brands. They're now produced by a company call Coolbrands Intl., which produces Eskimo Pies, among other novelties, and is the franchiser for Swensen's and I Can't Believe It's Yogurt.

    According to this story in today's LA Times, Dreyer's has 23% of the US ice cream market to Unilever's 22%.

  14. Having not read the article quite yet, it's not just the Amish-Quaker axis.

    But it's never one particular reason for something.

    In this case, there's also the state store workers' union, the beer distributors'.

    I'm probably leaving a few out.

    It has yet to be updated to account for the influence of the Amish-Quaker axis but this is my earlier exigesis on the subject.

  15. We can't forget some South Street Main Stays our family went to many times!!!  Lickety Split, Knave of Hearts (no one gave a bigger salad than the Knave). Both were eclectic cuisines--the Knave's mismatched dishes, linens, tableware were always interesting while Robert Fripp, Brian Eno, or Gang of Four played to the uppercrust or yuppie scum who went there!!

    And the Knave of Hearts' space has sat empty for about two years after the building's new owners totally undid the space.

  16. Anyway, the proof is in the meat, and the brisket, unfortunately, was dry and didn't taste at all of smoke.  Very disappointing: it basically tasted like Grandma's brisket, and that ain't a good thing.  It's a shame, because I really want to like them (for one thing, they'll deliver to my house, and for another, they're open so! darn! late!: perfect for summer debauchery).  Maybe they're just inconsistent, or maybe other things are better.  I'll give them another chance...

    Having tried the brisket last evening, I have to agree except to say that you besmirch Grandma and Bubbes everywhere by even mentioning their brisket in the same sentence as TG's bland, dry as shoe leather version. :rolleyes:

  17. Snyder and Swanson closed to open the bigger better outlet.

    Thanks Katie! :biggrin:

    I actually just took a trip down there and saw it for myself. I have to say I was somewhat underwhelmed. It uses the same unimaginative signage and inefficient shelving and layout as every other state store. Excepting the Premium Collection (which is still a work in progress), the rest of the store seemed rather limited in its selection of regular wines and no bigger than the average store. It is smaller than both the Franklin Mills outlet store and the Chestnut Street superstore. One would have hoped that with this brand new built-to-order space they might have tried for something more special.

    Despite the Chairman's yeoman efforts, it seems that the bureaucratic DNA still thrives in some parts of the PLCB.

  18. kudos to my south philly neighbor, PA state rep Bob Donatucci (chairman of the Liquor Control Commission), for his efforts to get that store opened.

    I'd be curious to know how the PLCB decides where to open new stores (and what type of stores they will be - Outlet, Premium Collection, Regular). Do they have some objective criteria? Do they conduct market research? How much do they respond to politicians' whims (being Philadelphia I have no doubt that the developer of this butt-ugly strip mall has some influence over a State Senator/Representative or two)?

    And similarly, how do they decide to close a store? The unremarkable store at Columbus and Washington seems redundant being only a mile or so from the new one. (I don't see the even closer store at Snyder and Swanson showing up on the PLCB web site - did it close?)

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