Sfuffy
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Posts posted by Sfuffy
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I used to eat at Gino's as a kid up in North Jersey. I only knew McDonalds from TV commercials (I only remember one near my grandparents) and then from family vacations (but was totally repulsed by its policy of putting both mustard and ketchup on burgers).
For everything you ever wanted to know about Gino's (and more) including its logos, there's the Gino's Hamburgers Website.
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Man, and I was hoping to hear about some taco trucks I didn't know about.
Oh well.
Comment: Exits off I-95 may not refer to the street as Delaware Ave. I don't remember offhand. The other name is Columbus Blvd.
From I-95 South, you make a right onto Columbus, Washington is the 2nd light.
Can't recall I-95 North directions specifically.
There's a taco truck I've seen in recent weeks on Water Street right behind the PA Driver's License Center on Columbus Blvd. underneath I-95. Haven't had a chance to try it yet.
If you're coming from I-95 North, I think the exit says Penns Landing/Columbus Blvd. Stay to the left as you get off the exit and turn left at the light onto Columbus Blvd. Turn left at the next light which is Washington Ave.
The exit on 95 South says Washington Ave. (and either Penns Landing or Columbus Blvd. - I can never remember even though it's my exit home
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Lots of elotes vendors to be found yesterday at the Mexican Independence Day festival at Penn's Landing. Not to mention terrific tacos everywhere (except, curiously, at the Taqueria la Veracruzana stand).
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That's four blank "bells" you're looking at in Craig's review.
I'm writing in tomorrow's INQlings that Carmella's not only is closed, the site will go condo.
Whoops, my mistake!
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No surprise here. Manayunk is becoming a graveyard. And Derek Davis' restaurants seem to have some sort of plague that's killing them off first in a long slow agonizing death. The "plague" could be the food and the service. The LaBan review of Carmella's was brutal, but sadly true. You can read it HERE
After you've read it, tell me if you're still surprised it's closing, or merely surprised it took this long.
What's curious about that is that even though the review was scathing, the web page gives it a four-star rating (doubly odd in that the Inky gives bells not stars).
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I almost forgot about Capogiro - it might be because I'm gelato-ed (or more accurately, helado-ed out) after getting back from Spain last week.
[JEALOUS]How was your trip?[/JEALOUS]
Well, let's just say it's a trip I won't soon forget.
I went to Spain to attend a wedding with some friends and was hoping for a relaxing week of great food, wine, and exploring in Galicia. Well, somebody forgot to clue Air Canada into this agenda and they promptly lost our luggage (with our wedding outfits) for five days. So we spent the first few days in Spain running around trying to get some clothes that wouldn't get us laughed out of a semi-high-class wedding. (It's amazing that they let me stay in Spain in my satin pants.
)But we were glad when we finally made it to the wedding. The reception was two hours of fabulous non-stop Spanish tapas - sublime jámon de serrano, incredible pulpo (octopus), lomo (cured pork loin), queso (manchego and roncal), crab croquettes, jumbo fried shrimp - with charming servers who never let your glass of vino or cerveza go dry. This was followed by a simple but elegant dinner accompanied by three kinds of wine and cava. The party went on until well past 4 in the morning (which we were told was early since the entertainers were booked until 7) when there was a buffet of snacks brought out with more jámon and queso plus tuna empanadas (a specialty of the region).
Then it was three days traveling along Spain's Atlantic coast sampling seafood and more jámon and queso accompanied by glasses of delightful albariño. We even had tapas by candlelight in a rustic taverna when the power went out. And I always started the day with a café con leche. If I had it to do over again, I would try to avoid all the aggravation. But all in all, it was a pretty fabulous trip.
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Kibbitz is okay, but I wouldn't make a special run there. The pastrami is overly salty, and not at all NY style; in fact, the pastrami is supplied by Vienna Beef of Chicago. Not that it's not a quality product, it is; but it barely resembles a good NY-North Jersey pastrami sandwich.
Unless your niece has a hankering for that type of food, I'd stay away; if you want to show her good corned beef and pastrami, take a ride on the NJ Pike to Harold's in Edison/Piscataway, or Goodman's in Elizabeth or, for that matter, Katz's or the Carnegie or the Second Avenue Deli.
As stated previously, the RTM offers the most food excitement and variety for someone of her age. A trip to the Italian Market on 9th Street may work, but on a Saturday, as someone else noted, it can be a bit overwhelming.
I reviewed all the messages here and am surprised that no one has mentioned Capogiro. It's only a few blocks walk from the RTM so, if for some reason you pass up Bassetts and their raspberry truffle, waddle over to 13th and Sansom for some killer gelati. The only problem your niece will have is deciding which of the myriad flavors to select. Also, Capogiro is open in the evening. If your niece likes Mexican food, El Vez and another Mexican (I forget its name) are just across the street.
Hmmm....according to LaBan's review last year, Kibitz's briskets came from Sy Ginsberg in Detroit (http://ae.philly.com/entertainment/ui/philly/restaurant.html?id=64399&reviewId=13698). Have they changed suppliers since then?
My niece (being half NJ Jew) was introduced to Harold's as a toddler (at his former Parsippany location) resulting in an amusing anecdote about her propensity for regurgitation that my mom likes to regurgitate every so often.
(For those not familar with Harold, he's a former manager of the Carnegie Deli and the late, lamented Claremont Diner - which gave its name to Claremont Salad - who is a Johnny Appleseed of NY/NJ Jewish delis in North Jersey. He sold the deli in Parsippany, started one in Lyndhurst where my dad would lunch when he worked up in Nutley, and then sold it and opened the one in Edison at the Raritan Center. All his restaurants are opened in or near hotels (it probably cuts down on the rent) and feature not a bowl of pickles but an actual pickle bar where you can choose all you want from garlic dills, full sours, half sours, pickled tomatoes, sauerkraut, and the aforementioned Claremont Salad (which I've actually seen labeled as such on the Whole Foods-South Street salad bar). A triple decker will feed a family of five and there's extra rye bread at the bar so you can split it up. Plus little corn muffins and his special rolls if you have room for them. It's definitely worth the trip up the Turnpike.)
I almost forgot about Capogiro - it might be because I'm gelato-ed (or more accurately, helado-ed out) after getting back from Spain last week. I'll have to see how she feels about Mexican - the spice and cilantro might be too much for her to take in.
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But we'll definitely take an afternoon at RTM and there's probably no avoiding South Street since I'm in Queen Village.
Sfuffy - we're neighbors!
Certainly there's some cool places to go in our 'hood as well. Dmitri's is great and if you go early, shouldn't be too much hassle. If she likes hummus or feta cheese they have both of those, and the best grilled pita ever to dip in it. Dmitri's Sugar Snap peas with Tomatoes and crumbled feta on top are the best vegetable side dish in Philly - hands down. New Wave has decent food and the Dark Horse is a great pub with plenty of interesting things on the menu as well as some standards a 10 year old would love like burgers or Shepherd's pie. Ristorante San Carlo at 2nd and South is good solid Italian with plenty of pasta dishes and a great antipasto they place in the window to tempt hungry passersby inside. And there's always the South Street Diner if you want to give her a huge menu that makes it impossible to make a decision!
Hi Neighbor!
Since I live a block from both Dmitri's and the New Wave I kind of take them for granted. (Though to be honest I've found that the New Wave's burgers and fries have gone downhill since Ben McNamara left. So a trek to the Dark Horse is a distinct possibility.)
I've always been curious about Ristorante San Carlo and tempted by the antipasto. But it seems they did some renovations and last time I strolled by there the window display was no more.
Being from North Jersey, I'm a bit of a diner snob and the South Street Diner has just never cut it for me. (And the big menu won't be a challenge for my niece, she'd just go for the chicken fingers or spaghetti and meatballs if I know her.)
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Kibitz in the city has outrageously good homemade corned beef and brisket.... I wasnt aware that they changed ownership. When did that happen?
The sale was mentioned in passing last month in a column by LaBan about places to eat down the shore (including Cowan's new Kibitz Down The Shore in Ocean City).
http://www.timesleader.com/mld/philly/ente...ing/9049151.htm
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Kibbitz in the City would be a good Saturday breakfast or lunch,
wow, what a weird coincidence--i just noticed this place for the first time this morning. i must have walked by it a hundred times and never really seen it. what's it like? there's some other place on that corner that i saw too that i never noticed before. weird.
I've only been there for lunch (but before it was sold by Russ Cowen) after a favorable mention by LaBan. It had the best corned beef I've ever had in Philly (Being raised on NY deli fare, I can't stand the superlean, thin-sliced, tightly packed corned beef sandwich that is the Philly standard.) Unfortunately, the flabby, soft rye bread disintegrated from the moist corned beef and I had to finish it off with a fork.
(Is it just me or has all rye bread become progressively softer and flabbier over the years? Especially the major brands - Arnold hasn't "made a nice sandwich" in years.) And the single pickle was a bit of disappointment as well. -
It might be too late - 10 years of suburban chain fare may be impossible to overcome.
But my goal would be to open her eyes, show her there is Italian beyond Olive Garden, seafood beyond Red Lobster and Mexican beyond ChiChi's/Taco Bell.
If "weekend" means you get her for three dinners:
Dinner 1: Good, boisterous South Philly Italian like Ralph's or Villa de Roma. Not epicurean, but not Olive Garden.
Dinner 2: Sansom Street Oyster House, but don't say "oyster" or you'll have to drag her through the front door.
Dinner 3: Plaza Garabaldi or La Lupe. Or Tequilla.
And don't forget Carman's for breakfast. Carman just loves the pitter-patter of little feet racing too and fro. Or maybe I have Carman's confused with Chuckie Cheese. Come to think of it, Carman's might not be all that good of an idea.
Actually, there might be some hope yet - except for McD's (and its competitors), Boston Market, and Chili's, I think her chain experience is pretty limited. Like her uncle, she's been raised in Northern NJ so she has a lot of mom and pop red gravy in her blood and has seen a real diner or two in her day. I think even her parents would shudder at the thought of an Olive Garden.
(And I somehow made it out alive besides being raised on Wetson's then Geno's then Roy Rogers with frequent Red Lobster visits. Perhaps this was all countered by Bonvini's, Canton Low, and Pal's?)I think we'll save breakfast for quality at-home bonding time over a hot griddle cooking up some pancakes and French Toast. Weekend breakfast out is too long a wait to expect a ten-year old to put up with. But we'll definitely take an afternoon at RTM and there's probably no avoiding South Street since I'm in Queen Village.
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Reading Terminal is a good suggestion, but only for lunch. They are closed in the evenings. My presumption was that you were looking for dinner options, but I could have mis-read that.
No, as always, you're absolutely astute. At lunch we'll probably be around and about doing some touristy things and I don't think we'll have any problems there. I'm definitely looking for dinner spots.
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My 10-year old niece is coming down to visit me this weekend. She has been raised in the suburbs by culinarily unadventuresome parents. Her restaurant experiences (besides McDonalds, diners, and Boston Market) are mainly limited to red-sauce Italian, ordinary Chinese, and Japanese steakhouse. Being a 10-year old, I don't expect her to appreciate truffles or sushi but I would like to try and introduce her gently to some new ideas about food. At the same time, I don't want to be the mean uncle who's forcing her to eat only yucky foods (the kitchen is stocked with Oreos and ice cream just in case). Any suggestions on where to go and what foods to try?
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Philly hoagie shops probably use D&W meats for the same reason they use Amoroso rolls (which I have always found to be soft and flabby) - they're a local product with a long history in the area. And we all know that Fluffyans can be incredibly loyal (and more than a little provincial) to what they grew up with. I've always thought of Boar's Head as a NYC product while Thumanns being from North Jersey straddles the gap.
(It may also have something to do with which lines local deli meat distributors carry.)
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Thanks for the info. I LOVE Pho, but have not had a good bowl of it since leaving Tyson's Corner back in 2000.
And thanks for the warning re: Pho Ha...food poisoning is no joke..been there, done that..."shudders"
Having lived near their place in Arlington (as well as a stone's throw from Little Saigon) for many years, I have a soft spot for Pho 75 on Washington Ave. which has the same ownership as the Pho 75's in Northern Virginia.
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I've been hearing about that damn McCormick & Schmick's happy hour deal for years now and have never gotten my lazy self over there for some drinking. I blame my liver for trying to dissuade me; I need to tell it to just shut up and do what it's told.
It's also available at their late-night happy hour from 10:30 to midnight. There's a two drink minimum in either case.
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There is WC left in PA. Last time I saw, there was still 1 open on North Craig Street (right by center ave)in North Oakland in Pittsburgh, which is still part of PA.
If I remember correctly from my ancient college days in Oakland (and just confirmed at the WC site), that's not a White Castle. It's one of those ersatz WC's that have the white tile look without the genuine slider (or rat burger as we used to call 'em in Northern NJ).
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Just curious, isn't there a difference between wines which are merely Kosher and those that are Kosher for Passover?
Glutton for Punishment
in New Jersey: Dining
Posted · Edited by Sfuffy (log)
Harold is something of a Johnny Appleseed of Jewish delis in North Jersey. He once worked for the legendary Claremont Diner (hence the health salad on the pickle bar is Claremont Salad) and also the Carnegie Deli. He started the Parsippany deli about twenty years ago, sold it, and then opened up the Lyndhurst deli, which he then also sold. He's had the Edison location for quite some time now. All of them (with the exception of the short-lived Randolph location) for some reason (perhaps it cuts down on the rent?) have been hotel restaurants.