herbacidal

It does sound pretty cool, let's hope it doesn't disappoint. Foobooz looks pretty interesting as well.

If you're talking about locally, that's what I thought too.

Have Italian restaurants in Philly started branching out and defining themselves more strictly by region yet? My impression is no, but I remember thinking (roughly around when fusion cuisines started emerging as the cool thing) that the next food trend (nationally) would be the emergence of regional ethnic cuisines. It's started earliest with Chinese restaurants, with Sichuan and Shanghaiese (also nationally), not suprisingly, but has it started yet with Italian restaurants in the US, the other main cuisine category, as far as sheer numbers (I presume, although sushi bars, restaurants, and joints do seem to be catching up)? I've heard randomly certain Italian restaurants' cuisines described as from Rome, Emilia-Romagna, etc. I have never used subsets of cuisines yet to distinguish the various restaurants in Philly, BYOB or not. Nor have I heard anyone else use regionality of cuisine to distinguish between XYZ restaurant and ABC restaurant. I suppose I'm interested in the issue both locally and nationally.

So wait, as I understand it now, The Murphys now have Landmarc, Ditch Plains in the former Yumcha space, @ 29 Bedford, and an in progress restaurant in the Time Warner Center? Watermarc was a false rumor and Ditch Plains took its place? Quite a rapid expansion for a relatively short period of time. I hope they have the organization built up.

How does Vernon's compare to Blenheim as far as spiciness?

Well, at least there'll be less of a line for Penang. Banana Leaf's a few doors west of the Troc.

Greg's a little down on some other comments in the review that resonate with him. F**k Laban. It's okay, next time I'll drink soju with you until your next shift. The milkshake was in this past week's section, a little blurb on the Old Granddad milkshake. Little Pete's has always been my standby for a shake.

Do people expect writers to educate them? I've never grown up with that expectation. It's possible because I've never grown up reading Gael Greene, Craig Claiborne, etc., but all I expect of writers is to give me information. Fiction writers should give me information in an entertaining story. Nonfiction writers should give me information in an entertaining writing style.

I agree somewhat with your reason, but you're making rationalizations and putting obstacles in the importer's path without actually knowing the actual situation. From the economy of scales point of view, Newark is far and away the largest port on the east coast, Long Beach being the largest in the US and on the west coast. That said, the importer could just as well be set in its ways and leaving things at Newark because it was started that way, and despite inefficiencies / cost changes / etc. left things there. It also doesn't necessarily mean the higher costs (if so) will be passed on, if the state doesn't permit it. Another option would be an assist from the state in terms of marketing to boost sales to make up the difference. I'd be interested in looking at the issue more in-depth, examing labor rates, warehouse space, port fees, etc. and breaking that down, but I don't have the time to do so. Unless I did that, I'll give whatever happens the benefit of the doubt. I believe Walmart, for instance (this is something I heard from a good source, although I do not specifically recall which one right now), when selecting among product suppliers for its stores, forces the supplier to making X amount available at Y price, often at a price where the supplier makes little if any profit. The supplier may buy in thinking he'll make it up in volume, but down the line when the supplier has already increased production volumes, Walmart decreases the price and increases the volume requested, furhter driving down profits. I wouldn't suggest Walmart necessarily be that sadistic, but that's using economy of scales in an even more opportune manner.

I agree. I completely and emphatically agree. I would hope so.

WORD! This is especially true. I think people have too high expectations of the "other" food writers. I expect nothing more than a better idea of the feel of the place, a description of the menu, with some elaboration. Actually, that's what I expect from the top food writer too. I only expect to be educated firsthand, by experiencing it myself, talking to the people there, talking to others, etc.

Chainifying is one thing, but it's a separate (but related) issue from what I feel has been discussed thus far, the idea that chefs are not challenging diners, raising expectations, further expanding their culinary boundaries and conceptions. Chainfying is going on in NYC, and probably many a downtown in the US, primarily because they can usually afford to pay more for the space than most restauranteurs.

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Craig LaBan heads out to Exton for a dose of dosas and more at Devi. Last week, he cast aspersions on eG fave Raw Sushi and Sake Bar, but still gave it 2-bells… Rick Nichols goes down the other shore, eating Caramels in L.A. and ventues west of Broad on South Street to Apamate. Michael Klein tells us about a room with a Vu and more in Table Talk, dials M for Morris and the now-notorious (at least on eGullet) restaurant M in the previous column, and feels under-tattooed at Cantina el Caballito in the column before that… The Mystery Muncher tries Tomatoes in Doylestown. Michael Curry Schaeffer covers the Smoking Ban for bars and restaurants. Marylynn Marter gets lost at the new Cherry Hill Wegmans. City Paper: Everybody’s driving to Cherry Hill to shop at Wegmans. It’s Carolyn Wyman’s turn. At least we know she survived the Tippler’s tour. Elisa Ludwig tackles the sicky subject of gluten-free sweets at Copper Desserts. A.D. Amorosi feigns enthusiasm about The Cheese Fake. Kristin Detterline lists the Top 5 Minty-fresh treats. And Termeh Mazhari ranks the Top 5 Chocolate Cakes. Drew Lazor notes recent openings and closings in Feeding Frenzy (previous week.) The Philadelphia Weekly Kirstin Henri revisits Radicchio, keeps her distance from over-familiar servers., taks a splash in la Fontana della Citta, and has had it just about up to here with loud kids in restaurants. Tom Acox corners two Unqualified Reviewers at Gigi and Maria’s Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Michael Machoski gets some chip-chop ham at The Little Deli. Honors for a local chef, and a SPAM contest lead the Local Food news. Alice T Carter visits Ma Provence. William Loeffler accompanies a Travel Channel TV crew exploring the origins of The Devonshire Sandwich. Michael Machosky reviews Papa J's Centro. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Teresa Lindeman goes shopping at Giant Eagle. Mackenzie Carpenter examines Pittsburgh’s Foie Gras controversy. Nancy Anderson surveys upcoming events in Nibbles. The Morning Call (Allentown) Jumbars is profiled in Go Eat. Buon Gusto is featured in Go Eat. Sasan Gottschall heads to Coopersburg for Abruzzi on Main.

Having been to neither, I'm still can't help but compare and contrast Xing and Chinatown Brasserie. As best I can tell, Xing: is a little more downscale, and much smaller CB: is a little more formal, but is somewhat along the lines of huge 300+seat restaurants in Chinatowns and Hong Kong does taste-perfect versions of classic Chinese dishes, with far superior ingredients than most Chinese restaurants

I'd expect that they would make it no hotter than mild for 90% of the non-East Asians who walked in the door, regardless of whether or not they specify hot or not. If they insist on hot, and insist on it at least twice, then and maybe then, the spiciness leve might be turned up a notch. From their point of view, always far better to err on the side of caution than to lose a customer forever who blames you for not being able to taste anything for a few nights.

You could probably rent the Mummers Museum at Front and Washington. DiBruno Brothers has catering, and there's always Feast Your Eyes, Peachtree and Ward, and Culinary Concepts.

For that matter, I'd look into any of the multi-restaurant operations. Some you may prefer to work for over others, but all are likely to have a larger range of available positions that might suit you than one unit restaurants. Union Square Hospitality, Daniel Boulud's group, Tom Colicchio's group, Myriad Group, Stephen McNally?? (Pastis, Balthazar, etc.), etc.

← We store ginger in sealed clear plastic pint containers soup comes in from takeout Chinese.

Hey, there's got to be at least 1 or 2 on the island out of the 10,000 or so that would fit that definition on Friday or Saturday.

Western omelet, eggs still soft; rye toast, well done, buttered; home fries, no bell pepper; cranberry juice and tea with honey. Navy blue with a thin light gray vertical stripe, gold toe, 100 percent cotton. ← What farm were the eggs from? What kind of tea?

Anyone got a gun?

I'm against, because I don't think it was the government's place to decide for all restaurants and bars. The >10% business exception is of small solace. My personal solution was for the city to have all restaurants and bars apply for 1 of 2 licenses: 1 for smoking, 1 for nonsmoking. If your business isn't profitable enough under one license, you can re-apply for the the other one. Red banner or blue banner next to the front door of each establishment indicating which license it has. Ideally, 50% of the restaurants and bars would have each kind of license, and the percentage would shift based on market demand for each side.

Philadelphia Inquirer The Delaware Valley’s favorite boutique wineshop takes on Manhattan as Moore Brothers opens its E 20th Street store. Craig Laban adds on another local moniker, as G Ho favorite gets baptized while the Main Line’s unofficial club, Taquet brings back a veteran of local Francoculinary circles. Rick Nichols goes off about Geno’s and the English language and the fish du jour, escolar before finding an aspiring restauranteur duo who spurned New York for a city where they could build a restaurant targeting 60% of the covers at 1/3 of the cost. Edible World debuts an arts festival that starts with cooking. Philadelphia Weekly La Fontana Della Citta emerges amidst a sea of Italian BYOBs before we find out about some alternative summer meats. Kirsten Henri addresses how restaurants deal with childish behavior. Son of Malaysian restaurant is born, as Banana Leaf comes out of the womb serving roti canai and giant crab too, before we get edumicated about corkage fees. A brave writer turns into Dr. Jekyll as he turns himself into an Axe body spray guinea pig. Alfa offers fun food to the Rittenhouse crowd, while Kirsten Henri goes off on a rant (that I have to say I somewhat agree with) on gastropubs in Philly. One or two twentysomethings do know how to cook, as we learn from a rabid band of stay at home foodies. Philadelphia City Paper Divan emerges as a bright new Turkish find, while Apamate offers a more intimate contrast to the tapas available at Amada. Feeding Frenzy points out Bar Ferdinand and Stan’s Deli. Councilman Jack Kelly points out how trend conscious he is by sponsoring a foie gras ban before our day gets brightened by strawberry season. Feeding Frenzy spotlights Flying Monkey Patisserie, not to mention how well Philadelphia measures up in beer bars. Crescent City settles in on a changing South Street, as el Jarocho offers small bites, both taco and otherwise, from its South Philly corner. Feeding Frenzy mentions Northeast Philly’s Smokey Bone as well as Lucky Strike Lanes. Pittsburgh Tribune Al’Less offers classic Italian food and wines, while the June 2006 Gourmet magazine offers options galore for summer party foods, drinks and themes. Lamb and pinot noir are the pair, as three chefs offer up dishes they believe will pair well with the difficult yet rewareding wine. Strawberry picking is the idea when the cool spring air settles in, although the Sunnyledge Hotel & Tea Room’s 20 year old chef de cuisine Ethan Granberg must spend his time overseeing his busy at all hours kitchen. Trib staffers sacrifice themselves to report back on the Three Rivers Arts Festival., and Soprano’s offers hearty fare on Penn Avenue. The coffee shop Aldo is in the unstereotypical center of Mount Lebanon. Produttori del Barberesco is the exception to the rule, as the cooperative produces quality, traditional Italian wines, while Taste of Art, the restaurant at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, is a place where shows students striving to exceed the grade. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Iovino’s Café is a homecoming, as Beverly Road native Jeff Iovino opens his self-named restaurant a few doors down from where he grew up, although the Three Rivers Arts Festival also manages to stuff many a patron’s stomach. The Shiloh Inn in Mount Washington pleases its regulars, despite rumors of things that go bump in the night; the Soho, in the Spring Hill Suites across from PNC Park, mixes menu staples with fancier entrees for diners in need of a sustenance. Morning Call Allentown The Springtown Inn, Sweet Basil, and Fat Daddy’s all get poked and prodded, before coming out with varying levels of doneness.

Hey, I wanna be first alternate Philly tour guide! Philly: Stock's pound cake cheesesteaks sources (sorta secretive: D'Alessandro's, really out there: lunch carts) Grey Lodge: used to be a secret, but starting to be less so

So for anyone who has been there, how does the Moore Bros store compare so far?