sunra

WHERE HAVE ALL THE SZECHUAN PEPPERCORNS GONE!!! We ate at Royersford tonight, and while it was delicious it was TOTALLY LACKING IN THE PEPPERCORNS!!! WTF!!! Also, not nearly hot enough. get it together, please. We loved that place, and downtown sounds like at headache!

We had the same experience this past weekend. We've been to Royersford when Han was there, and we have become big big fans of his restaurants/amazing chefs! Peeking in the door Saturday around 6 pm revealed a dining room about a third full with no food on the tables, a number of people waiting to be seated and no one at the front of the house. A waitress was seen, but she appeared oblivious/overwhelmed/unable to help. That was our cue to come back another time rather that risk a painful experience. We called Sunday evening around 6pm, and Han answered the phone. I asked about tonight and about the Monday festive meals. he said they were crazy busy, not to come in and that the festive meals were sold out through November. He said it's been crazy crazy crazy! I told him we are so glad he is busy, and that we'll see him some other night. While I am bummed he is too busy, I do hope he is able to handle the crowds. My wife insists this mania will blow over, and we will be able to enjoy the company of Han and his cuisine. BTW, we walked up to DSGarden, which was as good as ever, and we scored some free Durian with the kitchen staff there! Weird stuff.

Just got back from a week in Manhattan. We had some great meals, Yasuda, DiFara, Peasant, and a few others, but the FOOD CARTS were a great bargain and fun to track some of them down. Here's a link to a list of some supposedly good ones: http://streetvendor.org/vendys/finalists

Certainly not the best BBQ, but I am encouraged to see the Phoebe's BBQ on Umbria in Manayunk/Roxborough turning out a nice brisket, beans and coleslaw on a first visit yesterday. Walked in to find a nice clean space with the scent of smoke and toasting chile peppers. I asked about the wonderufl smell of chiles, and the owner told me they make their own sauce, startin with the taosted chiles and other spices. That is nice to hear. My son needed a quick bite before a game, and this was easy parking and on our way. He ordered a brisket sandwich with sides of beans and cole slaw. The brisket looked good, though a bit dry, had a nice amount of smoke. Unfortunately they put sauce on the brisket after slicing. Will definitely ask them to hold on put on the side next time. Beans were excellent, large firm beans with a nice BBQ sauce, chile flavors and not particularly sweet. Cole Slaw was freshly made, shredded cabbage and carrots, some mayo. This was a bit bland, in heed of more sour, salt and sweet. Still, fresh tasting and went well with the other item. The owner was very friendly, enthusiastic about the food and smoking process, and eh told me they'd diliver to us in Lafayette Hill. Again, not the best, but a solid good spot and better than many, e.g. Tommy Gunn's and the like. Worth supporting, imho.

WHAT!!!!!!!!!! The wine was WARM?!?!?!??!?!?!?!? :angry: Read my post above, somewhere. When we went, the red wine came icy cold. It was explained to us, I kid you not, that the wine gets warm from being stored near the oven. Each morning they chill the wine to get it to the proper temperature!! Good pizza, but the restaurant lacks the vibe/feel/comfort I like when eating my pizza. Compare any number of places in the 5 boroughs or Trenton or even Tacconelli's or Alfred's just over the Walt Whitman Bridge. They have soul, not a pretentious facade. That's what it takes, I guess to get enough people in there.

I couldn't believe they didn't have fresh tomato and fresh mozzarella together on a pizza

I am going to give Stella a makeup test. Date to be determined.

The edges weren't even cooked enough, and the 'upskirt' view revealed a very pale bottom and very little charring. While that may suffice for some 'upskirts', that is not what I am looking for in a pizza. Especially from someone who, presumably, knows better. I've had better from my own oven, cooking at 500-550F.

The pizza was undercooked, and the dough was not hearty enough to stand up to that heat. Lacked any real texture or flavor. Kind of like Pillsbury Pop'N Fresh dough. Well actually not quite that bad, lol. Way too light of a crust to make my grade. Compare to Tottanno's, DiFara, Motorino and Keste there is no resemblance. As for the wine, my wife ordered a glass of Pinot Noir. It arrived chilled! We laughed, thinking of the chilled wine in some of our South Philly mom and pop places, but had to ask. Well, the answer surprised and shocked us both. We wished we hadn't asked. The explanation and apology we received was that the wine is stored near the oven, and that they chill the red wine each am to bring it up to a reasonable temperature. For real, this is what we were told. No one could have made that one up. We were offerred a new glass from a new bottle which was at at proper temperature. That being said, I will be back, I want Stella to be great. I am a pizza addict!

Not good enough yet. They need a cool spot to store the wine.

My hopes and thoughts are similar. Tottonno's, Lombardi's, Johns, Grimaldi's, Motorino, Una Pizza Naploitina, etc. etc. Not easy to do it right. I am very concerned by the repoted lack of a pizziolo. Kinda like the with the Phillies, I am hoping for the best but expecting the worst.

Looks and sounds great. I think it's time we got a Belgian waffle truck in Philly. They have one in Manhattan.

I tried Kebab Cafe this afternoon after some fly fishing on the Pickering Creek. I had the Koubideh platter with the Shirazi salad. Excellent, excellent excellent. I give the place an A for the food and I don't mind the casual/fast food look. I hope they do a good business because I am often passing by there. Beats the hell out of the 'C' food at the Persian Grill in Lafayette Hill, imho. We live right around the corner from that place, and we just are not impressed. I have heard good things about the Persian place in Chestnut Hill, Shundeez. Why is it that the restaurants worth eating at close to Lafayette Hill can be counted on the fingers of one hand(Blackfish) ?

That looks and sounds really good. My wife and I have been eyeing that place for some time. Now we will be in for sure. Love all Indian food, north/south/east/west.

If he was a big guy, then that was Sam who turned us on to Fuji over 10 years ago. He used to have the whole sushi bar reserved EVERY Thursday for himself and his friends. Sam know his food and drink, and we've had a few side spitting feasts with him a Fuji over the years. Great guy, and he is fun to eat, drink and discuss with. We love Fuji, Matt and, now, Jessie!

I just got back from four days fishing State College's surrounding streams. I wanted to get to Herwig's, but was unable as they closed 8pm the days I was there, and that was just a bit too early for me. I heard great things form my wife and teenage son who had eaten there a few weeks ago. Did make it to the Diner on West College Ave. for a Penn Stater breakfast, which had an excellent mushroom, bacon and cheese omlette, grilled sticky and some not so great homefries. Coffee was surprisingly good. They clean their coffee making equipment, I guess I just wanted to give a heads up about a nice dive bar, Zeno's. It is no secret, I know, but I found that it was a good place for some good food and beer in a very laid back setting. It is located below street level on the corner of Allen Street and West College Avenue, enter on Allen Street. Very friendly service, and a very busy small bar. They have a limited menu from the Allen Street Grill and ?The Corner Place? which are directly above. On three visits I had a couple of nice salads, one with grilled fillet tips, a decent bowl of NE Clam chowder and an excellent grilled turkey breast sandwich with apple smoked bacon and a basil mayo on ciabatta. These were all excellent and reasonable priced. Food service stops at 9:30pm, however. The beer selection was nice with three beer engines and some excellent locally brewed Elk Creek beers as well as Delerium Tremens and Dupont Saison, all on tap. Time to clean those beer lines, though. WEDNESDAY nights they have two excellent, and I mean top notch, live bluegrass bands at 8 and 10pm with a $3 cover On that night there is FREE pulled pork barbeque, which I did not try, but it smelled and looked good.

Chowfun and I went last night, and spent a lot of time speaking with Han. He was a funny guy, and he is passionate about the food and his business. He insisted, after getting to know us a bit, on taking the menus from us and handling the ordering himself. We had a few of the dishes above, and all were outstanding, superior to the food at either of the places on Arch Street. Cannot wait to go back!

I like Blackfish for fish, but that is not 'in the city'. Bluefin and Fuji for sushi. Ken's is awesome! Legal Seafood in K of P was disappointing. I know everything is prepped at a central kitchen in or near Boston, but the fish and shellfish we had at the flagship restaurant in Boston was great, and the food in K of P tasted like frozen prepared food.

Stopped by Jimmy's today with my vacationing 10 year old. We've had our share of BBQ and grilled meats in our travels both locally and remotely, and we were very pleased with the whole expereience. We had the brisket sandwich and the pork rib platter with sides of beans and collard greens and a bit of cole slaw. The meats were nicely seasoned with a good balance of smokiness and saltiness. Of course there was the nice smoke ring pictured above on the ribs. Everything was tender though I would say just a bit dry with a nicely carmelized crust on the ribs with sufficient moist fat to balance. The beans were nicely seasoned, not too salty, though not as firm as I prefer. The greens were not cooked to death, and they had a marked sourness which worked well. Cole slaw was very good with no off taste whatsoever, and I would have like some more. And Jimmy...he makes that place glow! I must say that there is nothing like being under the care and feeding of a BBQ fanatic who knows and lives real BBQ. Jimmy personally checks in with each table, seeking opinions and comment, and he is rightly proud of his operation there. We definitley rate this as very good, and we will be back with the wife and older child, hopefully soon. As for Dante's.... YOU ARE NEXT, and I can hardly wait! Amazing to think how, just a few years ago there was little to no REAL BBQ in this area(we'd make our own and drive the Route 40 Mays Landing toward the shore for somethings resembling BBQ), and now there are several decent places. I think all the great beer caused this!

Bar Ferdinand Osteria(they do lunch Thurs/Fri)

That is great to hear and hard to believe at the same time, but I trust your eG palate HSG used to be a place to avoid at all costs(unless you were there to collect for the NYC 'people')

Has anyone mentioned the awesome fact that the character at 20th and Market cooks on REAL charcoal! That is worth a ton of points in my book.

Let me clarify: Nothing worse than overpriced, less than incredibly fresh and dull tasting oysters! That is why I vote {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{FUJI}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} I will be curious to read the report of this tasting. Price cannot be an issue when delving in to oysters, imho. Atmosphere and service are very important to me. I will gladly open the money spigot if I can feel and taste the love in comfort. Again {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Matt Ito}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

I will say that Matt Ito's Fuji, now in Haddonfield, NJ, has always had the best raw oysters in the area. He only serves the best, so if he is offering them, ENJOY! I am curious about Oceanaire, but it sounds too good to be true. Reminiscing and bit.... Not local, but when at the New Orleans Jazz Fest, I love to go to the oyster bar at the fairgrounds. Really large, mild tasting oysters, shucked to order for about $6 a dozen, or so. Also Casamentos is a must when in New Orleans. The Johnson Oyster Farm in Point Reyes, CA. Other favorites outside the area? Not to start a new thread, just a footnote for these replies....

Criniti has what you are looking for, and they cook the pasta perfectly everytime. Not a lot of South Philly atmosphere, but very consistent. 2601 S Broad St Philadelphia, PA 19148 (215) 465-7750 Open Weekdays 11pm-11:30pm; Sat 11:30am-10:30pm; Sun 2pm-9:30pm Ralph's(we call it 'the men's room' because of the particular floor tile) and Villa de Roma Lounge(we call it 'VDRL' as that is a medical acronym for a testing for STD, lol) are both on 9th street, and they are 'old reliables' which would give you a little taste of the neighborhood around the Italian Market. Good luck in your run! And come back to Philly to enjoy our great restaurant and bar scene.