cwdonald

This is the old Cuvee Notre Dame space. Thanks for the great review. I was there about 1 month after they opened, and it was still rough. Glad to hear they are doing well!

One assumes it has to do with money .......

The Mexican place is Zocalo. It seems like it's had about 150 owners in the last few years, but i know somebody who went recently and said it was pretty decent. And the Thai place right near there is Lemon Grass Thai. It's been a while since I've been there, but it was good a few years ago... ← According to City paper, Zocalo was recently purchased by Greg Russell the long time executive chef, who has redone the menu. The menu is supposed to reflect the city of Moralia, Mexico, with dishes such as Molcajete Azteca. grilled cactus servied in a lava bowl with beef chicken or shrimp. I was at La Terrasse about a week ago, just for a quick bite at the bar. The general feel is that the bar menu is safe, but the dinner menu is over priced and no well executed. Good place for a quick burger, sandwich or steak frites. And not as crowded as New Deck (which I find to be horrible..) or White Dog which as much as I love, (for me it is reminiscent of Moosewoood Cafe in Ithaca) suffers from inconsistency, and definitely is not a great bargain, regardless of the food that is being served. Just a bit further south at 30th Street Station is Bridgewaters Cafe, which is the bar in the 30th street that has good food and nice beer selection. Also the Cirra Center next to 30th Street is Rae's Restaurant which is serving great food. Finally, across the brige is Bistro St Tropez. Decent French Bistro Food and a nice view of the river.

In Chinatown, Joseph Poon has a great facility for a banquet that easily accomodates and probably wouldnt be to tough on the budget.

Do they deliver that far away?

Folks should check out Lew Bryson's blog which has the menu for the Game Dinner at the Lodge, as well as a fantastic menu at Chick's Wine Bar on the 10th. Also check out Alison at Blue Bell's site which has the menu for their Yard's beer pairing which is also on the 10th. http://www.lewbryson.com for Lew's posts. https://www.Alisonatbluebell.com for the Yards dinner.

I wonder to what extend the change in wine prices have been effected by the deteriorating dollar. An eight euro bottle of wine, just from an exchange rate perspective costs 12 dollars US, and thats not accounting for tax duty etc. I fear that as the dollar languishes, european wines will increasingly be very dear.

Does anyone know if the new Mayor can change the RTM board, ie do they serve at the discretion of the Mayor? If so, do we know where Nutter stands on this issue? Could that resolve things?

Couple of places to consider, especially if you enjoy beer. Bethlehem brew works in downtown Bethlehem has a couple of nice venues to eat in. Their pub is nice, as is their downstairs area the Steelgarden that is dedicated to belgian beers. Note they also have a branch in Allentown but I have not been there. In addition, I can recommend the Farmhouse in Emmaus, which is West of Bethlehem Easton area. Great beers selection, both bottles and draught and very nice food in a nice atmosphere. Six room old farmhouse, and an english style pub. http://www.thefarmhouse.com. Depending how far you want to drive, there are lots of nice inns south of Bethlehem Easton on the Delaware River...

Can't imagine how putting the name on supermarket version connects with TL's previous desire to add RTM outpost. In any event, the "mootness" has yet to be determined, pending outcome of the scheduled June trial (or earlier settlement) in the court case between Rick's Steaks and the RTM. ← Clearly Tony Luke is trying to create a brand name nationwide, including opening more stores, starting a line of frozen foods, so having a location in the Reading Terminal, one of the most prominent tourist icons in Philadelphia would play into their ability to ge their name out. They are currently advertizing on the radio about their frozen foods and their additional stores, so it would seem logical they want to maximize their publicity push. I also wonder if the Nutter administration might intervene by reconstituting the board for the RTM.

This is a bit off-topic, but you are too quick to disparage frozen white castles. They are amazingly similar to the real thing. Not identical, but very, very close. ← Also off topic. I wonder with this national roll out that is why Tony covets the spot in Reading Terminal.... or is that a moot issue now?

Cresham Cottage has received mixed reviews. Further out in Lafayette Hill are two pubby place... General lafayette in has good food, and both a relaxed bar area and formal dining room to eat in. Very casual is next door's Irish Pub, Brittinghams, which is definitely family friendly. Finally Persian Grill is there in Lafayette Hill, though all my Iranian friends swear by Shundeez in Chestnut Hill.

Well there is a Paris Indiana.. is there a Marsaille PA?

Well the Belgian places in town have several to offer. Eulogy does a chicken waterzooi, and Belgian Cafe does two .. Vlamese Beef Stew locally raised, grass fed, organic beef slow cooked with root vegetables & Urthel Vlamese Bock ale and a fish stew Brugge Fish Stew a mix of seafood that may include salmon, shrimp, scallops & mussels in a light cream sauce topped with whipped potatoes and sharp cheese. A dining companion of mine has tried the former at the Belgian cafe, and I had a taste of it and it was quite good. I have not tried the fish. I have vague recollections of a boeuf chimay, sort of a boeuf bourguignon that substituted the chimay for the red wine, but cannot remember who had it. Perhaps it was the late Cuvee Notre Dame. I personally am quite fond of the Irish Stew at the Shanachie in Ambler, not only is the stock rich, and there is plenty of beef and carrots and onions in it, but the brown bread they serve with it is divine.

I have always found the vanilla creme brulee with fresh berries at the Fountain Room to be good. I suspect at London's they left the creme brulee under the broiler too long and the custard became partially liquid. Either that or they had recently made a batch and it didnt set up in the fridge long enough.

Not the best... but Planet Smoothie in Doylestown is ok.

I don't go there as often as I probably ought to, but that's in part because the place isn't set up to handle a large group of hungry singers post-rehearsal, and the Irish Pub across the street (nice waitstaff, worse food but still acceptable, atmosphere one step up from a frat bar) does. (Edited to add full disclosure: One of the waiters on Moriarty's staff is an acquaintance of mine. If he has the night off when we perform, he has attended PGMC concerts, and I occasionally run into him at one or another of the Gayborhood watering holes/pick-up spots.) I had one of those Tex-Mex dishes on my last visit (belated birthday treat from a fellow PGMCer) -- a shrimp quesadilla. The main reason I had it was because I had ordered those wings the last time I ate there, two weeks ago. Yeah, I agree that these sorts of things really have no business being on an "Irish" pub's menu, but consider that most of what we call "Irish pubs" on this side of the pond are really American pubs tricked out with faux-aged wood and Guinness signs (Moriarty's is one of the less inauthentic examples of these), I don't find it quite so blasphemous. On your next visit, if you want something that's more authentically Irish, try The Bards in the 2000 block of Walnut, or, for a fancier experience, the Plough and Stars on 2d Street in Old City. There's also a hole-in-the-wall restaurant on West Chester Pike in Upper Darby -- I don't know its name -- that serves a genuine Irish breakfast and has become a sort of unofficial consulate for Irish immigrants in the area. Glad you're enjoying your visit, and that you liked the wings. Moriarty's is one of those Restaurants Every Neighborhood Should Have -- a reasonably priced, convivial place where you know you will get decent eats no matter what you order. ← The other place I would trumpet for Irish food in the greater Philadelphia is the Shanachie. They do a good Ulster fry, and have great other dishes, including Boxty's, great salmon, fish and chips, among others. Their chef recently left, and is going to be reinvigorating Kildare's menu.

For a restaurant dedicated to the colonial heritage of philadelphia, consider City Tavern. A bit touristy, they have authentic type menus, as well as contract brewed beers based on recipes from the era. I am particularly fond of the George Washington Porter. Phildadelphia's Belgian Restaurants, such as Monks, and Eulogy will stand up to any in the US. Fabulouus beer selections, great frites, and the moulles, when in season, are super too. You may also find traditional fair like Chicken Waterzouie and Boeuf Chimay, a belgian take on Boeuf Bougignon. Philly has been described as a city of neighborhoods. There is a Polish influence in the Allegheny section. Wonderful pierogi, pastry, and kielbasa. There used to be a larger German population, and remnants may be found around 5 points in the greater NorthEast where Blue Fox Bistro is located. (Herr Grund is no longer the proprieter, when it was a traditional German restaurant). Today in the center city area, you might consider Ludwig's Biergarten for great beer, and reasonable bavarian style german food. South Philadelphia is known as an Italian section, though today people joke that the Italian Market should be renamed the Thai/Vietnamese/South Asian Market. Several restaurants are legacies of the italian neighborhood that was famous in that area. I would point first and foremost to Ralph's and Marra's from a tradition's standpoint, not necessarily from the best gastronomical standpoint. Philadelphia also has a Chinatown, with little gems like Lakeside Chinese Deli for dim sum, and Sezchuan Tasty House for Szechuan style food, and Sang Kee for traditional Peking Duck. Other threads around here will point you to other good restaurants in Chinatown. Favorites of mine include Vietnam Palace, and Rangoon, a Burmese restaurant which is relatively rare on the East Coast. This is also walking distance from the Ritz. We have good modern high end food as well. Vetri, and Osteria are wonderful restaurants from Marc Vetri that give you a sense of Northern Italian cuisiine, and fresh ingredients. Vetri was named one of the best italian restaurants in the US The wood buring pizza's as Osteria are wonderful. High end ccntinental/french cuisine would include La Croix, as well as the Five Star Fountain Room and Le Bec Fin. While not part of cuiliinary tradition per se, you will find these superb world class restaurants, with incredible wine lists. Finally, there is decent Sushi in Philadelphia. I would suggest in the city Morimoto, (a Stephen Starr restaurant with the celebrity Iron chef which also has an outpost in NYC) would be the high end choice. On a lower end, I would suggest two wonderful restaurants just a cab ride away in NJ, Sagami which is in a traidtional Japanese style farmhouse, as well as Mt. Fuji Restaurant in haddonfield NJ. The omakase experience there can be stunning, and cost significantly less than at Morimoto. Others perhaps can point you to new good BYOs, interesting cuilinary places like Amada for Tapas, or Snack Bar for innovative small plates paired with drinks, Tria for beer/wine and cheese pairings. You should also consider some smaller shops, such as Capagiro for the best gelato on the East Coast, and Naked Chocolate Cafe, (for the name alone) as well as their hand dipped chocolates, sipping chocolates and baked goods. Hope you enjoy your stay in our fair town, and find it to be a gastronomical experience.

According to Philadelphia magazine, Trattoria Alberto in West Chester has it.

Dislike the guacamole carts at El Vez, and the phallic lamps at Morimoto

Depending on where you are in Kansas, you might check with Free State Brewery in Lawrence, which has in the past done a pumkin ale. I believe they stell in small firkins in addition to the standard growlers.

I am curious how the Pinotage would pair with the pork, with the sweet maple syrup overtones. I haven't figured out what I like to pair a Pinotage with. I tried it last at a Brasilian Churrascuria, which I thought actually paired well against the smokiness and saltiness of the beef. Cheers, Chris

Do they do them dry sauce on the side? I prefer mine that way, so the sauce can be applied in the amount I want...

Dogfish Head 60 minute IPA, while listening to John Spillane perform the "Mad Woman from Cork." Crazy irish lyrics with a beer made a by a crazy brewer!

Any idea what is going to replace Independence Brew Pub? Any chance that Tony Luke's could take this over and Rick stay where he is?