MarketStEl

Lahmejeune! Haven't had that since my days in Watertown, Mass. (This suburb of Boston has one of the largest Armenian communities in the country.) Might there be any possibility of holding off on this to June 18? I will be away on both the 4th and 11th to attend my 25th college reunion in Cambridge (Mass.) and catch up on old times with my old friends and roomies who still live in Boston.

Just a note to the Pennsylvanians reading this: No, this does not mean that the Liquor Control Board's days are numbered, or that you will immediately be able to order an incredible wine that Jonathan Newman has yet to bulk-purchase for shipment to your door. Unless, that is, you can already order wine from Blue Mountain Vineyards or Chaddsford Winery or any of the two dozen or so other wineries in the state for shipment from the vintner to your home. The ruling may have an impact on the provision in state law that permits in-state wineries such as the two mentioned above to sell their own wines in their own retail shops. (Blue Mountain Vineyards does so; Chaddsford once did, but now distributes its wine via the PLCB system.)

You're welcome. I'd also like to note that the house salad dressing was also excellent--a slightly creamy red wine vinaigrette with a touch of sweetness (couldn't tell from what). Sorry I waited so long to experience Lombardi's pizza. I do plan to stop by once more to find out whether they're willing to part with any of their New York subway station signage. I liked the anchovy best of all--I'm one of those people who think the extreme saltiness of the anchovies plays nicely off the sweetness of the tomatoes and cheese. It also had the crispiest crust of the lot, IMO. The spinach pie was also a winner, and the sausage and pepperoni was pleasantly non-oily (looked like they precooked both the sausage and pepperoni before baking).

Go shopping when hungry? That's my standard operating procedure, as I usually do not eat breakfast on Saturdays. If I don't get out until the afternoon, make that "breakfast and lunch." Invariably, I make a list, then look at the various products on sale and say to myself, "Yeah, I (would like to try that|am feeling adventurous and might want to fix some of that this week|need to stock up on this special item even though I have some of it already| have never tried this; I wonder what it tastes like?) Let me buy some." In this fashion I can add $20 to $40 to my weekly grocery bill (I shop for three).

The street name is First Street. It's just north of Rehoboth Avenue. Mom and Pop are all right in this friend of Dorothy's book--they give everyone the same friendly service and the pizzas and "Nic-o-bolis" are good--better IMO than local chain phenom Grotto Pizza. (Grotto aside: Walked past one on Pennsylvania Avenue in Wilmington the other day. Didn't venture in to try it.) I'm hanging out with a friend tomorrow evening--he's a pediatrician at A.I. duPont Hospital for Children who also has a beach house in Rehoboth. He's invited me out to a brewpub in Media (Pa.) for their monthly gay night and has told me that the architects who designed his house will also be present. If I play my cards right, maybe this summer might be the first time back in Rehoboth in several summers. I've filed some of these tips for reference.

I stumbled across the Hendricks Farms web site in looking for info on raw milk laws and sales, and I signed up for the mailing list, but I have yet to take the plunge and purchase any of their cheeses yet, though they sound wonderful from the descriptions. There's only one reason why I haven't: I don't own a car, and I think it's a chore at best and impossible at worst to get to Telford on SEPTA. I would strongly encourage the Hendrickses to consider making some of their products available through the Fair Food Farmstand at the Reading Terminal Market, or inquiring about setting up a table of their own. As for cdh's comment about their cheeses being pricey: I gladly pay $20/pound for a similar product, Green Valley Dairy's Pennsylvania Noble--which is available at the Reading Terminal Market on weekends--and IMO it's worth every penny. I've seen similar artisanal cheeses from abroad on sale at DiBruno's for about the same price, if not more. I don't know what they're stocking at Fairway (whose cheesemonger I heard talk on the subject once at Penn), but I can't imagine that they'd charge that much less for similar handcrafted cheeses. Of course, I'm not buying this stuff for my mac and cheese--though I think it would be interesting to try making some once with a cheese of this quality. I'm buying it for the sheer pleasure of eating it straight. You don't need to buy a lot of it to have that experience. Since either Trent, or Rachel, or both, have now joined the eG community, I hope they might consider the suggestion above. Welcome aboard!

Actually, that link just gives you an index page whose links don't work. That page works only if you keep the parent window that produced it open. Try starting from Brunswick's home page, click on the flag of the country you live in, then click on "Delicious Recipe Ideas" on the next page. This will take you to a searchable database or a button for the list of all recipes, above. I note that the company that makes Brunswick sardines is also now the owner of Bumble Bee Seafoods, the largest canned seafood producer in the US and the distributor of King Oscar sardines as well. Can't imagine a more straightforward corporate name: "Connors Bros. Income Fund."

Just wait until they get the upstairs floor going! Sit-down restaurant, demonstration kitchen...as I said to both Lisa and Emilio, "Who needs Dean and DeLuca?"

Prices are now comparable at both locations. The 9th Street store's cheese selection was revamped several months back and features a much larger selection of high-end specialty cheeses. Some of the items that used to be at the main store, such as those wonderful homemade cheese spreads, are now more easily found at Pronto up the block. The new Chestnut Street store is a real showpiece and carries a wider variety of products than the two stores on 18th Street did. It was fun running into Lisa at the opening. And don't worry, Emilio, I'll still do most of my shopping on 9th Street.

Sounds like it's a go, then. The next Pizza Club outing will be on Saturday, May 14, at 3 p.m.--a special farewell to Lombardi's Pizza on 18th Street just north of Rittenhouse Square. Come hungry! I'll add this to the local eG calendar.

You just had to go there, didn't you? Haven't seen this brand on the shelves of my local supermarkets. King Oscar--check. Brunswick--check. Bumble Bee--check. No Hot Titus. They aren't packed in hot sauce, are they?

I think these two are one and the same--this stuff: If you look at your jar of Huy Fong chili garlic sauce, you will find the Vietnamese legend "Tuong Ot Toi Viet-Nam" (accents omitted) over the rooster, so I'm guessing that "Tuong Ot" is Vietnamese for "chili sauce" or something like that. The chili garlic sauce is good, too, but I think the sriracha sauce is a bit more versatile.

Okay, folks, we gotta move fast on this one. It's already been moved and seconded on the "Last Chance for Lombardi's Pizza" thread, so I'll formally introduce the proposal here for the hardcore pieheads to vote on: Last Rites for Lombardi's, 18th Street between Sansom and Walnut. We have two Saturdays and two Sundays available: 5/6, 5/7, 5/14 and the final day of business, 5/15. I move we gather for farewell pies starting at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 14. Any takers?

Yes, but the cities really don't make much sense. "Buffalo" pizza with "Bauernschnicken und extra Sour Cream"? (Looks like prosciutto to me.) Where's the chicken and hot sauce? Mozzarella, tomato and mushrooms on an "El Paso"? How about beef seasoned with cumin and chili powder, tomatoes, onion, garlic and a Cheddar-Jack blend? Unfortunately, they don't have a picture of the "Kansas" ("peperonisalami" and fresh mushrooms), but again, where did they get this one from? It should at least have barbecue sauce, like the "Texas", and probably beef brisket instead of the "peperonisalami". Still, this site does offer inspiration for unusual ingredient combinations.

To more or less confirm the views expressed in this discussion by, among others, Holly Moore: This year's Equality Forum street fair, "SundayOUT!", was held outside the gayborhood. Since the centerpiece of this year's annual gay/lesbian symposium/excuse to party some more was the 40th anniversary of the landmark Independence Hall demonstration of 1965, the fair was held just around the corner, on Market Street in Old City. I got there as the fair was winding down and the crowds heading to Penn's Landing for the closing concert featuring Cyndi Lauper, but the restaurants were all doing brisk business with decidedly more mixed crowds than one usually finds at most of these establishments. The sign that IMO best expressed the attitude was one in front of a Market Street dive whose name escapes me now: "Whether you're queer or you're not, have a beer or take a shot!" A good number of queers took them up on the invite, joining the non-queer regulars.

Well, I finally had a hamburger at Hamburger Mary's this past Thursday. It was my "Dining Out for Life" meal. My thoughts on the place? Since HM packs 'em in on busy lunch days--the owners told me there was a half-hour wait for lunch that day--your best bet if you want attentive, efficient service is to go there during the post-lunch lull. It seemed to me that they've heard the feedback on the fries and improved them. While they tasted like they came from frozen fries, they had the proper texture--crispy outside, tender inside--and IMO held their own with Mickey D's. I ordered the Proud Mary too, which--at 3/4 pound of meat before cooking--is one hefty burger. If your waiter, waitress or bartender (yes, you can eat the regular menu at the bar in the restaurant) forgets to ask you how you want your burger, ask for it rare. The default degree of doneness is well done, at which point the burgers got a little dry. But they had good flavor, and the Cheddar/Monterey Jack cheese blend that tops many of them is better than the cheese you find on many burgers these days. I also had a cup of chicken noodle soup (offered to me by the bartender when the person who had ordered it--an acquaintance--left without touching it). This was a decent soup, mostly chunks of freshly roasted chicken breast and veggies, with very delicate noodles. The staff are very friendly, and the decor is '70s funky for sure. As I ate at the bar, I didn't get my check in a stiletto pump. Like Sono Motoyama, I'd definitely drop my dime here again, and would recommend it to friends except when it's super-busy. Just remember to ask for your burger rare.

Garage? Wall space? The closet's full of clothes. So far, I've been pleased with the results from a simple screen.

They're not really an ingredient used in cooking. They're most commonly eaten as snacks. The fish are packed whole in oil, water or some variety of sauce (mustard, hot sauce...). They can be eaten whole, as they are very small and their tiny bones are digestible. I generally like to either splash hot sauce on them or cover them with Dijon mustard before scarfing them down. If you've used canned sardines in water or sauce before, you'd do the same things you did with those with these sardines in oil.

Oh--the dough! I forgot one more thing about the dough. So far, I have been unable to stretch out the dough completely by hand. Invariably I'll open up a hole in the dough. I've resorted to using a rolling pin on the last two attempts. Anyone else have this problem?

Okay, I think I can jump in on this one, even though the Fried Chicken Cook-Off (V) is still going strong. After sampling various local (and not-so-local) pizzas with the Pennsylvania forum's Pizza Club, I got bitten by the bug to make my own. However, not wanting to plunk down the change for a stone yet, I opted for a screen, which the nice woman at Fante's who sold it to me told me would produce a very good crispy crust in a standard oven like the plain-vanilla Hotpoint that is in my apartment. I've been following the recipes and techniques in a book called "The Art of Pizza Making--Trade Secrets and Recipes" by Dominick DeAngelis, an engineer-turned-pizza entrepreneur who lives on the Main Line and owns a company up near Wilkes-Barre that produces high gluten wheat flour, bags of which--along with the book--were located right next to the pizza pans, stones, peels and screens at Fante's. (Yes, I bought the flour, on the same salesperson's recommendation.) So far, I've made three pizzas, each one a little better than the previous attempt. For my most recent effort, I made the dough according to the recipe in the book, let it rise for an hour at room temperature, punched it down and let it rise in the fridge for a day. Sure enough, as the book stated, the crust on this pizza was chewy, not crispy like the previous pie I made. It also came out just the right color of brown baked at 475F for about 10 minutes, again as recommended in the book for screen baking. It also came out swimming in liquid. I guess I overloaded the pie with fresh mozzarella and pepperoni. After a few minutes, though, you could scoop up the stuff that had run off, and after a few hours, it was perfectly stable. It seemed to me to have a slightly acidic and slightly sweet taste. (I made the sauce from a jar of organic strained tomatoes from Italy that was on sale at Whole Foods that day. To the tomato sauce I added about a half tablespoon of basil, 2 crushed cloves of garlic, a teaspoon of oregano and a pinch of rosemary, thyme and sage.) I didn't think to take pictures, for I wasn't aware a cook-off had begun. There will be a next time, though.

Pity that you can't get your hands on Bassett's ice cream. Would you count Breyers, even though it's no longer made here? The rest of your menu sounds fine, and I can't think of any foods I'd add. I think I'm more helpful with musical suggestions. Don't forget to include: Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, especially "Wake Up Everybody" or "If You Don't Know Me By Now" MFSB -- specifically, "TSOP" (better known as the "Soul Train" theme) Todd Rundgren -- if you want to toss Patti Smith into the mix, play "Radio Ethiopia," which Rundgren produced, but include some of Todd's own work as well John Coltrane (my pick: "A Love Supreme," perhaps the most sublime jazz album ever produced) Paul Robeson Patti Labelle The Hooters And expand your students' musical horizons a bit--include a Philadelphia Orchestra recording. Definitely include "Young Americans" (Bowie's Sigma Sound effort). You've also got only two films. Try these as well: "The Philadelphia Story" "Philadelphia" (the Tom Hanks-Denzel Washington film from the mid-'90s about a man dying from AIDS and the lawyer who doesn't want to represent him at first. You also get to toss Springsteen in with this film, as he performed the opening song, "Streets of Philadelphia") "Witness" (laugh line: Amish woman, as Harrison Ford caroms through Center City eluding a pursuer: "I thought you said we'd be safe in Philadelphia." Ford: "Well, I was wrong." Second laugh line: As the corrupt cops close in on the Amish family's house: "You have nothing to fear. We are the police. The Philadelphia Police.") "National Treasure" Good luck! Of course you're going to let us all know how things went, right?

This, I assume, includes the infamous Johnstown Flood (1937) Relief Tax. Since I assume that Johnstown's gotten enough revenue from this tax to repair the damage caused not only by the 1937 flood, but by the 1889 disaster and any floods that have occurred in between or since these, we may expect to see it repealed soon? Seriously: What are the prospects for the elimination of this tax? (And whose pockets will the General Assembly reach into to replace the lost revenue, which I imagine now goes into the general fund?)

See my post immediately above this one for a couple of examples from Kansas City in the 1980s. Cincy? Isn't that where that Mapplethorpe retrospective--organized, by the way, by the Institute for Contemporary Art at Penn, where it debuted with no fanfare or controversy--ran into a buzzsaw of controversy? I had thought that Chicago was the Midwestern city with the biggest and most visible gay community. Certainly "Boys Town's" rep extends well beyond the North Side. If we're counting media, there are also four major gay publications that circulate in the Philadelphia area. Of these, only one is based in Philadelphia, though. The second is a glossy monthly published in Wilmington, Del.; the third is a weekly magazine based in Rehoboth Beach and circulated from Philly to Washington, and the fourth is published in Trenton and oriented exclusively to New Jersey. ObFood: The Philly and Rehoboth publications (Philadelphia Gay News and exp, respectively) both review restaurants. --Sandy, former PGN contributor

You're thinking of the Midtown II Restaurant, at 11th and Sansom. It has become the successor to the now-demolished Savoy Restaurant at 11th and Locust. The Savoy was the place all the late-night club queens went after the bars closed at 2 am (that is, if they didn't have memberships to what's now Pure) to hang out, dine and dish. When the Savoy closed a little more than two years ago now, the club kids moved up the street to the Midtown II en masse. FYI, a new 100-unit luxury condo is being built on the site of the old Savoy. It will incorporate most of the former Western Union Telegraph Building next door. More on late-night diners that turn gay at closing time below. Girlfriend! (I hope I'm not being presumptuous.) I grew up in a large Midwestern city, but was never out of the closet (to myself or anyone else) while growing up there. However, the first time I returned to Kansas City after coming out, I made it a point to check out the local gay scene. My first sojourn contained some surprises (running into a [straight, female] classmate from high school with her parents at a local gay bar, for instance), and a rather pleasant memory of how helpful the crew that hung out at Nichols' Restaurant were when my car's battery died in the parking lot of that same bar. One of the other patrons ferried me to the eatery (for any Midwesterners reading: it's on Southwest Trafficway just south of 39th Street), brought me a bite to eat, and let me hang out with him and his friends while I waited for my mother to arrive. Despite the friendliness and warmth, though, there were still reminders that, after all, we were still in Kansas--or right next door to it. One was at the city's most popular gay dance club, where I asked the doorman if they had any trouble with harassment from homophobic outsiders. He told me that if people came into the club and started causing trouble, they were warned that if they did not leave, the management would call The Kansas City Star and have their names published in the paper!

AFAIK, there is only one major fried chicken chain with a presence in all 50 states, and that's KFC/Kentucky Fried Chicken. Two others, Popeye's and Church's, have stores across much, if not most, of the country. (Popeye's original recipe [hot and spicy] fried chicken is IMO one of those rare fast-food items that you probably can't make better at home. Edited to add some interesting and perhaps relevant corporate nomenclature trivia: The company that owns and franchises Popeye's is called America's Favorite Chicken Enterprises.) Most of the other fried chicken chains (I don't count Chick-Fil-A among them) have strong regional presences, but not national ones.