MarketStEl

Hello and welcome, Mr. Newman! This is turning into a real lovefest, isn't it? Well, the warm fuzzies are deserved, for your work has made shopping at the State Stores (wait, we shouldn't call them that anymore, right?) a real pleasure. My question concerns spirits rather than wine. I know that for many years, private liquor stores in the states bordering Pennsylvania have offered very attractive "loss leaders" on popular brands and sizes of spirits in order to drive cross-border traffic; a liquor store that is located right at the Naamans Road exit off I-95 just inside Delaware--as close to Pennsylvania as you can get without actually being in the state--is a prime example. I also know that the Wine & Spirits Outlets are an effort to compete against these retailers, and I understand that they have been successful. Is there any possibility, however, that the PLCB might pursue the "loss leader" route to keep customers in-state, or do laws or your own opinions prevent this? Certainly, there's much less reason to drive to Delaware to buy wine now that there's so much excellent wine at really great prices available in PLCB stores.

Oh good, another high end steak house chain West of Broad! Just what we need!! So now within 4 blocks we have: Capital Grill, Palm, Mortons, Prime Rib, Smith and Wolinsky and Ted's Montana Grill. Am I forgetting anyone? Delmonico coming anytime soon or Old Homestead???? I guess you can all tell that I'm not much of a steak house lover. ← Coming back atcha late: Yep--you left out Ruth's Chris Steak House. When it opens, Ted's Montana Grill will be right next door in the same building. Now, as for the local competition: Anyone want to do a compare-and-contrast with Barclay Prime of the $100 cheesesteak? As I noted upthread, Kansas City Prime went past its prime a while back. Those are the only two homegrown ritzy steakhouses I know of. I imagine I've forgotten some.

Elaborate, please. ← To cook or not to cook is a personal choice. It really doesn't matter if you are a man or woman. Would the article be written if it's about a man who doesn't cook? Would it be published? Just because cooking is traditionally a "woman's" role, a big hoopla is made of it. It's the sort of media perpetuated stereotype that I find very disturbing. ← I understand your point here. It's the same point that the Father's Day Committee (an African-American charitable organization in Philadelphia) addresses with its annual fundraiser called "Real Men Cook." But after reading the article, the only transgression I can detect on Phyllis Richman's part is focusing on a woman who, contrary to what was said upthread, epitomizes so many of the things the women's movement fought for. The time she might otherwise have spent over the stove she has spent instead on pursuing a successful career, indulging her other passions, and raising a modern family all the same. Had Ms. Richman found a man who didn't cook at all, nobody would have found that out of the ordinary. (The only cooking-related activity that is usually associated with men is outdoor grilling/barbecuing.) To find a person who could stand in for a cultural trend, she could not help but focus on a woman. We may want to resist stereotypes, but we can't ignore the statistics either. Even with people like me and all the other male eGulleteers who cook for fun, not for a living, around, domestic cookery is still a female-dominated arena, as the e-mails I get from various food manufacturers whose lists I joined make all too plain.

Okay, that shoots down that as a candidate. Perhaps the Chorus should try Hooters? Welcome to eGullet, MikNik. Several of your fellow choristers know me, mainly from the karaoke circuit. Is this a delurk or did you jump in with both feet on this topic?

I wouldn't be too worried either. To tie this together with the "breeder" comments: it seems to me that Ruby Tuesday's is occupying a parallel niche to Hamburger Mary's: not gay-friendly (though I hasten to add that I presume they aren't gay-unfriendly), but kid-friendly. There just aren't that many Center City restaurants that are moderately-priced, have a liquor license, and where kids won't be out of place. But that, my friends, is a whole 'nother thread. ← You're venturing into another of my favorite subjects: cities and their future. They'll be hard pressed to have one if they can't hang onto families with children. And that is all I will say about that subject on this forum, as it's way off-topic. You want my other thoughts on city life, read my blog.

Yes, I believe that's it. Thanks!! ← AKA "Woody's without the alcohol." I fall out the door of my apartment building, I'm there. (And they have free wireless Internet access! [Well, all it costs you is the price of your coffee, tea or food.] It's not a secure connection, though.) You may find me there occasionally on pleasant days.

Word has it that such behavior just might be permitted at Carman's Country Kitchen though if you're in drag and on roller skates the counter seats may not be all that demure. I'll have to borrow my friend's Rollerblades and pick up a clingy number over at Buffalo Exchange to test this when next I visit. Besides, I should at least update her on how I'm doing, since I unburdened myself in the course of swapping life stories with Carman on my first visit back in February. Actually, I suspect that if there are any places where gay diners would feel uncomfortable, it would be less the fault of the management than of the patrons. It's quite likely that the same sort of self-segregation that occurs with class and race also takes place with sexual orientation. I know I wouldn't say to my friends, "Let's pop over to the Irish Pub for a bite to eat!" on a whim, and--except, perhaps, on New Year's Day--I doubt I'd run into too many Irish Pub habitues chowing down at Bump. And, as I suggested over on the burger thread, some of it has to do with one's own mood and the atmosphere of the establishment. I suspect I'm far from the only gay person to dine at Moriarty's, and the staff and patrons have never been anything less than courteous. but I certainly wouldn't go there and camp it up, for the ambience discourages it. IOW, we don't worry as much about the places that are less than gay-friendly because we have so many other choices now, both explicitly gay-friendly and quietly gay-friendly.

Just to put some more perspective on this, by way of commenting further on mizducky's comments and SWoodyWhite's reminiscences: Today, I imagine that if a gay couple were to book a table at Le Bec-Fin to celebrate their domestic partnership/civil union anniversary, the staff would make them feel every bit as pampered as the heterosexual diners, and the patrons probably wouldn't make a scene, either. (They paid too much to do that.) Thread-tying: Ran into the owners of Hamburger Mary's last night at Woody's. They're none too thrilled at the prospect of Ruby Tuesday's opening right down the block from them. I still maintain that Philadelphia's big enough now to accommodate them all, but I'd be apprehensive too if I were faced with competition with a national advertising budget.

Welcome back, glad to hear you like Rehoboth, and Delaware's joined to Pennsylvania at the hip anyway, so there's no problem. This seems to have morphed into a General Food Topics discussion anyway (gotta love the "active topics" search). Perhaps the discussion should be moved there? Funny you should mention the Venture Inn in your recollection. That is also the name of the oldest surviving gay restaurant in Philadelphia. And, come to think of it, the owner is heterosexual. A somewhat relevant aside that keeps some Pennsylvania content in this: Up until very recently, almost every gay bar in Philadelphia either had a restaurant attached or had some sort of food service operation. State liquor laws required that in order for a bar to obtain a permit to sell alcohol on Sunday. I don't know if that provision still exists, but most of the bars still serve food today.

I walked past the site of Jamison's this afternoon and remembered what it was that forced that wonderful little cafe-bakery to close. It wasn't the rent. It was L&I. Jamison's served a Sunday brunch featuring a special of the day (usually an omelet or quiche). This, L&I determined, made the place a restaurant. And restaurants must have restrooms. Jamison's didn't, and the space was too small to put one in.

Okay, jmbrightman, this topic's for you, so to speak. This topic began over in the "My Burger Weekend" discussion, in which the original poster had a less-than-stellar experience at Hamburger Mary's. Which led one poster to wonder why anyone would bother to create a gay hamburger joint. After all, there isn't a particularly gay way to cook a ground beef patty, is there? No, but there is a way to serve it that reflects a gay sensibility. (Like getting your check delivered to you in a stiletto pump.) And there are other cues that a gay male or lesbian diner might pick up on that would say, "You can enjoy your meal here and be completely comfortable being who you are." Now, in sophisticated city neighborhoods like the one many gay Philadelphians call home, it's quite likely that many places that are not explicitly gay-friendly will nonetheless welcome your business and make you and your dining (or life) partner feel valued and respected. And there are others, like Stephen Starr's Continental Mid-town and El Vez, that look like the straight people wandered into these places by mistake, but hey, there they are, and we may as well blend in. But there are times when we gay folk want to let our hair down and kick up our heels (high or low), and at those times, we seek out establishments that not only accept our business, but understand the vibe. Not all of these places can be called Bump, though. Which is what makes Hamburger Mary's a welcome addition even if they haven't gotten their burger-and-service chops down pat yet. Certainly there are other such places (Judy's, Judy's, Judy's!). But are there any "straight-run" establishments that may have caught on to this fact yet?

Silveri's was extremely gay-friendly. That, I'll bet, is why Joey Venuti got a hold of it in order to transform it into a somewhat seedy black gay bar (I'll spare you the rant on this subject; it's not really appropriate for this forum). And no, there's not an official discussion on this topic. Maybe I should start one.

I wonder if Sandra Lee makes what she makes because she's related to Sara Lee? Seriously, I don't watch much Food Network fare--the occasional episode of the original "Iron Chef" or a snippet or two of Emeril--but I have warmed up quickly to Alton Brown. I like the geek-in-the-kitchen quality of his program and find his advice easy to follow. I also think he's cute in that same geeky way.

Let me translate this: Sometimes I want to eat, drink and be merry. Any old burger joint will do. Sometimes I want to eat, drink and be Mary. Can't do that at Moriarty's. And there are straight people out there who are cool with the latter.

On the cooking part, I'm sort of half-and-half, evolving from the on-the-fly to the mise-en-place style. The level of advance prep for me depends on the recipe--if I'm very familiar with the dish, I don't do a lot of advance work; if I'm trying something for the first time, I get just about all of the prep work out of the way before diving in. I haven't gone out and gotten a stack of little glass bowls (or plastic dose cups) yet, though; my coffee cups and small bowls serve that function well enough for me right now. On the cleaning part, I tend to clean as I go at the start, but when I'm cooking an entire meal and I'm in the final stretch, the dirty dishes pile up in the sink, there to await transfer to the dishwasher.

Change that "may be" to "are." Many, including the one in Philly, are gay-owned. Each has its own distinct look, though. The first Hamburger Mary's was located in (where else?) San Francisco. That one is now closed. There are currently 12 locations across the country, most--but not all--in cities with highly visible gay communities. The voiceover on the corporate Web site "About Us" page explains that "Mary knew that she and her friends--friends of Mary, friends of Dorothy, they're all the same--needed a place where they could eat, drink and have fun in a comfortable atmosphere." IOW, it's been gay-friendly from the get-go (1972). --Sandy, friend of Dorothy

From what I understand, when one moves into town they contact local high schools, colleges, universities, civic groups, etc, and ask them to just send over random photos, promotional items, cool junk, etc, and then just use it along with all of the corporate junk they toss up on the walls. ← 1) Wonder if the "corporate junk" includes any old Burstein-Applebee ads? (Burstein-Applebee was a home electronics [back in those days, they called these "hi-fi"] chain in Kansas City. The "Applebee" in B-A is the same family that started the restaurant chain.) 2) I can't wait to see what they throw up on the walls of the forthcoming 15th Street location.

And how did Applebee's get a hold of this photo? From the newspaper it ran in, perhaps?

Thanks for the detailed report, glad you enjoyed the beautiful weekend- everything's just starting to bloom outside. Penn's Archaeology & Anthropology Museum doesn't get enough attention and it's a fabulous collection + space. (everyone should go. Mummies.) ← It'll be even nicer when the air conditioning project that has the main courtyard all torn up is completed next year. Pam Kosty (the Museum's smart and way cool public information officer, with whom I used to have a tight relationship when I was at Penn) would be very pleased to hear all of this.

Barbecue Cheesesteak Serves 1 as Main Dish. I posted this item to the Pennsylvania board back in the fall of 2004. Since there's a recipe in it, I thought it would be suitable for RecipeGullet. Hope you like it if you try it. Over in the Italian Beef vs. Philly Cheesesteak thread under General Food Topics, I proposed a sandwich that combines the signature foods of my native and adopted hometowns: the barbecue cheesesteak. I reported to the group that I would try a variant on my original version of this sandwich today and report back on the results. Well, the results are in (my stomach), and I pronounce them satisfactory. Here's the recipe--try it yourself and let me know what you think. 1 slices thinly sliced sandwich steak (sirloin tip works best), thawed if frozen 1 tsp barbecue spice or rub 3 T barbecue sauce (see note) 1 slices American, Cheddar or Colby cheese Fried onions (optional) 1 long sandwich roll Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Sprinkle barbecue spice on steak slices and rub into meat. Prepare a foil packet by arranging slices in a single layer on a sheet of aluminum foil, then covering them with sauce. Fold ends of foil sheet to enclose slices, then fold edges of foil inward and close packet. Cook in packet at 450 degrees for 5-10 minutes. Open packet and place cheese slices on top. Return to oven for about 1 minute or until cheese just melts. Place filling into sandwich roll. Note: I am partial to Gates Barbecue Sauce, widely available in the Kansas City area and by phone (info on web site). But there are plenty of other excellent Kansas City sauces you can try, including Arthur Bryant's (the place made famous by Calvin Trillin and Jimmy Carter, among others; Bryant's smoky, grainy sauce is like no other I've ever tasted) and Zarda Bar-B-Q (a newcomer relative to Bryant's and Gates', but right up there with those two in the sauce pantheon). Recipes for making your own Gates' sauce at home exist. If you are lazy or short on time, you may use KC Masterpiece, the only Kansas City-style sauce that's widely available everywhere. Again, let me know what you think of this concoction. Keywords: Easy, Beef, Cheese, Main Dish, Lunch, Snack ( RG1185 )

Barbecue Cheesesteak Serves 1 as Main Dish. I posted this item to the Pennsylvania board back in the fall of 2004. Since there's a recipe in it, I thought it would be suitable for RecipeGullet. Hope you like it if you try it. Over in the Italian Beef vs. Philly Cheesesteak thread under General Food Topics, I proposed a sandwich that combines the signature foods of my native and adopted hometowns: the barbecue cheesesteak. I reported to the group that I would try a variant on my original version of this sandwich today and report back on the results. Well, the results are in (my stomach), and I pronounce them satisfactory. Here's the recipe--try it yourself and let me know what you think. 1 slices thinly sliced sandwich steak (sirloin tip works best), thawed if frozen 1 tsp barbecue spice or rub 3 T barbecue sauce (see note) 1 slices American, Cheddar or Colby cheese Fried onions (optional) 1 long sandwich roll Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Sprinkle barbecue spice on steak slices and rub into meat. Prepare a foil packet by arranging slices in a single layer on a sheet of aluminum foil, then covering them with sauce. Fold ends of foil sheet to enclose slices, then fold edges of foil inward and close packet. Cook in packet at 450 degrees for 5-10 minutes. Open packet and place cheese slices on top. Return to oven for about 1 minute or until cheese just melts. Place filling into sandwich roll. Note: I am partial to Gates Barbecue Sauce, widely available in the Kansas City area and by phone (info on web site). But there are plenty of other excellent Kansas City sauces you can try, including Arthur Bryant's (the place made famous by Calvin Trillin and Jimmy Carter, among others; Bryant's smoky, grainy sauce is like no other I've ever tasted) and Zarda Bar-B-Q (a newcomer relative to Bryant's and Gates', but right up there with those two in the sauce pantheon). Recipes for making your own Gates' sauce at home exist. If you are lazy or short on time, you may use KC Masterpiece, the only Kansas City-style sauce that's widely available everywhere. Again, let me know what you think of this concoction. Keywords: Easy, Beef, Cheese, Main Dish, Lunch, Snack ( RG1185 )

if i remember right, and i think i do, it was done in by the owner of the building drastically increasing the rent. ← Having worked with the former owner of Magnolia, that is indeed correct. Same story he told me. Actually I think it had something to do with the original landlord passing away and the landlord's son doubling the rent with virtually no notice and no opportunity for negotiation. ← So did the landlord's son learn his lesson or something? I recall that the space sat empty for a while before Tequila's moved into it. Either Tequila's charges so much more for what it serves that it can afford to pay the rent, or the landlord wised up and decided some rent was better than none at all.

You're the third person to mention this place, which I think is the record for any single establishment on this topic. My further recollection is that Magnolia was more reasonable than Cafe Nola. So what exactly did it in? Of the original Restaurant Renaissance establishments, only two survive: the Astral Plane and Friday Saturday Sunday. The Astral Plane has the same eclectic decor and mismatched table settings that the Knave had. It also has a bit of history on its walls in the form of front pages from The Philadelphia Independent, an African-American newspaper whose offices the restaurant now occupies. The Independent was racier and had more celebrity stuff in it than did the Tribune. I had a less-than-memorable meal there once, though it was far from the worst I've ever had. I do recall a zinger about the Garden in a magazine--Philadelphia, I believe. It was a mini-review that described the place's "new American cuisine" as "American Express cuisine."

FTR, it's pretty good in a Caesar cocktail too. And it just so happens that I added a dash or two to the cheese sauce for my homemade cheeseburger macaroni tonight. (Gary--whose cooking skills have atrophied since we became a couple but who likes watching Food Network when he's not tuned into C-SPAN--is fond of Hamburger Helper, but he's now on a restricted sodium diet thanks to being diagnosed with high blood pressure, so I'm making my own version from scratch.) Let's try this for a slogan: "Make every day chili, no matter what the weather. Sriracha hot chili sauce."

I would put Maggiano's into this category as well. Again, it's not up to the level of Portofino or any of the better South Philly places, red-gravy and otherwise, but to give you a local-angle comparison, if someone said to me, "OK, we can go to Maggiano's or we can go to the Italian Bistro--your choice," I'd choose Maggiano's.