MarketStEl

You can find a local angle for just about anything these days. Here's the local angle for these devices. You will note from the story that the home version is sold through the Tupperware-party model.

Well, not yet, but I've deducted points from your overall score. ← Hey, I gotta back Mike up here, and not just because he is a fellow Pennsylvanian. I love Coke Zero and only tolerate Diet Coke. What I'd like to see in your second blog, Megan, is if you can find any trans fats in the course of your meals and snacks out.

Having gotten a quorum for pizza (which I define as at least three participants), I'm going to say that Saturday, March 3, is a go. This month's destination: Fairmount. The adventure starts at 2 p.m. at Illuminare, 2321 Fairmount Avenue. From there, we will proceed to Rembrandt's, 23d and Aspen streets. Our third stop will...require just a little more research. A fellow named Kenwyn, one of Katie's co-workers at M, suggested a place called "Fairmount Pizza" when she and I got to discussing the Pizza Club as I had a glass of wine at her bar last night. A quick search on Citysearch turns up two establishments that serve pizza with "Fairmount" in their name. Fairmount Pizza is at 655 North Broad Street, which puts it at the eastern end of the neighborhood. There is also a place at 20th and Fairmount called the New Fairmount Restaurant that is listed as a pizza place. Both got decent ratings from Citysearch visitors, so I don't think that either of these will be bad, but I'm not certain which of these was Kenwyn's recommendation. Perhaps you can query him on the address, Katie? I will remind Katie to put this up on the calendar later tonight. If you'd like to join the party and haven't PMed me yet, I'd appreciate it if you could do so. You don't need to PM to participate, but it helps to have an idea of how many will be coming along for the ride in advance. Besides, if we have a large enough group, and enough time, we might be able to add another place and not have to worry about figuring out which Fairmount Pizza is which!

Please say you're kidding about that. ← Sorry. I'm not. Both of their columns -- Bowden's is called "The Point," and Smerconish's is appropriately titled "Head Strong" -- begin tomorrow.

929 South Street is often busy but never feels crowded. Can't vouch for the helpfulness of the staff, though the cheese counter people have been helpful enough when I've asked them questions.

There are no signs announcing this, but Eberly is one of the two chicken producers Giunta's Prime Shop buys from, the other being Bell & Evans, which is identified. If you ask Joe or his staff, they can tell you which chickens/hens/chicken parts they have come from Eberly. On Super Bowl Sunday, I got a really good price on wings from Eberly there: Five pounds for $9.50.

I don't think this is a relevant argument. Di Bruno's, etc. are already selling meat at these prices; it's just not very good meat. Therefore, it is a matter of getting them to change their suppliers -- not asking them to introduce a product that isn't in the marketplace yet (the $20+ per pound steak). ← I based my earlier comments on these two observations: --The tasters were unanimous that Lobel's dry-aged porterhouse was far and away the best steak they tasted; --Lobel's dry-aged porterhouse is about half again as expensive as the best steaks available at retail locally. I should not have suggested, as I did earlier, that there is no market for $20/lb steak in this city; you are right--clearly, there is, and you can get better-than-supermarket-quality strip steaks from Esposito's for $17/lb as well. I just don't see all that many people walking out of their 9th Street retail store with them on those Saturday afternoons that I've gone there. It's not clear to me that you're going to (a) get truly outstanding steak at the $20/lb price point, though you will get very good beef, or (b) get enough people locally who will pay retail for knock-your-socks-off beef to make it worthwhile for any of the better butchers to carry it regularly. I may be underestimating the local market, however, and there may be the chance that a Butcher Shop of Dreams effect -- "if you sell it, they will buy it" -- might come about.

Good one!

If you read any local restaurant reviews regularly, or even occasionally, I'd say yes, you are missing something. Specifically, the best-written, wittiest reviews in the region. If you're not in the habit of reading restaurant reviews at all, then unless you're a connoisseur of fine writing, I wouldn't say that you have to start reading LaBan. But I think he does know his stuff better than many regional practitioners (present company excluded, of course). I don't read him as often as I should. After plowing through "Currents," I'm usually all opinioned out, and that feeling will in all likelihood get only worse now that Michael Smerconish and Mark Bowden are joining the stable of Sunday Inquirer pontificators.

I am eternally grateful to Andrew for posting that link to the document describing Japanese grading standards with illustrations. I know know more about marbling and how to spot it as a result. For instance, in the photos below: based on looks alone, and only looks, I probably would have graded these, in descending order: 9, 8, 7, 2, 4, 5, 1, 3, 6. Without referring back to the tasters' comments, I don't think that's too far off the actual order of finish in most panelists' eyes, except that 4 was in a class by itself. (Cheesy funk? I loves me some cheesy funk! I may have to ask for one of these the next time I'm in Esposito's.) I'm not surprised that the Whole Foods steak was so disappointing. It looks like it had about as much marbling as a USDA Select steak. Cooked, it closely resembles what a finished Omaha Steaks strip looks like. As for Vadouvan's and Andrew's comments about the market not supplying these to the retail customer: Given that the really good stuff is eye-poppingly expensive, I'm not surprised that the demand's not out there. But certainly I think there'd be a market for entry-level USDA Prime steak in the $20/lb range. What were the prices for the lower-ranked cuts? Based on who I see at the counters when I'm in Esposito's, however, I suspect that the overwhelming majority of Philadelphians aren't really thinking about spending even $20/lb on meat unless it's a very special occasion. "Steak for dinner" probably means the $4.99/lb Lancaster Brand strip, most likely USDA Select, that's on sale at the Acme. Even though someone's buying those pricey new Center City condos, I'm still not sure that the potential customer pool for really high-end meat in the city is large enough for a store to start carrying it on a regular basis. But who knows? Maybe if DiBruno's gets enough letters.... And once again, let me offer up the transformation of USDA Good into USDA Select as further support for my view. This would not have happened were it not for the nutritionists, who really wanted us to eat less red meat, period, but the cattlemen weren't having any of that. So what we got instead was a "leaner, healthier" grade of red meat--the grade one below Choice, with almost no marbling to speak of. In any event: Should you all decide to take another stab at this, please, please, please, I'd like to stick a fork in it too.

I would put peanut butter itself at the top of the list. What better definer of culture. It's incredibly popular in the U.S., yet many other nationalities are repulsed by it. ← I guess that peanut butter is our Vegemite.

I interpreted the absence of actual penalties as an effort to square a circle a few posts upthread. The story you linked, however, suggests that provisions for fines might be added later, presumably once restaurateurs and vendors had had enough time to learn about the law, if use of products containing artificial trans fats remained widespread at that time.

Just did a post search, and he is not that James Colabelli. Unless the publisher of Philadelphia Style runs a fine restaurant specializing in wine on the side.

Hi chris. So here is the deal. If you read my initial post at the start of this thread....... This whole endeavor really started spontaneously and I really had no Idea that it would become so popular. Basically the first few responders came to the olive oil tasting. I in fact did PM you to ask if you were interested. Even on the day of the Olive oil Gig, 4 people cancelled which left a total of 6. In fact we then decided that 6 was a much better number to streamline things without it resorting into a party and no cohesive conversation. At the end of the olive oil tasting, it was decided that the next one would be a Steak tasting and right there on the spot, nobody wanted to give up thier spots. One certainly cannot dis-invite the original people who made the effort. We made two rules..... 1. If you cant make it, you will be replaced. 2. If you dont post your thoughts, you will be 86'ed. The point of the thread is for conclusive conversations about food to inspire everyone, thus all attendees need to discuss thier thoughts. The steak tasting was already pretty much a done deal during the olive oil tasting. My point is this whole endeavor is still pretty disorganized in terms of scheduleing attendance and who attends, I assure you there is no elitism or Clique factor. I am trying to devise a somewhat democratic way to do it but havent reached any conclusions yet. It actually takes way more work than I have time for to assemble any one of this tastings not to mention all the driving around two states to procure the products. So perhaps communication needs to be worked on. Apologies to anyone who feels slighted. We are currently researching a rentable location to do larger tastings for up to 16 people more in the vein of Tria's fermentation school. The fermentation school is limited to wine, beer and cheese and while it is a great endeavor, it is extremely limited in scope regarding specialty consumables and technique/execution of cooking. We want to do things like.... Vinegar and the importance of acidity to cooking. Pork ......Berkshire Vs Farm Vs Generic Salt Varietals........Important distinctions or marketing bullshit. Risotto........Arborio, Carnaroli, Vialone Nano, Baldo, Bomba. Bread........Carangi,Amoroso,Amy, La Brea, Le Bus, Metro,Eli, Blue ribbon,Sarcones...ect ect. So you see there is much more fun stuff coming up besides boring hunks of meat..... The thought has been expressed by someone to initiate discussions with one of the local restaurant schools in the area. Stay tuned. Unfortunately we all have day jobs too........ ← Hunks of meat "boring"? I'd never use that word to describe hunks of meat, in either sense of the term "hunk of meat." And thanks for the explanation. Obviously, there are a bunch of us who were/are interested in participating in this--I expressed interest in the steak taste-off both on the thread that led to this one and in Post 12 on this topic, but as I said nothing about olive oil, I guess you flew right past that one--and some sort of scheme that would allow the rest of us to participate, perhaps on a rotating basis, would be welcome. And I'm sure that you could get everyone involved to help defray costs if that becomes necessary. In the meantime, we with our noses pressed to the glass (or the LCD display) will have to settle for reports from the rest of you starting tomorrow. I'll also gladly accept table scraps from anyone who has any.

Well, we all seem to think more or less alike, but that's never stopped me before: 1950-2000 Coca-Cola McDonald's hamburgers Hot dogs Apple pie Fried chicken 2000-2050 Heirloom tomatoes Coca-Cola Zero "Prescription cuisine" (food eaten specifically for certain health or medical benefits) Ethanol (but not necessarily because we drink it) McDonald's hamburgers (sorry, they aren't going to be dethroned)

So far, only one response. Any other takers?

Hold on there, pardner. That cheese isn't processed! Cabot's Vermont cheddar with horseradish, OTOH, is, which is unusual for them. Edited to add footnote: I purchased a half pound of Boar's Head Super Sharp American at a new deli near me this past Saturday. While it is sharper than regular American, it isn't as sharp as Cooper Sharp, which in turn is not as sharp as sharp (unprocessed) Cheddar. Hoffman's Super Sharp Cheddar, which is also a processed cheese, comes closer in this department. (You can get just about the same product at A&P-family supermarkets by asking for Master Choice Ultra Sharp cheddar.)

OOPS! Forgot to look at my own calendar before proposing a date. I'm supposed to be in DC on the 24th -- the PGMC will perform in a joint concert with the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington that evening. So I guess this pushes things back to the 3d of March. If nobody has problems with that date, I'll request a calendar posting. PM me to signal interest or alert me to a conflict.

Your point about metabolism is well taken. 8-10 one-ounce cheese cubes, however, would probably mean you'd have to do water for the next day or so to make up the Weight Watchers points you blew on the cheese. --Sandy, not on WW

Please tell me your secret to maintaining your figure! There are several wedges of Laughing Cow Light in my right-hand desk drawer screaming "Eat me!" as I type this. At home, I will hear the same pleas emanating from the various spreads and blocks on the bottom shelf of my fridge, and that's likely to be after tonight's stir-fry. I know that I must resist if I'm to have any chance of actually dropping a few pounds (I'm 5'11, 200-205), but cheese is so wonderful, it's hard to resist. And Parmesan aside, you get the sensation with no glutamates at all! (Wonder why Parmesan alone among cheeses is high in umami/glutamates?)

And (BLT)^2 at a diner near you?

Not at all, Mark. Not at all. Though a quick skim through the conversation linked here should demonstrate that Americans are probably more conflicted on the subject than either Europeans (in one direction, maybe) or Japanese (in the other) are. --Sandy, who keeps a jar of the stuff in his spice rack for those occasions when it's needed

Are you old enough, Megan, to remember the "Secret Switch" TV ad campaign? "We've secretly switched the fine ground coffee in Mr. Biederdorf's cup with Folger's Coffee Crystals. Let's watch as he tastes." You should have blown your cover right after they commented on the coffee, just the way the announcer did on those TV spots. --Sandy, who remembers the aroma driving past the Folger Coffee plant in the 700 block of Broadway in downtown Kansas City. Somehow, that coffee always smelled better than it tasted.

Somewhere on NFL.com, there are two photos: One of the coin toss at the very first "AFL-NFL Championship Game" in January, 1967, between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs, and another of the coin toss at Super Bowl XL last year between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Seattle Seahawks. There were about seven people on the field for the first one, and about 50, including the camera crew (absent from "Super Bowl I"), for the 40th. I think we have a similar escalation going on at the buffet table. What you describe is indeed simple, but it's a far cry from chips, salsa and dip, and even several notches above Buffalo wings, blue cheese dressing and seven-layer dip. Julie provides evidence of the transformation in progress with her own family's Super Bowl party. But then again, the Super Bowl has evolved into a something-for-everyone event. Not a big football fan? Then join the 50% of the Super Bowl audience that makes the game one of the few TV programs people watch for the commercials. (On the bus to Widener this morning, the people seated in front of me were all busy dissecting their favorite commercials from this year's Supe. I had to join in.) As the audience has expanded, so has the menu. Frat-house party fare just won't cut it any more, and even pub fare has become somewhat limiting. OTOH, there are still plenty of ways to keep it simple: a cheese platter will work just as well, only maybe with something other than Cheddar and Monterrey Jack cubes on it. As the football game is the point of the event, the food will never take over completely. Contrast this to Thanksgiving, where the roles of the food and the football are reversed. But I think both of you are right that it will become a more important--and more sophisticated--part of the overall celebration.

D&W must have cut a really good deal with someone in Montvale, N.J. If there's a plain old A&P near you, stop in sometime and see what's in their deli case. (The A&P family of supermarket chains includes, besides the namesake chain, Super Fresh, Waldbaum's, Farmer Jack and Food Emporium.) And by all means, do report back. If you're like the rest of us, you may still find D&W acceptable after your head-to-head comparison, but you will probably find it disappointing next to Boar's Head. Hmmmm...Woodland Avenue and Cobbs Creek Parkway...there's a historic house on the Cobbs Creek Park corner of the intersection that dates to the 1760s--it may have been an inn but is vacant now--but I don't recall any hoagie shops last time I passed through the intersection. No matter. As I believe I mentioned in my post that began this topic, Dietz & Watson is far and away the choice of most local hoagie makers, and because of this, it becomes clear just how much the bread matters. I've had some dynamite hoagies composed of D&W cold cuts on great bread, and I'd consider these equal to or better than other hoagies consisting of better quality meats on worse bread. But, as indicated in other posts, the best hoagie makers use other suppliers. Primo--one of the best in the city--uses Thumann's. Planet Hoagie--a fave of mine before their Center City location closed--uses Hatfield. (Both Primo and Planet Hoagie have won "Best of Philly" hoagie honors from Philadelphia magazine.) Freda--a local producer whose meats I have yet to try--is another popular supplier in this area. I've yet to see a well-regarded Philly hoagie maker that uses Boar's Head, though--it appears to me that most of the shops around here that carry Boar's Head in their deli case specialize in prepared foods other than hoagies, if they sell ready-to-eat items at all. As Spruce Rana (see post #29) does make hoagies, I will have the opportunity to further research the relative roles the meat and the bread play in making a hoagie. I'm pretty sure they don't use the city's best hoagie rolls (see below). Maybe you can convince the Sarcones to follow Stephen Starr and Tony Luke up your way. In addition to running their own hoagie shop a half block up 9th Street from their bakery (they use Dietz & Watson), Sarcone's supplies bread to several of the city's best hoagie shops, including Primo. Their bread is nice, airy and crusty and stands up well to the meats, cheeses and salad. And good bread is one thing all the best hoagies in this town share, regardless whose cold cuts fill that bread. Edited to fix subject-verb agreement.