wkl

parc bistro on rittenhouse square has been open a few years now but has good food. its a big enough place that there are probably some quiet areas if you request such.

so far i like these: Ruhlmans, 20 Molly Stevens, Roasting Davdi Tanis, Heart of the Artichoke Marc Vetri's new book. (name escapes at the moment) i think these are all 2011 releases.

sorry if this is old news but, i was here tuesday night and han dynasty is no longer byob. except on tuesday nights.

tomatillo soup is delicious. plenty of recipies on the internet. i like to roast in the oven to get a little char, then steep in chicken stock with garlic and seasonings. immersion blend and strain.

koozeedoo has a a soft shell crab and potato stew as a special tonight (friday).

if you are near geyserville, diavola makes seriously good pizza. homemade salumi too. worth the drive over from healdsburg if you are in that area.

flannery is great. just splurge and get what you want. you won't be disapointed.

natasha, i feel your pain. i have organized quite a few events in the pa and delaware area and have run into this problem often. unless you are deadset on the mendenhall inn i would suggest looking into a venue in delaware (i can suggest a couple) or bistro on the b'wine or b'wine prime. the latter two are much more wine friendly. bistro will let you bring your own wine to your event. the mark up on crappy wine that caterers or food service companies charge at most venues for these types of events is ridiculous.

i think this goat butter is delicious: http://www.sthelensfarm.co.uk/more_info.asp?current_id=82 i don't find the flavor strong at all. expensive but really good.

i am pretty sure most of the caffiene is released with the initial steeping. so subesequent uses may have very little caffiene, if that is an issue.

thanks for the link. anyone know what's meant by referring to "center city" as a "comic book reference"? never heard that before.

i would think; yes. especially if each tenant has a similiar lease. which is why i think if you are going to treat tenants differently when it comes to being in arrears that would need to be written into the lease. but i am no lawyer and could be totally wrong.

i dont know how you write that into a contract either. "if you have been a tenant here x amount of years you are allowed to be x amount of months in arrears on rent. but if you work with us and take our marketing advice you are allowed to be further in arrears. if you are in arrears and don't take advantage of our offer to help your business you can only be ......etc." which begs the question, if the rtm possesses some unique marketing skills that can help a tenant's business, why wait to offer that help until you are behind in rent? as long as och's isn't replaced with some crappy chain or local chain pizza place, or what have you, i don't really have a problem with evicting a tenant when they are a year behind on rent. sad when it's a long time tenant who has helped shaped the markets image but i just don't see how you can keep on giving them preferential treatment when the other tenants are paying their rent in a timely fashion.

i hear you and don't disagree, but how long do you work with the tenant? showing favoritism to a long time tenant versus a newer tenant in similiar situation could open you up to law suit. if i was a newer tenant behind on rent and facing eviction and i found out a longer term tenant, also in arrears, was getting preferential treatment i would be getting an attorney involved. probably not what rtm management wants.

put you rtm manager hat on. how long would you let a tenant be in arrears before proceeding with eviction?

i think it's sad to lose a long term merchant at rtm. but where do you draw the line? at what point do you begin eviction proceedings against a merchant behind on rent. 3 months, 6 months, one year, never?? the article you link to does quote the rtm rep saying they made every attempt to work with ochs. do we know what rtm did to try and work with ochs?

a quick look at wikipedia will tell you jamie oliver was a culinary figure and a pretty well known one in great britian before the foodnetwork started to feature his shows. i imagine the same with nigella lawson and gordon ramsey. you could make the claim that british food culture is having an impact on the american food scene.

Sure, professional chefs may know about her, but she is a far cry from a public figure and not very controversial. never said she was.

There are presumably many rural places in USA where Wal-Mart is not a shopping option so, following your line of reasoning, Wal-Mart's influence in the USA isn't that great. Be that as it may: How many places in the world are a bag of chips and a cola not an option? How many other countries have a Food Network equivalent and how many of those channels are available on cable TV in third party countries? What proportion of the world's population is familiar with USA-style pizza vs the original? The USA's cultural influence is hard to overstate. People everywhere consume local or at best regional TV, films, and magazines - and if they consume imports, it'll be imports from USA, and even the locally-produced stuff is heavily influenced by those imports. You'd be much harder-pressed to find a copy of a Russian news magazine in Argentina (and vice versa) than to find a Time or a Newsweek in either of those places. Bollywood is huge in the subcontinent, but USA celebrities are known in India, while Indian film stars are virtually unknown in USA. There are a handful of regions that have made their local media industries into major exports (HK action films and Japanese cartoons come to mind) but even the influence of these pales in comparison to overwhelming might of USA's mass media exports. i was speaking strictly about influences on food. i don't disagree nor did i dispute the fact that america has had an impact across the world in terms of our fast food culture. all i am saying is that the rest of the world has had a HUGE influence on american food culture too. using your coke and chips analogy, it's not hard at all today to pick up a bottle of red burgundy, chianti, crianza, belgian beer, etc to wash down your prosciutto on a baguette with at lunch or dinner.

Alice Waters is known outside the USA. Not to the extent that Ronald Mcdonald is, but saying she is practically unknown is a bit of a stretch. she may be known mostly to professional chefs in europe, but she is a known culinary figurte. The US's influence on food is no more large than the influence many, many cultures have had on American food. There are many places you can go in the world where a cheeseburger for a meal isn't an option.

i think herschels would pack a "deconstructed" pastrami sandwich for you. that way you could reassemble the next morning. they are pretty accomodating group behind the counter. just don't ask at the height of lunch rush. i have had dinic's roast pork pretty early in the morning before. maybe by 9am? this sandwich may hold up pretty well overnight too. i would highly recommend a meatball with provolone from shanks. currently one of my favorite sandwiches in the city. check out dibruno's to go in the italian market for pannini. few different kinds. all delicious. iirc, they are on the cornor next to the huge frank rizzo mural. another idea for sandwiches on the train the next morning: go to dibruno's cheese shop (not the "to go" place, but same owners, also in italian market on 9th street) and select from their world class selection of cheeses and meats what ever suits you (they will let you sample just about anything) buy a few rolls and you will be all set for a meal on the train. you could also accomplish this at reading terminal market. hit "downtown cheese" for cheese and prosciutto, grab rolls wherever. downtown cheese may have small bottle of olive oil you can buy to dress your sandwich. or maybe they would even pour off a little bit from an open bottle into a small container for travel. eta: dibruno's on 9th street is a small shop, that is worth checking out even if you don't buy anything. it's just a classic, italian market standard that exudes south philly character. try to hit it at an off hour. it can get very crowded.

just finished "Bones, Blood and Butter" by Gabrielle Hamilton, chef/owner of Prune in NYC. i thought it was fantastic and highly reccomend it.

did anyone watch the, i guess live, show that followed? what a train wreck that was. i swear they were all drunk.

unless i missed it, there was no prize or advantage for winning the quickfire last night. so, it doesn't really matter who won or what the challenge entailed.

i have long been a fan of old city roasters at rtm.