wkl

i'd be interested in how the serafin and the morot showed.thanks.

"And I wonder where that $2 million's going to go..." 2005 white and red burgundy would be a good start!

"Forgive me for being nitpicky but wouldnt one at least use a "prosecco" in a "prosecco" risotto. It's not even prosecco, not that Roederer is bad......just wierd." and wierder that if they didn't have prosecco they would insist on using sparkling wine. sparkling wine , still wine, whatever for this type of preparation.

thanks v. still wondering if a slightly cooked oyster would be hard/messy to fork with rice? the heat also would kill the bubbles in the wine.

a shucked oyster, meaning... raw? wouldn't it be difficult to eat an raw oyster with risotto? the combination seems odd to me. is there some precedent for risotto topped with a raw oyster? or for that matter, risotto with a poached oyster? also, once prosecco meets intense heat... goodbye flavor.

the bar at the sofitel, near rittenhouse square, is a cool space. can't vouch for the food, but they have decent size plasmas behind the bar.

i think the existence of places like osteria, snackbar, etc. raise the bar for all eateries in the area. even if it's beyond your budget you should be aware of what goes on in these establishments and celebrate their existence.(assuming your passionate about well prepared food) they should improve quality at all price points at many different establishments. people will train with marc vetri at osteria and leave to open their own places and they may be more budget friendly and really good. i mean, the guys at molcajte mixto worked at le bec fin...

what's wrong with analyzing the wine list? we analyze the food,service, decor,etc. not sure where your coming from on that point.

i seriously doubt i would ever pay for a reservation. maybe if it was the only way to get into per se or some restaurant of that ilk. i can't see this taking off in the philly market. maybe among some business people with big expense accounts, but even then i could see an internal auditor questioning the charge if it came up alot. i don't believe the restaurant shares in this fee, which kinda sucks for the restaurant. does anyone know if this has really caught on in new york? is it a profitable venture for prime tables?

"Then there's the dry-aged steak for two at $60. " anyone know where the beef is sourced?

"A 2007 SN Bigfoot...very hoppy it may need to mellow a bit for my tastes. " don't hold your breath.

are we sure it's parsley? could be basil on the pizza. (i know there's a whole leaf on the pizza) but the chopped green could be basil. no? seeing as it's an italian joint and all..........

percy- if you find yourself in wilmington, jannssens grocery in greenville has a goat's milk butter imported from the uk. i think it was called "st helens farm". kinda expensive, but everything at jannssens is pricey, but high quality. website:http://sthelensfarm.co.uk/creambutter.htm eta; link

matyson.

"I guess the way I feel at this point is if you are looking for interesting wines off the beaten path or highly rated wine for a decent price why travel when we have the CS program? " i think the cs program is great, but i wouldn't describe the wines in this program as interesting or off the beaten path. highly rated by some critics sure, but they all seem pretty mainstream offerings to me. to me unusual well priced wines would be irancy, marcilliac, sancerre rouge, sparkling vouvray, etc. i'd be willing to travel to buy these types of wines by the case.

a bit furhter down the interstate, but worth the time if you are on a wine excursion, is state line liquors in elkton, md. great pricing, great selction (wine, beer, liqour), far superior to total wine, imho. (no affiliation on my part)

yeah, i love isigny. avec and sans sel. had it last night on toast (done over bincho tan, thanks for the idea, btw) with '05 chablis. magical.

v, is buerre de lescure available in philly? or just new york?

is there any connection between japanesechefsknives.com and korin trading? also, chad or bob, do you have any opinion on the western style knives korin sells as their own brand.

gotcha. how long did you sv the chicken? what temp? you've probably checked out the ideas in food site, iirc there's some pic's somewhere and maybe some text on crisp chicken skin used as chips, garnish, etc.

bryan, just wondering........why did you remove the skin from the chicken? nicely browned skin tastes good and would add a little more color to the plate, or were you going for something else with that course?

thanks james. maybe throw tyson, and empire into the mix. also, be interesting to compare a d'artagnan bird with an eberly.

can you guys elaborate on the taste of the birds? i am assuming all picked the blue foot because it tasted better. or was it just noticeably different from the eberly bird? was the eberly bird actually inferior?

so, was the venus and cowboy review his most famous/damning? did it really spell doom for the restaurant or did its impact take on some urban myth?

a fair comment i think. we don't discuss laban and his reviews too much here. i mean,nothing like the bruni thread on the new york board. a little bit of thread drift, but what is everyones opinion of his reviews, writing style, impact on philly dining scene?