Buckethead

Funny you should say that, since there's an identical thread on Chowhound right now, initiated by the same person. That thread is perfectly civil, and provides nearly the same useful information that this one does.

Kisso is the best sushi I've had in the city, Morimoto and Hikaru are OK too. Morimoto isn't very expensive if you sit upstairs and just order off the sushi menu. I've never been to Bluefin, Sagami, or Raw. If you're considering places far outside the city, like Plymouth Meeting and Collingswood, the best sushi I've had in the area is at Teikoku, on Rt. 3 a few miles west of Newtown Square. Fuji is moot at the moment. Avoid the Wasabi House on South St., it's not terrible but doesn't hold a candle to Kisso.

There's also the place opening up at Passyunk and Catherine across the street from where Cafe Sud used to be, which is going to be Italian as well if I remember correctly. Still, the area around South/Bainbridge between 2nd and 8th has become, over the past couple of years, home to a large number of the city's most fantastic restaurants that are not Italian: Gayle, Ansill, Horizons, Shouk, Salt & Pepper, and Southwark, at least. So even if there are 3 mediocre Italian places for every Ansill, or even for every Ava, that's fine with me. The area seems to have the customers to fill them.

It's definitely not the atmosphere you're looking for (sneakers would be tolerated, but it's much nicer than most Indian restaurants I've set foot in), but Khajuraho makes the best Indian food I've ever had. It's just off Rt. 30 about halfway between Rt. 1 and Rt. 476, on Greenfield Ave.

You may want to try the Passyunk Square farmer's market, Wednesdays from 3 pm to 7 pm at the fountain at Tasker and Passyunk. There is an Amish guy there who I've noticed sells goat's milk, I've never looked too hard at his milk selection so I don't know if he has sheep's milk, but he does bring his own refrigerated dairy case to the FM every week.

I've had those, they were good but I thought the truffle overwhelmed the fries, and the dipping sauce totally overwhelmed everything else. They were still good, but if they'd replace the dipping sauce with whatever they're using to get the truffle in there (truffle oil, I guess) to be drizzled at the diner's discretion, that would be better.

The service! Their menu did have a pasta section, which was weird. You're right though, apart from dessert, the stuff we had was pretty straightforward Mexican. There were several things on the menu that weren't (paella, 'french' onion soup, mussels, the pastas) but we went there intent on Mexican, so that's what we ordered. We had two specials, the poblano soup I mentioned and a pair of stuffed poblanos entree, The other two desserts were a flan and a chocolate mousse, but the mousse didn't have any chiles in it, which is a wasted opportunity in a Mexican restaurant. Their menu is on their website, which I forgot to mention: http://www.molcajetemixto.com/

This place has been around for about a month, I finally got over there over the weekend. On a Friday night around 8, we were the only people in the place. That's not a good sign, so I wasn't expecting much. I am happy to report that my misgivings were for nothing: everything was really good. The space is kind of strange. It's on a corner away from the main drag of the Italian Market, catecorner from John's water ice. That means that at prime dinner time, it's the only open business on that corner. The sign outside is really low-budget and doesn't match the inside, which is all refurbished and very pleasant. The menu and service are definitely intended to be closer to fine dining than any other Mexican place in the area, and less traditional: the chicken used in my enchiladas was listed as 'free-range', not something I'm used to seeing at a tacqueria. Whether the demand is there to support that kind of operation with Garibaldi, Veracruzana, etc. so close by remains to be seen. Little flourishes on the service side were much appreciated: napkins were folded while we were in the restroom. Of course, we were the only customers at the time. They started us off with the usual basket of chips and two salsas. The tomatillo based salsa was outstanding. I had a poblano soup, it was a little heavy on the cream but evoked everything I like about poblanos. Queso fundido was good too, with more chorizo than I'm used to getting when I order it at other places. My enchiladas mole were very good, a little light on the spicy heat, but I prefer it that way usually. The refried beans were great, something I can't say about most Mexican places. The main reason I'd recommend going is dessert. I am a dessert fanatic. When trying a new place, the first question I ask the server is usually 'do you make your own desserts'? I have been known to order two desserts using one of my fellow diners as a proxy. So when I tell you that the blueberry crepe I had at Molcajete Mixto is the best dessert I can remember having in months, I mean what I say. It was filled with cream cheese that had been spiced up in such a way that it was both savory and sweet, topped with really good blueberries in some kind of light syrup. If I hadn't been talked out of it, I would have ordered another one to go. On top of that, the coffee was fantastic. The sticker on the door said it was La Colombe, but they brewed it more to my liking than most places that serve La Colombe. It also arrived at the perfect time, just long enough before dessert arrived that I had time to sweeten it and take a sip. I can't stand it when coffee and dessert are served as if they have no relation to each other, instead of simultaneously. The rest of our meal was better than most Mexican places I've been to (La Lupe, El Zarape), but I'd say Plaza Garibaldi may be slightly better if you like more traditional Mexican fare. The dessert, though, was so much better than any restaurant in the area that I'd go back just for that. I'm trying to think of a better dessert I've had recently, and I can't come up with one. Anyway, give it a try. The prices are a little higher than the more traditional Mexican places in the area, but not by a whole lot. Apps range from $7 - $10, entrees from $13 - $23. BYO.

Can you give us a little more info about these? I searched briefly online but all I found were a few Rhubarb pieces on the Foster's site, nothing like what you were using in the photos above. I'm looking to replace my inherited Corelle with something a little nicer looking (and white), but $50 per piece is way off. What does FOH stand for?

If the 'worst experience of my life' I had ever had at a restaurant was being charged twice for a $1.86 cup of coffee, that would be fine with me. For what it's worth, I love breakfast at Famous. My eggs usually come out perfectly over easy, the coffee is decent, and their potato pancakes are great. I'd prefer if they left out the 'free' danish and cookies, since it usually prevents me from getting a side of bacon, but I don't refuse them either. Plus, their carrot cake is the best I've ever had in my life. I bought one as a wedding cake.

Another FYI on Cafe Sud: they are closing permanently after October 1st. I lived in that neighborhood for a while and never did get around to going there, but I was in the area over the weekend and stopped in for breakfast. I wish I would have done so sooner! Everything was fantastic. I had some coconut-crusted french toast. They've been in business for 30 years according to the sign in the window, but this coming Sunday will be their last day.

Several people I know in the Warminster/Hatboro area love Altamonte's, they make the room-temperature, tomato-with-grated-cheese variety.

I haven't been there, but was given a box of their chocolates one time. At least, I think it was a box of chocolates, it disappeared so fast I didn't get a good look at it. They are some of the best chocolates I've ever had, and I'm glad they are kind of far away from me so I can't get them whenever I want.

I was on that corner a few days ago and I looked for this place, but didn't see it. The northwest corner of 9th and Wharton is actually occupied by Pat's, is it on a different intersection?

I have always heard from people who are more fanatical about pies than I am (which isn't hard) that shortening makes for a better crust than butter, and supposedly it lends a better texture to biscuits and scones as well, but I think I'll stick with fats that exist in the natural world. Or as the grandma of some guy on the internets said one time, 'never trust a fat that's solid at room temperature'.

What's hydrodgy shortening? Is this a food allergy issue? ← I imagine it's short for hydrogenated fats, substances not found in nature that have been used for quite a while in processed, manufactured foods in order to maintain their shelf life and save a few pennies for the manufacturer. It's in most baked or fried goods you see at the average supermarket. They are created by forcing teeny tiny hydrogen bubbles into fats that are liquid at room temperature (usually the cheapest ones that happen to be available at the moment), making them more solid at room temperature, and longer-lived. They are also very bad for you, though exactly how bad is the subject of some debate, and also depends on the amount of hydrogenation.

Great, now I'll NEVER find out what Lolita's desserts are like! It was bad enough with Capogiro right across the street..

I think it's more likely that Forbes interviewed her over the phone and just misheard her. I can't imagine anyone who's actually been to Capogiro referring to it as gelatin, but I can definitely imagine someone who's never heard of gelato thinking that they heard 'gelatin'. Before a few years ago I always thought gelato was the half-ice, half-custard concoction you get at Rita's.

You may want to give the Cantina another try. I was there over the weekend and I noticed that the food had improved noticeably from my last visit, maybe 2 months ago. I liked it then, too. Make sure you get the empanadas. Ansill (3rd and Bainbridge) is also new, open for lunch on the weekends, and IMO is better than Amada in every way. Cheaper, too, though I have read on the Amada thread that they do a very reasonable lunch special there. I've only been for dinner.

Damn and here I am thinking I had this great discovery. I am so out of the loop . ← At least you know about it now! I tell anyone who even marginally appreciates beer about the Foodery. They claim to have over 400 different single bottles at the original location (Pine St.) That number seems a little high to me, but I've never counted..

I don't think there's anything around Painter's Crossing that is as good as the options you'd have in Kennett (Sovana Bistro springs to mind). The best place I can think of is Wakita, a Japanese place located in a strip mall, just east of Hooters at the 202/Rt.1 intersection. Their sushi is very good. If you drive up 202 North from there a few miles you'd be in West Chester, there are quite a few good places there, the High Street Cafe is a great cajun place.

Holy cow, that courtyard does look pretty. The food ain't bad, either. Unless I miss my guess, the starch laying underneath that strip steak is israeli couscous. Are they open for lunch? I may have to try it out sooner rather than later.

There is a woman at the Headhouse Square farmer's market (2nd and Lombard, Saturdays 10am - 2pm) who sells maple sugar candy, maple syrup, and her own grass-fed meats, among other things. I can't remember the name of her farm off the top of my head, but she can be picked out by her maple syrup, she sells it in 3 different sizes. I had never had it before a couple weeks ago, so I'm not sure if what she makes is the same as what you've had. It's too sweet for me, which is saying something. I put maple syrup *and* raw sugar on french toast.

Obviously there are quite a few specialty items that are going to come from parts of the country or the world that produce a superior product, like wine or truffles. But there is no reason why apples can't be grown locally instead of shipped in from Argentina, except for the fact that it saves people a few pennies at the checkout. Unfortunately, that's all most people care about. The sad thing is that a lot of people these days have never really tasted a fresh apple that was bred for taste instead of shippability and shelf life. Well, when I buy apples or tomatoes at the Headhouse square farmer's market, they have never seen the inside of an 18-wheeler or a rail car. I can tell by talking to the purveyor exactly how far they have traveled, and how. Unless both he and I are delusional, I guess, or if the market actually exists outside of our reality.

huh? The point is to buy what you can directly from the producer. Failing that, buy it from as close as you can. Buying something that travels on a truck from 100 miles away is much better than buying something that comes on a plane from 7000 miles away, or on a boat from China. Again, huh? I don't understand what you're trying to say. I have only owned a few cars in my life, but I eat food every day. The vast majority of gasoline used in this country is used for transportation, and a good chunk of that is used to transport food, since it's the one thing human beings need the most of (by volume) to survive. Anything you can do to cut down on that consumption helps, and buying local (or as local as possible) helps. How do you figure that huge agribusiness is sustainable? It runs on humongous quantities of petroleum, and puts out enough pollution to create a 5,000 square-mile area in the Gulf of Mexico where no life can exist because of fertilizer runoff.