Mano

I'm picking up a friend at Newark Airport 6 a.m. on Memorial Day and driving to the Dream hotel, which I believe is on West 55th. We'll be spending the day in the city catching up on almost 20 years. What breakfast, lunch and dinner recommendations do you have? I'm sure we wouldn't mind taking a cab or subway someplace, but walking distance of a mile or two is fine. Nothing fancy and I'll probably be leaving before 5 p.m. to Philly, so dinner may not happen. Thanks!

There was a recent thread here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=98349&st=90

A very good bargain and a Specialty Selection wine is FETISH THE WATCHER SHIRAZ 04. At $10 it is about half price of other on-line sellers. Four of us enjoyed a bottle on Friday along with braised beef. I was a little surprised everyone preferred it to the 1999 Hanna cab we also served. Yesterday, I bought a case as one of my summertime "house wines."

Agree about the noise level and I hope it was indeed an off night. We have found the food to be great both times we've gone but the space really is confining and the noise is bad. I'd go again for sure but maybe early or late on a weekend night or perhaps midweek. You should try it again, must be a reason why so many people who post here and others travel so far to eat there. ← If you'd said this to me two weeks ago I would've seriously considered it, but since going to Andiamo (right next door to No. 9) I've had an epiphany which leads me to conclude I won't. Several friends raved about Andiamo and we went with two of them. Reasonable sound level and good service, but all four of us were dissatisfied with the food! My wife and I had worked in the restaurant biz years ago, so we're very forgiving of faults and understand how hard a business it is. We also realize most small bistro type places are a labor of love. Two of us had the fish (cod?) and while it was a fairly large piece and adequately cooked, it lacked much flavor and the putenesca was bland; again, I've made better. Both of us left over more than half and I noticed two other patrons did the same. The third person complained his crab ravioli was dry and lacking in flavor. My wife's shrimp dish was average and at $28 for seven shrimp, was overpriced. Prices were high! Our fish was $28 and they charge $24-26 for pasta and chicken. I believe the chef/owner Jean Giunta, takes pride in her food but it simply wasn't very good. The couple who recommended the place were apologetic. Mayson charges about the same as No. 9 and Andiamo, but there's no comparison in the food. The epiphany is that I'm realizing that there are a lot of BYO's that charge a lot and don't deliver the goods. In the past year, I've been to restaurants throughout Bucks county, in Philadelphia and in Montco and have left feeling let down after spending $50/person, for food only. Is anyone else feeling the same way?

I believe it's not so much the customer base has left, but the Italians themselves. The immigrant Italians and their second generation children lived locally and had their restaurants and other businesses there. They got old, retired or passed away. The third and fourth generation children prospered in different ways and moved to the suburbs. While some remain, most have little interest in running "the family business." That's certainly true here in Philadelphia. I have fond memories of going to the Feast of San Gennaro in NYC during the late 1960's. I passed through a few years ago and the local flavor was gone, both literally and figuratively. At the time my sister and her Italian fiance lived in Chinatown, two blocks from Little Italy. They'd buy cheeses, olive oil and some items from the Italian shops, but for eating out, they thought the food wasn't worth it. Until they moved way uptown I could always count on great Chinese take-out whenever I was there.

Four of us ate there about six months ago. So loud it's uncomfortable. Good waiter. Food was fair, at best. Their trademark short ribs were a bit dry and when my wife and I agree that we've made better, we know this is not a place we'd go back to. The other two people are very easy to please, but they thought it wasn't very good. Maybe it was an off night?

Probably one or more lawyer types will chime in, but it appears this is a small claims issue. It makes sense that when you went to the restaurant and were told they had the items but wouldn't give them to you, they then assumed responsibility. If it were my laptop the larger "cost" would be in what's stored on it, not the hardware. Hope you backed everything up. Also hopefully you'll reach an equitable settlement. If it's Osteria or a restaurant you really like maybe they'll pay you back in meals.

Do they have a cover charge on Tuesdays?

Sometimes CS wines are distributed to stores in western PA a week or two before they're released in the SE part of the state. So, unless it was already in the local stores and sold out, be patient. Not surprisingly, the sought after wines sell out quickly here, while they sit on the shelves out west.

That is a huge stretch to say "most" and "many". Don't try to elevate the program to something it is not. ← Perhaps I wasn't clear in my post. I was talking specifically about the people in my wine and dinner group. Getting back to original topic of this thread, does anyone have some good PCLB recs?

I'm fortunate to be part of a wine and dinner group that is as likely to serve Cos d'Estrournel and numerous other "serious" wines as they are CS wines. We're all reasonably serious about wines and interestingly, the most knowledgeable collectors have high regard for many CS wines.

Of all the stats for Conti to mention... My guess is that Newman was spending far more than 2% (20%?) of his time on the Chairman's program and that the $2 million advertising budget was mostly for that program. The article also said that following the practice of supermarkets, products will be placed on shelves according to popularity as opposed to the current practice of placing higher priced items at eye level. I don't blame the LCB for wanting to increase revenue, and it makes sense that high volume sales of lower priced items account for most of the profit. I just don't want the shift in focus to be at the expense of the Chairman's Selections. No reason we can't have both.

Either that, or move to NJ and don't look back. If you do remain in PA, don't visit Napa. Even their mom-and-pop groceries have wines we'll never see here. You'll end up frustrated, much as someone traveling first class with frequent-flier miles. Next flight you're back in coach and will be for the foreseeable future. Mr. C. do you think anyone on this forum likes the current PCLB system? We may like The Chairman's Selections, which offer very good values on many good and some very good wines. The few outstanding wines sell out quickly. Give me Canals any day of the week. My kids stopped groaning every return trip from NYC because I taught them the meaning of the phrase "tough noogies" when we pulled into Canals on Rt. 1. One good thing about the current system is that outstanding wines cost the same even after Parker and his ilk rates them a 95. Upon release, my '94 Insignia cost $38 and 1990 Cos d'Estournel probably less here in PA while in NJ the prices were double and triple after WA or WS were published. Yet for every situation like that and every CS bargain there are dozens of over-priced and unavailable wines that are easily purchased in NJ and Delaware. While many of your points have been made here for years and will be repeated for years to come, your vitriolic rants have become the focus of my attention, at least. Maybe it's because as a mental health professional that I'm not bothered by the local characters who buy their pint of Vladimir. Or maybe it's because I rarely see them as my Wine and Spirits Shoppe in homogeneous upscale Bucks County has only Smelly Sherman and two or three other homeless psychotics who self-medicate with alcohol. Either way, they pay sales tax the same as you and me. Edit: James, you obviously know a lot about wine and I'm always eager to learn more. No doubt, it would benefit all of us here if you gave EG the best of what you have to offer instead of the worst.

Mr. Colablelli, I believe the question was simply, have you tasted the wine? As far as the Chapoutier La Sizeranne is concerned, I thought it was good, but nothing to write home about. Never having tasted ass, I'll defer to your experience. Dennis, +3 The Girl and the Fig (I believe the owner is from the Philly area). For lunch, definitely Taylor's Refresher. We had excellent meals at the Chandon winery and a place called The Back Porch. We also ate at the CIA, which is staffed by students and professionals and was very good. Next door to the Back Porch was a more upscale restaurant with an Italian name, but was a bit disappointing for the money. At the Back Porch and the Girl and the Fig, we brought our own wine and paid corkage. If you're willing to make the drive from Sonoma to Napa, check out the Glenn Ellen Inn, which is a terrific place to stay. Ask for the cottage with the Jacuzzi. In the morning take a walk up the hill to Jack London State Park. Finally, if you know anyone in the wine biz, do what you can to have them arrange for you to attend winery tours for those in the trade.

The politically motivated negative press and the poor treatment Newman's been receiving by the politico's is further proof that politics is a contact sport.

Sorry, CP west. Compass or Telepan look promising. So does Pasha, but reservations for six are limited. I'll review Eatmywords' list of BYO's

Good questions. I'm from Philly but go to NYC regularly so I realize "reasonable" is mid $20's for an entree. Type of restaurant is open. My dining companions are used to me taking them to different places they wouldn't ordinarily frequent. I'd rather avoid any place that serves monkey, or something equally exotic. Corkage is fine.

Looking for a reasonably priced restaurant located nearby 62nd and Central Park. I'd prefer a BYOB but it's by no means necessary. I'll do a search as well. Thanks in advance for your input.

Newman has done some great things for the PCLB and I've heard he has a good palate for wine, but wine making/blending is out of his league. He indicated he selected the wines for the Chairman's Selections and rejected 75% of the wines offered. There were few klunkers, and overall they were good and occassionally outstanding wines, regardless of price. I wonder if he had input from a wine professional? Conti and the new member (name please?) need to hire a professional buyer/taster for future Chairman's Selections.

With Conti, Rendell gets considerable political currency as the Republicans will look upon the appointment favorably and the Dems aren't too upset by it. Newman had little political clout, but did a great job. My guess is that he'll go to the private sector and make considerably more than the $65K he was earning. He certainly deserves it.

I concur. What I'm about to post is based on second hand information from people I know, but who also have known Newman for quite some time, and some who know Conti. Chairman Newman, by most all accounts, is a savy businessman who has a pretty big ego and who has the ability to rub the right people the wrong way. He's also revolutionized the PCLB system in positive ways. (FWIW, I've asked many different State Store clerks what they think of him and the responses have been glowing). Conti has a pretty big ego and is also a savy businessman who tends to stroke the same people the right way. Rendell, IMO is a good governor and is generally a pragmatist. One doesn't get to be governor of PA without a pretty big ego. However, he's shot himself in the foot more than once because of his emotional reactiveness. In this matter, some time ago Newman made it clear to Rendell that HE wanted the CEO position, but reportedly, the two tended to clash. Rendell's appointment of Conti is his answer to the Chairman. It's no different than the internal political maneuverings of any big corporation.

And for fast food: Popeyes. White Castle. Need I say more? Edited to add postscript: Nonetheless, I must agree that a big-city downtown with nothing but national chain restaurants is not my idea of a dining destination. ← Just In 'N Out Burger! I sure am glad they're pretty much only in California, otherwise I'd weigh about 350 lbs.

What they're saying is judge a restaurant based on its own merits and don't generalize. Evil? I don't know about that. Restaurants are good or bad or someplace in between. I had a business lunch at an Olive Garden in Pittsburgh last Tuesday. The food was fair, not bad. The staff and service was pleasant and attentive. The noise level was better than at most places. Mediocre, yes, evil no.

This Saturday? You mean tomorrow? I don't know if you'd be able to get a reservation at one of the better places unless it's at 5:30 or 9:30. Anywhere in between, try someplace with 100 or more seats and bring along president Grant or Ben Franklin to slip to the right person.

Bona Terra in Sharpsburg and Vivo in Bellevue are two of the best restaurants in town AND they are BYOB. There was an article not too long ago in the P-G that listed most of the BYOB restaurants in town. I would be up for a Pittsburgh eGullet evening. ← I'm from Philly, but will be in Pittsburg in a few weeks. What is the "P-G" so I may look up the BYOB's. Thanks