Mano

I'm not sure I agree with FG on this one. I'm by no means a lazy cook and fully appreciate the notion of using right tool for the right job. But in the matter of tongs, are they necessarily the wrong tool when scooping off a knob of butter or are there simply other tools that are ideally or better suited for a job? No doubt we tend to overuse the tool we use the most and for me they're tongs and a chef's knife, even when a paring knife is the better tool. When in my cooking groove I develop a kind of tunnel vision and forget I may have the perfect tool for the job and by default, use what I have in my hand.

I can see Chang's point. On rare occasions tongs have ripped delicate food so I quickly substitute something else. What are "gravity tongs"? I googled them and came up with gravity bongs. I've never heard of them or smoked pot, buy my friend, Ernie Lundquist, has and he endorses them. Back to gravity tongs. I'd be interested in them, but I don't know that I need a sixth pair of tongs.

I've never been to any of the Steve's but want to take some relatives when they visit me in Bucks County. How does SPofS in Langhorne compare to their Bustleton and Comly locations? I'm assuming they buy their bread and meat from the same purveyors so there shouldn't be a difference. But, as we all know, some people swear one particular location is better because of food prep and other intangibles.

I just learned that Django has closed due to the poor economy and apparently because construction in the area kept people away. It was a great restaurant under both owners. Over the years I dined there 15 or more times and my experiences ranged from the good to the sublime.

After reading this thread about 18 months ago we bought two Unicorn Magnum s 'n p sets, one was given as a gift. After almost 35 years of salt and pepper mill frustration we've found the right ones. They're simple and well engineered. A month ago a piece broke on our pepper mill and when we called Unicorn, they had all our info in their computer. They promptly send a replacement part and we were good to go.

Pete Lorenzo's is the correct answer and description. Before the NJ ban on smoking in public places a buddy and I used to make an annual trip to Lorenzo's to smoke cigars while eating dinner. Yep, taking puffs in between bites, while other smokers and non-smokers sat at adjacent tables. The food is above average but now that smoking is banned I see no reason to return. Chambersburg has some good restaurants, but none are fine dining that I can recall. About 10 years ago I was taken to an Italian restaurant on the outskirts of Trenton situated in a large white house. Lots of Mercedes and Cadillacs in the lot and it was a private club of sorts. My host had an account and I believe he said he paid his tab at the end of each month. IIC, the food was good but the atmosphere was nothing fancy. Exclusivity is important to the OP but sorry that I can't recall the name. As mentioned, just outside of Trenton is Rats, which is probably the best and fanciest place in the area. There are some BYOB's in Lawrenceville, but they are rather loud.

Why it's called "egg cream" when it contains neither is a mystery on the same scale as "who's buried in Grant's Tomb." ← Not sure of the answer in Philly, but in my youth the answer in New York City to "Who's buried in Grant's Tomb?" is "Your mama."

Gnocchi on Passyunk, just off South St. has a very good prix fixe. IIRC it's $35 for three courses including dessert. The best bargain is the veal chop. It's BYOB, which is a big plus.

We shared a "Variety Pack" ($195 for 30 lbs.) from Tussock Sedge and tonight grilled a T-bone and a porterhouse. I'm not a big steak eater and have never tried grass fed beef before, but the two steaks were very good. Both were well marbled and grilled to medium rare, seasoned only with course salt and cracked pepper prior to cooking. The flavor was more subtle and not quite as "beefy" as our usual steaks, purchased either at the super market or the Amish run booth at the local farmer's market. We're in the middle of a kitchen renovation and used plastic utensils and paper plates. Both steaks were quite tender with the porterhouse "cutting like butter" even with plastic knives. Compared to other steaks of similar cut, these had less fat around the edges, but that may have been a benefit of the butchering. The fat around the bones was somewhat gelatinous, compared to the fat found on grain fed beef. Based on this small sample, we all agreed the grass-fed beef was superior to our usual fare. We'll try other cuts and will probably buy more to see if the quality is consistent from one cow to the next. If the quality is consistent, we may get anywhere from a quarter to a whole steer and split it with some friends.

Thanks for your recs. We ended up buying six pies from three different supermarkets all within a mile of each other. The party went easy as pie.

My son wants a variety of pies for his birthday party. Our kitchen is being remodeled so I can't bake and the few bakeries in this area are not that great. From what I saw at Giant, pies aren't cheap and don't look like anything special. Which supermarket bakeries in middle Bucks are the best? Driving any distance is not an option. Wegman's is too far at 30 minutes away. Acme Superfresh Giant Genuardies MCCAFFREYS (Yardley) Shop 'n Bag ????

I'm game if you want to split a cord Jim or perhaps others here might want in too. ← Count me in, too! I ordered wood chunks through the internet but I have a hard time paying for shipping something that should be available locally. A year ago I called Styer's Orchard nearby in Bucks County but could never get through to the right person. I'll try again tomorrow.

Four of us had dinner there sometime last year and while it was good, none of us thought it was a place we'd return to. It was a Saturday night and both the bar and the restaurant were about 50% full. It was a cold evening, as I recall, so maybe folks were staying home.

We made reservations at Caffe Casta Diva and will be going in two weekends. Thursday was our actual anniversary and we went local to Justeat By BrownGold. We used to go regularly but with a price increase a year ago we stayed away. The food was good, as usual and we brought along a special wine, 1994 La Jota 13th Anniversary Cabernet Howell Mountain. The wine had aged as wonderfully as our marriage and we surprised ourselves by drinking almost the entire bottle.

We're celebrating out 25th with a night at the Rittenhouse and the megabrunch the next a.m. My bride would like to try someplace other than Matyson. Surely I should accommodate such an easy request. Thanks for the recs. we've been to several and have always wanted to try others, Caffe Casta Diva, in particular.

We'd like to try someplace other than Matyson (which we love).

Time to vent. I left three messages at snackbar over the past week to make reservations for four for tonight (4/27). No calls back despite a very pleasant voice message that they return calls promptly. Another call was answered last night but I was told no reservations were taken for parties of less than six. The person was clearly busy and rushed so I left it at that. Still, it didn't sound right so I called back today and was told they'd be "glad to hold a table for four" for tonight. They didn't ask for my name or any identifying information. The food sounds terrific and I love supporting Philadelphia's restaurants, but I'm going to give someone else my hard-earned money. FWIW, the website and voice mail indicates brunch is served Saturday and Sunday even though it's not.

I found CaliPoutine's thread from August. All the information there and in this thread leads me to conclude the decision is a personal one and depends on how one uses their sink in real life. A really big single bowl best fits how we use the sink. I could get a 36" sink base and locate a double bowl with one huge side and one skinny side. But the 36" would throw the design off. Moreover, I haven't seen a double bowl that would accommodate lots of pots and large baking pans. I'm buying the Ticor S112. Thanks all!

That's exactly the sink I'm looking at, the s112. A behemoth with a bowl size: 29-1/2" x 16-1/4" Depth: 10”. You obviously like it, but do ever find it to be unwieldy? Good idea about combining the threads.

I was wondering who would be the first to get this ball rolling!

We're designing a kitchen and are inclined to buy a large single sink as we do a fair amount of entertaining. We've always had a single basin and a 28x19" single sink can accommodate large pans for soaking and piles of dishes. But most of what's for sale out there are double sinks. The times I wish I had a double are when I'm washing wine glasses and would like to have a rinse basin. What's your experience?

I had the same reaction so I read page 67 carefully. "Three restaurant critics with almost 50 years of eating in the region, and 1,000-plus meals in the past 12 months alone...defining what makes a restaurant 'best' was the subject of months of debate. We took into account food, atmosphere and service... amorphous ideas like value, consistency, identity and ambition. And every once in a while, we simply found ourselves charmed, as foodies often are, by bold ideas... we argued (narrowing) 8,000 restaurants to 80... then 50" I appreciate the obvious effort that went into the article. However, IMO the results accurately reflected the criteria; a sometimes jumbled hit and miss venture. FWIW, I love reading about restaurants, but I stopped reading The Philly Mag 50 after the first six reviews. No doubt I'll go back and read more as I spend time each morning in my "office."

1. Go to Ace Hardware and get a Brinkman Electric Gourmet smoker for $65. Lowes, Home Depot and Amazon (if you want it delivered) should price match. Get some wood chips for smoking (apple, cherry, oak or whatever is sold by the bag, but not mesquite; it's too harsh). I ordered my wood on line. 2. Make a batch of rub that should last about eight racks of ribs: 3/4 cup table salt 2 cups brown sugar, dried 10 teaspoons chili powder 6 teaspoons ground cumin 4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground 4 teaspoon granulated garlic powder 4 teaspoon onion powder Feel free to fiddle with the above recipe by adding dry mustard, lemon pepper, ground basil etc. Or do a Google search and make any of the dozens of rubs that may strike your fancy. 3. Buy ribs on sale at $2/lb. Remove membrane from back of ribs using a paper towel to grip. 4. Rub ribs with rub. 5. Smoke ribs in the Brinkman until they reach an internal temperature of 160 F. 6. Set ribs in foil, add a cup or so of apple juice to return some moisture to the meat and wrap. 7. Place in oven or back in the smoker until ribs are 172 F. 8. Unwrap ribs and cook on grill or smoker to get a slight crust on the ribs. Should take no more that 10-15 minutes. 9. Serve with rib sauce on the side. 10. Eat, drink and be merry. 11. Smoke a good cigar and say "thanks" when everyone kvels, "these are the best ribs...!

I remember you! You were the kid in elementary school who would remind the teacher that she hadn't assigned any homework!