philadining

I know this is too late for you this time, Victor, but The Black Lab in Phoenixville is not doing lunch or brunch right now, supposedly concentrating on dinners. There's a new Nudie's in town that does breakfast and brunch, but I haven't made it there yet.

Sorry, no pics of chocolate being drunk from human skulls, but how's this?

So, what do you do when waiting for some eGulleteers on a delayed Chinatown Bus? Drop in to David's Mai Lai Wah for some silly cocktails, that's what. For you aficionados of Trader Vic's-style tropical drinks, that's a Fogcutter on the left, and a Zombie on the right. At least I think it was a Fogcutter, I have no idea what that drink is supposed to be, I just liked the sound of it. And the guy making it didn't seem to sure either. All I know is that both drinks were STRONG, like, pure alcohol, and about 6 bucks... When downing a Zombie, or a Fogcutter, it's only prudent to get a little buffer in the stomach, maybe some fried dumplings. The dumplings themselves were nice and fresh, with great filling, and a satisfying crispness, but the thing that sends these into the realm of a Chinatown Highlight is the ginger sauce that's served with them. We're pretty sure it's just fresh ginger, ground up with some sesame oil. Maybe some scallion. Really nice topping for the dumplings, maybe with a splash of vinegar, or a drip of chile oil.

You know, you get a little taste, it's hard to stop... Roast Pork Noodle Soup Steamed Dumplings Whole Peking Duck (pt 1) Peking Duck (pt 2) Sauteed Snow Pea Greens with Garlic All of it, just spot-on delicious tonight!

I stumbled across a surprising sandwich at the West Chester Restaurant Festival: a Beef on Kimmelweck This was a very good version, featuring better-quality beef than most I've had up around Buffalo NY, where they originated, but it was otherwise very authentic: wet with jus, served with horseradish. They were being served up by The Whip Tavern in Coatesville. The chef said he gets his rolls from Wegmans, after a smaller, independent baker couldn't keep up, but they make a pretty good version of the roll, so that's no problem. It's on their regular menu, both lunch and dinner, and the chef says he's selling a ton of them. All in all, an excellent sandwich, and perhaps not native to this area, but it's great to know one can get one around here.

Cross-posted in the RTM thread, but I figured the pics belonged here too... Special Italian Hoagie Grilled Chicken with Broccoli Rabe and Fresh Mozzerella Both from Carmen's Hoagies in the Reading Terminal market. (rolls from Liscio's)

Needed a quick Philly experience for an out-of-town friend, and a Hoagie seemed like the right thing. The line was too long at Salumeria, and I've been wanting a Carmen's hoagie for a while now, so we hit Carmen's. Any questions about who makes their rolls? I opted for a special italian, whcih was great, just the right balance of elements for my taste. My friend was intrigued by the grilled chicken with broccoli rabe and fresh mozzerella, apparently he doesn't see sandwiches quite like this in SanFrancisco. He loved it... The terminal was jumping mid-day saturday, with huge crowds everywhere, but the line wasn't bad at Carmen's, and we got our sandwiches in about 10 minutes, not bad, considering... Really good hoagies, and worth the wait.

Wow, has it really been almost a year since anyone reported on this place? I'd been meaning to go since those earlier posts, but every time I think of it, they've been closed, Sundays mostly... But we finally had the opportunity after discovering that Giwa closes at 7:30, but still jonesing for Korean food. At about 8pm on a saturday, there were only a couple of tables full, but it filled up completely soon after. Apparently the funky exhaust tubes were working well, there were people grilling near us, but I noticed no smoke. As noted above the banchan are a little sparse compared to some places, but they're good enough. We started with a large order of dumplings, which they were nice enough to make half and half pork with kimchee and vegetable. These had very delicate, thin, tender wrappers, and good fillings. Next was a Dolsot BiBimBap, with spicy pork. The pork wasn't especially spicy, but the dish itself was very tasty, and with some of the chile sauce stirred-in it had a bit of a kick. But the best part, of course, was the crust on the rice, from continuing to cook in the hot stone bowl. We also indulged in a Spicy Galbi Tang, a stew of shortribs and cabbage. This stayed nice and hot in its stone bowl. It was not all that spicy either, all in all the spicing of everything we had was pretty tame, even the kimchee, but still tasted good. The large chunks of shortribs were still pretty chewy, but the broth was absolutely delicious. Even though the food was not quite as hot as many Korean meals I've had, it was a nice touch that they left a pitcher of water on the table. But were rather amused by the brand name of the container. In fact, Katie couldn't get a certain image out of her head.... All in all, it was a very enjoyable meal, and I'll go back to try some more, probably to grill something. It wasn't the most amazing Korean food I've ever had, but I liked it.

I'll third the recommendations for Nan, but point out that it's at 40th and Chestnut... I also like Marigold, Pod and White Dog, as well as Vientiane, Dhalak, and of course, Koch's Deli.

Good thought, I've had very good sushi at Pod, and they're open later than some, but not all that late: Mon-Thr till 11pm, Fri and Sat until midnight, Sun until 10pm. www.podrestaurant.com

Indeed, it's been too long, but it was nice at least having a virtual dinner with ya Mummer! (And continuing a theme from my post above: for those who were wondering, Beef Chow Fun is very difficult to eat while driving. )

Raw might fit the bill, on some days, www.rawlounge.net The website says they're open until 10 sun-wed, till 11 thr-sat, "Late Night Food Service Fridays and Saturdays" But I don't know how late you could actually get sushi on most nights. Greg? Sam?

We'd actually meant to try one of the 800 other Mexican places that opened up in the last few weeks, but the one we picked showed a surprising absence of vegetarian options, a requirement of our crew that night, so we headed back to this favorite. There are not lots of vegetarian choices here, but a few... such as... Vegetarian Nachos and Vegetable Enchiladas The nachos were a little bland, but perked up nicely with a few splashes of the provided salsas. The enchiladas got a thumbs up, with a note that they actually had a pretty assertive jalapeno kick. The more carnivorous of us indulged in Sopes al Pastor The puffy, crunchy tortillas were really good, as was the moderately spicy porky filling. It's not on the menu, but sometimes, if you ask, they have Menudo This was a huge bowl of almost florescent red broth, with plenty of tender tripe. The lime and cilantro really balanced it out nicely. Good stuff all around. One of these times we'll remember that we really don't need nachos or anything else to start, the portions are all quite filling.

Grabbed some take-out late last night (although not that late, they close at 10:30pm during the week). Fried Dumplings Much easier to eat in the car than their steamed counterparts, and they kind of have to be eaten on the way home, they get pretty soggy if you wait. Roast Pork Noodle Soup This was still nice and hot when I got home. And I swear their broth just gets better and better later as the evening progresses, maybe it's been concentrating all day, this was just outrageously good. Just look at that color. General Tso's Chicken This is the only place I order this cliché of a dish, but it's really good here, and when you get it to go, they're cool enough to package the sauce separately, so the light breading on the chicken stays crisp. Of course it's better to eat it there, seconds out of the oil, but hey, take-out is better than nothing. It would probably be delicious to occasionally dip strips into the sauce and munch on them during the drive home, while it's nice and hot and crunchy, but I wouldn't know.... that would be wrong.

Then, the main event... accompanied by: I feel like we barely put a dent in the roast pork that was provided, but then, there are worse things in the world than having leftovers to take home! You'd think we would have learned after last time, but if I were to do it again, I'd suggest having much less tapas to start, maybe one or two things: a cheese plate or charcuterie sampler or something, so we could concentrate more on the roast pork, which was excellent, by the way.... Big fun, good food, nice seeing/meeting everybody. Thanks for making it happen, Diann!

But first, some foreplay... This was entirely too much Tapas, given the huge pile of pork that was to come, but it was well-chosen by our excellent waiter. The Croquettas de Bacalao seemed like they had a bit more cod than previous versions, which is a good thing... But the winner was the shortrib flatbread, I could have eaten that all night...

It must be love....

Indeed she did! When's that book coming out?

With all this great sweet corn this summer, I can't stop making that corn soup. I followed Shola's basic instructions, but with the wkl twist: I steeped the cobs for a while too.... Karen, get yourself a fine sieve, even if it's not a super-expensive chinoise, it'll make a big difference. Or if you're patient, put some cheesecloth in your strainer. I can't remember what make mine is, but it's not a big professional chinoise, and still strains finely enough that I get a nice smooth texture. This time I poured the soup around some sautéed wild mushrooms. Just a perfect summer dish. Followed it up with another SK-inspired dish, the "green bean" risotto (with peas and edamame.) I couldn't resist tossing in some of the wild mushrooms, and left out the crab that Shola put in his, so that I could add some cheese. As a result, it ended up not quite as pretty of a color as Shola's, and obviously not nearly as elegant, but it was pretty darn tasty, if you'll forgive the self-congratulations.... Only a frail simulation of the transcendent dishes we've had at SK, but not bad on a summer night...

Roti Canai Tom Yum with Chicken Thai Mango Salad with Barbecue Squid Hainanese Chicken with Rice Aqua Tofu Sizzling Beef with Black Pepper Deep Fried Striped Bass in Belacan Sauce

Who knew that Franklin Fountain had pie? I couldn't manage even a bite, i was still way too stuffed from brunch at Carman's, but it got a good review from the DP. I stuck with a refreshing, fresh-tasting Limeaide

Well, we had the cash, so we decided to speak with Carman in various languages this morning... OK, I forgot what was in the omelet, but three eGulleteers seemed to like it, so I'll bet they can fill you in. I really enjoyed the bite of sausage I managed to steal from Katie... Carman's French toast is always outrageously good, and this was no exception, topped with peaches and figs. Yes, that slice of Challah was bigger than my head. Cornmeal-crusted Conch and Eggs, with a side of Pancetta. I'll admit this is the first time that I've ever seen this on a menu, but I'm glad I got to try it, the bite I stole was very tasty. As always, enough food to provision us for a couple of days, and delicious. (And by the way, don't mess with Carman, she's had Uzi training....)

I don't think you can go wrong with either Standard Tap or North Third, and on a summer thursday neither should be a madhouse. I've always been happy at both of those places. I had a very nice meal at Deuce a few months ago. I read that the chef has left in the intervening time, but someone assured me it's much the same. Also worth thinking about is Las Casuelas, nice Mexican between 4th and 5th on Girard (426 west Girard). It's not fancy, but more elegant Mexican than your basic taqueria. Then again, if you're in the mood for a basic taqueria, that same family runs Taco Riendo just a block north of Girard on 5th (1301 North 5th) If you have vegetarians in your midst, Azure, just a few doors north of the Standard Tap, on second, has some good veggie options, as well as plenty of meat dishes as well, many of which seem vaguely tropical, probably just right on a summer evening. And it's probably a little more fancy and pricier than you're thinking of, but Sovalo (702 n 2nd - just a block or two south of the Tap on 2nd) has good Italian, always a safe bet for the less-adventurous diners. I haven't heard a thing about Liberties in years... anybody been recently? (And yeah, Julie Cruise the cruise director would make for a surreal vacation, I'm sure. Slo-Mo shuffleboard on deck 5....)

There's an email link on their website, maybe one of you should ask!

Just some more pork porn, courtesy of Tony Luke's Hey, anybody know if they'd care if you brought beer to Tony Luke's? I'm thinking to avoid the rowdiness, they might prefer not, but sometimes a beer is required with a nice pork sandwich. Almost went to the Tap...