Capaneus

Wow. Talk about pitching into my wheelhouse. In order, then: - I do confront inappropriately noisy adults, but then I seem to be comfortable with higher levels of confrontation than most people. Wouldn't expect most folks to, and only bring it up to establish my bona fides. - The equation of "squealing 9 month old" with other patrons only applies if said patrons are prone to screaming fits and the random periodic emission of fecal effluvia. - I was born and raised in Portugal. Which is why I know that the comparison is specious. The overwhelming majority of "dining out" in the Old Country does not fit the American notion of "fine dining". If anything, it's closer in ambiance to a coffee shop, rowdy, smoky, loud and extremely casual. In my experience, fine dining establishments did exist. They were convenient settings for business dinners, and generally well-oiled money-extracting devices. Not a place anyone would ever take their kids, unless they could also afford to take the nurse, the nanny and a laundry staff. The other difference, though (and I'm probably about to raise some hackles) is that babies are much, much less likely to misbehave in Lisbon than they are in Philadelphia. Make of that what you will. Except for Max, of course.

Glad to hear about Esposito's. Makes three reasons to head back. The thing about the mangos is that I didn't even see the stuff on tables except at the one vendor. And they were definitely not asking if people wanted lime juice and chili powder: I had to gesticulate wildly to convince them to juice mine up.

I might have another go-round tomorrow and do them two. Who had the turbo-corn?

O-tay. Just got back from a couple of hours at the Festival with a couple of friends. Mixed bag, overall. Starting with the good stuff: - Porchetta at Canulli's, $6. If you catch them in a good mood, you go around the back and ask for extra skin. If you're not up to that, be sure to get some juice from one of the pans on the side. Can be a bit dry without. - Soft shell crab at Anastasi, $5. I was afraid it would be a bit soggy from sitting around, but no: crisp batter, and then a briny, squirt of crabbiness hits your tongue. Deelish. - Sorrento's ricotta cream in a cone, free. Yummier than any of the canolli fillings I tried, except - The mascarpone canolli at Isgro's, $3.50. A bit steep, but hey, extra chocolate dipping for the shell. - The fudge on a small table just North of Christian, $12/lb, buy 1lb get 1/2lb free. But free samples: I was tempted to just walk back and forth in front of that booth all morning. My better angels won out, bought a 1/lb. Who knew I had better angels? And then the not so good stuff: - Not one single Vietnamese vendor. In fact, no Asian vendor of any kind. Technically, you can go into O's and get a bahn mi. But you don't need a festival for that, and they don't have a street presence. - For that matter, many fewer Mexican vendors than I expected. Taquitos de Puebla did set up on the sidewalk, but they don't seem to have quite figured out the whole portability thing, which is weird, since tacos are such street food at heart. In fact, I couldn't even get someone's attention. No-one seemed to register unless they were seated at the two small counter/table spaces. The only other (presumably) Mexican booth was selling some sort of corn-and-mozarella ickiness. For $6 . As *if*. And, speaking of Mexican issues, - Not one of the other Festival patrons I saw eating mangoes-on-a-stick had gotten the lime and pepper tratment. In fact, most of the vendors I saw didn't even have pepper on their tables. I got one that had, but even then I had to ask for it. In mime, yet. Oughta be a law, I tell ya. - Generally, most of the stuff I saw, you could get ambling around peacefully on a Tuesday morning. Only pricier. Still, much to like. The porchetta with extra skin could carry me through a solid week of Purgatory all on its lonesome. Enjoy!

Piece of cake, Ian. Piece o' cake. First, shop the website before you go in. The current Chairman Selections can be found at http://www.lcb.state.pa.us/webApp/Product_..._Selections.asp Use these to narrow down your interests. Not sure what resources you have access to, but some info on any given wine can usually be found by searching the Web. Note prices, then go to a website like www.wine-searcher.com and scout out prices around the country. If you like what you see, go back to th CSs list. By clicking on the stock number, you will go to the the Product Search site for that particular item. Select a county to search, and the search will tell you how much of the wine is available at all Premium Selection stores in your area. Go, buy, drink. Sorry if any of this is old news, just thought it would be useful to put down a step-by-step. The tricky part, of course, is finding reliable evaluations of wines you are curious about. Price searches are useful, to a point, but at some point you'll probably have to try wine forums like eGullet's own, or Mark Squiers' at eRobertParker.com, and just ask the masses. Unless, of course, you have access to a publication you trust. Even with that, you'll still find many wines that just haven't been mentioned. At that point, give a friend a call, buy a bottle, and find a BYOB. I'm often available

Ah. Didn't know it was a policy, just thought it was a judgement call for the manager. In retrospect, it did seem to change simultaneously at several stores. Personally, I hate it, because I shop particularly for the Selections. I suspect the move is designed to generate more foot traffic throughout the store. Doesn't really make sense, though: either you don't know about the CSs, in which case you aren't likely to seek them out, or you do, in which case you most likely prefer the ease of finding them all together. Still, it's always been the case that some of the wines wandered a bit.

Huh. Went to Fuji last week, and... well, we started with sushi, which was fine, not terribly original, but fresh and well-prepared. For an entree, I had the lamb loin. That was also good-quality, and essentially unharmed by preparation (which is higher praise than you might think). But the sides were... well, unpleasant. I forget exactly what they were, but I have a clear memory of overcooked vegetables. At the time, I blamed the problem on a) going on a Friday; b) the much larger space being something the kitchen needs top grow into; and c) that I should have ordered the omakase. a) and b) may still be the case, but dagordon's experience certainly makes me wonder about c). Also, there's the fact that the omakase has wowed me progressively less and less over the last few years. I flattered myself that that was because of my increasingly sophisticated palate. Now I wonder about that as well.

Prime Rib has BYO Sundays. Quite the buy, particularly when coupled with their $30 early-bird prix fixe. Course, we guys have to wear jackets.

I think the point is being missed here: the article has to be read as a *rejoinder* to the original. She took Philadelphia to task for a number of inadequacies. Now she is, as far as a New Yorker knows how, apologizing (back off: I like NooYawkas). We need to look at the things she is crediting as answers to the points originally made - and street food didn't come into it. Personally, whatever I felt about the actual assessments (and I don't generally believe in being agreeable), her central point is essentially one I thoroughly endorse: we may not be set up to entertain the upper financial, percentile - no-one besides a half-dozen metropolises worldwide really is. But we can feed the rest of us just beautifully.

Medjool is usually a type of date, and I know I've seen it as a flavor at CG before. Although for all I know Medjool figs might be a flavor too. If you did have Mejool Dates and Cream Cheese as a combination though, I think I'll have to take my girlfriend for a slice of her childhood. Her father used to make that as a sandwich for her lunch in elementary school. She loved it, but it didn't have much trade in value in comparison to a Twinkie. ← It's Medjool dates and cream cheese. Mostly it's sweet cream cheese: the dates are in fairly large chunks and pretty widely spaced. I had two chunks in my serving, but I can easily imagine not getting any. Liked it, and it went well with the other flavor I had that night... something citrusy, can't recall what.

Recent visit to MK, which continues to greatly please. Our selections were unfortunately identical, since they were out of the lamb Ms. Tatin enjoyed: we started with the seetbreads with crispy chicken skin and tahina, which were delicious, the chicken skin adding a crisp, rich crackle to the luscious, creamy morsels. No mushrooms to confuse the unwary. For entrees, we both got the Crawfish and Black Walnut-Stuffed Chicken Breast with Fava and Sorrel (end quote). The chicken was quite good, surprisingly earthy given the crawfish, but delicious. The side was actually what seemed like Israeli couscous, flavored with sorrel and studded with bright-green beans. This, I felt, seemed the one mistep in our meal: the couscous and fava beans were slightly overcooked, which is death with favas, and with sorrel not having the sort of flavor that would liven them up, the whole became an indistinct starch stew. This did not work well with the chicken, which also had an earthy flavor profile that would have played much better off a contrasting side dish. If I may be permitted an overgeneralization, I felt this particular problem highlighted something I've felt about Chef Solomonov's cooking: he seems to prefer complementary flavors to sharp contrast. In the appetizer, this worked to perfection, the richness of the chicken skin blending with the sweetbreads, with the contrasting textures adding a further dimension. Even then, the dish did have the earthy, nutty tehina to ground it, which I thought was an important element. In our entree, however, I thought the chicken would have benefitted from some highlighting contrast, either from a more clearly vegetal side, or from some acidic element. Eliminating the couscous and serving the favas alone might have accomplished that. As it was, the dish appeared muddled to the palate, lacking definition, as the several components blended to no great gain. Still, any minor letdown was soon dispelled, as Chef sent out a complimentary cheese plate that was easily the best I've had in a long time. Allow me to linger: Tavor, an Israeli sheep's milk; with honeyed halvah; Testun, goat Italian; with argan oil; Nevat, Spanish goat; with a date-walnut spread; Laguiole, cow's milk, French; with apple butter; Carls Roquefort, a French sheep's blue; with sour cherry compote. The fact that it was an unexpected treat may have played into our enjoyment, as might the wine, though we were drinking in moderation. But neither quite accounts for how much we did enjoy the cheeses, as each pairing sparkled, and the thoughtful progression highlighted each selection as it built on its predecessor. A truly outstanding course. Really. Tempers frayed and cutlery was brandished as selections dwindled, with some close tine-and-blade misses. At some point I, was told that the remaining Roquefort was spoken for, and no complaints would be entertained. Fortunately, we were soon delightfully soothed: desserts, as Tarte Tatin pointed out, were superb as well (which has, in my experience, become a hallmark of the restaurant). We had the lemon tart and the halvah semifreddo. Being partial to fruit desserts, I felt the sharp, fresh bite of the lemon custard was hard to beat, but feelings across the table were just as strong for the semifreddo, so you'll just have to check for yourself. A thoroughly outstanding meal, from a deliciously assured kitchen.

the last couple of times i was at sahara grill, the meat entrees were pretty bad. like, overcooked to the point where it seemed like they'd had things grilled up already, and put them back on the grill to reheat. the other stuff was good though. i've wondered about that place for a while now, but have never been. is it good? ← Yes. Sort of. The food is consistently well executed, but not exactly revolutionary. And pricier than you'd expect, unless you're smart enough to factor in location. They do run little special deals on a fairly regular basis, and some of them lower the bar enough that I end up there occasionally.

I think the PLCB has decided, corporately speaking, to no longer speak to us. Understandable, really, reading this thread of late. Not a whole lotta love.

Surely you mean open-mouthed, Professore? For me, the cheesesteak at John's is a Bush Moment type thing. As in , "How can they all not see how right I am?" Easily my favorite iteration of said foodstuff. Ironically, not a big fan of their roast pork.

Not quite: the program has been split in three, according to price range. The Sommelier's Suggestions thingie is the high-end offerings, $29.99 and over. One tricky part is that the low-end offerings will (supposedly) not be showing up at the Specialty stores. Unless they revise the website, I'm not sure about how to even know those exist, let alone track them. The items in the Sommelier's Suggestion program are listed with the Chairman Selections on the website, and so are those under $9.99/btl. But I haven't run into any of the cheaper wines that are not available at Specialty stores. Anyone?

Taken care of. Now I'll sit back and feel the hate

Great! I'm all for memorializing anarcho-syndicalist proto-terrorist organizations sticking the odd ounce of lead to the Man. And beer, of course.

I believe it was just because he was quoting Matt. Not really necessary, but I think that was all it was, not to denote uncertainty.

Oddly enough, the steak at Melograno is excellent. Not what I'd usually order there, but there you are. I don't remember the price exactly, but I believe it's somewhere in the low-to-mid-twenties.

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. ← Thanks - that's my hope as there does seem to be a lot of it out there. Still don't know why it went from the Up-coming CS list to being in the stores but not on the In-store CS list - not a big deal, but indicative of the inventory issues. Guess we'll never see the state-wide virtual store with all temp-controlled storage Speaking of distribution patterns, I watched a couple of great (relative) deals - 2003 Pegau Da Capo and 2002 Shafer Hillside Select @ over $100 cheaper than elsewhere in the country (not that I could afford them anyway) - Somehow, the 5 or 6 bottles in the State all ended up in Harrisburg-area stores. Must be some real oenophiles there... ← For years, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg have received a disproportionate amount of certain premium wines, including some of the smaller-quantity CS wines. Never could get a straight answer as to why that is - or even an admission that it happens. The standard retort was that SE Pa gets the lion's share of the wine. Which is true, in general, but doesn't explain this clear pattern of exceptions. As to the Pegau and the Shaffer, my guess is that those prices are the result of the other, non CS-related, advantage of the PLCB: unlike other retailers, the retail price is determined solely by their purchase price, so when everybody else marks up wines in great demand, they remain at release price in Pa. Oh, and it is definitely the case that stores in our area (SE Pa) often seem to get their allocations later than elsewhere, so don't despair. Yet.

Whether they let you sit outside or not, the weekend forecast makes me doubt you'd want to: we'll be back to highs in the mid-forties by then.

Ah. No, I think. Because if I'm talking about my own business, I'm going to feel constraints that I don't think are appropriate on this site. It's bad enough that a couple of people I like know PD=Capaneus, and it just feels crappy to badmouth their places - with the net result that I've mostly shut myself out of the conversation about their restaurants. If we are going to have to display actual empathy for every restaurateur in town, well, the result is going to be what Those Other People in Leffland said it would be. I think it's fine to ask people who just say "It sux!!!" to back up their opinion. But as long as they're people who can back up their opinion, sometimes "It sux!" pretty much says it all.

Yes, Pa does. Giving stores the pricing flexibility that would allow managers to do that sort of thing was one goal Chairman Newman talked about often. Current Regime strikes me as having no such priorities. Though admittedly we still know very little about them.

Sonya rules. And the lunch prices are excellent all around: only-slightly-trimmed plates for greatly-reduced prices. And desserts are precisely the same, I believe, at a substantial discount. I'm fine with their dinner prices, but I wubs the lunch menu.

Back, you hyenas! Back, I say! He offered to pay me - and me alone, you greedy so-and-sos! And I'd be happy to take payment in kind, by the way. Hmmm.... V-food...