Capaneus

Went there for the second time Wednesday. First time I went, I got the impression everything they served was on the sweet side: good, but cumulatively a little cloying. Turns out it was just my ordering, the four items we got from the savory menu (sweetbreads, ravioli, pork belly... something else) just happened to be on the sweet side. Since then, it's become apparent the menu is pretty balanced, on the whole, and delicious: this time, we had the scallops, split as an appetizer along with the ravioli, the steak and the chicken. The steak probably could have done without either the cheese or the beets, but I still mopped up the plate. Good food, particularly the scallops. Really just wanted to chime in with the information that they definitely can do large parties: there was a group of 12-15 people in that night, they just assembled a long table in the back on the right. Loud, but they seemed to be having a good time. Oh, and they definitely do have a website: http://www.fondphilly.com/

I ate at Sol-Mar (also in the Ironbound) the following week, and my friend ordered the Carne de Porco a Alentejana. KooZeeDoo's was better than that one as well. Honestly, most of their stuff was as good as any version I remember having, on either continent. This dish may be the exception: it's not as agressively seasoned as I've had it back home, and I think I prefer that. But that's a quibble: it's still very, very good.

Order has been maintained in the universe. My very first thought upon seeing this thread was, "did they bring He-Himself-the-critical along?" Most particularly in this case, I suspect his opining was both entertaining and quite valuable in terms of authenticity. Not that entertaining, and "authenticity" is overrated. But it was delicious, and it did take me back. Even the "Cozido" (which does not mean "cooked", I wish people would stop saying that) was appetizing, and that's a trick for what's basically a bunch of boiled stuff. I hope they do well. I want this place to stay around.

If by "retailing their bread" you mean allowing you to stop in and pick up a baguette for off-site consumption, I have done that.

No, you aren't and no, there isn't. US food culture is fundamentally different from Europe's: an actual brasserie might find a niche in NY, but probably nowhere else. In fact, as you appear to have found out, even in Paris brasseries are not what they used to be. As for Philadelphia, I suggest you reconsider Parc or give up the search.

Dennis, a couple of things: If they aren't shipping to your store, someone has decided not to do it for you, out of malice, ignorance, or laziness. I'm expecting a couple of things to come in to mine, and there seemed to be no problem with getting it done. I checked with Harrisburg in advance, and they most definitely have no general rule against it - but General Managers do have some discretion in the matter. If you make no headway - go to another store. Stuff transferred in counts as sales for the receiving store, someone will do it. Don't believe the stock numbers you're seeing. They're upgrading systems, and inventory is way off. I called the online store, trying to bet more of the Bynum Allen Vyd., which I really liked, and they are sold out. Got some of the Rocchioli Vyd., which is supposedly not as good, but in ways that make me suspect I'll like it - not as big, more acidity. Just received it, haven't tried it. There's still some of that (or there was some yesterday), and there's still some of the Simonnet-Febvre "Les Preuses", which I do have, have drunk, and like - and I liked it when I'd paid $30 for it. Anything else is going to be hit or miss, but the online store's own system is accurate: if you click through and it says they got none, it's the truth. But there's no list of what they have, so you have to check each wine you're interested in. Other than online, I would call to check stock actually exists before going somewhere to grab something, or asking to have it transferred in. Hope any of this comes in time to help you out.

Utterly absurd prices in current CS Sale: http://www.lcb.state.pa.us/plcb/cwp/view.asp?a=1328&q=559709

Wow....I forgot about the Green Room. That place really took a dive in the past 20 years! It's a shame... ← You mean its brunch? Because I've been there for dinner a whole lot more recently than that, and the place was virtually unchanged from my experiences in years past. Very solid food, if a little stodgy, and charmingly old-fashioned service.

Mr. Nicolosi, may the Fates shower a thousand blessings upon his head, clearly needs either a better class of customer, or more confidence in the ones he has: First, broccoli rabe was "Impossible!" Now, he's unsure of crispy, rich, delicious pork cracklins? Full speed ahead, and damn the torpedoes, say I! Customers will catch up: when have Americans ever minded salty, crispy pork products, anyway?

We're going tonight, and I've been bustin' my noggin trying to pair this stuff up. I thought about Zinfandel, which I've successfully poured with barbecue, but I suspect that this isn't going to be sauce-slathered molasses-soaked stuff. I think a good rose might get you a fair distance here, as would a very fruity white with good acidity, like a Riesling or sauvignon blanc, I'm also contemplating a Loire red I have with very low tannin but high acid... I think that I see a pattern here: go with fruity, pleasant wines with strong fruit and low tannin. I would stay away from the noble grapes - no Cabernet, no syrah, likewise no chardonnay. Possibly a California pinot noir, I've had a few that met that description. Some of the more casual chiantis would be good, I think. The other problem, of course, is what order to pour in, if you have several wines: the scallops sandwiched between the ribs and the duck are going to be a challenge. And of course there is the perfect beer: Anchor Steam. A more versatile beverage I know not.

Reviewed in the Financial Times: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/f205b94e-465c-11...144feabdc0.html Not what they would have hoped for, I'm sure.

So what was this mysterious dessert?

Never saw it in NY, even at the San Gennaro festival, and you'd think that they'd come out then if they existed. I don't know any other significant Little Italys.

Why yes there is! I haven't been back in a couple of years, though. THAT has to change! ← Assorted versions of goat stew are easy enough to get. Actual roast beast is a different matter.

I vote for the goat. Much harder to come across decent roast goat than good lamb - admittedly in discrete parts - prepared in any number of ways.

Bit out of date, I guess. We had a regular every-second-Sunday dim sum outing for a while. It died when we ran out of new places to go, and couldn't whip up any enthusiasm for the old ones. My current favorite Chinatown "dim sum" is Dim Sum Garden, which actually does not serve dim sum as such. Those soup dumplings are good enough to cover any number of sins, though. I'll second Ocean... Whichever of the Ocean Thingies is on 9th St., few doors South of Sang Kee, rather than the one on Race. Can never remember which is which. Joy Tsin Lau has been pretty dismal for well over a decade, at least whenever I've tried it. But the reason I have tried it is that trustworthy sources keep recommending it. Best guess is that it is inconsistent, or maybe their strength is in stuff I don't usually order. HK Golden Phoenix is decent, too. Anyway, good luck, Roger. You'll be a total hero if you unearth a really good dim sum in town.

Not so much crawling, lately: the PLCB started making the process into an organized series of clearance sales. The Cobos Malbec was part of one of those, a while back. Believe it or not, there were any number of better deals involved, from Guigal Hermitage to Whitehall Lane Reserve. Never got around to the Malbec before I topped off my budget. You can sign up at your local store to receive e-mail notification (and, because the PLCB is a Government shop, they won't sell their e-mail lists). There's also an unaffiliated website, pawinetalk.com, which has been a fount of invaluable information on all things PLCB. As for free shipping, when they've had it completely free, it's been well advertised. Otherwise, it's always free for orders over $200. But even when it's not free, it's still much cheaper than other e-retailers I've dealt with.

I haven't been in years, but I remember the food as being very good, if stolidly traditional. Their wine list, on the other hand, was outstanding. If I recall correctly, we had several older vintages of Dominus, each priced at less than the retail price of the current release. Not sure if any of that has the desired teenager-tickling sexiness, though. What with being underage and all... Someone wishing to reward me for... well, I'm sure there's something... could do a lot worse.

What restaurant was this? Certainly not the re-imagined Majolica? Doesn't seem like their style at all, so I'm reasonably sure not...

Huh. I actually think their everyday prices are fairly steep, but, given the wine lineup, and the opportunity to meet Trimbach, this seemed like a reasonably fair deal.

Am I the only one to find it strange that someone who is, by their own assertion, not local, and who is an infrequent poster to this site generally, should choose to participate so... let's say emphatically *and* sustainedly in this particular thread? By the way, what "content" has been missed, and by whom, exactly? And is it not astonishing happenstance that they should be vehemently supported by another stranger-in-these-parts poster who, shockingly, shares said characteristics, or those that can be ascertained? Who, moreover, has a very similar rhetorical style? Personally, I find the incident at issue, if it is in fact a publicity stunt, vaguely sad, in a tacky and threadbare, desperate-smelling kind of way. But their food *is* delicious, even if their mushrooms often look like sweetbreads.

I've only used their certificates at the Bubble House, largely because I was there at someone else's behest and resented paying retail. But in that limited experience I've had no problems. Two things, though: there are often conditions imposed by the restaurant on the use of the certificates, so make sure to read before buying. Also, this isn't really a "Sale!!!", insofar as they do it every month, starting out at 50% off and increasing the discount as the month advances.

It's the same "French Barbecue" deal they had last year. Didn't make it then, but it sounded fun.

Have you found Cochon disappointing, Bill? I've liked it pretty well all along, and recently they seem to have made another solid forward stride. Some of the Usual Suspects had maybe the best Cochon meal yet, overall, last Friday. Odd to think, or even say, but they had a suckling pig variation on the pork shoulder that was way better.

Yeah, that's the one. I still think the cart at 20th and Market is tastier, but I'm partial to the grilled chicken there. And the falafel at 16th and JFK was just dirt-cheap, and also very good.