Capaneus

I totally agree that there are some PLCB staff that are badly in need of training. The problem is that they are everywhere throughout the system. The trick, though, is that the good ones are as well. I guess what I'm saying is that you are probably better off finding the people you like and sticking to their location and help, instead of jumping from location to location, because you might run into bad service anywhere - even non-PLCB retailers, believe it or not.

No *way*! I go to Berthillon as often as I can, and it always amazes. I still remember the first time: they had five lemon flavors on the board. I got them all, and it was one of the most incredible experiences of my gustatory life. Each pristine, crystal clear, totally true, and completely distinct. I like Capogiro, but they're a bit off perfection: they're a little too sweet for my taste, to start with.

I think goody goody gumdrops. I'll be there - as long as I can weasel a ride with someone...

Fool! Have you no respect for the Code of Silence (or Quiet Chewing, at any rate)? You have broken the Thin Greasy Line! Actually, I just went with the fact that the OP seemed to be looking for Contemporary American, so I didn't mention Italian (Melograno, Tre Scalini, L'Angolo) or Pif, which is French.

A couple of relative newcomers, Mandoline and Bistro7, might also be worth considering.

Chloe has a no-reservations policy, so it's a good backup - since it's also, in my opinion, the weakest of the lot, though still good. I'd try Marigold Kitchen, then Matyson, then Pumpkin. You may well not get a reservation at any of them, at this point...

Love the value on the Vitiano, though this is the first year I've seen the rose and the white. On the other hand, that's one wine that is a good deal cheaper out of state. So my guess is that it's an even better buy in Chicago. The Newton is an amazing buy for the money, but I would have thought it much too brash and brassy for Melograno... Glad you enjoyed your trip. As for the disappointments: I've heard a couple of grumbles of disatisfaction about Django from different sources, recently; and we have *much* better inexpensive S. American food, but it's in the opposite direction.

A friend tried to take advantage of this deal, and I am told that, while it exists, it is not available as a walk-up ticket price.

Can't find that feature - can you send a link to it? Evan ← http://t.lt05.net/c.asp?mNRoSpTT4UVCaTnnFC...zViJMN2TogHeA0g http://t.lt05.net/c.asp?JgkSVd9VeNhHkevqLm...zViJMN2TogHeA0g http://t.lt05.net/c.asp?ZULPQBdWn2X0tnFmQK...zViJMN2TogHeA0g These are, per the e-mail, "Upcoming Chairman's Selections", "Chairman's Selections Now In Stores" and "Last Chance Chairman's Selections". Having re-read the e-mail, I think the information may only be available through these Updates, not on the website. If I recalled how I got on mailing the list in the first place, I'd tell you... Ms. Costello? Anyway, Happy Hunting.

Just got an e-mail from PLCB: the site now has a listing for "Upcoming Chairman's selections. It lists ETAs for both new releases *and* rebuys - so now I know I'm going to be able to restock the Liparita, eg. I can now plan my destitution *months* in advance!

Absolutely. But the distributors (pace Wine Institute) are much better financed. That kind of retail litigation favors them in the long run, regardless of the merits. I thought Scalia's and Thomas' libertarian lean would bring them over to the side of the angels; didn't count on the split working the way it did *at all*. And neither did anyone I read or spoke to, and with a different majority the opinion might have looked quite different. Or not, of course.

Is there such thing as "new, interesting German food" anywhere? I don't mean that in a snarky way (well, okay, I kinda do), but I can't recall ever having particularly interesting German food. Even in Germany. (I mean, unless you count beer as food. Which I do.) ← I vaguely recall a NYT article about a Younk Turk opening a nouvelle autrichienne place in Manhattan. That's pretty close to German. On the other hand, the place seems to have faded from the map. Certainly there is nothing in our area.

Is that my post you're referring to or the menu? ← Yoiks! Didn't notice the ambiguity. Sorry - I meant the menu, I do try to keep my largely obnoxiously judgemental self in check. I'm Portuguese myself, and I'm told some of the ownership is too, and it felt to me like they were trying to insert Portuguese into the whole thing (Lula is Portuguese for squid, eg), but with a terrible tin ear. Some of it was Spanglified, some of it was odd English false cognates, and some of it was just plain wrong.

It's not often that I read about anything that makes me look forward to returning home from Europe for gastronomic reasons, but this was good news when read in the International Herald Trib. I assume this means the state must treat all wine commerce equally. I suppose they could ban all direct shipments to consumers from wineries or ban or deliveries from retailers, but shouldn't it treat all national retailers as it treats local retailers in terms of shipping and delivery? ← Funny. My heart sank when I read the opinion. As I see it, they had really only two ways they could go, since shipping laws are clearly absurd, and they chose the *much* narrower route. We still have a very long way to go. They could have shortened the path considerably, but they didn't. Just the one small step. Fortunately, our situation in Pennsylvania is much improved over the last few years, so it doesn't sting as badly as it might have.

I agree. SC decisions apply immediately and the 6 states that have discrimanatory intra-state / inter-state laws must deal with the fact that those laws are now unconstitutional and, essentially, unenforceable. Those states are FL, OH, CT, IN, MA, and VT. What remains to be seen is what will happen with the remaining 15 states that ban any form of shipping. My guess is they will continue as they have in the past. That said, I don't think you'll find any winery shipping to NY or MI today or for some time for that matter. I would think that they are being advised to hold tight until there is some clarity. Even if they wanted to ignore that advice and ship now, carriers such as FedEx or UPS will not take the shipment until the dust settles. ← SCOTUS decisions apply immediadely in that they *inform* other government agencies. So legislators must change the law to conform, and the courts must use the decision as binding precedent. Essentially, all laws are likely to remain in effect until such time as individual States put alternatives in place. As a practical result, I believe wineries and shippers will continue to opperate under current law until new statutes are in place, even though any penalties levied might be ruled unconstitutional if appealed.

I'm not sure what nights you are looking for, and many places would be a good possibility without reservations during the week, though not on weekends. Having said that, Melograno is a good Northern Italian no-reservation BYO, and a credible addition to your alternatives. Radicchio and Audrey Claire are also good and no-reservations. Otherwise, with the exception of the usual suspects (Matyson, Marigold and Django; Southwark and Sovalo on the strength of recent reviews), you're probably still in time to make reservations at most places.

Might you mean the northwest corner? That would explain the takeover and renovations of what used to be Hot Tamales. ← Hmmm... I thought that whole side was wrapped up in some sort of development scheme. At least that's the reason I've heard for Crimson Moon closing, sometime in August. Though I can't think of where on the NE corner it would go, either... maybe the old Police mini-Station?

I took a quick look at the menus today, and I've got to say I was impressed by the wine list: the few things I recognized were marked up to about twice retail. Steele Pacini for $37 is not a common sight anywhere, and especially not in Philadelphia, great strides notwithstanding. The menu seemed interesting, prices seemed a bit high, but may well be fair, depending on what you get. Aliwaks' description certainly suggests so. I was a bit put off by the typo-strewn text - I could have gotten over it if it weren't sprinkled with odd Spanish and Portuguese near-gibberish.

For what it's worth, Rx now has (free) parking, in a lot across the street, so you'd only have to find parking once. Marigold Kitchen is fairly easy parking, particularly when Penn is not in session. I haven't eaten at World Cafe myself, but several people I know have suffered separate disappointments there. Your play.

Yeah, Andrew! You weren't along for your wit and looks, you know! Dessert was really interesting, in that all the constituent elements were quite conventional (which I had not expected). There was a liquid-centered chocolate cake; a sliver of epoisses wrapped in prune; and another bit of epoisses flanked by candied walnuts. It was only when you combined these that things popped: the fatty richness of the chocolate paired with the cheese's; their sweetness and saltiness contrasted; the prune echoed the chocolate, but the specific qualities of their sweetness were quite different, somehow, and the textures played off each other's - and the cheese's. The experience was quite different if any of the elements were eaten separately, together, or in any permutation. *And* it was tasty. The dessert wine, which I picked up in a fit of cowardice, was Chateau Potelle "Zinie" Late Harvest Zinfandel. It was delicious, and quite unlike other California sweet wines. The sugar content was quite low, though higher than a table wine would be (think auslese vs. TBA). Essentially, it struck me as a highly concentrated Zinfandel experience. Those who have tasted some of the bigger Turleys - keep going in that direction a few more degrees and you'll get there. I wished I could take credit for what turned out to be a very good match, but credit properly goes to Peggy at the 19th and Chestnut PLCB Store, who was the only local retailer to stock it. Unfortunately, I seem to have bought the only bottle in the Philadelphia area. At $18.99/500 ml, it may well be worthwhile to talk someone into transfering some of the bottles available elsewhere in the state.

And what happens when you assume, dear boy? You make...

It's been solid every time I've been there. Fish-centered, but most of the dishes tend to actually be both hearty and creative. Tiny space, and gets *really* crowded (though I suspect Sundays may be less so - hence the Prix Fixe deal). It used to be a father-and-son team in the kitchen, but the son has moved on to open Pumpkin, which is very good - surprisingly so, because I used to feel that on those nights when he cooked alone at Littlefish the place was less good.

You!... I!... It... That actually was up for well over a week - and people jumped on board up until yesterday morning. And there's a mention somewhere back in this thread. So ! Really, I think at least part of the problem was that the buzz was muted because I didn't post a menu. And part of it is the fact that the ISO thread just doesn't work terribly well: I know I've missed stuff because I didn't notice something was posted there. I think with time I'll develop a sense of who is usually into these things and PM them as well as posting. In the meantime, young man, *pay attention in class*!

Billy bi soup with roasted chicken oysters and chicken fried oysters Smoked potato gnocchi with beef cheek ragu and rhubarb gastrique Olive oil-poached halibut with asparagus, honshimeji mushrooms and carrot-miso emulsion Rabbit leg braised with chorizo, with scallion polenta, fava beans and morel mushrooms So the mystery ingredient in the gnocchi was rhubarb. The chorizo... you're thinking mexican chorizo, which this wasn't. Most Spanish and Portuguese chorizo is neither crumbly nor spicy. This was a lot of fun. Mr. Cook, his pastry chef, and Ms. Loeb are superbly talented food professionals. Great food and great wine, perfectly matched. I'm thinking that, if Marigold is still speaking to me after all the bother, I might try to do this seasonally.

Tru dat: generally speaking, there's all kinds of high-flyin' crazy stuff at 12th and Chestnut for the Festival. Buy it, drink it, love it.