Capaneus

Melograno, at 22nd and Spruce; the little cluster of Italian BYOs around 16th and Spruce, including La Viola, Branzino, Fontana De La Citta, others I'm sure I'm forgetting; Audrey Claire, at 20th and Spruce; Caffe Casta Diva, at 20th and Locust ; La Baia, at 17th and Lombard; Pumpkin, on South just West of 17th; Apamate, on the 1600 block of South; Porcini, in the 2000 block of Sansom. I think I've got most of those that I would think of as "Rittenhouse". I like Pumpkin, Apamate, Melograno, La Viola, Casta Diva and Branzino. I don't actively dislike any of the others, though the only meal I've had at La Baia was dreadful - others have since convinced me it was atypical.

Sure. Almost everything contains something or other with antioxidant properties. In fact, alcohol could also be truthfully advertised as fat-free. All of which, of course, means very little. After all, cyanide is low-calorie and less filling .

You mean there's more?!?!?!

This is horribly unfair: I've been to Cochon three times since you first used the C-word, and I have found nary a tarbais on the premises. You are so a Chef's Pet!

Sue's had them last year. I know they were available somewhere in the hinterlands, because percyn tracked them down out there. I expect they will be much more widely distributed this year. I'll be surprised if DiBruno's, among others, don't get it: they had mangosteens a couple of months ago, after all.

Keep. Fingers. Off. Keyboard. *Must*. Keep. Thoughts. To. Self.

It's been clear for a couple of months that the Chairman's Selection program has become much less attractive. Up until today, that was mostly a sense that the discounts were much less, and the wines a bit less exciting. But, short of computing the percent average markdown, it was hard to substantiate the feeling. The matter of quality remains largely one of opinion, but the folks at the PLCB were nice enough to provide clear evidence of the shrinking of the discounts: Pascual Toso Malbec, Maipu Vineyards, Mendoza, Argentina 2006. Quoted at $12.00... PLCB Price $12.00... Save $0.00 Burgess Cabernet Sauvignon Vintage Selection 1998. Quoted at $35.00... PLCB Price $29.99... Save $5.01 I think I can let the pricing on the Toso Malbec speak for itself. But, just as striking, those who have enjoyed previous offerings of the Burgess library releases will be aware that the $29.99 the PLCB is asking for the '98 represents a $10 increase over the price of previous vintages - a full 50%. My gut feeling is that the program has been radically changed by the new management, from what was once an attempt to burnish the PLCB's image into just another cash cow. I can only hope that the same folks in the press that let the public know of the virtues of the program over last couple of years will show some interest in these profoundly negative developments.

Thankyouthankyouthankyou! That's it, yeah. Although now my memory is jogged I also remember that this was not a criminal matter, it was an NLRB ruling. Which was memorable because you don't get many from this Board that are pro-labor. Which sort of goes to how not acceptable the behavior is.

I am reasonably sure it is outright illegal. I seem to recall at least one specific instance of exactly this practice making the news... Don't recall. Wish my brain worked better than it does. Keller does something somewhat analogous, but he does it right: Per Se charges a sevice fee, and then divides the proceeds among the staff. As Arbol is doing it (and I simply cannot believe they confirmed it for the record - and seem proud of this) it is deceptive vis-a-vis the customer (the tip becoming in effect an additional, undisclosed charge), and it is outright criminal with regard to the waitstaff. An above-the-board alternative would be to have a no-tipping policy, and then solicit donations, somehow. That way everyone would know where they stand. I for one am not going anyhere near the place until I'm certain they've changed this practice.

Yerba mate is mos' def' an acquired taste, Katie. Although I suppose the stuff I've tried were all just poor and/or inauthentic iterations. Place does sound fun, whatever Paraguayan food might turn out to be...

Well, yeah - that's why I'm trying to recall if they had a wine deal. But even if they don't, it won't kill you as dead as the old prices would.

The new menu, from Food & Drinq: http://blogs.phillynews.com/inquirer/foodanddrinq/lbf.htm This... I could live with these prices on a regular basis: if the food quality remains what it was, it may be the best deal in town. Even though that Dover Sole at $70 is startling. I'm guessing that is a matter of sourcing: might actually be flown in just to keep V. happy! Cost happiness depending, as always, on whether something can be found on the wine list that is priced within reason. I can't recall whether LBF had a BYO or discounted-wine deal, or whether I'm just thinking or Brasserie Perrier and Georges...

Particularly because of the exclusion of the poodle film... 'Tis true that the standards for food news, nay news in general in this metro area are pretty skewed and bizarre. But I suppose that shows what a town full of foodies and eaters we really are. You can say a lot about Philadelphians, but we take our eatin' pretty damned seriously. ← Well, anything can be improved by the inclusion of a poodle. But I think we foody-doodies may be getting a bit befogged here: we are so close to the various restaurants that it is sometimes hard to get perspective. The restaurants we pay attention to are either new, unusual, or somehow offbeat. But I think that in the general public's view LBF isn't just a Philadelphia restaurant - it's the Philadelphia restaurant. That makes this announcement news, much like the loss and subsequent recapture of the fifth Mobil star were news, a little while ago.

Bit more than that, I thought: the grande dame of Philadelphia restaurants is giving up couture and taking up jeans-and-t-shirts. Perrier's hints on what the menu may become seem like a big change.

I don't think there's a real trick, Luigi: you sit at the bar; you let Mat know you know what he can do; and you ask if he'll cook for you (or, if he's in the back, wonder out loud whether that would be possible); then you pay the tab with a smile. He seems to be down to just himself, his son Jesse and a prep cook. It probably means that if you go at a busy time it will be hard to get him to commit his full attention, which is likely why they don't do omakase as a matter of course. I think the key steps are "Slow time" and "Sit at the sushi bar". I'm sure it helps if you become well known: go often, and maybe once or twice with other regulars.

Funny. Bought the Port and the Josmeyer as well, six of the one and a case of the other. The other major investment was a case of the Columbia Crest Water Clore. At $28, I'd considered it. At $22, it was a no-brainer. Aside from that, I just swept up odds and ends around Philadelphia, mostly various whites. Now if only they'd clean up the website.

I would describe the texture as "pudding-like." At least, that's how it used to be- I haven't tried it in a while, so don't know if it has changed. ← On the night we were there, "chewy" was definitely closer. Brownie-ish, rather than pudding-like, and less bittersweet. I for one thought it was a marked change from previous tastes.

I was a member of one a half-decade ago. It was great at times, but for long stretches you'd get scads of similar stuff. I recall one Winter box that was about ninety percent root vegetables, and a little lettuce.

Don't you threaten me, young man! So there's some overlap, besides the sushi, which could be expected. The uni-and-unagi combo dealie, which was one of the highlights, as well as the first two courses. Our meal was entirely meatless, though. And there's a great deal that was not repeated, and looks really delicious. This could bear some further exploration.

That was an insanely good meal, Chris, no qualification necessary. Yasuda-shmasuda, where are SushiGourmet and NGIT now, huh? The oysters were excellent, but, you know, they are minimally prepared, really. The tuna tartare was perfect, but, given that it was a fairly subtle, conservative preparation, I wasn't sure exactly what to expect at that point. But the rest of the meal just kept building from great to greater... Man that was some truly fine grub. Now if only Philadining would post the pictures from their meal Tuesday night, we could get some sense of whether this is just how good the place is, night-in, night-out, every night. I figured he'd be in a happy, accommodating mood, now that he's unloaded his Muscadet... Oh, and Luigi is exactly right, in that at the moment Fuji is really two restaurants: the counter and everything else. I hope sometime soon the additional staff catches up with Mat sufficiently that that stops being the case. Jesse Ito seems to be an earnest study, so here's hoping genius is hereditary.

"The Washington Post writer made the tragic error of getting a small Roast Pork at John's, which is served on an unimpressive kaiser roll. I made that mistake once." Or, maybe, he is a gentleman of taste and discerniment, and clearly saw the superiority of the TL sandwich. "It is funny about the terminology: reading the repeated references to Philly places as "Sub shops" and the sandwiches themselves as "subs" just seemed so wrong. I grew up knowing a sandwich on a long roll as a "sub" but it just sounds so wrong to call a cheesesteak or roast pork sandwich by that name." I guess it all depends on whether we think his duty was to his subject or to his audience: I'm thinking the term sat right well with the Washington Post readership. "And do we think Tony Luke brought cheesesteaks and roast pork sandwiches to a movie set in Pittsburgh? Surely he meant Philly." From what I've heard, Tony would waltz to the Gates of Hell for ten seconds of screen time. Pittsburgh is barely nine-tenths of the way there.

Why has no-one mentioned the deep-fried egg? Everyone should talk about the deep-fried egg. Then everyone should go out and deep-fry eggs, and bring them to me. I suppose, in fairness, that the deep-fried egg was not part of the tasting menu, but it was easily the most distinctive item in last night's diner. I agree with most of the individual points made, but my overarching complaint is that I expect more than tasty adequacy from Matyson: there is no question in my mind that this week's tasting menu was a great value, but that is not the standard this kitchen has set for itself, for better or for worse. When three out of the last four of these I have eaten have ranked among the best meals I've had in the past year, I couldn't help but feel let down by last night's dinner. It was uniformly good, but never great. And, most importantly, I felt they were *trying* for base hits. They did not once swing for the fences. Except with the deep-fried egg. That baby sailed clean out of the ballpark.

Sure it does! I'm looking at three bottles as I type this.

Sure. I'll say yes. Whatever! I'd settle for any zweigelt. I actually don't know the Berger, or much zweigelt generally, other than some exposure at a couple of tastings. It was just a search to see what was around. Which, it turns out, is bupkas. Unless I want to move to Mount Pocono, of course.

And then there are the things I cannot understand. Recently, People Who Know have been telling me I ought to be drinking more zweigelt. Really, all the Beautiful People are doing it. So I do a quick Product Search. I find that the PLCB carries six zweigelts - not scads, but hey, some of them are very attractively priced. Which makes it all the more maddening that none of them, not a bottle, not a drop, is available within the confines of Philadelphia County. We are what, five million thirsty folk? So how is it that Mount Pocono needs several bottlings of Austrian red, but we can do without? I've had the politics of this persuasively explained to me, but still, it is getting extremely old.