Capaneus

Could Kevin Feeley have made a more inane statement? Maybe he was quoted inaccurately. Perhaps he actually responded, "It's unfortunate that Mr. Olivieri is putting his interests above those of Reading Terminal Market's board and management." That is at least comprehensible. As I see it, the Reading Terminal Market board and management is the one putting their agenda ahead of what is good for Reading Terminal Market. They and only they are responsible for what has happened. They and only they can easily end it now. ← You think that maybe, possibly, Kevin Feeley disagrees with the vision for the Market that you and Mr. Olivieri so thoroughly share? Correct me if I'm wrong, but the stated reason for the changes in the leases was to guarantee the long-term viability of purveyors. I have seen nothing, anywhere, that leads me to question this. I have heard nothing, here or elsewhere, that articulates with even marginal coherence either the reasons this is not a good idea, or the reasons the new terms do not truly aim to achieve this. Am I missing something? As I hear it, Rick's vocally opposed the revenue reporting clause in the lease, and by implication the idea of supporting the less-profitable purveyors. No? It is certainly the case that the merchants who have been vocal in his support are, as far as I've heard, also facing the prospect of higher rent. I have not encountered any such support from the merchants who, lest we forget, stand to benefit from these changes - and they are the majority of the Market, and explicitly central to its mission, which, may I point out, the prepared-food merchants are not, as I read the media reports. A stand, by the way, with which I agree. And one that is implicitly rejected by Olivieri's current actions. I'm having some trouble seeing the heroes and villains in the this the same way you do, Holly. Heck, so far the only thing that has impacted me in all this is that DiNic's has finally abandoned their wicked wicked ways, and will now serve roast pork in the company for which it was always meant: rabe and sharp provolone. A restoration of rightness that seems to have stemmed from the prospect of Tony Luke's as a neighbor, since decades of vocal advocacy had previously done me no good at all. In the end, the scoreboard stands as follows for me: better cheesesteaks (about which I care little), assuming TL's maintains their quality standards - an assumption I will make until I taste otherwise; improved roast pork sandwiches all around (about which I care much more); improved long-term viability of the majority of the merchants, pushing off the day when Reading Terminal Market becomes the Convention Center's food court (about which I care by far the most). In the down column... well, I have nothing against Mr. Olivieri. I wish him all the best in his future ventures, and I regret the consequences this move will have for him. But I sincerely hope that Market management weathers the publicity storm, allows the law suit to find the circular file it belongs in, and continues to put my interests, and farmers', and those of the merchants who provide them with an outlet, above feeding conventioneers. Sorry if that sounds callous, but the matter does seem that straightforward to me. By the way, Holly, why do you believe Rick's was in fact prepared to sign the new lease? I've heard him complain he wasn't offered one, but I cannot find a record of him explicitly stating the new terms were acceptable to him, and much on how iniquitous he finds them.

Pretty much the way I saw it. He campaigned against the terms of the lease he now wants to be offered. I wonder what he expects to happen if he does get his day in court? Market management did shoot themselves in the foot, though. If they'd just presented him with the lease he'd already rejected, they'd be dealing with a win-win situation: either Rick's left voluntarily, or the leading opposition to the new terms would have to knuckle under, very publicly. Memo to self: mail them a care package of Sun Tzu and Machiavelli.

We haven't begun to dissect! Nothing terribly cutting has been said, so far. For instance, no one has mentioned that the ownership of the place might give us some reason for concern. We have discussed the menu oddities - which are, in fact, "open", in some sense - and only Vadouvan hinted that a place that puts forth such a slipshod public face is more than a little likely to let other things slide as well. Heck, we've been outright angelic. Cherubic, even. I agree with mrbigjas that a good French bistro is a good thing, especially since we just lost our best. But personally I feel this particular venture justifies only a glimmer of hope, not a wholehearted investment. And then, there's the cute little Cochon place opening nearby. Maybe it's because I know less about it, but that's where my curiosity points me, at the moment.

It's not a tasting menu: the $30 prix fixe covers the entire menu, so you order four courses, a la carte, and you pay a surprisingly low price. I was with Phil on two of those meals, and have been there a few more. I never had an experience as poor as the one really negative one he had, though one meal wasn't as good as the others. When that kitchen is on, though, it isn't just good, it's wonderful.

Check the link. It's in a Vadouvan post a bit of a ways down. ← Saw it. V. himself didn't mention anything; rlibkind mentioned "various boozy sauces" and gave a specific example of a bourbon marinade prior to V.'s post. ← Post #11, Sandy.

I don't know about that. One word: broccoli rabe (yes, I know). Seriously, name recognition alone would be a serious competitive advantage. Even if the actual sandwiches weren't, you know, better.

Because, if given a choice, a newspaper would rather have an outside party, presumed unbiased, write the piece?

Check the link. It's in a Vadouvan post a bit of a ways down.

Or you could do the Portuguese thing: buy a bottle of cheap brandy; drink half; try dancing on a grand piano; once out of Emergency Room, top the bottle with pitted sour cherries; let sit for a couple of years; drink the brandy, eat the cherries. Call ex-girlfriends in the middle of the night. The last step is optional.

Are "Pie Cherries" sour cherries? I jus' lurves, lurves, lurves the sour cherries. Didn't think you could find them an ocean away from civilization!

I've seen Pennsylvania Noble at the Fair Food farmstand at the Reading Terminal. If you look at Katie's latest post in that thread (top of page), you should be able to get some idea of what they have right now - I don't hink it changes too radically from week to week. Hendricks Farms sells mostly to restaurants, I think. I'm not sure I've seen them anywhere else, though I seem to remember some hinterland types (Philadining? percyn?) mentioned it was available at some claptrap establishment in a Godforsaken burg somewhere... Guys?

San Francisco is a great cheese town, so you're kinda sending coal to Newcastle there. The only advice I'd have is to focus on the artisanal cheeses Pennsylvania has been producin in the last few years. At least then you will not likely be duplicating stuff they can pick up at their corner cheesemonger's. I don't know how much of a selection Di'Bruno's or the place in Old City may have. I do know that the farmstand in the Terminal always have a few. On the other hand, from what you've told me about the options on the DiBruno's website, I can tell you that it doesn't reflect the choices available at the actual stores. So stopping in would definitely be the way to go. They may offer shipping as well, or at least advise you on how to go about it. And if you choose to ship it yourself, that would likely increase the selection of local cheeses you'd have access to, if you choose to go that way.

Except in the southern hemisphere. ← No, I'm pretty sure the Sun is still hot in that instance. About 6000 degrees Celsius, if I recall correctly.

Wasn't that Ms. Henri?

In order: as far as I know, he does not keep his neighbors from knowing who he is; the rest of your objections are covered by the fact that, as I understand it, he does not make the reservation himself, goes in a group, and, I expect, pays in cash. I have no direct experience of any of this, mind you, but I do know a couple of people who regularly participate in the process. I have wondered myself if he uses his real name. I've been told he does, but it strikes me that I wouldn't want to do it that way, if I were in his position. In any case, given that there is, supposedly, a photograph of him hanging in many kitchens in town, I expect that full exposure would mostly mean that his disguise budget would need to go up.

I had some Copper River sockeye I picked up from Yi's in RTM. Don't think high-heat pan roasting would have worked terribly well on the thinner fillets. Instead, I used Vadouvan's short-cure-and-slow-roast method from http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=86937 which made for the most amazing buttery-soft, rich, melting fish I've ever had. Even if he did say it was only for King salmon. Call me a rebel. Had it with snap peas sauteed in butter and quinoa with almonds and lemon zest. Big hit, except for the one person who felt undercooked fish wasn't safe. Go figure.

Did they re-hire the mice? I worked hard on my relationships with some of those mice...

So, not a diner then. A few of us had wondered whether they might be leaning in that direction. Eggy steak'n'mash under $20, that'll soothe the disappointment some.

Veeeerrry Inteh-ress-ting! This one is a dead ringer for a dinner at the late, lamented StudioKitchen, unlike the Apamate menu. Any distinctive M-traces in the food that might not come through in the description? And what's the difference between "coffee fluid" and the stuff I drink in the morning?

Ch. Haut-Beyzac Grand Vin '03, Haut Medoc, is available in spots. Parker likes it, and it's easy to see why: thick, jammy fruit, incredible extraction, high alcohol. Firm tannins give it good structure, in spite of the vintages frequent overripeness problems. If you like this style of wine, this one is a good one, and at $24.99 I couldn't find a better price on Wine Searcher - lower prices that might pop up in your search are all for the Chateau's two other offerings, not the Grand Vin. Having said that, not my kind of Bordeaux: no delineation, the great big rush of fruit is entirely monolithic, no layers, little charm to lighten up all that power. Extremely long finish, but hey: I can get that from a spoonful of berry preserves. To be fair, it isn't quite a dead ringer for Califonia Cabs in a similar style: it does not have that raisiny, cooked taste that can be the distinctive marker of so many of those. Anyway, strokes and folks. I'm pretty sure that if you like this style of winemaking this one will please you. Also your Master, Satan.

Don't: Philadining, Diann and I were there Friday for a meal with Chef Frazier at the wheel. It was as good as any I ever ate there (with the possible exception of a couple of early countertop tastings), and some of the staples were, I thought, rejuvenated: it's been a while since the escargots surprised me, but they were one of several happy wow moments that night. And they now have a celebrity floor show, too.

Just as a cautionary sidenote: some time back, the NYT ran a story about supposedly wild salmon sold in NY-area establishments. They found, as I recall, that over two-thirds of salmon clearly labelled "Wild" was, in fact, farm-raised, a distinction easily made in the lab, though not evident to the naked eye. I suspect that is still often the case. There is very little preventing a dishonest purveyor adding "Copper River" to the signage and widening the profit margin considerably. Caveat emptor: if you see a great bargain, at a merchant you don't know and trust absolutely, I would certainly ask how they can afford to sell it so cheap.

Philadelphia's current "It" restaurant, Osteria, just opened a courtyard space that should be a good option.

On a tangential note, anyone know why DiBruno's 18th and Chestnut was picketed today?

I'll second the rec on the Tracy - bought a half-case last time around and will now restock. The '05 - better regarded - is also in, but at $19.99 isn't quite as good a bargain. Haven't tried the Haut Barrail, but the fact that it's nearly sold out at 1218 Chestnut tells me restaurants are seriously stocking up on it. Whatever that means about quality, it has in the past been the leading indicator that the wine in question will sell down very quickly throughout the city.