effrontery

Thanks all, those are great recommendations. Much appreciated!

Hey all--my boss would like to have a somewhat formal tea (sandwiches and the like) for our annual meeting. I googled and came up with Le Petit Chef and just wondering if anyone has any experience with them, or if there are any other caterers in general you'd recommend who could pull something like that off? Who are your favorite caterers in Philly, in general? It's a fairly traditional crowd, would be looking for something lighter like small sandwiches, scones, etc. Thanks as usual for the advice!

Anybody been there yet and feel like writing a review? I'd like to check it out with some friends on Saturday night, but I'm curious to get opinions first. Thanks!

Went to Tinto for lunch yesterday and did the lunch special. Had the aforementioned chestnut soup, and it was outstanding. I'd definitely go back for that. Also had the De Bonito sandwich (marinated tuna, red onion escabeche, anchovy.) It came on a delicious flaky croissant, but I felt it was just a tiny bit too oily. Overall though, I felt the food was well worth the money. And I don't know if anyone mentioned previously, but i like the corkscrew decor in the entryway (they have a bunch of them individually mounted and framed.) Lovely!

Fortunately you'll be a few blocks from Old City, which is pretty much restaurant central. On a Wednesday night, most places shouldn't be too crazy crowded... A few favorites: Continental - http://www.continentalmartinibar.com/ Amada - http://www.amadarestaurant.com/ Fork - http://www.forkrestaurant.com/ If you're just in a mood for nibbles, I've heard good things about Beneluxx Tasting Rooom (http://www.beneluxx.com/), but haven't been there yet!

Thanks for the heads' up about the coffeehouses and places to check out, Liam. I'm actually back in Philly now, but I did make it to Mother Fool's, which I liked quite a lot, and to Essenhaus for a little polka. I was curious about a Cajun place over on Wily Street--my girlfriend (who's homegrown) seems to think it isn't very good based on word of mouth, but I thought it looked kind of tasty. Can't remember the name now, though, unfortunately. And we had delicious Nepali food on State Street! I'd go back there in a heartbeat.

Just got back from Wisconsin (cheese curds, mmm) and visiting my friend's Norwegian family. I had gjetost (a caramel-y goat cheese) and lefse (potato bread, sort of like a tortilla). That got me to wondering, are there any Norwegian restaurants/specialty markets in Philly? A preliminary google search didn't turn any up. Thanks!

Hey all--another Philadelphian here--I'm leaving tomorrow to go visit a friend in Madison, and was wondering what coffeehouses you might recommend. (Or uniquely Madison restaurants.) Speaking of which, is Essen Haus worth a visit? Thanks for the help! Joyce

Thanks, I do love it there. For some reason, I seem to remember the restaurants he wrote about being a bit further up on 5th, but don't quote me on that!

I remember that Holly wrote an article for CP several years ago talking about the excellent Hispanic restaurants on 5th street. Anybody visited there recently and can you give me some recommendations? Thanks!

Hey all--I'm meeting my boyfriend's parents for the first time tomorrow, and I'm trying to find a nice spot to suggest to them for dinner. I'm going on a tour of NPR first tomorrow, so we'll be in the Chinatown area. Anybody have a suggestion? Middle of the road price-wise is good, doesn't have to be Chinese food. Thanks so much for the help!!

Had some "Dark and Stormy" the other day. Not sure what else was in it, but mmm, ginger!

I had Aloha Monkey today, which I think is new for the season. (At least, I've never seen it before.) It was delicious, kind of pina colada-y. It's made with a little Sailor Jerry's rum, but it's pretty subtle.

Hi all--figured I'd put this here instead of starting a new topic. Anybody know when the lineup is coming out for 2007? Thanks! Joyce

I miss Yann too, especially for their german chocolate hot chocolate!

We went to Four Rivers the other night, too (courtesy of all you all's suggestion!) and then stopped at CG after. I had the basil and the peach--sublime!

Thank you all so much for the suggestions! We'll definitely be trying them all in the upcoming months. And I appreciate the reminder about being time conscious on a Friday night. The good thing is, we love to eat so hopefully we make it worth the restaurant's while... I'll report back and let you know how it goes. Thanks again!

Hi all--I started a women's wine group a few months ago, and we've gotten pretty successful. We typically have about 12 women who turn up once a month for our Friday night out... So far we've been to Effie's, Kabul, and Las Casuelas. We also went to Beau Monde and purchased bottles off their list. Here's my question...can you recommend any restaurants that can accomodate a party of that size? I had a few ideas, but I figured I'd ask here first! And if you'd like to be added to our invite list, please let me know. We're a mix of ages and backgrounds, we usually end up having a great time. Thanks for the help!

Hi all, just wondering if anyone has any favorite romantic restaurants to add to the list. (or if certain recommendations, like Cafe des Artistes or River Cafe still stand.) Friends of mine are getting married and honeymooning in NYC--she asked me for recommendations, and I told her some of my favorites, but I'd love to add to the "most romantic places" list... One place I definitely won't send them, based on a lot of posts, is One If By Land!

Hi all, I'm housesitting for a friend this week, and just wondering if there are any restaurants I should definitely check out out here. Or anywhere nearby, for that matter! Thanks in advance for the info...

I love the middle eastern cart at the corner of 16th and JFK. They make a kick-ass feta and baba ganoush sandwich rolled in a pita...

>Rittenhouse gelato fans, you're in luck. Fab gelateria Capogiro, at 13th and >Sansom, will open a second store at 1929 Sansom St That's so fascinating to me...I'm trying to figure out exactly where it's going to be, considering that address used to be a nunnery (I used to live there--it was a boarding house run by Domincans) and now it's an apartment building. In the lobby, maybe?

I had mojito and strawberry next to each other last night--so good. I had a taste of Turkish coffee too--rich and dense. A little heavy for a hot summer, though, I think.

I love Petit 4. In the interest of full disclosure ;) the cake maker is a friend of mine--but that's just given me more chances to sample his stuff--and it's amazing.

I ate at 'inoteca on Thursday--I'd never been before, but I'd heard good things, so I thought I'd give it a try. I was disappointed. Beautiful room, good service (and reasonably priced), but I felt for what I had, the quality was disappointing. Maybe my expectations were a little too high? Anybody else had that experience there?