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I am thinking of planning a trip to Frankfurt and I was curious if anyone had any suggestions on places to shop while I'm there? I'm looking for gourmet markets that sell products from all over Europe, not exclusively German goods. Thanks for your help!

I haven't tried it yet and based on your post, I don't know if I'm going to anytime soon! I'm also from Philly - I've been in Balestrate, Sicily since September. I had no idea Philadelphia cream cheese was so popular here. Also, when I tell people where I'm from, they put out one hand, palm up, and make the spreading motion with their other hand. It never ceases to be hilarious! Too bad that it doesn't really have anything to do with Philly anymore!

I moved to Sicily with my girlfriend in September. Since we are not going to be able to make it back to the States for the holidays, we decided to take a cheap flight up to Rome for four days, arriving on Christmas Eve. I haven't been to Rome before, so I'm not sure what will be open and what won't on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day - does anyone more familiar with the city have any suggestions on what to do, and also more importantly, where you would suggest we eat? Thanks in advance for your help!

Thanks for the suggestion. We are heading into Palermo on Saturday - I'll give Vincenzo a call tonight! We also found an area right off of Ballaro that had a plethora of pans. But I'm interested to hear a professional's opinion! Thanks again, I'll keep you posted on what we find!

Ciao, My girlfriend and I recently moved to Sicily and we are looking to purchase some items for our kitchen (she is a professional chef). We're living in a small town that doesn't have much to offer for kitchen supplies. We are going to take a trip into Palermo on Saturday and I was wondering if anyone had suggestions on where to shop for kitchen supplies. Specifically, all we can find in town are non-stick pans, and she would like a regular pan! Thanks in advance for your help!

At least the NYT recognizes that Silk City is the"jawn." Ridic.

I had a really excellent lunch today at Tiffin - it was my first time, so I tried a bunch of the standards - veggie samosas, saag paneer, chicken korma, and the amazing lamb chops. We got to meet Munish Narula, the owner, and after talking for a little bit, we found out that he is opening the entire second floor up for dining starting next week. While there's nothing wrong with the downstairs dining room, Munish said that it can get pretty crowded with takeout customers and those eating in. Also, he was having trouble accommodating groups of 6 or more during the busy hours. Anyway, the upstairs solves all of those problems - oh yeah, and its also a beautiful space, complete with an antique (although non-functioning) elevator - trust me, its cooler than it sounds - and stunning photos of India by Munish's neighbor. I for one am excited - lunch was better than expected (and I went in with high expectations) and I can't wait to get back for dinner!

When did David Katz take over? The gf and I were there a couple of weeks ago and the menu looked totally different - was kind of uninspiring actually. And friends who had eaten at Silk City when they first reopened said the menu was awesome and expansive. I guess things are going in the right direction again!

Diana, Where are you located? My store is in Philadelphia and we have the bulk cans of amarena cherries. We might be able to send them to you from our Mail Order department. Take care! Scott

We used to carry Rosle items for our store. If I remember correctly, their kitchen tools are uber-engineered, and I believe they had some items that were designed specifically for left-handed people. Be forewarned - their products, while some of the best in the world, are pretty pricey.

Wow. We just finished our fresh pork tenderloin from Country Time Farm - I happened to be at the Fair Food Farmstand today when the delivery came in. I also picked up some of the smoked bacon which I'm told is also new this week. Anyway, I browned the pork and then finished it off in the oven with just a few sprigs of rosemary, some salt and pepper and olive oil*. That was the most moist and flavorful pork that I have ever had... Just thought I would give everyone the head's up that its in stock at the Farm Stand! Scott * - thanks to Shola and Mr. and Mrs. TarteTatin - a fun, chance encounter - for convincing me not to put the pork in a rosemary-infused milk marinade - I don't know what I was thinking!

That was jtnicolosi - I know because the man himself handed me some of DiNic's pulled pork, straight out of the oven. Guys, their pulled pork is unbelievably good! I had already ordered my roast pork italian, but I am eagerly awaiting my next DiNic's sandwich this Thursday (thankfully, their booth is within sight of the Fair Food stand, which I will be watching with hawkeyes, waiting for the new shipment of mirai corn to come in...) Mr. jtnicolosi, hope you've got that pulled pork ready!

Just a quick note - don't want to beat this thing to death, but my girlfriend and I tried to stop in tonight at 5:30 without reservations, for a quick drink and maybe a small sampling of the menu. The restaurant and bar were empty. The hostess told us that the bar was reservation only. As we started to walk out, another staff member told us that he could seat us at a table. We felt bad about taking up a table and left. The bar situation is interesting - this was our first time inside and it seems like the bar area is so tight that they really wouldn't be able to handle any walk-ins on top of those already seated at the bar. If there were people standing and drinking, they would totally clog the egress towards the main dining room. That said, to turn someone away from an empty bar because of a hard and fast policy also seems to not be the best way to go about things. Again, I chock this up to newness - hopefully they'll figure all of this out soon...

One interesting thing that I've noticed so far (and correct me if I'm wrong), but there hasn't been much mention of the types of olives used to make each respective oil. Other than the Aguibal oils (Arbequina, Manzanilla and Picual) which are 100% varietal and advertise that fact, I think it would be prudent to note what olives are present in each oil. In my short experience with Di Bruno Bros. I've started to notice certain characteristics for particular olives. For example, the Aguibal Arbequina is the smoothest, butteriest of the three Aguibal oils. Other 100% Arbequina oils tend to have similar qualities. So it seems that in an olive oil like, say Marques de Valdueza (one of my favorites, btw), which combines Arbequina, Morisca, Hojiblanca and Picual, each individual olive would lend its own distinct flavors to the oil. MdV has that smooth, buttery flavor up-front (Arbequina?) and a pleasantly mild, slightly peppery finish (Picual?). Unforunately, my exposure to Morisca and Hojiblanca is not enough to comment on their distinct characteristics, or how they might lend themselves to the oil. Maybe the next round should focus more heavily on varietal oils - kind of like a jumping off point - with some blends following?

Can't wait to hear everyone's thoughts on the oils - glad to hear that you had fun with some of our stuff! V - by the way, can we order that mozzarella ice cream by the pint???