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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???

A buddy of mine, and former Di Bruno guy, will be working the bar at Osteria. Hopefully he can give me a good idea of when they are going to be opening. Pretty interesting location - N. Broad, just before Temple. Guess they're thinking that N. Liberties is expanding west? Anyway, I'm excited nonetheless. Vetri+pizza=mind-explodingly dope. (Checked Dictionary.com - mind-explodingly not a word.)

awesome.

For the record: the bacon pizza at Pepe's is my favorite, although my parents prefer the clam pizza, which I'm told is the "bee's knees" (unfortunately, those little bastards would probably kill me - damn you, food allergies). Anyway, as far as the whole Pizza Club operation goes, how exactly does it work here? Do you guys go to all of the suggested restaurants in one night, or over the course of a few evenings? If its the latter, then I'm good for 2/23, just gotta make sure that the Di Bruno overlords (just kidding, Mr. Mignuccis) will let me out early... Looking forward to it...

Thanks, Lisa, that's a great idea. I could show you guys Modern Pizza, Bar (a brewery near Yale that makes some decent pies), and of course, Sally's Pizza and my favorite, Pepe's. In fact, here are some pictures from my last trip to Pepe's with the folks: Oh yeah, and I'm sure I could scrounge up some cheese, olives and salumi for the ride up to CT...

I'd like to throw my hat in the ring and join the '07 pizza club. I'm just hoping that the initiation process isn't too painful...

Yeah, I saw that article We've wanted to check out Balthazar for awhile now, I guess our trip will be bad timing. Just reading about the bread basket that comes with breakfast pretty much sealed the deal, regardless of how much busier it will be because of the NYC article. Color me embarassed regarding Shake Shack. Now you know why I posted here - otherwise we would have just showed up and it would have been a complete mess... Thanks for the suggestions so far - keep 'em comin'!

So my plan is to wake up early and drive up to Balthazar from Philly for breakfast. My girlfriend and I have the car for the day, so we were also going to take a ride up to Arthur Avenue (never been before, want to see how it compares to the Italian Market in Philly) later on. I'm thinking we walk to the Essex Street Market after breakfast, but from there I'm not sure. Ang (the gf) said that she always feels like we go to NYC without a plan and end up lost, frustrated and in general totally discombobulated (hey, I actually spelled that right on the 1st try!). I am reaching out to you, fellow eGulleters. Help me plan my day in NYC. We're both in the food industry and we're up for anything. So far its just Balthazar and Arthur Avenue, no plans for lunch or dinner (I'd like to show her the Shake Shack maybe, especially if the weather is still ungodly warm). Obvious tag: the gf also loves to shop - so even though this is generally a food-related question, feel free to mention where we can find the haute couture as well... Man, I can't believe I just asked about haute couture. I think I need to go eat some red meat. Thanks in advance!!!

I'm sorry that you had such a crazy experience down at 9th st. It does get a little nutty down there during holiday time! I had two brands here at the Chestnut St. Di Bruno Bros: La Florentine and Venchi. While the Florentine marrons glaces did sell out, there are a few boxes of the Venchi left. I could set one aside for you if you'd like. Just PM me with your name and number and I'll leave one at the customer service desk (underneath the stairs when you first walk in the main entrance). As for their shelf life, I believe that they are good for around 8 months. At least this is what my vendor tells me (and she used to stock them for Epicure Market in Miami). (By the way, on a chestnut side-note: we were roasting the remainder of our chestnuts in the kitchen today at Di Brunos - can you believe I'd never had a roasted chestnut?!? They were delicious - now I see what all the fuss is about!!!) Talk to you soon, Scott

Its probably too late, but we have some beautiful marron glaces from Venchi (out of Piemonte) at Di Brunos. I'll probably put them on sale now that the holiday season is over! Hope this helps!

Petit Four had a pretty big workspace behind the retail counter. Any idea what they are using that space for? I can't picture what they would be doing with it in a cheese shop...