Bobby 2 Shakes

I'd probably watch this show, except there's always the danger I'd fall asleep and wake up to Tom Cruise jumping up and down on James Lipton's couch.

If recent events at CBS pay off, look for NBC Nightly News to become a cooking show, featuring, I don't even have to tell you but I will, Rachel Ray. I'll be disappointed if this happens before she has a chance to do "Tokyo on 4K a Day."

Sadly, my guess is that they do get it. It's just that we serious food people are not their target audience. I don't have the numbers in front of me but I do remember reading news stories recently about how much their viewership has expanded. They're being successful with what they're doing. I don't know if that makes the dilution of FTV any easier to bear but it at show that there's some logic behind it. It'll be interesting to see how FTV eventually ends up marketing the winner of this contest. =R= ← This echoes concerns voiced by opponents of Oprah's book club. When people buy a lot of books Oprah likes, the booksellers start to ignore people who don't think like Oprah. In order to survive, the "old guard" has to join the "vanguard" of people writing to please Oprah. Or find an "alternate Oprah." Are you reading this, Anthony Bourdain? Since Kitchen Confidential, I have invested a significant amount of money on books whose only claim to fame is the AB seal of approval. Oprah's not bad, we just need more than one Oprah.

Teach a man to fish and he'll eat fish forever but give him lutefisk the next time might be never

I think two of my sisters may have affected the results. They used to work together at Pica's on Rte. 3 (W Chester Pike) and since that time have always left whatever money they had still in their purses as the tip. I believe they double-handedly skewed the results in Philly's favor. Edited to add the word "still".

John Mariani. I have a VHS tape with a show he did with Annemarie Huste in the early 80s called "Crazy for Food." So he's been around a long time. At the risk of sounding obsequious myself, I'd say that his needing to be comped after 20-plus years of critiquing is testament to his honesty. He'd surely have enough money to buy his own meals by now if he were anything less than ethical. That being said, I marvel at Chef Perrier walking by a food critic's table while they are passing food around and saying "What are you dooeeng?!?!" (perfect spelling allowing for Chef's accent, Rich. You must write a lot of dialogue) OBSEQUIOUS BIT OFF Ha Ha! Screw you all, I knew you'd OBSEQUIOUS BIT ON Of course, by screw, I mean to place you on a pedestal and rotate you in such a way that all facets of your talent are showcased so that everyone can see them in as complete a manner as possible.

I haven't seen the entire show but it looks like a filler show, it took a half hour to film on the road side and then used clips from last season and you have a quick episode. In this case it was a treat for the fans to get to see more of Tony and some behond the scenes shots. ← The Leftovers show may be the funniest hour in the history of television (that I can remember). Anthony is like Carson - he's in his prime when the world's falling down around him. That, and he smokes.

I'll bet if they took those black panties off that rough & tumble masseur, he wouldn't be such a roughneck any more. Just warn me so I can look away next time. That's going to leave a mark on the viewership's collective psyche. The way I see it, that outtake is going to end up in an antismoking commercial. "If you don't think smoking affects your brain, check this out. Would a clear-headed non-smoker allow himself to get in a situation like this? I don't think so."

His parents make great cheesesteaks, too, in their cart at the NW corner of 16th and Cherry.

Amateur service may be the main obstacle preventing Cleveland from being a higher tier restaurant city. And what an interesting and scary point, the chains may win out not because of food but because they were smart enough to realize that service, ultimately, is more important than the food. Few restaurants with great food and shitty service survive; many, too many, with shitty food but excellent service do. ← Sounds like a business opportunity. Somebody with the resources (lure Bigfoot out of NY?) could fill the demand for a "service chain" that would provide well-trained supplemental servers. Whoever undertakes this should first watch "Office Space" as a cautionary tale of how not to go about it. (You "flair" peddlers know who you are) Esprit is the key de corps.

I had a really nice mushroom cheesesteak in Norristown today at a little out of the way (for me) place called Eve's Lunch. I tried their Eve's Special & Tuna lettuce-free "zeps". The Eve's zep has a cooked salami that Hatfield has been making special for them for a long time. All the sandwiches were top-shelf. There's plenty of vegetation, though. Enough sliced raw onion to make a pot of onion soup. If my wife & daughter weren't with me (and in a hurry) I would've tried the burger zep and the pork roll zep. They get their rolls from Corropolese and West Conshy bakeries, so it's a winner across the board. Eve's Lunch 1014 Sandy Hill Rd Norristown, PA 19401-4149 (610) 277-6600

Excellent writing, Rich. Excellent basking, Holly. Coincidental that I bought that Daily News while eating hot dogs at the new Hot Donuts place that took over the old John's Drive-In at the corner of Marshall Rd & Long La in Upper Darby. I wouldna known I was eating a Texas weiner without you guys. Tasty cheese dogs I ordered with fried sweet peppers & onions. They make the donuts there, also yummy. Henry the owner had a donut store in Louisiana before he came back to Upper Darby. They also sell burgers, fries, steaks, hoagies, chicken tenders. Surfless turf, though.

It appears that the hotel's mother company took a cue from the big banks. Just as banks put their less-important customers on hold longer than their "express" customers, the hotel policy sees to it that condo residents are given more leverage for misbehavior. Sounds like the letters should be going to the hotel company's management (not hotel mangement). Maybe it's not a bad idea to remind them that if you were a Mobil Guide reviewer, the deleterious effects of this experience would far outweigh the advantages of coddling a tactless customer.

If you're going to HMart, the food court upstairs has an excellent Korean restaurant called Jian. I had the Dol-Sot BibimBab (beef,veg,rice) served in a hot stone bowl. Everything was fresh and piping hot. They'll bring it all out to your table. Portions are generous. Xochimilco's owners have moved to a new restaurant in Primos on Providence Rd. The name of the new restaurant is Hidalgo and it's in a shopping center with a CVS pharmacy. If you come (to Hidalgo)* from Lansdowne Ave don't pass the Penn Pines Shopping Center on the way without picking up some soft pretzels from Bernie's Pretzel Bakery. Penn Pines Diner is another good place to eat, and some of the cheapest gas in the area is at the Sunoco & Lukoil stations across the street. *edit

There's a little store on Sansom St in Center City Philly Great Tea International The owner's from Taiwan.

Also, you might want to try this resource; Best Cheesesteaks

Antonella's makes very good steaks & pork sandwiches 841 Conestoga Rd Rosemont, PA 19010 (610) 526-1966 Colonial Kitchen makes the best chicken cheesesteaks - bar none (great strombolis, too)) 103 N Union Ave Lansdowne, PA (610) 284-7811 or 7812 Near West Chester try the Pepper Mill Rte 352 & Paoli Pike East Goshen, PA (610) 692-0100

If you have a car, take 95 north to the Betsy Ross Bridge, go North on Rt 130 about a mile and try Fuji. If you can give advance notice, call and reserve the Kaiseki (8 course) dinner. A bargain at $65.00, though you can get fancy for more (still a bargain). http://www.fujirestaurant.com/ (edit) 65 per person, btw

Try A & A Tool Sharpening Service Near New China, Bobby Pizza's Pizza, Bywood Seafood & Rita's Water Ice 788 Garrett Rd Upper Darby 19082 An old guy who does it the old-fashioned way.

Hey, if you've got a meat grinder, a cold smoker, and know where to find pink salt, pick up a copy of Michael Ruhlman's and Brian Polcyn's "Charcuterie, The Craft of Smoking, Salting & Curing" Pages 164 & 165 have a recipe for Chicago-Style All-Beef Hot Dogs. Just don't get any stains on your investment copy (the one that'll put your grandkids through school, seeing as this classic is still a first edition)

I say kudos to Chairman Newman for revamping the PLCB in a way conducive to cultivating opportunities for BYOs to flourish. Don't think for a minute that robust profits at BYO restaurants don't affect the price-setting decisions at the restaurants with liquor licenses.

I disagree with the standpoint that Kim's post was unfair. When opening for business with the public, a proprietor assumes certain risks when there is a lapse in customer service. Would you expect Craig Laban or a Mobil Guide reviewer to call the chef and warn him about these lapses?

If anybody in Philly served fugu, I'd go there. Then for dessert, anything I could find called "death by chocolate." If there was still time before the paralysis set in from the fugu, I'd throw up and do it again. Or, I could just look at the pictures from the Studio Kitchen threads.

Another vote for Ludwig's! Ludwig's Garten

I've heard good things about Fuddrucker's, but only in Jersey. Anyone care to corroborate or deny? Their website says there are locations in Turnersville & Voorhees.