Tkrup

Don't know if you've done it already, but if you haven't I'd love to do a get-together if I'm in town (I travel a lot for work). Let me know...my wife and I are both members!!! We've got some questions and opinions we'd like to share with those who have watched the culinary landscape evolve here on the island.

Mama's rocks. Cab from Inner Harbor will cost no more than ten bucks, and you wouldn't find a parking spot in Canton Square anyway. Just tell the cabbie to take you to the town square in Canton, it's not large, and you can't miss Mama's on the corner. Great crab bisque, raw bar, and workable crabcakes. They've even got coddies from the Bawlmer days of yore. If you go on the weekend, and are over 21, there are also some interesting taverns to grab a beer.

I believe the original Coney Island is called Nathan's. (Well, that's not really right. The original was Feltman's who sold franks for a dime; Nathan Handwerker, an employee, went out on his own and priced his dogs at a nickel.) ← The original Coney Island Lunch in Scranton, my hometown, is the original Coney Island Lunch in Scranton. Under the train trestle on Cedar Ave, just below Lackawanna Ave., it is like stepping back in time, with tilework and wooden booths from the 20's, and an old world, cramped feel that is just incomparable. And the dogs, made especially for Coney Island by Gutheinz Meats in Scranton, are short fat tube steaks that are split, grilled and served on special, square Texas Weiner rolls (as they are packaged and called up that way), and topped with homemade mustard (!), chopped onions and chili sauce. As at Abe's in Wilkes-Barre, if you order enough of them at once, the counterman will dress the dogs along his forearm. Quite a sight, if you've never seen it before. Coney Island was a semi-regular stop on my way home from high school, and is a wildly popular place on Saturdays. One of the very last vestiges of the "old Scranton" that my generation and that of my parents and grandparents knew. ← No argument that the original Coneys came from the Island itself. I was speaking to the fact that there are now two Coney Islands in Scranton, the product of a family feud. When I asked about the original, I meant the one described above. It really is like stepping back in time. If any egulleteers and or dawg lovers should ever find themselves in the fair burgh, give it a try..you won't be disappointed.

Alright....is there any anyone who has an opinion on the ORIGINAL Coney Island in Scranton? (the one under the railroad bridge). There are those who would jam a pencil in the eye of their best friend for two with everything.

Might want to add some finings and let it settle for a while, although stuff floating on top is a bit more than a cloudiness problem. Good luck!!

Convinced my wife that a glass of Old Crustacean was a good idea after the "Spanish" pizza I made for dinner. She's so easy!!! Incidentally, this was the beer that got me started on my road to pretension in 1993.

Ddukbokki (random alley in Seoul KS) Spanish Torta (random taverna in Madrid) Julia's Empanadas (Adam's Morgan, Washington D.C.) Brick Oven Pizza "BOP" with anchovies, pepperoni and onions (Fells Point, Baltimore, MD) More when I think of them...

I'm afraid they're no longer there. The space is vacant, and the number (which matches an online listing I found) seems to reach a private party. Back to the drawing board for me. ← Ugh!! Sorry about the confusion. He moved to a bigger place a while ago. It's about three blocks away, and the area code is different now. They are most definately still there!! Give them a call at the number below! Sorry if you wasted a trip Capaneus! Lopes Seafood 833 East 4th Street, Bethlehem, PA 18015 (610) 691-0124

This is the place you need to go. It's Portuguese, but you'll find what you need there. Not just chorizo, but other sausage, dried salted cod, fresh meat, poultry and fish and (god help us and our waistlines...) cheeses from the mountains of Portugal. It's a great place, and I go there whenever I'm in town to stock up on the essentials. LOPES SEAFOOD & MINI MARKET 501 E. FOURTH ST. BETHLEHEM, PA Phone: (717) 691-0124 There is parking in the rear of the store, call for their hours. I know they are open on Saturday. Check out downtown Bethlehem while you are there, particularly the Bethlehem Brew Works. If you like good beer, you won't be disappointed.

That AV is some good stuff. Now, the report on my Christmas purchases.. Drank the La Binchoise on New Year's Eve....mostly because the bottles are champagne style with corks and cages. This is a classic high alcohol Belgian style beer with a pleasant hoppiness and an almost syrupy spiced malt. Damn good stuff. Shared it with my old friends, one of which is a professional brewer. Good times. My friend also brewed a special Brown Ale, Belgian Ale, and Bitter for the night's debauchory. They all got high marks by the crowd, but I liked the Brown the best. It was more complex than the others. He deliberately pulled the Bitter at about 3.5 ABV to facilitate an "all night buzz" for the party The Aventinus Weizensarkbier is great too, but it's really high in alcolol and I can generally only drink one. It reminds me of the Dopple I used to get at a now defunkt brewpub in Baltimore (which I miss dearly). Glad you could scrape together some cheddar to get your good beer fix this week!! Cheers

Salt packed are supposed to be the best, but I can't get 'em, so I use the best quality oil packed I can find. In my opinion, you can never have enough anchovies, but if they're too fishy for you, try soaking them in water for about an hour, with a change of water every fifteen minutes. That should replace the saltiness with the sublime flavor you're looking for. If they're still too salty, try soaking them overnight like you would bacalhao.

Whenever I get a bad rise, I just tell people it was meant to be thin crust... The caramelized onions are really the star of the dish though. Glad everyone liked them!! Happy New Year!

Well, it's been another holiday season of great tasting, artery clogging food. I made Japanese green tea and scallop rice for dinner this evening, but I think the amount of stuff we wolfed (and gulped) down over the last week may give us cause for at least three or four days of "detox foods". This is a call to my fellow gulleteers...what do you use to turn back the effects of butter, cheese, porkfat, and refined sugar? I can get almost any ingredients if I feel like driving for a few minutes, and I'm willing to eat almost anything, so don't hold back with the suggestions!! Happy New Year!!

I've made the recipe in the Saveur cookbook as well, however I bloomed the yeast (regular old fleischman's active dry) with honey and warm water. I never dissolve my salt in the water because I've heard that it retards the little beasties from waking up. I also add vital wheat gluten to my bread flour to give it a better texture. Regular bread flour doesn't have enough gluten to make it good an chewy like real bakery products. I've made it a few times and have always had good luck. Hope this helps Happy New Year!

Today's purchases, I'm doing the holiday family rounds, so I decided to stop at Shangy's beer distributor in Emmaus PA. This is the place to get good beer by the case in Southeastern PA (North of Philly). I got a case of Aventinus Weizensarkbier, which is described as a blend of Dopple Bock and Weizenbock, and a case of La Binchoise Special Noel, a Golden Ale. I'll probably crack one of each open tomorrow by way of front loading for the New Year's celebration we'll be attending. I'll report later, especially on the Aventinus. My wife was strangely drawn to it as soon as we walked into the place.

Got a trifold carrier for my Global knives Gave a cheese of the month club and a bottle of 21 year old Scotch we also gave the "Ex" knife block seen in another string on this forum.

My wife gets those compliments a lot too. Her favorite is the Delerium Tremens, which elicits remarks whenever she enthusiastically orders it. We split a Delerium Noel while we wrapped the Christmas presents the other day. It's really good, and I noticed it got better as it approached "cellar temperature" which is probably why yours started to taste better after a while. Have fun at Penn, and be sure to bring an appetite as well as your liver!! Happy ChaunzaChrismaKwanzzicha!!

any particular time of year, or just on a whim? That would be an awesome dining opportunity... ← Not really a whim...more like research. We'll be spending a significant amount of time there and I want to map the foodscape before we go.

Picked up a large bottle of Delerium Noel and a six of Victory Moonglow Weizenbock. I'll let you all know how they were...if I can still type!

Jeniac... You NEED to get yourself to the Penn Brewpub in Pittsburgh. I had their Winter Bock last week (got "iced" in on Thursday night). If you like the German styles, this place is right up your alley. Take your boyfriend with you and chat up the brewer. He'll tell you everything you need to know about beer, probably in the interest of selling you some!! Seriously, great beer and German food, well worth the cab ride to North Pittsburgh (just over the 16th Street Bridge). If you liked the Chicory, see if you can obtain some Dogfish Head Worldwide Stout. It's a whole 'nother class! Krup

I love Christmas..... Corsendonk XMAS 8.0% Belgian Seasonal La Rulles Cuvee Meilleurs Voeux 7.3% Belgian Holiday Ale Smuttynose Winter 8.0% Belgian Style Dubbel St Fueillen Cuvee De Noel 9.0% Belgian Winter Ale Gales Christmas Ale (Cask) 8.5% English Holiday Ale Rogue Santas Private Reserve 7.5% Holiday Ale Allagash Curieux 11.0% Special Triple Ouch, my head... http://www.maxs.com/

Not exactly roasted, but a damn good tapa for a party...substituting duck fat for the olive oil might make for an interesting and tasty twist! Patatas Bravas Recipe #66329 If you want a spanish meal, serve this along with a selection of other dishes, like fried padron peppers and chorizo sausage. 1 lb potatoes, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces 1/4 cup olive oil salt and pepper 1 small onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes 1/2 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon paprika 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1/4 cup dry white wine 2 tomatoes, finely choppped 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped 4 servings Change size or US/metric Change to: servings US Metric 40 minutes 10 mins prep Spread the potato pieces over a baking sheet, pour over most of the olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Bake at 425 F for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked and crispy. Turn once during baking. Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce by heating the leftover olive oil in a frying pan. Add the onions and sauté for a couple minutes. Add the remaining ingredients except the parsley and let simmer for 10 minutes or until the mixture is thick. Serve the sauce over the potatoes as is, or purée it in a food processor or blender, if you prefer a smoother texture. Garnish with the parsley.

My in-laws like to grill it in a fish grilling cage, then smother it in plenty of fruity olive oil and chopped garlic. They boil or grill potatos, then pound them onto the plate, spoon the bacalhau over the potato, then top it with a little chopped onion, parsley, and some vinegar. Serve with bread, salad, and grilled marinated peppers in olive oil. It's amazing, and simple. Don't forget plenty of wine with your lunch!

Hey all, I was just curious. I know chorizo and malasadas are really popular, but I was wondering if there were any true Portuguese places like the ones you can find in Newark, NJ or up in New England. I tried hawaiidiner.com, but couldn't find anything. Thanks!! Tkrup

Where to begin....? If you're looking for casual, I agree with the other posters on their picks. Peters is particularly our go-to for great food in an ultra casual atmosphere that is free of tourists. The Kali's/Mezze suggestion is good, and you might want to consider the Black Olive in Fells Point. It's a greek seafood place with the freshest selection of fish. If your friends like belgian style beer, you might want to try the Brewer's Art. The food there is great and they make Belgian style beers on the premises. I'll post more later, as I'm being pushed out the door by my wife to get some brunch, but check out www.baltfoodies.com for more suggestions