Tim Dolan

That grill looks perfect for an apartment dweller with a small outdoor patio, no?

I was feeling the need for something garlicky and spicy on Tuesday night, so I made my first trip to Szechuan Tasty House to sample the spicy dumplings and braised beef filet Szechuan style. The spicy dumplings totally hit the spot. If I could get these delivered to my house I'd order them at least twice a week. The beef was also quite good, but I have to admit it tested my limits. I would definitely have to be in the mood for a good burn to order that again. The portions were huge and I was stuffed after working my way through them. Girlfriend got the hot and sour soup and the golden coins, but she wasn't crazy about either of them. On a totally different note, while my girlfriend and I were waiting for our first orders to arrive, a total brawl broke out between a bunch of guys sitting in the back. A bottle was even cracked over some guy's head. I was far enough away that I thought it was hysterical, but I'm certain other people would not be so amused. A few tables did get up and leave as that was going on, and as far as I know, only one other group of intrepid non-Asians diners remained. Cops showed up in about 5 minutes after everything had calmed down and order was restored, but I have NEVER seen anything like that inside a restaurant before.

Dude, you are an absolute beast.

I'm with her. Except for the young woman part. Regarding the back-and-forth about the merits (or lack thereof) of the CS program, I guess it fits the cliche that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. As with many things, I'm sure that turning a profit was a major goal of the program and it looks to have accomplished that goal. What better way to do that than to target the general public? At the same time, the intention also seemed to be to steer the average box-of-wine/Woodbridge drinker towards other wines that they normally never would have considered. The world of wine can be vast and intimidating for a novice, and the CS program just gives those people a nudge in a better direction.

I had an awesome Valentine's Day dinner at M (which I have yet to post about), so I highly recommend it.

Went early last night and snagged to counter seats in front of the kitchen around 5:30. We were seated right next to where one of the chefs was expediting all of the food, and it was like having courtside seats to a basketball game. We chatted with him about some of the things that were coming out, which made for a very unique experience. I think this place has a cool, upscale informalness about itself. All but one of the counter and bar seats were taken, and about half of the floor tables were full. We got a chance to see all of the different dishes that were coming out, and it was awesome. There was a lobster special that we didn't ordered that looked incredible. We got the pizza with prosciutto and arugala that was off-the-charts good. The brick oven that they make the pizzas in is really something else. Vetri himself was working the oven while I was there, and the entire kitchen was humming along seemed like everyone was ready to bring their A-game. We split the steak for two, and if you are a serious steak lover you're only cheating yourself if you don't get down there to sample it. In short, I thought it was faaaaantastic. The servers were cool, and I didn't notice any of the hovering that was expeirenced upthread. Get there if you get the chance.

That Szechuan braised beef looks pretty scorching...

They even lifted Philadining's photo! That was the first thing I noticed and I was gonna flip out until I saw his credit. Anyways, I didn't even have any knowledge of Gridskipper until a few minutes ago. Oh well...

What I think is funny is the fact that LaBan's sidebar appeared in the form of "Or Try These", so he's essentially promoting the place to begin with! It seems to me that he's just saying "I had a bad meal here, maybe you won't." I'm guessing that he thought the restaurant had SOME redeeming qualities if he is going to encourage other people to try the place. edit/spelling

It's like scalping tickets at a game. It's illegal to buy tickets on the street straight from scalpers, but somehow websites like stubhub and razorgator do major business. I've never understood that.

I think it's way too obnoxious to work in Philly. I also agree that there are probably too few places in Philly for Primetables to extort to make it worth their while.

Also you can search the rest of the board for more in-depth reviews of certain places, but being that you have 3 nights I think a great way to get the most out of your trip would be to hit one of each of the following types of restaurants: BYOB, "gastropub" a.k.a a bar that serves damn good food that isn't chicken fingers and mozzarella sticks, and one high end/ fine-dining place (open to much discussion what that constitutes). Have fun choosing your places.

Not to step in for Holly, but I think that John's Roast Pork definitely lives up to the hype. Both their cheesesteak and, you guessed it, their roast pork, are as good as you'll find anywhere. The only problem is their hours. They're only open till 3pm during the week, and although I've read somewhere that they're supposed to be open on Saturday, they've been closed on the 3 Saturdays that I stopped by. I've learned my lesson and won't be testing them out on a Saturday again...

Brutally cold Valentine's evening outside + nice and warm Restaurant M inside + pleasant, friendly service + great food = mmmm, mmmm good. More details to follow when I have more time.

"Gastropub" in Center City? I say either Good Dog or Nodding Head. Good Dog has good beer (and some wine) and better food, Nodding Head has good food and better beer, imho. Nodding Head also currently has a killer Chocolate Stoudt on tap, being that it's Valentine's Day and all.

Yes sir. For me, it was one of the best steaks I've ever had. It should be noted that I've never had a steak from Lobel's or Luger's. And to put that into further context, of the steaks you had in your tasting I have bought steaks from Harry Ochs and Whole Foods with some regularity. Not surpringly, the Barclay Prime ribeye blew the doors off of anything I have purchased for myself, but at the same time, I'd be lying if I said I didn't expect that from a $50 steak.

V, back to the cooking method for a second. You mentioned heat control. I'm assuming the steaks were cooked over medium-high heat, or was it even more controlled than that? And by that I mean I noticed that you used a heat thermometer for the oil tasting, did you also use that to monitor the heat of the pan? Also, how long were the steaks cooked on each side? I laughed my ass off for a solid minute and a half when I read that. Warrants mentioning. edited for clarity

How much did each of the steaks cost?

That looks absolutely phenomenal. Quick question, did you let the Lobel's steak rest standing up like that for any particular reason?

Mozzarella ice cream? Sounds like Iron Chef ain't got nothin' on you guys.

When I called to make my reservation they said they will be serving a 5 course prix fix menu for $75 per person, $115 with wine. I'll be sure to report back.

Katie, Phil, thanks for the suggestion. V-Day made easy, courtesy of eGullet.

Oh don't get me wrong, I could care less about winning a free book. I just like the fact that he's highlighting what he considers to be 3 good dishes from various places around the area.

I get a kick out of his Tuesday afternoon online chats. I know there's some people on here who also check in on those. It's a nice break from the beginning-of-the-work-week blues. I think the Crumb Tracker quiz is pretty cool. Yes, it's borderline cheesy, but the point comes across. I was all psyched this week when I knew that the bone marrow crostini was served at Ansill, only to be told that he threw that one in there as a layup. Yep, I'm still a rookie .

Definitely gets my vote for best post ever.