Tim Dolan

So I walked into this store before and after I had an amazing burger across the street at Standard Tap. This, in my opinion, is the PERFECT corner store, and they need to open one closer to where I live. I can't speak on any of their sandwiches, but they looked really good and are made with bread from the Metropolitan Bakery. Even better is that the majority of them are either $4.50 or $5.00, so they look like a pretty good deal. But the real reason I say that The Foodery is the best store ever is because they have a wall of refrigerator cases stocked with every kind of local microbrew around, along with an astounding number of Belgian beers available. Now I am absolutely clueless about Belgian beers, but they have about 4 full refrigerators stocked to the brim with individual bottles. I am a big fan of local microbrews, and I can't think of one that wasn't represented in their fridges. The coolest part is, you can make your own 6 packs. All of the beers are standing alone in the fridges, so you can just grab one of any beer you want. It's AWESOME. Even cooler is the fact that the "rules" of making your own 6 pack is that you can't have more than two of the same beers in your 6 pack, which promotes you to try different beers. Even cooler STILL is the fact that if you compromise your 6 pack of 6 different beers, you get a 10% discount, which is good because your customized 6 pack (depending on what you get) can get pricey. My customized sixer cost me almost $20, so you could get a full case for slightly more at a beer distributor, but that's not the point. Now I'm sure that if you really wanted a 6 pack of just one beer they wouldn't have a problem with it, but I think that they have a great concept going to try and make people try different things. I'm crossing my fingers that the owners will expand and open an outpost in the Roxborough/Manayunk area. This place is AWESOME. p.s. Their website is www.fooderybeer.com.

Yesterday was a great day. I went to Standard Tap to give them their long overdue shot at redemption, and they didn't disappoint. I can finally say that Good Dog has a legitimate rival for best burger in the city (IMHO, of course.) As I've mentioned earlier, I've been victim to a recent phenomenon of having my burgers slightly overcooked everywhere I go. I've always eaten my steaks medium rare but ordered burgers medium. I now realize my mistake. I just should've been ordering medium rare for burgers all the time, as I did yesterday. I ordered their Double Standard, which is the mammoth 12oz version of their normal burger. This burger came out cooked perfectly and wa so juicy that the juice would run down my chin with almost every bite. It was sooooooooo good. The fries were also outstanding. They were cut somewhere inbetween shoestring and a normal fry size. They spent the perfect amount of time in the fryer and were dusted with the perfect amount of kosher salt. The only bad thing I can say about yesterday, which is by no means the bar's fault, was that it was blazingly hot out on their rooftop patio. It was bearable to be outside when the clouds were blocking the sun, but once that sun was out it got pretty rough. We just moved inside to the upstairs bar and sat in front of their huge fan, and everything was cool (quite literally) again. Yesterday was also great for a totally different reason than the amazing burger that I had the pleasure of enjoying. Right on the opposite corner of Standard Tap is an awesome little store called The Foodery, which I will now give it's own thread. I don't know how to insert a hyperlink, so after I make the thread if someone would help me out and put it in here, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Two days, two burgers. Went to Good Dog (again) last night, and I'm still hooked on their burger. It's been my experience that most places will slightly overcook a burger just in case, or because they're just screwing up, but this has never been the case for me at Good Dog. It always comes out as ordered. Easily still #1 in my book. As for the other burger, I sampled the Black Lab Bistro's offering during lunch today. I ordered medium, it came out well. Almost to the point that it was dry. That really took major points off. Even though I ordered it with Gruyere and bacon, the well-doneness of the meat gave it an overall bland taste. They were packed and I did order a cup of lobster bisque (damn good) to start, so I'm guessing they might have fired my burger a little too early. I'll give them another shot though because all of the food I saw being delivered to other tables looked really good. Maybe next time I'll head there on a Monday or go to lunch a little earlier. But as it stands now, they wouldn't crack my regular rotation.

I wasn't freaked out by the actual product, it was just a shock that the two most famous cheesesteak producers around used it predominantly and I was clueless about it. I like Whiz just as much as the next guy, but back then I had no idea that it was used on cheesesteaks. To me as a kid it was a bigger deal than finding out that Santa Claus isn't real.

I was born and raised in Philly, but I didn't make it down to Pat's/Geno's until I was about 12 years old. I'll never forget being freaked out that not only did they use Cheez Whiz, but that it was the default cheese that they used. I ordered my steaks "American wit out" for a few years until I finally broke down and tried a Whiz steak. It wasn't bad, but not good enough to for me to think that I'd been missing something all those years. This all leads me to wondering, who else besides Pat's and Geno's (and Jim's and Rick's) sells their steaks with Whiz as an option? I know none of the local places around me offer it (I live dangerously close to Dalessandro's). It is my belief that most places use American as the default cheese, and that Whiz is only used by a handful of places in Philly.

I did it. Last night I went out and tried sushi, and now I am a wiser man than I was yesterday. I do not like sushi. I didn't hate it though. It just seems like it will take some getting used to. We went to the small sushi bar right inside the Manayunk Brew Pub, where our sushi was prepared by an excellent tutor named Chef Eddie. Chef Eddie a Japanese man who can understand English but has a hard time speaking it, which oddly enough made me feel like this guy was the real thing. When I told Chef that me and my girlfriend were trying sushi for the first time, he enthusiastically walked us through the process. I thought that was pretty cool. I didn't want to order a bunch of rolls stuffed with too many ingredients, I wanted the real thing, so we ordered two pieces of maguro (tuna), sake (salmon), a crab stick and a Philadelphia roll as a "safety net" of sorts. My girlfriend really liked the crab stick, which really wasn't a shocker because she loves crab and it's cooked. Pretty simple. Now it was my turn... Chef Eddie had poured me a little bowl of soy sauce, took some wasabi and mixed it around with some chopsticks. For my first piece, the maguro, he told me not to worry about the chopsticks and to pick it up with my hand, then dip the tuna in to the soy mixture fish-side down. Then, he told me to put the whole piece down the hatch. It was pretty much on point with the video that Cherie has posted further up. So what happened? First let me say that the tuna looked great. It was a nice, finger-long slice of ruby red fish over rice. This was the piece of sushi that made me want to try it in the first place. So down it went. As I was raising my hand to put the tuna in my mouth, my mind began throwing a full-on mutiny at me. "What are you doing?!?! That is RAW FISH you're about to put in your mouth, are you CRAZY?!?!?!" Regardless, half a second later the tuna was in my mouth. For a brief second it was almost a sensory overload. I just didn't know what to expect. First I tasted the soy, which I immediately didn't like. Next was a little heat from the wasabi, which wasn't bad. Then I began to feel the texture of the tuna. This is the hurdle that I just cannot clear. As I began to chew, I could not shake the thought that I was eating a piece of raw chicken. But I soldiered on. After I got the first piece down, I thought that maybe the soy and wasabi had ruined it, so I gamely went for the second piece. The first piece was also rather large, a whole mouthful, so I figured that I would take a smaller bite. It was definitely better without the soy and wasabi, but still, the texture was just too much for me to handle. I still got it down, as not to disrespect Chef Eddie, who was getting the hint that I was struggling. He was still encouraging me though. Next up I went for the safety net, the Philadelphia roll. This wasn't bad, but as I was eating it the texture of the salmon kept the alarm ringing in my head. My girlfriend tried to back out after seeing me have a tough time but I wasn't about to let her get away with that. I guilt-tripped into having a piece of the Philadelphia roll, but her results unfortunately were the same as mine. So overall, even though I didn't like the sushi, it was a damn good experience. For me, even trying the sushi was a monumental accomplishment. Maybe after I grow up a little bit more I'll give it a shot again. p.s. That's not a typo when I said "raw chicken" earlier. That's really what I was thinking.

I've just switch job locations, going from the culinary tundra known as Horsham to the culinary unknown (for me at least) of Collegeville. Based off of this thread and the recommendation of a co-worker, Black Lab is first on my list. Any other good lunch places within 10-15 minutes of 422?

Everyone, thanks. I'm just going to man up and go out to one of those places. You've all made it clear that going out to a respectable place will make that much of a difference. I'm getting the feeling that there's not really a middle ground with sushi; it's either good or bad. For instance, would you all agree that an average cheesesteak would be more enjoyable than average sushi? We all have eaten (well, at least I have) more average cheesesteaks than we can count. They do their job. I'm thinking this isn't the case with sushi...

I gotta find one of those places close to me...

That is definitely something I thought about. I'd rather get something that I know is good quality because I don't want to be turned off by one bad experience, which I'm assuming is quite possible when dealing with sushi. However, I am taking the "gotta crawl before you walk" approach to this, and Raw, in my humble opinion, seems to be the place for those who "walk the walk", as they say.

It seems that sushi is becoming the new pizza. It's everywhere. I'm far too uneduatcated on the subject to go into, well, anything at all about it, but my curiosity is starting to get the better of me. Ever since I first heard the word "sushi" and found out what it was, I immediately wrote it off thinking anyone who ate raw fish was crazy, and that I would never in a million years try it. Well those million years might be passing right before my eyes. All of the sudden I feel the urge to find out if I could get into this stuff. People at work always gush about how they love sushi and how good it is. New sushi places are popping up like Gremlins. All this buzz has me on the verge of trying it, which would be a monumental leap for me. So where is a good place to start? I'm thinking a takeout place would be best, that way if I immediately get the urge to spit the raw fish out of my mouth, I won't embarrass myself or offend the person who just made the sushi. Reading the RAW thread is awesome, but I'm such a new kid on the block that I could be served the finest sushi in the world and I wouldn't be able to appreciate it. I need Sushi for Dummies.

I had a cheesesteak from a vendor in the Hall of Fame section on Saturday night, and it was pretty damn good. It was made to order, not just sitting wrapped in foil under a heat lamp, and I just got a plain cheesesteak. It comes with really good kettled cooked chips, which are also fried right there, not just dumped out from a bag. This led to an idea. Some of the meat and cheese from my steak fell onto the chips, which of course I just scooped up and ate, and they were awesome. They should come out with "cheesesteak chips" and put them on the menu. Just like nachos, but not really. Anyway to judge the steak, I'd say it's just as good as a place like Chubby's. It can't hold a flame to the best places in town, but it's definitely better than your local pizza shop.

You can kill two birds with one stone when you're at the Phils-Yanks game; Tony Luke's (imho, sorry Dinic's!) has the best roast pork sandwich in the city and they have a stand INSIDE Citizen's Bank Park. It's in centerfield in Ashburn Alley. Once you're inside the Park you won't miss it. Everybody knows about the famous Philly cheesesteak, not many "outsiders" know about the phenomenal roast pork sandwich that Philly sports. It's a must-have if you're looking for a real local favorite.

Anybody ever find out why Rick's Steaks took over for Geno's? Just wondering. Also I'm gonna stick up for Bull's BBQ. When you're hungry and the other lines are too long, I think their pork sandwich is more than serviceable. It's probably even wrong to say that being that Tony Luke's is a few hundred feet away, but you're looking at a two-inning wait in that line, as opposed to an at-bat-and-a-half wait at Bull's. At least worth mentioning. Between me and my friends we've sampled Bull's ribs and roast beef, neither which are above average. But more and more often when we get hungry, we just run up to Bull's a grab a pork sandwich cause there's almost never a line there and I think it's actually kind of good. Then I grab a Troegs or Sly Fox on my way back to my seat and I'm gone for half an inning, tops. For the record let me state that if a Tony Luke's pork sandwich and a Bull's BBQ pork sandwich are sitting next to each other and I have to choose between the two, I will never, ever, EVER choose Bull's. I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you don't really get to the park too often (or South Philly for that matter) then by all means, reward yourself and wait in the Tony Luke's line. But if you're a CBP veteran and are tired of the lines at TL's, Chickie's and even Rick's, give Bull's pork sandwich a shot. It might be worth it.

I apologize, I've been very lazy recently. Got caught up with finals and some other stuff. Anyway, Katie, to answer your question the burger I went out to try back on April 27th was at the Society Hotel at 3rd and Chestnut. It was awesome. It wasn't a big monster burger that I've been getting used to, but I guess it was just a normal size. I can't really put my finger on it, I'm guessing it was the quality of the meat, but it was just a really good, tasty burger. Nice and juicy, cooked perfectly, with good fries. It definitely hit the spot. It seemed like a really cool place to just chill out, have a good conversation along with a good beer. I'd have to imagine that those outside tables always have people in them, especially since it's been getting so nice out since I've been there. I even managed to scam my girlfriend into betting me that it was an actual hotel and that you signed in at the bar, all of which I knew ahead of time. Shamelessly underhanded and absolutely entertaining both at the same time!

It's good to see that PA is well represented. I'm a big fan of anything from the Troegs Brewery near Harrisburg. I also enjoy the 90 Minute IPA from Dogfish Head, which has a big following in Philly (even though the brewery is in Delaware.)

It's been a while since I've posted here, mostly because I haven't been anywhere but Good Dog in the past 2 months. I'm still impressed. However tonight I'm going to attempt somewhere else. I'm not sure where that place is yet, but I'll report back.

I've been to 7 straight home openers now, with 5 of those 7 having crappy weather. Yesterday was pretty brutal. I can deal with chilly temps, but it's really tough to stand an occasionally driving rain. It's nearly impossible to tolerate when the home team is getting shelled the way the Phil's did yesterday. But I did hang around long enough to get some good drinking and eating in. My friends were in charge of getting the beer, and they're all punks so I wasn't surprised to see 3 coolers full of Coors/Miller/Bud Light. PUNKS I tell you. So I was very happy to see Sly Fox on tap right behind my seats. I believe it was their Extra Pale Ale, but I could be wrong. I liked it slightly better than the Troegs I was drinking on Sunday, but not enough to go seek it out if it wasn't close. We brought hoagies from Brother's deli with us. Brother's is an excellent semi-new deli in East Falls. They stand up to any South Philly hoagie maker. That is no BS. I know they get their rolls delivered from South Philly I'm just not sure of the bakery. One of my friends lost a bet, so we made him get in line at Tony Luke's. This was right after the top of the 5th inning, and he came back with all cheesesteaks because they were already out of pork sandwiches. Crazy. On a complete side note, I had the pleasure of performing jury duty today. The only thing that got me through the morning was the Dinic's roast pork that I knew I'd be getting at lunch. It was great, but I must be honest, I liked the Tony Luke's sandwich that I had on Sunday at the stadium a little bit better. It's rare that I get to have two of the best pork sandwiches on the planet within 2 days of each other, so I'm pretty content for the time being. Last but not least, if anybody's wondering, this Sunday is the first dollar dog day of the season. The Phils will be taking on the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hopefully they'll do better than they did on Monday.

There's been a few changes at CBP this year. I was there yesterday for the exhibition game vs. the Red Sox, and I'll be there for the home opener again this afternoon. The most noticable change is Geno's is now gone and has been replcaed by Rick's Steaks from the Reading Terminal. Does anyone have any info on the reasons for the change? I would think that Geno's would've tried to keep their stand being that it appeared to be a goldmine. There was ALWAYS a line that snaked it's way throughout Ashburn Alley. And in my previous post I had said that their prices were the same as their original location, however throughout the season last year their prices shot up to $7.50. I would have thought that they were basically printing money, but I guess not. Also there was an article by Don Russell a.k.a Joe Sixpack about the addition of some new brews at the park. Yesterday I sampled Victory's HopDevil and Troegs' Sunshine Pils along with my old standby, Yuengling Lager. My favorite of the three was the Sunshine Pils, where it is conveniently on tap behind my Sunday season ticket seats in Section 104. Say that fast three times. I did bite the bullet and wait in the Tony Luke's line yesterday for a roast pork sandwich. It was 15 minutes that was WELL worth it. Their pork sandwich was every bit as good as the Front and Oregon location. You really can't beat a Tony Luke's pork sandwich, a few nice, cold microbrews and a Phil's game on a gloriously sunny afternoon, which is exactly what we got yesterday. I'm not sure how well the team will do this season, but we really do have an excellent venue for watching them.

The best food truck cheesesteak is Gus', Broad and Callowhill, right outside of the Daily News/Inquirer building. All of his stuff is really good, actually.

Went to Good Dog again last night and was not dissappointed. They are putting on a Bernard Hopkins-like title defense. They really put out an awesome burger. I think I'm gonna try Brasserie Perrier next, but until further notice, Good Dog is still ranked #1.

I personally haven't tried it yet, but the whole roast pig at Amada seems like it would be very Last Supper-esque. Would that make the cut?

When I was posting on the Studiokitchen thread I wrote that the rib-eye looked so good I would make it my last meal before being sentenced to death. Hopefully I'll never be in such a situation, but it got me thinking; what would really be the last thing I ate in Philly? I'm going to put some stipulations on this thread. I'm talking about only one food item, not an entire course, so the whole 9 yards at Le Bec Fin is out. Also, I have a feeling that there might be an overwhelming response in favor of Studiokitchen items, so Studiokitchen is out! Yeah I said it. I don't want this to turn into Studiokitchen part 2, SK already has it's own amazing thread. Everything else, apps, entrees, sandwiches, slices, whatever, is fair game. My choice might be boring and maybe too stereotypically Philly, but my last meal would be a Dalessandro's cheesesteak. Whenever I have to fly somewhere it's the last thing I eat when I leave and the first place I stop when I get back. Sitting at the counter at Deli's with a cheesesteak, no onions, liberally salted, moderately ketchuped, with a black cherry soda just can't be beat. So that's it for me, what would it be for you?

This thread is awesome. I really don't even know what most of the food is, but it's still great to read about. That rib-eye looks like something I'd order if I were about to be sentenced to death.

Speak of the devil I'm going to Twenty Manning tomorrow night. It will be well before 10:30 though, so perhaps another time...