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porkpa

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Everything posted by porkpa

  1. Grits are my favorite. I've eaten them throughout the South. Strangely enough the very best I've ever had were in Van Nuys/N Hollywood California(I'm not sure which) at a restaurant called The Hungry Fox. Its an old fashioned, diner type restaurant filled with regulars, many of them members of LAPD. All of their breakfasts are excellent, their grits are exceptional. They also do superb matzo brei, lox n eggs, eggs Florentine and virtually every breakfast staple you can think of except that I've never seen scrapple on the menu. I'm sure if I mentioned it they would have that as well. We go to California about three or four times a year to visit our son and daughter and their families. We have breakfast at the Fox each morning. Our favorite waitress Susie knows us by name and always takes great care of us. Porkpa
  2. PS-The rice pudding alone makes the trip worthwhile. Porkpa
  3. Mastoris is located in Bordentown New Jersey. Its about a mile or two from exit seven of of the New Jersey Turnpike. Get off the Turnpike turn right on rt 130, go about a mile or two and it will be on the left. You can't miss it. Porkpa
  4. I've been going to Mastoris Diner since 1967. Wow!! That's 37 years ago!! When I first started going it was less than a quarter of the size that it is now. Its now huge. But beware, if go on a sunday you will still have to wait in line. Although the menu has expanded enormously, in my opinion the food is not quite as good now as it was then. Nevertheless I make it a point to get there at least twice a year. The cheese bread which is given gratis, together with their cinnamon bread is fantastic, but extremely filling. The portions are huge. I've never had a bad dish there. On the other hand I can't recall recently having anything that I've raved about. Years ago, they had a dish of spaghetti with chicken livers on the menu that was awesome. I haven't looked to see if its still available. Porkpa
  5. porkpa

    Galatoire's

    Pompano amandine, Pommes Souffles, anything with their remoulade sauce, even bread. Theres not too much not to like. A friend of mine goes there about once a year and tells the waiter "Bring me dinner". Its usually fantastic.
  6. Vivre, I remember Pan Pan very well. It was a favorite of Sir George Williams University(now Concordia) students. Terrific pastries - especially the flourless chocolate cake. It was the first coffee shop that I was exposed to. I believe that it was a full service restaurant as well. Unless my mind is confusing it with another place, I remember them as having wonderful wienerschnitzel. It was really handy for Sir George students, since the back door of the school faced Pan Pan. More often than not since it was a just a few yards, students would go to Pan Pan without coats and boots even in those horrendous Montreal winters. Porkpa
  7. Most of my missing Montreal favorites were on the Decarie strip. My remembrances: RUBY FOOS-At one time the most popular restaurant in town. Virtually impossible to get into on a Sunday evening. A great balance between Chinese and North American food. The first place I saw roast beef being served from a trolley. I loved their Yorkshire pudding. The very first place I ate escargots. Prior to that I ate nothing but meat and potatoes. After eating snails, I decided I could try anything. Since then I have. It opened horizons. Great desserts. For numerous visitors to Montreal, Ruby Foos was the first place they went. After we moved to the states we would stock up on Ruby Foos frozen food to take home with us. I and I am sure many others still miss it. PIAZZA TOMASSO-A popular Italian restaurant whose Italian food wasn't very good. Their club sandwiches and fried onion rings are still the best I've ever had. They were there for a long, long time. Their frozen foods were also sold in supermarkets. PIZZA PAN-Located on the other side of the Decarie strip across from Piazza Tomasso. They had wonderful pizza and appeared to be always busy, yet they didn't stay open for very long. MISS MONTREAL-On the Decarie strip outside of Blue Bonnets Raceway. Very successful and had to be there for quite a long time. A big favorite for after movie and theater dining. The first restaurant which I was where they had a table d'hote menu as well as a la carte. THE BONFIRE-Miss Montreal's successor on the Decarie strip. Wasn't there as long as Miss Montreal but was there for quite a while. Specialized in pretty good steaks. CHEZ BARDET-One of Montreal's greatest restaurants ever. I ate there twice, once during Expo 67. Stranges what you remember. It was the first placed at which I ate mussels. LEE'S GARDEN-It was on Park Avenue, next to a movie theater somewhere between St Joseph and Laurier. It was the first place at which I ate Chinese food; also shrimp and lobster. A lot of time has passed since any of those places were open. Oh that I could eat at any of them today. Porkpa
  8. Toasted marshmallow ice cream found at Greg's Ice Cream in Toronto is just wonderful. Porkpa
  9. Correction. In my previous post I said there was only one fast food restaurant when we moved to Hanover in 1966. That should be amended to read one CHAIN fast food restaurant. There was an A & W, since replaced by a McDonalds and a local fast food joint called Tropical Treat still in business and thriving. Tropical Treat is a drive in that could have come out of American Graffiti. They are open from March 15 till the end of September. They are closed on Sunday. It is a family owned enterprise and family members are always around. The place is always packed. Its very good for fast food, far better than any chain that comes to mind. March 15, when Tropical Treat opens is almost like a holiday in the town. People place their pickup orders hours before the restaurant opens at 5.00 PM. Our housekeeper Brenda annually buys us two Italian Cheesesteak subs(mine with extra onions and peppers, no lettuce, Marlene's regular. Its an old fashined drive in where you park at a microphone(if you can find a parking spot) and order your food. Its then brought to you by a youngster, who is working there after school and through the Summer. Its really pretty darn good. Porkpa
  10. Fatguy, As one who is two years beyond the magic number of 60, the major difference BY FAR is the proliferation of fast food and chain restaurants in the intervening time period. I'm sure there were others but back then the only chain restaurants I remember were the Howard Johnsons. For somebody who lived in Montreal, going to a Howard Johnson in nearby Plattsburgh NY(about 50 miles away) was a significant treat - well worth the hour or so drive it took to get there. I remember looking forward to the 28 flavors of ice cream, especially the pepermint stick; also the fried clams and the New England clam chowder. The only fast food restaurant I remember in Montreal was the Orange Julep(still there) where their orange drink(similar to an Orange Julius, but MUCH better), hot dogs, hamburgers, grilled cheese sandwich and great greasy french fries comprised the entire menu. I remember the first pizzerias, Nittolos and Pendelis probably sometime in the early to mid fifties. Today there are probably hundreds of them. It surprises me how many of the great and/or popular restaurants and food emporiums of that era or before are still around and seemingly thriving. Beautys, Moishes, Schwartzs, Yangtze, Fairmount and St Visteur Bagel Bakeries, Snowdon Deli,le Paris, Alouette Steak House, les Halles, Desjardins, the Beaver Club, Da Giovanni are still in business. Others such as the Steinbergs grocery stores, Miss Montreal, Piazza Tomasso, House of Wong and numerous others have bit the dust. We moved to Hanover Pennsylvania in March of 1966. At the time there was only one fast food restaurant in the town, an A & W Root Beer. Today, even though the population has increased somewhat, but not all that much, there are probably thirty or even more, plus probably twenty or so pizzerias. If there's a fast food chain, chances are there is at least one of them in Hanover. When we first moved here there was not a single Chinese restaurant in town. If we wanted Chinese food, we had to go to Baltimore or Harrisburg. Today we have at least ten Chinese restaurants including two buffets, even one which has a quite acceptable sushi bar.There are also many chains such as Ruby Tuesday, Damons, Ryans Steak House, Perkins, Hoss' Steak House, Red Lobster, Pizza Hut, Bonanza, Doc Holidays, Panera and others that don't come immediately to mind. A positive trend has been in what we regularly find in our supermarkets today. Even in the small town that I live in fresh and sometimes exotic fruits and vegetables are more the norm than the exception. There is far more variety in fresh, frozen, canned and baked goods. That's all that comes imediately to mind. I'm sure I'll probably have more thoughts later. Porkpa
  11. Mark, How does one become an ex-Jew? Is it like renouncing one's citizenship? Porkpa
  12. I live in Hanover Pennsylvania. Hanover is probably the potato chip and pretzel capital of the world. Utz has its headquarters here. They have three different manufacturing plants in this relatively small town of around 20,000. They also own the Mystic brand which I believe is also cooked here. My favorite Utz or Mystic chip is the dark russet. To die for!! Snyders of Hanover is also headquartered here. Martins, another superior product is manufactured less than ten miles away. As good as all of these chips are, they are significantly better when you buy them directly from the company knowing that they were probably cooked just hours before.
  13. porkpa

    Tour d'Argent

    Marcus, FYI their website is www.bernssteakhouse.com Porkpa
  14. porkpa

    Tour d'Argent

    Marcus, Wouldn't Bern's accommodate you if you called ahead to pre order that special bottle that might not be immediately at hand? I know that Veritas will. Moreover Veritas will also arrange to have your special bottle decanted and ready to drink if you request it. I realize this might make the total experience a little more cumbersome, but it would guarantee you whatever you you had heart set on. Porkpa
  15. porkpa

    Tour d'Argent

    Scott, (1)I said it first(on this list that is) without the knowledge that Parker had said the same thing in 2002. I was reading the archives on Mark Squires wine bulletin board this morning when I came upon that post from Parker. I guess great minds think alike. :-)), :-)) (2)Veritas has a more diverse list. I never said it was better only that you have a broader range of choice. You are not committed to choose from only French wine. (3)You say: "they must have put something in your water" Getting personal, aren't we? I can think of one or more nasty responses, but that's not a direction I want to go. Porkpa
  16. porkpa

    Tour d'Argent

    Scott, (1)Pray tell, whose point did I borrow? (2)Yes I have been there several times, the most recent being less than two weeks ago on Saturday January 31. Each time I have also visited the cellar. It is absolutely awesome. The breadth and scope of FRENCH wines is without equal anywhere in the world. (3)Three restaurants that do not have near the depth in French wines(nobody does) but IMO are more representative of quality wine throughout the WORLD are Bern's in Tampa; Veritas in NYC(factoring in owner Park Smith's collection which constantly replenishes its list) and Bistro A Champlain in the Laurentian Mountains north of Montreal. (4)The number of bottles at Tour d'Argent was never an issue. Porkpa
  17. porkpa

    Tour d'Argent

    Scott, You obviously do not agree with me and you may not agree with Robert Parker either. Nevertheless, here is a quote from a posting of his on Mark Squires Wine Bulletin Board dated April 5, 2002 when referring to la Tour d'Argent's wine list he says: "Probably the greatest in the world for FRENCH wines"(my caps). My point is/was that for a wine list to be considered the finest in the WORLD, it should be representative of what the world has to offer. Other than Port and Sherry, Tour d'Argent's wine list is totally composed of French wines. There is no representation from any "new world" countries in addition to some old world countries such as Italy, Austria and Germany. If you believe that the French are the only ones capable of producing great wine, then that is your opinion and you are certainly entitled to it. However if you be believe that great wine is also produced elsewhere, then for a wine list to be considered the greatest in the world it should be inclusive of what the world has to offer. Porkpa
  18. porkpa

    Tour d'Argent

    Scott, Certainly the best FRENCH wine list in the world. Porkpa
  19. porkpa

    Coffee Crisp

    I've been a Coffee Crisp lover all of my life. I notice that that they now make them in several flavors as well as the original. They also make Coffee Crisp ice cream. I can't bring myself to try any other than the iriginal. Has anybody tried the other flavors? If so, what did you think? Other favorites are Cherry Blossoms, which no one has mentioned. Glossettes, Aero bars(now in numerous flavors), O'Henry bars(also several flavors) and MacIntosh Toffee. My kids always preferred Smarties to M & Ms. I'm not a fan of either, so cannot offer an opinion. I still have standing orders to bring Coffee Crisps, Cherry Blossoms and Smarties for my kids, even though they now have children of their own each time I visit Canada. Porkpa
  20. New York Prime in Boca is comparable to most high quality steak houses and better than most. Its off of Glades just west of I95. Porkpa
  21. Should read "end of the year issues" instead of "end of the issues", Only serves to illustrate the point I was making. :-)) Porkpa
  22. Trying to narrow it down, I sort of remember it being in one of his end of the issues which are usually either entirely or mostly devoted to California wines. I do have them all, the problem is where. There is no dubt that I should not have posted it without having the exact quote. For one thing, I might have taken it out of context. For another, since I've reached sixty(maybe before), my brain cells occasionally wander, if not totally disappear. Porkpa.
  23. I read it in one of his newsletters, maybe two or three years ago. I haven't the energy to go through them. Porkpa
  24. It seems to be the dtrong opinion that more Napa/California wines than any other region are overpriced. I am far from being a wine conoisseur, but I have been told by a couple of people whose opinions I value that it depends on the specifics of what you are talking about. For example Parker has said that by far the best values at bottom prices are to be found in California jug wines. In his opinion there is no place on earth where you can buy wine for such low prices and still have a degree of quality for the price. Let's be specific. What California/Napa wines or those of any other region do you find to be greatly over priced and over rated? Porkpa
  25. porkpa

    Screagle

    Has anyone on this board ever had any? I have two bottles, 1 '94 and a '99, both of which I received as gifts. I can't bring myself to open them, thinking that I'll be drinking a thousand dollars. Is it really that good? Porkpa
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