shacke

As Katie said in another thread of this one.... "This wine was fabulous. All about the dark berries and an almost sweet background of vanilla, mocha and caramel. Incredibly well made wine that will undoubted age into something more spectacular, if that were indeed possible. This wine could compete with the finest Bordeaux and knock it off the playing field. Any Bordeaux this young would likely be far less drinkable." So there you go. The "boss" speaks but maybe I was drinking something else!

I opened the Pine Andrus 2000 reserve last night at Marigold. I had it with the braised pork belly and lentils. Even at $50, a steep discount from the usual $100, the wine was not worth it IMHO. Apparently it was a tough year for this wine and I can see why its on fire sale. Any dissenters - pleas post. I have another bottle sitting around for you..... Evan

This is next on my "wish" list. Marigold to go into the books tonight and we are going to book Pumpkin next. Thanks for the post! Evan

I have to jump in and praise PLCB for the great SLO service I got. I ordered a half case of wine via the SLO 800 number and it showed up at the store, conveniently located behind my house, the next afternoon! The SLO price includes shipping. Fantastic! And for all this time I assumed SLO was for restaurants. No siree, although many items have a 6 bottle minimum. Goodbye credit limit for sure Evan

I would like to try it as well. I am a staple of the Adams Ave place, Kuk-il but would like to give this a whirl and meet some fellow threaders if it's dinner. Evan

This thread got me hankering for ribs so I went to Zeke's tonight. He told me he was mobbed all day and they were out of cornbread and mac/cheese but I went with the collard greens and yams. I would give the tip to Debreaux's ribs although Zeke's is good, realizing I am not a southerner or BBQ expert. The wait for Debreaux's is just too long. Evan

That reminds me that the next door annex of Fork - called Fork etc. has a prix fixe 3 course dinner every Wednesday with chef Ngo. I hear the range of ingredients can get quite "interesting" - that sounds like just my style! $40 including wine, first come first serve. Here is a sample menu http://www.forkrestaurant.com/chef_bistro_menu.htm Anyone been here yet? Sounds great. Evan

Last night we had a really pleasant dinner at Fork with Mark Bittman cooking from his yet to be released book. The food was good and we got to hang out with him quite a bit. He hails from NY like 3/4 of the folks at our table. I look forward to his weekly recipes and articles in the NY times. The premise of the new book is pitting simplistic home recipes against four star chef recipes to prove that great food can be made at home with few key ingredients. The courses offered a "star chef" recipe paired with one of his own. No pics - that would have been cool - but I had.... Lemongrass rack of lamb (Slanted Door) with his skewered squid in black pepper sesame lemon sauce. I love Slanted door restaurant in San Francisco so I had to try this. Lemon Peppered duck breast (Gary Danko's) along with braised duck confit on an aromatic potato hash. Dessert was brioche bread pudding (AOC) along with his tartless tarte tatin - basically the highly sweetened top of the pastry. My wife had Stuffed crab (Jaleo) along with his very tasty garlic soup. Skate with Brown butter and Honey (Jean-Georges) with chive spaetzle and greens. That seemed to be the table favorite. I am a big skate fan. I got the wine flight and my wife got the job of driving home. It has been a couple of years since I did the restaurant series but look forward to next year. Too much food for $50. Evan

Deidre - When is this new crop of selections anticipated to hit the shelves around here? Evan

That is a tough concept to understand, the microclimate, unless you experience it. I never paid attention to it until I actually lived in the bay area. You could ride to work rolling up and down the windows as you passed through the different neighborhoods. Same is true up in the wine country. People actually pick SF neighborhoods based on the weather there, sometimes it's just a few blocks that is sunny in an otherwise cold foggy area. The rents reflect this! I had a nice apartment two blocks form the hospital where I worked. My street was sunny and the hospital lay in the foggy sunset district. I would routinely see the fog roll over the hill across the street from me and instantly burn off. I can imagine being a vine yearning to be planted 1000 yards away for a better life. It's a fascinating and fabulous city - especially for foodies! Thanks to Capaneus for his post. I am really excited to go there next Friday. Evan

Thanks for the info, all! So, the waiting time is long even for take-out? How reliable are theyfor take-out if you call in your order? ← I think you MUST call in your order unless you bring a good book. Even if you do, as I said, show up much later than they tell you to. That has been my experience. Evan

6001 Lancaster Ave. Here is an article I have bookmarked. There was also a rib review in phillmag a few months back. That reviewer loved Debreaux's http://www.timesleader.com/mld/philly/ente...ing/9369185.htm If you go, let me know what you had. I know am getting the itch! evan

I live right near there, in Bala Cynwyd. It is good food but you have to wait for-EVER for your food. If you call and they say 45 minutes - go in 1.5 hours - no joke. I thought the ribs were very good. The fried chicken is very salty for my taste. I like Zeke's Main line BBQ more and it is worth a try. No big wait. It is realtively near Debreaux's so you can do a dual taste yet should you have the stamina. Perhaps five more minutes at most from Debreaux's. Zeke's is a left off City Ave (?63rd st?) and about a mile or so down on the left. Hope that helps. Evan

What an enticing post, Cinghiale - grazie! I am off to Fork tomorrow for my Bittman dinner and will post my experience sans photos, sorry. evan

I will be there next Friday the 25th for the first time. I am very excited to be finally getting there. I will certainly report back in full detail. I agree that knowing the menu in advance for wine purposes would be really helpful (why did I think I was alone on that one - duh.). I have occassionally thought of calling but it felt really strange to do so. I wind up ordering based on what I brought to some extent. Evan

The artist, who is a tremendous talent and is getting tired of being asked to do "animals" after that piece, is my across the street neighbor. The nicest human being in the world - kind that is so nice you want to teach them to fight or something. I know it's off topic but everything we see has a "history" behind it and that big fish is no exception. http://www.phillipsmetal.com And Katie - do all PA restaurants HAVE to get their wine through PLCB?? What about small "micro-vineyards" or other small outfits that are not carried by the state? These entities are a big drive behind trying to repeal the interstate alcohol laws (US supreme court case, Swedenburg v Kelly, is the big case to be decided in June, I hear) OK - enough off current topic - Katie's response made me think of it - sorry sorry sorry, mods -back to striped bass.... Evan

I can't remember where I said this but I will say it again. I don't think the new Striped Bass is like the old one. I have so many other places to go to that it doesnt hurt that I wont return. Now remember who you are hearing this from folks - the one schnookie in town who doesnt care for Vetri and Django (is admitting that against the patriot act ?). The new Striped Bass restaurant gets mixed reviews and it may indeed be "when you went" which is a bad sign for a restaurant - consistency is an elusive dream for many. Sorry to hear you did not enjoy yourself, Kim.

Opened the Nardi Brunello with homemade pizza. A very enjoyable wine. Verk dark, medium bodied and smooth wine. Thanks to the board for the heads up on this one. Evan

People can talk of Miel until blue in the face but there is a terrific stand alone bakery called Tartes at 212 Arch St. It is nestled 'tween 2 parking lots and I happened to stumble upon it last year by chance. Serendipity for sure! It is a tiny establishment with a walk up window. It's got that drive in feel to it - you can't go in and the kitchen/sales area is all in one small room. Everything I have had there is pretty darn tasty but I must admit that I "think" of the chocolate creme brulee tart too often for my own good. It remains pretty much a secret still to most but I wanted to know if anyone else has discovered it. I have not seen it spoken of much and I don't know why. I hope they stay around forever. If you get the chance, stop by. Desserts are about, oh, $4 for tarts and pastries. Probably less for cookies. They also have standard size cakes and pies and do holiday orders as well. Evan

Thanks Andrew for the info. Sorry I missed that dinner. I joined the board a bit late for that one I guess. Sounds like a classic. Would be nice to meet some of you guys one of these days. Maybe at SSOH! evan

How far in advance is he generally booked? evan

Boy, if anyone wants to go and needs a person to make the quorum, please post or PM me. Sounds terrific. evan

Pif is my fave. french byo bistro fare - not cheap (~100 per couple?) Takes reservations only one month in advance I think. They have a tasting menu for two at the "bar" table - a little known and fun secret. evan

I have been to Lacroix and of the various philly restaurants, this one seems to have the most dichotomous opinions. Here is mine: I had dinner there for my birthday 2 years ago and really enjoyed it. I like the interesting way the menu is set up. You can choose from a 3-4-5 course prixe fixe and I can't remember the prices (45-55-65?). The menu is set into suggested groups of food choices although you are free to pick from either one at any time and there is no rule. Having said that, the flavors were interesting and Lacroix is creative. The portions of each dish are not big but I went for the 4 course and with the dessert it was fine for me. It's a nice place for people of varying appetites to get on well together. I am certain you will see other opinions elsewhere but that is mine. I think it is an e-gulleteers place and worthy of trying. If you go with a meat and potato crowd, they will likely feel underwhelmed and undernourished. The service staff for us was kind and prompt. The big caveat is the absolutely unconscionable wine markup - it is extreme - I want to say 400%. What a shame. My 2 cents. Evan

Haven't tried that yet - will get a sample bottle today. Thanks. evan