Jeff L

Hello, I'll be in the Ft Walton Beach/Destin area next month and was wondering if anyone could suggest local finds for lunch/dinner. I've read through the thread but I'm not sure if these places still exist as there are some pretty old posts. My taste in food run the gamut but considering the beach environment, local seafood joints seem appropriate. Thanks

I've been really pleased with Royal Oak. I get it at my local Wall Mart. I think it's like 8 bucks or something ridiculous. Check it out: http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_query=charcoal&ic=16_0&Find=Find&search_constraint=0

How did I miss this?? I must check in more frequently for sure. It sounds like everyone had a really good time and Katie you selected just the right mix of venues to give visitors a real look inside the Philly food scene. So sorry I missed this one..

Boy, how much fun is your job, creating, testing, then drinking all of those wonderful drinks! Katie Loeb's new book as described in todays Inky is titled "Shake, Stir, Pour - Fresh Homegrown Cocktails." Congrats on your new book, can't wait to get a copy.

Sounds like this is the real deal. I'll have to make the trip soon, perhaps an E-Gullet outing to welcome this artisan pie man. A little more of the backstory here: http://phoenixvilledish.com/2012/06/coming-soon-vecchia-wood-fired-pizzeria-napoletana/

We had our second dinner here last Saturday and it was excellent, even better than the first time. It's located right in the middle of Main street in Flemington far enough away from all the bargain hunters. It leans toward modern decor, pleasant enough but unremarkable. The service was competent but I admit I do like it when servers don't have to refer to the crib sheet for specials. That irritates me but at least she had a pleasant personality. This is now the go to place when we meet our friends from N. Jersey. It's also midway between our home in Bucks County and theirs in Mountain Lakes. Our friends had the tuna special and filet and were both quite pleased with their selection. Tuna was paired with the ubiquitous wasabi cream something or other and I didn't really see how the steak was done but it looked good. My wife ordered what I had the first visit, pork osso buco and she almost ate the shank it was so good. She rarely leaves the plate clean so that said it all for me. It came atop a mound of perfectly done creamy risoto and some other vegetable I can't recall. I had the boneless short ribs and they really were perfect. Chef Jonas Gold came over as I was just starting to dig in and let us know they had been braising since late morning. The sauce was so good I couldn't believe it, beefy with just the right amount of saltiness and just delicous. It was served over mashed potatoes and I loved that the sauce was enough to cover everything. It came with nicely roasted carrots. Huge portions here folks, no need for any appetizers at all, plus its BYO so we love that. We were all so full but did agree on 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce and 4 spoons. Perfect ending. I highly recommend this place and only wish it were closer than the 40 minutes we have to go but I don't mind that at all. http://www.55main.com/

I really enjoy Porcini and the two brothers are hysterical however, it's as big as a postage stamp. You will get to know you neighbors for sure but the food is well executed and not expensive. I would agree with Zefer81 and go any other time rather than restaurant week. You wont be getting anyone's A game. We also enjoyed Salento the 2 times we went but prefer their south philly place L'Angola.

This photo (sorry for my daughters poor camera pic) only tells part of the story for the next to last night at Delorenzo's on Hudson Street. It was taken at 4:45 pm on Saturday. Our pies came to the table at 9:20! Many people were in line from 2:30 and they opened at 4:00. All this for a truly perfect tomato pie. It was worth it because we felt like we were a little part of Trenton history, another chapter closed now.

I've been predicting that this dreaded day would come for years and so it has. Story here: http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2011/12/famed_delorenzos_hudson_street.html As of January 15, 2012, the venerable Hudson Street tomato pie icon will close it's doors. Lots of reasons I suppose but not the least of which is that both owners are in their mid 60's and have been at this grind for a very long time. Also, when was the last time you ventured into the burg in Trenton? It's a lot different these days. One good part to this story is of course their Robbinsville location continues to flourish under The Amico's son Sam's stewardship and word is they are scouting a place in Pennsylvania to open in a year or so. I have heard they are looking at Newtown Bucks County which would please me no end as I live in the next town over. So you now have less than 4 weeks to get over there and bid them a proper farewell

On the topic of Indian restaurants in this general area, is anyone familiar with Nanking in South Plainfield? http://www.nankingnj.com/index.html A few Indian friends in our neighborhood are planning an excursion there soon and I wanted to get a heads up as to menu choices. My one friend says this place is an excellent example of Indo-Chinese but the webpage indicates Chinese and Thai cusine??

Man I love that little luncheonette in Krakus market. I didn't even realize it had a name! I usually go for the stuffed cabbage, yum. It's really like being in a small cafe in Warsaw. Anyway, fine list.

I'll pile on with Memphis Taproom. Quirky joint with great food and even better beer as the name implies. Plus it's close to where you'll be staying. I also really like Modo Mio and you cant beat their prix fix menu for the level of food that you get. Although I do love Amada, I'm not sure you and your companion (s?) will make it out of there without spending way more than you wanted to. Food is excellent but I'd agree with your crack-like pricing scheme comment. I've been to Tierra Columbiana twice now and have mixed reviews. If you do go, check out the thread and zero in on what seems appetizing before going. Not a big fan of Tacconelli's but others seem to love the place. Hope you find something great to post about!

Good point Chris. The matter of license cost needs to be based on store traffic or gross sales. It wouldn't be fair to those more rural areas to pay the same as one would in philly or pittsburgh. I was really pleased with Newman but we all know what happened to him, more political bullshit. He was a rare bird indeed, he didn't do it for the money but for the passion of getting it right for Pennsylvanians. Truth be told, I've been really wanting this sytem to be privatized since I moved to the state over 20 years ago, but seeing the latest email blast from the "Chairman's Selection" featuring wines over $200 really rubbed me the wrong way. I don't know about where you live but the selections in the Newtown store have really sucked since newman left. The difference is the slack is being picked up by the other bozos on the LCB. I can't believe that Newman's key buyers are still working for the state of PA and didn't go with Newman's new company. I too hope it gets done right as I'm getting real tired of going to new Jersey for my purchases

Well said and the very same scenario, actually even better, holds true in NJ.

At no other time in recent memory, even during the Ridge administration, do we find ourselves in a better position than right now to privatize the LCB system. The political will is there, the Republicans are in total control, the one time cash infusion has been quoted at around 1 Billion Dollars (not to mention ongoing savings in salaries and benefits of all the state employees) This would make a really sizable dent in the state's deficit this year. I really think that most people would rather have this industry in the hands of private companies who can deliver a far superior service with much more competitive pricing. I mean, when was the last time you saw a government agency do a better job at anything than the private sector? I know a lot of you feel the same way. Any ideas out there how we communicate this to the administration?

I'll be here Saturday with a group of 7 hungry guys. Besides the obvious soup dumplings and razor back clams, anyone want to point me to dishes that are very well executed and tasty

If you are staying near Sesame Place in Langhorne, I'd allow at least 20-25 minutes to Sweet Lucy's. I live about 10 minutes south of there and from my house it's 20 minutes. Sadly, there really isn't much in the immediate Sesame Place area with the exception of Christine's on Oxford Valley Road just 2 minutes from the park. It's a very nice upscale Italian BYO with excellent and unusual dishes served by a competent staff. It always makes me wonder if I'm really in Langhorne (actually that might even be Yardley)The only weird thing is that it is literally in an office complex full of Dr's offices.

So we ended up at Union Jacks. Great choice as there were some really nice and unusual beers on tap along with some pretty tasty wings and burgers. This seemed like a local place but we felt pretty welcome by everyone. I'd definately go back next time I'm in Glenside. Oh and Levon Helm was really great, brought back lots of memories of times past.

Although I am sad at this news, Georges understands that this masterpiece of fine dining he has created has become a dinosaur. When folks start showing up in jeans to this venerable establishment, the time has come. I remember the first time my wife and I went for dinner. It was our 10th anniversary 20 years ago and we were both totally blown away by the level of service and of course the food. I will always remember the perfectly attentive waitstaff, omnipresent yet invisible at the same time. You felt like you were the center of the universe without feeling the cloying staff presence as in some other places that attempt to execute the perfect experience that is Le Bec. I would agree that in Philadelphia, the only other restaurant that approaches Le Bec Fin would be the Fountain at the Four Seasons Hotel.

If you close your eyes for a minute and try not to think about the PALCB budget of 1 million dollars just to teach the many personality and information challanged clerks just to greet customers, I swear you'd think you were in New Jersey. Me, I'd rather just go to New Jersey for my wine and beer purchases as I'm likely to actually get an answer to my questions there. I'm not saying that all the state store employees are like this, just many of them. Anyhow, the store is quite nice, but if the LCB really listened to consumers as the PR brief said they do, they would privitize it already. Oh wait, that's not their role. Their role is to continue enforcing the decades old laws still on the Commonwealth's books, one of those being the collection of a now 18% tax for the Johnstown flood. This tax was enacted in 1936 and was to last just a few years. Not only is it still going strong but it started at 10% and has increased over the 70 years to the current 18%. What a state!

Holly, I'd go there in a heartbeat, my kind of joint and I'm glad to know it's so close to the Keswick but I do have to try and come close to spending what my friend spent on the tickets and that place probably won't do it. Wonder why they don't double fry the french fries, always the best way to go.

First, I'm really looking forward to this show. Last time I saw Levon was in 1969 with The Band and the show blew me away. I think he's just gotten better since then... Anyway, Brigets (sp?) is looking like it will fit the bill. There seems to be plenty of basic items on their menu for my friend to select from plus they look to have a decent selection of spirits I'd still like to hear some more voices either yay or nay

I've been going to the Keswick for many years and can not for the life of me find a really good place to go for dinner before the show. As my buddy bought the tix, it's on me to source and pay for dinner. I'm open to all cusines and he's a somewhat more basic, less adventuresome diner but could be persuaded if the food is really great. I've been to all the places in Glenside by the theatre and must say I wasn't impressed at all with any of them. Any ideas would be appreciated. I don't mind driving a ways as we're coming from the Newtown area in Bucks Co. Thanks!!

If you do end up going to Grounds for Sculpture (which I'd recommend you do) you will be quite close to a Trenton landmark restaurant, The Homestead Inn or known as Chick and Nello's. This is a no menu southern Italian place with still pretty good food although not as good as in its prime. It's really the only place I'd feel good about suggesting. Here's a discussion on the NJ board with some ideas of what to get when you are there:

This is great news. When I was last there a few months ago, the store manager was doubtful about the prospects of being able to carry wines in this store. She told me only a handful of applicants actually get the proper licensure from the state. Good news indeed, now I can drive right past Joe Canals!!