Jeff L

Does that thing taste as good as it looks?

Welcome to EG, oh and cool blog.

So after all this hoopla about Good Dog, I decided that I'd go today. I'm in South Philly at Isgro's waiting with about 2,000 other people to get a canoli cake for our daughter's 21st birthday tomorrow and figure I'd head over around 1:30. Wrong. I didn't realize it opens at 4:00 pm on Saturday. Oh well, I head to another place on my list, Abbaye and I'm glad I did. One of the best burgers I've had in a very long time including the one last week at Standard Tap. I ordered mine medium rare with gruyere, bacon and carmelized onions and it came out exactly as ordered. This burger was really great, juicy, messy and delicious. Washed down with a few Stella Artois' and I am a happy camper. Someone posted they like this burger better than Tap's and I am inclined to agree. I still want to try Good Dog's version though.

No

Changing it to Thursday, October 26th @ 6:30. I'll post in ISO shortly. I just pm'd you Sandy

Agreed, I've been there only 3 times but each time was really quite good. I always liked the idea of a visible kitchen too. Parking is indeed dicey. I've been lucky in that I got parking spots right on Spruce nearby. I really would love to be in Carman's truck however

Jeff, that steak is the real deal. Is it always on the menu? I love this place, we went recently after Cirque du Soleil and had a fabulous meal.

I'd like to be part of that crew sir

The golden coins are not hot to my recollection and probably the best thing on the entire menu. I think if you asked them to lower the heat they would do so. They seemed accomodating the times I've eaten there. But really the name of the place says it all

Nice review, glad you guys enjoyed my new favorite Chinese in Philly. Too bad they don't offer chefs tasting menu with wine pairings there...you could have saved at least $350 by my reckoning when factoring in the tip A shame really about your Vetri experience.

Have some initial interest from a few people for a dinner here in late October - Tentative date is Wed, October 25th. I'd like to see some more interest before I post in ISO.

Just curious, how many of these places would you have known about (aside from Vetri) without EG?

So where did you eat? Feel free to post in another thread

Twist my arm, Jeff... Maybe the week of 10/22? (Monthly payday for my day job is 10/25, and I should have some change from resume work in my pocket as of 10/20. I also have an ulterior motive for suggesting this week.) ← Any other takers, please pm or email me. Sandy, I think that week will work for me too

Glad you started this thread up again. It reminds me of how good the food was there and the overall experience. Anyone game for doing another dinner there?

i don't think that's the case--we've brought as much pressure as we could. i think it's more likely that we, the wine-loving citizens, make up too small a percentage of the state's populace to make a difference in a 73 year-old, unionized, highly political, and extraordinarily profitable entrenched bureaucracy. i mean for each of the six of us talking on this thread on egullet, there are 100,000 people who just don't care. ← James, this is exactly right. I know I have talked it up to everyone I knew when it looked like privatization was a possiblity during the republican controlled government. Mostly I was met with total apathy from folks who share, to a degree, my passion for wine. I think people are resigned to things the way they are and have learned to deal with it. I suspect this lack of action on most peoples parts is not limited to wine laws in our commonwealth but indicitive of a larger apathy out there. That said, as I have menmtioned elsewhere, I think Jonathan Newman is doing a bang up job on many fronts. Think back to the way things were at state stores (doesn't that sounds like a communist system?) It will never be perfect but it's sure a lot better than it was.

Famous in Holland is taking orders. Just ordered mine yesterday. Not to far from Abes and Bell's but worth the trip. ← Todd, is Famous fish that good or is it more a matter of precious few choices around here (Holland/Netwown) I ask because I'm not a big fan of their other kosher style fare. I suppose working in Manhatten for 10 years has spoiled me forever.

How long had it been since you had eaten prior to going there, like a week?

Gilmore's is pretty famous in the Burbs and on many of the "Best of..." lists. I used to frequent it quite a bit and have had some really good meals there and some OK meals. If your friends like Gilmore's they will love Birchrunville Store Cafe in Chester Springs but the reservations will be just as hard if not harder to get and Majolica in Phoenixville. Some other places with easier reservations (but perhaps not the same level of cusine) would be Duling Kurtz in Exton (not a BYO) and Avalon in West Chester. ← Thanks, I've just forwarded this to them. We are planning to meet them out there in the next few weeks or so. I have been wanting to try Majolica so I'm leaning toward that.

I'm with Buckethead on this one. Really folks, perspective is needed here. I could list my top ten worse dining experiences and none of them would be about a deli and none of them would be about getting charged twice for coffee. But for those who really know me, if that happened to me, I would have done one of 2 things. First I would have left without paying a second time, or if I were feeling charitable, I would have left the $1.86 in pennies on the table.

Jeff, that is very kind, but the true warning should be "Percy likes it...so proceed with caution" . Seriously though, have them try a few places and tell us which ones they like and the Chester County eG folks can point out similar restaurants. ← Percy, I have seen what comes out of your kitchen and I think if you like a place, I'm there, no doubt about it. They emailed me the other day and said they liked Gilmores in West Chester. I don't remember seeing anything about this place but I could have overlooked it. They seem to like it pretty much

Hey I love Boz Scaggs as much as the next guy, but line dancing? This doesn't make for a pretty picture at all but I'm sure you had some wine induced fun nonetheless

Percy: Thanks for these other places, I will forward them to our friends with the caveat "if Percy likes it, it will be good". I've been to both Birchrunville Cafe and Duling Kurtz House and had excellent meals and service at each one. I've also been to the Drafting Room, great choice is he is a beer kindf of guy and if I recall they had lots on tap. I'm not exactly sure where they live now but I suspect it's not too far from any of these places. Thanks again Percy and for your offer to have them email you. JL

Is this place BYO? We have friends who recently moved to Downingtown and are no doubt looking for good places to eat. What is their address so I can pass it on to them? $20 for a 3 course dinner is right up their alley too.

sacrebleu, how can they explain this obvious oversight? ← Sounds like a conspiracy of the crappy pizza joints, trying to blanket the area with mediocrity. And is Trenton really in this area? How about either Newark? ← Looking at 05 and 06 Philadelphia guides, Trenton is not in either one. There is a New Jersey restaurant guide that Trenton places are in. So no oversight was made after all.