Jeff L
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Posts posted by Jeff L
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Not sure if it's true or not, but I heard that a Denny's or Perkins Pancake House may be going into the space. This would not be a good thing in my opinion and I really think the borough would fight to keep them out.
Fact is though, Newtown really needs a breakfast restaurant. There is Pat's Colonial Kitchen which is terrific but the space is so confining, it becomes difficult to relax there. I agree with Mano about Goodnoe's food and think he's being too kind actually. I ate there maybe twice in the past 20 years with a large group and vowed to never go back, no loss there. But the ice cream, that's another story.
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Someone just told me about this palce on 206 in Lawrenceville the other day and I wondered if any of you have been there and or tried any of their products. It's fairly close by and I am tempted to sample some of the beef and pork but thought I'd put it out to my fellow EG'ers first.
I have had their beef and liked it very much. It was a porterhouse and it grilled up great. I have also had their fresh eggs.
Kevin
Funny you mention Porterhouse, it's my favorite cut. Interestingly, I didn't see it on their pricelist. Nice to know they do have them.
I do a lot of smoking pork, has anyone had any experience with their pork shoulder?
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Unlike many CSA Farms, Cherry Grove will sell to non members. It's a clean, well though out organization, with very nice people whose hearts are in the right place. My issues? I think the meat is too lean, especially the pork. Furthermore, I don't think they have variety in their cuts of beef...sirloin, too thin strips, filet. What do they do w/ the rest of the cow,
??I do desire some fat/marbling in my beef. This is the exact same issue I have with Aaron's meat market in the PA Dutch Farmers Market in Newtown. Aaron has told me people won't buy it unless he trims the hell out of it.
I assume from your post that they won't butcher on premise or special order for you? It seems kind of dumb not to if they don't.
Overall, was the quality of taste cost justified, aside from the lean issue?
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well folks, it's official--as of september 4, the newtown establishment of goodnoe's dairy farm (click for their website) is closing. apparently the kids have made other career choices, and raymond goodnoe wants to keep it a family business, or not have it be open at all.
this place is the source of one of the greatest ice cream flavors in the known world: peanut butter ripple. no one else makes it like goodnoe's, with big slabs of peanut butter running through the ice cream--no little bits and pieces, no flavor permeating, just great vanilla and gobs of peanut butter. damn it's good.
when i was growing up, goodnoe's was on the outskirts of newtown, on the side of a hill with woods in the background. now a giant strip mall has grown up around it and it sits in a sea of asphalt with a best buy or some crap like that in the background. but the ice cream is still as good as ever. at least it will be till labor day.
i'll be heading up there a couple more times this summer, reliving childhood memories. all are welcome to join me.
James, let me know when you plan on coming, I'm just 5 minutes away. I too was saddened to hear of the closing, it is indeed a newtown institution, one of the few remaining non-yuppie places the town has or had. My daughter worked there for a while and really enjoyed the place.
I'm so with you on the peanut butter ripple, my all time favorite. Now we both know it's no Capogiro, but it's as good as it gets in Newtown.
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Someone just told me about this palce on 206 in Lawrenceville the other day and I wondered if any of you have been there and or tried any of their products. It's fairly close by and I am tempted to sample some of the beef and pork but thought I'd put it out to my fellow EG'ers first.
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The restaurant where the Water's Edge used to be is called the Pier House. Not bad. A little expensive (so what else is new about Cape May?). Don't think any more pr could make Louisa's any more difficult to get into. Just start speed-dialing at 4 on Tuesday for that week, or just show up and take your chances as to when (or if) to come back later that night.
I really do love Louisa's. I think a weekend trip to CM is in order soon. All I gotta do is hit the redial button on my cell!
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JeffL,
Have you tried Colleen's in Langhorne on Bridgetown, past your favorite local Chinese place? My wife had their water ice and said it was better than Rita's. I hear they make it themselves. I had ice cream, also made on premises and it was very good.
No I haven't been there. The place across from Belmont's garage? Looks like it may be good, I remember passing it a few times. I'll try it and let you know
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Dang! Were these folks in biz last year? WHere was this info when I needed it? I can't believe we spent 2 nights on Rittenhouse Square & didn't find these guys!
I guess we'll just have to go back.
They have been in Philly since summer 2003, too bad you missed this thread. Try locating a store in your area that carries the product. It may not be that days offering, but I can promise you that you've never tasted anything like it, anywhere.
Check the website and look under where to buy
Good luck and good eating!
I've been to Italy 4 times in recent years, so I've had the real deal many times. Nocciola e cioccolatto, sigh, there is nothing better on earth...... That's why I'm interested in these folks!
Hmm, they carry it at my local Whole Foods. Now to see if they stock nocciola.
Thanks for the info!
Just keep in mind the flavors they concoct daily would be hard to find anywhere else. Some flaovrs they've had in the past include:
grapefruit campari, rosemary & goat's milk with creamy marscarpone, marscarpone fig with big chunks of fresh fig, Cilantro and lime, Goat milk and honey, persimmon and black plum, Quince, Asian Pear and Bitter Chocolate, Salted Bitter Almond and Wild Turkey/Poached Pear.
Get the idea now? This is a one of kind deal, I'm not even sure if you could find these combinations in italy.
Keep in mind when buying at Wholefoods, it won't have the same texture as when buying it at Capigiro but it's still better than anything else I've had anywhere in the world.
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Dang! Were these folks in biz last year? WHere was this info when I needed it? I can't believe we spent 2 nights on Rittenhouse Square & didn't find these guys!
I guess we'll just have to go back.
They have been in Philly since summer 2003, too bad you missed this thread. Try locating a store in your area that carries the product. It may not be that days offering, but I can promise you that you've never tasted anything like it, anywhere.
Check the website and look under where to buy
Good luck and good eating!
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Do not waste your time and taste buds on Rita's........Go to Elizabeth.......DiCosmo's .......4th Ave and High St. It is the best, no chemicals here. It is a 4th generation family business.
Is this their only place? Sounds like the real deal to me. As you can tell, I'm not particularly fond of Rita's and I am officially done with explaining my reasons why!
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Some Solar Do Minho shots:
Yeah Jason, really nice shots. You might even rival Philadining!
We went to Brasilia Grill last Saturday night and it was quite good, not great. I actually prefer the saltiness on the meats but hardly detected any there. I also didn't much care for their sausages nor did anyone else who had the rodizio. The quality of the rodizio meats was top flight, better than the place I recently hosted in Northeast Philadelphia. They had plenty of salt but the meat in NE Philly wasn't close to the quality of Brasilia Grill.
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Don't see anything mentioned in the article about how they prepare their ices, etc. So your issue is that a successful franchise is flawed by the very fact that they're successful? Setting up a franchise that sells flavored frozen water and a custard as their only product is obviously far less complicated than creating an entire supermarket.
Blown to bits? No, I still stand by my belief that just because something's able to be replicated at location after location doesn't automatically categorize it as crap, ie. Whole Foods, Rita's, Brooklyn Pizza, Starwich, etc. Flavoring and freezing water isn't brain surgery... whether you're the local bakery dealing out of a side window or a franchisee following your franchise's instructions. Yeah, IMHO Rita's is good at putting flavor, fruit and water together and freezing it. So are many other places. I just don't believe in faulting a place because they've become successful. Sorry, must be the capitalist in me.
BTW, I've yet to read any product specifics from you, other than "the lemon ice, which is my favorite, was short on tartness and the flecks and little bits of real lemon found in other south philly places," in regards to the issues you have with Rita's. What other flavors have you tried? If you were saying its some chemically, massed produced taste, then hey, you've got a point (though I haven't experienced anything like that from Rita's nor have I seen any comments like that here on the thread) . But that's not what you said, so I'm wondering what your beef with the place is. From your last post, I'd think that its just 'cause their popping up everywhere!
I belive I've already summarized Jeff's feelings about the shortcomings of Rita's. What I don't get is why you are getting so upset over some opinions that Rita's Italian ice just isn't top quality. The argument isn't that Rita's is midgrade because it is a franchise. The argument is not that Rita's isn't good because it is successful. The argument is that many of us, Jeff included, have sampled Rita's and don't find their product to be up to the standards of many other places we have tried. Nobody is faulting Rita for being a successful business, nor is anyone saying that Rita doesn't put forth an acceptable product. It's just that there are several places that serve a product which has a more natural and all-around better taste than the product they serve at Rita's. It isn't one thing or specifics, it's a conglomerate of things that lead to this conclusion.
To draw some kind of comparison, I think of Cold Stone Creamery. Sure they make a delicious ice cream product, and they are successful. However, I happen to think that their ice cream itself is midgrade, and can rattle off a list of establishments that are serving a far superior ice cream product.
It comes down to a matter of taste, not a matter of upsetting you specifically.
Yeah, what he said. By the way, I am a capitalist in every sense of the word. I've owned 5 businesses over the past 25 years and certainly don't fault Rita's because they are successful. It does seem to me (and hitmanoo) that you are taking our criticism of Rita's product way too seriously.
I have tried explaining my reasons for not liking the product as has hitmanoo but you still want to carry this thing on. Bottom line here is Rita's is expanding big time and franchisees seem to be making money so I really don't think anyone besides you really care if a few of us here really don't like Rita's stuff.
Now can we all just get along people
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The Chicago-style hot dog is, indeed, a beautiful thing. I enjoy them occasionally. But, for my money, the Italian Beef is really where it's at!
And actually, most of the time I end up going with a combo. That's Italian beef AND sausage.
Sounds to me like a ready market exists for hot italian beef sammies. They really are good when done right with a little horseradish cream sauce on top of the au jus, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.
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Rita's marketing is indeed well planned and structured. In this area, it is indeed king of water ice. For most people it is fine on a hot summer night. For others, it remains inferior in every way to way can been purchased in Philly or NY.
Further to my point in todays Philadelphia Business Journal: "Water Ice Franchisor is hot for more stores"
Jim Rudolph has bought the Rita's Water Ice company along with several investors. He is a veteran franchisee and this marks his first foray into the world of franchisor.
Current store count is 349 with plans to add at least 70 stores this year alone. Rudolph plans to have 1500 stores by 2012, just six short years away.
The analogy to Whole Foods just got blown to bits, soon you'll have one of these joints on every block - oh God
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No doubt Louisa's is not hurting for business.
http://ae.philly.com/entertainment/ui/phil...&reviewId=10926
Couldn't LeBan have stuck the write up of Louisa's in the middle of the damn page. Now it will be all but impossible to get in.
Also, someone should tell him Waters Edge has been closed for a good while, although he is dead on about Neil.
"Such globe-hopping flavors aren't uncommon down the Shore. And many credit Waters Edge chef/owner Neil Elsohn as one of the style's principal innovators in Cape May since he arrived 16 years ago. The restaurant still has one of the Shore's finest kitchens, whether you choose the blackened scallops slicked with ginger glaze, the sublimely tender veal with spaetzle bathed in brown butter, the Asian-scented black bass, or the dessert tortilla with bananas.
The sleek, peach-colored dining room has a contemporary polish that fits the Sting soundtrack looping through the room. But it is the wide-windowed view that I covet most, a vision of Cape May's tranquil northern beach at sunset, the dune grass and lapping waves fading in summer's long golden light. "•
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We own a house in Cape May, so we're there all the time. My favorite is Peter Shield's Inn - no place prettier. Food is delicious, not exceptional, but always good.
We also love Washington Inn and the Ebbitt Room.
Every year we dress up the kids and go to a lovely, family dinner at The Chalfonte. It's become a tradition.
HATE with a passion 410 Bank Street. Why pay a fortune for mediocre food, sullen and unskilled waitstaff, and tables so close together you can smell your neighbor's dinner?
Peter Shields Inn was really quite good when it first opened and you are right about the place's beauty. I think it's dropped off food quality wise as the last time we ate there it was unremarkable.
As an aside, we always loved Waters Edge and was really sorry Neil had to pack it in. I mentioned somewhere else on this board that the landlord (Gus Andy, owner of La Mer Motor Inn) and Neil never really had any great love for each other. Story I heard was that he raised the rent so high Neil decided to move on. Too bad, always had top flight meals with service to match there. Nothing tops the view either.
Do you know what's there now? Is it another resto, we haven't been down for a few years
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To address your last post, Jeff:
I think the diff is that when I find a great restaurant, I WANT it to succeed and not become a distant pleasant memory (a la venue) and usually the only way a place can do that is by filling seats, growing and flourishing.
I totally agree with you here. My original point was that I do enjoy turning people on to new and exciting restaurants, mostly gleened from the PA forum. Of course, it goes without saying, I too want these places to succeed- in part for my own self serving interests of continuing to patronize great restaurants.
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First, I agreed with Jeff as to what I read about Rita's being the "McDonalds" of water ice. Then I thought to myself, what the heck is water ice, isn't it Italian ice?
Deciding for my own piece of mind that it is in fact Italian Ice, I checked out Jeff's link, only to realize that Capogiro is in fact not Italian ice at all, but in fact gelato and Sorbet. 
Upon further investigation, I confirmed my suspicions that Rita's form of gelati is not really gelato at all, but rather a mix of their Italian Ice and frozen custard. Trying to compare these two establishments would be like trying to compare your favorite pizza parlor to Dominos.
That being said, I agree with what Jeff is trying to convery. There is no particular flavor ingredient or aspect of Rita's that you can put your finger on to elaborate on why it isn't as good. Just as you can get a better cup of coffee outside of a Starbucks, you can get better Italian ice at a multitude of locations other than Rita's--far better. The lemon tastes like eating a frozen lemon, complete with zest. The watermelon tastes like watermelon, the mango tastes like mango, and the snozzberry tastes exactly like snozzberry!
I find Rita's to be to artificially sugary and chemically, and not like an authentic flavored frozen iced fruit.I guess when it comes down to I just think that high end Italian ice has more of an authentic flavor to it, and Rita comes up short. Like many successful franchises, Rita's uses successful marketing to drive a familiar tasting mass produced goods to a population that feels comfortable with name brand recognition and is satisfactoraly refreshed by a more or less average product.
Does Rita's make a tasty product? Sure! It's just not as good as some of the finer local places that you'll find.
Thanks Hitmanoo. You got my thoughts exactly right. You are indeed correct about Capogiro being an entirely different product from water ice. I only used this example to speak to Rita's "gelati" vs real gelato. I wanted to point out the startling differences between artisinal product made fresh daily by hand without chemicals and I believe preservatives and Rita's offering.
Rita's marketing is indeed well planned and structured. In this area, it is indeed king of water ice. For most people it is fine on a hot summer night. For others, it remains inferior in every way to way can been purchased in Philly or NY.
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best to stay with the Washington Inn IMHO they do everything right.
Couldn't agree more...especially that wine cellar...and this from a true byo guy. Not to mention the place itself, really classy nothing in town compares to the elegant building and decor.
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In your Rita's eating experience, what flavor or aspect of the product line offended your tastebuds the most?
The town I mentioned was Urbino.. mountain town not far from the Adriatic. Rita's is NOT gelato so comparing actual gelato to what they've named gelati is pointless.
Saying that "It's the McDonalds of water ice and I don't mean that as a compliment. The fact that so many of them are going up should give you a hint, " and implying that because so many of them are springing up, the quality should be immediately suspect is nose-in-the-air logic. Because the masses like it, I won't.
How about referring to the product in specifics as to what it is you like or dislike in this case rather than deciding that "Rita's simply has an aggressive franchise model driving sub par product." Personally, I thought their custard was sweeter than I like it, mixed with their cherry ice and the real cherries throughout it, I found it refreshing and fun to eat. Sure I can get an Italian ice from that little bakery window in Lyndhurst (the name escapes me at the moment), but can't get it mixed with custard (Rita's 'gelati' style -again, they've GOT to change that name. Its SUCH a misnomer) but when I want that custard/ice blend, there aren't many places around that do both. There actually is one in Bergenfield (Its A Custard Thing) but I think Rita's consistency is better, IMHO.
" Once the band gets signed, no more cachet."... right and the shallowness and this reverse "fair weather fan" attitude makes digging on a band just because they're unsigned or whatever just as flaky as liking a band just because everyone else does. Then again, I'm continually pointing out to them as well that real indie kids/punks/whatevers aren't spending $80 at Hot Topic buying ripped up jeans. ;-)
Truth be told, there is not one specific thing that I find offensive, it's more a quality driven issue that I find not present at the Rita's I have experienced. For example, the lemon ice, which is my favorite, was short on tartness and the flecks and little bits of real lemon found in other south philly places. It was ok, not terrible. Like Aaron posted, if this is the only place serving water ice, go there. In my case thankfully it isn't.
As to the gelato/gelati issue, Rita's does not make authentic gelato. They make custard mixed with water ice and call it gelati for some reason.
For me, quality of ingredients and execution reign over price and portion. This is just my opinion, others will have theirs evidenced by the really long lines at Rita's in Newtown, PA. Really, I would rather drive to Philly (35-40 min South) and get the real deal than stand on line and get what is available.
I must ask, do you like McDonalds? I don't and the masses clearly do... does that make me a food snob, probably. Is that something I'm ok with, you bet.
Now to your music issue. I have 2 daughters who are now 19 and 21 so I come from some parental experience in these matters and music is huge in my life. You may be right with the fair weather fan comment but it is what it is. There's no denying that finding that great restaurant none of your friends know about is kind of cool, same goes with those bands the kids seek out. Doesn't make it right, just is.
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something tells me at least 5 egulleters will be hitting this place within the next, oh, i'm guessing 3 days.
Tommy, 5? Do you realize the exposure this site has? At least 15 I'd say and I'd be one of them if it weren't so damned far!
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I had overheard a conversation a while ago when someone mentioned a new place was to be opening that would be serving Chicago style hot dogs. I didn't give it much thought because there are places that attempt to serve what they call a Chicago dog. But they use pork hot dogs and throw a mixture of junk that hardly resembles what is made in Chicago.
Today I happenned to be driving on St. Georges Ave. in Linden and passed by a place called J's Beef, Chicago Style Italian Beef & Sausage. I turned around and went back. When I went in, I found a large Vienna Beef sign. I had a chance to speak with Jack, the owner, and found out that he is serving an authentic Chicago style hot dog complete with Vienna beef hot dogs, onions, neon relish, yellow mustard, tomato wedges, sport peppers, and celery salt on a poppy seed bun. The dogs (skinlkess and 6 to a lb) relish, sport peppers, and celery salt are all from Chicago. Dogs, poppy seed buns, and relish are directly from Vienna Beef. I forget if the sports peppers and celery salt are.
Italian Beef is also served, but it is made on premise rather than shipped in from Vienna. Soon J's will be selling Vienna Beef Dogs to the public. This is the same Vienna Beef Dogs sold in Chicago and not the different recipe dog sold at Targets.
Jack was kind enough to give me a few Viennas to sample at home. While I was there, I had a Chicago dog and a plain Vienna with just mustard. The dogs come steamed or char grilled. I got mine steamed. The Chicago dog was minus onions as I hate them. I don't really like relish (except for Rutt's Hut unique relish) but I had it on the dog. I still am not crazy about so many toppings on a dog, but I liked the contrast between hot meat and cool vegetables. The bun was excellent; hot and steamed also. Sports peppers were very hot. Yellow mustard, a few small tomato wedges and the neon green relish. According to Jack, this is the only authentic Chicago dog in the area including Shake Shack in N.Y. For me it may be an aquired taste, but I think many will like it. He has only been open for 2 1/2 weeks but business has been great so far. The Vienna beef dog with mustard was ok, but a little mild. It had a sort of subtle spicing with a mild spice which lingered in the background that I couldn't identify. I know this dog is made from bull meat and brisket.
Jack is from Chicago and grew up with Vienna. It's all he eats although he has sampled other dogs from Jersey. He thinks Sabrett is too spicy while Thumann's (mostly pork) is too bland.
J's Beef 902 W. St. Georges Ave. Linden, N.J. 908-587-0105
K John, your assignment is to tell Jack to open another place in Bucks County PA. Tell him I will be his marketing department if these dogs are truly Chicago Red Hots. I miss them big time from the late 60's early 70's being in Illinois at college.
I remember it taking some time to get used to, but that poppy seed bun split in the middle like they do in New England along with the mustard you described, pickle, raw onion, nuff said just get it done
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A "regular" size Rita's Ice is 12 ounces. Do you consider that a ridiculous portion? Just curious.
To me, Rita's popping up all over the place can either be indicative of the "McDonald's" syndrome or... well ... Whole Foods are springing up around where I live.. would the same apply? Funny, my kids love underground music and as soon as a band is signed to a label, they're abandoned as sell-outs, traitors and people who are "only in it for the money." Same band, same music... but now they're crap cause they found a way to get their product to the masses and the masses enjoy it.
As far as gelato goes, the summer I lived in Urbino, Italy was the summer I had the best gelato's of my life. If I could ask the "Rita's" company one question, it would be "Why did you decide to call your Ice/Custard layered mix a gelati?" When I first had one, I thought it was a terrific tasting product (especially the cherries that I bit into in the ice), but calling a product that isn't a gelati, gelati makes about as much sense as calling a Burrito a Calzone. Its just not one.
I didn't mean to imply that Rita's serving sizes had anythging to do with my poor restaurant example. I really wouldn't care if their regular serving size was 120 ounces, I still wouldn't like the product. That's my point here, inferior product no matter how much of it is still inferior product.
You are dead on about the gelato you had in Umbrio, though I've never been to that particular town in Italy. Italy, as in most of Western Europe, gets that for a product to be truly outstanding, it must be made from only the finest, freshest local ingredients and made daily. I don't know too much about Rita's but can almost guarantee you that this concept is not happening there. It's formulaic at best just like McDonalds.
As to wholefoods, not a great analogy to the topic. They are a fine quality driven food supplier with a truly insightful management team. They get it, Rita's simply has an aggressive franchise model driving sub par product.
I too am a huge fan of unground music but for me, I love it when these bands get signed to a label, it's survival. Might be that I'm 55 and your kids aren't! Tune in to the fact that your kids have a major cool quotient when they discover an underground, unsigned band. Once the band gets signed, no more cachet.
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I guess it's a Philly thing but Rita's is so not real water ice. There are really many much better places but Rita's is everywhere and inexpensive.
When you're ready for the real gelato go to Capogiro in Philly - 12th and Sanson and the Rittenhouse Park area. The flavor combinations will blow your mind. This is artisinal gelato made from scratch every day with mostly local ingredients by people who really care about quality product. Once you taste it you will be hooked forever.
It's expensive, $4.00 or so for a real small cup of this wonderful stuff. The best deal is to buy online by the pint (6 actually for $60.00)
Check out the site to see where you can buy it locally and check out these incredible flavors:
I don't know about Capogiro, but the supposed originator of the product is Lemon Ice King in Corona, Queens. It's been there almost 100 years, and is listed in the tourist books as a Queens "landmark".
This may well be true Menton but all I was saying is that Rita's doesn't come close to really authentic water ice ala Philadelphia or Queens/Manhatten. It's the McDonalds of water ice and I don't mean that as a compliment. The fact that so many of them are going up should give you a hint. If Rita's was the only water ice place for 10 miles or so, I'd go. That said we have 2 in our town, one of which is around the corner and I don't go. That doesn't stop the long lines this time of year however. To me, Rita's is like the restaurant in everyone's town that serves huge portions of inexpensive poorly cooked and executed food. You know the restaurant, it's always jamed on a Saturday night with people leaving with garbage bag sized doggy bags. Most people in this country(tho no one reading this for sure) love inexpensive unimaginative food that is delivered to the table in ridiculous portions.
Back to Capogiro, next time you are anywhere near Philly, you will thank me for visiting. Of this I am sure!
Ultimate BYO finder
in Pennsylvania: Dining
Posted
This is really a great reference. Kudos to those responsible, lots of hard work. Now if I can figure out how to get this into my palm pilot!