Jeff L

I can suggest Jo-Jo's for an inexpensive, little to no ambiance place in Mercerville. Really great bar pizza, not Delorenzo's but a good pie nonetheless.. Jo-Jo's Tavern & Restaurant (609) 586-2678 2677 Nottingham Way Trenton, NJ 08619

As of 2 minutes ago, 12th and Chestunt shows 39 bottles and Franklin Mills has 76. I ended up having 2 cases shipped to newtown the other day and the day they arrived, Newtown got 4 cases, coulda saved the $20 shipping. Stuff is really good.

I dont know that it makes ordinary salmon taste "better" however slow roasting properly executed allows you to taste unnoticed Nuaces of salmon cooked by traditional methods....in my opinion. You can find KING at the markets, strangely I was at Reading terminal, Citarella and Chelsea market yesterday and found KING salmon all 3 places. 1lb of Salmon = 16 0z. That's one big ass piece of fish. Please note that if you intend to portion this piece of fish, you should do it before you cook it and quite frankly before you cure it. If you try to cut it after it flakes, its a mess as opposed to a clean raw slice. ALSO..... Huge pieces dont distribute cures evenly. I would do it in maximum 8oz pieces. 1.If your oven is preheated and the fish is from the refrigerator, estimate 20-25 minutes. 2.If your oven is preheated and you bring the fish close to room temp for about 15 minutes before cooking 15 to 20 minutes....based on your appreciation of sashimi. (best method). 3.If your oven is not preheated..........preheat your oven and refer to #2. 4.If your oven does *not* have convection, add 5 minutes to cooking time. The Acid Test of slow roasting.... If the white milky proteins are leaching out of the fish. its getting overcooked. Cheers ← Didn't mean to suggest that I would be scarfing down the entire 16 oz piece. It will serve my wife and daughter too. I was planning on having 3 6 oz portions just to be clear. My oven is not convection and I usually let the fish/meat come close to room temp when possible prior to cooking. Anyhow, thanks for the tips and I'll check the markets tomorrow.

Bob, I think its the best way for the KING salmon because it allows you to enjoy what you are paying for, the fat content and unctous texture. Nothing wrong with grilling salmon, its quite good but its a completely different texture from slowroasting. Grilling subjects the surface to high heat which gives that crispy exterior and you get a grade in texture to medium rare, although that crispy crunch is tasty, for me its dry and you are going to have to eat it pretty damn quickly because the heat that it takes to do it right continues to cook it after its off the heat. Grilling is in the range of 400 to 600 degrees depending on grilling medium. Pre-cured slow roasting however is done at 225 degrees, no more The initial curing draws out excess moisture and firms up the fish. Slow roasting then texturises it just to barely flake and then you can really taste the flavor and texture you are paying for........"In my opinion" Sockeye will be a really deep red color, has a lower fat content than KING which makes it not nearly as tasty, think of it as Angus VS Wagyu Beef. King is lighter, bigger fish cross section and fattier. Again in my opinion, lengthy cures and dry spicing ruin the fish for slow roasting. Mix together. 1/4 cup of Kosher or Maldon salt 1/4 cup Superfine Sugar not powdered 10x......superfine. The zest of 2 large lemons, removed with a microplane, no other tool. Rub your boneless salmon filets with this mixture. About 1 tablespoon for every 8 oz of fish. Top with one fresh bay leaf and wrap tight in plastic. Refrigerate for 2hrs max. Rinse of fish, dry well with lint free cotton or food grade paper towel. Rub lightly with high quality EVOO. Bake in a 225 degree oven till it just flakes and no white liquid (coagulated proteins) are oozing out of it yet. Works great with Char,Ocean Trout, Mackrel, hamachi. Cheers. ← Approximately how long to slow roast with 1 pound of salmon? I know you said until it flakes, but how much time does this usually take you? Also, does this method make ordinary salmon taste much better too? I'm not sure I can locate the King around here

Thanks for the props Jeff, but I think they've got staff already handling that for them. In fact, I think Chef Stern is somewhat involved in the wine list choices at Gayle himself, in addition General Manager Ed Hackett has a well educated palate. I worked with Ed at Rouge so I say this with complete confidence. Of course if they wanted my help, I'd be delighted. I would love to pick up a couple of weeknight shifts at Gayle if they were in need of a wine-educated server on the floor. I can't think of many other places I'd have more fun pairing wines with an interesting menu like that and would have customers that were sophisticated enough and receptive to that level of service. ← It was indeed a very interesting menu Katie, one that we all thoroughly enjoyed. Are you familiar with this Malbec I had? I did a search on PALCB site and found no evidence of it, even special order which I expected to it was. I asked Daniel if he was familiar with EG and he did say that he was but somewhat nervous to read about his place. He was also familiar with Chowhound.

Matt's right about their bread, or more accurately, their rolls. They were delicous. Four of us had dinner at Gayle last night and four of us came away really impressed. Impressed with the food of course, but the easy and relaxed professional waitstaff made it all the more enjoyable. Mellow tones accent the small room and we found it be quite comfortable indeed. It was nice of Matt to come to our table and introduce himself. On to the food, we all opted for the 3 course prix fixe and decided on 2 apps and one entree instead of dessert cause I heard Capogiro might have some new flavors They brought out four very small snacks as they call them. One was marinated something wrapped in proscuitto, a duck filed ravioli, and 2 other things I forget. All boded of what was to come, delicious. For the first course, our friends had the gazpacho and Gayle salad and really liked both dishes. I opted for the oyster, smoked salmon and foie gras chased by a shot of cucumber juice. This dish reminded me of Studio Kitchen in its presentation and resulting impact on me. Truly a wonderful dish, the broth in the oyster shell had a vermouth taste but could have been another spirit, really unexpected and delightful. The cucumber shot worked perfectly. My wife had the Gayle salad and we both had the crispy risotto fingers with truffle and soy. Risotto fingers were really good, had a nice crunch to them and paired beautifully with the truffle and soy. For entrees, one friend had the Scallop, Crab dumplings with a riesling glaze. She had a dreamy look on her face and there wasn't much left on her plate afterward. Her husband had the monkfish with saffron and tarragon and thoroughly enjoyed it. My wife had the chicken purple and green which was really two different cabbages roasted with the chicken in a sauce we all thought was the best thing we tasted all night. I had the suckling pig with fresh bacon and lentils and really wished the portion was bigger. The flavor was so intense I was craving more of it. It contrasted sharply from the suckling pig we had at Amada. The ladies enjoyed a glass of pinot grigio and sauvignon blanc with their dinners while the guys shared a really really nice bottle of Malbec called El Filino. Frankly, I wished this place was BYO as they need some help with their ecclectic winelist. (Katie, possible opportunity here) Sometime between our 2nd and 3rd course Chef Daniel Stern greeted us and I spoke with him for a good 15 minutes. One of the most personable guys I've ever met in a restaurant. I told him I had high expectations and was not disappointed thus far in the meal. We all talked some about his running Le Bec Fin and that I was singularly most impressed with his lack of formal training. To that, he smiled and said he's had some of the very best teachers in the world. Perfectly humble and understated. This is a restaurant not be missed in our opinion.

Kevin: You've made some striking points here and we all should take them seriously. I too must venture over to NJ to pick up readily available favorites not offered here. I do think, however, that those of us who have lived in PA for over 20, heck even 5 years can attest to the obvious changes instituted by Mr. Newman and some other key people with less recognition (Deidre, are you listening?!) I think besides the Chairmans program and many other non CS buys, the level of employee education and yes, motivation by local lcb stores (at least specialty stores) has been nothing short of incredulous. It wasn't all that long ago that my experience in the Newtown store was reduced to "if it's not on the shelf, we don't have it". I think anyone who shops there now will agree- complete turnaround for the better. To your point, is there more work to do, clearly there is and Jonathan would be the first to tell you this, in fact he told me just that during the RX Chairmans diner last year. One must walk before one runs is my perspective. Anyway, I just ordered 2 cases of the elusive Kaiken Malbec this morning from Harrisburg due to arrive in Newtown next Monday! I won't be reselling any of them. Even with shipping and tax it still comes out to around $9.00 bucks a bottle!

The best part is right after the meal. The restaurant did the heavy lifting, but you get the kudo for making the reservation. ← Charlie, I think I'm up for the task and I'm really looking forward to Todd's food and presentation. As soon as I hear back from Todd with some dates, I'll post here and in the Yahoo DDC Forum.

Todd, as the presumed host for this outing, I love the idea of a special menu prepared for us E-Gullet folks. I will ask for your preferences on dates in May as we will probably be a large gathering and want as slow a night as possible for you. Please pm me with some dates and I'll post them on the ISO thread. If possible, could you also pm me the menu and I can ask our resident wine expert Katie for some suggested pairings. Thanks and yes Rich it is about time

Not that I noticed Diann. Maybe some of the others saw them but it was pretty much meat overload.

I can answer here, yes, and what's up with you ordering a small anything?

It really is a great deal. Think about it, how many pounds of meat can you eat?! If you factor in a few sides and say you get 1lb of meat, you still pay about $14. This assumes that you pay by the pound for sides as well. We decided it was worth the extra $$ to have the meat guy come around and carve for us. I think when I go back I'll opt for the per pound deal. Oh, dessert is an extra $2.50 and worth every penny.

Oh, c'mon, we all did. Glad you enjoyed it too, we'll wait for the others to post to see if it's the majority opinion, tho I think it is. Can't say I didn't warn you at dinner: Picanha Brazilian Grill 6501 Castor Avenue (at Hellerman) Philadelphia, PA 19149 215-743-4647 Nearest SEPTA service: Bus Route 59 from Margaret-Orthodox station, Market-Frankford Line. The bus stops at Hellerman, right at the restaurant's door. Yes you did warn me. The server was very friendly and made all of us feel welcome. Some other patrons were watching a TV Globo (leading Brazilian network) broadcast of a Central American soccer match on the big-screen TV near our table when we arrived. When it's not crazy, this place is really relaxed, as much neighborhood hangout (nonalcoholic variety) for the local Brazilian emigre population as meat lover's Valhalla. (Aside: Further evidence this isn't the same bland old Northeast we all looked down upon back in the day: A billboard two blocks north of the restaurant--just past the Korean-Japanese restaurant in the next block and before the Korean Presbyterian church--advertising Comcast high-speed Internet service. In Russian.) Edited to add: The buffet food was good. Mostly, I loaded up on the salad. No pretense here: The salad dressings were all (or almost all) the Save-a-Lot house brand. (There's a Save-a-Lot in the 6400 block of Castor, half a block down from the restaurant.) Actually, the opener was sausage--I guess this was linguica. It was fairly spicy, garlic mainly, and quite good. Then came the top sirloin, which opened with a strong salty taste. I totally forgot that sausage and it was among the best meats of the night. You left out a cut of beef in between the chicken wrapped in bacon and the pork (which I don't think was pork belly, which tastes almost like bacon; tasted more like pork loin to me). I don't recall which cut this was, though. I think what followed the first serving of pineapple was top round or a similar roast. I do recall that there was plenty of rare beef on this skewer--up to this point, most of the meats had been well done. Then more sirloin. That was followed by brisket. Somehow, I missed getting any of that. Brisket, what brisket? This may have come during my meat induced coma and I didn't even see it. I recall the waiter explaining that those were varieties of flan--a mousse-like custard dessert. (I didn't get to tell you about how, on my first-ever visit to a French restaurant at age 12--in New York--I elicited a laugh from the waiter when I asked for a "chocolate mouse" for dessert.) Agreed that the flan was delicious. And I'm not a big dessert eater. This won't be my last visit either. BTW, those were great wines you bought, Jeff--they went well with the meats, though, as you noted, we probably should have drunk them in the reverse of the order in which we drank them. ← The first wine was the lovely and well priced Lineage made by Freemark Abbey and in stores now at $9.99. Second was my favorite Shiraz, Bleasdale. I special ordered 4 cases of the stuff as I think it was less than $9.00 a bottle. Might not be in any stores any more though.

OK so 6 of us had a really nice dinner at Picanha last night, well ok at least I did. It's a nice little corner space on Castor Avenue. Inside is clean and pretty open although I could see this place becoming crazy busy on weekends, actually one of our servers said that many people are reserving tables instead of just dropping in. On to the meat-fest: They have two ways to eat here, by the pound and all you can eat. The prices were ridiculously low, $7.00 per pound (they weigh the plates in case you were wondering) and $23 for all you can eat. We all opted for the later in true Rodizio fashion. First you go to the buffet table and get fresh salad, rice, beans and something, chicken hearts, ravioli and sauce (yeah in a Brazilian joint) and lots of other interesting stuff I didn't want to fill up on. Then you sit at the table and wait for the meat guy to come around with giant skewers. We started off with top sirloin which was excellently prepared although I thought could have used more seasonings. Then came chicken wrapped in bacon, yum, followed I think by pork (quite fatty possibly pork belly) but real tasty, especially the browned bits. Then we got some short ribs which I really enjoyed. Next came grilled whole pinapple with brown sugar and cinnamon. This was really quite a treat and served nicely as a palate cleanser. More sirloin I think and more of some other meat. It was all really good particularly for the price. I loved dessert too. We had servings of fresh mango in a cup with what seemed to be infused with yogurt or something like it. Also ordered was passion fruit in a similar treatment that got rave reviews. I had the guava that was really outstanding. Such a perfect ending to a great meal. I'll be back and bring Mrs. L next time.

Maybe it's time for an EG outing, anyone?

Boy I sure second Princeton's Nassau Street. It seems all the really good hot dog places are located up in North Jersey. If you can get past the probably high rents, I am sure this would be a tremendous location for a store. Not only Princeton University students, but the town of Princeton and environs have all sorts of businesses nearby with lots of hungry employees. I suspect you would do better on lunches than dinner but that's just a supposition.

Thanks for this Katie. I hate menus like this because literally all of the entree choices sound really great. I think this is a place to visit with a group of 6 or so to try all the different entrees and appetizers. I know the space is tiny as I walked by it a few times on my way to Amada and am not sure if they even have tables larger than 4 tops. In any event, I will be going and soon.

So David, as I posted at the very start of this thread, was the halibut roasted? We've yet to go there, probably because it is so close to Amada!

Who has smoked ribs, the girls behind the counter? What girls are your husband referring to, I have always been waited on by guys and less than memorable girls. But to be clear, that's not why I go there. My smoked ribs taste better from my smokewr in the backyard frankly than theirs do so I don't buy them there.

What ever happened to the Achával-Ferrer Quimera Mendoza, Argentina 2003? It was on the upcoming Chairmans Selection for April but mysteriously disapperaed. Deidre, can you weigh in on this important question??

Evan, I have most of my case left and I will gladly trade you for one of the Cakebread cabs. They have 22 units of Kaiken at Yardley - MCcaffrey's market.

I just don't get Steve's at all. Maybe it's because I like my cheesesteak meat chopped. I found it to be just an ok sandwich. Apparently, lot's of folks would disagree as they always seem to be crowded. That said, I found the steak at Grey Lodge excellent and it wasn't chopped. Something about the texture and quality of the beef really got to me. I think they use ribeye there and that would surely explain the superior taste.

Be sure to get there early or the line at the Polish stand can take forever

So far we have 6 people confirmed for R-2 at Picanha Grill on 4/9. I'd like to reserve the table soon so pls pm if you want to go

Let's not forget about Capogiro And of course Monks to add to Katie's list of the top burgers in town Tony Lukes has no rival here or anywhere I'll come up with more I'm sure