Jeff L

They open at 5:00 which should put you there just after the game is over and you get your car and drive over. Of course you certainly could grab a drink somewhere so you aren't waiting for them to open up. If you do end up there, let us know how you liked it.

We really love L'Angolo. It's at 1415 W Porter St (215) 389-4252 It's relatively close to the ballpark. Here's an old thread: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...hl=L'Angolo

Looks interesting but why pay $25.60 for a 20 lb bag (including shipping) when you can go to Shady Brook Farm and get 30 lbs for $18 bucks?

This wood is not in the same league as the crap you get from Weber or other mass market sources I am told. I tried that stuff way back when I fist bought my smoker and it really wasn't much better than good hardwood charcoal alone.

Andrew, I don't know how close you live to the Newtown/Yardley area but there is a Kansas City Barbeque Society Sanctioned Competition taking place this weekend at Shady Brook Farm http://www.shadybrookfarm.com/bbq.php I just got off the phone with Tom Christine, owner of Smokin' Dudes (one of the contestants) and he has boxes of various wood available. I made arrangements to purchase a 30 lb box of Hickory for $18. He can bring other woods as well, Cherry, Oak, etc. PM me if you want his cell # He uses them exclusively at his place and sources the wood from New Holland, PA. They are apparently cut to fit backyard smokers as opposed to whole logs.

I'm game if you want to split a cord Jim or perhaps others here might want in too.

We had an early dinner tonight and all things considered, it was quite good. Let me concur with Vadouvan in that this is definitely not Osteria on the cheap in any way shape or form. I think it is a very good example of simply and well prepared food with fresh ingredients at a favorable price point. It is not fine dining although Peter McAndrews was gracious enough to send me and my daughter several nice things not on the menu and not ordered after chatting briefly with him before diner service. I asked my waiter to have the chef select things on the traditional tourista tasting menu and he did not disappoint overall. I started with the Bruschetta which tonight was nicely charred homemade tuscan bread and anchovy, basil, capers, olive oil and pine nuts, excellent. Next came a really good gnocchi course which my daughter and I both enjoyed. Note: My daughter never had gnocchi before and she really liked these. Per their menu they were "Potato dumplings, porcini, cream and gorgonzola " Very light and very savory. Next came my main which was the lamb special over a mixed green salad that had (I think) fennel and some other things I have forgotten. It was good, not great. Lamb could have been less stingy but it was flavorful. My daughter ordered the lasagna and I almost laughed when it came out because it was such a small portion. it's a good thing chef sent out two nice complimentary dishes in betwen consisting of the Tagliatelle made with chestnut pasta, cabbage & taleggio cream & fresh nutmeg...very tasty. Also sent out was a very nice dish of roasted beets, toasted almond & ricotta which worked very well together. Finally, desserts were a homemade crepe with bananas and walnuts and I forget what I had but I liked it. All in all, a nice meal at a nice price point with a healthy shot of just ok Amaretto to end the meal, and my double espresso. All told, $58 bucks before tip, pretty good value indeed. I'll go back. PS: Peter happened to mention that both Georges Perrier and Matthew Levin (Lacroix) along with some other heavy hitters just dined there the other night. Chef brought them out a 6 course meal and someone asked "What, no veal sweetbreads", whereupon chef rustled them all up some. Pretty cool for a space that can barely seat 40 tightly and has a tattoo parlor just 3 doors down.

What she said. Mass market food for the mass market. When was the last time any of you waited 2 hours at your favorite chinese place to be seated? I always like it when a Chinese place has some asian customers or Indian customers in an Indian restaurant, etc. Maybe I'm wrong but I just don't see Chinese people waiting 2 hours for some American interpretation of some of the best cuisine on the planet.

Which place Todd, Delorenzo's I presume? PS: We are missing Mandoline big time, hope you are doing well

I had the tomato pie at Palermo's in Ewing today. It was good but not even close to Delorenzo's. I liked their crust but found the tomato they used to be lacking. I've come to realize that nothing is really that close to Delorenzo's, it's just that good! I'll be going back to La Villa next week to try his thin crust sicilian style pie and will report back.

I just got this email alert from Joe Canal's, guess they will be next on the litigent list of PALCB. I'll be there and I hope a few of you fellow wine affectionados come out too. I really miss this guy after browsing the Newtown Specialty store, totally devoid of any Chairmans product. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jonathan Newman Selections Tasting! Just who is Jonathan Newman? He is the 2003 Wine Enthusiast Man of the Year, was Chairman and wine buyer for the largest wine and spirits purchaser in the U.S. (the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board ) before founding Newman Wine & Spirits. He also earned the 2004 American Wine Society Award of Merit, the Guild of Sommeliers’ Distinguished Service Award, and was named by Marvin Shanken’s Market Watch magazine in 2005 as one of the Top 5 Leaders of the alcohol beverage industry. Newman uses his palate and sense of value to buy great wines at hot prices from wineries all over the world. He combs the world looking for outstanding ultra-premium wines that, for whatever reason, aren't selling as quickly as the winery would like. He tastes everything they buy, and they deal only with excellent wines. Newman walks away from more deals than he makes. Every Newman wine selection is a one-time opportunistic purchase –– so buy them now, becaucause when they’re gone, they’re gone! And now you have the opportunity to taste some of Newman's fantastic selections at an exclusive Joe Canal's tasting event. Date: Saturday, May 31st Time: 1pm to 3pm Place: Joe Canals Lawrenceville Store 3375 Rt 1 South Lawrenceville, NJ And best of all the sampling is FREE!! No Reservation Needed Martellotto Reserve Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Paso Robles, California "This sophisticated wine delivers plenty of bright cherry fruit and pretty raspberry and floral notes, along with an undercurrent of vanilla and an elegant mouthfeel. You can taste the Syrah in hints of smoke and spice." Suggested Price $29.99 Regular Price $24.99 Bottle Club Price $18.99 Penny Lane Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 Sonoma, California "This cheerful wine delivers plenty of cherry fruit with the additional complexity of toasty oak. Try it with steak, burgers, lamb chops or fried chicken. Or, just enjoy a glass with a record album -- remember those?" Suggested Price $16.99 Regular Price $13.99 Bottle Club Price $10.99 Silver Spur Los Carneros-Sonoma Valley Chardonnay 2004 Sonoma Valley, California "This elegant Chardonnay in the classic Chablis style offers plenty of golden apple and nectarine fruit with an appealing minerality. You can really taste the quality of the grapes used to make this wine." Suggested Price $16.99 Regular Price $14.99 Bottle Club Price $11.99 Amberton Chardonnay 2005 Napa Valley, California "This Chardonnay strikes an elegant balance with its toasty, lemony flavor. It’s easy to drink, complex enough to be interesting, and a great accompaniment to roast chicken or fish dishes. Or, just enjoy it as an aperitif with friends." Suggested Price $15.99 Regular Price $12.99 Bottle Club Price $9.99 Amberton Sauvignon Blanc 2006 Napa Valley, California "Here’s a Sauvignon Blanc that combines the virtues of California’s forward fruit and New Zealand’s herbal complexity. It’s lemony without being too tart, and gives you some interesting eucalyptus notes without going over the top. Its balance shows the mastery of a skilled winemaker" Suggested Price $15.99 Regular Price $12.99 Bottle Club Price $9.99 We reserve the right to limit quantities. Not responsible for typographical errors. In case of errors, the lowest price allowed by NJ State law will apply. Products while supplies last. Artwork does not necessarily represent items for sale. Shipping available in select states. Shop online @ www.UltimateWineShop.com Michael Brenner General Manager - Operations & Marketing Joe Canal's Discount Liquor Outlet www.UltimateWineShop.com 489 US Route 1 South Iselin, NJ 08830 732-726-0077 3375 US Route 1 South Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 609-520-0008

Bumping this thread up..has anyone been lately and care to check in? I'm thinking of taking my two way hipper than me daughters next Wednesday and would like to hear recent reviews. Everything I've read had been somewhat dated. Are they still doing the tourista thing and is it still $30 for 4 courses or has it gone to $300 by now?

Hey Jan, that sandwich looks really good. The only thing missing is some good imported sharp provolone. I've heard other reports about this place and I'll have to go check it out soon. My local deli in Holland uses their rolls for his hoagies and they are quite tasty.

Aaron, I too remember when this space was a pizza hut, that coupled with the fact that the exterior is so unremarkable, (I'm being kind here!)I chose not to go in. I'm glad I read the article and tried their tomato pie, I think you will like it. Gino made me promise to try his thin crust Sicilian next time around which I will do. Let us know what you think.

Are you sure about the price? The system has the two-pack at $75... ← You're right, $74.99.

I just picked up a 2 pack of 2003 Whitehall Lane Napa Cabernet and Cab Reserve at the Newtown store on clearance for $69.00 which is a discount of 50%. They have lots left, at least they did around noon today. I've read a lot about this wine and am particularly looking forward to trying the reserve.

David, here's a link I started a while back. I have been to Chef Vola's since and can attest to its quality. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=65173&hl=

Not a big fan of Pete's pies. I've been meaning to get over to Palermo's in Ewing for some time now. Several people whose opinion I value when it comes to great pizza have suggested this place.

Wow, that can't help my friends at Porcini.

So last night I'm browsing through the very pretty, very yuppie Bucks County Town and Country Living magazine and I notice an article entitled "lunch", a trip to four of Bucks County's favorite lunch spots. I get to the last one and it's a BYO place in Morrisville, PA called la Villa and it claims to make a great tomato pie, even better than Delorenzo's in Trenton. It's a traditional restaurant and has a bunch of traditional Southern Italian things and some pretty cool things that are not at all traditional such as their Tuscany salad which consists of grilled chicken and shrimp, goat cheese, roasted peppers, walnuts, and cranberries atop a spring mix of greens all drizzled with the requisite balsamic dressing. Sounds terrific, just what my wife would love save for the shrimp. They also have a lunch buffet for like 8 bucks which looks amazing from the pictures and in person. On to the tomato pie. Among the standard sizes, they also have 8" personal pies and that's what I just had. I always get fresh garlic and nothing else, it's my way of judging quality. The pie comes out on a nice glass plate (looked like it could have come from Italy) and it's chock full of nicely diced tomato, just enough cheese and a hint of oregano. The crust was perfectly charred and with just the right thickness (I should really say thin-ness) When I bit into the first slice, bingo this is the real deal. Firm to the bite yielding to a very nice flavorful pizza. I must say that after Delorenzo's this is my favorite pie and it is a close second indeed. I devoured the pie in record time. As I go up to pay, I recognize the guy from the article and told him how much I enjoyed his tomato pie. I started by saying lots of people claim to make a great tomato pie in the Trenton style but few ever pull it off. Gino Lenti proceeds to tell me they've been there for over 9 years and that business has just started to pick up in the past year of so. I ask how it's possible I never heard of this place and he tells me about his home town of Calabria and the other place they own in Manayunk called Bella Trattoria. My daughter has been and liked it but I was never there. A few nice changes from Delorenzo's on Hudson Street: 1. Clean bathrooms, hell just bathrooms! 2. Really nice servers and even nicer owners 3. Other things on the menu in addition to the excellent tomato pie 4. Much safer neighborhood 5. Easy on and off Route 1 Just over the pay bridge in Morrisville 6. Regular hours As I hand Gino the check with my money he says "no it's on me today" I say no way but he insists. A class act and a really nice guy. I'll be back, spread the word. La Villa 21 S. Pennsylvania Avenue Morrisville, PA 215 736-3116

How about CEO of the LCB, you are certainly better qualified than the hack that has the job now.

Indeed traffic has gotten much worse, particularly when you get off 676 at the museum exit and head down 21st around 5:30! It's worth a few extra minutes fighting the traffic though. I still really like this place a lot. I forgot to mention that we both really liked the portobella mushroom appetizer. One of the things I like about this place is the limited menu. It's more similar to European places in that they generally have maybe 4 or 5 entrees on the menu as opposed to here where menus can read like novels sometimes.

...Bumping this thread up as we've not heard of Melograno lately. My business partner and I had an early dinner here last night and it is still pretty awesome. There were just a few tables occupied when we arrived around 6:00 but within an hour the place was jammed with people waiting outside. We both had an appetizer of portobello mushrooms with goat cheese and pine nuts and some type of balsamic glaze. For entrees my partner had the mixed seafood grill which included lovely chargrilled salmon, a few shrimp and some calamari which was very nicely done. I had the bronzino which could not have been better. it was served over garlic mashed potatoes and had a nice light lemon wine sauce. Perfect, even better than when La Veranda was on top of their game. We skipped dessert for the mandatory trip to Capogiro.

Tony Luke's just can't seem to get it right apart from his flagship sandwich shop on Oregon Avenue in South Philly where everything is exceptional. I personally think the roast pork italiano is the best sandwich by far although he does make a fine cheeseteak too. He's had several outposts (NYC included) and from what I've experienced firsthand is that they fall way short of the original.

Don't let my experience inhibit your reviews in any way. That's what this Forum is all about. We may well have had the second string chef on a slow night, who knows. I just didn't care for it. If it were a local place for me, I might actually try it again but KOP is about an hours drive so..not happening. I generally like to read several reviews on a new place before trying it and I have read favorable reviews elsewhere about Jaipur. I just chose the wrong night I think.