zeffer81

their summer rolls are yummy, albeit not especially exotic. they're a great way to start your meal off, because they're not greasy and heavy like a regular egg/spring roll and all the veggies taste nice and fresh.

I am reading a book/cookbook about turning one's kitchen and body into a spritual sanctuary. After the book discussed the optimal set up of a kitchen using feng shui, the authors moved on to discuss how every action in the kitchen should be engulfed in a sort of zen calm, including chopping food items and washing dishes. I never used to appreciate washing dishes (though didn't hate it) but due to the book and your beautiful words, Busboy, I shall now tackle the dishes with love and appreciation for what they represent.

Three cheers for canned beans! It's great to have them around for burritos. Admittedly, I also stock cans of petite diced tomatoes and corn. Nothing beats fresh summer corn, but I have been known to break out the can opener and eat the corn right out of the can! A non-bread eater, I also keep a container of bread crumbs handy. Pre-shredded mozzarella cheese! I buy it in bulk and keep it in the freezer for a quick lasagna or eggplant parm. To complete the list, my S.O. has turned me onto lemon pepper. When we started dating, I was offended that he added it to everything I made (my labors of new love!) I am now a huge fan as well. It adds just the right tang to our world famous shrimp scampi.

As a recent (two years) vegetarian with many vegetarian and vegan friends, I sympathize with all parties. Your menu so far sounds delicious. I usually just tell people not to worry about me--I'll load up on extra salad and apps. A leafy green salad is a perfect match to your tomato tart. With a simple dressing of balsamic and e.v.., it will be a perfect accompaniment. I second both the suggestions of stuffed figs (sounds delicious, with i was coming to dinner!) and couscous or chickpeas. You could even make a couscous and chickpea salad with some tomato and cucumber in it. It's a nice, light grain. Good luck with your dinner. What a gracious host you are! p.s. None of your food sounds like typical "lame" veggie food.

Food plays a major role during a period of mourning or fear. We had a recent scare with my 60 year old father (he was heavily sedated on a ventilator for close to a month) and my mother and I wondered why we kept stuffing our mouths. Food, it turned out, was the highlight of our miserably long days spent at the hospital. Just the idea of a warm dinner and a glass of wine or two at the end of the day brought forth a little ray of light. My deepest condolences on the loss of your father. He sounds like he was an amazing soul.

Although it's become commercialized in Philly, I still prefer Vietnam to any of the places on Washington Ave (and Vietnam Palace). They are owned by the same family who owns Fu Wah on 47th and Baltimore--voted Best Vegetarian Hoagie in the Philly Mag's Best of '04.

When I was in college at George Washington in D.C., there was a food truck called Manoosh's (sp?) right on campus open super latenight. There was nothing remarkable about the food, yet Manoosh, the proprietor was a piece of work. He had a horn that he would toot for his special customers. Imagine the thrill that his horn brought thousands of drunken college students! The zoning board tried to get rid of him, but the GW community put up such a fight that they let him be. I haven't been there in a few years, so I'm not sure if he's still around. I'm now back in Philly, and there is no better city for foodcarts.

Hello all. This is officially my first post, although I have been reading your words of wisdom for a short time now. Based on your recommendations, I took my boyfriend's entire family, including Gram, here tonight and it was a hit. We got there around 6 and it was already filling up. Luckily we were there early, because ten minutes later we wouldn't have been able to grab a table for 7. I had the homemade fusilli positano with jumbo lump crabmeat. The lumps actually were jumbo and extremely tender. The tomato and mozz app was warm and gooey, and the complementary bruschetta was nice and fresh. I had a little bite of the grilled calamari special, which was fabulous--there was a strong lemony flavor to it tonight, and the saltiness of the olives truly complemented it. I would agree with many of you, however, that the noise level was extremely loud (I felt sorry for poor Gram.) The service was nothing to write home about either. We had to flag someone down to order apps and have our bottles opened. Otherwise, delicious food, will return.