mod*betty

EG did have a mention on Philebrity yesterday....

Funny someone should be mentioning fabulous donuts- I usually use Suzy Jo's in Bridgeport as an "enticer" when I have to ask folks to come into work early. Like tomorrow for example, at 6am. I will be there at SJ's with everyone else at 6am waiting for them to open the doors. I swear it's like junkies needing a fix. They have great sugar raised that remind me of the kind I used to get back up at home, and a "buttermilk earthquake" that is just to die for. mmmmmdonuts.......

oh great, now I've got a hankerin for colcannon, which I did not even know had a name until I ate it at an Irish Theme Park type resto in Atlantic City. We had corned beef and cabbage on St. Pat's all the time when I was growning up (Boston Irish) and the fam still makes it, but my 1/2 dutch husband wants very little to do with it. sigh.

We spent a few days in Pburgh in August, and I would think that if the steak were on par with the kickin burgers we had then Tessaro's would be the place to go!

Nudy's has treated us well on the 2 times we've been there. Sad to confirm that the Black Lab no longer does any daytime hours. We like the dineresque qualities of breakfast at the G Lodge. The Kimberton Inn and Columbia Hotel supposedly have brunch but we have not checked either out yet.

There is a DVD out about Tomato Pies, here's where I read about it: http://www.roadsideonline.com/armchair/boo...eeyedmovie.html

Here is the website of the milk can shaped ice cream place I was thinking of: http://www.salvadorsicecream.com/ (Thanks to google and agilitynut's roadside resource for the info http://www.agilitynut.com/roadside.html so nice to have help from other sources when my memory just ain't enough!)

there are some photos and more info at the website www.roadsideonline.com where I saw this sad news last night. We are heading through CT in 2 weeks and had plans to stop at O'Rourkes to try a legendary steamed cheeseburger. :-( Can anyone suggest an alternate place to check out for this regional delicacy or are we just out of luck?

I worked in North Dartmouth a few years back when I still lived in Mass, and the only things that come to mind are the following: If only for the authentic old timey ambiance and menu, I recommend the Buttonwood Grille on 6, just across from Bishop Something high school. I would lunch there occasionally and feel like I was an old lady in training, but there is just something so authentic and no nonsense about the place that appeals to me. Went to breakfast there about a year ago with my sister and little niece ans was pleased to see "cherise" on the menu as a breakfast meat option. Also seem to recall something known as a chop suey sandwich on the menu. Bet you can't get that at Olive Garden! Speaking of Portuguese food in the area, another place I would recommend, again more old timey than high falutin, would be Angelo's Orchid diner. Authentic Stainless Steel Diner and good home cookin, it was a total tossup between here and the Buttonwood for breakfast that morning. I remember sitting next to someone at the counter once who was eating something that looked so foreign to me I just had to ask what it was-- drusilla? grusilla they replied. I feigned recognition, but I really have no idea what it was. Not to go too far down the diner route if that isn't your thing, but there is the Shawmut Diner and also the Nest Diner in the area. Other than that, I recall a neat old icecream shop in the shape of a bottle? Barrel? on the way to picturesque Padanaram. Watch out for Lizzie Borden!

Trivia footnote: Satirical singer Tom Lehrer (Poisoning Pigeons in the Park, Vatican Rag, National Brotherhood Week, etc) claims to have invented the Jell-o shooter while doing his national service during the 1950's. Alcoholic beverages were prohibited on the base, it seems, but Jell-o is not in fact a beverage... ← and an even more trivial footnote from wikipedia: Jell-O is the official state snack food of Utah, which is reported to have the highest per capita sales of green gelatin dessert of any U.S. state. Over-fondness of Jell-O is often considered a cliché trait of Mormons even in other areas. See Jello Belt.

We did end up at N3rd last night and had a generally good experience. I will leave the more poetic in the gang to review with adequate adjectives etc, but here is my interpretation of the overall evening. Nice friendly and approachable hostess. Overheard her try to sell the "smoking section" lounge to the groupo ahead of us, they declined, and we decided to give it as shot as we were a group of 5 and not sure how long it would take to find a space for us. Table was surrounded by incredibly loud party people, like being seated in the middle of a frat party, not really a good idea. We quickly declined the seats and were able to sit outside (as our party of 5 was 4 with one on the way) and that worked out nicely. Crab and corn soup was delish, but they could've mentioned on the menu that it was a cold soup, as that was a shocker. Nice big chunks of crab. I went lame and got a chicken sandwich- huge bread and huge portion of fries. Hubby raved about his tunaburger. Non food friends seemed to have a good time. Waitress was a bit surly, but other than that a pleasant evening. Definitely a hopping place. thanks for the help all!

Thanks for all the feedback. My gut (egut?) response was N3rd, since even I can be annoyed at the setup at the Tap some times and we will be on somewhat of a schedule. A couple of the folks w/us are musicians who would definitely appreciate readily available beer, and wings are always a good common ground. Can't wait!

We are heading to The Fire (on Girard) tonight and I have convinced my husband and a few pals that we should head in early and get a bite and a drink before the show. Nothing fancy. I tend to be the default Julie the Cruise Director (not to be confused with Julie Cruise) and have narrowed our options to either Standard Tap or N. 3rd, (we've been pleased with both) or perhaps trying out Deuce as a wild card. A pair with us are not adventurous food/drink wise, and we are luring them into the city for this gig, so I am trying to strike a balance between good/interesting for us with some "safe" bets for them. Can't even imagine trying to explain the notion of tapas to them.... Where would you recommend and why? Any obvious places in the neighborhood that I am missing? Thank a bunch!

Beefeater Gin anyone?

the above mentioned 2 for 1 coupon is available for download from their website,but it expires August 31st. We are hoping to use ours, schedule willing, this weekend.

As an FYI- we were at the Black Lab in Phoenixville last night and saw a sign posted that said as of tomorrow they will only be serving dinner 5-10 7 days a week. Don't know why this decision was made, but too bad as we had been there for brunch a few times and enjoyed it very much. Not necessarily a smart move IMHO but then again I don't own the place, so I don't know the background. Luckily we've got Nudy's now and I think they do brunch at The Columbia. Guess they will benefit from the runoff from the Black Lab!

Just wanted to mention that my hubby and I had the most rotten service that either of us had ever recieved in our entire lives when we stopped in at Paragon for lunch in early July. Surly slow waitress who started by giving me attitude because I wanted to order just an app and not an entree. Took forever to get the food, totally ignoring empty glasses on our tables that we would've loved to have been refilled, and when the food FINALLY arrives BOTH orders were totally wrong- both completely different meals than what we ordered (burger and thai skewers, not too difficult, eh?) No apologies, nothing. Waited way too long for the correct food to come out and when it did the entire event made it not even worth it. I mean seriously, we thought we'd just sit at a table outside, get a drink and a bite and enjoy the sunshine and then be on our way and we were literally there for almost 2 hours. Took forever and a day after we requested our check to get it even though she walked past our table many times. Hubby and I are normally described as being way too nice, even under these circumstances, I can't imagine what we did to incur such lousy service. Left the smallest tip we ever have and even then felt bad about it, but the waitress truly could've saved the situation with a little sympathy and perhaps a smile. I am a born and bred New Englander so I am used to the abrupt behaviour of my people, but this was totally unacceptable, especially if you are in the service industry! We've all been there. whew! did not mean to vent, but just thought I'd give a heads up in case this is indicative of the demeanor of the entire place. We were in town for just a few hours on a beautiful Saturday and it totally ruined what had been a nice pleasant visit, and has left a somewhat sour impression of Prov.

I will have to confirm with my sister, but I believe that Skipjacks in Newton was the site where my parents met my now husband for the first time (we were having a family dinner to celebrate my sis' birthday) Even at my advanced age my dad made me want to hide my head under the table cloth when he requested ONE fried clam, to test them out, to see if he wanted to order them. Welcome to the family, hon! Anyhow, he did get the one clam, it was good, he did order them. I can't remember what I ordered, but if they pleased my dad, who is fussy about his simple plain fare, then the place can be recommended. If you are interested in checking out Legal Seafoods there is on in Chestnut Hill on Rte 9. FYI- we have returned from Pittsburgh, where I saw on more than one menu, a lobster roll with the lobster cooked with garlic. Why would you want to mask the delicious flavor of the lobster? I mean I LOVE garlic, but, with lobster?

Randi I grew up in Needham (folks still live there) and while there aren't any in the rough types of places in the area to get seafood, I would recommend simply heading into Boston and trying out some of the places suggested there. If you are not comfortable driving into the city you can easily drive to a green line T stop in Newton (just a mile or two up Highland Ave) and take the T into the heart of the city. The "least fancy" place I can think of to recommend would be the Barking Crab, which, if I remember is not too far a walk from South Station (change to the Red Line at Park street to get there) a bit touristy, but still the closest you will get to the "woodmans" vibe. Hope this helps! Betty- in Pittsburgh of all places, for her birthday!

Just saw this on Craigslist: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/evg/189650286.html Long time established restaurant in center city is promoting their new outdoor dining, we are selecting attractive ladies and men to be seated in that area for great drinks and an appetizer that's absolutely scrumptious, which will be on the house as their guest for the evening during this promotion. The hours would be from 7:00 to 9:00 P.M. Must be presentable, have pleasant attitude, show up for the dates committed, and over 21.We may use you more than once if you are what we're looking for. Please send a picture and must have a contact number, due to over whelming response, we do not have the time to ask for info you didn't include, we will bypass your response. We look forward to seeing you there!! Guess us old plain folks will have to sit inside near the kitchen, since the outside tables will be filled with pretty folks being paid to be there! Who could this be?!

Isn't there a Nudy's in Frazer too? ← whoops- that was the one I was thinking of. Still trying to sort out the geography around here!

Speaking of Chester County Restaurants, hubby and I had lunch at the new Nudy's in Phoenixville after going to the Pville Farmers Market. It is in the location that used to house an Indian Place on Bridge Street just outside of downtown. They're open for breakfast and lunch only. Hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The menu was quite extensive, and we will definitely be back to check out breakfast. I had buffalo chicken wrap and CH had a fajita wrap. Mine was a bit too tangy but his was just right, so we split each. Nice fresh ingredients. Decor? Uninspired, with the placement of the "artwork" on the walls a bit off and crooked. I tend to notice these things, and hate it when a place that has only been open a very short time looks like it has seen better days already (see Panini's, Phoenixville for another example of this) Also the stacking banquet chairs really don't give a sense of style or permanence, it would be nice if they were just temporary. Color palette was nice and bright. I am assuming this is an offshoot of the Wayne location Nudy's Bridge Street Cafe 450 Bridge Street Phoenixville, PA 610-933-6085

Within the last hour I have gone from never having heard the term "disco fries" to seeing them mentioned twice! Here and a review of the Tick Tock Diner in Clifton NJ. Their sign, rightly so, encourages folks to EAT HEAVY.

While I don't live in Boston any more, I would heartily recommend the Pizza at Regina's. That is my absolute fave "pie" (as they call it here in the Philly area) and I have yet to taste anything that rivals it, including any NYC pizza. Yum!

We've been to Brown's twice so far. The ice cream is good, though the scoop is a bit small. They've done a nice job with the tiny place- very cheery! Insider tip- at the checkout counter they have a box of cards that look like business cards, but on the back is a "buy 10 get one free" stamping offer. We did not know this when we were there first, I only looked at the card after we got home. Get your card stamped on your first visit!