michael_g

I think the real take away is that no one (read: me, and perhaps the OP) wants the thin slices of meat endemic to Philly. If you look at, say, Tommy DiNic's roast pork, the roast is beautiful pre-slicing, but each slice has very little of the flavorful, Maillard-reacted outside. His pulled pork, however, is pure heaven: nice chunks, lots of flavor. Down near Cheesesteak Hell at 9th & Federal, Lupe's torta de carnitas and torta "La Lupe" have extremely succulent roast pork, albeit in a Southern-US saucy pulled-pork style. Does anyone genuinely advocate the thin slices? According to Alton Brown, the original Philly Steak Sandwich was made with chopped (not sliced) chain meat, i.e., left-over tenderloin. So what's the deal?

I recently purchased an intriguing ingredient from a Vietnamese supermarket in my area, and couldn't find reference to it anywhere on eGullet. (Or the Web at large, for that matter.) I hope this is the right place to ask: what is Ca Phao Tom Chua, pickled eggplant with shrimp in brine? It looks like a sweet, sour, and spicy pickle of unpeeled headless shrimp and slices/chunks of small Thai eggplant. I don't have a camera, but could probably find a way post a picture if my description is insufficient. Pertinent questions: Is it a condiment or a dish? Must it be cooked? Is it stir-fried and used as a sauce? (It looks like it'd be great with some sticky rice.) Is there a specific dish that it goes with? Thanks!

I did try "La Cantina", as I've heard it called, for free margaritas after Thanksgiving. Devil's Den is right by me, and I'll make it to POPE at some point. Thanks for the tips!

Royal Tavern is definitely my neighborhood go to for smoke-free good beer. I've only eaten there once: a poblano topped burger, maybe two months ago. It was quite good; you guys make me want to try the nicer bits of the menu...or at least the mac and cheese. As far as the hipster thing goes...yeah, it's a little intense, but it's not as bad as its neighbor, The Dive. Mildly OT: does anywhere else in the area (say, Christian to Dickinson, 6th to 11th) have a similarly well-rounded selection?

Spoke to the Whole Foods fishmonger on South St. in Philly today...they should be getting some "on the weekend". (He was mum as to which weekend.) I'm so jealous! Anyone found them this far south? It might even be worth going to Jersey...

Do you have a copy of Ruhlman & Polcyn's Charcuterie? They have a recipe for kielbasa. You should also check out the (very extended) thread on their indispensable book.

It is, in fact not possible, and I quote: I didn't mention them by name, but they were, as always, in my heart.

The Vietnamese down on Washington Ave. is great and cheap. Banh mi for under $4, pho for $4 or $5. While you're in South Philly, be sure to try Slice ($3 huge slices, very good thin crust) and avoid Pat's and Geno's. The Mexican down there is fantastic, between $6 for a plate of tacos to around $12 for big plates of meat, beans, and rice -- there's a thread on the topic. Chinatown is always a good bet, and it gets cheaper (and more fun) as your group gets bigger. Nan Zhou is a big favorite, as is Vietnam (though was about $35 for two people). The bakeries there have delicious buns that go for a pittance -- 60 or 80 cents. Perfect for a swollen postprandial belly? You can get a good beer and an okay burger at the Nodding Head (15th and Sansom) for about $12 total, but one good beer for $4.50 can quickly turn in to three good beers for $15.50, which kind of bungles the whole "inexpensive" bit. There's a vegetarian Indian place on Walnut at 13th that's passable, but I wouldn't call them the best of anything. In West Philly, I really like the Korean place behind Abners, 38th and Chestnut. Between $5 and $7, really well done, super friendly. Food carts in general are a good deal, but those aren't really "restaurants".

Definitely need some greens in there. Kale or collards are good -- hearty and wintry -- but chard is also great. This is a good hot alternative to cole slaw. I'd guess that slaw or greens, some kind of bean dish, and corn bread are the traditional pairings. I like to do a less sweet rib, with, say, a powerful red wine, buttered brussel sprouts, and a couple of loves of hearty bread; cheese and a sweet white for dessert. Not exactly in the Southern tradition. How much meat to get depends on whether it's pork or beef, but I'd go with anywhere between half a pound to a pound per person, depending on the sides and how serious people are about eating ribs.

My grandparents tend to cook traditional Ashkenazi food, with a strong 50s influence. The unfamiliar dishes -- many of the fresh vegetables, better cuts of meat -- tend to get a poor treatment. I definitely agree with Stigand -- American affluence caught shtetl cuisine off guard.

The Publick House in Brookline is a fun spot, good mussels and a nice selection. Red Bones in Davis isn't exactly a gastropub -- it's a ribs place with a great beer selection -- but the ribs are pretty good.

I realize I missed the boat on this, but maybe you could try curing some salmon for lox at your next brunch? The Charcuterie thread talks about it a little. I've done it a few times: it's cheap, easy, and delicious. Oh: and your brunch sounds great, very opulent!

The smoking itself does negligible preservation, so the bacon is as preserved as it will be after the cure is done. I wouldn't leave it uncovered for 3 or 4 days, though -- I'd worry that the meat would dry out and get leathery.

They were open and serving the Wednesday before Thanksgiving; I had the pork and scallion (chive?) dumplings on my way over to 30th St. Station. Very good, nice dipping sauces. The woman charged me $3, even though the menu said $2.50, but they were hot and delicious, definitely worth it.

Umm...since starting as a grad student? If you can spare a $3/lb duck, I'm right around the corner from the slaughterer's...

I restrained myself and hit up Moctezuma on Tuesday, on 9th between Ellsworth and Washington. They opened up about a month and a half ago. My friend and I split a chicken breast special (first on the list, with a cheesy topping of what I think were nopalitos) and the lamb flautas. Both were excellent, and we were pleasantly surprised by the succulence of the chicken. Their beans were good, but the rice with the chicken was a little wet/overcooked for my taste. The tortilla chips came with two standard salsas: guajillo chilli and salsa verde. The guajillo chilli salsa was great: a perfect blend of earthiness and spiciness, much better than Veracruzana's. The salsa verde was spicy but not as flavorful as it could have been. My friend's horchata tasted homemade, less chemical than at Veracruzana. The nutmeg on top was a nice touch, too. Service was friendly; the manager spoke English excellently and was very solicitous. Having not tried the tacos, I can't really compare with Taquitos de Puebla. Guess I've got to go back...

I finally realized it was coming from the poultry place just up the street. Quite bizarre. I've never forgotten that the poultry place is there, but I'm kinda skeered to go in. I prefer a rather impersonal relationship with my food. Wrapped in plastic and sitting on a styrofoam tray is just fine with me. Or even ordering over the phone and going to pick it up. But I don't want to meet it, necessarily. At least before it hits my kitchen or my plate. ← I'm scared to go in because it's so expensive. Duck is $3-something a pound! Why go there when the 1st Oriental has it for $1-something? This is getting a little bit off topic, but has anyone actually bought something (dead or alive) from the slaughterer's?

I've also seen live rabbits outside the poultry slaughterer's, between Federal and Ellsworth. I don't think anyone else in the Italian Market offers fresh rabbit, though a few places have frozen.

I made the boudin noir last week -- it was delicious and extremely rich. Next time I'd definitely follow the recipe on jmolinari's website and throw in tenderloin or something else meaty -- the texture is a little bit too soft for my taste, I think. Unfortunately, I ran out of casings midway through, so now I have about half of the forcemeat sitting in my freezer. Is this safe to use? The blood came from a Vietnamese grocer, and was (I believe) previously frozen. If it is safe, does anyone have any ideas for alternative uses of the forcemeat, e.g., mix with hunks of bread and bake in a bain marie?

No, kaufu is wheat dough washed down to the gluten. It's spongy and delicious, perfect for absorbing sauces. Seitan is some pounded monstrosity, perfect for teaching vegetarians a lesson.

So it's...not...deep fried? Not deep fried? Just where do your allegiances lie?

You don't have to use prosciutto di Parma, so cheaper, American air cured hams might do the trick, too. There's not too much in the way of savings there, though. Pancetta's not a bad approximation: air cured, unsmoked. Grinding up any cured pork -- how bad can it be?

Wow! That cured up really nicely, good and fatty -- looks delicious. Did you do anything special, or just follow the book's recipe? Any plans for a pastrami in the works? When I made it corned beef, the cure didn't quite make it all the way in. In retrospect, it might be the fault of the kosher meat I used, which is probably less able to absorb the brine. Now that I have access to some better, unkosher meat, I'll give it another go if it ever stops feeling like summer.

I ate there a week or two ago with a friend to try Clos Normand cider, the same afternoon that a car drove into Coquette. (Did anyone else see that, or hear about it on the news? Kind of crazy.) It was a nice day, so we ate outside. The food was pleasant. The pate plate was pretty good, though their duck l'orange pate was a little too orange-y. I had a crepe with andouille, rattatouille, and tomato sauce; my friend had a crepe complete. I felt like their crepes were a little bit overstuffed, maybe not quite crispy or buckwheat-y enough. Nothing serious. The most disappointing part of the meal was how mediocre Clos Normand is -- I much prefer Etienne Dupont's cider.

Service that bad on a Friday night...were they really busy? It's a shame that they're not living up to their initial promise. I was looking forward to going back the next time I'm up there -- if only for the smelts -- but now I might skip it.