HD73

Nobody injects turkey with tryptophan. It's an amino acid that occurs naturally in all meat, but has a somewhat higher concentration in turkey. Tryptophan is essential for the body to create serotonin (which makes you sleepy), but the theory that the tryptophan in turkey actually makes you sleepy on Thanksgiving is pretty far-fetched for a few reasons. I think injecting turkeys with it would be 1) completely ineffective at increasing its presence in the meat for a few biological reasons and 2) frowned upon the FDA, which banned tryptophan supplements awhile back because of negative side effects.

Deux Cheminees is indeed still around, but not for long. There was an article in the Penn Student paper this week about Chef Blank's impending retirement (It made Penn news because he's donating his 17,000 volume library of cookbooks etc. to Penn's library). The chef, who recently turned 65, is planning a move to Thailand to write cookbooks because, to paraphrase, he doesn't want to die at the stove. I also had the good fortune to dine at Deux Cheminees recently on someone else's dime. Everything was excellent and I was very impressed with the service, ambience, etc. I would suggest paying a visit before it closes.

The site also seems fairly strict about staying on topic. Which is what's so funny about answering an earnest question about where to have a birthday party in Philly with a list of the best places in NY and elsewhere and then a sad face telling us there's no place in Philadelphia worthy of setting foot. Your initial post was responsive and you're welcome to your opinions. They're certainly more informed than mine and probably correct. I appreciate the lack of flamewars on this site and I think it adds a lot to the discourse. Doesn't mean one has to suffer fools gladly, though, just with civility.

What were the prices like? Was it hopping on the first night or could I slide in some time soon without a reservation?

Clearly the correct answer is that if one lives in Philly, one simply can't eat sushi. If it's your favorite food, I guess you'd just better move. The snobbery in this thread would be appalling if it wasn't hilarious.

Holly - have you had the fries at Grace's Tavern? It seems to me that they're cooked the same way as Monk's, but they're cut to a normal size. Every time I've been there, they've been great as far as I'm concerned. In fact, my first thought the last time I was there was, "Man, this must be what Holly's talking about."

Jamaican Jerk Hut is a good call. Bring some bug spray though, as the last time I ate outside there I got eaten alive by some form of insect I'd never experienced before. I think they must have imported them from Jamaica. The staff has bug spray if you forget. The only other problem might be if the kids are picky eaters. I've never looked at the menu with an eye towards that, but it might be tough to please a finicky kid.

I would suggest a place called Sabrina's at 9th and Christian. It's a nice place, but they shouldn't have a problem with the kids. And the kids will probably find something on the menu to satisfy them. It's close to where the show is too. Edited: Just remembered that Sabrina's is only open for brunch on Sundays. It looks like they're open until 4 PM. If you get out at 3:30, you could still make it. I'll try to brainstorm another local place if that doesn't work.

Anyone have a feel for how hard it is to get a table for two at Ansill these days? I assume they're still not taking reservations. If I show up at 7:30 on a weeknight, will I be out of luck?

Katie- The problem with your theory is that, if it was true, I'd expect the opposite of the current result. Here's what I mean: Apparently, the places where the "special" is actually special also happen to be those places where NO ONE is going back to pay full freight. Chances are, I'm not going to make La Famiglia more than once in a very great while on my current budget. The places where the "specials" make you feel like you rode there on the "special" (read: short) bus are the places where one is most likely to return and pay full freight. A reasonably priced place like Lolita is very well situated to attract new customers this way. On my last normal visit, I got out of Lolita for 90 bucks, including tip (we skipped dessert for Capogiro). On this visit, the total was closer to 120 after tax and tip. If I hadn't been there on a normal night and seen how good it was, Best of Philly Night would have ensured that I NEVER returned. Here's my theory about what's happening. The La Famiglia type restaurants realize that most of their guests are only there on special occasions. So they use their prix fixe specials to show people just how wonderful they are, and that they take pride in what they do. That way, when I'm thinking of where to splurge for an anniversary, they'll be at the top of my list. A place like Lolita is buying into your theory, but what they're actually doing (and I'm living proof) is turning off likely repeat customers by ripping them off. If a restaurant is going to adopt the cynical view that Restaurant Week is just the best week to fleece the rubes from out-of-town, they'd be much better off just not participating. If Lolita's name wasn't on the list, I would think nothing of it. But I certainly have some thoughts about being one of the rubes they fleeced last week.

Thanks for the welcome Andrew. Vadouvan - The food was still good to very good, but it was a notch below what I've had there before. This might simply have been my choices and not a reflection of an off-night in the kitchen. Like I said, I'll probably still be back because my girlfriend is addicted to the enchiladas there. The service was also great, as it has been every time I've eaten there. It just irked me that they'd gotten me in the door with their "special" offer, taken away about half the menu, and then charged me more for what was left. That, and two other lackluster experiences during UC Dining Days has me thinking I'll take Restaurant Week off. I was just hoping some gulleteers would be able to clue me in to some places where "special" actually means special.

I had a couple iffy experiences with "special" prix fixe menus during University City Dining Days, but decided to give them another shot at Lolita last Thursday on Best of Philly Day. Big Mistake. I've been to Lolita in the past and really enjoyed it. This time around, I must confess, the service was great and the food was still good. It was the thought process evident behind the "special menu" that was insulting to diners. Let me explain. Lolita was offering a 35 dollar, 3 course prix fixe dinner. This actually seemed a bit steep to me, when taken in consideration with their normal prices, but I figured I must have just been mis-remembering my last visit. Upon arrival, it was clear that most of the more expensive items had been removed from the menu. The tenderloin was gone and a chicken breast had been substituted for the duck breast. This is to be expected. A little more annoying was the shift of some of the more popular appetizers into a la carte "specials". If you wanted guacamole con totopos mixtos, you were paying an extra 9 dollars for them. My vague sense of being ripped off blossomed into anger when I got home and took a look at their online menu. The meal that my girlfriend had would have totaled 33 dollars on a normal night. My meal would have totaled 34 dollars. In fact, I'm fairly certain that it was impossible to craft a meal that would have cost you anything more than 35 dollars exactly on a normal night. Instead of offering diners a special deal, Lolita was actually jacking up its margins for "Best of Philly Day." The price difference is negligible, and it's not the money lost that makes me angry. It's the attitude. I used to view special prix fixe menus as a great way for someone on a budget to see if a touted restaurant is worth full price. I figured the restaurants would be trying to knock enough socks off to guarantee some repeat business. Instead, I'm now convinced that most restaurants are just going through the motions, and some (like Lolita) are just trying to fleece a roomful of Rubes for a short-term profit boost. I really enjoy Lolita, and I'll probably end up going back eventually at my girlfriend's insistence. But I'll never shake off the feeling that the management is laughing behind my back. It's a shame a "special" night could have such a negative impact. So with Restaurant Week approaching, I'd love to know if you think any place is worth hitting up, or if my impression over the last couple weeks is correct. Is there anywhere that will try to knock my socks off instead of just shaking all the change out of my pockets?