Alcibiades

Wasn't joking--don't know what they're doing now with particular dishes but in the past certain pasta dishes were DeCecco. Not that they're anything wrong with that...

Never had a bad meal at Mercato. Just goes to show DeCecco pasta goes a long way!

Anecdotally, a 7-top (myself included) dined at Eleven Madison Park this summer. We brought 10 bottles and purchased one bottle of champagne from their list. They charged us $200 corkage total, which I thought was quite reasonable. Furthermore, we had the sommelier's undivided attention throughout the evening. I thought that was amazing. I can understand your frustration with Osteria; while I think the place is great it seems a bit silly not to offer corkage. While I respect their decision to do as they see fit, to have a policy like this set in stone seems like a case of cutting off one's nose to spite one's face. It just doesn't seem worth it for them to deny diners the opportunity. After all, how frequently are people bringing in their own wines? Presumably not enough to put a dent in their own sales.

It used to drive me crazy when I was a kid because I'd have to wait for it, but my father used to always order pizzas half-baked. That way it could be finished in the oven without overcooking it.

Beef on Weck, awesome. I'm happy to see a little Buffalo here in Philly. Hopefully it's as good as at Schwabl's.

Fenton, your research skills are beyond reproach. And you're right to point out the inconsistency. My opinions tend to be a little stronger at 2:30 am.

Moriarty's wings are patenly awful. It's a shame you were guided in that direction (or any wing rec., for that matter) since you were searching for something authentic in Philly.

Good pizza at Gusto, 22nd between Locust and Spruce. I'll second Slice and Rustica.

Meatball sandwiches are a favorite of mine. Of all the foods to be enojoyed, this one should be taken exactly as such. A priori style.

This has got to be the easiest one ever: if you can't make it yourself, don't talk about it. It's a meatball sandwich. No circulators, no paco jets; just roll it up and eat it.

Wawa. 20th and Locust. Unbeatable after a few pints. Just make sure you order the Herr's hot cheese curls as a side. And a pretzel for the walk.

Listing the staff on the menu goes back to Jose's days at Alma de Cuba with Douglas Rodriguez. Douglas has been doing that at his restaurants for years and I think it's great that Garces is keeping the tradition up.

The idea is to allow for tables to bring in multiple bottles and not have to pay for each one. Because it's a 7-course menu the presumption has to be that tables will bring more than 2 bottles and therefore the corkage fee per person will be less punitive than if it were assigned by bottle. One could also order what they're selling, you know, it is a business that sells food and drink. We forget that here in Philly sometimes...

If you have a $200 head start, go to Barclay Prime. My experiences there lead me to believe it's the best steakhouse in town. Morimoto is also very good but you can eat better sushi in the city for far less.

Knowing Goodtimes, I think his point about the rudeness is generally directed at the ugliness surrounding the Geno's "Speak English" fiasco. Certainly the South Philly cheesesteak amusement parks have the rude thing as part of their gimmick (and everyone knows it's exactly that) but for me the tiresome thing is how contrived it is. Frankly, I don't see why people get bothered by it one way or the other. The last thing I'm looking for at 4am at the corner of 9th and Wharton is to be making friends. Just give me the damned steak and I'm happy.