mattohara

I am psyched to try these Jersey dogs. Any dog that's a friend of Bob's is a dog that's a friend of mine, or something. As promised... Wit Utz and Champ Cherry Closeup Ye Olde Anthropomorphique Foodstuffe Exterior Hosterior and Menu Just for fun, a Chicago-style dog I stumbled upon in O'Hare

from Unbreaded, this looks like an amazing dog. Paesano's and a hot dog sandwich! who's game?

Just stopped at APJ Texas Weiners for lunch today. It's just a block west of RTM and has a really interesting dynamic. It's a dingy, tiny diner-feel with aqcouple of short order cooks and waitresses behind a long counter-some sit-down tables in the back. I asked for a Texas-style dog and it took all of 15 seconds for a dog to be taken off the grill and flopped in a potato roll, covered in some brown goopy meat sauce, mustard and raw onions. You really can't beat $1.50 for a dog and a 15-second wait but I didn't love the sauce, which I take it is the reason to get this style. They also had the fishcake but it wasn't advertised as going with the dog; it was just sitting on the menu all by its lonesome.

@Furious: yep, Holly was going to meet me but it was raining, which makes scootering dangerous. @Rich and Katie and mrbigjas: looks like i have a busy weekend ahead!

Just went to Moe's Hot Dogs last weekend for my first Philly combo dog. For those not in-the-know that means a hot dog cradled in a fishcake which is in turn sitting inside a bun. It turns out to be not as weird as it sounds and is actually a Philly specialty. Moe's is located in what has been described as "the armpit of Philadelphia," on 25th and Washington. It's a destination to be sure but when you step inside you're greeted by a very friendly and helpful staff, some old fast-food memorabilia along the line of Champ's Cherry signage and a series of old black and white photographs of Philadelphia. There's not a lot of space to sit but the Siemens electrical workers and the construction workers and the cops that all came in while I was there all seemed to be getting along pretty well. The menu has a lot of choices for being a hot dog joint. There's a Connie Mac dog, named after the legendary player/coach, one that's deep fried, one called the PGW, a Chicago dog and more. I've only tasted the Philly combo so far, but will be back for the rest. The Philly combo has an oversized Deitz and Watson all-beef frank on top of the fish cakes. The fish cakes are actually potato cakes with a little bit of fish, so they're not too overpowering. The bun is a miniature hoagie roll and barely manages to contain the above. The lady at the counter asked me how I'd like mine; I shrugged and she suggested mustard and onions, which is apparently pretty typical. Don't forget to get some Champ's Cherry, a Philadelphia tradition, and a bag of Utz potato chips. I have a picture of just this that I'll post shortly. Hawk Krall, a local illustrator, has been doing a series of specialty hot dog illustrations for Serious Eats that I'm hesitant to link to lest moderators wipe out this post for fear of engendering discussion elsewhere. He's got one of the Philly combo on his site I think. A quick search can find both. Moe's also has a website with full menu. Here's the list of combo-dog places that Hawk emailed me: APJ Texas Weiners (13th & Arch) Texas Weiner (15th & Snyder) Gus' Cart (5th & South) - just had one yesterday Lenny's (northeast, never been there) Johnny's Hots - Delaware Ave I tried to hit Lenny's on Sunday but he wasn't there. I went up to Johnny's Hots and it looked all closed up and there was no signage. Anybody have updates on these places?

1 lb fresh shiitakes (or 1/3-1/2 lb dried) mirepoixe 1/2 cup soy toasted coriander, cumin, mustard seed, toasted peppercorn Simmer the mushrooms with the mirepoixe, add soy, toasted seeds, strain. It looks beautiful with a few slices of shiitake at the bottom and some fresh coriander or scallions floating on top. I'm sure using stock instead of water would add complexity but there's something nice and simple about this version that makes it amazing.

Looks great! I have to get out there again. also, from this site. chefs everywhere should use this guide to hamburger and cheeseburger styles.

i felt the same way about the dough. soft and floppy. great ingredients, great crust, but the middle section was wet and floppy.

that's Jonathan Friedman. used to be (and might still be) the GM at Barclay Prime. it's definitely part of the Starr culture, at least where i've worked, for managers to do anything that needs doing at any time.

Much love for Local 44 and their beer selection. I'll have to try the food next time. Please call when you're going to Bebe's! I'm also curious about SPTR's Lobster Roll that was mentioned in another thread. They have some great items.

Besides my mom's I'd say Agrodolce is the best food I've eaten in York. http://www.agrodolcebyob.com/ It's a pretty large menu for such a small place, but everything we had was great. The housemade pastas are delicate and paired with straightforward ingredients in simple platings. We got the calamari because it is easy to share, and it was perfectly cooked. The chicken liver bruschetta was a fun combination of flavors. I got the scallops. They had a nice sear but were a bit overcooked. You could see where the chef had opened one up to check its doneness. But don't be surprised if the service is horrible, as was our experience. They were overcrowded and understaffed, but when that's the case you open up the red bottle while you're at the table, so you don't have to rush back to do it later (or forget about it totally), and you don't try to impress by not writing down the order at the table, because then you have to spend another 5 minutes writing it down when you get back to the kitchen. We would have gotten dessert but it was a 30-minute wait just to get our plates cleared after we were all done. Also two dishes came out, then 20 minutes later the other two. Bad service aside it's definitely worth going for the food and the affordability.

Agreed. I've found out about a lot of events/specials through Twitter. And now I can keep up on Holly as well. http://twitter.com/foobooz http://twitter.com/beerlass http://twitter.com/tommyup http://twitter.com/afoodcoma http://twitter.com/Supperphilly http://twitter.com/drewlazor http://twitter.com/adamerace http://twitter.com/PhilaFoodie http://twitter.com/YardsBrew http://twitter.com/beer_radar http://twitter.com/phillybeerweek http://twitter.com/ButtercreamPhl http://twitter.com/maccheese http://twitter.com/CapogiroPenn http://twitter.com/NorthStarBar http://twitter.com/HollyMoore http://twitter.com/StarrRestaurant http://twitter.com/dogfishbeer

Diann don't feel silly going to both of Link's restaurants. They're different enough to warrant it and my favorite Sazerac was made at Herbsaint. Also we went to Cochon *twice* on our 2-day trip. You might also want to check out his charcuterie place around the corner from Cochon for some late-night or early-morning hotel snacks. I'm beginning to think there should be some sort of Philly-New Orleans hostel program set up...

i don't know if it officially fits the bill but Schiller's Liquor Bar in NYC has the right atmosphere. http://www.schillersny.com/

We went to MiLa and just had 4 apps, I think., in the dining room. The place was almost empty so we didn't feel bad. Had a great foie dish. Chris M. was not around. :\ Agreed with the above about Napoleon House. If you're in the area and want a refreshing thirst quencher stop by. We like ours with ginger ale, not 7up though. Didn't chef Link open up a charcuterie place?

Agreed, that's a rather silly category. Also agreed that I need to get down there more. Best Mexigastroquilapub?

We were there last weekend too. I was sick but had been wanting to go since we finally got a car not too long ago. Don hasn't been back for quite a while and it sounds like he'd really love to go visit. He gave us plenty of recommendations. We got the brisket po'boy and it was devoured while seated. We also got some gumbo and some jambalaya as well as a side of "crispy" (read: deep-fried) mac and cheese. There's something deep and smoky, almost burnt like a roux, that they put into the sauce that goes into that deep-fried wedge of tasso ham and crab mac and cheese... And also a quart of gumbo for the week. I think they've gotten used to people coming down to take away!

A nice video on AJ's Pickle Patch:

Congrats Katie! Can't wait to try it.

Then I think that might be "convivial bickering" not "training."

Reporting third-hand: Everything was great, very fresh, big crispy asparagus in a light tempura, great tomatoes on the burrata salad, the chili dog was loaded and delicious. The setting was very chic, a great place for ladies to lunch after a morning and afternoon spent at various hotel pools (nice view at the Doubletree, I hear). Varga Bar Official Site

Sorry for your/our loss Rich. Sorry I never got to meet him. It sounds like you have a lot of great memories to keep with you.

I think you're oversimplifying Tim. I bet it would be extraordinarily difficult to get a burger joint approved for Rittenhouse or Washington Square. I would also bet that The City approached SRO, and not vice versa. Besides that Franklin Square, one of the 4 historic squares laid out in our city by our innovative city planners, was until very recently a huge eyesore. Why not roll the dice and try to really make it nice? Finally I don't think the point is to make a fancy over-the-top burger. I've tasted them and they're very good; they're better than a lot of burgers I've had in the city. I think the point is to have a little stand selling well-made refreshments in a renovated, historic and fun little square. You want to go play some mini-golf this weekend? The carousel also looks pretty great and I didn't get time to check out the gift shop last time. edit: I was going to start with "Dear Common Sense," and finish with "Abby" but decided it was too snarky.

On the run to an event we stopped by to get a burger and dog to go. Not the easiest, since there is almost no parking in the area. Luckily SRG happened to be there in full force; I think they were celebrating the opening. This lead to a few cars and the SRG van parked up on the sidewalk. I parked like I knew what I was doing too and nobody bothered the car while we went to get some food. We weren't asked for a temp on the burger (Classic Burger) and they cooked both that and the dog (salami-wrapped) to order. The Martin's rolls for both were cool, not cold or hot. This works, on a hot day. The burger was great, tender and flavorful, despite being cooked to mid-well. The dog had mustard and ketchup and sweet hots. We drove away eating and wanted to turn around to get two more. I would like the dog more if it was grilled so the salami wrapping was crisped up. A big selection of Jones sodas is also nice. This stand is going to make the rest of the park (miniature golf, carousel, fountain) into a biking destination for us for the rest of the summer.

It *really* tastes like yogurt. It has a great tang. I waited in the car while my lady went in and got a large with an almond sauce and granola. Delicious and worth the price, in my opinion. it was 6$ for a large, which was moderately sized. It may be more worth it to get a large than a small.