TarteTatin

Oh, and she used to make homemade Kishka.

My Bubby used to make Momeleegah (sp?), which I still remember. It was for Sunday breakfast. A HUGE pan to feed the family of 8. Corn meal mush, topped with at least a stick of butter and a huge container of cottage cheese.

Yes, thank you, Busboy...Les Florets is brilliant, as is L'oustalet! Les Florets is up on the hill, beautiful view, great food. L'Oustalet had a terrific truffle omelet, the best I've ever had, and its right next to that co-op tasting room. They have a marc de gigondas there that is smooth as can be.

We went there about a year ago with a vegetarian friend. They made this huge platter, center was a fantastic french lentil dish with shallots, surrounded with all sorts of wonderful vegetables....Our friend was in heaven.

Sorry if this is a repeat thread. It seems everytime I search, it takes me back to eg forums in general. There was nothing under Pif. Then I put in Pif Philadelphia, and I got basic Philadelphia restaurants, no Pif....(suggestions? Please email a personal note!) Anyway, four of us went to Pif on Thursday night. It's nice, basic, bistro food. The appetizers and desserts rocked. Appetizers were: -- Soup de Poisson-thin and a complete puree, good though, served with a bit of crouton. --Escargots au Pernod, served with a head of roasted garlic, sweet as can be, the escargot tasted nicely of Pernod. --Roasted fig and goat cheese and pine nuts. --Quail with beets! Nice size whole quail, which my husband picked up and ate, didn't leave any meat on the bones, with a nice side of cubed beets. The bread on the table was very good, and the red salt on the butter was extremely delicious. Entrees: --Cote de boeuf with anchovy butter. This was a huge, fatty rib-eye, and the anchovy butter was super. Served over mash and haricot verts. $30 is expensive, but I had lunch the next day! I ordered it rare and it came out med rare, very tasty, might have been too chewy if really rare. --Trout with brown butter and capers-Two people had this, its the whole trout, head and all, with what sounds like a basic sauce, but it was delicious. We even ate most of the skin! Tasty. --Crab galette with cucumber salad. This was small, but tasty, almost nouvelle in its presentation. Not really a crabcake, maybe panko crust? Desserts: --Chocolate Fondant-very rich and chocolate cake. --Creme brulee Pistache-subtle pistachio flavor, perfect creme brulee. --Financier. Perfect almond financier cake. Delicious. --Crepe with vanilla ice cream. Least favorite, didn't do anything for any of us. We had a definite Moore Bros night-Marigny-neuf from Ampelidae (which we visited in January), Beaujolais Villages, Cote de Blaye bordeaux 2000, and the dessert wine! Chateau Laffitte Ceston... Without the wine, it was $86 per couple plus tip. We felt the entrees weren't creative, but basic and very, very good. The same with the desserts. Appetizers were a little more creative and worked. Service got backed up, but we didn't mind at all, we were happy drinking, eating, talking, spending time DINING. The service was very good, really...

Beaumes de venise had a super wine tasting...(and a good olive oil/L'occitane shop) Orange had a basic great bistro restaurant listed in Michelin, who's name I've forgotten, but very good value.

We once spent a week bicycling around Paris. Stopped at the marche in the 17th, I believe, picked up baguette, cheese, pate; and bicycled to the bois de boulogne. There, we found a park bench in front of the lake, watching people boat to the restaurant.... Thinking ahead, we had a corkscrew. But, alas, had not thought of glasses! So, we were embarassed, but passed the fine Bordeaux back and forth between us, hoping no one would see....After a couple of swigs each, we realized, no one looked or really cared! It was a great picnic!

I made cold fava bean soup. Took them out of the shell, blanched them, peeled them, etc. Then, when done, served them in little tiny tiny plastic shot glasses at a party last week. Took them around on a tray, asking people if they wanted a "shot" of cold fava bean soup! It really was just a mouthful, and everyone LOVED it!

Okay, made the most incredible: Pea and mint puree last week for a party! Boy, did they love it! I took fresh peas from our CSA, shelled them. Fresh mint from our garden. Blanched the peas. Ice bath. Put both in the blender with a small amount of cream (or use yoghurt). Salt. That's it. Spread on thin slices of baguette. Friends went mad, MAD for this!

We've been to the main wine co-op in Chateau-neuf-du-pape- twice, while passing thru. It's very good, they have a variety of local vineyards represented. For lunch, go on to Gigondas, two restaurants we recommend there. One in the center of town, one up on the hill. If you need me to, we can look up the names. Also, Beaumes-de-venise has some good tasting rooms in the center of town... On another note, stop at Bernard Castelain on your way out of Chateau-neuf-du-pape. He's an incredible chocolatier, its where he actually makes it. The dark chocolate chocolate almonds and the dark chocolate ginger slices make me crazy....and, believe it or not, I'm not a huge chocolate lover!

Well, we ate at Bridgewater's Pub in 30th St. station. Look under that title for our thoughts... We had Desserts and cocktails at World Cafe. Creme Brulee that was a hit, Coconut Tart with almonds and carmelized pineapple, topped with vanilla ice cream--very nice! Served warm. Cocktails included: Someone had a Singapore Sling, a Grasshopper, Harvey Wallbangers were delicious. Someone had a Cosmopolitan, a Lemon Drop Martini, etc. We had a bottle of wine, the list was just okay, we ended up with a Bonny Doon Dry Riesling for $36, not much in that price range. FYI, the band was incredible! Look up PinkMartini.com They are just excellent! They were opening the next day for David Byrne, and the Boston Pops soon. Although they are from Portland, Oregon, we discovered them in France, they are a big hit there. They sing in French, Portugese, Italian, Croatian, Japanese, Spanish, English, with a lot of big band salsa influence. Sorry to go off on that, but it was super!

Went there last night for apps before World Cafe. Called Chef Zulli the day before, to tell him we were a group of 8-10 foodies. 1) There's no air conditioning in the pub. Threre's a big fan in the corner, and probably some in 30th St., but it doesn't waft into the pub. It was hot. 2) No bottles of wine available. None. If he wants to consider himself more an old fashioned train station with good food, then bottles or half bottles, should be available. The Chianti was cooked. The beer was good, however. Yard's Saison was a hit, as was Yuengling. 3) Crab poppers were fried and good, but didn't particularly taste of crab. Hummus was just okay. Grape leaves were from a jar. Wings were basic, although the bleu cheese was good. Pot stickers were doughy. Iceberg salad wedge was basic, but good. 4) The hits: Cape May clam chili, red and full of red beans (didn't taste the clams much), spicy and too hot to eat it, really, chili in the summertime in a non-airconditioned place?...Roast beef sandwich got rave reviews, pressed, with homemade horseradish?...Lobster roll had good, chunky meat, but needed some savor, some sharpness. The roll was whole wheat? It was a good New England roll, but a little strange...Cubano sandwich was good, not sweet pickles, dill pickles...Chicken satay was the hit of the night. Big skewers, tasty and obviously marinated, served over a tasty rice. 5) Overall, he wants to create a nicer pub in 30th St. -give him a chance, but realize it has a long way to go!

Thank you Philadining! I got a response/reservation today. I thought, from earlier threads, that it would be $50 a person. Now he charges $100 a piece. While realizing that the thread started years ago, we still weren't expecting that raise. Oh, well. We'll enjoy. One of the members of our party said he hopes we get a "big chunk of foie gras for that!" Does anyone know if he has nice wine glasses? It's a wine group that will be going, and some members want to know if they should bring their own glasses.

So I emailed Studio Kitchen about two months ago asking for a reservation anytime in the next few months. About three weeks ago, he sent me a few dates, mid week, that were open. I immediately emailed him back to book it. I've emailed him twice now, politely asking if we, indeed, have that evening. It's coming up in two or three weeks, and I need to finalize things with the others. Why won't he confirm with me? Any ideas on what to do next? Is there an actual phone number? Thanks, everyone!

We still love to go have a margarita and watch the world stroll by; although you can only do that at the bar now. No tables at windows unless you eat.... The floor has become more and more sticky, and I still won't ever go to the bathroom at the Copa. Probably one of the dirtiest in Philly. But, that being said, we still go once in awhile.

A group of 8-10 of us are going to Bridgewater's for "apps" on Tuesday night, before a show at World Cafe Live. (Pink Martini, great band, opening for David Byrne and Boston Pops in the next month. Check them out at pinkmartini.com) Anyway, we read Aliwaks review, and we had nibbles from Chef at "The Farmer and the Chef". We called the Chef up today and told him we would be there from 6-7 on Tuesday, and only had about an hour, but were definitely foodies.....He said his new menu starts next week, with things like, "Cape May Clam Chili" which sounds intriguing...."Lobster Roll", etc. So this group of foodies and music lovers will be there!

Wine-all Fava Beans/Peas in the pod/Lima Beans/Local Asparagus Wine-White Rhone Lobster/ Maryland Crabs/Mahogany & Ipswich clams Wine-White & Red Burgundy Fresh local strawberries in season/Fresh local cherries in season/juicy peaches, nectarines Wine-all Homemade Elbows and cheese

Places not to go in Burgundy: (Lyon) Paul Bocuse. Like eating inside of a birthday cake, and just as sickenly sugary. Plus we've never been able to figure out the traffic patterns or directions in Lyon, which have certainly coloured our view of the city. Don't drive into Lyon! You may never get out. It's easier driving in Paris. We still love Georges Blanc, if you consider Vonnas/Macon- Burgundy. Even though its a bit like Disneyland, the food is very, very good. (Georges Blanc items for sale everywhere) and there are at least three options as to where you can dine. We've not tried anywhere but the gastronomique three star, though the other places look good. There's an old fashioned place, bar/tabac in Flagy/Echezaux (sp?), that's extremely old fashioned and heavy, but delicous French food...Chez Jeannette is okay, near Savigny-les-Beaune...I know we went to some good places in Mersault or around there. (Memory, help!) Nolay, and then the town south of there! AARGGHH! I'll find it all and write later... Added on edit - Go to Ripert in Chalon-sur-Saone. We had lunch there, purely by accident and found out later that it's a Michelin rated place. Tiny, behind the sous prefecture on 31 rue St-Georges F - 71100 CHALON SUR SAONE Téléphone : 03 85 48 89 20 From the Michelin guide: Périodes d'ouverture : fermé 17 au 25 avril, 1er au 22 août, dim. et lundi Prix repas : 14/29 Only one waiter, charming room, but small. In Flagey - Losset Robert Adresse : Place de l'Eglise F - 21640 FLAGEY ECHEZEAUX Téléphone : 03 80 62 88 10 We've been there twice. He was one of the chefs on the SS France. Old style, small room and maybe a little past his prime, but enjoyable - if you're not after that real high end experience.

Well, we went to Longwood Gardens yesterday - beautiful, by the way! Not too hot, not too crowded early... No, we didn't go to a restaurant, but we did bring a lovely picnic! Since this is forum is about food, I thought I'd tell you about what we brought! We had fresh shelled peas from our CSA and more from Fair Food. Shelled the peas, blanched them for a few minutes, ice bath....added mint from our garden and a tiny amount of cream and salt and put it in the blender. Fresh pea and mint puree! Delicous! Spread that on a baguette with Port Salut cheese. Yummy. Brought baby beautiful carrots from our CSA, along with big, red radishes. Gorgeous, tiny, sweet, so sweet strawberries. Like candy. A few vegetable fries/chips, or whatever they are called, from Whole Foods. Hubby and friend from France had Red Stripe, I, who don't drink beer had an Irish dry cider. There's a great shaded place for picnics at Longwood. (And the French love to picnic!)

Service issues at Honey's. We just did our third or fourth meal at Honey's and although the food is good (mostly), we're just not happy with the service on the weekends. Sunday AM around 11:30ish and the place is packed, we wait for a table and finally get seated. We spot another neighborhood couple who tell us that they've been there an hour and haven't gotten anything but water, OJ and coffee. This does not bode well, but we decide to tough it out. There are three servers on the floor plus two bus people - one of them is almost always there and is very good (attentive, clears and resets quickly, is cheerful and handles the line at the door). One of the servers is quite obviously new - new to the extent that this might well be the first time he has ever worked in food service possibly even this morning and flying solo. Five minutes to get coffee, fifteen minutes to order (and we had to ask to do so), and we watch as the food for our friends finally arrives - after she gets up and says something to one of the servers. Whoops, her eggs are cold and greasy (so she tells us) and they get sent back and eventually taken off the bill. The five top next to us order but their food comes out in two stages, ten minutes apart. In the meantime we continue to wait for our breakfast. Another 15 minutes before the eggs, grits, sausage, and a pancake are delivered with a barely murmured apology. Have to ask for a coffee refill as no one stops by the table, or asks when the food is delivered. While this is going on we watch as one of the servers gets her back pack from behind the counter and disappears. We also hear the call bell in the kitchen ringing and no one in the front heading for the kitchen. The owner/chef eventually comes out of the kitchen and starts delivering food as well as going back in to cook. And on another note - when did over easy eggs become hard fried? The yolk is supposed to be runny so one can dip the bread into them, right? We like Honey's, well, the food at least, but the service has got to pick up or they're just going to lose clientele like crazy. I did mention my concerns to the good bus person, and had a quick word with the harried owner - who understood, but was definitely not able to devote much attention to my complaints at that moment. Mr. Tarte Tatin

That's so funny that both of you were there today, on the same day, and missed each other!

Y'know, I was in Spasso for lunch yesterday. It's on Front St, between Chestnut and Market. No one really mentions it, but they have good homemade pasta. I had gorgonzola gnocci to die for (literally), but light! Delicious! Their Antipasto is good, great spicy olives and marinated zucchini, hubby had grilled Calamari over Arugula (he was being good, I was being bad). A very nice Montepulciano d'abruzzo and a delicious Montalcino by the glass. Anyway, I walked around to the bathroom....they have two VERY HUGE rooms in the back! One looks big enough for a wedding party or something! I wonder what its used for? It's always empty when I'm there, but then again, we only go for lunch-once in a while.

Definitely Petit 4. ...and, they'll make stuff to order for you!

Careful of Saturday/Sunday's! Honey's can get very packed, but its usually a nice crowd waiting! I ordered the half Pastrami special last time. The half was overwhelming! Huge, thick, tooooo much! It came with red cabbage slaw, which is unusual, but good. It also didn't have nearly enough Thousand Island or whatever the sauce is they use. I had a Mac n Cheese side, which was trying to copy really bad fake cheese topping or something? Couldn't quite figure it out. Other times we've had breakfast stuff, the Burrito is good and huge, I like their homemade Biscuits and gravy, which is white gravy, and very different from Standard Tap's Biscuit and gravy, which I also love...Oh, their homemade cornbread is to die for! Ask for it hot and buttered! I didn't really love their latkes! Greasy, which is par for the course, maybe its a taste I grew out of from my Bubby! Hubby didn't love the Huevos Rancheros, too many chips and not enough other stuff. He did like the breakfast special Quescadilla (sp?)... Anyway, we love it there, they take some adventurous chances/experiments, and I like that! Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but its still good! We saw someone with a bottle of champagne there for Sunday brunch, so I guess its okay to be a sort of BYOB. Cool.

Oh, my gosh, what a GREAT book! I have to buy it for our trip! We always go region by region to France, and explore for a full week or two the process, the terroir, the taste of each place. When we come back, I fully understand what goes into it all, and can talk passionately about, Alsace, Burgundy, Champagne, Rhone, Loire, and lots more.... Now, I can be fully prepped BEFORE we go to Calvados! How cool! Thank you, Gethin, and thank you, Katie!