nolnacs

I like glass pie plates (I believe that the brand I have is Anchor) and in my experience, they do not cause any problems with the bottom crust browning. Ceramic might be a bigger issue, but not the clear glass plates.

And I'll say that John's is the best, but DiNic's is pretty tasty too.

Thanks again to Katie for organizing the gathering. It was great to meet everyone this past weekend. Now it is time to recover from all the food that I ate...

Mmmm.... Isgros cannoli... so delicious.

You can count me in for making some ice cream as well.

You should go to Italy. There, you get yelled at for not eating. Everyone you meet wants to give you food... 'mangia mangia mangia' all day. Complete strangers want to give you a 3 course meal. If you don't eat they think something is wrong with you. Their food is full of carbs and it's all delicious. One of the most wonderful places on Earth... Or live with a traditional Jewish family. Hospitality is extremely important and food is the center of hospitality. My Chinese in laws are the same way - to the point that they are literally stuffing food into our bags when we try to leave. I never quite understand why a 5 hour trip needs to be provisioned with at least several days worth of food and drink.

I'm referring to ATM's at market which do have fees. Some of them do, but the select-a-branch ATMs in the food court are fee free for most banks.

I'm trying to think what I should bring to the potluck dinner. I was thinking I could make some bread, but would that be considered rude to make my own bread vs. buying from Metropolitan/Le Bus?

Chris - the ATMs at the RTM have no fees for just about all banks so that might be another option for you.

Definitely in for the dinners and brunch at Han Dynasty (+1 for all of those). Tentative on the rest.

I've had some excellent apricots so far this year in Philadelphia. Peaches so far this year have been decent but not fantastic.

I have a weak (okay, very weak) spot for that unsweetened mango. I can easily eat an entire package in one sitting...

That's interesting. My reaction so far (admittedly only 80% through) has been the complete opposite. I have seen a lot of the content about chefs (hours, culinary school a rip off, the good/bad old days etc) from other places so those articles were not particularly interesting to me. The one article that I did particularly enjoy was about the military cook. That is a side of the cooking industry that is rarely discussed and I found it fascinating.

Pizza from Stella Pizzeria in Philadelphia for multiple reasons: close (2 blocks away), fantastic pizza & quick (I can call in an order and by the time it takes me to amble over there the pizzas are coming out of the oven). We probably get takeout pizzas from them every 2-3 weeks. I do have to say that it is not the ideal way to eat their pizza as it does suffer a bit from being boxed, but the trip is so short that the damaged is minimal. Plus, the days I feel like take out are the days when I definitely do not want to stay in a restaurant to eat. I'd much rather relax in our apartment.

It doesn't look like I am going to be able to make it. Sorry.