Rich Pawlak

He lurks here. I know he does. Perhaps he'll join us for a Pizza Club outing if we agree to provide the disguise?? Groucho Glasses? A gigantic pile of frites and a waiter to hold them in front of his face all evening like his latest photo in Philadelphia Magazine? Whadda 'ya think? And thanks for defending my oh-so-sensitive palate, Rich. You're my hero. ← He can just use a slice with pepperoni and an outstretched hand.

Katie is point on regarding the personality of the Philly pizza at its best: it is the crust, more flavorful than NY versions, and yeastier than Midwestern and West Coast styles; I imagine that the Philly water DOES have something to do with that; I've never heard of pizzerias in Philly eschewing the local tap stuff in favor of other water. After over a year of Pizza Clubs across the area and into Brooklyn for one excursion, the Philly crust found at Taconneli's, Rustica, Mama Palma's, Marra's, Joe's and yes, even at Pietro's and Lombardi's has a quality that can be discerned. George's, to me anyway, is nothing special; it reminds me of the generic Sbarro and other mall pizzerias that do nothing to progress the ouvre. The water here in the Trenton area is certainly nothing great to drink (we dont even drink the tap water here in Lawrenceville, NJ), and I suspect that it lends itself to the superior crusts at iconic tomato pie places like the Delorenzo's of Hudson St and Hamilton Ave., as well as the great pies at Top Road Tavern. The great Philly pizzas DO indeed have their own personality, and Levine (and sadly, Laban) missed it completely. Maybe Laban should be joining us for a Pizza Club. Yeah, that'll happen.

To exclude either of the two Rustica locations, Mama Palma's, Franco & Luigi's, and especially Delorenzo's in Trenton, were glaring errors to me.

At the same intersection, was Pat's, Geno's, Mike and Carol's and Gloria's, another good cheesesteak place. In college, we'd pull a late late night run to all 4 places in one night. Such kids were we. Someone in our group dared me once to go up to the window at Pat's and give them a horse whinny. Grill man came right through the window at me and chased me for blocks. Seemed the place had been sited once for serving horsemeat. But no one told me that.

My modified beer tour: Happy Hour at The Standard Tap, 2nd & Poplars Sts, a quick cab ride from the Penns View Inn; dinner at Ludwig's Garten, 1315 Sansom; walk next door to McGillin's Old Ale House for some silly karaoke and 22 taps of increasingly interesting beer; nightcaps at : Nodding Head Brewpub, 1500 block of Sansom or Monk's Cafe, 16th and Spruce Sts. and really, you SHOULD also make time for the romantic wine bar at your hotel. Il Bar has the largest cruvinet in the US, and a spectacular selection of wine and wine flights, and some very very good food. A worthy and utterly romantic nightcap place.

I think you might also get a better response on the Beverages & Libations board here, under the Beer Forum. we wait to welcome you; LOTS of homeberewers chime in there.

You're not missing anything. ← I beg to differ; I had some very respectable 'cue at a Famous Dave's in Edison NJ a few months ago. Very moist and smoky pulled pork, nicely charred ribs with very good smoke flavor, and some very good sides, including a cheesy mac and cheese. Sure, it's a chain, and it will never be confused with Sweet Lucy's, Rib Shanty, Smoked Joint, Phoebe's, Virgil's, or even the Smokin' Dudes, but it is better than average and will do in a pinch. Its arrival does make you realize how hot a dining segment BBQ is becoming in the mainstream dining world, and how lucky we are to have superb BBQ at our fingertips.

Percy- I can assure you it is a rare occurancee unless you are the one who winds up with it. But then how often do people report it? Years ago when I lived in New York I had an Art Installation as part of my masters thesis. Well it was a difficult one as all the pieces were huge and modular and the lighting was particularly difficult. To make a long story short. I took everyone to a Peking Duck dinner to celebrate and thank them all for their help. This was a famous place and favorite of Mayor Kotch. Well none of us made it home without heaving. The whole group unendingly ill. I never went back but I can't imagine they'd stay in business long and have the reputation they did, if their patrons came home like that. Boy. was I ever embarressed. That was the first and last time I've had food poisoning. I have frequented most of the Dim Sum restuarants every weekend for years on end until about a year ago. As soon as I sat down they'd come with the carts and go chickenfeet? It wasn't a weekend without the feet and all the other goodies. With all the times I've gone including ocean harbor. I don't think your in any danger. Just a roll of the dice- could have happened anywhere. Enjoy the dim sum in center city. I don't go to CC often anymore. That's why I asked about the langhorne place. Haven't gotten to Szechuan Ace yet. I think was it Herb that mentioned Hunan Star on Frankford Ave? But with my brain fog don't hold me to it! And what was good there? One day when I can get past Sweet Lucy's Barbecue, it's on my list to try. Now where is the dim sum in Princeton and what is the name? Its late for dim sum but it would be good to know as I am in the Marketplace area frequently. Susie Good eating ← Ive lived in Princeton for 8 years and I'm not aware of any dim sum here.

I respectfully submit a new entry in the sweepstakes: the top sirloin cheesesteak at the Grey Lodge Kitchen, 6235 Frankford Ave. As good a chessesteak as I have ever had anywhere. Beefy, full of flavor and generous, with nicely sauteed onions if you ask for them. A very strong contender for best in the city.

Indeed. It's gotten attention from one of the major business mags (can't remember which one) as one of "the best places in America to work". Obviously that's a hard claim to judge or evaluate, but they interviewed lots of employees who had worked there for decades, who had been lent money to put themselves or their kids through school, et cetera. Pretty impressive. And I've never eaten there! Which shows that I don't knows. And that I need to add it to the list. This weekend, maybe. ← Enjoying the Melrose (especially at 2Am for breakfast or hot apple pie and vanilla sauce) is one of the quintessential Philadelphia dining experiences, like the Reading Terminal Market, Pat's and Geno's and Jim's, McGillin's for a beer, and all that. It is an absolute must-go. An exceptionally well-run and executed diner experience.

I second that damn! Were you at the table with the people from Bliss? Did you see me giving Chef the razz treatment? I came equipped with barbs from his daughter, fellow eGer kellytree. Maybe I got a better duck because I told our server to hold off firing it until we could have another round of oysters. That probably put us into one of the last plates of the night, since it took forever to get the damn things (they came out together with the duck, a gaffe I didn't feel like going into upthread). BTW: I found Kinkead sitting alone at the bar when I went for a smoke after dinner, and we chatted a bit. I was a tad loopy by this time, so did I dream that he said John Mariani was there for service? Do you know? If so, there's probably gonna be excellent PR coming up for Bookie's. Also had a little tete-a-tete with him. From my email to kellytree about the meal: Those were the best choices I could come up with in my condition ← We were the table of two sitting to your left as you arrived; we chatted a little bit but obviously not enough. I did not see Mariani in the house while we were there, so I wonder if he came before the crowds, as he had a dinner that night at Bliss for hios own book. If Mariani did visit, you wont read about it in Esquire until late fall, and only if he liked it. I did make it back into the kitchen to chat with Kinkead and Bookie's chef David Cunningham, who, I am convinced, will bring the new Bookie's back to prominence. Was able to munch on warm frico sitting in a bowl on the chef's line, much better than the rubbery ones in the ravioli appetizer. Should you make the next DDC dinners, we definitely should chat.

All he really did was reprise places he had visited or written about previously , rather than any new reporting; that's why so many places were excluded or not mentioned. The Melrose is, to me, the most glaring error. He mentions Pat's and Geno's without any details. He also missed Veracruzana, too, another huge glaring ommission.

Damn , we were sitting next to each other and we never introduced ourselves. I thought the dinner was quite good too. My duck didnt look like yours, and I didnt enjoy it either, chewy and off-flavor to me. Damn sorry I dint introduce myself. I've always wanted to meet you.

Matyson, 19th St. below Market Branzino, 17th below Locust Cafe Viola, 16th below Locust Butchers Cafe, 8th and Christian are just a few exceptional BYOB options.

Yeah, dig it: Katie the wine guru is SERIOUSLY tuning up the BEER menu at SSOH! Those visits to the Grey Lodge seem to have rubbed off! That's when you know it's good to have a dedicated food professional and rabbid foodie running a restaurant: they devote themselves to improving each and every aspect of the experience. Watch for some impressive beer upgrades!

That made my brain hurt. I did detect a distinctive Southern Maryland accent, though.

Without hesitation, go to Fork. Very romantic, real food, lovingly prepared, a great wine selection, handsome, welcoming bar, great tables, relaxed, friendly vibe. Buddakhan is just a lot of noise and very average food at best.

Due to some last minute cancellations, I have 4 seats left on my March 12 Tour, and 6 seats left on the MArch 19 Tour. Go get 'em!

I'm signed up for a full slate of dinners during TBATC. It's my favorite time of the year, hands down. Doing my two Golden Age of Beer Tours actually feels like a vacation after all that restaurant hopping: 3/11 Michael Jackson Beer Dinner at the U of P Museum 3/14 Greg Moore at Django 3/15 Bob Kinkead at Bookbinders 3/16 Frank Stitt at Jack's Firehouse 3/17 Marc Silverstein and Jill Cordes at the Joseph Ambler Inn 3/18 Waldy Malouf at Smoked Joint 3/20 Mary Ann Esposito ( an old dear friend) at Davio's And I'll report everything right here, of course.

If you went on one of the Beer Tours, you'd realize what a sedate, thoughtful bunch they tend to attract. Serious people. And I drive all day, so I dont have any beer until dinner, when it's over. ← Notice he doesn't say that he's quiet all day, just that he doesn't drink all day. LOL! ← I am quiet BECAUSE I dont get to drink all day, suffering in silence. For Lent, yeah, that's it, for Lent.

Four Rivers is an extraordinary restaurant, very bright, fresh cooking, as is the benchmark Shiao Lan Kung next door. it's always a hard choice for me when I'm in Chinatown. SLK's food is a bit more recognizable and accessible, but if you carefully read the really huge menu at Four Rivers, you can find a lot of recognizable dishes. The really weird menu is now across the street at a new place, Rising Tide; read the menu in the window. Great googly moogly.

Quiet? You? Why do you lie to the nice newspaper lady, Rich? Why? ← If you went on one of the Beer Tours, you'd realize what a sedate, thoughtful bunch they tend to attract. Serious people. And I drive all day, so I dont have any beer until dinner, when it's over.

From today's Trenton Times, my local paper: Golden Age of Beer in Phila Tours

Umbria and McMenamin's Tavern in Mt Airy Delorenzo's in Trenton Macaroni's in the NE

I believe it's actually called "Randall The Enamel Animal", and it does add a definite punch to many beers.