Rich Pawlak

They opened on Monday the 21st

Ms. Tootsie's is at 1314 South St., and is closed while under construction to expand it.

David Cunningham, late of the Yardley Inn and with a sweet pedigree of NYC experience, is the new chef, and he should vastly upgrade the quality and presentation of the food. He is one VERY talented chef.

I would definitely hit Charleston on Friday night, and Brewers Art the next day for a delightful lunch. Fueled by some samples of their superb Belgian-style ales (like Ozzy and Resurection), you should sleep like a baby on the train ride back to Philly. Well, unless y6u're driving. I would then not recommend the beer part.

I think you mean the Bellevue Food court 12th St Cantina. And no, they dont make the rolls, they get them from a Portuguese bakery in Newark, Teixiera's probably. At least that was the story when I did the PR for them a few years ago.

I would suggest stgopping into Sarcone's Bakery on 9th and scoring a tray of their favbulous bakery pizza; there are usually at least 5 different styles available, and I'll bet you could mix and match slices, and gently warm them at home for a few minutes at 325 degrees. Far superior to what you could get delivered.

Well, the thing about trendy places like Barclay Prime, and the trendinistas that flock to them, is that they eventually move on, flitting to another trendy spot. Drink gouging catches up with you, IMHO, and 4 bells , or 5 greasestains, has a longer lasting effect than the profit from outrageously priced beverages. I' ve never seen cocktail prices as high as I saw at Barclay Prime, even more expensive than Le Bar Lyonnais, which can also get pretty gougy. BP's wine pricing is absolutely ridiculous, and an insult to anyone who knows wine pricing.

Closest Grotto's Pizza joints are on Rte 202 South just north of Wilmington, and near Rodney Square in Wilmington. The ORIGINAL Grotto's is in Lake Ariel, PA.

Sweet: http://lexus.msn.com/id/2074206/sid/2097342?GT1=6132

Both I and Bob Rescinito stopped into this place around a year and a half ago, and found the beers to be acceptable, if not dazzling. I do recall the red as pretty tasty, the others not nearly as memorable.

The brand new issue of ESQUIRE, has an article within, "The BEst Bites of Food in America", and on p. 141, bite No. 30: "The crust axis of a corner slice of Sicilain pie--not much cheese, lotsa olive oil, pillowy up top, crunchy down below, from L&B Spumoni Gardens..."

Don't bother; you almost can't find decent Cuban bread down here anymore, either! The good crusty bread with the palm leaf (?) down the center went the way of the dinosaurs, and the rest of the stuff is all "industriale". You can however, get Media Noche rolls which are eggy and slightly sweet. The same fixins as a Cuban Sandwich on this bread is called a Media Noche (midnight) sandwich and Kurt is correct, at midnight or more, with a half a bag on, they're incredible! ← I dont look for a Cuban sandwich in and around Philly for the same reason I dont look for cheesesteaks in Miami. Closest decent Cuban sandwich I've had north of Calle Ocho was in Union City, NJ, at a sandwich shop called Manuela's , or something like that, several years ago. Big Cuban population in that town, and some in Jersey City, too. Might be worth posting a query in the NJ forum. Certainly Frank Marchese of the Newark Star-Ledger, an occasional poster there, should have some ideas. Might be worth searching nj.com as well.

Dropped by the "soft" opening of the new Grey Lodge Kitchen atop the Grey Lodge Public House and it's a cool space, beautifully stained exposed beams, exposed brick, walls painted shades of butternut squash and cranberry. Simple tables and chairs, a cozy loungy banquette area and about 10 seats at the bar. 30-40 seats, tops. Pressed tin adorns the back bar, mini stained glass lighting hangs around the perimeter of the bar proper (reclaimed from the late Stella Notte in Chestnut Hill). And ten good taps of beer, same as downstairs. The food is available upstairs and down. The small menu from chef Mike Mongeluzi, a Johnson & Wales grad previously at McCormick & Schmick's, is terrific, and Katie Loeb, Gary Bredbenner and I sampled a bunch of things: a deconstructed spinach salad, with shards of bacon, caramelized onions and blue cheese, the greens dressed in a mango chutney vinaigrette, a dazzling salad. Red Thai curry mussels, big, plump, clean and in a hearty addictive broth; hot wings, big, honkin 3-section numbers, with a good medium hot vinegary sauce; a big cheesesteak, with a very beefy flavor, nicely done, though I prefer my cheeseteak meat less chopped. The high quality of the meat shone through. Also on the menu currently is a GL cheesesteak with salami and other things, a Caesar salad, a chicken cheesesteak and a chicken quesadilla, as well as the tomato pies the bar's been serving for years. Things like the wings and mussels will have variations, like Pale Ale mussels, garlic wings, etc., in addition to the standard menu, we were told. They update the daily menu on the Grey Lodge website (see link above). In short, GET THERE. Before it becomes impossible to get a table. Incredible beer now with hearty, creative food in a SMOKE FREE setting. Gonna be very popular if tonight's crowd was any indication.

If all we have to rely on, French bistro-wise, is Caribou Cafe, we're doing alright. I've always found it to be warm, wine and beer savvy, and dilligent with its French bistro ouvre. There is also Bistro San Tropez and Patou, but I doubt there are maintaining the French bistro ethic in Philly. And a place that gets ignored is the very servicable restaurant in the Sofitel at 17th and Sansom.

Oh hell, take one for the "team".

Almost all PR is good. The only bad PR is evidence.

Rose Tattoo does some pretty good Gumbo, and other things as well. A little further away, in Media, the New Orleans Cafe usually does something up for Mardi Gras. There is also a New Orleans based restaurant in West Chester (even further out). Good luck. ← Add Carmine's Cafe in Havertown to the mix, and Melange Cafe in Cherry Hill, NJ.

In my inbox this morning: Washington, DC (January 31, 2005) - Inspired by chic, late night dining spots around the world, Cloud Dining Lounge, located at One Dupont Circle, will offer a global experience of cuisine, music, ambiance and culture. Formerly Savino's Café, Cloud will be transformed into a luxurious white on white vision exuding the ethereal feeling of a cloud. The restaurant's "soft" opening will be in February followed by a grand opening in March. In their first collaboration, restaurateurs Savino Recine and John Tsiaoushis will open the glamorous dining lounge daily at 5 p.m., offering a diverse menu of world tapas late into the night, complemented by music from all over the globe. Recine, who also owns Primi Piatti and Finemondo, is creating the menu of hot and cold tapas from around the world, including Europe, Asia, Mexico and the Middle East. Specialties on the menu include the Honduran Ceviche, made with fresh ahi tuna, topped with fried plantains and served in a coconut shell and the Asian-inspired Lobster Pineapple Salad, served with basil and mint inside a pineapple. Cloud will also feature a raw bar and a selection of specialty and champagne cocktails. The menu, conceived by Recine to complement his passion for collecting music from around the world, will be implemented by Chef Vincent Torres. Recine will personally compile the music that will be heard by diners each evening, from his personal collection of thousands of cds. "Cloud is a celebration of every culture," said Recine. "My hope is that every guest can find a connection with our dining lounge, whether it be through food, music or the ambiance." Upon entering, guests will immediately be enveloped by Cloud's soft interior design, which features a state of the art lighting system giving the illusion of 3-D clouds floating along the front curtains. Designer Walter Gagliano, whose work includes Ceiba, TenPenh, DC Coast and Jaleo, incorporates a pearly, iridescent white floor, white faux leather seating, and gauzy white curtains that allow guests to see and be seen. Cozy tables for two feature glowing translucent tabletops, illuminated by "candles" secured underneath. Guests can also dine on comfy beds intimately draped with sheer curtains or at a frosted Plexiglas 16-foot communal table. Continuously projecting white and colored lights, the LED lighting system will add energy and definition to the space, with colors changing subtly throughout the evening. A private and luxurious VIP dining area called Cloud 9 will also be available. Upon descending into Cloud 9, guests can recline on a full-sized canopy bunk bed. Three sectional beds, another lounging option, are made of tuffeted, white faux leather, and accented with multi-colored throw cushions. Centered in the middle is a multi-tiered stand which will hold champagne, tapas and other food specialties. Tsiaoushis, who owned Acropolis and created the Shark Club, said, "Savino and I traveled the world in search of our inspiration. The name for the dining lounge came to us as we were flying through the clouds on a plane, as we returned from a trip." According to Tsiaoushis, plans to transform the space into Cloud have been in the works for around 18 months. Cloud's extensive drink menu includes a variety of specialty champagne cocktails such as the Yellow Fever, a combination of thinly-sliced kumquats, Grand Marnier, sugar and champagne, and Cloud Nine, made with vanilla vodka, pear juice and Prosecco. Other creative specialty cocktails include the Star of India, made with rum, orange liquor, passion fruit juice, Sambuca, a splash of sprite and organic rose petals and the Thai Martini, a mixture of coconut flavored rum and sour apple liquor, Granny Smith apple and lemon grass. Cloud is located at One Dupont Circle, NW, Washington, DC 20036. So....serious, or lightweight?

I've been consistently disappointed at the food and atmosphere at Vesuvio; the review is dead-on.

Jesus Christmas, THAT's a good beer trip! Reminds me of all of my GABF week travels in and around Denver. Colorado is an amazing beer scene.

For me, the definitive bar eating experience in Philly is Standard Tap. Subtly elegant food, generally nice bartenders, superior local beer selection, killer juke box, diverse crowd for company, and clever, alternative newspapers and comics for reading if you're alone. I've done it more than a few times, and it's always very satisfying.

The Kabul Kafe , within the Rat's complex on the Grounds For Sculpture, in Hamilton, NJ (www.ratsrestaurant.org), has several hookahs for plain and flavored tobacco puffing. Neat place, too. And a good cafe menu.

I'm glad you had a great time at BDC. One note of caution -- you and your liver should be in full fighting form to make most of this fine establishment. You cannot run a marathon the first day you decide to get in shape!!!!! Build up!!! ← I too enjoyed my first ever visit to BDC: fabulous mussels, perfect roast chicken and one dandy cassoulet. Decent apple tart too.

Paper in hand, it looks like a classic Tony Luke roll.

I received this press release in my inbox today; I am not aware of what controversy they speak: Following nearly three decades of universal praise, Chateau Montelena has recently been the center of discussion among wine consumers and professionals due to publicity surrounding a press story critical of the winery. To reassure their long-time and loyal customers, a team from the winery will embark on an ambitious schedule of travel across the country bringing wines representing their "Past, Present & Future" directly to the people. On February 9th from 12 noon to 5 p.m. in the Second Floor Dining Room of Susanna Foo Restaurant in Philadelphia, Chateau Montelena will be hosting one of 16 nationwide wine tasting events. These informal events, attended by area wine professionals and Chateau Montelena's regional customer base, will showcase, in blind-tasting format, a wide range of vintages and varietals to demonstrate the unequivocal excellence of all the wines that carry the Chateau Montelena label. Chateau Montelena will solicit feedback from its tasters via a questionnaire and intends to publish the results of the tabulation at the completion of the tour.