sara

Thanks for all the info guys! I am planning to go to the Philly wine events on this coming Wednesday (Napa wines) and July 9 (Sonoma) --it's a 2fr package--both for $55. Katie--are you going to those? I had the same initial impression you confirmed--the wines for the Brats events seem cheap--why spend $30 to taste some Jacobs Creek or Wyndham? But the stuff at the N.3rd events looks quality...

Herb--Which group did you hear that about? Phillywine, or wine brats? thanks

Hi Has anyone been to the tastings sponsered by Phillywine.com or Philly Wine Brats? They have several interesting ones coming up that I'm considering going to, and I'm wondering what the crowd is like? I'm 26 and hoping to meet people 25-45...are these the events for me? Anyone who's been, I would really appreciate your comments. Thanks

I did takeout from NJS on Sunday evening. I had the soup dumplings, the turnip cakes, and the beef noodle soup (had to try some more of their noodle dishes). Unfortunately the food sat for nearly an hour in the car and at home before I got to it, some things suffered a bit.. most notably the soup dumplings. It's not surprising that their wrappers were a bit mushy, but what did surprise me was the oddly sour taste to the broth inside this time. It tasted somewhat off--not nearly as good as last time. The turnip cakes were also different from last time--honestly, I don't think there was a pastry crust around the shredded turnip last time, or it was a flaky crust, rather than this pretty solid one. There definitely wasn't a coat of sesame seeds on the bottom either. Still good, but not as good as I'd remembered. Sadly, I also wasn't thrilled w/ the soup. There was very little broth (maybe it got absorbed while sitting out?), some of the pieces of beef were hard and mysterious--couldn't chew through--and the noodles weren't great. However, I think I'm just not that into this particular soup-- I had a similar one at Goody's in Chinatown (NYC) and didn't love it. Should've ordered something else this time. Anyways, I still think NJS is a great addition to Chinatown, and I'll head back soon for more--I'd like to try those prawns. Tho I wonder if they have them salt -baked--I love that.

No problem-I will report (the dinner is the 16th). One of our group is actually a lobbyist--perhaps the reason this place was chosen. Also, definitely chosen for the wine list--we are having a sort of wine dinner, a Zinfandel tasting of sorts. Apparently CPS lets you bring two bottles w/no corkage fee-- so we'll start w. that and then move onto the wine list.

Going to Charlie Palmer Steak in two weeks...has anyone been? What to order?

Viejo--met me?? Where? Sara

Well, we ordered the 7 dishes I mentioned below, plus I think about 3 more that weren't great (the queso fundido and the cubano I recall and I think there was another), plus we all got aguas frescas ( the melon was wonderful). 4 out of 5 of us took some of the extra food home. No, we didn't try those other drinks you mentioned--next time!

After spending a few fun hours bowling at Maple Bowl this afternoon, my friends and I ventured over to Mexico Lindo. The place was completely empty at 6 pm. We decided to makeup for it by ordering nearly everything on the menu (well, not everything--the menu is HUGE). We thought the food was wonderful, and incredibly cheap. We especially liked: taco w/ enchilada (pork cooked w/ spicy sauce) quesadilla w/ barbacoa (goat) quesadillas de cuitlachoche (corn fungus) sopes con carnita (sope w/ pork) huaraches gorditas con carne and the outstanding best dish: enchiladas de mole poblano!!! awesome 5 of us ate all we could handle and the total was $75 with tip. great deal. By the way, thanks for the parking tip. I'd add to it, watch your bumper pulling in--the edge doesn't nearly as steep as it is--I did a little damage to my bumper even tho I was going less than 5 mph. (Unfortunately we had no room left over for the doughnuts next door!)

Hi I am thinking of checking out Mexico Lindo in Camden, given Craig LaBan's nice writeup a few months ago. Has anyone else been?? What to order? Thanks

Viejo--Did you go? What did you think? I am headed there tomorrow night to try some new dishes.

Steve, The turnip cakes (there were two) were a little larger than 1.5 inches cubed, and consisted of shredded turnip mostly. I liked the 'shredded' texture, and they were a bit sweet, which i thought was odd but really liked. I'm trying to think of something they reminded me of, but I am drawing a blank. It's interesting, now that you've made me think about it, that I had such a liking for something but can't quite explain why. I'll have to go back and eat more! Also, I was lucky to go with someone who knew Shanghai cuisine well and ordered the meal in Chinese. I asked her to recommend some traditional Shanghai dishes for my future visits, and she suggested the following: --any and all noodle and dumpling dishes, as the kitchen showed real talent with dough --shredded dry bean curd w/ veg --spicy pickled cabbage --jelly fish --fish filet w/ wine sauce --chicken w/ ginger & scallion sauce --lima bean salted vegetable and pork w/ bean curd tripe --chinese celery, dry bean curd w.pork --sauteed string bean --sliced braised beef noodle soup --pork chop noodle soup

I have a trip to NO planned for next weekend. I would love your input on my current itinerary: Stella Lee Circle Lilette Ugle's Acme Anything should be deleted? Where can I get the best oysters, considering it's May? Best fried green tomatoes?

I took the 30 min drive out to Wegman's today...it was pretty worth it. The produce prices were terrific: Avocados (including a selection of ripe ones) were 4 for $5, there were navel oranges 4 for $1, white asparagus at $2.99/lb (compare to $4 or $5/lb at Fresh Grocer), tomatoes on the vine for $1.99/lb....(Only disappointment--they didn't have ramps) On the other hand, I thought the fish was WAY overpriced: Bluefin tuna at $23.99/lb, snapper at $16.99/lb, etc. and there wasn't an amazing meat selection as I'd hoped. The cheese was very pricey as well. But the selection of baked goods, olives, as well as all the things I mentioned above was really great. And the service was super-friendly and very helpful. If I wasn't a poor grad student, I'll probably go there constantly.

Fat Guy-- No problem. I was just giving background on why I started the thread, and I am much more interested in hearing more feedback about the restaurant than I am about discussing Chowhound. If you want to make it into two threads, just tell me how. Otherwise, I honestly just wanted to hear about others' experiences there and what dishes to order, as I'm not that familiar with Shanghai food. Tommy--Are you seriously accusing me of being a shill?? I totally don't know where that's coming from--I have no affiliation w/ either the restaurant itself or even the industry, I'm actually just a grad student who loves to eat out. It amazes me that someone interested in the dishes served at a restaurant would automatically be a shill in your book. What's your rationale? (Actually, I couldn't care less-I just wanted to talk about the food)

I thought it might interest some to know that discussion of New Joe Shanghai, a great new place at 915 Arch St, has been banned on Chowhound. There has been much discussion of NJS in recent weeks on Chowhound, and I was inspired to go check it out last night. I thoroughly enjoyed the inventive delicious food and cheap prices, and when I got home I decided to post a lengthy review (which unfortunately I didn't save). Well, this morning I discovered my post had been deleted. I posted again, asking why, and I got the following email: " I wanted to explain to you why your post was removed. We no longer allow new discussion of New Joe Shanghai due to some troubling posting patterns (from other parties, not you, BTW). Chowhound is a moderated forum, and we reserve right to set boundaries and delete freely without notice or explanation." I emailed back and asked for clarification, but was refused any further elaboration: "No, sorry, we can't clarify, and we neither post announcements nor allow the issue to be discussed publicly on site." Anyways, given that NJS cannot be discussed on that site at all anymore, I was hoping to open up a thread on it here. (Yes, it all begs the question of why I ever returned to that site following the Katie Loeb incident in the first place, but let's just leave that alone for now--I've learned my lesson.) SO--- has anyone been recently? What did you have? I enjoyed the following dishes w/ two friends: 1. Pork soup dumplings 2. Scallion pancakes 3. Shredded turnip short cakes 4. Crispy duck 5. Braised Pork Shoulder 6. Sauteed Mushroom w. Cabbage Heart (baby bok choy) 7. Shanghai Style Fried Flat Noodle Total bill was $60 w/ tax and tip! The dumplings and noodles were delicate, the braised pork a rich revelation, and I am completely addicted to those turnip cakes now. They are still BYOB (waiting on a liquor license) but we brought beer, and the service was very friendly and prompt. We had a great time.

Hi I recommend Opus 251 for this dinner. I am nearly positive that they have enough room--I think they may even have a private room. The food is quite good, the wine list is reasonable, and the service is very polite. My mom has had several business dinners there recently. I also dare to venture that Bella might be able to accomodate you, if you were looking for a something a bit more casual.

I was also at Bella on March 14--Dine Out for Life. Came with a party of 8, nonfoodies--myself excluded. I had been there once before, so I had some expectations ( I absolutely loved the pomegranate martini and the braised short ribs, which are both unfortunately gone from the menu..alas), most of which were satisfied or exceeded. Couple of specifics: For nibbles we tried the chicken liver pate (yum), the roasted peppers (yum), the roasted garlic (a messy difficult to handle miss), the octopus (yum), the ham (yum), and a cheese that was forgettable. We also had the smoked trout, which is a lovely dish, but we all agreed was more appropriate for breakfast or lunch rather than dinner. It was delicious but a shock to the system after the nibbles. I had the duck breast with duck confit for dinner, as did several friends. I liked this dish, but didn't love it. I don't know a great deal about confit, and won't pretend to, but I used to love it at South Street's Guru, and for some reason this version didn't stack up. The breast and side veg were terrfic tho. Others at the table enjoyed the chicken immensely, and the steak. We had three bottles of red wine, which is why I can't remember the names of any of them and can't find the scrap of paper I jotted them on. I can tell you the first was the cheapest on the list, and was forgettable. The second was a J.Lohr, the waiter's recommendation, and was really not great. The third, recommended by Ali Waks, was absolutely scrumptous. Ali--it was $35--what was it called??? The service was the only real flaw. We had the same waiter we had last time, but this time he seemed completely out of it. Half of us had silverware when the nibbles arrived, and he brought out one additional set at a time, every five minutes or so. Water was very slow to come, we were missing wine glasses often, and there was a very breezy fan over the table. And, one entree was forgotten completely til the waiter was reminded, and then it was hastily prepared and rushed to the table. He was a geniunely nice guy, and I suspect it was a bad night, but this was a real distraction... Anyways, I was pleased to see the place was packed, and terribly pleased that my friends managed to contribute well over $400 to the cause and Bella. I'll definitely be back for more... Sara

Great news! Anyone else interested in writing to the gov on this one?

Here is the article: The Coupon That Dare Not Speak Its Name --- Elite Restaurants Resort To Heavy Discounting But Keep It Under the Table By Katy McLaughlin 1,445 words 6 February 2003 The Wall Street Journal I can't cut and paste it b/c of the Egullet copyright rules. You have to subscribe to WSJ or belong to a university that subscribes, to get it.

Hi The closest metro to Maestro is actually West Falls Church, not Dunn Loring. The cab from there will still run you at least $20 roundtrip. I'm not sure how much it is, but I've heard people 'hire a car' to go to nice dinners like that-- sometimes they do it to go to Inn at Little Washington. You might check and see- it could be less than a cab. This is a chronic problem w/ the VA burbs tho...it's depressing. And be careful, as the VA police were literally pulling people off of bar stools recently for being drunk 'in public.' It's a tough state.

Hi I'd recommend Bella, an American bistro located at 20th and Lombard. The two female chefs are alums of Striped Bass, and the food is just great. The lounge area is cozy, with great drinks including a pomegranate martini. And it's reasonably priced. Cash only. Be sure to try the braised short ribs. Oh and it's kinda new and shouldn't be very hard to get a reservation at. sara

Hi, A thread began at CH this morning regarding Phillly Weekly critic Robin Rinaldi that reads: "SALT REVIEW....ROBIN RINALDI.(PHILLY WEEKLY) Name: Jack Posted: February 05, 2003 at 10:34:36 Message: I have always suspected from reading Robin Rinaldi's reviews that she is a complete Twit who needs access to a word processor as much as terrorists need access to US passport making machines. I frankly dont understand why the philadelphia weekly continues to hire idiots who know nothing about food or wine to write food reviews on restaurants. I have always thought Salt's menu was imaginative and different and actually had an excellent meal there last night. Hanger steak was tasty and proper temp, my dining companion's Cod was subtle but tasty. She sounds like a wine snob who know's nothing about wine . She calls cured fish flavourless but when she reviews asian restaurants, it's tasty and "mellow". what a complete hypocrite. I particularly find it very funny that she calls the food "too demanding for the average diner " The point of restaurants like Django and Salt is to do things that are different not the same old BS that all restaurants in philadelphia serve.......balsamic reduction, xxx (fill in the blank) crusted tuna, wasabi soy ginger and all that pathetic latin food called nuevo latino. I suupose she is perfectly happy washing down her frozen lobster mashed potatoes with a chocolate martini at the continental. What a freaking joke of a food critic. " I too have found Rinaldi's writing, as well as that of Elisa Ludwig, to be quite subpar, and often wondered how they got (and kept) their jobs past the first couple of reviews. On the other hand, I like Laban, and even Maxine Keyser occasionally. It's detailed, sophisticated, and I nearly always agree with their assessments. I'd like to hear others thoughts on this...I've always wondered, when a place like the Weekly loses a critic, whether a real foodie,and good writer, would ever replace her. Sara

But you have to pay to join Costco, right? I visited the Costco in VA recently to check out their acclaimed wine program and was pretty unimpressed- not a great selection. Did find a King's Estate Pinot Noir-1998-Reserve (oregon) for $26 tho-- and have seen it for up to $38 elsewhere in the DC area (ie. at Arrowine). Haven't been to Costco in NJ tho, since I'm not a member (mom took me in VA).

Hi I am dying to get to JB, but for the time being (as I live in Philly), I am scheduled to have sushi at Fuji (in Cinaminson NJ) and Morimoto in the coming weeks. How do either of these places compare to JB? I'm having the omakase at Fuji, not sure about Morimoto. I really want to focus on sushi/sashimi-- should I get the omakase, or one of the platters, at Morimoto?? Thanks