KatieLoeb

I was told this evening that Crescent City at 9th & South is having a full blown Oscar party with bartender in drag with costume changes, statues, prizes, etc. I might end up over there myself!

Just maintaining my reputation here as the host with the friendliest forum and easiest job. Don't make work for me...

Have you tried any of them, or is that just a snarky stab? If the latter, please refrain or qualify your post a bit better. We need to be discussing our options in a way that translates to useful information for everyone, not just dissing others for the sake of it.

Steven: Let me personally welcome you to eGullet and particularly the PA forum. We're delighted to have you join us here. As a restaurant professional myself, I understand completely how all encompassing this new endeavor of yours is. I certainly hope you'll have time to chime in on some other threads here as well, and let us get to know you and what you like to eat when you aren't working! I hope our criticism is taken as it was intended. We're a tough crowd, but understanding and fiercely loyal. I have no doubt you've just met your first regulars, you just haven't seen our faces yet! I wish you and Andy the best of luck with Hershel's. Thank you for sharing your family's history with us. The store certainly has a great pedigree in the deli business! I'll stop by next time I'm at the RTM and introduce myself. I'm way overdue for a knish, and reading about them has gotten the jones going. You might even see me this Sunday!

Be nice. We're happy to have the local and regional media lurking here. Remember that means they understand we know of which we speak...

Thanks Fresser. But Pizza Club needs to be planned on one of my days off. Sadly, not this time, but I'm looking forward to the reports and pictures. Someone has to be in charge of the camera...

I disagree. Many of the Chinatown restaurants have an all inclusive lunch for around $6.95-8.95 that includes soup an entree and fried rice. You can do a less than $10 lunch at David's Mai Lai Wah every day, or a big honking bathtub sized bowl of Pho at Pho Xe Lua for $5! Totally do-able. There are a couple of Japanese bento box joints on Chestnut that will do a box with miso, salad, sushi/dumplings and an entree for around $10. My favorite was between 15th-16th. When I worked at Striped Bass around the corner I'd have the Salmon Teriyaki several times per week. Koch's Deli in West Philly will do up a big assed sandwich for less than ten bucks that'll last you two meals just like a Katz's sandwich. I suspect you can get a similarly large deli sandwich at Kibitz in the City or Famous Deli, although I can't swear to that since I don't frequent those areas at lunch time.

I have a great wooden spoon with a notch in the handle that lets you rest it on the edge of the pot or saucepan.

It's an offensive and absurd concept in any city, but particularly here, where there aren't enough high-end places that are high demand every night as well. I suggest we subvert this by offering up reservations on Craigslist for free just to piss them off and drive them out of town...

Either drive or cab it to Tony Luke's on Oregon Ave. You can have your cheesesteak and your Roast Pork too. It's the best of both worlds with little chance of catching them closed since they're open pretty much all of the time. Not sure if they're still closed on Sundays like they were at one point. Anyone? It's the Roast Pork Italiano that we're promoting. Roast pork, sharp provolone cheese and sauteed broccoli rabe. It's the best sandwich in Philly. For sure. There's a ton of restaurants here and virtually any cuisine you can think of. A quick glance around our little slice of eGullet will easily confirm that. Read up on our experiences and see what seems intriguing. Feel free to ask questions here, we'll be happy to opine for you. My feeling is you should check out those things you can't get at home or we know we do very well. Mexican, various Asian cuisines, roast pork sandwiches, creative byob's, Osteria, gastropubs etc. all have a warm spot in our hearts.

Dayne: Glad you enjoyed it. And thanks for test driving the lavender variation for me. I'm definitely going to try that soon. I think the lemon bitters might be the difference. They are a bit more tart and slightly less bitter than the Orange bitters. You ought to get yourself a bottle. They're really delicious. Just a drop in a regular gin martini seems to wake up the flavor tremendously as well. Also the combination of flavors between the lemon juice and lemon bitters and the orange twist is one of the subtleties of the drink I really like. edited to add: What a great photo of the drink! It looks delicious. And you got the big fat twist of orange just right.

Here's the result of the latest tinkerings. I've run this by several customers and the chef and staff and all seem to love it. The manager has had one as his shift drink the last three nights running... Parisian Martini 2.5 oz. Hendrick's gin 1 oz. Lillet .5 oz. fresh lemon juice .5 oz. thyme simple syrup two dashes Fee Brothers Lemon bitters Orange twist Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a fat orange twist that has had the oils expressed over the cocktail. I'm going to try this with Lavender syrup as well and see if a Provencal Martini is in the making.

I think it's the "High-Rent Suburban" potato salad recipe that would be at home in either pocket of conspicuous consumption.

Disclaimer: The only Genuardi's I've ever visited is the one in Radnor, and that's where I bought the new potato salad. It was made from tiny little red new potatoes, fresh dill and a sour cream like dressing. It was delicious and waaaayyy easier than making it myself, yet it tasted "homemade". Not sure if every Genuardi's would have it, but I suspect there's probably some consistency across their deli departments corporate wide. If you do find it, it was the best store bought I've had. ← Feh. I'd have to take my chances with Genuardis.com. That, or hop off the 109 one evening en route home and hope their Springfield store has it. ← The Wynnewood or Cherry Hill stores might be easier to get to via public transport. Not necessarily on your way home from work, but certainly on main roads.

Disclaimer: The only Genuardi's I've ever visited is the one in Radnor, and that's where I bought the new potato salad. It was made from tiny little red new potatoes, fresh dill and a sour cream like dressing. It was delicious and waaaayyy easier than making it myself, yet it tasted "homemade". Not sure if every Genuardi's would have it, but I suspect there's probably some consistency across their deli departments corporate wide. If you do find it, it was the best store bought I've had.

If there's a Genuardi's market near you, their new potato salad is delicious. Haven't tried their cole slaw, but it looked really good and very fresh as well.

I will concur about the cheesesteak and fries here, they are both exceptional. I got the feeling the OP was looking for a center city place though. BTW, the dart players are downstairs at the Tap and they can indeed be annoying at times but that's part of the vibe there. ← I'll concur with both of you. Grey Lodge has excellent bar food and is only a short ride from Center City. The upstairs is quiet and the beer and whiskey/bourbon selection can't be beat anywhere downtown. Ohmigosh. Those curried mussels.

Thanks for the update Mike. I guess I shouldn't be stunned, eh?

Thyme and red vermouth tastes good in my head. Of course, I get called crazy regularly :-P ← Red vermouth? I'll give that one a shot later. Or maybe something with some sort of amaro? That could be interesting too. I tried my lemon-thyme-gin experiment at home tonight and it definitely has potential. Sadly, I was in such a rush to get to work this afternoon in the foul weather, I forgot to bring the thyme syrup and Lemon bitters to work with me. So I made the drink when I got home with Hendrick's and Dubonnet Blonde since it's what I had in the house. It was pretty good, but I think it will be better with the aforementioned orange twist (I only had lemons and limes in the house) and I have to be careful with the Fee Lemon Bitters. The hole on the top of this bottle is definitely larger than in the other Fee bitters I have and a lot comes out at once. Definitely not a bottle to "dash" from. I might transfer them to an eyedropper bottle or see if I can locate an empty bottle that will "dash" like I want it to. Anyone know where to find refillable bottles that have a really small opening on top?

Soft fresh tub butter I buy from Hatville Deli PA Dutch stand at Reading Terminal Market. And thank you for reminding me I need to make another batch of Toast Dope!

I made a batch of Thyme simple syrup that I'm going to play with tomorrow. So far I'm thinking a lighter more citrus-ey/less juniper-ey gin (probably my local fave, the Bluecoat Dry American Gin), some Lillet, a bit of thyme simple, a splash of fresh lemon juice and a few dashes of my new Fee Brothers Lemon bitters. Garnish with an orange twist to make an herbal French Martini alternative. Any other suggestions? I remember someone mentioning a Lemon-Thyme Daiquiri at some point. It might go well with Ketel One Citroen or another Lemon flavored vodka too. Help me out here, folks! I trust all of you implicitly.

Y'all are crazy. I want in. Pleeeeeeaaaaase do this on a Sunday or Monday evening so I can join you. I'll refill my new Zocor prescription before the appointed day. And let's keep this on the down low, please. Last thing we need are the roaming band of sign carrying and chanting Foie Gras protesters that have been hounding Amada and M lately stopping by to ruin everyone's fun.

Mike: Thanks for the vote of confidence. I never did hear from the Inquirer, though... And now that the new Chairman is a self-professed temperance freak, there's little point in promoting anything. The Chairman's Selection program is going to go the way of the dodo. I hope Senator Raffery's inbox is flooded with all of us outraged consumers that are pissed off about how the Conti Golden Parachute Appointment was handled and how disappointed we are that no one is questioning the other board members about their expenses. I haven't heard back from Sen. Rafferty's office either.

The number of wine "enthusiasts" are vastly outnumbered by other taxpayers that don't give a fig about the PLCB in general or who are teetotalers completely. It's a damned shame, but it's a fact. The wine enthusiasts, myself included, are hardly placated by that. And I don't think it's an overstatement to say that the Chairman's Selections have created at least a few more wine ethusiasts in the Commonwealth. Even if, as we've discussed upthread, the MSRP for the wines is bullshit, if folks buy and try better wines than they normally would have, then it's a good thing and a win-win for the restauranteurs and beverage managers who will now have a more educated consumer dining at their table. I see no downside to that within the constraints of a state run system. You're giving folks too much credit. Most wine buyers purchase wine on an as-needed basis for immediate consumption, and usually one or two bottles at a time. The case discount and free delivery is totally lost on them, as is decent customer service. And speaking of customer service, are you denying that under Chairman Newman's tenure the stores became closer to regular retail and less of the Gulag-like shopping experience they were not that long ago? Have you honestly not found any improvements in customer service? In addition to the Ardmore wine manager, both Corey Rice (formerly at 12th & Chestnut) and Peggy (at the 19th & Chestnut stores) have been enormously helpful to me personally. I've found helpful and knowledgeable employees in stores in Bucks and Montgomery counties and even in Lancaster when travelling through that area. I think you just haven't met the right folks. Surely you know that those "awards" are fairly meaningless, right? A restaurant has to pay a $250 "entrance fee" to even be considered and has to provide their wine list and menu for review. No one from Wine Spectator necessarily ever visits the restaurant and confirms whether any of the information submitted is legitimate or not. The Spectator gets over 4000 "applications" every year. That's a cool million. Not a bad revenue stream for one that was just made up from nothing. I wonder if I could create some sort of "Katie Rating" and start charging restaurants for my considered opinion? It'd beat the shit out of working for a living and would save me a lot of money on black shoes and pedicures. Restaurants paying retail rather than wholesale is the biggest downside for both beverage professionals like you and I AND the consumer as a result of the state run monopoly. I feel your pain on this one and hate it just as much as you do. But that has less to do with awards than it has to do with the status quo and the nature of the monopolistic beast. And that's an argument we've had ad nauseum in this thread and others like it. It will not change. There are too many jobs at stake and too much tax revenue to go to free enterprise. And as I mentioned before, not enough tax payers that give a crap to do anything about it. If anything, creating more "wine enthusiasts" might be the best loooooong term plan for overturning the state run system in the Commonwealth. It's a little like watching a glacier move, but it's progress. I used to do those kind of numbers too. Damn, I miss having an unlimited budget and free reign to buy whatever wine struck my fancy. <sigh> I never waited in line behind the dentally challenged homeless dudes because I availed myself of the wholesale warehouse at 23rd & Washington. Nobody there but other restaurant folks and a very helpful sales staff. And I paid those same guys to deliver the goods. :shrug: This ain't NYC. And I know that because there's no scotch at the corner deli. Look. I understand your pain. But I think you're railing against the machine for naught. Go. Sit down and open a fine bottle that you've bought at auction and transported illegally into the Commonwealth. Pour yourself a glass into your nicest stemware. Swirl. Sniff. Sip. Swallow. Exhale. Sigh contentedly. That's as good as it's going to get. Getting all red in the face and making that vein stand out on your neck is the antithesis of what wine should do for you. Wine should create pleasure, not anxiety. Getting all worked up over this is just raising your blood pressure needlessly. Thankfully a glass of wine daily is good for your health.

James: I think that last analogy is harsh, at best. And most certainly disrespectful to battered women. What I truly don't understand is why some folks enjoying the Chairman's Selections seems to bother you so much. Do you have some personal stake in making the Commonwealth a free retail market? I'm no fonder of the system than you are, but it is what it is and we're all forced to deal with it. If some consumers are happy about the Chairman's Selections, why does that disturb you so? If you think the CS are a ripoff, and it's clear that you do, I don't find anyone else here taking it personally that you're driving to NJ or Delaware to stock your wine cellar. Not everyone is a trained sommelier. Hopefully, even Beringer White Zinfandel is a gateway drug for better wine choices in the future for the as-yet-uneducated souls that think it's good. If the CS program introduces some consumers to better/different/new wine, then it's most definitely a good thing. The buying power of the Commonwealth has finally been harnessed for good and not evil. It might not be your definition of good, but I have yet to see wines of the same caliber offered as consistently as they are at the Specialty stores under the CS program, offered by the discounters that you mention. There's plenty of wine at the same price points at Canal's or Total Wine, but they aren't from the wineries and winemakers that are getting the wine press or the high scores. I'm pretty certain a lot of PA consumers had never heard of Arrowood or the second label Grand Archer wines before they saw them at the Wine & Spirits Shoppe. These are good quality and consistent products from a reputable winemaker. Same with the Lancaster Red. If buying up the last 800 cases of it made it available to a broader audience at a decent price, what does it matter if the distributor was "dumping" it or not? And in fact, the CS wines were purchased directly from the wineries by Mr. Newman (the subject of slanderous speculations about his travel expenses according to the Inky), so as far as I can see, there's no distributor involved. Where's the problem exactly?