KatieLoeb

Speaking of bad... Wasn't it the Reagan administration that classified KETCHUP as a vegetable??

Separate the eggs and beat the whites until stiff, as UnConundrum suggests. The other trick is to use a bit of club soda as the "liquid" in the batter, instead of chicken broth/water as the back of the box recipe suggests. Light and fluffy every time.

Hi Erik: Great to see you blogging! I too, would like to see some cocktails! Please... I like your furry friend. Looks like he's enjoying his bit of your sandwich. We need a fridge shot and a better portrait of the kitties please.

Welcome Chef! Glad to have you join us! I hope in your *cough* copious free time you'll be able to join in some of our other discussions in the PA forum. Love to have other in-the-biz types commenting on their favorite places to go and shop. What you're doing at Sheppard Mansion sounds ambitious and admirable. I hope to come visit some time and check out your menu. The care you're putting into the ingredients is something I have an enormous amount of respect for. I hope anyone else that has a chance to visit will please report back fully to the rest of us who are now drooling in anticipation!

Even better than the first olive oil tutorial. Amazing.

Is Capital Grille evil because it's part of a chain? Heck - some of the Stephen Starr outposts are now there own little chains. Morimoto? Continental? Are they evil? I just started working for a chain. There's a lot to be said about how a big corporation can afford to take care of their staff. If the food and service are good I don't have a problem with a chain. If the food and service are bad I have a problem regardless of whether it's a mom and pop or one of a thousand outlets.

Divina: Thank you so much for this little peek into your world. Great armchair travelling again. The olive oil tutorial was brilliant. Your house looks lovely and the kitties look so content! I love the little white locket on Stellino's chest. Very handsome kitties.

The Brizard Poire William is most definitely liqueur. Sweeter and less boozy than an eau de vie, which is more akin to a clear and much more alcohol laden fruit flavored rocket fuel. Eau de vie is like real German or Austrian schnapps, or perhaps vice versa. The Brizard is more like a sweeter American style "schnapps", but of a much higher quality. Nothing like the corn syrup and artificially flavored crap we call schnapps.

SaxChik beat me to recommending the Robin's Nest. An adorable little bistro and the desserts are truly amazing. Both Short Hills and Kibitz Room will satify a jones for good deli.

Professore Fentoni and I checked out Oceanaire this evening for a snack/drink at the bar. The space is very nicely done in a cruiseship Deco style. It's a good re-use of the space. It isn't quite as pretty inside as Striped Bass, which is a similar upscale-fish house-in-an-old-renovated-space, but they certainly did a nice job with the decor. Big dining room in the back, a lounge area and raw bar/bar up front, 2nd floor dining rooms and private dining areas. Big sweeping staircase with nice views. It's a cool room. First quandry was ordering a glass of wine. There's a nice by the glass selection, but the glasses of wine all start in double digits. It seemed a bit steep and we opted for one of many very reasonably priced bottles of wine to share instead. We shared a bottle of the Au Bon Climat Pinot Blanc/Pinot Gris 2004 that was well priced at $45. I was racking my brain trying to figure out why the wines by the glass were so expensive ($11-16, most around $14) and the bottled wines had many selections in the $30-55 range for some very nice choices. This math fit no metric I could imagine. There was no logic. Just as my head was about to explode the manager explained that their glass pours are 10 oz!! That's a double sized glass by most people's standards. (To be fair I overhead another waiter telling a guest the pour was between 8 and 9 oz., but that's still a pretty big glass) Finally the oddly expensive glasses didn't seem quite so steep anymore. But if I have someone with me sharing a well priced bottle is always a good way to go. And if you're sitting at the raw bar they'll just stick the bottle right in the crushed ice for you right in front of you to keep it handy and cold. The raw bar area has blackboards all around that tout the fresh seafood that day. We were assured by our very solicitous waiter that everything was flown in that morning. Several interesting types of oysters, lots of Alaskan and Icelandic fish varieties, as well as Australian Barramundi, New Zealand Orange Roughy and Shetland Island Salmon. The menu is large and pretty classic. We decided to try the Steamed Littleneck clams with Prosciutto and Rosemary Cream sauce ($10.95), the Escargot Bourgogne ($8.95) and the Lancaster County mixed salad ($8.95). To begin, we were served a relish tray with some raw veggies, olives, pickled tomatoes and a bit of very tasty pickled herring. Everything we ordered was quite tasty, although we both decided that squeezing the wedge of lemon on the clams was a mistake. We had some very good soft bread to sop up sauces with. Nothing was an epiphany, but it was fresh and well prepared. The salmon the gentleman to my right was eating looked quite good, and the mixed raw bar seafood platter the other ladies sitting nearby had also looked very good. For dessert we decided to have the Baked Alaska, because, well, we could. When was the last time any of you had Baked Alaska, hmmm? It was a good choice. A ginormous block of brownie with frozen Moose Tracks ice cream arrived slathered in meringue. It was doused in flaming 151 rum and the meringue got crispy and toasted. Yum! It smelled like marshmallows. The ice cream had big peanut butter filled chocolate drops in it that exploded in your mouth. Good stuff! The presentation with the flambeed rum was pretty awe inspiring as well. All together our check came to about $89 before a generous tip to our kind waiter. Not bad for two appetizers, a salad, dessert and a nice bottle of wine. I liked this place and will undoubtedly return. I want to try some of the fresh fish soon and see if it can live up to the hype. edited to add: Note to V: I ended up not having to work last night and tried to call you to come join in. Sorry we missed you.

Holly: While I can't think of anything quite like what you're seeking (except for maybe the Saloon, but that's pretty dear) you can get a fabulous Steak Frites that has Locatelli-Truffle fries on the side that are crispy and delicious for all of $12. There's draft beer and good wines by the glass too. Go to 1601, which is at 1601 South 10th street at the corner of Tasker in South Philly. Great bar, great food, nice folks.

If your friend is a vegetarian take them to Horizons. There's a whole thread about it HERE. A vegan restaurant that even carnivores can enjoy. And they have a bar. Sounds like the ideal solution to your quandry.

It's a shame it's dinner only, since I'm usually working those very same hours at another restaurant. I would totally check it out for lunch were they open. I'm game to go on a reconnaissance mission with you V, but I won't have a free night off for a couple of weeks.

I was told they're opening the banquet center first, to get in on all those holiday parties, and then the main restaurant later on. I wonder if they ever hired a Bar Manager...

I've been having pretty good luck using Kassatly Kamardeen syrup and cognac in cocktails, as a substitute for actual apricot brandy. It's an apricot syrup from Lebanon and is available online or at Lebanese and Mediterannean markets. I have a bottle of the Brizzard Poire William that I'm quite fond of too.

Jeff, sometimes the charges are just more than they're worth for a small business operator. And then there's the administrative time spent making sure the credit card deposits are accurately making it to your bank account. Sometimes the Visa/MC portion is correct, but the Amex portion is missing, or whatever. Mistakes happen all the time, trust me I used to be the one chasing it down! I suspect Todd is busy enough not to want to have to be messing with that.

Wow. Really? $150 in what was supposed to be the casual "family style" dumpling/noodle house does seem a bit steep. Besides the glass of viura, how much did y'all drink and how much did it bump up the check?

The wait isn't the issue at Morning Glory. The unbelievably rude service is. However, I'm far less likely to wait to be treated rudely, no matter how good the food is.

I had my first al pastor taco from La Puebla this afternoon and it won't be my last. Damn those are good! The meat is incredibly tender and the pineapple is sort of infused into the meat. Really really good. A single taco is $2.00!!! Amazing. Might be my favorite new snack food. I ran into a former co-worker from Amada there and his taco platter also came with a big plate of grilled spring onions and the usual cucumber/radish/lime wedge plate that also accompanied my single taco. He let me try some of his grilled onions and they were very good as well. This place is such a good value.

Stopped into Mandoline for dinner this evening and predictably everything was delicious! My dining companion had never been in before and was very favorably impressed with everything, as well as the personalized service. We both opted for the prix fixe menu and tried the arugula salad, the clams and chorizo. the hangar steak and the pan roasted quail. We washed it back with a bottle of Arrowood Reserve Cabernet 1996 that I'd brought back from Sonoma several years ago as a gift for my friend. Mighty tasty stuff! I was sure she'd drank it by now, but I was the lucky recipient of her waiting to share it with me. Todd was kind enough to send over a couple of tastes for us as well. That cauliflower soup is truly amazing! Very earthy and seasonal. We loved it! Good Capogiro Sweet Potato-Praline gelato to finish off and we rolled out stuffed, fat and happy! Service was friendly and efficient as always. Go check out the new menu folks - you won't be disappointed.

You can call 610-688-WINE and ask for Gina, our Private Dining Director. She would let you know if that's possible.

"Limoncello - Breakfast of Champions!" You'll have to make her a big batch for the holidays. Unless you don't want to be an enabler...

Me too! Don't forget you can enjoy some of those fruits enhooched now rather than later. I'm seeing all kinds of guava caipirinhas, guava margaritas and guava mojitos dancing in my head... And please report back on the enhoochment. I'm sure we all want to know how it turned out.

Mei: My thanks for the small world tour. Fascinating places, people and food. It's been great. Your photos of the Dohany Synagogue are lovely. I stopped there when in Budapest and bought my "Passover Mom" (my college roommate's mom who has been kind enough to have me at their Passover dinners for the last 20 years) a matzoh cover that is beautiful and hand embroidered. I'd fogotten how gorgeous that incredible Morrish architechture of the building is. Thanks for reminding me of it. Best of luck with farmboy and your future travels and plans! I will look forward to your updates.

And the new fall/winter menu at Mandoline: APPETIZERS Cauliflower Soup- black trumpet mushrooms and truffle oil $5.5 Beet Salad- roasted beets with Humbolt Fog cheese and balsamic reduction $8 Mussels- shallots, amber beer, and curry essence $9.5 Smoked Salmon Salad- house smoked salmon and frisse with bacon lardoons and mustard vinaigrette $7.5 Goat Cheese Pistachio Cake - black mission fig and balsamic glaze $11 Lobster Truffle Macaroni and Cheese – with sharp cheddar and grilled Brioche $10.5 Duck Rillette- duck confit, Dijon mustard, and cornichons with baguette toast $8.5 Venison Ragout- with pappardelle pasta and Grana Padano $9 ENTREES Filet Mignon- Foie Gras croquette, Madeira Jus, and marinated sun-dried cherries $28.5 Red Snapper- wild rice, roasted chestnuts and cranberry beurre noisette $24 Pan Roasted Cod- shitake noodle cake, grilled scallion and ginger scented apple jus $21.50 European Chicken Breast- roasted garlic mashed potatoes and haricot verts in an apple brandy reduction $19 Grilled Swordfish- butternut squash risotto, horseradish crème fraiche and beet coulis $22.5 Veal- slow-cooked veal breast, caramelized salsify and vanilla infused pear compote $24 Duck- five-spiced smoked duck breast, sweet potato pave, and sweet soy $21 Stuffed Acorn Squash- quinoa, ratatouille, and arugula pesto $12 YUM! I think I'ma gonna be in to see Chef Todd very soon!