KatieLoeb

It's funny to hear you say this out loud, only because I was chuckling to myself over the very same thing as I watched you two walking and chatting as that same 30 seconds was filmed ad nauseum down the block from Freddy and Tony's... And of course Holly, we need to dine together more frequently once the show debuts, as I'd be delighted to be mistaken for the faux-Culinary Detective's Frequent Dining Companion. Actually I'd like to correct that. We just need to dine together more frequently in general. Chris it's hard to believe, but it's hotter here now than when you were here last week! It was already 90+ degrees at 10AM this morning when I arrived at work. It's been an absolute sauna the last few days. Which wouldn't suck if I were appropriately dressed for it in nothing more than a towel, but it's not like that. It's even hard to breathe. Gah!

Yes we did! Sushi Chef Sam welcome to eGullet!!! This is a fine place to practice your English and we promise to be patient. Please post some more and tell us about your favorite places in Philadelphia. We always want to know where the chefs hang out when they aren't working.

V: Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. There are legions of folks that spout off about their restaurant experiences on that other board or fill out the Zagat survey and folks listen to them. And they hardly have your training or discriminating palate. The level of discourse here at eG is at a higher level. That's why I like playing in this sandbox. Note that you are not the only person to have been disappointed with the cod croquettes. Are you all wrong?? And if there's no cod and no potatoes, what are the croquettes made of?? Soylent Green?? The kitchen staff should take your comments as constructive criticism and perhaps see what about your comments could be incorporated into improving the dishes. Or they need to get thicker skins because until they're walking on water like Thomas freakin' Keller, they're going to have some folks that don't necessarily see things exactly as they do. :shrug: That's all I'm going to say.

1. proscuitto panini / Shotglass of melon soup. 2. Fine dice of melon in the middle of bowl topped with a very thin proscuitto chip (dehydrated), soup around.... ← Or you could let a chunk of the prosciutto dry out a bit and then shave some ham "dust" over the top of the soup with a microplane...

Just like the Poltergeists. It's Baaaa-aaaack!!! And just like a trainwreck, we won't be able to look away... To paraphrase Charles Dickens. "God help us. Every One."

My husband was recently called for jury duty. During the downtime, the baliff told them that the cups in the McDonalds case were known to be defective and were used anyways and that's why the case went the way it did. I assume he knows what he's talking about. I'm all for NOT suing for stupid reasons, but that's why there's a judge to throw it out of court. ← OK - that's interesting. I hadn't heard anything about the cups being defective during the lawsuit. I have noticed warnings on take out cups since then that now state the obvious - CONTAINS HOT LIQUIDS!! I still stand by my theory that most plaintiffs will head for the deepest pocket.

Idiot with the lighted menu doesn't have as deep pockets as a big corporation like Bacardi, does he? The reminds me of the stupid old bat be-yotch that was driving with McDonald's approximately-the-temperature-of-molten-lava coffee between her legs and sued them for ensuing burns. Jack Nicholson voice-overs aside, maybe driving with hot coffee between your knees isn't the brightest move. Ya' think???!!!??? If I recall correctly, the stupid bat won the lawsuit though. And McDonald's has pretty deep pockets. It's always the best strategy to sue the person/entity that can afford to pay you the most potential damages. It's like Willie Sutton said when asked why he robs banks. "Because that's where the money is".

Lilija: Do you suppose you could ask the diner owner(s) near you where they got the term from?? Obviously, somebody originated it or knows its origin. I want answers dammit!! This is really irritating me that we can't seem to pin down a proper etymology for "disco fries".

Update on Amada's air conditoning. We've had two new units installed to cool the back room and the bar more effectively, so it should be more comfortable now. I know it feels better to me in the front bar area...

The churros and chocolate at Apamate can't be beat. And they're cooked perfectly. I'm glad Amada's sangria still reigns!

I made corn soup tonight by a slightly different method. I cut the kernels off three large ears and then cut the cobs in half. I simmered both the cobs and the kernels in about two cups of water for about 15 minutes and then allowed it to cool. I fished out the cobs and then put everything through the blender on "liquefy" for about 4 minutes. I added about 1/2 cup of half and half, salt, white pepper and a bit of thyme and blitzed it once more briefly. I then passed it through a strainer and pressed down on the solids to extract all of the corn goodness. Reheated lightly with a very light slurry of cornstarch and had a very velvety and sweet corn soup. There's still one more serving left for dinner tomorrow.

10th and federal is pretty far out from CC . There was once a Bitar's very close to Penn's campus. To agree with mrbigjas, it seems they were tossed out of the area. Any word if they're every going to open another University City location? ← It's no further than West Philly, just in a different direction. Not sure what happened with the Bitar's on Campus, but I don't think it was ever as good as the original location, which also has the grocery store attached. I've gotten some wonderful items in Bitar's grocery section that nowhere else in the city seems to carry. That makes the trip worth it unto itself, IMO.

My standby at Bitar's is the vegetarian platter, with stuffed grape leaves, hummus, baba gaoush, tabouli and regular salad on it, lots of pita on the side. It's like $7 and I can usually just barely finish it. The grilled meats are also excellent and come as many forms of pita wrapped sandwiches or as part of a salad.

I'd like to add that in addition to the steaks at Steve's Prince of Steaks being one of the best examples in the city of the genre, they also served fine cheese fries and spicy fries/spicy cheese fries, and had chocolate syrup available for my new favorite drink, the chocolate/cherry Coke! Yummy! No gravy for "disco fries" though. Both Sandy and I were quite disappointed.

Obviously Sandy hasn't gotten home yet to post, so I'll just say what a heck of a lot of respect I have for the crew that Chris had working with him on this shoot. Three long 14+ hour days in brutalizing July Philly heat and humidity. Damn. And from what I understand, they've gotten a good look around our fair city, from Reading Terminal Market, to Johnny Hots for a Surf 'n Turf dog, to the Italian Market, to the greater Northeast. I can hardly wait to see the finished product which will be airing some time in October. When you see that parting shot of Chris eating his cheesesteak at Steve's Prince of Steaks, right over his shoulder you'll catch a glimpse of Sandy and I sitting next to Chris at the counter, eating a cheesesteak in the background. I'm ready for my closeup. Mr. DeMille. edited to add: We cross posted!

Howzabout some Roasted Tomato Soup, served with a crostini with Pesto on top? Heat in some vegetable or chicken broth until softened and then whiz through food processor or blender. Strain if you want to remove bits of skin or seeds. Also great for last minute buzzing in the blender to make pasta or pizza sauce.

Interesting article about Heirloom Tomatoes in this week's Philadelphia Inquirer. A couple of good recipes too...

Not delivery, but really good felafel and other Middle Eastern fare can be had at Bitar's at the corner of 10th & Federal. They grill everything, including the felafel and it makes for a delicious and non-greasy sandwich. The gyros and their own Angelo Cataldi sandwich is pretty good too. You can totally get out of there for less than $10/person and be stuffed.

It would probably be tasty, but I'd just as soon make some cherry rum! Actually, I bet a really dark rum like Gosling's Black Seal with an added splash of some overproof rum to better draw out the cherry flavors would be delish after a couple of weeks with some cherries soaking in it. Then I'd make a Cherry Dark and Stormy!

Hi all: I had the pleasure of meeting Chris and his crew this afternoon whilst they were filming a segment at Freddy and Tony's featuring delicious Puerto Rican food. Tomorrow's shoot will be cheesesteaks at Steve's Prince of Steaks, 7200 Bustleton Avenue in the Great Northeast. Chris asked me to post looking for PhilleGulleteers that might want to come and be part of the background for the shoot. Timing is approximately 6PM-ish Saturday 7/29 at Steve's Prince of Steaks. Let's help make the Philly segment of Chris' new show the best one!! PM me if you need further details, otherwise just show up at Steve's tomorrow!

They're on that block of Sansom Street that's getting completely torn down for some big project or other. I guess their lease must have run out this week. Sorry dude. Hopefully they will relocate somewhere. They're my favorite Indian take-out too. In the meanwhile, perhaps you can develop a fondness for some other cuisine? There's oodles of good Mexican around. There's also a mess of Indian places up by Penn's campus, but I can't recommend any of them since I haven't lived in West Philly since 1983! Minar was always my go-to place since I usually lived/worked close by there.

Kent: I have to be honest. I really like the Pama, but find it tastes more like a splash of cranberry juice in a drink than Pomegranate. Pom Wonderful juice brings a whole lot more pom-y flavor to the party at a fraction of the cost. It also doesn't add any additional alcohol, which when making martini-type almost-all-booze drinks, matters a bit to me.

Gorgeous!!! You're killing me with the wine pairings too. Very nice... I too, am seeking the sucking up smiley.

Emma - this is incredibly cool! Good for you! We're all so proud of you! Who's on your team?? That might help narrow down a team name (like for instance if you were all women or whatever) somewhat. Do you all come from a certain place? Give us some facts to work with and we can be more helpful. One thing I found very helpful when I used to compete in chili cookoffs, was to have some sorbet handy for the judges to cleanse their palates before tasting my entry. It always made a good impression, and especially at a chili cookoff, was crucial for them to be able to taste anything after just a few spicy entries.

Here's the single batch directions for the White Sangria recipe at Amada. White sangria is particularly refreshing in the summertime. For the fruit: 2 oranges, sliced into small wedges 2 pears, cut into small cubes 2 Granny Smith apples, cut into small cubes 6 oz. (3/4 cup) Simple Syrup 6 oz. (3/4 cup) Triple Sec 4 oz. (1/2 cup) Brandy Macerate fruit pieces in syrup, triple sec and brandy (at least four hours and preferably overnight). Keep covered and refrigerated until ready to serve. When finished, fruit should be a bit “soupy” from the juices being drawn out. For the wine: 1 750 ml bottle dry white wine 4 oz. plain simple syrup 4 oz. Spanish Brandy 2 oz. Torres Gran Orange liqueur, or Cointreau Optional garnish – Sprig of fresh Rosemary (for the aromatics only). Mix wine, simple syrup, brandy and orange liqueur. This is the base wine product for the sangria. Keep refrigerated until serving. SERVING DIRECTIONS: Ladle 6-8 oz. of fruit and juices into a large pitcher. Fill with base wine product until almost full. Top with 4 oz. of club soda and stir to combine. Ladle a small amount of fruit into ice filled wine glasses. Pour in wine and garnish glass if desired.