KatieLoeb

The apricots and cherries I bought at the various farmer's markets today were delicious. The apricots are really juicy and sweet. Unfortunately, the peaches are hard as rock and not terribly juicy. I'm pretty unhappy about that.

careful, you don't want to give yourself away as a tourist (I don't think the camera crew will draw any suspicion... ) watch the terminology: I'm thinking back to the local lingo I hear around Philly and I don't think we don't put our meats on buns around here, I think we use rolls! ← Only cheesesteak I ever had in LA came with a choice of sprouts or avocado. So rather thay worrying about buns or rolls, I'm focusing on limiting Chris to a Whiz Wit, with nothing from the garden. ← You'll be taking Chris to John's Roast Pork too, yes? Depending on what time of day/day of the week you make this excursion, I might want to join you boys. We gotta roll out the welcome mat for Chris while he's here filming!

I hit the markets at 15th & South and the Fountain Farmers Market at Passyunk & Tasker in South Philly today. On South Street I found a nice seedless cucumber and a couple of nice green zucchini at 3/$1.00, a pint of cherries for $3.25 and a pint of apricots for $2.00. Once I made it to the other market in South Philly the cherries were $2.50! I did get six mixed white and yellow peaches for $3.00 at the Fountain market once I calmed down over getting rooked on the cherries. There was a great fresh meat and dairy vendor and some nice flowers at the Fountain Farmers Market too. This is right up the street from Cantina El Caballito and the bonus is there's a public parking lot on the 1600 East block of Passyunk (facing the Cantina in fact) that you can avail yourself of. Entrance from either 12th street or Passyunk.

Koch's Deli rocks. They've fed and cared for generations of college students from Penn, Drexel, Temple, College of Pharmacy, etc. and there's nothing like the place anywhere else I've ever been. It's true, it's not the same since Bobby passed (may he RIP ), but tLarry and staff are doing a great job keeping the place running and are still handing out samples and telling lousy jokes while you wait on line. HERE'S the beginning of the thread from when Bobby passed away. Some photos and a look at the menu board.

I just tried one of these the other day for the first time, at Monk's Cafe, a most excellent Belgian beer bar here in Philly. I can't remember the name of the brewery, but it was definitely a German rauchbier. It tasted like chewing on the end of a burnt stick. Not exactly my cup of tea, or mug of suds either, but I can see how it's an interesting style unto itself.

Oooohhh. The chocolate chip cookies are a big draw! They are most excellent but they can't ride anywhere with me in a closed vehicle. Too dangerous! Lori - loving the photos and the continued blog! Most excellent!

Meat and bread leaves you many options here. The Schmitter, the aforementioned Roast Pork Italiano at Tony Luke's, DiNic's or John's Roast Pork, hoagies at Chickie's Deli, etc. Other non-meat options might include grilled falafels at Bitar's (one of the best vegetarian options in the city), the Veggie Hoagies at Chickie's (you gotta eat one of these 'cuz they're unbelieveably good), or any one of a number of vegetarian possibilities at Reading Terminal Market. Dude - the "on bread thing" rules here. There's a rich and satisfying "sandwich culture" in the City of Brotherly Hoagies/Cheesesteaks/Grinders/Italianos, etc. It's about the bread (Sarcone's vs. Amorosos), but it's also about the fillings. We got the sandwich thing down.

Hi Lori: So how would you feel about a bunch of PhilleGulleteers showing up on your doorstep to enjoy some of the wonderful foods and local charm you have at your disposal? Beautiful scenery and there's such nice local produce and such available. I'm ready to jump in the car right now!

James: Glad you and the Mrs. enjoyed Vidalia. I thought it was quite a find. The service and food was a step up from what I am used to on LBI, and I mean that in a good way.

Yum. Red dye #5. My favorite.

To quote Babe: "That'll do, Pig." It's really really good 'cue, just not what you'll find down South. In no way, shape or form will Sweet Lucy's replace real Southern 'cue, but it's dammed fine judged on its own merits.

Mmmm. Sorry I missed Tac's with you all but I was otherwise occupied. Tacconelli's definitely qualifies as at least a 25 mile pie and is most certainly Still Worthy.

YAY! PA folk doing the blogging. Most exciting! Lori, we all are looking forward to hearing more about your world. Congrats to the graduate and to her parents. Good luck with the rain...

Wow! I want to come to your slumber parties! That looks amazing! What could be more fun than padding around in your pajamas and cooking and eating amazing food and drinking great wine? Sounds absolutely perfect.

I'd check the usual suspects like Brasserie Perrier or Le Bar Lyonnaise. I'm not sure who else might do vichyssoise. Not sure if jeans are in the dress code at Le Bar Lyonnaise, but I've certainly seen enough folks wearing them at Brasserie. How about that soup stand at the Bellevue food court? Their soups are delicious and they might be doing some chilled soups now that it's hot weather. Any of the BYO places have vichyssoise? Matyson might be a good bet. Or perhaps one of the chefs that are lurking might get a menu idea from this thread and let us know where to come find it.

Cocktails!! Muddle those berries up with some rum or cachaca for Bluejitos or Blueberry Caipirinhas! Both are delicious.

I'm going to have to disagree with Sandy on Mexican Post. Great place for cheap margaritas, but the food is pretty mediocre. There's certainly way better and more authentic Mexican or even Tex-Mex to be had than at Mexican Post. Unfortunately, none of it is in the vicinity of the historical sites. Santa Fe Burrito Company on 11th would be a better bet, but is completely lacking in atmosphere. Pico de Gallo at the corner of 15th and South is probably the best bet, but slightly out of the way. Definitely in agreement on the Franklin Fountain suggestion. Great ice cream and a cool atmosphere. Campo's on the next block might be a good choice for some serious hoagies if you think that would go over well.

Locatelli-Truffle fries at 1601. They come with the steak frites or you can order them by themselves. They're awesome.

If I'm not mistaken, Ippolito's is the consumer retail arm of one of the larger commercial fish purveyors in town. That logo of the fish is the same but I can't think of which company the parent is. Vadouvan? Matthew(s)? Greg(s)? Any chefs/restaurateurs around to confirm? To answer your question - I've always gotten pretty good fish from there for home use. And they're open Sundays if I'm not mistaken, which is always a good thing for last minute fish emergencies.

The Cortas brand rosewater you find at Middle Eastern and Indian stores is pretty strong and a little goes a long way. I've found that making a rosewater simple syrup (just stir a little rosewater into already made 1:1 simple until it's flowery enough for you) seems to be the best way to incorporate this into cocktails. It goes well with gin (particularly Hendrick's), vodka and citrus flavors. I even used a little with some tropical tea infused rum I'd made and made a floral daiquiri once that was quite delicious. You can actually purchase edible tea roses which make a lovely garnish for drinks containing rosewater. They look really lovely in the drinks. I'll get a photo if I can and post it.

This can be an excellent time of year to visit. Weather (if not unbearably hot and humid) can be very pleasant and conducive to walking around. So you want we should look into the kielbasa factory? There's also a great big Polish market (Krakus Market) that has really good frozen pierogies in lots of different flavors right there. Also good dive bars in that same neighborhood with good crabs (Bonk's or Byrne's) and pitchers of cheap lousy beers. Tacconelli's isn't far away either...

If there's anyone that could pull this off we know it's Carman...

Meaning? Does he think they'll fix the problems, or is he implying the doors will close sooner rather than later? I'm surprised the server didn't have enough sense to detail their own station better than that. But they're obviously getting no guidance, so your point is taken.

My hat's off to you. That was truly inspired.

Maybe it's just too early in the morning but this is kind of making me cringe. Can you elaborate or does someone have a picture they can post? Is it dressed (read: drowned, covered, enveloped, disguised ] in anything? ← Holly Moore??? Paging Mr. Moore....