KatieLoeb

I'm not sure I'd put Vetri in the same price category as Gayle or Ansill. It's a much harder hit on the wallet than the other two.

We picked up a bottle of the San Telmo Malbec 2004 for comparison with the Kaiken 2003 but have not had a chance to try it yet. Maybe over the weekend. We did try the Vionta Albarino that's on the Chairman's Selection list. This is the first albarino that we have had and, I must say, that we liked it. We had it by itself and with a simple shrimp dish. Not being familiar with albarino, I can't say how true to type it is but it seemed about halfway between a sauv. blanc and vigonier. Fruity but with enough acidity to hold up well to the food. ← Your description of the albarino is spot on. It has the apricot and peachy elements of the Viognier and the citrusy elements of Sauvignon Blanc. It's a delicious wine and one of my favorites for summer quaffing. Perfect with the shrimp too, no doubt! There are good examples from Portugal as well, since albarino (or alvarinho as it's spelled there) is the main grape in Vinho Verde. Albarino grapes have a very thick skin so the yield of juice is pretty low compared to other varietals. It is rarely produced outside of Spain and Portugal but there are a few examples from other places. Verdad Winery in the Santa Ynez Valley makes a lovely domestic albarino.

They do not. I just spoke to Andy the bar manager and he said it's all on a first come first served basis. FWIW I've never been in there when it was so packed there was a line out the door or anything, but I tend not to go out at peak times on Friday and Saturday nights because I work in the business and I know better. Weeknights are pretty good for strolling right in and sitting down at the bar for a drink and a bite to eat.

Here's a link to the Inky article, The Moores Take on Manhattan.

ladydisdain: Allow me to formally welcome you to eGullet and the PA forum! Great pictures - keep 'em coming, as well as your observations. Anyone who has a blog devoted to cupcakes is definitely in the right place with the right company!

Congratulations Chris! This is so !!!! Allow me to offer my services as an additional culinary tour guide when you come visit Philly. We could even plan a Pizza Club extravaganza in your honor!

I was in New York last weekend and didn't get the opportunity to offer my former employers my very best wishes on their new venture, even though it wasn't far from where I was staying. I remain completely confident that the level of customer service and product selection is up to their usual exacting standards and look forward to my first chance to stick my head in the new door ASAP. I might even plan a trip just to do that. Go get 'em, y'all! New York is ready for what the rest of us have been enjoying for some time. Great customer service, passionate salesmanship and a wonderful and unique product selection.

Hopefully the Cantina staff isn't tired of my face yet. I've been over there several times since opening night and have had a wonderful time each and every visit. The food is just delicious and the staff couldn't be nicer. I've taken several friends for their inaugural visit and everyone loves it.

Thanks Michael! I doubt any of us would have noticed that without the heads up. The site is quite thorough and I like that you can sort by distance, cuisine, payment options, etc. Really nicely done!

Ooookaaay. Actually I like the bar at the Society Hill Hotel too. They make good drinks, especially when Rick is behind the bar. I'd ask what you won on the shameless bet with the girlfriend, but I might not want to know the answer, so I'll assume whatever it was, it was worth it.

Whoa! Major inside scoop/dirt going on here. Keep talking amongst yourselves...

I just use an electric coffee grinder. Both Krups and Braun make decent ones for about $20.

The last time that space had any traction as a retail food operation was several years ago as I believe "Rittenhouse Market", before Patina. Although you'd think the captive audience of high rent condo dwellers would be a natural fit for that sort of thing, the folks coming out of Wawa two doors away with big bags of groceries always seemed to outnumber the customers for fine high end take out. The rent is just too damned high for that postage stamp sized property. It's really that simple. I suspect the only hope for anyone other than a restaurant-fronting-a-crack-dealership is to buy the bricks from the present owner. But why would they sell? As absurd as the rent is there always seems to be another sucker willing to pay it. So even if the building lies fallow for months in between tenants, the landlord has already cashed the checks and has a nice cushion in their account.

I don't think so, as long as there isn't any pith attached to turn it bitter. If you Microplane off the zest you can avoid getting any white pith. I suspect after all the oils have been leeched out of the zests they just sit in the alcohol waiting to be strained out. I usually consider mine "done" when the little shreds of peel have become completely white, with no trace of color left. By then the alcohol has taken on all the color.

Alonna: That's great news! Sounds like you've gotten everything you asked for. The food and service at Marigold is fabulous. I'm certain that you, your guests and the guest of honor will have a wonderful time. I worked with Brett back in our days at Rouge. He is very gracious and helpful I'm certain he'll make it all happen for you.

I've really been in this town too long, haven't I? That Rouge salad sounds scrumptious. Executive Chef Matt Zagorsky at Rouge is very talented and is a heck of great guy to boot. Fresh anchovies, Pernod-seared scallops and white asparagus?!? Ya mon. That is one serious summer salad.

Lindacello! I love it! There's a gelateria here in Philly (not Capogiro, Cafe Carmen) that makes what they call "Francacello" flavored gelato - Strawberry-Limoncello! YUM! Strawberry Lemonade is one of my favorite summer beverages, so I'd imagine that Strawberry-Limoncello has potential to be awesome!

You're right. That second incarnation was such a blip on the radar screen (and such a money pit!) that I've obviously blocked it out like the traumatic memory that it is.

Holly, you know I'm always happy to see your smiling face on the other side of the bar at Amada. There are four salads on the lunch menu, all of which are delicious and substantial enough to call a full lunch. The most generous is the Chicken a la Plancha salad which is a full leaf romaine caesar style salad with some artichoke hearts and a whole grilled chicken breast fanned on it. The Tuna Salad is a pile of mixed greens with three slices of toasted baguette with tomato spread and good Ventresca tuna on top. There's also a Serrano Ham and Fig salad and an Ensalada Verde which is all of Chef Jose's favorite green things including haricot vert, asparagus, avocado cubes, etc. The Verde can be ordered with beef or shrimp on top for a small upcharge. They're all good. For $12.50 you can have the Catalan Express lunch which includes a soup (either Gazpacho or Caldo Gallego) and any of these salads or your choice of one of four sandwiches instead. It also includes a non-alcoholic beverage. It's a sweet deal.

Mademoiselle de Paris preceeded Yann in the same location. Didn't Didier have a stroke or some other sort of catastrophic health crisis that forced them to shutter the shop? ← I think so. I was wondering how they're doing. BTW, I think Neil Stein had a Fish Market restaurant there in between. ← Not in between. Originally. That was the location of the first restaurant in Neil's empire. The empire I used to work for, BTW. Back when it could still be considered an "empire".

But anyway, I had an idea. What if you contacted the local highschool and asked if any kids would like to volunteer with you? I know that a lot of highschools now require some hours of community service in order to graduate and this might be something the would really enjoy doing. Particularly if a highschool in your area has a culinary program. ← Pure genius.

Mademoiselle de Paris preceeded Yann in the same location. Didn't Didier have a stroke or some other sort of catastrophic health crisis that forced them to shutter the shop?

Head upstairs to Martini Beach for better drinks and food. Much as I like Cabana's, there's no contest which menu is better. Unless the crappy fries are the thing that keeps you going back...

Perhaps the answer was not too long after all...I walked by today and it wasn't open, chairs were stacked up inside, menu gone off the door. Shame, because I did enjoy the two meals I had there, but the place just never seemed to have more than a few tables filled except on the weekends. ← [channeling Claude Rains]I'm shocked, shocked to find another restaurant has failed in that space...[/channeling Claude Rains] What did I say the over/under was on this one? I think I'd given it 4-6 months, so I wasn't too far off. To quote Queen - Another One Bites the Dust. :sigh: Cute space but it needs some serious revenue to make rent. Seems fairly self-evident to me. But maybe my past experience juggling revenue and bills for a struggling enterprise in the same 'hood has given me some insights others might not necessarily see as cynically as I do. Better things to come soon I suspect... There's a reference here I'm clearly not getting. I'm intrigued. Spill. edited to add: Oh Duh!! Never mind...

This is the little place on the east side of the street between Pif and Washington Ave., yes? I've always wondered what it was like inside. I presumed it was just a coffee shop! I'll definitely have to go check it out on your recommendation. I got violently ill from a dinner at Pho Ha awhile back and the place is so filthy I can't even go past it without wretching just a little. :shudder: