KatieLoeb

Rob: Glad you liked it! Definitely one of my better efforts of late. I've recommended the Monin Lavender syrup to those that don't wish to fuss in the kitchen and make their own, but having no experience with it, did my proportions work out the same way? Or is the commercial syrup more fragrant/sweeter?? I'd appreciate your perspective on this. Thanks.

The phrase I use for this malady is "social quadriplegic". Odd for someone in the "hospitality" industry to suffer from it so acutely and still get as far along as Stephen seems to have. Really looking forward to the reunion. It should be revealing.

Hi Alonna. Welcome to eGullet and the PA forum. The logistical problem you will run into with this party is trying to have it on a Saturday night. And you're not greedy, I just think you aren't thinking it through. Since most BYOB's are quite small, you'll basically be taking up either all, or most of their seating. A party of 24 people is going to be there ALL night, tying up those seats. No restaurant is going to take even a guaranteed party of 24 if they could potentially turn those seats two to three times and seat 70 people instead. Not on their busiest night of the week. Not on any night do I see a sensible business person choosing to take in 1/3 of their potential business. Most places large enough to have a private dining room also have a liquor license, so the BYO aspect won't apply. You'd have to guarantee the restaurant the same amount of revenue they'd make on an average Saturday night, for them to close for you and only entertain your party. This is what's known "in the biz" as a BUYOUT. The only alternative I could think of would be a larger ethnic restaurant that has a banquet room for weddings and events like one of the bigger restaurants in Chinatown. Herbacidal and I just had a fantastic meal at a Korean restaurant in Cherry Hill last night that has a banquet room and was really reasonably priced and BYOB. But that doesn't sound like what you're after. Let me know if I can be of further assistance. Good luck with the party planning! ← Thanks for the advice Katie. I have never worked in a restaurant, so didn't have their perspective in mind. I will have to rethink my plans. Thanks again. ← Alonna: I hate being the bearer of bad news, but the "greedy" ones are the restaurateurs that are going to try and maximize their business on any given evening. Can't be faulted for that. Have you considered having the party catered at home or at the home of a friend or family member? That might be a better alternative that would allow you to do it on any night of the week and many caterers will allow you to buy your own wine/liquor/beer if you aren't hosting the event at a "rentable venue". Might be a better way to achieve a similar end result - a personalized menu you can help tailor and reasonably priced high quality beverages of your own choosing. The cost for catering will be the food and staffing.

Hi Alonna. Welcome to eGullet and the PA forum. The logistical problem you will run into with this party is trying to have it on a Saturday night. And you're not greedy, I just think you aren't thinking it through. Since most BYOB's are quite small, you'll basically be taking up either all, or most of their seating. A party of 24 people is going to be there ALL night, tying up those seats. No restaurant is going to take even a guaranteed party of 24 if they could potentially turn those seats two to three times and seat 70 people instead. Not on their busiest night of the week. Not on any night do I see a sensible business person choosing to take in 1/3 of their potential business. Most places large enough to have a private dining room also have a liquor license, so the BYO aspect won't apply. You'd have to guarantee the restaurant the same amount of revenue they'd make on an average Saturday night, for them to close for you and only entertain your party. This is what's known "in the biz" as a BUYOUT. The only alternative I could think of would be a larger ethnic restaurant that has a banquet room for weddings and events like one of the bigger restaurants in Chinatown. Herbacidal and I just had a fantastic meal at a Korean restaurant in Cherry Hill last night that has a banquet room and was really reasonably priced and BYOB. But that doesn't sound like what you're after. Let me know if I can be of further assistance. Good luck with the party planning!

Pierson's e-mail said 2-7p, but I wouldn't count on anyone being there before 3 or after 6. ← Good news. I'll try check it out as soon as I'm able.

When I met David Wondrich at Red Sky for Book & the Cook in March, he mentioned both places to me and said they were on his list to visit again next time he blows through town. Seems the beer and whiskey selection as well as the overall vibe at GL really knocked him out, and the very professional bar staff at Southwark made a very good impression.

Yes - I'm responding to myself. With lightning quick Customer Service response, the e-mail I sent to Cashman Associates last night was forwarded to Philadelphia Distilling and my purveyor showed up this very afternoon with a sample of the Bluecoat gin. Very tasty stuff! Really interesting aromatics, less juniper, more citrus and floral but without the cucumber Hendrick's edge. Really smooth and refreshing. I made a quick 'tini of it with a splash of Lillet Blonde and a lemon twist and that really sang. Most everyone that tried it, liked it (with the exception of the real gin haters) and that included myself. Highly recommended. I received an e-mail from the distiller today as well and they said it should be available in New Jersey by next month. I love their slogan. Bluecoat Dry American Gin. Be Revolutionary!

Bob: What time are they out there on Tuesdays? I get out of work early enough to pop by there since it's but a few short blocks from home, but only if they're out later than 4PM.

Has anyone tried the Bluecoat Dry American Gin yet? It's produced locally (to me) in Philadelphia, but I haven't had the pleasure yet. The interesting thing about it is that it's produced in a copper still. Here's a short quote from the press release: Master Distiller, Robert Cassell describes this formula as “A revolutionary dry gin that leads with refreshingly sweet aromatics, giving way to soft and earthy juniper notes. The body is intensely smooth with a complex depth of flavors that open up as they wrap around the palate. The bright citrus finish is exceptionally long and completes an experience that is incredibly pleasing to the senses. There are several events locally in the near future where I ought to be able to check this stuff out in person. I'll report back when I finally get up close and personal with it.

A well deserved congratulations to both the Grey Lodge and Southwark! Way to go Scoats, Kip and Sheri! Good going folks. Way to represent the City of Brotherly Drinkin'! Woot!

Very cool! Not sure how that would work in a really busy commercial context, but the idea is quite intriguing. I might need to ask chef friends how to pull that off.

I was shopping at my local Lebanese market for some Rose water yesterday and was surprised to find some other ingredients with cocktail potential so I went ahead and purchased (in addition to the Rose water) a bottle of Orange Flower water, a bottle of Apricot puree/syrup, and a bottle of Marco Polo Sour Cherry Syrup Tonight's effort was: The Ricardo 2 oz. Gold tequila 1 oz. Marco Polo sour cherry syrup 4 oz. Trader Joe's Organic Lime Soda Squeeze of a fresh lime wedge Quite refreshing and tasty!

I sincerely hope he's not "bringing them back" and selling them at Fork because that would be a gross violation of their liquor license. I presume you mean he's dealing with the importer of said wines and buying them through the PLCB. It sucks, but it's the same thing stopping me from driving a truck over the bridge and paying a lot less per bottle. Not to mention a different selection...

Whose job is it to update the inventory and at which end of the shipment? Is it a two step process that also tracking shipments and deliveries (which would make sense)? If the 20 cases of Chateau Mysterioso leave Harrisburg headed for Delaware Avenue is is punched in there and then doesn't queue to update until it's marked as "received"at the other end? Finding out where the breakdown in the process happens is the first step to correcting it, I'd imagine. I've seen certain stores that are run with the efficiency of a Swiss train and others that are absolutely maddening to deal with. Perhaps better employee training on inventory and receiving procedures would help the ones lagging behind catch up?

Now you're scaring me. I'll go give it a good read also and report back. edited to add:

Too true. To balance my Kaiken purchase, I grabbed the 2003 Orenos in Ardmore today. Wallet ying-yang. Incidentally, the PA website inventory is not reliable as has been said before. I happened to stop by today and found them. That's what I get for snooping. Evan ← Perhaps Diedre can chime in here and let us know how often the site updates. Does it do it overnight? Every few hours? That could explain some of the discrepancies in inventory. I suspect a "real time" inventory system where we could watch the bottle counts go down right after one of us recommends a certain wine is a bit too expensive and high tech for our expectations.

Perhaps being Not-That-Impressed Boy is why you are standing alone? :kidding: I couldn't resist...

Katie, You mentioned you might try to remedy the fact that a certain spirit isn't carried in the state. Is there something the average consumer can do to assist in this or to take action? ← Since I have to deal directly with the purveyors, I plan to find out which one carries the Appleton's line for SLO orders and head up the flagpole there. I figure if they already carry the other items in the product line, perhaps no one has expressed an interest in the White before, and they just need to know there are interested potential customers. You (or any interested individual) could mention it to the SLO manager at your local store and perhaps if they see a groundswell of interest they might be more inclined to jump through whatever hoops need to be jumped through to apply to carry a new product in the Commonwealth of PA. It was really incredible how much better it was in the side by side comparison. Go find some and let me know if you agree.

You got it. Brace yourself, it's ugly. linky Start with the third post down. Ugly, just ugly rumors and urban legends. I have heard too many people talk about what they think a philadelphia cheesesteak is. I am from South Philadelphia. The traditional cheesesteak is NOT served with Cheez Whiz!!! What makes a cheesesteak is the following: cherry peppers, shaved meat, provolone cheese, ← Interesting. And cherry peppers are certainly not a prerequisite. They're there if you want 'em, but just sitting and watching a half hour's worth of a random cross section of customers at either place at 9th and Passyunk will show you that few customers avail themselves of the hot peppers. Hell - they've got those nasty dried Szechuan looking hot peppers too. Does that make those a given as well? Mustard, mayo? Just because it's a condiment choice doesn't mean it's etched in stone ferchissakes.

I recently tasted the Appleton White side by side with Bacardi and was stunned by how much more flavorful it was. Sadly the Appleton White doesn't appear to be available in PA, but I personally intend to try and remedy this. You might have to visit a *cough* "neighboring" state.

you've clearly never met my guests. i'm looking for the least possible work for my guests. i don't mind doing work beforehand. ← Make a big batch of mint simple syrup ahead of time. Make a quart of regular simple syrup and pour it into the blender container while still hot over a bunch of mint leaves that have been plucked off the stems. Whirl until well chopped up (make sure you have a towel over the lid or it could be a very painful and dangerous disaster) and chill. Strain through a coarse sieve (I like little flecks in mine) and save. Mix the mint simple syrup with the rum and fresh squeezed lime juice in pitchers. You'll have to come up with your own proportions that suit your own tastes, but I think 5 or 6 parts rum to 2 parts mint syrup to 1 part lime juice is a good starting point. Have chilled club soda to add to taste. Voila! "Instant" mojitos. These will never ever be as good as the muddled-to-order type, but the flavor profile will be at least acceptable to all but the most discriminating and well informed cocktailians. And you can still have different flavored rums to make the mojito bar more interesting if you'd like. If you want to be different you can make up a batch of what I call "herbed" simple syrup. Two parts mint leaves to one part each of basil and cilantro leaves processed as above. Strain and serve with rum and ginger ale or club soda or with bourbon and ginger ale or bitter lemon. Sort of a funky twist on a julep and quite refreshing on a hot day.

I don't disagree with this statement, but personally I think it's a lot more work for the host to make everything ahead of time. Perhaps DIY might not have been what Tommy had in mind (although I think it could add a really fun element to the party and maybe even teach folks a thing or two about not being intimidated about making cocktails), but I think it's better to spread the work into small manageable one-drink-at-a-time energy expenditures over the course of the entire evening, rather than one huge hunk of time ahead. But again, maybe that's just me...

Linky please. I wish to see this nonsense for myself... And what's a former LBF chef doing in Atlanta spreading this slanderous crap anyway, hmmm? Will there soon be yet another "Philadelphia Cheese Steak Sandwich" shop in yet another city making pale imitations of the real thing?

Don't say it like that! Teaneck is a very nice place to live and has an excellent school system. I myself am a product of both the township and the schools and am quite proud of it. Really, you could do much worse. And Manhattan is all of a 20 minute ride, even with a little traffic. A lot has changed since I lived in Teaneck last, but there's great bagels and Butterflake bakery on Cedar Lane still, as far as I know. And there's even better fine dining than there ever was back in the day. I'm kind of sorry I can't afford to live there anymore...

Hi Missmaia, I'm Circulation Manager for <i>Imbibe</i> and just wanted to clear up that we are not affiliated with the restaurant on Hawthorne in SE Portland. <i>Imbibe</i> is a drinks magazine with national scope, but we're published out of Portland, Oregon. We're available on newsstands nationally as of May 1. I hope you check it out and enjoy it. Cheers, Siobhan ← Hi Siobhan. Can you tell us where to look for more information? Is there a website? Is the magazine sold at large national bookstores like Borders or Barnes & Noble? Where can I peruse a copy so I can see if it is something I'd be interested in?