KatieLoeb

Precisely what I was going to suggest! That has to be one of the most classic pairings of all time and will definitely get folks to go "Aha! I get what this food-wine pairing thing is all about now!" The Bele Casel is my favorite locally available Prosecco. A bit more elegant than the other bottlings around. If one can find this I strongly suggest giving it a try.

Glad you enjoyed them! Those are two of my favorites. The Bad Education (an Orange Mojito) seems to be the big seller. Everyone likes those. The Matador is a twist on the standard Cosmo with pomegranate, raspberry and lime. The roast pork for a group is a wonderful way to experience Amada. The sides are plentiful and well matched to the pork and the tableside carving show makes for good entertainment for the foodies. Which desserts did you try? I'm fond of the Chocolate 5 Ways myself. That little shot glass of hot white chocolate is awesome stuff. Especially on a cold night. The Oloroso you tried is one of my favorites too. I'd say it's closer to Maple Syrup than port though. I like it paired with the Foie Gras on French Toast tapa. Yummm!

Thanks for the heads up on this Sandy! Sounds really good. Mummer, Herbacidal and I had some really good Jamaican food at a little placed called Negril in DC on the drive down to Raleigh for the Pig Pickin', but I've been seeking an alternative to Jamaican Jerk Hut up here to satisfy my jones since then. (Nothin' bad about JJH, I've just eaten my way through their menu many times since I used to live right around the corner!)

Isn't The Drafting Room - Springhouse not too far from Willow Grove? Couldn't be more than 15 minutes up Welsh Road to Bethlehem Pike from there. Good for the beer geeks and nice enough for the wives. Food is quite good too. MAP

Herb is basically correct. I am 100% responsible for the specialty cocktail list as it was when the restaurant opened. (You should see the long list of cocktails that didn't make it to the drink menu!) A couple of drinks have changed since opening to replace ones that weren't selling as well as anticipated. The Lavender-Grape gimlet isn't one of mine, but I've had one and it's quite tasty. It replaced a pineapple infused cachaca sour that I had created. And the Vanilla-Saffron Martini I created has been replaced with a Ginger-Lime martini. I knew that would be a tough sell. Most folks (especially the Old City Club Kids) don't quite get the concept of a savory cocktail. The Lemon-Rosemary Martini replaced my least favorite drink, an electric blue Iced Tea variation that I put on the list as a bow the Old City crowd. I'm kind of happy that one's gone. So I'm still responsible for about 65% of the cocktails as they stand now. I don't believe the sangria recipes have been tinkered with too much so I think those are still as I left them.

This is what I was going to say. I think they call it Sturm because that's what it causes in your digestive tract. Schilcher is delicious. It's been quite some time since I've had some. Adam how nice to see your photos of the Naschmarkt! I think that is one of my favorite markets in the whole world. There is a wonderful vendor of fine vinegars there called Gegenbauer* that would be a great place to stock up on some interesting souveniers to take home with you. I have a bottle of their Holunder Balsam Essig - a very nice mild Balsam vinegaric that I've been hoarding for some time. Big bottles of pumpkin seed oil that can be had at virtually any supermarket are pretty good to take home too. I was just talking about how much I love the Gluhwein stands everyone on the thread about hot winter beverages. I wish we had those stands here! It would be heavenly. *Naschmarkt, booth no. 111 - 114, 1040 Vienna, Monday - Friday, 09.00 - 18.00 h, Saturday, 08.00 - 17.00 h

Pumpkin Lover: I'd mix up a "test" cocktail or two first to see what proportions of Calvados you want to add to each drink. I'd start with one ounce of Calvados and fill with 4 oz. of cider. Taste. If it isn't "strong" enough for you then add a bit more to the next one. Also if it's too sweet put a squeeze of lemon juice or a splash of (unsweetened) cranberry juice in. If it's not sweet enough, then a splash of simple syrup or even a splash of 7-up. Play with it until it's to your taste and then write down your final recipe and make them all the same way.

Nice Amada review in this week's City Paper. And the restaurant's website is finally up and running. You can view the interior of the restaurant, menus, wine list, cocktails, etc. in addition to making reservations on OpenTable. Amada website

Welcome jwjon1! We're delighted to have you! You really are living proof of a good thing. Now the infamous "border bleed" is going the other way! Amazing! And considering that you could purchase your wine tax free in Delaware that is saying quite a lot. Looking forward to hearing more from you. Let us know if you make your way up I-95.

At least you won the auction basket. Sounds like a bad experience all around.

Sheesh! You'd think after 3 gunpoint robberies he might want to try a new location. Maybe he could find better help in a better locale.

My good friend Philadining found this South Philly classic and sent it to me. I didn't realize that hit men were so specialized...

Tonight I cracked open a bottle of Bodegas Valdubon Riserva 2000. I found this at the 12th & Chestnut store last week for $14.99 and picked up a couple of bottles. Having just tasted through virtually every Spanish wine available in PA pretty recently, this wine was a bit of a surprise. It's 100% tempranillo but far more elegant and less rustic than most wines in its price range. The nose is all about an explosion of pure black cherry scent. There's less spice and leather than most Tempranillo I have tried but there's a nice chocolate-ey-ness to this wine that's quite pleasing. The time spent in oak barrels is evident in how smooth and silky the wine tastes and in the lengthy finish. I had it with a grilled steak and cheddar mashed potatoes and it was very good. I might have even preferred this with something like roast beef or pot roast since the tannins were so subdued and silky. There's still a little bit of this around if you want to look for it. I'd say it's worth a return visit. Host's note: this topic became too large for our servers to handle efficiently, and has been divided into parts. The discussion continues here: Wine & Spirits Bargains at the PLCB (Part 2).

Berentzen Apfelkorn and Champagne. A twist on an Apple Kir Royale. Calvados and sparkling non-alcoholic apple cider like Martinelli's or Le Mousseux. You could steep Apple-Cinnamon tea bags in good unpasteurized apple cider and then add that to Champagne for a more autumnal beverage.

You go Holly! You tell 'em! I'm right there with 'ya defending our collective honor. And you have a quite valid point. I'd say most of the posters just in our forum could run circles around much of what passes for food writing in this town.

Thanks for the link. Looks great and definitely something I'd try if I can get it. I've e-mailed the company for any local retailers in PA. I'll let you know if it's procurable.

I am thankful for everything that's already been said. I'm certain others will add more that I'll agree with as well. I'm thankful to live in a city with such a bounty of wonderful food at all levels and of all ethnicities. I'm thankful to work in that industry I love, in a city I love so much. But mostly, I am thankful that I have such a nice forum to oversee. I believe we really have many of the very best folks at eGullet right here in our little forum. And the fact that I now consider so many of you amongst my nearest and dearest friends in addition to being my regular dining partners had made my life so much richer, more interesting and definitely more amusing!

Jason: I've not heard of this. Can you enlighten me?

You're neither an optimist nor a pessimist, Owen. You're a cynic! I choose to be a realist. Some folks will love this and others will hate it. And that glass is twice as big as it needs to be. I'll give it a try and see if I like it. I'll like it more if it's less sweet as you suggested. I won't drink it regularly even if I love it until there's a diet version.

'Tis true that we have a loyal following in the press rooms at the Inquirer, Philadelphia Magazine, Philadelphia Style and Philadelphia Weekly. Some of those folks even post.

Food scented car fresheners? OK - now I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you've all gone around the bend. No more roast pork for any of you! It's devouring your brain cells!

Independent of this, there are several studies about green tea and it's effect on metabolism and weight loss.

Are they convection ovens? I know they don't have gas. The ovens were described to me by the staff as the "commercial equivalent of a large EZ-Bake oven"!

Just click on her byline at the top of the on-line article, you'll get a mail-to. That works with many of the on-line columnists at the various publications. ← Yeah - you'd think I knew already. But actually someone came through with her e-mail for me already. I've already sent her a short note thanking her for the mention and letting her know about the bad web address.

How funny! I'm listening to Prince and "Jughead" was playing just as I read the line "sandwich stooopid". Cosmic confluence...