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KatieLoeb

eGullet Society staff emeritus
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Everything posted by KatieLoeb

  1. When In Her Shoes was filming in 2004 they shot a lot of scenes in Rittenhouse Square, right across from Rouge, my former place of employ. Cameron Diaz came in for lunch a bunch of times - she was very fond of one of the tuna dishes on the menu. She even had a romantic lunch with her squeeze Justin Timberlake one day that ended up in a photo in the National Inquirer. The stalkerazzi were everywhere during that time, hiding in the bushes in the park like the vermin they are. It was pretty silly. Cameron Diaz is very nice in person. She's pretty in a much more natural "girl next door" looking way than she shows on the red carpet. She was very sweet to the staff and the waiters told me she's a decent tipper. Was the sushi restaurant Morimoto?? Jamaican Jerk Hut is really good. I've been eating their roti for years, and the jerk and curries are excellent also. They also make their own fresh juices. The ginger beer (which is really more the consistency of pineapple juice) is REALLY hot and delicious. It also mixes some mean cocktails. Once you've had a Dark n' Stormy that way, the soda pop type ginger beers pale by comparison.
  2. Sounds absolutely delicious!! Would you be so kind as to share the recipe? ← I'll have to get back to you since I actually don't know the simple syrup ingredients. It's the Executive Sous Chef's secret! I know there's cinnamon, clove and I think star anise, but I'll get proportions and then get you the whole recipe.
  3. Just picked myself up a bottle of 2005 Two Hands Brilliant Disguise Barossa Valley Moscato. I've had this wine once before and it's really lovely. Cost is $11.99 for a 500 ml bottle. Very light (low alcohol of like 6.5%) and refreshing with a pretty floral character and a light fizz. Great aperitif or a nice dessert wine that's less heavy than port or the usual sticky suspects. I might have to try make a moscato float!
  4. Probably too late for tonight, but Mandoline is a very nice BYOB in Old City that's not as pricey as many neighboring places. There's a State store right on 2nd Street too, so a bottle of wine is quite convenient. [shill & shameless self-promotion] By November's First Friday, Amada will be open. We're opening next weekend (Friday 10/14). You can stop in for tapas, $2 cañas (tapas sized glasses) of any of the draught beers, glasses of sangria and wines by the glass starting at $6. I am very proud of how the wine list has finally turned out, and now that the staff has tried everything over the last two days, I can say that they're behind it too. I can hardly wait to have some paying customers come in to check it out! [/shill & shameless self-promotion] BTW - if any of you are planning to stop by at Amada, please PM me so I'll know if I'm in or not. I don't really have a schedule yet after training is over next week, but I'd love to see you all there whenever you have the chance to stop in.
  5. And to get back on topic... Here's a PLCB bargain. FREE SHIPPING! Ends on October 9, 2005. Clickety I just put a sizeable dent in my wallet for a mixed case of goodies. Turns out that through the website, there's still some of that yummy 1996 Campillo Reserva left at the ridiculous price of $14.99. Now that I've paid for my half case I can spread the joy. Also picked up a couple of bottles of 2000 Geyser Peak Reserve Shiraz also at $14.99, an absurd savings of $31 per bottle!
  6. Hmmm...It seems many of the places right in Old City would be prohibitive price-wise. A bit further up the road there's always the Standard Tap in Northern Liberties. Good food that's reasonably priced and a great selection of beverages from interesting local draughts to decent wines by the glass. Pizza Rustica next door to there is downright cheap as dirt for the quality of pizza they're dishing up. No bar, but I don't know if they're averse to BYObeer or not. Might be worth investigating.
  7. Why is 3.2% beer like making love in a canoe? They're both f&%king close to water!
  8. I wish them all the luck. That space seems "cursed" and I could never figure out why other than its just cursed - a known real estate phenomenon. If memory serves, it was Fratelli's for a long while (?) and then nothingness for many years... 'til now hopefully. Evan ← The winner for Most-Cursed-Restaurant-Space-in-All-of-Philadelphia is a toss up between this place and the former Pompano Grill space in the old bank building at Passyunk & Bainbridge.
  9. That's sounds inspired!!! I love the idea of the foamy visual too. How many drinks did that recipe make? I tend to use the Just Whites powdered egg whites. Raw eggs are too much of a liability issue. I'll let you know when I'm making the trip to NYC. Would love to chat and have a cocktail.
  10. Philadelphia is 90 miles from New York. Am I still part of the "metropolitan area"?
  11. I'm with Jason. No. Hell No! I will pay for local organic free range bird, but that's not nearly as prohibitive as all that. Poultry as a protein source just isn't spectacular enough to warrant those sorts of prices. Until someone proves to me there is an equivalent to "Wagyu Poultry" it smells like BS, Marketing and overpricing to me. It's kind of insulting they think we're that stupid/gullible. I guess that could be said about a lot of things though.
  12. David: Sorry to hear you were underwhelmed. I guess it worked out right that the time I tried to go there they were closed. That Folie a Deux is some yummy wine though, and very reasonably priced for restaurant retail, I might add. Dirt cheap in fact, since the PLCB website shows it at 12.99 their cost. I wonder how they can afford to do that? The Menage a Trois red is delicious too!
  13. Paraphrasing Wine Lover's Companion: It's a secondary fermentation, sometimes induced, where bacteria convert some of the malic acid in the wine to lactic acid (yes like in milk, butter or yogurt) and carbon dioxide. No more alcohol is produced. Malic acid is harsher than lactic acid so the wines tend to get smoother. Also creates diacetyl that smells like melted butter. This is literally what gives many California Chardonnays their buttery flavor (in addition to the oak barrels of course).
  14. Heitz Cellars Ink Grade Vineyard Port from Napa is pretty good stuff and uses the authentic grape varietals as described by Carolyn. I've had this. It's quite good.
  15. Gastro88: Sorry you had such a bad experience in our fair city. Someone DEFINITELY should have warned you about Porcini being <ahem> cozy. It's like eating with the folks at the next table, whether you know them or not. I've had some good meals there, with average service, but I can totally believe them copping an atty-tood with you. It's a tiny place that's literally run by the owners. There's probably only 2 or 3 other employees that aren't vested. Counterintuitively, they have chosen to believe this gives them license to be rude rather than be even more vigilant since they're literally on the front lines with the customers. Interesting choice on their part. I hope they have enough regulars to make it worthwhile. Even if other tables weren't treated as badly as yours, in a place that size, everyone saw and heard it. I'd be disinclined to revisit a restaurant I saw couldn't handle themselves civilly, even if it wasn't directed at me. You still have to make it to Tony Luke's for a decent cheesesteak (Pat's & Geno's suck) and the porky goodness of a Roast Pork Italiano! It's right under I-95 so you might be able to do it on your swing out of town.
  16. A more general suggestion would be to find a wine that has low tannins and a lower alcohol content if the curries have any spicy heat whatsoever. If there's any capsaicin heat in the curry, than the alcohol in the wine will be like throwing gasoline on a fire. It'll set your mouth aflame. There's a reason that people drink 5% ABV beer with Buffalo Wings rather than wine or vodka.
  17. I'd never had the pleasure of trying a Muscadine/Scuppernong before I came down to Raleigh in September for Varmint's 2nd Pig Pickin'. I saw (and smelled) them at the Raleigh Farmer's Market for the very first time and inquired with the produce vendor as to what they were about. They invited me to taste one and I did. Interesting flavor and texture. I ate the skin and spit out the seeds, not knowing any better, but I found the skin to be rather tough and unappealing. The insides were mighty tasty though, if a bit slimy. That wine-like flavor reminded me of how Concord grapes taste like bad kosher wine.
  18. KatieLoeb

    Pegu Club

    I have enviously been reading this thread since it's inception, and I can hardly wait until I can make my first visit to Pegu Club. I've sent everyone I know that lives or works in New York there so I could live vicariously through them and check this place out. Audrey has been particularly generous toward me, a fellow professional, who aspires to someday be half as good at setting up an amazingly cool bar. I'm eagerly awaiting my opportunity to come visit and thank her personally for the inspiration and guidance.
  19. Indeed, thanks for that tip, and your other advice as well, we kept all of it in mind as we were selecting the wines. ← Glad I could help, but I was really referring more to the fact that I felt I'd sort of browbeaten you guys into buying a wine you'd never heard of from a crazy winemaker in the far reaches of Alto Adige. Glad you liked it though! And I remain envious...
  20. Will that do to convey the pea green with envy emotion?? I am so sorry I missed this, but duty calls and I remain fairly buried in Spanish wine notes and information. Looks like dinner was another smash and the wine pairings look fabulous!! The sweet sparkler with the soup is brilliant. The Niedrist Sauvignon is awesome stuff and I think it might have been my influence that strongarmed a couple of you into buying it on our last wine shopping adventure to Pennsauken. So I will make do by living vicariously, knowing that some small part of me was there in spirit. I had forgotten about Shola's time spent in Thailand, and it certainly appears that some of that knowledge took root. I hope to be able to enjoy some Thai cooking at StudioKitchen some time in the future, if this wasn't a one time only performance.
  21. Alchemist - you are a true and creatively inspired cocktalian. I'd would love to have a drink with you sometime. We'd have a lot to talk about... Love the technical terms.
  22. OK - so are we saying there is no application on this green earth for which the mint bitters might be appropriate?? I was curious about the mint bitters (and the peach as well) and a mojito seemed like a no-brainer, but what were they designed for if not that?
  23. Brilliant!! I'd have never considered such a thing but it makes total sense. I'm always afraid to have those behind the bar because someone is always tempted to inhale the stuff out of the little canisters and keel over. (Note: I had friends when I was younger that used to suck the nitrous oxide out of the whipped cream cans at the supermarket and leave them all flat) The idea of having the soda canister makes a whole lot of things possible. There are so many tasty juices and nectars out there waiting to be zapped with a bit of effervescence. Sounds like I have some research ahead of me....
  24. Abra, I think your Basque Oxtail dish would work brilliantly with some Mencía from Bierzo as well. I'm currently working on a Spanish wine list for a client and have learned that I truly love Spanish wine. It's been a brilliant tutorial and I now have many new favorites. Mencía is my latest kick. Kind of like cab franc with less overwhelming vegetal and more spice.
  25. North Star Orchards is at the Rittenhouse Square and Headhouse Square Farmer's markets every Saturday and Clark Park Farmer's Market on Thursdays with them, as well as with many varieties of heirloom apples. The Asian Pear cider is also delicious and makes a mean Margarita. Let me know how you like them.
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