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Everything posted by KatieLoeb
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I like the carrot-raisin salad suggestion. Nice contrast of flavor, texture and color all in one.
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Wine & Spirits Bargains at the PLCB (Part 1)
KatieLoeb replied to a topic in Pennsylvania: Cooking & Baking
With an unusual dose of clairvoyance, I am sipping the last of my first bottle fom the six pack I picked up today of the Burgess 1993 Cab as I type this (poorly). I decanted the bottle at about 8:30 PM and had a wee taste right out of the bottle. A bit sharp at first, but with a great deal of potential. As the evening wore on and I served myself the steak I'd grilled up for dinner the wine truly blossomed. It seems this wine becomes darker and darker over time, in a totally good way. More dark fruits like plum and cassis and blackberry are revealed over time. The sharp edges give way to softer, rounder and smoother flavors. All of the earlier harsher flavors "blow off" and reveal a lovely and elegant wine at the core. I'm going to hoard this wine and the four bottles I have left of the 1992 vintage and look forward to some awesome vertical tastings after a few more vintages become available at the insane prices in PA at which this wine is available. If someone can tell me where I can find 12 year old Cabernet that's aged at the winery under controlled conditions and then released to the public at less than half the price that the winery itself is charging for their limited supply of the very same wine, you can bitch slap me and call me Sally. There ain't no way, no how, that wine of this providence and caliber ought to be selling at $19.99. No siree. Run, don't walk. There's not a whole lot of this left. On a separate note, there's a surprisingly good supply of everyone's favorite "cult wine", the Phelps Insignia 2000 at 12th & Chestnut. At $59.99 it's a bit rich for my blood and wallet, but hey. For those of you with cellars and disposable income, it's calling your name. And tell us how it was, wontcha? Most of us don't live as well as the rest of youse. -
Oh Holly!
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And one behind the old Urban Outfitters that's now Strikes Bowling Lounge at 40th & Locust. I loved Hillary's! We used to sit there and try and decide what the worst combo of flavors and toppings we could think of was. I think the Grand Prize went to Mandarin Orange Sherbet with Red Hots and Hot Fudge.
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Wine & Spirits Bargains at the PLCB (Part 1)
KatieLoeb replied to a topic in Pennsylvania: Cooking & Baking
There's one with my name on it. I'll be picking up soon - YAY! Tried the Flora Springs Soliloquy last night. Very crisp and refreshing Sauv Blanc with a lot of fruit to back it up. Good wine for the price for sure. -
The Gruet is one of my favorite domestic sparklers. Excellent choice! The advice to go buy a half bottle and try it is a good one unless the caterer or venue is doing a tasting for you. It's wonderful wine, but YOU have to like it. After all, it's your big day, n'est ce pas?
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Eric Kemenes, one of the chefs I worked with formerly at Rouge is the Executive Chef at Royal Tavern. He does a great job with the menu. The Sly Fox Royal Wiesse is curiously also on draft at Sansom Street Oyster House. I'm just sayin' is all....
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He lurks here. I know he does. Perhaps he'll join us for a Pizza Club outing if we agree to provide the disguise?? Groucho Glasses? A gigantic pile of frites and a waiter to hold them in front of his face all evening like his latest photo in Philadelphia Magazine? Whadda 'ya think? And thanks for defending my oh-so-sensitive palate, Rich. You're my hero. ← He can just use a slice with pepperoni and an outstretched hand. ← Nah - that disguise is already taken.
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He lurks here. I know he does. Perhaps he'll join us for a Pizza Club outing if we agree to provide the disguise?? Groucho Glasses? A gigantic pile of frites and a waiter to hold them in front of his face all evening like his latest photo in Philadelphia Magazine? Whadda 'ya think? And thanks for defending my oh-so-sensitive palate, Rich. You're my hero.
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Wine & Spirits Bargains at the PLCB (Part 1)
KatieLoeb replied to a topic in Pennsylvania: Cooking & Baking
A limited selection of Chairman's Selection wines have arrived at the new South Philly Snyder Ave. Outlet store. I'm sipping a lovely glass of Cambria Bench Break 2000 Pinot Noir right now ($17.99) that's definitely worth the cost of admission. Big fruit and a hint of earthiness that retains some elegance. Lots of jammy cherry and a hint of spice. Very velvety on the palate. Drinks like a bottle that's twice the price. I think it was quoted at $42. Interestingly, this wine is produced by women. The proprietor of Cambria is a woman, Barbara Banke, and winemaker Denise Shurtleff is also a woman. They say women have far more sensitive noses and palates than men. I think this wine is a pretty good example of that. The subtlety definitely belies a woman's touch. And heck - I'm all about supporting my sisters in a male dominated industry. For anyone else that feels supportive of the women that make wine, there's a Food & Wine magazine sponsored Women in Wine event at the Borgata Casino in Atlantic City next Saturday 4/9/05. The event features a dozen women winemakers as well as the Borgata's all-female team of wine directors and sommelieres. Celebrity chefs (Bobby Flay, Jean-Marie Lacroix, Susanna Foo, etc.) will be making dishes to compliment the wines. I'm attending so I'll report back afterward. But probably not that night. I also purchased two bottles of the Flora Springs Soliloquy 2002 Sauvignon Blanc ($12.99!!!) and a bottle of the Atalon Estate Merlot 1999 ($19.99). There was also a decent supply of the St. Francis Behler Merlot and St. Francis Cabernet. I'll post notes when the others get opened. Don't hold your breath - not sure when I'll have a night home to myself in the foreseeble future. -
That's hysterically funny! Sadly though, I might find myself doing the same thing completely unconsciously.
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Blanquette de Limoux is an inexpensive and oft overlooked sparkler too. Or an inexpensive Brut that isn't from the rarefied confines of Champagne would probably be affordable as well.
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I'd be curious to know how the PLCB decides where to open new stores (and what type of stores they will be - Outlet, Premium Collection, Regular). Do they have some objective criteria? Do they conduct market research? How much do they respond to politicians' whims (being Pennsylvania this is a given)? And similarly, how do they decide to close a store? The unremarkable store at Columbus and Washington seems redundant being only a mile or so from the new one. (I don't see the even closer store at Snyder and Swanson showing up on the PLCB web site - did it close?) ← Snyder and Swanson closed to open the bigger better outlet.
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The thing about Philly pizza is the CRUST or the DOUGH, I guess. There's a certain flavor it has that probably has to do with the water, but it's a flavor I recognize. Also a little bit of "sour-dough-ness" to the crust as well. Good crushed tomato sauce (on the good ones anyway) and lots of gooey Mozz. It's definitely different that New York style "fold me and have have orange grease drip down your arm", or New Haven apizza. It's just different. But they're all pizza. Does anyone question whether Beanie Weenie casserole is merely White Trash Cassoulet by another name? Sheesh! He missed Rustica (both of them), Franco and Luigi's and Mama Palma's, ferchrissakes! To say the survey was incomplete would be diplomatic. The statistical sample was unrepresentative at best. Worthless results.
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To exclude either of the two Rustica locations, Mama Palma's, Franco & Luigi's, and especially Delorenzo's in Trenton, were glaring errors to me. ← What Rich said. And the biggest insult is this: Say whaaaat??? Excuuuuuuse me? Philistine! He missed virtually all the great pizzas in the entire city and then the unmitigated gall to say there's nothing iconic here. Pffffft!
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Welcome effrontery! Hope to see you around here more often! I had dinner at August a few months ago prior to seeing Bette Midler at the Wachovia Center and had a lovely dinner. As mrbigjas stated, I recall high quality ingredients put together in an unfussy and well thought out manner. Service was also excellent. Oddly and cosmically there is a huge Bette Midler mural/poster on one wall that my friend and I thought was a very strange coincidence since we were on our way to the show that night. The folks at the next table were headed to the concert too. None of us had ever been there before. It was very weird.
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Shall we wear the Groucho glasses so we can recognize each other?
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I'll be there. I put this event on the eGullet calendar last week. Glad you've started a whole thread about it. The wines alone are worth the admission. The fact that some of Philly's best chefs are cooking pork dishes to match is an added bonus. Wine and Swine. Two great things that go great together.
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I took a few minutes for a reconaissance mission this afternoon down to the new Wine & Spirits shop off Snyder Ave. down by the Ikea today. The Chairman's Selections still haven't arrived, but some might be in by this weekend, and store Manager Drew assured me that all would be in place by 4/15, which in addition to being tax day, is the official Grand Opening of the store. I believe the Chairman will be in attendance as well for that opening. Unfortunately, it's on a night when I'll be working so I won't be able to make it. But the store has a great selection, great prices and lots of the larger format liquor bottles for sale. I'll probably check back over the weekend and see if anything has arrived yet and report back. Over and out...
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Welcome Serpentine! I've forever been curious about Cafe Sud. For a long time it looked like it was only open at odd hours baking spectacular fondant covered wedding cakes which I'd see on display at various food related events. Then supposedly it opened for for brunch, though I never saw anyone in there, and now they're (again supposedly) open for dinner too. I'll have to go check this out in person sometime, but it's always been a curiosity to me since I pass by it so frequently and never see any levels of activity within that would lead me to believe it was a thriving business.
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Blessed: Roasts, particularly red meat. I make a mean roast beef or leg of lamb. A very serviceable brined turkey as well. Pasta and sauces. My puttanesca always gets requests for seconds. Always the first meal I'll cook for a hot date. Soups. Ground meat concoctions. I have an award winning chili recipe, make a pretty good picadillo and have great success with making far more moussaka than is ever needed for any gathering. Anything to do with mixing cocktails or infusing vodka. Cursed: Most baking is not my thing. Anything that involved kneading or rolling is out of my league. Simple stuff like muffins and loaf-like things like banana bread I'm OK for. Quiches and pies I confess I use the pre-made crusts for.
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Severino's!! I should have remembered them as well. Used to get dinner to take home all the time when I worked around the corner at Moore Bros. Really great pasta and sauces and the deli stuff are pretty good too. A little known secret is that if you want to make your own custom pasta, Severino's will stuff the ravioli for you if you bring them your filling in a large enough quantity.
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Garden Fresh it is. Katie, when were you at London? ← I was Assistant GM at London from 1996-1998. To remain OT, does Garden Fresh still have good prepared products? I'd actually make a special trip up there if they did.
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This is interesting. I've eaten at Rangoon maybe three times and didn't find the food to be particularly greasy. I find the food at Penang that everyone raves about to be REALLY greasy and why I don't eat there anymore. I just can't digest that stuff - it inevitably makes me ill.
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Wine & Spirits Bargains at the PLCB (Part 1)
KatieLoeb replied to a topic in Pennsylvania: Cooking & Baking
About 2 - 3 weeks out for the Burgess '93. About 4 weeks for the Flora Spring.... as for the opening of the Outlet store in South Philly...Is Monday soon enough? Actually the soft opening will be Monday the 28th. With a Grand Opening to follow at a later date. ← Yeah Baby!!!! Woo-hoo! No more driving all the way up to Franklin Mills for me! And lots of parking to boot! This is the best news I've heard all week. I'll be the first one in the door on Monday AM. I hope they're open early because I have to be in the restaurant pretty early. If not, it'll have to be Tuesday AM.