KatieLoeb

Congrats Glenn! The site looks terrific! Good choice on the Bassett's Ice Cream. It's an old-school Philly favorite. I still think their vanilla is the very very best. Can I put in a vote for my personal favorite grilled cheese combo? Brie with Fig jam is just awesome on multi-grain bread.

Patrick: Your desserts are gorgeous. You should be duly proud. And as the Anointed Limoncello Queen of eGullet, I simply must suggest little shots of iced Limoncello alongside any of these artistic desserts.

Overtures prix fixe special (early in the week) is a bargain. ← I'll chime in on this suggestion too. Overtures is probably one of the most under the radar romantic restaurants and best values in the city. If you don't feel like doing the BYO thing, a bunch of us stopped by Il Bar at Panorama after the DDC dinner for a glass of wine and all remarked at how beautiful the room is. Gorgeous murals, pretty lighting sconces and candlelight everywhere. And the 120 bottle cruvinet doesn't hurt either. You could do flights of Champagne and feed each other amazing hand made pasta. Definitely qualifies as romantic!

The White Dog Cafe here in Philly where I was formerly employed, used to serve a Cheese Grits with Shrimp for brunch that was positively transcendant. Heartstoppingly good. In the literal sense! I don't know if it's still on the menu, but it's worth a special trip if it is.

Along the same lines, Sarcone's roasted vegetable hoagie is very good. I'm not a vegetable person, but I found myself really digging it. ← Chickie's Vegetable hoagie is the best of breed in this category. Eggplant, roasted red peppers and sauteed boccoli rabe with lots of garlic and aged provolone that smells like feet. On Sarcone's bread. It gets no better than that. It's the best vegetarian sandwich I know of. Anywhere.

At the Golden Globes: Best Picture, Musical or Comedy Best Screenplay Not too shabby.

The "Bloody Shame" idea was approved, so I suspect those will be available some time later this week. There's several big events early this week so even though I spent the whole day in front of my computer at the office today, new products probably won't be added until at least Wednesday or Thursday. I was too busy just getting an initial inventory together and finding all manner of random unknown bottles of wine lurking behind the bar and in storage today. I'd swear that chardonnay bottles multiply like bunnies when you aren't watching them. I'm planning on compiling a list of bottles that we have a limited supply of and put them up for sale at bargain prices, just to make space for new products. There's only so much space where wine can be stored or kept chilled for service and there's a bunch of random single bottles that need to find a home on someone's table with their dinner.

Mel: Thanks so much for joining us. Having the opportunity to pick a cooper's brain doesn't come along every day. What are your thoughts on "shortcuts" to oak influence in wine? Are there any methods that are perhaps "preferable" to others? Are suspended oak staves somehow superior to oak chips or strained out pencil shavings? I often look at the more inexpensive wines, and knowing what the cost of good cooperage is these days, simply know they've cut corners in production because they couldn't possibly offer the wine at that price if it had ever seen a real barrel, no less one of decent quality. Your thoughts on this phenomenon would be most educational. My thanks again for your time in speaking with us here at eGullet.

Kurt: How was the Apricot/Coriander brew? That certainly sounds intriguing. Was it a good match to Bangladeshi cuisine?

Oooooh Zilla! Nicely done! The cafe at Hotel Sacher itself would be proud to serve any of your lovely creations! Those Caramel Mousse Napoleons are killing me...:drool:

Very nice! A full report of your findings are expected at the end of the experiment, Doctor!

Oh man. I want a hot dog soooooo badly right now! Looks like y'all had a great time. Sorry I missed it. That was an epic hot dog run!

You've just given me another idea for an infusion flavor. Maybe something akin to "tomato water" with the vodka, or a "gazpacho" flavored infusion of some sort? That could be great, I just have to figure out how to do it. Or we could just do it with plain Bloody Mary mix and no vodka and call it a "Bloody Shame".

I am sure that, given the proximity to the bus station, "Tony Luke's NY" will develop its own special character. ← Marble topped counters wouldn't be appropriate at the One-and-Only-Original-Tony-Luke's. In fact I suspect the clientele would be amused by any such attempts to "gentrify" the place. Holly is definitely correct about the ambiance being very distinctly South Philly and that can't be transplanted. If you ever want to amuse yourself you can shout out "Ant-ny" or "Joe-ey" at the Oregon Avenue Tony Luke's and see at least half of the guys in there turn around. If everything in the shop is indeed being brought in from Philly (most importantly the bread), then there's no doubt it's the best cheesesteak in New York. It would be by definition. I don't think you even have to bother with comparisons.

Herb: I believe I've had this dish or one remarkably similar at Shiao Lan Kung, so you can still go feed that jones if you feel the need. And yes - the oysters they use are enormous, sometimes the shell is as big as my hand. But they are really delicious.

Is anyone attending this event next week? 6:30-9:30 PM at the Philadelphia Cruise Ship Terminal. It's a pretty big shindig and there's lots of food and drink to be had, as well as live music and dancing. There's a competition between many of the best area restaurants for Best Appetizer, Best Entree and Best Dish of 2005 and proceeds from the event benefit MANNA (Metropolitan AIDS Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance) which provides meals and assistance to homebound AIDS patients all over the Delaware Valley. The tickets are $85 in advance and $95 at the door. Not an inexpensive evening, but it's for a very good cause and the restaurants that are represented are all top notch. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a list at THIS link, but I think I might have the info at work. I'll certainly post the list of participating restaurants if I find it. Sansom Street Oyster House is participating and we will be bringing an oyster appetizer of some sort. Our staff is also decorating our booth as an island shack and dressing as the cast of Gilligan's Island*. Should be amusing. Sadly, I've come to the realization that I'm a bit long in the tooth to play either Ginger or Maryann, so I will be dispensing wisdom and oysters in the guise of Mrs. Howell. Our Chef/Owner will be Gilligan, and some of our other staff I believe are playing Ginger, the Skipper and the Professor (I think). I'm certain there will be photographic evidence of this so I'll post photos after the event as long as you all promise to laugh with me. Hope to see some of you there! *wish I could take credit for this stroke of genius, but it was already in place when I arrived.

Ted: The infused vodkas are on my priority list somewhere below getting the wine list to actually have printed what's in house, and having the point-of-sale system accurately reflect the menu. Give me a few weeks to get the really important stuff lined up and find and test the infusion recipes. I will certainly post as soon as the shooters are in place. Aside from my eternal thanks for all the thoughtful good wishes I've received, I'd really like to thank everyone for helping make my new job so much easier. I feel like I have a test market of savvy consumers to bounce ideas off of that'll be honest enough to tell me "NO - don't do that!" if I need a little dialing back. This is sort of my own private little Alinea Project, and your assistance is most appreciated.

Aligote is rough-hewn stuff on its own, sort of thin, acidic and weedy, so mixing it with the local cassis made it more potable. The Bourgogne locals are nothing if not frugal and creative.

The LCB probably forbids selling homemade potables, but that's another active thread. ← I'm not certain this is entirely true, because many restaurants serve their own infused vodkas (Stoli Doli martinis at Capital Grill for instance). I'm looking into that to make infusion for oyster shooters! I'm thinking Lemon (not sweetened like Limoncello), Habanero and Horseradish to start. We'd serve small shots with an oyster in it. Any of that sound appealing to anyone? James, I will most certainly call Chef Matt and both invite him to come in and visit me at SSOH (I really need to return all the hospitality he's shown me over the years) and also to pick his brain for suppliers that Cary might not be aware of. I'll inquire after the Pacific Orchard oysters specifically.

I can't believe how excited everyone is for me! This really is so gratifying. I'm truly humbled. And again, really excited to have so many potential guests! I'm looking forward to seeing each and every one of you. Please call first so I know you're coming. If I know I have visitors coming I am always happy to stay late and greet them personally. It's the least I can do, I just have to know ahead. Unless I have an unalterable commitment I will make certain I am there to say hello, even if it isn't my scheduled shift. Aaron, I'm particularly flattered that we've gotten you to come out of hiding! Welcome to eGullet and now there's no turning back. We're looking forward to many insightful posts from you in the future! Charlie - it was great to see you! Glad you could stop by. I'd like to clarify for everyone that the Happy Hour oysters are the Long Island Blue Points. Unfortunately, it's cost prohibitve to be giving away the Kumamotos and Katchemak Bay oysters at that spectacular Happy Hour price. But the Blue Points are very fresh and yummy too, as Charlie said. As soon as the wines I've ordered are in place (a few should be in tomorrow), we'll be all set to make the oyster and wine pairing experience happen for Happy Hour or any other time any of you want to make good on your promises to come see me! I tried a half dozen of the St. Simon oysters for dinner last night and they were very good. I'd never even heard of that variety before, so I was particularly intrigued. I found them very buttery and the flavor was quite subtle. They are on the small/medium size end of the oyster spectrum. I feel the need to educate myself now because everyone is asking me questions I don't necessarily know the answers to about the varieties of oysters. I need to study up!

Ciao mi amico!! Anybody want to take Italian with me?? I've been wanting to learn for quite some time. Anybody?? And we can have a weekly gelato fix. What could be bad about that? So it looks like I'm going to have to de-rustify my Italian in the near future. And what could be a better way than this? Anybody still interested: Katie? Herb? ← Andrew: The first class was already held this past Monday evening. Since I'm not positive about my schedule yet I couldn't commit. Should have a better idea of my availability by the time the next session rolls around in 6 or 7 weeks. I'm still interested and will get all the details and post, OK?

Ohmigosh! All these great suggestions! I have to sell off some of the wines that are already here in inventory, and of course I don't want to overwhelm the waitstaff with too many new products at once, so a few new things per week and this should take care of itself. TarteTatin you're trip sounds fabulous! And the wine tours <heavy sigh>. You'll have to tell me all about your tour of the Poniatowski cellars. The Prince is such a true gentleman of the sort that rarely exist anymore.

Couldn't get out of my appointment til 10 this evening. I will definitely ask for you when I'm there, this thread has got me seriously craving for oysters. Since everyone is giving ideas here my 2 cents. How bout throwing in some Pouilly Fume and Sancerre to the mix of white offerings. Also what would be terrific is offering an Americanized version of a plateau de fruit de mer. How bout one that includes say northern pink shrimps, geoduck, sea urchin, gooseneck barnacles, peekytoe crabs, periwinkles, razor clams, limpets or whatever other shellfish we can get from these parts. Not sure what kind of demand and supply issues for these more obscure but delicious items though. ← That's cool. Just glad I didn't miss you or anything. Word is out to all those wine salespeople that I am seeking their best and most affordable examples of Sancerre, Muscadet and Bourgogne Blanc. I'm also looking at some Oregon Pinot Blanc, some Alsace whites and perhaps some good Albarino if I can find it. I want wines from places where they eat a lot of fish and shellfish. When all else fails, drink what the locals do and you can't go wrong. Hence, my choice of the obscure, but utterly perfect Loire sparkler. I will definitely discuss your idea for the Plat Fruits du Mer Americaine with the Chef/Owner. I think he'd find that intriguing.

To everyone: Thanks for the votes of confidence and the effusive good wishes. It really means the world to me. I'm so excited to have so many potential visitors lined up from so many different places! How cool is that? I didn't realize I came with a following... Herb: No swelled head, I promise. I still have a lot of work to do, believe me. Fresser: You have an open invitation. We'll even call a special session of Pizza Club if you make it. I'm certain the Philly crew would be delighted to entertain you. Today's small bits of progress include ordering the first new wines of my own choosing on the list. So far I have a lovely Bordeaux Blanc, a Chardonnay/Sauvignon Blanc/ Riesling blend called "Cool Fish", and a western Loire sparkler made from biodynamically grown Folle Blanche, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay vinified by true methode Champenoise that's gonna really sing with the oysters! I have appointments with wine salespeople every single day for the next week, so the hunt is on! I'll keep you all posted.

In fact he does lurk here occasionally, at my urging. I guess that might come back and bite me on the butt now, eh? Actually one of my responsibilities is to act as liason between the restaurant and our web hosts. Once I've gotten the rest of my tools like my own prorietary spreadsheets and programs (patience - it's only my third day!) in place I'm going to start tackling that sort of stuff for sure. And the wine list is obviously one of my first priorities. I'm hunting for some interesting and "oyster/fish appropriate" wines by the glass to start. There will be other pink wine too, but I'm going to find a lovely dry rose to go with the Boulliabaise that we serve every Wednesday. A tiny little vacation to Provence in a glass! Also trying to find other reasonable "house wines", both red and white to compliment the regular Happy Hour special of $5/half doz. oysters or $2.50/half dozen clams between 5-7PM Monday-Friday. Hoping to be able to serve the Happy Hour house wines for $4-5/glass.