KatieLoeb

Is all Minus 8 vinegar the Ice Wine variety?? I know we use it in our kitchen at the restaurant because I've seen the bills for it, but didn't realize it was an ice wine vinegar. I'll have to ask the chefs tomorrow exactly what we use it for because now I'm curious.

An inspired bit of madness I came up with one night was to whirl up some wasabi covered peas in the food processor and then mix them 1:1 with bread crumbs to coat some tuna. It was delicious and I've since done it with wasabi covered peanuts as well. I'd imagine it would be spectacular with the lighter panko crumbs.

Save yourself the trip. It was LAST Sunday 12/5/04. You can still try the recipes.

Admin: posts merged in from Sidecar thread. An interesting article in today's New York Times about Calvados: An Apple Orchard in a Glass They don't talk about Calvados sidecars, but the information is excellent and the tasting notes quite helpful.

Here's a link to an article that recently appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer Latkepalooza There are recipes for Ginger-Cilantro latkes and Wasabi Latkes with Lox.

The food is still very good, albeit the menu slightly different than it used to be. The room is still spectacular. The service is not at all as it used to be and I speak from knowing staff that worked under both regimes and quit because the standards were so much lower they chose not to be associated with it any longer.

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?

Thanks Deidre! Anything from Cakebread Cellars, (particularly at that price) is worth hunting down. Although they're well known for their lovely Chardonnays, the Cabernet is great too. I'll definitely be looking for that one!

Ummm- howzabout your favorite low/no fat dressing???

But have you tried the Mexican Chocolate, when they've had it??? Ohmigod! Cinnamon and a little tingle of residual heat on your lips. It's heavenly! And it pairs incredibly well with the Pistachio, don't know why.

Big sacks of lemons, you say?? Sounds like a plan for a couple of batches of Limoncello!

I believe that Sunbeam is the name of the bread. White white, yeasty, with just a touch of artificial butter flava. One place in town that does serve ribs with bread is the Rosemount on Baltimore Ave in the 50s. Their hours are, how to put this, irregular at best, but a friend dropped off an order for me on Saturday night, and they were really, really good. The bread is just an essential part of the experience. How else are you going to collect the sauce, debris and other various and sundry drippings? ← I think Ron's Ribs @ 15th & South serves spongy white bread with their 'cue.

GAH!!! I am so never ever ever ever going back into that place. I'm ready to be physically ill over that one...

Kathy: Don't forget to report back on your travels and eats. We all want to hear about it!

I wonder how they could "score" an Iron Sommelier type competition?? Seems sort of subjective, even more so than the Chefs competition might be. There are Young Sommelier competitions out there, a friend here in Philly recently came in third in the US. But I seriously wonder how to "score" such a thing. The other thing is, that other than the tiniest percentage of truly high end restaurants that require an active "on-the-foor" sommelier, there is still someone in charge of choosing the wine for any restaurant that purchases it. Are they not a sommelier because they aren't actively interfacing with the customers during dining service? I still consider myself a sommeliere if only because I am in charge of the wine purchasing, the pricing and cost control of our "cellar", and training of the staff to sell those wines in my absence. Is Beverage Director a better title because it doesn't necessarily imply the customer interface? Or does that matter? Just wondering what others might think.

Deux Cheminees The Fountain at the Four Seasons Lacroix @ the Rittenhouse Le Bec Fin The Ritz Carlton La Famiglia Fuji in Cinnaminson, NJ for an omakase blowout of hedonistic proportions and to bring wine of my own choosing to go with it

I highly recommend Branzino, Rittenhouse Square, 261 S. 17th Street, (17th & Manning), (215) 790-0103. Beautiful, but not a monstrous place, ergo very intimate. You can wear 'grown up' clothes, or come as you are, just make reservations. White tablecloths and very relaxing! Let me know what happens... "So it came to pass that on 17th Street south of Locust last month, a brave little spot called Bronzino opened, its walls painted with Roman columns and nostalgic murals of the sea. http://www.digitalcity.com/philadelphia/di....adp?vid=213104 http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/sp...ine/7264160.htm http://www.phillybyob.com/all.asp ← I'll second this recommendation as well. Holly Moore and I had a lovely dinner at Branzino a few weeks ago. Stick to the seafood, veal and pasta dishes. I've had a couple of duds ordering the red meats there, but everything else is delicious. You can check my comments about the place HERE. BYOB.

I own a book called Patisserie of the Eastern Mediterranean by Arto Der Hariutunian. which has great photos in it of most all of the recipes. Might answer many of your questions. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/007...4/egulletcom-20 I think I've built an eGullet friendly link here.

Chef Carlos Molina at Los Catrines-Tequila's Bar in Philadelphia. Los Catrines & Tequila's Bar 1602 Locust Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 546-0181

I did the Cuyuga Wine Trail in Ithaca several years ago and it was very nice. The wines (none of which I remember specifically, unfortunately) ranged from mediocre to very good. A lot of sweet, unbalanced wines, as has been mentioned previously. I've not had the pleasure of trying any of the Long Island wines, but please keep the recommendations coming, as I've heard nothing but high praise for them and look forward to knowing which ones to seek out.

You're thinking of Snapper Soup, for which Bookbinder's was duly famous. Now I think the only places serving it are Pearl's Oyster Bar at RTM and Sansom Street Oyster House. Both versions are good. Make sure to ask for some sherry to add "to taste". It's really what makes the soup. IMO.

You beat me to it. This is what I was thinking.

Were they too old and could the oils have turned rancid?

Jamie: Excellent!! My thanks and applause for summing it all up so well. That is one great piece of writing and one great piece of PR for the site. Well done!!

I listened to the broadcast link, intently listening for the part about the Rouge cheeseburgers. Imagine my delight when I realized that "Melissa from South Philly", the caller that suggested Monk's and got the unsolicited plug for Rouge was none other than Melissa, former sommeliere and my former partner in crime at Striped Bass! I recognized her voice immediately and when she said she now works at Tangerine, I knew it was her! What a bizarre coincidence! And she'd have been just the person to show Mr. Richman that there is indeed good wine in Philadelphia (he expressed some doubts about that), and a lot of it is being chosen by women. There are quite a few of us "wine chicks" here in town and I think he'd be impressed with our "collective palate", given the opportunity to explore the local wine culture a bit more. Perhaps I'll e-mail him and suggest that. I think I owe Melissa a Rouge Burger...