KatieLoeb

I love being offered fresh pepper with my meal. I always have some on salads. Entrees I need to taste first an gauge whether it needs it, although I tend to usually do so on pasta. I really hate when the waiter comes over brandishing something that looks like it was once a bedpost. If the waiter can stand more than three feet away whilst peppering my food, the mill is TOO DAMNED BIG!

How could I have missed this until now?? Craig, you will be sorely missed by me. Your wit and wisdom on all things wine and Italy related have been an education for me. I hope we'll still see you 'round these parts frequently. I couldn't bear not having a resident wine expert to turn to or (more importantly) to correct me from time to time.

Anyone have any experiences at The Chophouse in Gibbsboro? I hear they make a mean steak but don;t know anyone that's been there.

Cinghiale: We're delighted that you shared your experience. I think you're sensing insult where there was none intended. I don't think Nancy was attacking you, nor was I, just pointing out that when you walk into Bomb Bomb it has that certain "South Philly dive bar charm" shall I say (or lack thereof) and well, if it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, it's probably a duck! Ralph's too, has that certain je ne sais quois that just reeks of red gravy and South Philly, but at least IMHO is a bit nicer (read:less divey) than Bomb Bomb and the food is certainly better than what I had and what you described experiencing at Bomb Bomb. Vetri it ain't, but better and a fine yardstick for South Philly red gravy style cooking. My favorite red gravy joint is probably Villa diRoma. It's a step up from a cafeteria (although I understand they've expanded the dining room), but the food is good honest freshly prepared Italian made from great ingredients they obviously just bought down the block at the Italian Market. I'd recommend trying this place for anyone jonesing for food like Nonna used to make, but bring cash as they don't take plastic.

She speaks the truth... I went to Bomb Bomb several years ago and found it to be solidly mediocre. Definitely struck me as a neighborhood-y kind of joint. Certainly NOT a "destination" selection for dining. In other words, if you had to travel further than a short walk, probably not worth it.

Congratulations! I love the Besserat de Bellefon Brut Rose. We purchased it for Valentine's Day here at my resaurant and it was a big hit. Not too expensive for the quality either. About $28 retail (in PA at least) but tastes like it costs four times that. Delicious! The Egly-Ouriet ain't too shabby either! The Diebolt-Vallois Cuvee Prestige Blanc de Blanc is crisp and lovely all Chardonnay and about $50 if you'd like something white and sparkly.

I remember treating myself to a "nice" dinner at Marigold several times with my roommate whist still an undergrad at Penn. It was like going over to Grandma's for dinner and we both loved it. I'm delighted that it's coming back and am eagerly anticipating this latest incarnation.

Today's Philadelphia Inquirer Travel section had a great article about where to take visitors to eat. It mentions a lot of the favorites you often hear us singing the praises of and lets everyone in on the secret we've known for some time. Philly is a world class food town. Check it out: Visit Will Leave a Good Taste They forgot to mention that this week is Restaurant Week and about 80 restaurants are doing $30 prix fixe meals until next Saturday.

Cool! I have to stop in. I haven't seen Kevin in years. I worked with him at White Dog "back in the day" as it's said, so it'll be nice to say hello. Looks like they're sourcing good wine too. I buy the Castle Rock Pinot Noir for by-the-glass at Rouge from the same purveyor and had the Long wines on the list at Striped Bass before. All good stuff.

Squeat: Great article - thanks! They missed this site though Bum Wine Reviews

As soon as RecipeGullet is back up and operational I'll post a link to my chili cookoff winning Turkey, Black Bean and Chorizo chili. It's pretty tasty and definitely has some good deep flavors going on in it. The flavoring paste is the secret, and using only dried chiles not fresh ones and toasting them in a dry pan first.

You forgot the chopped hard boiled egg! Gotta have some egg in it or it isn't proper chopped liver.

Glenn: I should specifically have said for by-the-glass wines. Bottle of wine is a bad example. It's been discussed to death on eGullet what bad form it is to send back un-flawed wine simply because you ordered poorly. That's what the sommelier is for. Randomly tasting bottles of wine at a restaurant to figure out if you like them is a bad idea unless you're prepared to pay for what you don't like. If a glass of wine is bad I'd always suggest diplomatically asking if the bartender or waiter thinks it smells odd, or if perhaps that particular bottle may have been open a bit too long. Certainly it is entirely possible to get a glass from a bottle that's begun to oxidize after being opened and it won't taste fresh, or to get the first glass out of a genuinely corked bottle. I had no doubt we could agree. I knew you'd realize I was right eventually.

Glenn: The glass of wine issue is easy to solve. Ask for a taste first. Tell the bartender or waiter, "You know, I only really like dryer rieslings, could I possibly have a small taste of X wine first to be certain it's to my liking?" Most restaurants would be infinitely happier to pour you a taste of something than have you send it back after taking a sip and realizing it then has to go down the drain. Complete waste. As for the food issues, ask LOTS of questions. If the waiter can't answer them, ask them to check with the chef. For instance, "I am very sensitive to spicy foods. Can you tell me if this sauce is spicy?" or whatever. Customer should order what they know they like or ask enough questions to determine if they'll like it with some reasonable degree of accuracy. It's not the restaurant's responsibility to know each guest's taste, only to provide the best product that they can.

Amen to all the previous sins. I have to add: For the sin of having evil thoughts toward co-workers with a less developed work ethic. For the sin of giving a stupid customer a bit of attitude when she insulted my ethics and said something really dopey about my restaurant. For the sin of being wasteful. For the sin of not spending enough time remembering and helping those less fortunate. May everyone have an easy fast and a pleasant breaking of fast with family and friends.

Other than the utter cuteness of the name of the restaurant (its the Chef/owner's pet name for his wife. Everyone say awwwwww....) there's not been much reported yet either in the local media or from anyone I know.

I think you are the reconnaissance mission. Report back.

We're tentatively scheduled for Monday Oct. 18 at Abbaye. Will be meeting with Chef Tom to firm up details in the next week. Since Abbaye's menu includes an excellent selection of vegetarian and vegan dishes, there will definitely be options each course for our non-meat eating friends this time. I'll keep you all posted.

Cool! Glad I could help. As I said, there's so much we fortunate souls all take for granted, this was really an interesting subject to think about.

There's an interesting article in today's Philadelphia Inquirer regarding stoves and cooktop choices, etc. A Range of Choices Perhaps it will have some information that's useful to you.

Exactly. Which is precisely why the competent and professional restaurant will do everything in their power to have you walk out happy, rather than try make it up to you later. If someone enjoys a restaurant they tell two or three people. If they have a bad experience they tell EVERYONE. Any business exchange is predicated on good communication and the decency and civility of each party toward the other. Do you think if you call up your health food store tomorrow and start off by screaming and yelling or giving them attitude you'll have as positive an outcome as if you were to call and politely explain what the problem was, what your expectations or prior experiences with them have been and why you were disapppointed? And obviously if a place sucks that badly and attempts to communicate with management have failed, then surely no one would go back and they will fail under the crushing weight of their own incompetence. It takes care of itself much like Darwin explained it would.

I am most certainly NOT a restaurant owner, but an employee. I simply run the financial and beverage departments of a restaurant. And in fact, I'm an extremely frequent restaurant customer as well. I eat in restaurants at least five times per week between lunches and dinners, so I'm perfectly capable of taking the customer's side. If the appetizer was too salty to eat I'd most certainly expect it removed from my bill. Hell - I'd demand it. And I'd ask to see a manager to make certain that happened. You're right - complaining again to the useless server would have been, well, useless. And if your standard is to hire and train a new waiter before your meal is over then you will most certainly be disappointed. Another option might have been to ask to speak to a manager and request that another, more competent member of the waitstaff be assigned to your table. Or you tell management that your service was subpar, and that you made a legitimate complaint to your server and nothing was done about it and give them the opportunity to fix it. Do you resent having to take any responsibility for your part of the "relationship" between other service providers and yourself? Like your doctor or car mechanic, for example? I'm just curious. You say you'll pipe up about a bad hotel room, so explain to me how a dining experience is a transaction with utterly different expectations. I'm genuinely not understanding that. As for posting your negative experience here, I applaud that. I'm a strong proponent of the First Amendment. And I think it was very wrong for the restaurant owner to attack you or say you had no right to do that. But I wonder if the thinly veiled hostility and rage I'm seeing in your response here was not evidenced that evening and perhaps not eliciting an appropriately cordial and professional response from the restaurant staff. Just as you saw no point in complaining, perhaps the waiter saw you and your dining companions as an equally lost cause. I don't excuse or condone that in any way, but it's certainly a possibility.

I always say if the public areas like the bathrooms are dirty, what on earth must the kitchen look like? Water wiped up, trash emptied from time to time in the washrooms. Shakers and condiments always full. Silverware, china and glassware shiny and no spots. (That lipstick on the edge of my glass isn't my color. Gah! I hate that!) Clean tablecloth when I sit down. Clean napkins.

But you see, at that point I'm not going back there because THE SERVICE SUCKS!! They are employing morons. No manager should be arguing with you, particularly if what you're saying is so obviously correct (no sauce). No guts, no glory. In a properly run establishment, your concerns will be heard and evaluated and some effort to rectify your problem will be made immediately. Period. Whether it's a restaurant, a retail store or whatever. Some may think it idealistic. I call it professionalism. Perhaps I'm spoiled because I've been working in "fine dining" establishments for a long time, but I certainly would expect no less if I were sending back my eggs at Denny's, my burger at McDonalds or my steak at the Outback. I don't think that's unrealistic at all. It's unrealistic to think you'll win the Powerball if you haven't bought a ticket. It's also unreasonable to think that the restaurant won't listen unless you give them something to listen to. In a mutually respectful manner of course.

As long as being allowed your righteous indignation and not having to have any self reflection or guilt doesn't prevent you from admitting that they DID fix it when you made them aware of it. You seem OK with it now and it doesn't seem as if you're still dissing the establishment where it occurred. But I have to ask... Have you been back to the restaurant in question? Have you recommended it to anyone else, other than in this forum? Have you said horrible things about the place since? Just curious...