KatieLoeb

Hi: I don't think it's appropriate for me to respond in depth about the troubles at Rouge (which were well documented in the press ad nauseam) in a public forum. Airing my employer's dirty laundry that way would be pretty damned disrespectful and I don't think it would serve any useful purpose other than gossip. Whatever anyone may say about my employer, my relationship with him has always been repectful and professional. I intend to keep it that way. I am dealing with the "unfortunate situation" as you've called it, on a daily basis. As part of the court ordered agreements that allow Rouge to emerge from the bankruptcy (all of which are part of the public record) I am making certain that the appropriate payments are made in a timely fashion to the appropriate creditors. That's a big part of my job. It's challenging, often frustrating, sometimes incredibly time consuming, but has made me a far better manager and is a skill set that future employers will benefit from as well, whether they are under similar financial constraints or not. Learning how to operate under the financial constraints that I have prior to the closing of Avenue B., the sale of Striped Bass and the emergence of Rouge from bankruptcy has been of incalculable value in teaching me the finer points of fiscal responsibility and the proper way to run a restaurant. Those lessons were the basis for my previous post about Rocco's.

Greg: Do you mean the original Le Bus BUS? That was around when I was an undergrad at Penn and yes, it was great. Even the small cafeteria style place at 34th & Sansom was good. I used to eat lunch there pretty frequently. :heel of hand smacking forehead: And another one I forgot! Tapas! I loved that place both for the very authentic and delicious Spanish cuisine and even more for the occasional Flamenco dance shows they'd have. What a fun evening that'd be - eating delicious food, drinking lovely sangria or Spanish wines (which were dirt cheap at the time) and watching amazing Flamenco dancers and listening to Classical and Flamenco guitarist Carlos Rubio. I hired Mr. Rubio to play at Pompano Grille when I was managing the place and he was always a hit. Gosh I miss that place. It would have been the absolutely most perfect place for a DDC dinner and Flamenco dance lesson.

Mr. Krieger! You lurking fool you! Delighted you could join us finally and warm welcomes to eGullet! I'll let you know if I need any assistance in the wine dept. Look forward to seeing you soon.

The next "meet-in-the-middle" is when you all come down thisaway for Tacconelli's. It's north of downtown Philly so the "middle" gets dragged this way. Unless we decide to do a Pizza tour of Princeton, we won't ever truly be in the middle.

Yeah we are! Trenton or Staten Island make the most "let's-meet-in-the-middle" sense geographically. Any other suggestions are welcome as well. I still think the NYC Pizza Survey needs to come to the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia to try Tacconelli's once. There's no contest after that. It's all over but the crying.

To add to Tim's reply, we're already working on this. He and I will be meeting tomorrow to discuss menu options, cost, lead time necessary, etc. May 3rd might be good, but it's also awfully short notice for many of our busy compadres. May 10th could be great except it's the day after Mother's Day and I suspect the entire staff at the Moshulu will be physically and emotionally drained from what is always a nightmare day for restaurant staff all over America. May 17 is Penn graduation, which is a local Hell Week for the restaurant industry. And it goes on... Tim and I will talk about the best date for everyone concerned, as well as all of the other details to plan what will undoubtedly be one of the most unique and intersting DDC events to date. Check here for updates and I'll post as soon as anything is set.

Thanks! This made my day!

So rather than giving him enough rope to hang himself with, he lets him buy the biggest and most expensive chef's knife available with which to commit ritual seppuku. Nice. I agree with Trish about JC letting Rocco fail after season 2 is over. Just as chefs can have large egos, so can restaurateurs. Perhaps he's of the belief that there's no such thing as bad publicity. Perhaps he just wants folks to recognize his name for a change, as opposed to the name of any of the chef's whose paychecks he signs. For the average consumer (as opposed to an eGulletarian), the name of the restaurateur is often an afterthought. In fact, many average consumers don't even know the names of the chef at any given restaurant, they just know the place has a lot of buzz, good reviews, is hard to get reservations at, is expensive, etc. I realize this is unthinkable to those of us who need to know the chef's name, reputation, resume, and mother's maiden name before we'd even consider setting foot in the door, but it is sadly the truth for many folks sitting at the next table.

Brilliant!

Thanks mags ! It just really grills my cheese to see these "successful" people whining and moaning about losing so much money when it was all in their control in the first place. That is, until they let it out of their sight and grasp. Which was entirely preventable. Meanwhile, I toil away in obscurity keeping the ship afloat (or the cabin cruiser, by comparison), day in and day out with no big fat salary, no TV show about me, no celebrity status, etc. and the jackasses with the really big bucks sit around and watch their millions get pissed away on idiotic purchases and no cost control whatsoever. Mind boggling. I think Chodorow needs to hire me to whip those worthless accountants into shape. I'd move to New York if he'd pay me enough to live there in the style to which I'm accustomed. Thanks for the howdy too. I'll call and say my hellos in person!

As the controller of a small, but very busy cash generating restaurant, I think I have a bit of insight into how the numbers work. Mr. Chowderhead might be a bit too busy himself for the daily report, but undoubtedly someone in that organization or in the Briefcase Brigade of accountants that seem to always be at his heels was in charge of the daily cash position of the restaurant. The invoices don't enter themselves into the accounting program and the checks don't get generated as if by magic. SOMEONE has that job. Whether it's an entry level bookkeeper who answers to one of the Briefcase Brigade, or a CPA who's only job is to oversee that restaurant out of Chowderow's stable of investments, SOMEONE has been asleep at the wheel if it's this out of hand. If no one is approving the purchase of sterling flatware for a place that serves food in cardboard, well, I don't have a whole lot of sympathy for either side's whining and moaning at this late date. What happens when the numerous monthly and quarterly tax payments come due? Who's making sure that the credit card portion of the sales are accurately making their way into the bank account? Who's making sure the payroll is getting reviewed and the employer taxes are getting paid? Who's making sure the credit card portion of the waiter's tips is transferred to the payroll account so if the restaurant were to close tomorrow they wouldn't get sued for not paying those monies to the waitstaff? Who's making sure the cash sales minus any paid outs are equalling the cash deposits and that money isn't simply disappearing along the way? It isn't about being up the chef's ass, it's about sound fiscal management and oversight. Chowderow has owned enough restaurants for enough years to know better than to let shit get this out of hand (if indeed it is as out of hand as it's being described and isn't just for the camera's benefit) before "stormtrooping" the place. And if he did let it get this out of hand then he has no one to blame but himself. And Rocco is just an ass. He's reaping what he sowed by entering into this Faustian deal in the first place. I hope he thinks it's worth what was once a stellar reputation. Now he's just a punch line. He earned it.

Thanks for reminding me of yet another place I'd forgotten. And I actually worked there for a short time helping hostess on the weekends! BLT's Cobblefish was known (in Zagat) as "the poor man's Striped Bass". An astute moniker for a place that cooked some of the most reasonably priced and creative seafood in town. One of my personal favorites were the fried smelts, and the Buffalo fish, which were tiny little puffers, battered, fried and dressed with a Buffalo wing sauce. They were, like the smelts, positively addictive. And BYOB to boot. A rare find that's sorely missed. The space is now a pub called the Ugly Moose. I haven't been yet but have heard decent things about it. But Philly needed a Cobblefish way more than it needed another pub.

Michael: We discussed future road trips today, in fact. Renting a 15 passenger van and doing the drives to Old Forge, PA, New Haven, and Brooklyn on future outings. This is going to involve quite a bit more advanced planning however, and given the looseness with which we operate, I think it might take awhile to pull off. And I really can't even think about more pizza until at least tomorrow. I want to propose an East Coast Pizzapalooza and have folks from all over meet somewhere and do pizzas together. That could be lots of fun. Philly is halfway between NY and DC.

Reports and photos from the Philly Pizza Club outing today will be posted when everyone wakes up from their long post-prandial naps like I just did. On the whole, our Lombardi's experience seems to have been far superior to your group. And looking at the photo, our clam pie looked WAY better than that. It wasn't the best clam pie I've ever tried (one in New Haven many many years ago still holds a special place in my heart) but it was certainly tasty enough, good crust and boatloads of chopped clams. The staff photographers will have to post before you can see what I'm talking about, but there's just no comparison with the one pictured here. The overall concensus was that the New York interlopers were serviceable (Lombardi's much better than Pietro's), but not really coming close to the native stuff we're used to here like Tacconelli's, Marra's or Franco & Luigi's. Photos from our past forays are on the Pizza Club thread in the PA forum HERE. We're a bit spoiled on the pizza front in Philly. There's all manner of great pies to be had here.

Urban myth, I honestly believe ... This is not a myth. I always use club soda and the schmaltz from making the soup in the matzoh balls. I follow the recipe on the back of the box of matzoh meal and add the club soda instead of the water. Definitely makes them lighter. I defintely like my matzah balls and my men of differing firmness.

Hey now - my part was absolutely correct. Hhhmmmppht. Just don't ask us to be screwin' in any light bulbs...

Slight directions correction: It'll be a right at the end of the ramp off of I-95 South. Washington Ave. is the second right after you turn onto Delaware Ave / Columbus Blvd. Another correction. It's left on 10th then left on WHARTON Street. Federal is one way coming at you off 10th so no left at Bitar's. Left on the next corner at the end of the baseball field onto Wharton and then left onto Passyunk. Park wherever and stroll from Pat's to Geno's. They're caddycorner to each other. God help you, if you're still hungry, you can stop at La Lupe at the corner of 9th & Federal for a quick real Mexican soft taco. The chicken or the picadillo tacos are my favorites. It'll set you back about $2.

Damn all of you. This thread got me so jonesed for matzoh ball soup I stopped at TWO different delis on the way home for take-out. Both places were already closed So now I'm really tormenting myself and reading more. I'm a masochist for matzoh ball soup. There is no doubt that there will be matzoh ball soup in my gullet over the course of this weekend. It won't wait until Monday!

Kathleen: For what it's worth, I'd be delighted to be stuck at a table with you and a bottle of wine. In fact, I'd even bring the wine. I think we'd have a very interesting conversation.

Excellent idea Katie. A head-to-head comparison of the two Lombardi's. Just for the sake of comparison, make sure you order one tomato and mozzarella. Joesph: We always order one basic plain pizza as the baseline for comparison on any given Pizza Club outing. After that it's open to all suggestions. We've had pizzas with asparagus, clams and chicken and green salsa on them (not all at once!) for the "alternapizza" and haven't really been disappointed yet. But you have to start somewhere, and the touchstone for all later pizzas remains the tomato and cheese pie.

Can we all compare notes after Sunday? And please take pictures. The Philly Pizza Club is doing the New York Coal Oven Smackdown - Pietro vs. Lombardi's on Sunday afternoon. I'd be curious to see how they compare and if it travels well.

Katie, That is why I attempt to do wait/sales staff seminars as I hate this type of description as it is not even close to what I know of these two wines. As to your "tasting" note on the Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay, Sonoma, I find it a bit disconcerting as this wine is better than most water I have had in my life time. It may not be in the same style that famed former winemaker Dick Arrowood established in the 70s and 80s but it is still quite a good value at SRP of $12.99. As to Canyon Road, I have not had it in a couple of years and can not comment on your "tasting" note. Phil Phil: I train the staff too. I provide tasting notes for all new products and try to get sample bottles of everything for everyone to try when something new is added to the list. And I realize some folks like wines I don't. In fact, I often buy them because the customer base I serve likes them, whether I do or not. Being a Beverage Director doesn't make you The Wine Nazi. My palate is certainly not everyone's. For me, it's all about cost control. I'm basically a number crunching spreadsheet geek with a taste for wine. You're likely correct that much of my disappointment with the St. Jean is probably based on how much I used to enjoy the wines when Dick Arrowood was the winemaker. I still do enjoy Arrowood wines, but the price is unfortunately not as friendly as it was back in the days. The Grand Archer, Arrowood's second label line is priced better, but has a different winemaker these days. Also, please remember that all of my comments are based on my experiences within the Pennsylvania Liquor Control System, with whom I am forced to do business at great markup over SRP. In PA that very same wine is $14.99 (a 16% cost increase) and it is a "listed" item, meaning anyone can buy it at retail and will know what the restaurant's markup is. At that price it has a pretty low price/value quotient when I can get unoaked (or at least un-OVERoaked) and far more complex and interesting French or Australian Chardonnay for the same price or even much less that is available only to restaurants and therefore has a lot more cachet with the customers, since it's probably something they haven't seen before or had at home last week.

Yesterday's Businesswire article and the delicious sounding cocktail recipe here. Who's the best resource for edible Japanese pearl dust? There's a Level launch party next week in Philly I'll be attending. The company is spending like $12 million on advertising the new product, which is a pretty hefty chunk of change by most standards. The product is by Absolut, and is their entry into the high end vodka market, meant to compete with Grey Goose and Belvedere. They oughta just let the stuff speak for itself. It's pretty damn tasty!

Even if not copyrighted, couldn't recipes be considered intellectual property?

And still holds the record for longest lived General Manager of the restaurant at FIVE months! To say that the owners were on a steep learning curve is about as diplomatic as I can be. Suffice to say that spending $40,000 the first season to build an outdoor dining deck that seated an additional negligible number of customers and was finally finished construction the weekend AFTER Labor Day, seemed like a wise allocation of capital to them. As if that couldn't have waited until the Spring of the following year of operations. That place succeeded utterly in spite of itself for far longer than I thought possible. But eventually the ponderous weight of bad decision making and sheer cluelessness caught up with them. They changed the name (but not the ownership) a few times, in an attempt to still get food delivered on a non-C.O.D. basis. That tactic worked for a short time too. That space seems to be cursed. And it's a shame because it's a beautiful interior. At one point there was a rumor that the Bynum Brothers of Zanzibar and Warmdaddy's fame were interested in buying the building. Is that who owns Crawdaddy's? Is so, it's cursed for them too! I miss Frog. I miss Commissary more. Best Carrot Cake known to man. Period. I miss Saladalley where I spent many dinners as an undergrad at Penn. Walt's King of Crabs was the cause of the most humiliating "You-STINK-to-High-Heaven-of-Garlic" incident in my entire life. But damn those mussels were good. No vampires for miles after a night at Walt's eating mussels. During my undergrad days at Penn there was a bar/pub on Chestnut Street called The Bull & Barrel Saloon. CHEAP drinks, great burgers and less of an annoying this-is-a-college-bar vibe than Smokey Joe's. My posse of girlfriends and I did some damage there on many a night. And Strolli's. <sigh> What a great place to go eat on a starving student's budget. That place absolutely floored me. It was stepping back into the 1940's, with the prices at the same level they'd always been. Fabulous.