KatieLoeb

Ippolito's in South Philadelphia is an excellent fish market. So is Seafood Unlimited on 20th Street, albeit with a small selection. The fish vendors at Reading Terminal have always been reliable for me, but if you haven't seen what you want there, I don't know what to tell you. The fish at the restaurant comes from a private purveyor, but I'll ask the chef where he purchases his fish outside of the usual channels for home use and let you know.

Beans: Oh please print the Pumpkin Margarita recipe!!! That sounds delicious. We came in second in a local cocktail competition last week with this entry: Caramel Apple Martini: 1.25 oz. Seagram’s Apple Vodka .5 oz. Jack Daniels .5 oz. Torani Caramel Syrup Splash each of Sprite, Pineapple juice, sour mix. Shake over ice. Rim cocktail glass with finely chopped roasted hazelnuts and serve “up”. Another apple cocktail we came up with was this one: Candy Apple Martini: 1.75 oz. Seagram’s Apple Vodka .5 oz. Torani Caramel Syrup Splash Grenadine Sprite Shake and strain into cocktail glass, garnish with Dried apple slice.

Mark: Would that I currently had the resources to have a 600 item list! Is that oeno-envy?? It sounds like you have the reprinting issue under control as well. We tend to reprint about 3x weekly here, due to deletions, new product, price/vintage changes, etc. It's a bit more of a production here though, because on a weekend evening we might have 35 copies of the list in service and at the bar at any given time. My partner-in-crime, Melissa, the on-the-floor sommeliere, is in charge of that duty, but I provide her with pricing, bin numbers and most importantly with tasting notes for any new products to post for the staff and announce/explain during pre-meal line up. I always try to make certain that my purveyors (probably about 10 to a dozen on a regular basis) provide us with an extra bottle of any new product so we can leave it at the bar the first day it's on the list so the staff can taste it. I'm working on actually cutting back our list (by directive, not by choice) to about 100 selections or so (inventory has been reduced by 25K since beginning of July!), but I want to have depth where the breadth is taken away. Nothing is more irritating than having only a couple of bottles of soemthing in the house and not being able to offer a particular wine to a table larger than 4 or 5 persons

Slanted Door (San Francisco) also has a great Asian-friendly wine list. YES! I heartily agree with this statement. One of the highlights of my meal at Slanted Door was the incredibly interesting wine list, the staff that was well trained in pairing the by the glass selections and the opportunity to try some really interesting German, Alsatian and Austrian wines that were absolutely perfect with the food. Here in Philadelphia I'd nominate Panorama Wine Bar at the Penn's View Inn, which boasts a 120 bottle cruvinet with selections that are ALL available by the glass. Interesting flights are put together on a separate wine menu and many are quite affordable. They also do the 3 oz. and 5 oz. pours so you can sample some things you normally wouldn't have the opportunity to.

So that's what you did with your ex-boyfriends??? There's only a few of them singing in a different register now. The Evil One is unfortunately geographically impossible to crush with my hands. I have however, crushed him with some withering words more than once...

That all sounds good too! Yummmm... There's a Colombian/Cuban restaurant here in Philadelphia called Tierra Colombiana that makes aranitas, ("little spiders") which are fritters of shredded plantains. They serve them with this absolutely etherial yet powerful garlic dipping sauce that I am dying to get their recipe for. This stuff is SOOO garlicky, but you just can't stop eating it. It's positively addictive. No lovers OR vampires will come near you for days...

Uh-oh, Katie. I think I'm in love with you now. I forgot to mention. Use really good quality canned tomatoes. I crush them with my hands so they are chunky but of varying sizes. If I'm in a hurry or feeling lazy I'll use the pre-diced tomatoes. It looks too "perfect" and not rustic enough when it's done though. Also, a heartier pasta helps with such a hearty sauce. I like fresh tagliatelle with this. The first thing I ever cooked for my Evil ex was Pasta Puttanesca.

My Cuban born madre used to smash the tostones AND the maduros half way through the cooking process. She'd actually keep one of the peels whole for just this purpose (having removed it carefully with a long vertical slice of the knife) and then use that to smash them. It also helps to dip them quickly in salt water after the smashing but before the second fry, but stand back when you put the wet plantains back into the oil. This is probably one of the reasons that shallow frying works better...

Saute the anchovies in the EVOO after the pepper flakes and garlic until they turn to a pasty mush and can mix throughout the sauce. I like the black salt cured olives too. LOTS of capers (YUM!), and again, excellent EVOO makes all the difference. Cook your pasta al dente, drain lightly and then toss in with the sauce just until mixed and heated through. Excellent grated cheese atop and a good bottle of chianti or Nebbiolo and you're on your way to a fabulous dinner. My puttanesca has been known to make a man fall in love. Sometimes with the dish, and sometimes with me, but he's always in love by the time dinner is over...

I've roasted them in the fireplace wrapped in heavy duty aluminum foil. It you cut a small cross into the bottom of the nut beforehand, it kind of peels back as it roasts. Makes it a bit easier to deal with. I've used the raosted chestnuts in soup. They're very tasty. Truly the best way to have them is from a New York City street vendor on a snowy day

Butternut squash/Roast Chestnut soup. I haven't made it in a few years but it was always an autumn hit at dinner parties.

Go to a real Japanese restaurant with a friend whose taste you trust. Order a Chirashi platter that has a little of everything on it and prepare yourself for the experience. I've always found that the "vegetable" rolls, the tamago or omelet sushi and the basic fishes like tuna or salmon are a good "Sushi 101" for starters. Keep away from the uni, octopus, and other things that might be texturally unpleasant for a first experience. Basic incredibly fresh raw fish is what you're after for your "maiden voyage", as it were. Enjoy! Nothing tastes bad drowned in soy and wasabi...

No need to duck, Soba. I often buy dip mixes, seasonings, etc. and run them through the coffee grinder and then use them on plain scrambled eggs, baked or mashed potatoes, etc. And I like Mrs. Dash too!

This would be a true statement. There've been a few times when I thought Herb had hollow legs...

Tarka: They are delicious in muffins or scones and can be used just as you'd use raisins. Same goes for salads. As long as the batter or salad ingredents are moist enough, there's no need to reconstitute first.

Well, then! Glad to see you managed without me! Now that's what I call a well stocked table... Looks like boatloads of fun. Sorry I missed it!

This is one of my by-the-glass pours at Striped Bass. Everyone loves it. The bartenders are converting the Cabernet drinkers daily.

I was showing a few friends the photos on this thread and trying to explain as best I could how much FUN this was and what a complete sense of comraderie there was amongst this group of food nerd kindred spirits. I kept being told how BRAVE I was for driving all that way and only knowing Charlie, the person I drove down with. It never occured to me NOT to come once I'd made my decision. Whether it was a brave thing to do or not, I'm ever so glad that I did! Good grief! With all the stress and time constraints there are on our busy lives, it's nearly impossible to keep up old acquaintances, no less meet new ones. It was such a pleasure to make so many new friends in such a short period of time. The wonders of the internet never cease to amaze me. Where else could you find that same eclectic but hard working bunch of folks that made this party the happening that it was? Can't wait to see the newspaper coverage! Dean - urely you'll post a link for us when the article comes out, wontcha?

Wouldn't that properly be a "Cubano sang-weech", NOT a sandwich? Just checking for authenticity...

Maggie: Klink has a great palate! The "La Garrigue" Cotes du Rhone is one of my by-the-glass choices at Striped Bass! I'm quite fond of it. Tasty, non? The Wine Clip thing takes all the joy out of tasting/observing the wine evolving in your glass... I'm glad the thing "works" but the utility still excapes me.

Uh. The second looks like the inside of a handkerchef. Gah! Jinmyo! What you been blowin outta your nose lately? Yes, Jin. This has been haunting me for days. Excellent. Yeah - what they said and what I said two pages ago. GAH!

Quite right. Momentary lapse of German fluency (please note I have very little to start) and I stand corrected. Thank you. Weissburgunder is Pinot Blanc. No logic that follows the pattern of the other translation. I'm not sure I'm following the logic of your "grappa vs. eua-de-vie" comparison. All grappa is made from grapes, hence fruit, so why is it grappa and NOT eau de vie? Does eau de vie (or schnapps if you're in Germany/Austria) have to be distilled with the fruits or nuts or herbs or whatever in addition to the pomace? Or is it just the distillate of the fruits themselves? I honestly don't know the distinction so I'll look into it and report back on my findings.

We talked you up to Katie like crazy, Steve. She is now well aware of your devotion. Quick! Get her a seat on a plane to Grand Rapids. *Big Sigh* Cyber-flirting is such fun. And the chivalrous devotion from afar makes me feel like the Princess I know in my heart that I truly am... Care to carry my colors into battle, Fresser? How about just raising a glass for me at the get together? That'll definitely do for now. Wish I could be there! P.S. Adorable smileys are HERE

jeez katie, i hoped you saved some limoncello for those that got left behind. There might be a "control" batch in my freezer. You'd know the answer if you checked your cell phone messages and returned a call from time to time... *she ducks and runs*

Ooooohhh Janet! There's no doubt this combo will be tried when my next bottle of Hangar Mandarin comes in...