KatieLoeb

So do real Northerners. I'll tote some bourbon from Chicago. Maggie: I'll stop and pick up some Ginger Beer from the Jamaican folks down the street and some Bitter Lemon and mix up some Slippery Slopes! Anyone who wants to stock the bar should bring it on. I'm certain we can do better than "Hairy Buffalo Punch" by the time this creative crowd is through.

Woo-hoo! Is everyone as totally jazzed for this wild weekend of partying down with like-minded strangers? I can hardly wait to meet everyone! I feel like I know you all already... I'm bringing two pairs of jeans, one pair of shorts in case it's really warm on Saturday, my Pig Pickin' shirt ("Don't Leave Home Without It") and comfortable shoes. Ready to bartend on Friday evening (best place to mingle and meet everyone is behind the bar) and am utterly looking forward to this experience. Swine in three days...YAY!!!!

Rockhopper: I meant to post earlier, but have been busy. You've provided me with an excuse. South Jersey Epicurian (Gary) and myself stopped by here on Saturday evening. It was mighty crowded outside and the lines for the gyros off the grill were LONG. But we opted for the sit-down restaurant inside after filling our bags with olives, cheeses and pastries at the gourmet food stand and the bakery areas. For $12 I got two skewers of souvlaki, rice, big slabs of moussaka, a Greek salad and a beverage. Definitely a good value. Unfortunately, the souvlaki was a tad overcooked and a bit dry. The moussaka was tasty, but surprisingly not as good as the one Gary and I made a few weeks ago for the Bobolink Dairy BBQ/Potluck! Greek salad was perfectly fine, but ordinary. Gary had the roast chicken which was tender and very tasty. I'd say this was a larger and better organized festival than some of the others we've been to, but the food quality was not as high as at the Elkins Park Festival and the pastries were about on par with the Center City Greek festival. We missed the dancing so I can't comment on the entertainment.

Seth: Most of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes can be found in Thanksgiving, by Anthony Dias Blue. Great corn pudding recipe, excellent side dishes and wonderful soups as well. All around a great book I may only whip out once a year, but find absolutely everything I need in there. I always spend my Thanksgiving with the same good friends, who make one roast turkey and one deep fried. I make a cooked whole berry cranberry-orange sauce that has a splash of Grand Marnier as the "secret" ingredient. I also make a spicy cranberry-jalapeno relish to go with the deep-fried turkey. Yummmmy. All good stuff and pleasing even to those folks who insist on eating the "can-shaped" canned cranberry sauce! My other Thanksgiving staple is a Pumpkin Flan for dessert. A little lighter than pumpkin pie after all those carbohydrate laden side dishes. But I still pass out watching football after dinner!

Charlie: Great minds think alike again! I was hoping that Varmint would leave a sheet with directions, perhaps a small map and the home phone of Chez Varmint for those of us checking in at the hotel. Bet you or Jaymes already have this covered, right?

Now there's a thought...great suggestion! My brother gave me a jar of Ming Tsai's Wasabi Powder (found at Target) and now I know what I can do with it. Thanks again! Toliver: Glad you liked the ideas. More importantly - let me know how it turned out and if you liked it!

Rich: Great minds think alike... It's been about as long for both of us having had a Jackosn Hole burger. Apparently they've taken a nose dive in quality since

Mine is mostly like everyone else's. I always use the tuna in spring water for sandwiches. I use the tuna packed in olive oil if I'm making a tuna and white beans salad I make from time to time. Diced Celery and/or water chestnuts for some snap. A tiny bit of grated sweet onion or finely shredded scallion. Sea salt and fresh pepper. Miracle Whip or Mayo depending on what's in the house. Best improvement lately has been a shot of wasabi powder in the mayo before blending. Makes it taste less "canned" somehow...

It's obvious to me why they're doing it. They're trying to get back a little bit of the fees they are charged by the credit card companies. Every little bit counts... This is also why some restaurants take a percentage of those fees out of the servers tips.

This weekend is the Greek Festival at St. Thomas' Church in Cherry Hill, NJ. Supposedly one of the largest on the east coast I'm hoping to make it there either Saturday for dinner or Sunday afternoon. Anyone want to join me?

How about Bacon???!!!???

I put my recs on the NY thread, but I'll repeat them here. Medium scale: Copa Too. New Wave Cafe. Standard Tap. Upscale: Bleu, Rouge, Brasserie Perrier, Smith & Wollensky

Yeah - and what's your point, Miss Thing? I just understood the obvious!

Randall: Don't be embarassed! Thanks for answering the question that I myself, didn't even realize I was asking! I think it's brilliant, brave, crazy and silly to do things this way, but it somehow doesn't surprise me in the least!

No Fucking Chance??? Sort of like my own personal version of the NFL: Not Fucking Likely...

Suvir: I wish you fulfillment, peace and prosperity in your new endeavors. eGullet will be a less interesting place with your less frequent posts. It will make whatever posts you have time for that much more precious to those of us that have come to expect nothing less than the usual level of wisdom, graciousness and passion from your posts than that to which we have become accustomed. Prosper and soar with everyone's best wishes. You could do worse for a cheering section... With sincere best wishes, Katie

Burger Hunter. Hmmm... I see a new FoodTV series in the works! I kind of like Burger Huntress myself!

Sorry, Elyse. Official rules dictate that the "tourists" drink the Salmonella cocktail.

This trumps any story I could even invent on a drunken writing binge...

nope. sorry. i'll join katie and anyone who wants to swing down this way for one. bleu, rouge, or any of the bars that serve stuff a step above normal bar food would be good (standard tap, royal tavern, bishop's collar, new wave cafe, etc.) If someone wants to give me a ride.... Oh yes! Come play with us in Philadelphia! It's a day trip in that direction too! We can eat burgers, and Herb and I will show you around. We can run up the steps of the Art Museum a la Rocky to work off the burgers and work up an appetite for whatever other Philadelphia delights you'd wish to sample on a day trip. A stop at Reading Terminal Market is fun, or a swing by the Italian Market could be amusing as well. A stop a La Colombe coffee for a mid-afternoon espresso to get us recharged might be appropriate. I'm not so sure that burgers and cheesesteaks on the same trip is a wise decision. I'll leave that up to you...

Completely aside from the fact that I find this profoundly offensive because I had pet ferrets myself at one time... I'm thinkin', "Furry and not scented like anything I'd want to eat voluntarily", would be the answer.

Charlie and I will be thinking of all of you while we're driving our pig-bloated bellies back from Raleigh. Re my esteemed proprietor: You can only sue for slander if there are actual lies told...

Hi Chris: Not sure if it's available in your neck of the woods yet. It's filtering down from New York to Philly just this week. Apparently it's only been in the country for about two months. It's imported by Symphony Importers but is being distributed by Southern Wine & Spirits. We're on their "target list" of restaurants in Philadelphia because they're only going after the top five or six restaurants/martini bars in each city and we fit that profile at two of our properties, so they kind of came after us. I'm sure if you can't find a local distribution channel through Southern, one of the NY area retailers listed on the Zyr website would be happy to ship you a bottle. Vodka - it's not just for breakfast anymore...

My thoughts exactly. Y'all suck!

The obvious answer is LAMB in all forms, preferably grilled or slow roasted. Alternatives - Roast game. Dark birds like goose. Fruity or savory sauces with not too much acidity. I'd be making that appointment at the cosmetic dentist to have your teeth cleaned and whitened in advance. You're going to have deep purple stained teeth after that evening!