KatieLoeb

Does DDC "Crab Crawl" have the right ring to it? Following the "Rib Run" and "Rodizio Road Trip" I figured I should stay alliterative Rich - you're always stirring the pot I think this may require some advance reconnaissance. Anybody game?

Hi Tommy: OK - here's the scoop on Bonk's Bar. They have the crabs all year around, and sell them individually by size. They run anywhere from $2.00 - $6.00/crab and the only time it's an issue is if there's a supply problem due to a storm or something. Here's a link for more info: Bonk's Bar Byrne's Tavern also serves their crabs all year around in a similar fashion. Here's the scoop on Byrne's: Byrne's Tavern Both of these bars are stumbling distance from each other, so it would certainly be possible to check out the crabs at both for comparison's sake on any given evening. Let me know if I can be of further assistance...

Wine shop mailing lists are good, as well as mailing lists for wine educational programs. The best link I've found is: Local Wine Events You can just plug in your area and it will give you a listing of local events. Remember though, that most of the bigger free of charge events are for "professionals" and they don't just let folks in off the street, no matter how wine interested they might be. Wine purveyors only pour their stuff for potential BUYERS like retail shop owners, restaurant Beverage Managers, Bar owners, etc. The end consumer isn't really who they're after - they want VOLUME purchasers. I say stick with your friends if they're in the wine biz, and tag along whenever possible. Otherwise, find wine shops that always have a few bottles open to taste with the customers, and make sure you get onto their mailing lists in particular.

I'll second and third this vote. I learned a lot of what I know about wine from Greg and the staff at Moore Brothers when I was fortunate enough to be their co-worker. The level of customer service and passion about what they do is without par.

so what's the actual pronunciation of "fin"? additionally, have other members noticed the same dress convention in general at le bec fin? i.e., dark suits? (this may be a determining factor) katie, would you say bonk's is worth a shot for crabs and beer? and are there any other options for crabs? many thanks. Hi Tommy: I've heard the "Fin" in LBF pronounced (sounds snooty and French) "Fehgn", "Feen" and (dorsal) "Fin", so I don't quite know what to think. For what it's worth, they answer the phone, "Bonjour, thank you for calling Le Bec (dorsal) Fin", and I assume they know how it's pronounced. But given all the alternatives, who knows? A friend of mine is the downstairs bar manager there, so I'll ask her. Dress code there is business casual at a minimum. I think the dark suits thing is more of a reflection of who can afford to eat there (i.e. uniformed lawyers, doctors, accountants, financiers, etc.)! Bonk's is always a good idea for crabs and beer. In that same neighborhood there's also Byrne's Tavern (across the street from a field I used to play league softball on, so I know the tavern well from after the games ) and they also serve crabs, at least in the summer time, that are quite good. Cheap beer and drinks too. If you give me a few days to do some research, make some phone calls, etc. I'll find out who's serving what and when. I'll post back and let you know. Another Philly food experience you should try while you're here is Taconelli's Pizza up in Port Richmond, not far from Byrne's/Bonk's vicinity. There was a segment about them on the Food Channel "Best Of" series. Pizza is really good, but the catch is you have to order your pies (how many crusts) in advance, because they only make so much dough each day. BYOB and very homey. I'd be delighted to join you there or get up a small crew of DDCers for that ride. You never have to ask people twice if they want to go to Tac's for Pizza!

Wimpy: The dish I'm describing it quite similar to your desription. Also may have had a bechamel or cheese sauce in it too. It's all a cholesterol laden blur...I also recall the white asparagus always being of the larger thicker type. No pencil like stalks were ever fed to me - always the large and woody bottomed ones. But once you peeled off the bottoms they were glorious I thought they covered the asparagus with tarps to keep out the light - at least that's what the fields looked like as they were being driven past. I don't think they'd survive buried up to their "necks" like that, would they?

Walt's is no more. It was right down the block from my house but has been closed for some time. I remember eating the mussels there and scooping entire shells filled to overflowing with minced garlic out from the bottom of the bowl. The stench of garlic would emanate from your every pore for days and hang about your person like an almost visible green fog. God damn those garlicky mussels were good! Hell on your co-workers and family, but REALLY good! If anyone wants to go to Bonk's - call me! I'm always game for some cheap drinks and down and dirty crab pickin'. Just remember - this is a neighborhood bar that opens at 7 AM!

Paul: Rittenhouse Square is between 18th and West Rittenhouse Square (past 19th Street, but not quite to 20th, so the western border of the Sqaure is literally "West Rittenhouse Square"). Rouge is on the 18th Street side. There's a thread about it in the Pennsylvania forum that Holly started, and I spanked him for poor spelling skills. You can read it HERE As a disclaimer, Rouge is also owned and operated by my employer, Mealticket, Inc. I also like the food there as well, and NO, I'm not paid to say that. Rouge is quite the hip and happening cocktail bar kind of place. Always packed and especially in nice weather, always a wait for the outside tables. Lots of folks with their dogs too.

Thanks Joey! It's always nice to hear that it's going well downstairs whilst I toil in my office on the second floor

Niky's Kuchelmasterei (Weissgerberstrasse 6, 1030 Wien) is brilliant. Lovely wine cellar, great wine selections and the food was TDF. There was a tasting menu, as I recall, that was really a bargain for the caliber of food. Service was impeccable as well. Without a doubt the best meal I had in Vienna. Restaurant Sirk (at Hotel Bristol across from the Stadtsoperahaus) is also a very nice restaurant. I didn't find the food as "daring" as at Niky's, but very good as well. But really you should take a short car ride out to the Wachau and check out the various winery/bistros known as Heuringer. The drive along the Danube is lovely, and the wine is fabulous. Prager, Nikolaihof and Pichler are a few of my favorites. Check out the castle in Durnstein where Richard the Lionheart was held captive. The monastery in Melk is quite impressive. If you're there in the springtime there could be nothing better than stretching out in the sunshine and enjoying a few glasses of wine in the garden at one of the many Heuriger and taking in the scent of apricot blossoms that are on all of the trees. {sigh} Truly a fabulous experience.

I like it for omelet filling too, or with chunks of roasted firm fish (swordfish particularly good for this) stirred in like a fish/veggie stew. And it's ALWAYS better the next day.

Thanks FG! That was quite amusing and frighteningly true BWAH-HA-HAAAAAAA!

Amen to this - what a sin! When he passes on your friend shall be confined to the seventh circle of Dante's inferno. His own personal Purgatory where he's the steward of Satan's own fine collection, has no way out and no corkscrew!

Immediately transfer the rest of the contents to a smaller container (i.e. an empty 375ml "half" bottle, a clean Snapple bottle, etc.) so there's less surface area for the air to contact. Use a cork or a bottle stopper of the sort you'd use for soda (the rubber ones with the foldover thingie) if your receptacle doesn't have an airtight seal. It should be OK for a day or two in a cool place (garage, basement, refrigerator) then allowed to come back to room temp before serving. I rarely have this problem...

How about a bottle of the current release 1999 Isole e Olena "Cepparello"? That should set you back about sixty bucks or perhaps even less. Ever since the 1997 Cepparello was declared THIRD BEST WINE OF THE DECADE by Robert Parker (no - I won't start that silly discussion again, so there! ) the Isole wines have gone up in value and "collectability". I've always been fond of their chiantis, which are a bargain for the quality. Just a thought, but David makes quite a valid point about the Italian wines. And besides, it's fashionable to hate the French again

This is a great idea but no one will go for it. I liked the previous suggestion of filtering it all through our kidneys first and THEN putting it down the toilet :laugh:

Seabra's Armory in Perth Amboy has a lovely view and the rodizio was delicious as well as the warm service. There was a full a la carte menu which looked good too. You can check out the discussion of the recent DDC dinner there here DDC Dinner at Seabra's Armory

You're on!

Call me and I'd be delighted to join you. Oh - and I forgot to mention, Fuji is BYOB so you can bring your own choice of wine, sake, beer, etc. I have a couple of lovely bottles of Austrian Pinot Gris I've been saving for a special occasion, or could stop and pick up some of the Ratzsenberger Riesling Sekt I had with my last meal at Fuji. Let me know what you like

Perhaps this is precisely what annoyed me. Service on par with the concept??!?? At those prices I want more than concept - I expect the bare minimum of service like having my water glass refilled without asking, and certainly without attitude. So does Chef Ito at Fuji, again, at 1/3 of the price. I would recommend it too, but with the caveat that it's (in your words) "over the top and expensive".

I found the canned speeches by the robotron waiters quite annoying, and the very pushy upselling of outrageously priced mediocre cocktails particularly offensive. The food is good, but I prefer the sushi at Fuji in NJ for 1/3 the price. I consider Morimoto another "Starr theater" experience, which in my opinion, is sadly more about decor than about the food and the staff being knowledgeable and helpful, rather than sounding like "waitron dolls" whose string you pull to get the various menu or cocktail descriptions. I find this to be true in most Starr restaurants. It's about theater, not about the food. This is only my opinion. Some folks are happy to pay those prices for "ambiance". I think ambiance has more factors than how much money was dropped on hiring a prestigious designer to do the space.

The Amtrak stationin Philadelphia is better known as "30th Street Station" and it is located, not surprisingly, at 30th and Market Streets. The "downtown" area of Philadelphia runs from Front (=1st) Street to about 24th Street and is bordered on the North by Vine Street and the South by Bainbridge Street. Everything is in it's own "neighborhood", but it's pretty easy to get around here. Everything is a short walk, bus/train or cab ride away. The Mutter Museum is at 19 South 22nd Street. It's quite an interesting place and is also (oddly) rentable as a party venue. Lots of medical artifacts and preserved bodies/body parts. Creepy but cool. More info is available here: Mutter Museum Monk's is on 16th Street between Spruce and Locust Streets, more in the central downtown area. There's also a new Belgian cafe called Eulogy bar in the Old City area at Front and Chestnut Streets. Went there for a few drinks recently and was favorable impressed - don't remember if there was a menu or not since I wasn't looking to eat that evening. Morimoto is quite difficlut to get reservations for, and I think quite overpriced and overrated, but that''s just MHO. I don't know if saving money on your train trip is worth a short wait to you, but Amtrak tix to Philadelphia from New York are pretty pricey. I always take New Jersey Transit trains from Penn Station to Trenton and then change trains to the SEPTA R7 line from Trenton to Philadelphia (of course I do this in reverse). It takes about 2.5 hours total rather than 1 hour and 55 minutes, but it costs about one third of the price of an Amtrak ticket. If you aren't in a hurry and/or you're paying for it yourself rather than expensing it, it's always a better deal this way. Besides, the money you save could be put to better use eating and drinking ! Feel free to PM me if there's anything else I can help with.

OK - so what's the tentative schedule and time frame for this get together? What time is the game and at what hour will you be having dinner? Is the Wednesday evening "dinner only" option still available? Just let me know what's going on so I can clearly explain this to any folks up my way who might wish to accompany me down there. It all sounds like fun, but depending on the time it might be difficult for me to make it for the baseball game as well. I don't really have the option of ditching out of here too early on any given afternoon, but if there were an early evening dinner, it's entirely possible I could make it. I also just found out that my boss has given his notice, so my personal stock either just went up or way down. Not quite sure which yet...

Let me see if some DDCers want to really live dangerously and want to do a mid-week roadtrip down to Baltimore for dinner. I need to find travel companions who have similar constraints in terms of getting back for the next morning at least. And Afghan sounds great! There's a cuisine we haven't explored yet! I'll keep you informed...

If I could bum a ride down with someone else from Philly I'd be game. I still have to be in to work the next (mid)morning though, so I can't stay out and play too late. But if it were just an evening dinner and then back to Phila. I'd be totally psyched. Unfortunately, my car is committing suicide part by part , so long drives are out for me right now. Any other Philly folks up for this?