KatieLoeb

Todd: How different does the juice taste from regular lime juice?? Would it be worth subbing into a Margarita? Got any good homemade grenadine in the house? How about a Jack Rose variant? How about muddling them into a Caipirinha? I'd look for drinks where the lime/lime juice is a crucial flavor component and see how different it would be with Kaffir limes instead...

Still doesn't work. I get a big title "Hot Dog Tour Movie" and then a big blank spot underneath that with a tiny little picture in the upper left corner like a photo that won't appear. Tried right clicking it, everything. It just doesn't seem to want to cooperate with my browser. edited to add: I tried a different browser, having inadvertently answered my own question and it worked. Very cool! Looks like some seriously good dog eating happening there. Sorry I missed it!!

Well let's see....Mortgage?...or Wine?? Looks like mortgage wins. But still, there are a few real bargains in there. That 1998 Gosset Brut Champagne Celebris is a steal at $49.99. Small(er) producer champagne are often way more interesting than their grande marque (read: names you've heard of) counterparts. At this price I'd rather have two bottles of the Gosset to one bottle of Dom Perignon any day...

I was really excited for this event, but once I looked at the seminar schedule, several seemed to be quite similar in content (and with the same presenters) as ones I'd already attended at Tales of the Cocktail in July. The seminars I was most interested in attending are all on Sunday, and unfortunately I have to be in Cape May, NJ Saturday evening to help with a wedding reception that's happening on Sunday. I would have come up for some of the Saturday seminars, but the two I was most interested in are scheduled at the same time. So I would have to drive 2.5 hours north to only attend one seminar and then leave and drive 3.5 hours south to be where I had to be. Too much fuss for not enough pay off. I'll be looking forward to the full scale event in the spring and will sign up way in advance for the seminars that interest me. I hope anyone that is attending will report back in this thread and let the rest of us know how it went, the content of the seminars they attended, what the "bar tours" were like, etc. I'm curious about what I'm missing and would like to hear some perspective on this inaugural weekend's events.

Video page isn't working for me. I wanna see!

There are lots on both the left and the right just west of 2nd Street on Lombard. On a weeknight or Sunday afternoon, one might find street parking below South Street on any number of smaller side streets or on Front Street. Below Bainbridge there are no meters and parking is for two hours. I live right in that area, and although I have the blessing of a parking space, I see lots of spots as I drive around the neighborhood on almost any given night except a Friday or Saturday. Beware the Parking Authority folks, though. They are merciless bastards...

And speaking of those emails...The "Harvest Sale" begins on October 1. Online sale only until inventory disappears. Doesn't appear to be accessible on the website quite yet. Cheval Blanc 2003 is going for $199.99 marked down from $367.49. That's a significant savings if it isn't too rich for your blood. I suspect they're trying to dump a lot of the high end stuff to make space for new vintages and purchases, but it's certainly worth a look. PLCB website I'm certainly going to peruse and see if there's anything I can afford without breaking the bank. Orders over $200 get free shipping to sweeten the deal...

It would seem then that the poor management of Oceanaire went all the way up the flagpole. No surprise there. If the corporation has shoddy standards or is too busy trying to ward off bankruptcy then a poorly run outlet would hardly hit their radar screen. As you said, no great loss...

Oh. I guess I didn't recognize you. I'm glad everything was up to your expectations. I'll just have to keep that vial of slow acting poison for your next visit. (joking!!! ) Oceanaire was in fact so poorly managed that it closed several months ago. Snockey's is a bit "rustic" to say the least, but the oysters and clams are good. Been to their "Clammy Hour" and it's reasonable. No clues on their cooked food. Seafood Unlimited is more of a fish market that serves food than a full service restaurant. Devon is, adequate. There really isn't another seafood restaurant in town that's worthy. Not sure if we can fill the void left by Striped Bass (in the old days), nor am I sure we're trying to, but it's nice to work somewhere that's chef driven, well managed and takes itself seriously. I'm certainly trying to keep up my end behind the bar...

David: Enjoying getting dressed up for an evening out is a very nice quality. Something quite lost these days. However, I hope the advance warnings not to wear anything you'd be upset about getting drawn butter splashed on were useful. I'm glad you enjoyed everything. Nice to hear we're doing a good job. I hope your service was up to standard. Were you in this (Tuesday) evening? I left at 8PM but was downstairs restocking the bar for a short while before that. Perhaps I wasn't behind the bar when you came in... How does the dog feel about seafood? I suspect he would have enjoyed a "doggie bag" from Barclay moreso...

It's fully split in half, claws cracked, etc. but it's still at least a little bit messy, at a minimum on the hands. There are lobster crackers available and a small oyster fork for yanking out the meat. We have Wet Naps for cleaning up afterward as well as the restroom sinks to wash up. I wouldn't wear your finest silks, but I think it can be done without a bib, as is accomplished many times per evening by our guests. It's actually a lot less work than Maryland crabs and a lot less messy than that. But that's part of the fun, isn't it?

In addition to the Lobster Roll, there's a half a chilled poached lobster on the Raw Bar Sampler that also includes half a dozen each of oysters and clams as well as some of our shrimp cocktail. There's a whole split grilled lobster with herb butter on the dinner menu. All are delicious, just depends whether you want cold or hot entree. For a smaller dose of lobster-ishiousness, our Lobster Bisque has a nice portion of lobster meat in it, as well as a very creamy and yummy lobster stock based soup.

In addition to the Lobster Roll, there's a half a chilled poached lobster on the Raw Bar Sampler that also includes half a dozen each of oysters and clams as well as some of our shrimp cocktail. There's a whole split grilled lobster with herb butter on the dinner menu. All are delicious, just depends whether you want cold or hot entree. For a smaller dose of lobster-ishiousness, our Lobster Bisque has a nice portion of lobster meat in it, as well as a very creamy and yummy lobster stock based soup.

Hi Neil. Go HERE and sign up for the advance emails. It also helps to have the time to be vigilant and both nurture a relationship with the manager of your local store as well as have time to scour the shelves to see what's new. Not all of us have the luxury of time to do that. That's why when I find something I like I snap it up!

Those purple cauliflower are just bee-OOTiful! I saw those too and had to pass since there's still some leftover cauliflower from earlier in the week (mashed a la South Beach faux potatoes) in my fridge. I was on a mission for some zucchini but there was no green left by the time I made it there just after 1PM. Someone snatched the last bunch of dill in the entire market out from in front of me too. No worries. I went over to the Italian Market and found all that I needed for the Mucver (Turkish Zucchini pancakes) I'm planning to make for dinner tonight. I'll be making a stuffed eggplant as well.

Our Philadelphia Inquirer review by Craig Laban appeared in last Sunday's paper. Two bells - reads like 3. Every customer that's mentioned it thought it was an excellent write up. The thing about the lobster roll buns is that we tried the "proper" split top rolls right when we opened. They fell apart so we switched to the potato hot dog buns that hold up better and whose sweetness is a good match with the sweet lobster meat. Some things are a matter of preference, I guess. All around props for the bar, so I'm a happy girl.

I'm surprised the bartender didn't mention the charcuterie menu. It's on the blackboard in the bar area and unless policies have changed, is always available, including before and after when the main kitchen is open.

That's definitely Sam if it's Thursday nights. And in fact, he's the one that turned me onto Fuji like 17 years ago. He has exquisite taste in food and drink and also was one of the first people to peak my interest in wine when he was one of my regular customers at my very first restaurant job in Philly. It was a small BYO restaurant at 20th & Chestnut Streets and Sam would always come in with excellent wine and insist that I taste it. I owe him a debt of gratitude for lighting that fire in me to learn more about wine and expand my horizons in my food choices.

I purchased several porcelain teapots and some kitchen containers at the auction of the restaurant contents. I'll always have a little piece of Susanna Foo in my kitchen now...

I suppose. At a restaurant you could take it out at the start of the shift and then refrigerate at the end of the night. At home I suppose you could take it out before your guests arrive if you are offering it up...

I think most spirits at that proof level and sugar content are shelf stable. But I think Johnder is correct. It certainly can't hurt it to take the extra care with it and pump out the air and refrigerate it. What's the worst that could happen? It'd already be colder than room temp?

Just made a batch of grenadine for the restaurant. Two bottles of 100% pomegranate juice from the Asian market, 2 quart containers of sugar, 1/2 a bottle of pomegranate molasses, about 1.5 Tbs. of Orange Flower water. One bottle cooked down to half volume with 1 quart sugar dissolved and the pomegranate molasses added while still hot. One bottle shaken to death until the other quart of sugar was dissolved. Mixed the two batches and added the orange flower water. Allowed to cool overnight. Not as viscous as I might have hoped, but it makes a pretty killer Jack Rose, my personal yardstick for whether it's worth anything. It made a mighty tasty Picon Punch too. Folks that have never tried real grenadine are always surprised that it doesn't taste like the juice from the maraschino cherry jar, or the neon Red Dye #5 colored stuff they've seen behind the bar before. And let us thank the Heavens for that...

Yeah, but why would they give you something if you could order something off the menu instead? Not for nothing, but you'd be amazed at how many folks will eat their way through seven bowls of free bar munchies and never spend a dime on food in a place where it's a bit gauche to do so. It's an upscale restaurant. Not the sort of place where they'd have crunchy mix on the bar. Or cheap olives or almonds. If it's being served there it'll be the house marinated olive mix and the Marcona almonds or nothing at all. That stuff is expensive. They have to charge for it. The thing to do at Amada would have been to order a plate of charcuterie - some Serrano ham, some lomo, etc. to go with your pre-prandial cocktails.

jm chen pretty much nailed the Tuesday itinerary. I met Chufi and her hubby for that glass of wine at Tria after working lunch shift today and then dropped them back off at Oyster House in the capable hands of my cohorts behind the bar. I believe the Roast Pork sammie was had as well. Seems like they're having fun and it was a pleasure to meet them, even just for a short while. Wish I could join them for the rest of their trip. Looks like there's much fun in store...

I was recently contacted by a writer for a local publication here in Philadelphia. She was interested in pairing local chefs and bartenders with fictional foods and beverages and having them interpret those recipes for a series of short articles. The result of this first collaboration is found HERE As bizarre an endevour as this might seem, it was actually a lot of fun to do. Of course I didn't want to just slap something together. My name was going to be attached to it, so it had to actually be reproduceable and taste good. The idea of recreating a drink that was "like having your brain smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick" was challenging, but certainly possible. I went straight for a frozen drink, since the brain freeze would be a desirable effect. Finding suitable substitutions for strange ingredients that don't really exist was an exercise in creativity. But reading through the original prose, it seemed that a gin-lemon-herbal-minty concoction was definitely what was suggested in the text. A couple of batches later, I had tweaked the recipe to its final proportions. It's a batch frozen blender drink, meant for a small gathering of like minded courageous souls. The next challenge is to find someone to recreate "Butterbeer" from the Harry Potter series. A quick Google search reveals that others have tried before. Anyone care to one up the already existing recipes? Any other nominations for other fictional drinks that are just begging to be brought to life? I'd be curious to hear about someone else's creative approach to this assignment...