KatieLoeb

There a new program all about Philadelphia Cart Cuisine. Check out Salt-Pepper-Ketchup. Episode 2 featured that oft maligned food item, the hot dog/fish cake combo, aka the "Philly Surf 'n Turf". I'm looking forward to new episodes...

That's kind of what I was thinking, too, so was thinking I'd do some floral names or tweak the names of existing cocktails. Although Katie, your comment got me thinking...are there any cocktails that involve mushrooms (and I do mean the standard kind...not the magic kind) Or maybe we could do martinis with button mushrooms instead of olives? ← Pickled mushrooms instead of olives. I don't know how that would play in gin, but shouldn't hurt a vodka martini any... You could always make cocktails with little bits of edible silver leaf floating in them for the starry effect. I made a drink called a "Starry Night" that was the color of the night sky with little "stars" floating in it. Looks like this: Starfruit garnish optional, but totally works.

I have a new drink on the menu at Chick's: Muddle 2 brandied cherries, two small wedges of orange, three dashes of Angostura and a single drop of Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel aged bitters with 1/2 tsp. Demerara sugar in the bottom of a rocks glass. Cover with ice and add Felipe II Spanish Jerez brandy to 3/4 fill the glass. Toss until sugar is melted. Add a splash of soda to fill. The name: The Old Fascist. (courtesy of the droll mind of philadining)

Suzi: Heading down this weekend for a wedding shower. Will let you know if anything new jumps out at me or I hear about it.

There's an entire thread about Jello shots already existing. That ought to at least get you started. Otherwise I suspect there was a whole lot more smoking and ingesting of semi-solid materials/items in pill form/psychedelic fungi than there was drinking going on at Woodstock. If you want Woodstock inspired cocktails, you're probably inventing them yourself.

Any variations of the usual Chick's-->Southwark-->Someplace Else crawl all work. Just depends how much strolling/stumbling about you plan to do. I'm truly surprised there isn't a trench in the sidewalks between Southwark and Chick's yet. I know at least a few folks that have contributed to that urban geological formation. And that most certainly includes myself... The drink Matt is thinking of is an Aviatrix, I think. Gin, lemon, maraschino and St. Germain. The Corpse Reviver No. 2 has just a couple of dashes of Herbsaint along with gin, lemon, Lillet and Cointreau. Similar variants on a seemingly endless horizontal scale of gin drinks....Front Stoop Lemonade is back, if currently off menu. Just let me know what base spirit you want to drink and I can work from there. A fresh batch of ginger beer got cooked up just this afternoon. I can make several things from that. Most importantly, am I expecting you and your crew on Thursday? Shall I save you a table indoors or out? Bar seats are first come, first serve, but we most certainly take reservations for the dining room. Feel free to call 215.625.3700 if a proper reservation is required. And by all means introduce yourself upon arrival. Happy to tailor your cocktail experience as much as I'm able if I'm not too tied up with other guests.

For whatever it's worth, I come across this very same issue with Sommelier and Sommeliere all the time. I prefer to refer to myself as the latter, feminine form, because it's all verifiable and true. I am, both by definition and in fact, a female sommelier. Therefore, I presume for anyone that cares, a Sommeliere. I think it probably only matters if you're writing it out somewhere. Anyone else would (hopefully) understand it in context....

I agree with SaxChic. The Hot & Sour soup at Han Dynasty is one of the better renditions I've had. Up there with Szechuan Tasty House and Lee How Fook, in my estimation. And they're so nice at Han Dynasty they give away containers at the end of the night because they make if fresh every day. Really, does it get any better than that?

I think it's strained yogurt with lemon juice, olive oil and taramas (caviar) whipped in. At least that's the ingredient list as I know it to be for this appetizer in Greek cuisine. I can't imagine the Turkish version is terribly different. On their menu it says "Tarama - Whipped Caviar red caviar spread blended with olive oil and lemon." Not sure what that means in terms of whether there's yogurt or not. Important for the dairy intolerant to know, but otherwise, if it tastes good, who cares?

Awesome! Great that Han and the crew has gotten their due. Only two bells but reads more like 2.5-3. He most definitely liked it. Oh - and he reminded me about the drool-worthy Cumin Lamb. Mmmmmmmmm....

Seeking a post Easter cheap leg of lamb I stumbled upon breast of veal for .99/lb. at the Oregon Avenue Shop-Rite. Legs of lamb hadn't been marked down yet and were still $3.69/lb. I bought a 4 pound veal breast, cut a pocket in it and made a matzoh and veggie stuffing. Pretty tasty and has fed me three times. Not a bad ROI...

Ever so coincidentally, I tried lunch today from the new S&H Kebab House on Passyunk Avenue just below South Street. It's in the old Overtures location. Great menu of lots of Turkish and Middle Eastern specailties. And a banging $7.95 lunch special that includes soup or salad. Craig Laban also likes it andwrote about the Ishkender kebabs just today. But for once I made it somewhere independently without being led... I tried the Lamb Doner Kebap and a cup of the red lentil soup. Everything was delicious! Loved the subtle spicing in the soup and there was a ton of lamb for the money. This is so going to be in my regular lunch rotation as it's conveniently located right on my way to work. Owner Sal could not have been nicer and talked to me about the menu and Turkish cuisine in general. I have a good friend that's a native of Istanbul, and I'll certainly be taking him here next time he and his family visit Philly. It seems there's belly dancers on the weekend nights, too, an added bonus for those of you that enjoy undulating abs during your dinner. Looks like it's BYOB too, so that is also a value added proposition for those of you that keep your own cellar. Lots of vegetarian choices on the menu too, for our non-carnivorous friends. Anyone that would like to go scope this out with me on one of my nights off is welcome. I will certainly be exploring more of the menu in the near future.

Peter: Perhaps my comments were not aimed you specifically. Didn't mean to sound so bitchy, but honestly, it irks me that folks drink what they think is trendy, or what they're "supposed" to drink without ever giving it any real thought at all. Taste is completely subjective and one person's "extra dry" is not for everyone. Most people don't even realize what that means. If you think about it, dry vermouth makes the cocktail taste more "dry" than just straight vodka or gin, so really the cocktail becomes "drier" the more vermouth you add to it. Reverse logic and completely counterintuitive, but true. If you want vodka up with olives ask for that. If you request a "martini" then presume that there will be some variable amount of vermouth in it. Actually a small refillable perfume atomizer with some Noilly Prat in it kept in your pocket should solve your problem completely. Sephora has disposable ones they give away perfume samples in, and I'm certain any number of such receptacles can be found online. Mike - I think that's our marketing angle. We'll get rich selling personal vermouth misters...

No such thing exists. You want a vodka up, ask for a vodka up. Bartenders, no matter how good at their job, are not clairvoyant, and everyone's definition of "Dry", "Extra Dry" or "like the Sahara" is utterly subjectve. If you ask for a "martini" you are implying that you want a cocktail that is a mixed drink, with vermouth in it. If you want Grey Goose up with olives then you should ask for that and not blame the bartender for your lack of communication skills. Sorry to sound snippy, but I get tired of trying to read minds when folks ask me for a martini. I unfailingly have to pull teeth to get them to admit that they don't really know what they want, because they've never made one at home, and have no clue as to whether they actually dislike vermouth, or just think they do. Life would be simpler if folks could walk up to a bar and say "I'd like a 6:1 Bombay martini up with olives, please." Because a martini is actually a gin drink...

Awesome... Even the Golden Arches have to make rent. I'm sure if they tried to put a Mickey D's in say, the new Piazza, they'd have the same problem any over reaching restaurateur has. If you don't calculate your costs ahead of time, you fail. It's pretty simple arithmetic. I dont get how places are spending tens of millions prior to even opening the doors, and expecting to be successful in this economy. I think we need to reevaluate when half of the steakhouses all close because there's no money to spend there... But that still doesn't get us any excellent fish, does it?

I had always assumed it was not ok. Now, googling around, I see this is a matter of debate among some people; not among others. ← Baking powder is a chemical leavener as opposed to something that would result in leavening due to a fermentation process. jayne ← I'll just add that looking at my Passover products lists, at least four companies make kosher for Passover baking powder - and I sold a lot of it this year. ← Well then. I stand both corrected and better educated.

Believe me, there's a long laundry list of other issues that were at work there, many of which were well documented in the press. But getting back OT, just because Striped Bass ultimately had to declare bankruptcy and was sold to Stephen Starr , doesn't mean that someone with a solid business plan and the appropriate experience couldn't open a wildly successful fine dining seafood restaurant in Philadelphia. It doesn't necessarily need to be on the grand scale of Striped Bass (or Union Trust or Del Frisco's) - the real estate could be a tad less exquisite and could still seat enough folks in slightly more moderate decor and absolutely turn a profit. In fact, it would be far more likely to do so in a space where the monthly rent was less than $25K, don't you think?

Tres Leches cake with ginger and/or Chinese five spice. Ginger, green tea or red bean flan. Tembleque is like a coconut panna cotta. You could certainly serve that with some poached and spiced Asian pears. That sounds pretty good. Another vote for Dulce de leche anything.

Isn't baking powder, by definition, a leavening agent?? I'm pretty sure that's not kosher for Passover...

Pretty much what I'd said upthread. I just don't understand how a city of this size doesn't have a restaurant like Le Bernadin or Aqua. I suppose now that Striped Bass is gone, the closest choice geographically would be Seablue in the Borgata in A.C. Anyone been or have experience with it? With the multitude of steakhouses and French bistros (the new black) you'd think some clever chef would see the unfilled niche and try and do something about that. Vadouvan? Anyone? I'd be happy to come up with a great wine list to match the menu. Seems I have some experience with that...

Going to try my hand at Tomato Lentil soup later tonight. I had some recently that was soooo delicious. Hoping mine comes out as well. Seems simple enough. I have all the stuff in house now that I've shopped for a few odds and ends. Will report back on the results...

The alternatives suggested are all good ones. But as noted, a slightly different take on the seafood experience. God help us, if chain restaurants are taking over, but my understanding is that Legal Seafood out at the mall in KoP is pretty good. No personal experience, but as those sorts of places go, it's supposed to be good. I'm looking forward to Oyster House reopening as well, but again, not a Le Bernadin type of place. I think Philadelphia really doesn't have a high end seafood place since the death of my beloved Striped Bass (RIP). Chef Terence Feury is over at Fork now, perhaps he's taken some of the magic of fish preparation with him?

You can always try and get the brandied cherries I use at Chick's. La Parisienne brand cherries are awesome and the only thing I'll put in my Manhattans. They're purveyed locally by Julius Silvert. Someone probably has them retail. I'm sure a bit of googling or a couple of phone calls might reveal an answer to that...

Let me inquire for you with my salesperson at Laird. They are the purveyors of all things Luxardo, so they might be able to find out who carries the cherries retail, even if they don't have them.

Aw shucks! Thanks Chamekke! I'll let you all know how the green matzoh balls went over with the guests after dinner this evening...