KatieLoeb

I'm experimenting with a tall autumnal drink for the fall/winter cocktail menu. Spiced Apple-Rum Rickey 1 oz. Laird 7.5 yr. old Applejack 1 oz. Sailor Jerry's Spiced Rum .5 oz. fresh lime juice .25 oz. Spiced simple syrup Fresh orange twist Club Soda Build in a Collins glass and fill with soda. Stir and enjoy.

I have to agree with Brent. Other than DiNic's, you didn't go anywhere that couldn't be found somewhere else and be equally mediocre. Meh. It's a shame.

If most of the business will be takeout, then having 110 seats isn't really helping you. Is the revenue stream from takeout going to be enough to pay the rent and operating expenses for the larger space? I'd be concerned about having that many seats with no butts to put in the chairs. What exactly makes you say that "due to the location" much of the business will be takeout? Obviously there are people eating lunch/dinner if there's takeout business. What would prevent them from staying and dining in? I'm not sure I understand the logic behind that statement. Please explain this further so we can be more specific with our advice.

Chris: I usually have success just dropping the fresh leaves into the boiling syrup without blanching, letting it cool a bit and then buzzing it through the blender. Allow to cool overnight to continue steeping with maximal surface area exposed, and then strain through a chinoise or fine mesh strainer. Make sure the syrup isn't too hot when you run the blender. It expands exponentially and explodes all over your kitchen if you don't. Ask not how I know this. There are still green sticky streaks on my kitchen ceiling...

Ellen, those look absolutely delicious! :drool:

**Step away from the lousy crepes at the RTM.** Follow others advice and get gelato at Capogiro and/or Bassett's for your sweet fix. It's no contest. In fact, do both. Only you know why you deserve it. If you really must have a crepe, go to the place at 17th and Sansom (La Creperie?) or to Beau Monde at 6th & Bainbridge. Either would be vastly superior.

The only thing City Tavern has going for it is the touristy costumed waitstaff and a good beer selection. The fireplace is a nice place to hang in front of with an aforementioned beer or a hot toddy. The food, historically accurately, is leaden and not very tasty. Add Zot and Belgian Tavern in Fairmount to this list. There's an embarassment of riches of good Belgian beer and eats in this town. The Polish neighborhood is in Port Richmond. Both this and the Northeast would be a ride on public transportation or a pricey cab ride unless you had a car or a cohort with one. All good suggestions but on the pricier side. The cab ride to Sagami might not be too expensive, but I suspect the cab ride to FUJI (not Fuji Mountain, an inferior sushi restaurant) in Haddonfield would probably run you almost as much as dinner round trip. Again, a great suggestion if you had a car at your disposal. Actually, the PATCO high speed line could take you from 12th & Locust to the Haddonsfield station which is a very short walk to Fuji. That would be a worthy ride on public transport for a great meal. BYO's near your hotel would certainly include Mercato or Lolita, both of which have threads dedicated to them in this forum. The closest store for a bottle of wine would be 12th & Chestnut and it has one of the widest selections in the city. Matyson is an excellent BYO on 19th Street, which isn't far away. Dmitri's at 3rd & Catherine in Queen Village is my standby BYO for delicious Mediterranean appetizers and grilled fish. No reservations, but time can be passed pleasantly at their de facto waiting room, the New Wave Cafe's bar right across the street. They'll come get you when your table is ready. If you'd like a nice cocktail, glass of wine or an interesting beer one night you're more than welcome to stop by Chick's and introduce yourself. We could also provide some dinner if you were feeling so inclined. Don't miss Reading Terminal. It's the most uniquely Philly experience there is and you'll find plenty of good eats there. The suggestions you've gotten here should make the rest of your meals interesting. Do let us know where you ended up and what you enjoyed. Have a nice visit!

I truly love Cru Beaujolais and even Beaujolais-Villages. But the annual marketing campaign really has tainted the name of Beaujolais wines for the average consumer that doesn't get the difference between the serious wines and the annual "let's-dump-an-ocean-of-inferior-wines-on-the-Stoopeed-Americans-and-laugh-all-the-way-to-the-bank" wines. Every year around this time, I imagine Georges DuBouef driving his Aston-Martin (or whatever expensive ride of his choosing) through the streets of Beaujolais, and grinning with glee as he cackles into his cell phone to his marketing manager, "Oui! Oui! We've done eet again! Stoopeed Americains will buy whatever merde we tell them to drink if we make it seem important. Idiots!"

One of the most memorable dishes I've ever had with radicchio involved it being sauteed with jumbo lump crab meat. It was delicious. Not quite sure how it was made, but it was an excellent presentation.

Sorry you've been feeling under the weather, Holly. But the Grandma cure for all that ails you usually involves at least a wee dram of something with a proof higher than Robitussin. My favorite cure all is the Apple flavored Theraflu with a shot of Stroh 80 rum in it. Knocks me out cold, I sweat like I'm exorcising demons overnight and wake up feeling like a new woman. Works every time. I hope you'll still have time to make it over to see Chris McMillian at the Ritz before you go. Have him make you a julep. It's a thing of great beauty to behold. And send him my best as well....

I'm in. I'll even bartend for all of us. Bourbon has a wonderful soothe-the-savage-She-Beast effect at certain phases of the lunar cycle, doesn't it?

I thought the meal was very good. Liked the textural element of the peanut praline in the shot of soup, and a bowlful of the shortrib gyoza would have been just fine with me. I could have walked out a happy girl with that as my dinner. The desserts were really good, and a definite leap in quality over what I'm used to at the end of a meal. My new metaphorical question is "how many angels can dance on the surface of a marshmallow?" That was the very best, etherially light marshmallow, ever. Fried chocolate was amazing as well. While I enjoyed the wine pairings very much (particularly the Vermentino with the Scallop and the Coteaux de Layon with the cheese), the cocktails with the first and last courses weren't to my taste at all. The Basil seeds in the champagne drink left a weird slimy sludge at the bottom of the flute that I found rather unattractive, both visually and texturally. The basil seeds didn't really seem to add any flavor at all, just that odd texture. This is coming from a girl that hates bubble tea, so maybe it's just me, but I really don't like that "melted gummy bear" snot-in-my-glass thing at all, in any context. The warmed sake drink had a toothpaste-and-orange-juice effect on me. Blech. Chef said it was not as they'd wished it to be, so I presume the original recipe would have been more successful. I've had these issues myself when working out new cocktails, so I understand how hard it is to get something just perfect and ready for public consumption. Especially on a large/busy scale like last night. Happy Anniversary and continued success to the crew at Snackbar. Thanks to everyone that made our memorable meal last night.

Well, then I'm doubly happy that we chose Moroleone instead.

Tonight's refresher is an Asian Pear Margarita, made with Asian Pear Cider from North Star Orchard. I have waxed poetic before about their fruit clearly being the prototype for the Forbidden Fruit of Garden of Eden fame. Nothing less would be worthy of banishment from Paradise. Every autumn I eagerly await the Asian Pear Cider to hit my local Farmer's Market so I can bring some home and whirl it up in the blender with a few healthy shots of fine tequila (Corazon Reposado in this case), some lime agent (part frozen Minute Maid Limeade, part fresh lime juice), some orange agent (Clement Creole Shrub in tonight's example), a little squeeze of Agave nectar and some ice cubes. Very tasty and refreshing, even in an autumnal way. I need to come up with a cocktail to use up the rest of the Asian pear cider. I'm thinking some sort of brandy or Cognac based thing, or perhaps Applejack with a little spice and something to tart it up. Any suggestions?

*I'm Here! I'm Here!* (Dr. Suess reference for Horton Hears a Who fans) Strega makes an interesting substitution for Chartreuse if one is short. Not exactly the same, by any means, but will certainly stand in and make a quite potable cocktail in an emergency situation. I bet that Strega is delicious with an espresso. I shall have to try that soon. I feel that I should be listening to opera whilst drinking it though, for atmosphere and proper staging.

My impression from the folks I've known that have checked out this new spot is that the food is good and the service and wine list are abysmal at best. Hostess was described to me as being of the Nazi-esque sort: "You vill sit at the bar now and have a drink before we seat you!!", even though the restaurant was virtually empty when this happened. WTF is up with that? Sounds like they need someone ordering the wines that knows a little something. Just sayin', is all...

We passed Talula's Table en route to Taqueria Moroeone for dinner. Alas, they were already closed by the time we were done with our late lunch/early dinner. Moroleone was very good though, and I still have some leftover Carne Asada for lunch tomorrow. Miss Claire and I really enjoyed Moroleone. We were stuffed as little Buddhas by the time we left there, too. Really delicious guacamole, salsas and chips to start (probably our downfall) and she had a couple of different quesadillas (chicken and pork if I recall) and I had the aforementioned Carne Asada and a tamale. All was delicious. It's a whole mess of food for not so much money, either. Very authentic and I was piqued to see so many natives in the place. I suspect there's a large population of native Mexicans in and around Kennett Square due to the farming in the area. Would that be an accurate assumption? We were there around 4:15 PM, sort of a between lunch and dinner time slot and there was still a pretty good crowd in the second dining area up the stairs. We sat in the dining room you enter from the parking lot level and it was empty save for ourselves and another table when we arrived. A few more folks on our side before we left. I'm not so sure I'd drive all the way to Moroleone from Center City for a good Mexican meal. There are enough good places a lot closer to home, but it was good to know about when I find myself in that area again. Another slightly shorter drive away is Taqueria La Michoacana in Norristown, and I'd be likelier to make that drive than the long trek down I-95 and Route 322 to Moroleone. Then again, I find myself out that way a lot more often than I do in the further reaches of the Brandywine Valley. It was, however, a gorgeous autumn afternoon, and the trek through Longwood Gardens was invigorating and gave us a good appetite for our meal at Moroleone. It was a nice way to end a very lovely afternoon. Of course, I passed out in front of the TV the instant we got back and started watching the Eagles game. Apparently, I didn't miss much.

Alas, if it were up to me, I'd do a "taco tour", but my dining companions seek less adventuresome eats. I suspect Moroleone will be the outer limits of where we can all find something to eat on the menu. But it's high on my list. I'll report back as to where we actually end up.

*bump* Bringing this back up to see if anyone has any additional suggestions to add to this list since July 2005. I may find myself in this area over the weekend and wanted some good suggestions for some grub. Is Moroleone's still open? How about Buckley's Tavern? Is it still any good? Make some suggestions please. I'll likely be with some eaters that aren't as adventurous as myself, so if Moroleone has some more mild or "Tex-Mex-ish" type dishes that would be good. Anyone been recently?

Service-wise I'd be more concerned that the bartender never checked back with you to see how your drinks were. If I saw someone messing with their drinks at my bar I'd be mortified and try and fix the issue immediately. That's easier to do at an eight seat bar. How busy was it? Just seems odd to me that you were left to your own devices like that and the bartender never asked if your cocktails were to your liking. That would have opened the door to a civil exchange that should have remedied the problem.

What the hell is that??

It's an awful lot easier to claim that someone else is "self-appointed" if they aren't a recognized author of a book in the same realm. Everyone is "self-appointed" until someone is paying them for their opinion. Then they're a "published source." There are a ton of self-appointed "experts" in every realm on the internet. On the internet, everyone is a "Brad Pitt look-alike", "tall dark and handsome", and "sensitive to your needs." No disrespect meant, as you know I respect your well informed opinion. But that's because I know you, and most certainly NOT because I don't. For the average person that doesn't take the time to filter the pre-disposed,/pre-existing knowledge I possess, you are an easily "Googleable" expert in your field. That alone makes your opinion worthy. Whether it is or isn't. The "quality" of those appointing you aren't necessarily the criteria, but whether or not anyone actually has appointed you. The deciding factor is whether anything shows up on a Google search that bears some weight. Not just that we like the sound of our own voice in cyberspace, but whether it has gotten some academic or paid professional cred. That's usually measured by whether that Google search can be cross referenced to an academic source or a corporate website where you're listed as the head of the department you're the "expert" in, or whether your publication is available on Amazon.com. Just sayin'. I suspect your point about the average newspaper critic not necessarily passing muster is valid. At least from what I've seen. But I also suspect that the average "self-appointed" critic isn't as worried about their readership as you might be implying either. I'm not sure that's what they're necessarily after - or else they'd have persued it in a more "professional" (read: paid and publicly recognized) manner from the get-go.

But finding someone with whom you can share both your love of food and your porn is priceless. She'll be the keeper.

That pretty much seals it. I'm going to have to try me one of those Applejack Old Fashioneds. They sounds delicious and almost exactly what I was thinking about. I was still considering muddling an orange wedge and a couple of cherries with the bourbon or rye. Probably unnecessary with the Applejack.

All of the older clientele I saw at Modo Mio were the sort with deep wine cellars that had clearly driven in from the Main Line. I could tell from what was on the tables and the license plates on the cars parked outside... The ones "slumming it" were the younger downtown types drinking shitty mass produced wine. Pity that. There's better stuff for the same price in the Chairman's Selections. I guess they haven't been reading the "PLCB finds" thread.