KatieLoeb

You mean we aren't? Hot Rabbits Ding! Oh yeah. I'll definitely make the drive out there to finally get a chance to try my favorite badly-translated-Chinese-menu item. If we were to do this on a Monday or Tuesday when they aren't so busy and I'm likely to be off work that would be grand.

This was sort of my point upthread. Does anyone actually know what number new chef this is? Seems they go through them like Kleenex. And it's definitely because the food seems to be an afterthought to overpriced drinks. Are the chefs leaving because they/their food isn't being taken seriously, or because they got a better offer or what? I remember when Loie first opened, the kitchen was getting decent reviews, at least for the burgers and brunch menu. Haven't really heard a good word in a long time. What's up with that?

Definitely a scenester kind of place, and I think Mrbigjas has it right when he says that they could care less about repeat business. Although I find this breach of conduct somewhat disturbing on other levels. Vadouvan is correct in stating this is theft. There's no doubt that the restaurant is in the wrong here. I just don't get the attitude behind it. At what staff meeting was it decided that customers shouldn't be given their proper change? It's just bizarre. I'm actually sort of surprised Loie is still open after all this time. After the long ago exodus of several managers and chefs, I'd thought the barely dressed scenesters had found other doorsteps to darken in Old City or Northern Liberties by now. Isn't Rittenhouse Square so out of fashion? Or am I just out of the loop (again)?

Tonight I'm drinking a watermelon caipirinha, made with the '06 batch of Mae de Ouro. Most refreshing. Last night at work I played with a strawberry-basil cocktail I'd been mulling in my head for a while. Muddled chiffonade of basil in about a half ounce each of simple syrup and fresh lemon juice. Added about an ounce of strawberry puree, twice as much Bluecoat gin and lots of ice. Shaken vigorously and strained into a Pernod rinsed glass, garnished with a lemon twist. It was really good. The chef was fond of it, as was my coworker who swore he hated gin. "I shouldn't have doubted you", he said. One of my prouder moments.

Hi Zeffer: Yes - that was me behind the bar last night, making the sparkling rose sangria. That's been selling quite well the last few hot nights. Were you sitting at the bar or a table? Wish we'd had a chance to formally meet. Please introduce yourself next time you make it in! Not sure who your server was, but we do have a new trainee, that might not be as up on the menu as the rest of us, it being his first day and all. Perhaps that was the problem? If you ever have questions about the cheeses, the kitchen could probably give you the best answers if one of us isn't available to help. Sandy - I started a few weeks ago, just before taking my week off to go to NOLA for some professional development and a much needed vacation. My schedule is a bit flexible - I'll be in this week Tues-Sat and then Wed-Sunday for a few weeks following. It's a good bet to find me on a Wed, Thurs, Fri or Saturday night for now. I'll be updating the cocktail menu soon. But I'm delighted to be behind a bar with such an extensive wine selection! I've missed chatting at length about different wines. There's about 40 red and whites from France, Italy and Spain. Hopefully I'll have a bit of input on the wine list as well in the near future. My good buddy and relief bartender Jon is a big beer geek and he's got the draught and bottle selection constantly rotating and including some really interesting choices as well. Bell Oberon and Two Hearted Ale on draught are a rare find indeed, and two of our most popular brews. Duchesse de Bourgogne sour ale, Wehenstephaner Hefe Weisse, Leffe Blonde, Sly Fox Stout and Helles lager and Peroni Italian lager are currently rounding out the draughts. There's also Norman Cider, Jever pilsner, Unibroue Ephemere, and many of the usual suspects (Yeungling, Stella, Corona) in bottles too. We hope to have something for everyone. With all the beverages covered as well as a delicious menu, and prices being moderate, we're a neighborhood place that hopes to draw a destination crowd as well. Not too many places hitting the home run and covering all of the bases, so I'm excited to be part of it. Piano lounge on the second floor is the next project, due in early autumn. I'll keep you all posted.

Today's haul: Several different colors of heirloom tomatoes, including one ginormous yellow one that weighed close to a pound on its own. Huge bunch/bouquet of basil you can smell at thirty paces. White and purple eggplants. A pint of white donut peaches. A spaghetti squash. I'm off to find a recipe for an eggplant/tomato gratin of some sort. I want to eat this stuff tonight! edited to add: I made an eggplant and tomato quiche of sorts. Layered baked eggplant slices over some shredded smoked gouda in a deep dish pie shell (pre-made - I ain't no pastry chef and I understand my limtations), topped with garlic, thinly sliced onions, sliced tomatoes and lots of chopped fresh basil I lightly sauteed in just a little olive oil. Topped again with baked sliced eggplant. Made a custard of two eggs, about 1/2 cup of fat free half and half, 1/4 cup skim milk ricotta cheese and a few tablespoons of pecorino romano and poured it over to fill in the cracks. Topped with more smoked gouda and some more pecorino romano. It browned and puffed up brilliantly, but sank like a souffle out of the oven. I'll have a slice tomorrow and report back on how it tastes, but it certainly looks pretty and smells delicious.

Back when it first opened, Meritage had a retro Country Club menu. Nowadays I think your best bet might be somewhere like Oceanaire, that seems to have that old school cruise ship feel about it. They have Baked Alaska (served flaming!) on the dessert menu, so it might be a good start. Homemade Vichyssoise sounds like the most workable solution. I often make big pots of potato-leek soup and eat it either hot or cold, depending on my mood that day. It's pretty easy and the farmer's market or RTM produce vendors will surely have all you need to accomplish it. My trick is to use fat-free half and half and a bit of lowfat sour cream in it for texture.

Well of course the Principessa loves gelato! It's in her genes! She'll be enjoying it soon enough, I have no doubt...

Think of the whole basil leaves as blanching in the hot syrup. When it cools a little bit, then put it through the blender and let it sit overnight in the fridge to cool. Strain well the next day. That ought to get you the strength of basil flavor you're after. edited to add: You can add the microplaned zest of limes probably after you blend it. I think chopping it up any further might make it turn bitter.

Did you buzz it through the blender?? That step is what really gets a lot more flavor out of the leaves. If you blitz it while it's still hot (not too hot. Read cautionary tale above) you expose maximum surface area of the leaves to the hot syrup and get a much better infusion. You'll also get color in the syrup, which may or may not be a bad thing, depending on whether you care what color the resulting drink turns.

I did a riff on a Caipirinha I called a Thai-pirinha once. Muddled limes, Thai basil and ginger simple syrup with cachaca, shaken and dropped into a rocks glass, topped with soda water. It was pretty tasty and relatively easy. The flavor profile would work for that application.

It's a bit of both. I think the Board sees this as a complete win-win-win for themselves. They not only get to punish Rick for his outspoken ways as President of the Merchant's Association, they also replace him with a competitor who has no such mutinous notions, and will pay whatever they ask. They also get to put the fear of the Almighty into any other merchants that might conceivably try and cross them in the future. It's an across the board (no pun intended) ace for the Board and accomplishes many goals with one felled swoop.

Tonight's dinner was using up a lot of stuff that was lying about. I'd had a packet of halibut portioned out and frozen and defrosted it yesterday. I'd been to the local farmer's market yesterday also and picked up some gorgeous heirloom tomatoes and some lemon cucumbers. So I seasoned the halibut with Penzey's Bangkok seasoning and then crusted it in ground almonds, ground corn flakes and flour mixed together. Put it into the trusty George Foreman grill two pieces at a time until nicely browned and cooked through. I made a chopped salad of cubed heirloom tomatoes (one green, one yellow and one red), cubed lemon cucumber and slivered Vidalia onions and then dressed it heavily with sherry vinegar and pumpkin seed oil, salt and pepper. I served the salad and vinaigrette atop the halibut filet with a side of leftover brown jasmine rice. Very tasty and a refreshing summer meal for a warm night. Apologies for the blurry pic.

Seems like a lot less categories in general. So few, in fact, that they were able to condense it into a pocket sized guide that comes with the Best Of issue.

I think that's correct as well. Although I think the booting off the Penn Campus was another case of finding a tenant that would be willing to pay more money. The University is not a kind landlord. Ever since they built the "mall" on Walnut Street to put in all the retail shops between 34th and 38th streets, they've been of the mindset of Lily Tomlin's Ernestine the Operator character. "We're the phone company. We don't have to care." Sound familiar?

Golden Empress Garden, 610 South 5th Street is pretty reliable for take out. I live so close by that I've never sat and eaten in, but I've certainly seen folks in the dining room. Extensive vegetarian selection as well as the usual suspects. Fresh and well made. Reasonably priced. Delivery is quite reliable as well. Service (from what I've observed) is a notch above the typical Chinese-American take out joint. Owner is very nice. Give these guys a try. Can't be any worse than your near poisoning experience...

Best Cocktail is listed as the Margaritas at Xochitl. Not a bad choice, but I'd have to lean toward a rye Manhattan at Southwark or something of my own making wherever. Just sayin'...

Oh, you shoulda been at the Lost Ingredients session-- Not only are they restarting, they had samples. (And not only of the current remake using the vintage recipe -- Rob Cooper gave out samples from a 1940's bottle that he'd meant to bring just for visual presentation, but the cork cracked in transit, and, well ... it was enjoyed by a happy audience. For a brief moment I had three different types of creme de violette in front of me -- two Yvettes and a recent one from Haus Alpenz. Oh, the beauty of it all.......) And Katie, I'm so sorry I didn't have a chance to meet you at Tales -- I'd been looking forward to that. I hope you make it back next year. ← Sorry I missed you too. I'll most certainly try to be there next year! I heard about the broken cork and the unexpected treat. I remain pea green with envy. Definitely want to try my hand at recreating Creme de Violette. I think I'd have a lot of fun playing with that.

Hey - I'm right here! Several weeks ago a friend of mine asked me to make a "mojito syrup" for a large party she was having. She really wanted to serve mojitos, but didn't want to overwhelm the catering staff with muddling and such with so many guests. I made a slightly sweeter than 1:1 simple syrup - about 2.5 cups sugar to two cups water and let it boil. I threw in about one cup of packed mint leaves and the microplaned zests of three or four limes. I let it boil for a couple of minutes and turned off the heat. After it cooled slightly I buzzed it through the blender while it was still hot (don't forget to put a towel on top of the blender and hold on the lid. The stuff expands like you wouldn't believe and it's a bitch to clean up. Don't ask me how I know this. ) to get maximum surface area of the mint exposed. I let it cool overnight in the fridge and strained it the next day through a fine strainer. It was delicious and made great instant mojitos with the addition of rum and lime juice. The same recipe with basil and lime zest ought to get you something you could stir into soda water and add lime juice to taste.

Thanks Paul!!! You're awesome! I shall have to commit these recipes to a separate file and save them for all eternity. Very excited to get started on these... Now if we could just convince Jacquin's to restart production on Creme de Yvette...

What they said. I rarely, if ever buy meat at Whole Foods. It's just outrageously expensive for what you get. I find equal quality at Harry Ochs in the Terminal or even at some of the Italian Market butchers, depending on the cut. Speaking of Italian Market butchers, has anyone tried out the Mexican butcher shop on 9th Street? I can't remember the name or exact cross street, but I passed it the other day returning from Taquitos de la Puebla after an al Pastor fix.

I think I have a copy of the magazine in my box that has arrived, but hasn't been opened yet. Are all of the recipes in there? I seem to recall seeing Pimento dram but not falernum. Anyway, I am sure others would be most interested in seeing the instructions if they weren't lucky enough to attend TotC or get a copy of Imbibe. A pleasure to meet you and hubby as well! And I'll most certainly let you know if I'm a-visitin' up your way...

Wendy: I can't believe you and Dayne went for it and bought the absinthe loucher. What a fabulous and unique souvenier! So when's the Green Fairy party to break it in? I do miss the olden days of gorgeous tabletop accoutrements. The multitudinous antique shops lining Rue Royal on my walk to the Monteleone every day had the most beautiful examples of oyster plates, artichoke plates, asparagus dishes, knife rests, cruet sets, etc. I love all that old stuff and am sorry we're too busy these days to take pride in setting a proper table. The absinthe loucher is awesome and I'm certain your guests will be amazed. If any of you that managed to attend the Lost Ingredients seminar would be kind enough to post the instructions or a link to the recipes for said items, I'm certain I wouldn't be the only one grateful. I had other obligations that afternoon (I was off judging multiple delicious rums) and sadly missed the seminar, but hoped that someone would be able to share their notes with me.

After patiently awaiting the thunderstorms to cease, I managed to wander over to the Headhouse Farmer's Market just before they closed today. I've found out that one of the advantages of catching the tail end of business is that a lot of stuff goes on sale in the last ten minutes. I got two for one fresh breads (a multigrain freeform loaf and six ciabatta rolls) and butters (honey-orange zest and garlic-herb) from Wild Flour Bakery that were worth the trip alone. Also managed to hit the North Star Farms stand for some beautiful mixed heirloom tomatoes for a salad tonight, two different kinds of peaches (can't remember what they're called, but they're both yummy!) and a bag of Pearl plums, tiny litle yellow plums that still need a few days to soften up, but are already sweet and delicious. I also got two ears of Jersey corn from another vendor and five lemon cucumbers for $1 from another vendor. I tasted a sample donut peach from another vendor, but had already purchased my week's worth of fruit for one, so I'll go back for some of those next week. Unbelievably juicy and sweet and something to look forward to. This Sunday market is a treasure. Even if it weren't so close to home I'd travel to shop there. The variety and quality of the produce is astounding and the pictures upthread barely do it justice. We are blessed to live in the radius of such great farmland in both PA, NJ and DE. I will be doing my best to buy fresh and local all summer and into the fall in the hopes of both eating better and supporting our local farmers. It's a win-win for everyone.

We'll have to synchronize someone at each location, order a hot chocolate from each to go, and race to some midway point for comparison. What say ye? When it cools off I think this would be a worthy exercise for an afternoon.