Andrew Fenton

I'm bumping up this thread to mention a recent dinner at Rx. It remains one of my favorite restaurants in Philadelphia. The food is still very good--this time around, I had some very good mussels and a terrific roasted chicken dish-- and at $25 for a three-course prix fixe, is a great deal. Something I haven't seen mentioned is that they have a really large selection of desserts (ten or so choices). The one that stood out for me this time was a yogurt panna cotta; Greg described it as an ideal summer dessert, and I'd agree. I was thinking at dinner about Capaneus's idea that BYOBs are Philadelphia's equivalent of European bistros/trattorie, and so forth. Rx is about as close to that as it comes; it's relaxed, inexpensive and very good food. Sort of a comfort restaurant, at least for me.

I feel like whenever I roast eggplant, the skin browns or blackens, which as you say, isn't so pretty. I'm wondering what would happen if I tried pickling them whole. Maybe if there's enough acid, the color would stick around?

Sorry, I make-a the joke, and stage-a the photo! Baby didn't actually eat any gelato.

That's a great drink; I've made it twice over the last two evenings and it hit the spot. Most cocktails are either too strong, or too sweet for my taste, but this is just perfect for a hot summer evening. Thanks for sharing the recipe, and I look forward to trying it at the restaurant soon!

I've become a big fan of Capogiro's brioche con gelato; also their mini cones, for when you just want a little bit of ice cream. Most recently, we had a watermelon brioche and cherry cone. Both were excellent, though for my money, with a brioche you really want some sort of non-fruit flavor: coffee or pistachio, for example. Still, as you can see, perfect food for a newborn baby: Hey, gotta start the girl on gelato sooner or later...

Livengood's has had beautiful, tiny eggplants this summer: Each is an inch or two long; they're just adorable and perfect. I've sauteed them for pasta alla Norma, but they lose the color when cooked. I don't like raw eggplant, so I'm sort of stumped on how to prepare them without losing the color. Any recommendations?

Three-letter words are a hassle to search in eG, aren't they? Google works a little better for those. Anyway: a recent thread on Rae, which links back to an older one.

Eek! Sorry you had such a terrible experience. I've never eaten at S/H myself, but it's interesting that it is, or is at least rumored to be, Craig LaBan's favored takeout spot. Pagoda is indeed pretty good: there's a connection between that restaurant and Sang Kee, which no doubt helps up the quality. But I don't know of any truly excellent Chinese in the city outside of Chinatown.

And grilled donuts are very tasty indeed.

I was wondering about those, too. Maybe there's a prix fixe kinda deal going on?

Linguistic consistency aside, I think the menu looks pretty good.

I stopped by Just Chill on my way home this afternoon and ordered a large ($2.50, a good price) with three flavors. Lemon was the best of the bunch; a little sweeter than my ideal, but good flavor. Mango was also very good, a cut above Rita's. Black cherry was okay. I've still never had a cherry water ice that was really great, but this was a cut above average. Overall, I liked Just Chill. It didn't blow me away, but it's solidly above-average, and if I lived in the neighborhood, I'd be there all summer.

Maureen didn't make this explicit, but in Italy, bread is regularly served before the meal. Just not with oil. Anyway, I suspect that the use of olive oil as a dip was just a response to its increased popularity and perceived health benefits. It seems like I started seeing it maybe 10-15 years ago, which is about the right time frame for that, I suppose. And I like the combination of good bread and good olive oil. Add wine and you have all the hallmarks of civilization. Cheap bread and cheap oil is terrible, of course; but that's hardly the only sin committed by bad restaurants, is it?

I know someone who get SEIZURES eating Equal. I do not think its one bit safe! ← And I know people who've gotten seizures from eating bees! (Well, not actually. But make sure those bees are cooked, or at least dead, before you eat them.)

And let's not forget the danger posed by angry bees! I don't know anybody who was stung by a packet of Equal.

There has been a market at Head House (though not in the shambles) on Saturdays for the last few years. I don't know if it's continuing, or if it has been superseded by the larger Sunday market.

Hmm, I missed this post the first time it appeared, but I do sometimes drive right past there. I'll check them out next time I do... Excellent!

Aaaaaand, to spread the good word, and make V's instructions easier to find, here they are, from post #11:

My legal advisor informs me that videotaped depositions are becoming more and more common. It seems likely that insisting on one is a way to put pressure on the Inquirer; but it's not an unreasonable demand in itself. She also informs me that if the Inquirer's lawyers are smart (as they are), they've insisted that, if the case doesn't go to trial, the video tape be destroyed. Given that (from this outside, lay perspective) the case seems to have evaporated, I doubt that the deposition will see the light of day. So unless somebody does something stupid like leak the videotape, there's probably no grounds for the Inquirer to sue. That's a really good point. If I were a reviewer for any of the other Philly papers, I'd have crossed Chops off my to-be-reviewed-ever list by now.

You know, as much as I enjoyed Porkapalooza 2: The Porkening, I don't know that I'd want to do it again. The pork part was fine, but by that point in the evening, I'd eaten enough tapas that I wasn't really all that interested. If I were to do it again, I'd make sure not to order so much other stuff... BUT this gives me the excuse to mention that I gave Jose Garces my money twice in one week: yesterday I had lunch at Amada. Since it's going to be our last big-kid restaurant meal for some time, we went all out. The biggest hit, for me, was the gazpacho with crab and avocado. They really know from soup at Amada; it's rich, but still light, sweet, a little acidic, and with lots of crab in there. I'd eat that soup every day if I could. It's really great.

Another voice of lament here. I really enjoyed my dinner at M, absolutely adored the bar (and, of course, the bartender), and was looking forward to going back. A shame.

Ah, I was probably mistaken, then. Thanks!

Finally getting around to mentioning that il dottore Shack and I had lunch at Fuji last Saturday. I really don't have too much to say about it, other than that we sat at the bar, and had great sushi and a great time chatting with the sushi chefs. The sushi, at least, remains the best I've had in this area.

Thanks for the reminder about the lamb organs. I noticed them at Fair Food a couple of months ago, and noted that they were labeled as dog food. I meant to ask about them, since I basically eat like a dog anyway...

It was pretty amazing: twenty-odd pounds of sheer reptilian terror, like the Creature from the Amish Lagoon. I only wish I'd had my camera with me! Word to that.