Andrew Fenton

Disaster! I got home this afternoon and noticed the acrid, meaty smell of liquor in the air of my apartment. I tracked it to the bedroom to discover that the cat had gotten into the bottle of weeniecello. Here he is, passed out, still clutching the bottle in his paw, his belly swollen and distended with booze: Such a bad, bad cat! For weeks, the cats have been following me around, yowling and begging for booze; well, now I know what lies at the end of THAT road. I'll lock him in the basement for a day or two until he dries out. And now I have to infuse another bottle!

Now I'm even more confused. First you say that going out to dinner is entertainment for you; then you say it's "food-driven, not entertainment-driven". But surely going to a restaurant--any restaurant-- is about more than just food. Most of us wouldn't be happy if we were served the finest food in the world in dog bowl in a urine-soaked back alley. A restaurant experience is about the food, service, decor, et cetera. You and I would certainly agree that the experience of spending an evening at the French Laundry would be preferable to that of spending an evening at a dinosaur restaurant. But that's just a preference for one sort of experience over another. And it's a leeetle bit of hyperbole to claim that the success of T-Rex (or whatever) is a sign of a lack of creativity...

It's at 9th and Federal, catty-corner from La Lupe.

I stopped in this afternoon and can confirm that Rene is indeed a heckuva nice guy. I drank a cappucino and chatted with him; since it's still not open ("a week or two") he wouldn't take my money. He said that he plans to bring in partially baked croissants, baguettes, etc., from France and finish baking them in-house, so that they'll be hot all day long. Seems like a good addition to the Italo-Viet-Chinese-Franco-Arab-Mexican Market area...

Again, I say: who knew? I thought you had to cook the evil out. Well, if my farmers' market has really good okra again today, maybe I will try some raw. For science.

Isn't going out to dinner always a form of entertainment? What's the difference between seeking out a dinosaur-themed restaurant and seeking out a particular chef?

Hey, don't insult Adam by calling him that! He deserves better.

Seems like the next logical step would be to use Google Spreadsheets for collaborative meals.

Dana, you had me at "add some chicken thighs". Anyway, mrbigjas had an interesting suggestion for really good fresh okra on a recent thread: Interesting how, even when raw, okra and tomatoes are a natural combination.

Kristin, I didn't know that okra was from the hibiscus family. That is very cool. I've become a big fan of okra, a happy state for which I have the missus, a Southerner, to thank. Last night I made a family recipe of hers, "okra gumbo". I add the scare quotes because it's not actually gumbo but a stew; still, it's really wonderful. It's dead easy: fry some chopped bacon, sautée some onions (I added green pepper and celery because, hey, "gumbo"), add chopped okra and crushed tomatoes, let simmer until it's ready. I had a whole bunch of leftover tomato juice from a sauce-making binge and used that instead. Fantastic.

Hey Birder53, Glad the cobbler came out well. As you saw, if you start with good peaches, it's just about impossible to make something that isn't tasty. And if in the future you develop a sweet tooth, you can have a lot of fun playing around with variations...

Stephen, you lucky man, you'll be in easy striking distance of two very good BBQ spots on Route 40: the Rib Shanty in Buena, and Uncle Dewey's in Mizpah. There's also a third, Kingfish, close by. Of the three, I prefer the Rib Shanty-- be sure to get the owner to show off his massive iron barbecue mechanism. It's amazing, like something out of Metropolis. Tortilla Press in Collingswood is quite good. Sagami (also in Collingswood) always comes up when people discuss best sushi in the area. I've never tried it, though. I love Weber's Drive-In in Pennsauken. It's not the greatest food in the universe, but their root beer is good, and it's just a neat place. Okay, that sorta taps out my knowledge... I'm afraid that I don't know the NJ dining scene too well. My two favorite south Jersey restaurants-- Fuji and Le Me Toujours-- have both closed, alas. But don't be afraid to spend some time on the PA board. As Jeff said, south Jersey is pretty well in the Philadelphia dining orbit, and it often gets discussed over there.

Hey, this may be Puglia month, but I'm pretty sure that that's a, um, "Sicilian gesture". He oughta be ready for the Supreme Court one of these days...

Odd, I was specifically looking for them at the Überfresh on Delaware Ave.; figured they'd have them there, but couldn't find them...

Raw okra? Who knew... It's all about the okra gumbo for me.

Isn't it gorgeous? I bought some on Tuesday, entranced by its beautiful, beautiful spell...

Okay, I have been giggling about this all afternoon. Tonight! At the Spectrum! It's Restaurateur Smackdown: The Iron Sheik vs. Steven Starr! Who! Will! Win!

I'm looking for a bottle of those teeny peppers packed in vinegar; the kind with a little hole in the top for dispensing delicious spicy vinegar. They're pretty ubiquitous in the South, but I've never seen them in Philadelphia. Can anybody point me to a place that sells them?

Wow. Just... wow. Divina, I think your homework earns you an A.

You know, I sat there at the Monopoly board with that stuffed pepper for HOURS, and it just didn't do anything. I even let it be the top hat. But nooo... Finally, I had to conclude that some food just doesn't play well with others.

I've never understood adding cinnamon to peach cobbler or pie. To me, it blunts the fresh summery flavor of the peaches; makes it taste more like a canned winter peach pie. But that's personal preference, of course. Oh, tapioca flour (available at Asian markets) makes a great thickener.

Throw in some lamb and you'd have the cute-baby-animal trifecta... delicious!

The menu looks interesting. Wild mushroom/shrimp topping for your hot dog? That's not a combination I'd have thought of, and frankly, I'm skeptical; still, it ain't boring. Ditto strawberry/pecan sauce. But "bruschetta topping" makes Baby Jesus cry.

19th & what? ← 38 S. 19th, according to their website. Edited to add: you can't get a hot dog there for less than $3.95 (plus tax, I presume). Edited a second time to add: wrong! there's a kid's menu, which offers a hot dog, fries and a drink for $4.95.

I enjoyed A Full Plate Cafe when I tried it earlier this summer. It's good Southern-style food; nothing that will freak anybody out and with lots of options for the picky. The down side, if you're wanting drinks, is that it's a BYO, so you'd have to bring those along.