Andrew Fenton

Though what they would tell you, and I think this is right, is that the "fresh" fish at your local supermarket has all been frozen, too. The supermarket has done the work of thawing it for you, but you can't know how long ago it was defrosted. By thawing it yourself, you have more control over its freshness.

Seattle's Best is a Seattle company. It used to be known as Stewart Brothers Coffee, but had a conflict with a carpet company also called Stewart Bros., so they changed the name (but with the same initials). This was early 90's some time, and the new name was obv. chosen to cash in on the fad of things Seattle.

Sounds fantastic. I've been wanting to try some of these legendary NJ hot dog spots for a while now.

Saw this typo and immediately thought, "huh. Satyrbucks." Now that's a concept I could get behind! Probably a good place to take one's stripper girlfriend...

Only 54% of people like sex? Who knew? Of course, 17% like cereal during sex. Perverts.

Penn students will, you betcha. Heck, compared to the cost of the Penn meal plan, this is probably a bargain.

True, true. But it raises the question: will the sandwiches taste as good when made across the street? Contrariwise, if the sandwiches are supplemented by beer, will it matter? Clearly, research is required. Re: John's Roast Pork. I'm gonna come right out and say it: good, but overrated. Still, it's definitely positive that they'll be open on Saturdays. I'll bet that they pick up some business from folks driving down to Ikea...

Mint Milanos are pretty great. Isn't there a coffee Milano, too? I seem to remember having those and enjoying it, but maybe it's just the product of my fevered imagination. Don't like the orange Milanos, but that's because I can't stand the combination of chocolate and citrus.

No no: skip the soda, eat the butter, and wash it down with a glass of delicious, artery-clearing red wine. Or something like that, anyway.

Maybe because the salamander was once reputed to live in fire? It was considered a magical beast in medieval times. Yah, salamanders live in wet, rotten old logs. Put a log like that on the fire and the little beastie will come crawling out as it heats up; hence, medieval folks believed that they live in fire. Re: the cooking implement. I believe I saw an old-tyme salamander (like that andiesenji describes) at Monticello: didn't Jefferson (OK, his cook) use one when he introduced crême brulée to America?

4535 N. 5th St.

Mostly that column reads as kind of cranky: I agree that local & organic is no longer something to hang a menu on, but I don't have the sense that they're doing that. I couldn't understand what his beef was with the pharmacy theme: as I said, it's a little over-cute, but I'd leave it at that. Agreed on the inconsistency of portion size: the soup was a small cup, as opposed to a large mound of slaw. I didn't feel that one was too big or too small, but it was a little odd. Also agreed that the menu isn't going to blow anybody away with its radical taste sensations. I haven't found anything to be badly prepared or bland (the one disappointing dish, an eggplant-bread salad, has been taken off the menu), but it's definitely on the comfort end of the spectrum. As you suggest, this may be a function of the fall menu.

Fin means $5? What's the origin of that? ← Offhand, I don't know; it's just obsolete slang, from the 1940's or thereabouts. Twenty-three skiddoo, baby! edit: according to the OED, it's from the English slang "finnip" or "finnif"- a five-pound note. Maybe from the Yiddish pronunciation of fünf.

We've now been to Farmicia twice, and have had a pleasant experience both times. The menu is maybe a little over-cute, with a "prescription" theme that divides dishes into small, medium and full doses. But I like the three sizes; if you're not so hungry, you can get a good meal without stuffing yourself to the gills. Anyway, we were hungry last night, and each went the app + entree route. The wild mushroom bisque was solid: rich, creamy and fragrant. One of those dishes you eat and ask yourself, "why don't I eat this more often"? Man, I love mushroom soup. Asian pear and crab slaw was also very good: lots of crab and a light, subtle dressing (lime juice, fish sauce, lemongrass oil, some chopped mint and parsley). We went full-out meaty goodness for the entrees: I had terrific escallopes of veal with sauteed bok choy and an exemplary pumpkin-pancetta risotto. I'm told that the beef filet and ribeye were both good as well; certainly, the big ol' pat of butter melting all over the ribeye bodes well for deliciousness. Dessert? You betcha. Ricotta fritters with hazelnut cream (think wee donuts) and a triple-custard parfait (vanilla, dark chocolate, butterscotch) were satisfying, as was the Metropolitan chocolate cake. I couldn't reach across the table to get at the lemon cream puff without getting a fork in my arm, but it looked good. The wine list seems good, but I'm pretty ignorant. Prices are about what you'd expect ($16-$19 for the big plates, $6-8 for small). There's also a pretty good selection of vegetarian and vegan options: a separate section with five or so items.

maple syrup bacon maple syrup and bacon crumbled blue Gouda chicken liver paté light misting of bourbon, dusting of red pepper flakes

This year, we had coconut-pumpkin crême brulée. Hi, my name is Andrew, and I'm from the Internet.

In Atlanta, yes. (But then everything in Atlanta is surrounded by acres of parking.) Seattle is marginally more pedestrian-friendly overall, and very friendly in a few neighborhoods. In those areas (Queen Anne, Capitol Hill, etc.) there are also some good-sized supermarkets. (Though even more impressive than their size is their quality: they're miles ahead of us in playing to the yuppie market). My experience with the Two Buck Chuck was the following. The first time I went to a Trader Joe's, I noticed a display with these three dollar bottles of wine. Hey, cheap wine, thinks I; even if it's only okay, it's still a good deal. My mom and I bought a couple of varieties (can't remember now what they were). I think we each took about three sips from each bottle and set the rest aside, hoping the other one would finish it off. I don't think either of us did, and I'm pretty sure it went down the sink. Bottom line: there are perfectly satisfying $8 wines out there, and I'd rather shell out an extra fin for that.

Most of the high points have been hit already, I think. The biggest disappointment for me, food-wise, is the quality of supermarkets in town. While I love my local Superfresh (5th & Spruce) because of the super-friendly, professional workers there, it's pretty small and not un-dingy. It can't hold a candle to the massive supermarkets in cities like Atlanta or Seattle, with their buildings the size of airplane hangars housing legions of vegetables and fifty different kinds of sea salt. [Though I did discover that the Columbus Blvd. Superfresh-- aka the "Überfresh"-- has a pretty substantial selection of ethnic foods. And not the ethnicities you'd necessarily expect: do you want to try Polish soda pop or mineral water or instant borscht? You got it. Bizarre English "food" products like Marmite toffee or Ye Queen's Owne Baked Beanes? Yup, they're there. Who knew?] The addition of Trader Joe's to our fair city has been a massive boon; great price-to-quality ratio for most everything there. Re: Two-Buck-Chuck... well, I've had it, and we're not missing out on much. It's cheap, but not exactly what you'd call tasty. The best part about food shopping in Phila. is that it's holistic: at the RTM or the Italian Market, you can walk from shop to shop, pick out bargains or specialties, talk with people, et cetera. And since all the vendors are integrated into a matrix of restaurants, kitchen-supply stores and so on, you can take your time and nosh as you go.

Went to the Smoked Joint last night. A good idea, the night before Thanksgiving? Maybe not, but such is my devotion to barbecue. Also, my momma insisted; and you know I'm not going to argue with her when barbecue is on the line. Among the meats, ribs, I thought, were the star: tender, flavorful. I'm normally only a half-hearted rib eater, but I liked these a lot. Brisket was pretty good, as was the pork. The chicken wasn't so great, but then, I'm not convinced it's even possible to do good BBQ chicken. I'm not crazy about their sauce (too sweet for me) but the meat is good enough that you can do without it. I might sneak in a bottle of nice mustard sauce to put on the pork, next time I go. There are also lots of untraditional entrees and sides (grilled pizza, baba ganouj) all of which benefit from the sweet kiss of smoke. My sister, the quasi-veg, had the pizza, and it was pretty good. I kind of wanted to order baba, but decided that that would be too weird-- and we had more than enough to eat as it was. The sides are really where TSJ stands out, especially the mac and the greens, both of which are as good as I've had anywhere. Cornbread is really good, too: it's pimped up with jalapeño for that little special something. (They also seem to be working out some issues with portion size among the sides: a small scoop of beans vs. a huge tray of sweet potato fries. There's plenty of food, it's just weird, is all.) It's pretty expensive for barbecue. Maybe that's because I'm not used to paying city prices for barbecue, but $18 for a decent-sized-but-not-gargantuan plate of ribs + brisket seems like a lot. You're paying for location, I guess, and it's worth it to eat in the comfort of Center City, rather than schlep up to NE Phila... or down to Cackalacka, for that matter. Anyway, it's as good 'cue as you'll find in the city, and worth a trip.

Then what's that gas escaping from the roof? Eek!

So, better than Sweet Lucy's, then? Because if so, that'd be pretty great. What are prices like? Not that that'll stop me if it's good: just wondering...

Olive oil, parmesan and rosemary is my favorite combination at the moment. But brewer's yeast is always a good standby. It's a Middle Eastern spice mixture. You can get it at the appropriate kind of grocery.

I'll third that. I wonder if he could be persuaded to put together a representative Balkan (and where in the Balkans is he from? I can't believe that Albanian food is the same as Bulgarian, etc) meal for a group, whether DDC or smaller.

I dunno, Sandy. While I salute your commitment to the discipline of sandwichology, somehow the idea of combining barbecue with cheese gives me the willies; some pleasures are best left separate. On the other hand, when I do have a cheesesteak, or a roast pork sandwich, I like to pimp it up with a little acid and spiciness (hot peppers are the way to go). So a really acid BBQ sauce (like Arthur Bryant's) might fill the same niche.

Demi glace, eh? I think I'm gonna trick or treat at your house this year!