Andrew Fenton

You might try shaved beef from Trader Joe's. I've had it in straccetti con rughetta: it was great for that, and I don't see why it wouldn't be good for cheesesteaks. I don't know the price, but from TJ's, it can't be too expensive.

Philadelphia Weekly has an article about Claudio's new mozzarella factory on Ninth St.: Anybody been yet? I've gotta head over there, ASAP...

That sounds awfully good; plus, it's always interesting to hear what's going on at the other end of the state. A shame about the no foie gras policy, too.

Slate's Timothy Noah ponders the racial implications of DQ's new frozen drink.

Fantastic. I'm heading up to Bar Harbor in a couple of weeks, and this massive information was exactly the sort of thing I was looking for. I'd be interested to hear the experiences of other eGulleteers who've gone recently: Varmint? Malawry? What's good, or not so good?

I agree with your sentiments to a certain extent: a year ago three friends and I celebrated our 30th birthdays at the Bec. All told, the bill was $1000, and I still have the receipt on my refrigerator. It was worth every penny. On the other hand, I've felt ripped off by a lousy $8 sandwich. But the thing is that not everybody can afford $250 for a dinner, even for a special occasion. So, yeah, it is about the cost sometimes.

Does this mean "freeze" or is it an emphasized version of "thaw"?

Surely it's not the word "foam" that bothers you, but the foam'd cuisine fad? Ditto "fusion"...

This all seems to demonstrate the impossibility (and, in my opinion, foolishness) of trying to name the "best restaurant" in Philly, or in any city of any size. Surely there are any number of "best restaurants" in various categories, each of which is appropriate for its occasion. Django and Le Bec-Fin, for example, are certainly tops in their categories. I'd be happy to call Chickie's Deli the best restaurant in Philly: they serve the best hoagie in Philadelphia; their Italian hoagie is probably the best cold sandwich I've had anywhere in the world; and in aggregate, I've gotten more pleasure from them than from any other restaurant in this town, Le Bec-Fin included.

Word to that. Or, worse, "artisanal".

I have proven to my satisfaction that getting drunk on Jack Daniels will make me do stupid, stupid things. That may have something to do with the situations in which I've gotten drunk on JD, or with the speed with which one can get drunk on it. But I prefer to blame ol' devil Jack. (No offense, of course, to JD, or to the original poster; and welcome, Old #7!)

delicious Is there a blander, more boring word to describe food? I think not.

Four stains sounds about right. About the fries: I've found them to be wildly inconsistent. Once or twice they've been very crispy, other times mealy and limp. I'd chalk it up to whether they'd just come out of the fryer, except that the same thing happens with their salt level. The salt varies from almost none to way too much. I think their workers just don't really know what they're doing. (Hopefully, that should be "what they're doing yet".)

I see. "The right tool for every job." Well, you've never steered me wrong before: when I head up to Maine at the end of the month, for my marathon weekend of drinking, guns and fireworks, I'll give redeye a try.

If memory serves, Jim's does have a pretty soft roll. It's certainly softer than that at, say, Tony Luke's or John's Roast Pork. Both of which are very different styles of steak (but both of which are markedly better than Jim's...) But the harder rolls are certainly accepted: I'm not really sure what means by that.

I like Dick's burgers; they're cheap and awesome. Best eaten late at night, sitting on the hood of your car: a taste of my misspent youth. Never developed a taste for the fries, though: greasy, limp, icky.

I had the same reaction to the article. But I gotta say that this: sounds really good.

I'm totally missing something here. buffalo chicken, melted cheese and fries--in what way is this a salad? In an awesome way, clearly.

Hm? As far as I know, a digraph is a perfectly acceptable substitution for an umlaut.

Dude, I live for momentary satisfaction. Why else would I be on eGullet?

Hey, if you can't be judgmental about what people drink, what can you be judgmental about? That's another kettle of fish entirely. I'll defend to the death the right to sneer at people who order Sex on the Beach or white zinfandel. But I don't think anybody has argued that a bartender ought to criticize her patrons, at least to their face.

Also, Metallica was famously into Jaegermeister. Which surely didn't hurt.

Does anybody actually drink this, for any other reason than on a dare?

I don't know about that. I mean, I talk louder into my cell phone than into a regular phone; but then, I have a crappy cell phone. My experience has been that people with the little earphones talk more quietly, which makes me think that voice volume is a function of how well you can hear, rather than how well your interlocutor can hear you, or an aspect of human nature.

I think the problem with cell phoners in public places isn't that they're having a conversation, but that people talk louder on a cell in order to be understood. Obviously at a restaurant you're surrounded by people having conversations. Most times that isn't a problem. If and when cell phone technology develops to the point at which you can murmur into a phone, or even speak at a normal pitch, and still be easily understood, then I won't have a problem with their use in public places.