Andrew Fenton

Ach, no-reservations policies! We hates them, my preciousss... There's a wonderful restaurant in Philly- Chloe- that I never go to, because of their no-reservations policy. I don't like gambling on my dinner time. That goes double when I'm with a group of more than two.

Hiya, Jim. Glad you had a good time and good eating here in the city of brotherly love. I gotta say, I'm impressed by the amount of eating you did in a short time: good man! One point must be made: The best hoagie you've ever had. (And it is, it is! Next time you're in town, get to Chickie's: equally good, and worth a comparison.) I've really gotta make it up to Old Forge one of these days. No excuse for it.

Oh, that is a good one. Can't beat the rottin' meat!

What's the address? I'd like to walk by tomorrow and check it out...

Yah, there are a bunch of 'cue trucks around Temple Hospital. Also, there is- or I should say was- a restaurant that was supposed to be tremendously good. I can't remember the name right now; but I remember that I found them in the phone book and tried calling several times, but never got an answer. Pity.

That would be Sweet Lucy's, on the 7500 block of State Road. It's excellent; hands down the best 'cue I've had in Philadelphia. Try the brisket there, among other things. There's a thread on it; but because I'm a big loser, I can't find it. Somebody else will provide a link, no doubt.

Welcome to eGullet, Greg! I've heard good things about Dwights. Oughta give them a try one of these days. I'm with you on preferring pork to ribs, by the way. You can't beat a good pulled pork, or brisket. Oh no.

I don't believe I've ever had a White Castle burger. Will have to remedy that, one of these days.

I don't get it. Why would bread pudding do that. Was it rotten? Andrew, have you ever made bread pudding? Eggs, milk, bread -- the devil's playground, especially if left out on the counter, unrefrigerated, overnight. Oh yeah; left out overnight. Wasn't paying attention. That'd do it, wouldn't it? D'oh! Well, here's my own story. I made a peach cobbler for dessert tonight. Recipe? Who needs it; I've made it dozens of times. Got it out of the oven, nice and bubbling: not quite as browned as it could be, but what the heck. I decide to take a li'l nibble of the cobbler, just to make sure it wasn't poisoned... Forgot to add butter to the biscuit dough. Yeah, those cobbles could, in fact, be used to pave the street outside my apartment...

I'm often asked what kind of water I'd like. I almost invariably ask for "tap water" or "ice water"; never felt embarrassed, and never been given any attitude.

Looks like the closest White Castle is in Toms River, NJ. Not too long a drive if you're really in the mood for some grease, I suppose...

Y'all have inspired me to make a gumbo tonight. Looking through the refrigerator, I see the following leftovers: homemade sausage (buffalo-bacon-apricot) a chicken cutlet most of a can of crushed tomatoes green peppers, just starting to go a mixed-six of bottles of Yards beer (for me, not for the gumbo) Once I pick up some shrimp and some okra (if the stuff at the store looks good) I'll be in business!

It's true: Katie was like a twelve-year-old at a Hanson concert, all screaming, crying, jumping up and down and whatnot. With good reason; all the Aussies (and the Jerseyites) were very cool, and it was great to meet them. By the end of dinner there were so many glasses on the table that you couldn't reach for your fork without playing a little tune. Hooray for wine geekery, I say! This was my introduction to Me Toujours, and it was every bit as good as I've heard for years now. My bouillabaisse entree was as wonderful a mix of French and Vietnamese as you could ask for: ultra-fresh fish, scallops, shrimp and a lobster tail, with a rich broth, served over cellophane noodles. And the "golden packets" are like little UPS deliveries from culinary heaven ("Why yes! I'd be happy to sign for those packets!") Absolutely a lovely evening; who could ask for more?

Oh, the cutlet is good. I like the veal cutlet a li'l bit better- my choice at TL's usually comes down to that or the roast pork- but I won't knock the mighty chicken cutlet.

But if there are too many empty seats, those good restaurants may close for lack of business. Their customer base has been drained away by the chains. I can't get too worked up about the "chain invasion". Philadelphia is a big city, with a big restaurant ecosystem, and I don't see any empirical reason to believe that independent restaurants are being pushed out by chains. At the same time that these chains have been opening up in Center City, there have been even more new, independent restaurant openings in the same area. And you know what? The good ones, at least, seem to be doing well. So I don't really see the problem.

I seem to remember hearing that Tony Luke's bakes their own bread. Surely that can't be right, can it? I suppose it's a good enough excuse to head down there this weekend for some research and maybe a veal cutlet with greens...

I don't get it. Why would bread pudding do that. Was it rotten?

Well, I'd hope they'd be able to make a religious exemption to the emissions standards. I mean, really.

I picked up some Boylan's Sugar Cane Cola at Trader Joe's the other day. It's not bad- strong cinnamon taste- but I'm afraid to say that I can't really tell the difference between cane sweetener and corn syrup. (I don't drink enough sugar cola, for one thing.) But at least it comes in a glass bottle.

Well, Calabash is famous for seafood, of course; but I've never been there. I had one really memorable meal in Southport, at the Yacht Basin Provision Co. It's a little divey place at the harbor with great, super-fresh seafood and a funky vibe. There are some good restaurants in Wilmington. You might think about heading up there as well. (And if you do, make sure you take a walking tour; it's definitely worthwhile).

Yes, people are willing to pay for convenience. Good ol' free market in action, there. More interesting is the comparison between the Korean produce mart and the supermarket. Why is the produce market so much cheaper? My first guess would be non-union labor; what else comes into play?

Inspired by Scoats's post, I managed to make it over to Sammy's for an early dinner tonight. Interesting decor: the restaurant is divided roughly into thirds. The first part is a restaurant with booths and kind of a neat maze-like layout. There's also an outdoor bar area, and in the back, facing the river, a beach, complete with umbrellas, outdoor tables, a sand volleyball court (!) and a fiberglass waterfall; all presumably left over from Maui. We sat on the beach. It's the first time I've been able to sit outside and look out on a body of water in Philly. Very nice. We took our shoes off, let the sand get between our toes, and stared off into the distance at Camden. Also very nice. Service was okay: somehow we didn't get assigned a server, so had to flag down a waitress and convince her to serve us. After that it was fine. The barbecue was average. The Memphis ribs were the best, with a decent smoky flavor (according to the menu, they use pecan wood), but the rub was extremely salty. The brisket was all right, but I really didn't like the pulled pork: it's mixed together with the sauce, which I found actively bad (in Beth's description, "tastes like Bullseye"). As Scoats said, the food is reasonably priced: around $10-15 for a BBQ platter. Beer is relatively expensive, though. I'd go back, mostly to sit outside at the bar. They have a happy hour on weeknights (5-7 PM) with half-priced drinks. That's the way to go; sit outside, watch New Jersey painted by the rays of the setting sun, drink a beer and maybe eat a little 'cue.

Heather, that also sounds amazing! How do you make the creme fraiche dressing? Can you post a recipe?

This sounds great! And it doesn't hurt that I already have a bunch of tarragon that I need to use up. Also, come to think of it, I've got a bunch of peas that I need to shell and cook...

Thanks for checking them out, Scoats. They sent us a menu a while back: it's very slickly produced, which also made me assume that it's a chain. Interesting to see that it's not. I'll give them a try sometime soon. Question, to help a nouveau-Philadelphian out: what were Maui and Philly Rock? Restaurants? Clubs?