Andrew Fenton

A KCMO friend of mine (who knows just what I like) sent me a bottle each of Gates' and Arthur Bryant's barbecue sauce. The latter is emblazoned with the phrase, "The President's Choice." Which raises the question: which president? Their website isn't much help: there's a photo of Jimmy Carter, who is evidently a fan. And Harry Truman ate there, no surprise: I suppose the reference might be to him (like those British food companies with the seal declaring them to be "Royal Barbecue and Haggis Purveyor to HRH..." But it's a little obscure; and I'd imagine that LBJ and Bill Clinton are examples of presidents with strong feelings about the barbecuinal arts as well. Any insights?

Yes, to paraphrase Jinmyo, anything with pork Yup, the pig makes it good. Along these lines, don't neglect Mexican-style tortas. Especially those that include avocado. (Which reminds me: avocado and hard salami sandwiches? Heaven.)

The best part of my trip to NOLA a year ago was all the fine sandwiches I had there. Muffalettas, oyster po'boys, the sublime debris sandwich: they know from sandwiches down there. Nevertheless, my vote for Best. Sandwich. Ever. goes to the eponymous Chickie's Special at Chickie's deli in Philadelphia: sopressata, cappicola, prosciutto, aged provolone, a few vegetables for crispness, olive oil and vinegar. And Sarcone's outstanding Italian bread: wonderful. Holly's photo of the Special, ifrom his Chickie's page:

Give in, Herb. You know you want to; and you're among friends here. Plus, I want to hear what you have to say. Don't worry, it's cool.

Coffee Crisp is one of my favourite (er, favorite) candy bars. As a kid growing up in Seattle, I would see ads for them all the time on Canadian TV. It drove me crazy with unfulfilled candy desire; a young Tantalus. Damn you, Canada, for flaunting your candy at me!

But thei state fruit is still Cheddar, right?

I've picked blueberries in NJ, and they were fine. But I agree that they strike me as a Maine thing. Cranberries? I didn't even know that they grow in Jersey; Massachusetts or Oregon, maybe... Tomatoes, sure. Or peaches: I'll take a fresh Jersey peach over one from Georgia, any day.

Good point. Actually, that's the look of somebody being hypnotized BY the magic of pizza. Free will goes out the door in the presence of a magnificent tomato pie like that; I become a pizza pod person.

Holy cow! Now that's what I call instant service. Can I make you do other things just by posting about them?

Yeah yeah. You're all talk... When's this Trenton trip going to happen, anyway? I've gotta see how this NJ version compares to the Philly variety. Er, varieties...

I still don't get why this is so terrible, rather than just different. I wouldn't use canned whipped cream for cooking or berries. But if I order a banana split at an ice cream parlor, I wouldn't sneer at the canned stuff (and in fact, I don't recall ever seeing anything other than canned whipped cream in that context.) The texture is hardly "wrong"; in my opinion, its foaminess is a nice counterpoint to good, dense ice cream. Anyway, we've wandered pretty far off-topic; back to bashing Sandra Lee, I guess...

I was also inspired to roast up a 'flower last night. Good stuff. It didn't taste like french fries (but then, I cut it into florets rather than slices, which probably inhibited caramelization), but had an excellent, rich flavor. I went through half a head on my own, no problem. Tonight I'll follow soba's suggestion and turn the leftovers into some soup, hooray!

A good point. I know that 'round Savannah way, crabs are a late spring to fall food. So given that this isn't a DDC-sponsored event, we should probably avoid too much danger in our dining. I will research this subject further, and if it turns out that a delay is called for, well, so be it! (What happens to a crab deferred?)

It'd probably be wise to wait until temperatures have popped back up above freezing before we take on any righteous rib running adventures. Plus, Sweet Lucy's parking lot doesn't have the same kind of bucolic splendor that Route 40 has to offer... On the other hand, if anybody wants to head up to one of these places some Saturday, I'd be up for it. A really twisted individual might tag team barbecue with a trip to Bonk's for a little surf n' turf action: Katie, I'm looking at you...

No argument from me on the essential wrongness of Cool Whip. But is whipped cream in a can really "shit"? I thought it was basically cream plus sugar plus gas to whip it. Not the same as cream whipped up fresh, but nothing objectionable either.

I ate at a place like this once. Hated it. I felt like they were steering me toward the most expensive dishes they had (and since there was no printed menu, you had to ask for the price on each dish) or toward whatever the kitchen had too much of that day. My feeling is, I know how to read a menu and am not shy about asking questions, so unless there is truly a personal chef on hand and a limitless number of options, I'd rather just have the menu laid out for me. But others' mileage may vary...

Great. Now the image of Robert Frost sliding off Tommy's tongue will be with me all. day. long.

Of course, this argument can be turned around and still make as much sense. When a customer secures a dinner reservation with a credit card, she risks paying a fee if some unforeseen event (emergency surgery, alien invasion, change of plans) occurs and she can't make it to a phone. A risk-averse diner can simply, y'know, make reservations somewhere else. Or make last-minute plans. Previous posts have indicated that it's usally a flat fee, of around $20. Not as much as the cost of a meal; just enough to serve as a memory aid to the patron.

Sweet Lucy's is a very good find. We stopped by after a busy morning at Ye Olde Home Depot and picked up an order to eat at home. I'm still picking meat from between my teeth and am now contentedly considering a Saturday afternoon nap... Let's see: we ordered two platters, with brisket, pulled pork, ribs, sweet potatoes, slaw, beans (green & baked), and German potato salad. A couple of rolls, for making sandwiches. The sides are workmanlike. I don't much care for sweet potatoes, but if I did, I'd love these: sweet, buttery, making a mockery of any health claims that that tuber might make. Both sets of beans were first-rate; green beans were tender but not mushy. Baked beans were slightly sweet and tangy, with some nice chunks of pork playing hide and seek... Gotta get that meat as many ways as possible, don't you know! The meat, especially the pork and brisket, is the best I've had in Philly. It's well smoked- there's a clear smoke ring on the brisket slices, always a good thing- with a complex, slightly sweet and almost fruity flavor. Very nice. I'm sort of two minds about highly smoked barbecue: in general I like a little more subtlety, but this just has such a good flavor that I'm totally won over. The ribs were okay; we got the end of the rack, so there was a disappointing bone/meat ratio. I'd try them again, though. Not too much sauce, which was good, because I didn't like that so much (a little too ketchupy). Since we ate at home, we got some Arthur Bryant's and Johnny Harris mustard sauce out of the fridge; no problem there. I forgot to ask about the vinegar sauce; next time, I'll get some of that on the side. Definitely a good candidate for a mini-Rib Run. But what to call it? Revenge of Rib Run? Rib Run Redux? And Jim, I'd love to see some sort of Philadelphia master barbecue list drawn up. Lead, and I will follow!

have ya been to dwight's southern @ 44th and lancaster or debreaux in the overbrook train station? Debreaux, yes. Though I only had the fried chicken. Which was exemplary. Dwight's I haven't been to: though after learning that they commit the sacrilege of parboiling I'm not likely to go any time soon. Zeke's is okay, and probably the best BBQ I've had in the city. Still like the Rib Shanty on Rte. 40 the best, and Uncle Dewey does a good job too. (Who's ready to start planning Revenge of Rib Run?) Gonna be heading up to the great Northeast for some barbecue goodness this afternoon, hoorah!

Right. I have no problem with this policy, any more than with security deposits for an apartment or car rental. As long as it's clearly spelled out and applied, that is: my wife has been billed for a reservation that she cancelled more than two weeks in advance. (She called, pitched a fit and had the bill cancelled: in this case, the restaurant either screwed up or was trying to take advantage of her. They've also gone out of business, so go figure...)

Depends; I've had it both ways. I always assumed the flavor difference was because of the cane sugar, but after finding that the kind made with corn syrup is pretty good too, became convinced that the real difference is that glass is a better bottling product than plastic or aluminum. Re: authenticity. Not something I care about particularly; especially since I don't know what the word means, at least with reference to food. Is Chipotle's food "authentic" Mission style burritos or "inauthentic" Mexican? In my opinion, it's a useless question, or at least one much less important than whether the burritos taste good.

Dude, Mexican Coke (in the glass bottle, natch) is awesome stuff, way better than the American product. I'll often order it when I'm at a tacqueria...

Really? I doubt you'd find anybody- well, let's qualify that as "more than a tiny minority"- among eGulleteers dissing In-N-Out. In fact, it usually comes up as a counterexample; a chain that manages to get it right. (As Chipotle may be, too; I've never tried their stuff, but would if given a chance.)

And it's not bad, either: sort of like a barley wine in consistency, a little sweet and spicy, from what I remember. I have to say that I'm a big fan of these Jurassic Park-style brews. Bring 'em back from the dead, I say; then we can argue not only about which countries brew the best beer, but which dead civilizations do. (My money's on the Lydians. All the way, baby!)