rlibkind

The bus is pretty easy, but remember, so is the train, since the Market East Septa station is essentially downstairs from the market (you don't even have to walk out in the rain). Also, while parking in the area can get expensive, the Market has a program where you can park for two hours for just $4.50 at the covered Parkway Corp. garage (entrance on 12th Street opposite the market or on Filbert opposite the Marriott). Basically, you have to adhere to the following rules: Do not insert a credit card into the entry gate device; just push the button and take the ticket. Park in one of the areas assigned to the Reading Terminal Market. (Not a problem; and during times of high parking demand, a great convenience.) Take your ticket with you to the market, and show to each merchant from whom you purchase at least $5 in goods. For each $5, you will get a token. When done, use the machines in the parking garage's lobby as directed; when it gives you the price (probably $16.50), insert a token; this will bring the price down to $4.50. You can insert additional tokens and receive a 50-cent additional discount per token. Otherwise, feed cash or credit card into the machine to pay the balance. WARNING: Don't overstay the two hours. If you exceed the two hours, you won't get that initial discount price of $4.50 vs. $16.50; instead, you'll be charged the $16.50 less 50 cents per token. Full instructions on parking can be found at the RTM's website. Admittedly, these rules aren't the easiest to use. I've seen many people look at the payment machines in the garage's lobby as if they were Dr. Floyd in in the film 2001 in the scene where he's trying to decipher the instructions on the moon shuttle's zero-gravity water closet. Market management is aware of the daunting complexity of this system and is trying to streamline the process so it won't be as cumbersome. Might even be totally free parking for the initial period.

Probably too late, Katie. What was great about the RTM this Saturday was that there were three, count 'em, three, local food producers/vendors in the center court. I knew spring was here because Earl Livengood arrived after a 4+ month hiatus. He had his spinach, and some tender, young garlic shoots (I bought the latter). Earl is located opposite Philbert the brass pig. Fair Food Farmstand, which last year operated only on Fridays, is now at the market Saturdays, as well. Ann Karlen has located the stand at right angle to Livengood, opposite John Yi ("Eat Fish, Live Longer"). Green Valley Dairy, producer of artisinal, organic raw milk cheeses is located at right angle to Fair Food, opposite Mezze. BTW, the RTM has added FREE WiFi coverage. It's apparently part of the Pennsylvania Convention Center's coverage. Edited to fix spelling of Ann Karlen's name.

You have to go through security to eat at the airport restaurants/B-C food court. The food court is okay; not bad for airport food, but that's not saying much. Another possibility would be to pick up a sandwich at Caviar Assouline near the B end of the B-C connector. At that time of the day they won't be at their freshest, but they will be palatable. It's just too risky on a European flight to leave the airport; it's not like there's always another flight to Chicago. If you miss it, you're stuck for a day.

Nice to read your post, Papaya. Welcome! The sweets I indulge in at the RTM tend to be the chocolates. Or Bassetts ice cream. I will occasionally pick up something at Termini's (more likely the sfogliatelli than anything else during cooler weather), but I prefer Isgro's in the Italian Market for pastry. Not that Termini's is bad, just a preference. Also, Andros carries some wonderful French style items made by a patisserie in NJ (not Miele's). Go for the Pyramide. Beiler's, the Pennsylvania Dutch bakery in the 12th & Arch corner, is a pretty good commercial bakery. Traditional, sticky Pa. Dutch stuff. Also, I think some of their doughnuts are above average. Nothing wrong with some of the other sweet items at LeBus or Metropolitan. And Old City Coffee has a killer Jewish apple cake. LeBus used to make a killer chocolate cake, but I haven't noticed it lately.

All the talk about those bacon sandwiches and how they are most properly balanced by marmalade in another topic string got me thinking about the marmalade. My favorite: Tiptree Tawny. It's about as bitter, and burnt, as a marmalade can get and still be palatable. Lots of thick cut peel, just oranges and sugar. I don't even think they add pectin to this variety. What's your favorite?

More on Martin's: good place to buy lamb and very good prices. Lamb breast at $1.99 a pound! But it sells out quickly, he rarely has it by the time the weekend comes. In my first post on this message string I wrote about the Swiss truffles now available at the Pennsylvania General Store, made in by a Swiss native in Lancaster County with local milk and cream, but Swiss chocolate. You can read more about it in Rick Nichols 3/14 Sunday Inquirer Image section piece. John Yi's had great fresh sardines late this past week. I picked up half a dozen and went through them all too quickly -- should have bought a dozen. Cheap: $1.99 a pound, less than half the price charged by Whole Foods. But you have to clean them yourself. Not a big deal, since they're already scaled and definned. If you're squeamish, cut off the head and the innards (hardly any at all) practically pop themselves out. Brush with olive oil, salt and pepper and run 'em under broiler. Yum.

In Central Jersey, I like the Colonial Diner on Rt. 18. In South Jersey, Ponzio's on Rt. 70, even though it's evolved way beyond a diner. When I lived in Elizabeth and environs 25+ years ago, I enjoyed every Rt. 22 diner. What I miss are the Weequahic and Claremont diners.

Parking at the RTM can be a bitch, and it's one market management and the merchants' association are always grappling with. However, there is a discount parking program. But it's much akin to the scene in the film 2001 where Dr. Floyd is trying to read the complicated instructions governing use of the zero-gravity toilet. The garage to use would be the Parkway garage at 12th & Filbert, enter either on Filbert or off 12th. When you enter DO NOT PUT YOUR CREDIT CARD into the gate slot. Instead, take the ticket and proceed to one of the special areas on the 3rd and 5th levels reserved for Reading Terminal Market customers. (You'll have to reinsert your ticket to gain entry to those special areas; it will be returned immediately.) As you shop, show your ticket to merchants, and you'll collect a token for every $5 spent. Be sure to finish your shopping and return to the garage within two hours of entry to take advantage of the discount rates, otherwise you'll pay the full rate (I think it's $16.50) with at most a 50-cent discount per token. If you stay within the two-hour limit, your parking fee will be a maximum of $4.50 with only one token, and an additional 50-cents deducted for each additional token. To get that discount within the two-hour limit, when you return to the garage put your ticket stub into the ground-floor check-out machine. When it asks for you to deposit money or a credit card, put in a token; be patient, in about 5-10 seconds the display for amount owed will change from $16.50 to $4.50. You can now continue to add additional tokens for the additional 50 cent discounts, if you choose. If not, just add cash or your credit card to pay for the remaining balance. Your ticket will be returned, which you will use to exit both the special RTM parking area and then the garage. The Market is looking at a plan to simplify this and do away with both the need for tokens and parking in a special area. The parking might even be free! Details to come if the Merchants Association approves the deal.

The name of the pretzel place is Fisher's.

Welcome, Annexk8! Now that spring is rapidly approaching the RTM gets even more interesting... On Fridays and, temporarily at least, Saturdays as well, the Fair Food Farmstand sets up in center court opposite Philbert the Brass Pig (you have noticed Philbert, haven't you?) The Fair Food Farmstand sells products that have been grown and produced by small family farms and independent food companies in southeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey. Every week the manager, Ann Karlen, sends out an e-mail to announce what she's scheduled to have. You can subscribe by sending Ann an e-mail at Ann@whitedog.com. (The Fair Food Project is a non-profit endeavor of the White Dog Cafe. When spring produce arrives, that means Earl Livengood won't be far behind. Earl sets up on Saturdays during the growing season at the same center court location as Fair Food (which is why FFF is there during the winter on Saturday but not Spring through Fall). Livengood's can be counted on to have whatever is in season and offers both conventional and organic produce. His berries are tops, and when tomato season finally arrives he'll have heirlooms. Don't miss his greens, especially the spinach. Over the last year there's been a new "home grown" addition to the market, artisinal cheese made in Lancaster County. The vendor, Aaron Lapp, sells organic raw milk cheese. He learned his craft from Jonathan White, founder of Egg Farm Dairy who now operates Bobolink Farms; Aaron says he's cave aging cheese for Jonathan. The Lancaster County cheese is cheddar in a number of different formulations, all delicious. He is only at the market on Saturdays, but you can also buy some of his cheeses on Friday from the Fair Food Farmstand. Iovine's continue's to amaze me. Brothers Jimmy and Vinny are not mere produce retailers -- they're practically farmers! They contract with at least one farmer to grow crops specifically for them, which means they are bringing in good, wholesome local produce in season. And their variety of "imported" produce (in other words, from outside of the Delaware Valley) is usually of high quality and variety. Their exotics can lend interest to your dinner table. When available, try some salicornia, which you can treat like asparagus; but be forewarned, it's naturally salty, hence, one alternate name: pickleweed. This spring Iovine's will have fiddleheads and ramps, among other exotic (and high priced) goodies. Plus a decent selection of mushrooms. Plus they always seem to find the best quality/value mix of conventional produce; in February, for example, they get some Plant City, Florida, strawberries, that, while clearly winter berries, still have exceptional flavor. Last week, perfectly good Haas avocadoes (they did need a couple of days ripening at home) were two for a $1. Don't dismiss the hotdog stand near the entrance to the Beer Garden. It's one of the few places in town where you can buy a Best all-beef hot dog (Best Provisions of Newark, not Best Kosher of Chicago). Best Provisions manufactures, IMHO, the best all-beef frank going, better than Sabrett's and better than Usinger's, two other high quality dogs. You've got three fish stores to choose from at the RTM, and all offer good quality, fresh fish. There is some difference in the varieties carried, as well as the prices, so it pays to check out all three if you're in the mood for fish or shellfish. Only Golden, for example, handles "dry" scallops ("dry" in the sense that no water-retaining phosphate has been added), while only what used to be Kim's (the one closest to Filbert Street) carries skate. John Yi, of course, has the best neon sign. (Eat Fish, Live Longer.) Need a treat? The Pennsylvania General Store has lots of them, and recently started carrying Swiss style truffles made by a real Swiss chocolatier, even if said chocolatier has his workshop in Lancaster County (close to good milk for Swiss milk chocolate). If you want even more local chocolate, Caviar Assouoline sells gift boxes of Jubilee Chocolates from West Philly. I could go on, and on and on. I've been an RTM shopper since the early 1980s and suffered through the convention center construction and market rehabilitation, where in succession 25% of the floor space was shut down for repairs. But today's market is as vibrant as ever. The stores change, and there's a constant battle to keep it from becoming a chain-dominanted food court (the closest thing to a chain today at the RTM would be Bassetts Turkey). So far, the good guys are winning. But to keep it that way, we locals have to support the merchants. Nothing wrong with having sandwich places to attract the tourists (especially when the sandwiches are as good as those prepared by Ed's crew at Salumeria or Tommy DiNic), but we've got to shop for our everyday food there if the RTM is to remain the unique resource for urban living that it is. (Edited to fix typos)

I don't regard H&H as a standard of what a bagel should be. For that, visit Elmora Bagels on Elmora Avenue in Elizabeth; it's owned by the same family that owned and operated Watson Bagels in Newark, and they use the same recipe and technique here. The family also operates a kosher bakery (where I believe the bagels can also be purchased) at Millburn Mall on Vauxhall Road (it's actually in Union, just over the line from Millburn). And if you're at Millburn Mall you can also pick up some smoked fish at Tabachnik's, or get a hot dog at Syd's. Of course, if you go to Elmora Bagels you can cross the street and get a great corned beer or pastrami sandwich at Goodman's. What a wealth of opportunity!

I worked at Grand Central in the late 70s (I told the radio stations how delayed the afternoon rush hour trains were) and regularly indulged in my wurst fantasies at Zum Zum. As you noted, Zum Zum was in the former Pan Am building -- an architectural monstrosity that forever blighted vistas up and down Park Avenue -- just up the escalators from GCT's main concourse. PS: In the interest of accuracy (and because I'm a Class A nit-picker), the big railroad terminus is not Grand Central Station. It's Grand Central Terminal. Just look on the main facade, it's engraved in stone: Grand Central Terminal. Grand Central Station is the subway station complex under Grand Central Terminal; at one time it also was a network radio program (before my time); and, last I looked (admittedly about 15 years ago) there was a post office facility by that name somewhere in the general vicinity on Lex.

Everyone's forgetting the classic black and white: Morros y Christianos. Black beans and rice.

Porgies are great grilled whole. Very simple bone structue. Greek restaurants here in Phila. treat them simply, just some lemon juice, salt, pepper, maybe oregano.

For a history of Syd's, see Nat Bodian's article on the virtualnewarknj.com web site. Sabin's and Millman's were competing hot dog operations (I believe both served Sabretts) on Meeker Avenue, the northeastern border of Weequahic Park. Both were small diner-type operations with counters, though I don't think they served much beyond hot dogs. I only vaguely recall them.

Glad to hear the diner is continuing a culinary tradition at this location. The diner (physically in Union, not Elizabeth, even though most folks think it's in Elizabeth) is built the site of the old Townley's Restaurant, an old fashioned restaurant. When I went there as a kid, and until it was demolished, it was owned by Al Zimmerman (I went to school with his son, Bobby). A guy named Irv was his expediter in the kitchen. Basic "full service" restaurant meals, and a cocktail lounge where one of the county judges imbibed every night. A 'nice' place for quiet drunks. Food wasn't bad, given the times (1950s-early 60s). The only reason I knew all this is because my Dad operated a refrigeration service business, and Townley's was one of his many commercial customers; many a time I lugged my Dad's tools and gas tanks to the basement to fix one of Al's units. It's at Townley's that I learned about some new foods, like shrimp. I saw it on the menu and wanted to taste it, so the waiter (George, OMG I remember his name!) brought me one tiny fried shrimp on a huge otherwise unadorned steak platter. I attended many a reception or Sweet Sixteen at Townley's. (They catered my Bar Mitzvah; I think we paid for it in trade.) Around the corner from Townley's, on Morris Avenue heading into downtown Elizabeth, was a brown-and-cream Army surplus bus outfitted as a donut shop. They made the best donuts I've ever had (childhood tastes are difficult to overcome). Only two varieties: plain and sugared. Really fatty deep fried cake donuts; had to have been done in lard. Whenever we went there, my parents who send one of us to get the donuts, because the baker always gave the kid an extra donut. I think the "donut man" survived into the 1970s. I remember Kartzman's on, I believe, Mill Road in Irvington just over the line from Union. I went there as a kid occasionally -- you took a ticket and went to the counter, just like at Katz's. Lots of salamis hanging from the ceiling. I continued to go there during the early 70s, when i worked as a young reporter at the Union Leader nearby. One of my colleagues loved their roast turkey legs. Although I don't remember this, I think Kartzman's was located on Lyons Ave. in Newark before moving to Irvington.

You're right. The Elizabeth we are nostalgic about no longer exists any more than do the places in Newark we were talking about. I left Elizabeth in the late eighties. By that time I was the last person in my garden apartment who spoke English. Drugs were being dealt not too far away. The Westminster section where I grew up was becoming seedy. There were no longer any places to shop that didn't have wire grills and security personnel on patrol. The city simply decayed and life as we knew it was gone and so were we. If I recall properly it started to happen not long after the riots in Newark. It was pretty much the same story as in many places. The affluent left because they could no longer get the goods and services to which they were accustomed, crime was on the increase etc. etc. And so it went. I certainly agree with Charlotte that the ethnic mix in Elizabeth has changed. But it's been pretty much like the changes throughout the Metropolitan area, which has seen a large increase in its Hispanic communities. In fact, more than anything else, that is what has kept Elizabeth Avenue as a lively, vibrant commercial area. I would hardly disagree that a number of neighborhoods are not as safe or as middle class as they once were. Westminster is one. Same with much of Jersey Avenue, once a broad and stately boulevard. But there are still plenty of safe areas, and lovely ones, including those sections of Elmora north of Westfield Avenue and west of North Avenue.

I don't remember Stash's, but Big Stash's is still a sandwich joint on Wood Ave. just east of Rt. 1 in Linden. Goodman's is also in Berkeley Heights! Wild! You've got me beat by a little, Charlotte, I don't remember those Elizabeth bakeries, but I sure do remember Schutt's ice cream parlor on Morris Avenue. The New Roumanian was, naturally, a Romanian-Kosher restaurant, I believe it ws on either Clinton or Springfield Avenue. Seltzer bottles and schmaltz on the table, planked rib steak, waiters who creaked when they walked, etc. Kinda like Sammy's without the artifice.

As well you should! Remember 'Weequahic Salad'? Here's the Weequahic Diner page from the Virtual Newark website. Now, here's a real age-tester: Millman's and Sabin's The Tavern. The New Roumanian. And does anyone remember The Newarker, the high-toned restaurant at Newark Airport? If I recall correctly, it was Joe Baum's first creation for Restaurant Associates, who next opened the Four Seasons for RA.

That's the first time I've heard that one! I find it difficult to give credence to that assertion. Applying dye to individual steaks and fillets would seem to be a highly labor intensive and uneconomic means of attaining the desired result, from the aquaculturist's point of view. Could you offer some more specific support and/or sourcing of that statement? It's my understanding that the color of farm-raised salmon is obtained through the feed, but I stand ready to be further enlightened as to the facts.

Was just talking about these in another thread. I've always known them as "Shrove Tuesday Buns." My father says he learned about them when he was a postdoc in Upsala, that they are traditional for Shrove Tuesday but eaten throughout lent in Scandinavia. The way I always had them was with hot milk poured over the filling before the cream was put on top. The semla at Ulrika's are similar, though not identical, to the ones described on the other string. Where those are hollowed out and then the crumbs mixed up with other goodies, at Ulrika's the bun is just split and filled with cream. I'm no pastry expert, so I'm uncertain how the almond flavor is introduced; there might be a little finely ground almond in the dough, but I really don't know. Ulrika's offers hot milk with them, too. If you really want a herring feast, try Aquavit's Sunday buffet. Or, of course, get take home from Russ & Daughters. Ulrika's web site said she created some Scandinavian herrings for that revered establishment.

At lunch, appetizer prices range from$9-$16, mains $15-$22 (there are also sandwiches at $10 and under). The website offers full menu with prices. No wine or drinks list/prices, though. But if youj really want to indulge (and can walk home or take a cab) there's a $38 flight of 10, count 'em, 10 aquavits!

David, I'll see your memory and raise you two! Another Elmora stalwart long gone was Mother Hubbard's (actually, it was on Westfield Ave. just off the corner of Elmora). The restaurant started out in Manhattan (I think the Village) in the 30s or 40s, but the owners got sick of the increasing rents and moved the operation to Elizabeth. Mother Hubbards made the hamburgers of my youth, so they could do no wrong. The proprietress told me that they bought porterhouse "tails" and ground them up for their burgers. They were larger burgers, probably six ounces, broiled under a salamander and served with the sweetest sauteed onions I ever encountered until I learned the knack myself. (While other kids went to the White Castle across the street, I always wanted Mother Hubbard's.) The restaurant's other claim to fame was its pies. Buy ten and bring back the tins and you'd get a free pie. We always got the apple pie, the biggest seller, though they also made a few other fruit pies as well as a coconut cream and a lemon meringue. What's astounding is that they did not use fresh apples. Instead, they used a canned apple. But my guess is that it was a superior canned product made out of an apple that held its shape in baking; perhaps a rhode island greening. There were two cooks. I remember the name of one of them, Al, who got off the bus at the corner every day from Manhattan (where he lived); Al was primarily the grill man. His colleague was the pie man (though both could do either job) and what distinguished him in my mind was that he had a hole in his throat and spoke only with great difficulty; cancer of the larynx, I guess. The restaurant itself was filled with little bric-a-brac, but the feature I remember most clearly was the s-shaped curved wooden counter. It was simple, but a work of art. The proprietress was a bit of a bohemian and the menu eclectic. I once recall lettuce soup as the soup-of-the-day. Big, homemade steak-syle french fries. I remember the Pathmark Hut, too. Awful hamburgers! But going back either further in time (I graduated from Thomas Jefferson, one of the few all-boys public high schools, two years before you moved to Elizabeth), I recall the old diner on that site. It was a classy, boxy diner, not at all streamlined, and looked like a real railroad car, even if it wasn't. I don't remember a thing about the food, however, although I recall I went to junior high with Jimmy Turner whose father either owned it or worked there. Another place for hamburgers was the Charcoal Grill, opposite from the Mother Hubbard's (I think a gas station is there now) at the southeast corner of Westfield & Elmora. Good charcoal grilled hamburgers. It probably became a gas station sometime around 1970, maybe earlier. Would you believe there was once a pizza chain called Louis Prima's? Named after the band leader/singer/husband of Keely Smith. It was located across the street from the Elmora Theater (where I saw movies every Saturday afternoon in from the mid-50s to early 60s). Prima's had so-so pizza but pretty good meatball sandwiches. I think it only lasted six or seven years; when it went out of business the space was taken over by Jerusalem, which later moved across the street. Other Elmora food vendors gone but not forgotten: Atlas Meats, Snowflake Bakery (where I learned to love Dobish tortes), Tabachnik's appetizer store, Superior deli. (Tabachnik's, BTW, still exists; the last outpost of the Newark fish smokery can still be found, and smoking fish, at Millburn Mall on Vauxhall Road in Union, the same strip mall where Syd's is located.) Sam and Andy's Produce might still be on Elmora. BTW, all of a sudden I recall the second Goodman brother's name was Irv, not Abe. Julie was the thin brother, Irv the chunky one. I went to junior high and high school with their son. I agree, it's highly unlikely they close for Pesach today. Bob

Because my wife is half-Norweigian and loves all things Scandinavian, except herring, and because I love herring, we finally made it to Ulrika's on E. 60th just east of Park for a late lunch Thursday. The ultimate test is the Swedish meatball, which my wife ordered. It was just like you'd get at a Lutheran church supper whose church ladies knew how to cook. Good taste, firm and smooth texture, in a nice, lightly-applied gravy with a heap of lingonberries and a side of okay mashed potatoes. Marcus Samuelsson's recipe from his Aquavit cookbook produces a lighter meatball, but the one Ulrika serves passes the test and is a tad more traditional. Each table gets two breads: a baked-in-a-flowerpot Swedish rye, slightly sweet, very carraway-y without sign of seeds, and a Wasa-like dark flatbread that was much better than you'll find in a package at the supermarket; I didn't ask, but it may well have been made on the premises. I started out with the herring plate, five or six different styles of herring (mustard, matjes, tomato, among them, as well as something green from herbs) served on a big plate with a single small boiled potato, a slice of Västerbotten cheese and a tidy mound of egg salad. Excellent composition, even better taste. But then, I've yet to meet a marinated herring (other than the ones Maine lobstermen put in their traps) that I didn't like. Of course, you can't eat herring with some aquavit (Aalborg Jubilee Aquavit, flavored with dill and coriander) and a beer (Ulrika's house draft pilsner). My wife thoroughly enjoyed a wine drink that might be more appropriate in warm weather: a light chilled white into which was scattered tiny cubes of cucumber and strawberries, freshened even more with a squeeze of lime. Sounds awful, tastes great, so long as you regard it as a refreshing beverage rather than an excursion into wine snobbery. For a main I went for the Beef a la Rydberg: good, hot, crispy small cubes of double-fried potato accompanying larger cubes of good quality beef, seared and sauteed to a perfect medium rare. Another entree that looked good when I saw it delivered to a nearby table was the fish soup: nice cuts of salmon, cod and some shellfish in a saffron broth with just enough cream to make it mellow. The perfect Atkins lunch. One of the two smart East Side middle-aged ladies at the table kept remarking: "This place is a find, an absolute find!" I went for the dessert special, semlor, an almond-enhanced sweet bun split and stuffed with cream. In a more religious and stern Lutherna time, it was only served on Fat Tuesday, but now appears soon after Christmas and stays through Lent. My wife loves Scandinavian batter goodies, so she ordered the Swedish pancakes; the server gladly accommodated her request for more lingonberries rather than blueberries. The stack of three-inch lacy pancakes exceeded all expectations. The long room is attractively decorated in a muted and underdone Country Swedish style. Service hit just the right note for a casual lunch. Marcus Samuelsson is rightly acclaimed for his new Scandinavian-fusion cookery, and Aquavit remains a favorite of mine. But for high-level Scandinavian cooking of a more traditional nature, visit Ulrika's. Now, if only I could find a restaurant that made good Danish sandwiches!

You can take the boy out of Elizabeth (more than 30 years ago), but you can't take the Elizabeth out of the boy.