rlibkind

Agreed, sales are not an issue. Anyone who can offer a decent cheese steak at that location will sell a lot of units. That's because the location is (1) convenient to nearby office workers and (2) within two blocks of about 3,000 hotel rooms. Yes. That's why, as an eater, I'm agnostic on whether Rick's lease should have been renewed. (In the course of 25 years of shopping at the RTM, I think I've had Rick's cheese steaks about half a dozen times.) Yes. But that's irrelevant. Once a lease expires the landlord has no obligation to renew, nor does the tenant have an obligation to stay. Longevity alone hardly matters, though Rick has certainly made contributions both as a merchant and as a leader of the merchants association. But the "Reading Market tradition" is not about cheese steaks and lunch counters. It's about meat, fish, poultry and dairy products. I mourned the departure of Siegfried and Margarums a few years ago much more than I would the substitution of one cheese steak vendor by another. And if the RTM doesn't sign a suitable replacement for Foster's, I will lament that as well. Olivieri and the RTM have a business relationship, not a marriage. And I don't think anyone has been "speculating" about liking or disliking Rick's cheese steak. That's not a matter of speculation, it's a matter of taste. The comments I linked to were clearly judgements by people who actually tasted Rick's steaks. Why not? If market management believes that another operator can provide what both media and consumers perceive as a superior product, why should they not act on that belief? Business is not off at the market; indeed, traffic is as high as it's ever been. (Although, because merchants don't want to report their revenue, it's difficult to know if the traffic converts to constant dollars.) I don't think anyone has ever suggested that Rick harms RTM traffic levels. Hey, even one of Rick's most ardent and vocal supporter told me he doesn't see a conspiracy. Besides, what would be the politics here? Non-profit boards, especially those whose members depend on the kindness of politicians for their positions, rarely seek out political risk. But the RTM board, by not renewing the lease, took on more political risk than they would face in renewal. They made a determination that the potential reward outweighed the risk. That reward, they say through Steinke, willbe a strengthened market and ability to support the fresh food vendors.Whether or not that evaluation is correct can be debated, as we are doing here, but I don't see acting on that evaluation as harmful to the market's central mission. Since politics is often personal, is this personal? Well, from Olivieri's point of view, absolutely: it's his livelihood we're talking about and, from the way he tells the story, he was blind-sided. Steinke's point of view is, no surprise, different. He says it's not personal, but an action designed to strengthen the market. We need to pay attention to tradition and longevity, as Holly says, but I'm not sure this situation meets that test. I don't think anyone involved fails to care about the impact this has on Rick Olivieri, his family and his employees. Still, I have little doubt that Rick will come up roses. He's a knowledgeable business person with brand recognition and a product people line up to buy. It will be tough at first, but Rick will find another location (though perhaps not with the same level of foot traffic as the RTM) and prosper. The bottom-line to me, as a regular market shopper, is whether or not RTM management is doing all it can to preserve and promote the fresh food purveyors. Most of what I see management doing supports that mission. I don't know whether booting Rick's and bringing in Tony Luke's will accomplish that, but the RTM board has the right (indeed, the obligation) to try.

A quick search of the PA board shows exceedingly little written about Rick's. Among regular posters to the PA board, I've probably made the only comment that possibly could be construed as not negative, calling it "acceptable" in two different posts. In one of these threads, which asked for suggestions while visiting the RTM, one regular poster to this board was dismissive of Rick's and vehemently urged that it be avoided. You can find that comment here. The only outright positive mention I could find came from a North Jersey visitor, here. What's even more interesting is how infrequently Rick's is mentioned at all compared to other cheese steak emporiums. I manually searched the "The Hoagies, Cheesesteaks, Pork Italiano / Show Us What You got thread" here and failed to find a single reference. If anyone can point to any other substantial comments about Rick's, please post them here. But I can only conclude that the eGullet members active on the board don't consider Rick's Steaks worthy of recommendation.

Confirmed: Tony in, Rick out out Rick Olivieri, proprietor of Ricks Steaks, and Paul Steinke, Reading Terminal Market General Manager, both confirmed today that no lease renewal was offered Olivieri. Rick's Steaks is scheduled to vacate its stall when the current month-to-month lease extension expires July 31. The RTM has sent Tony Luke's a formal proposal to take over the space. The RTM board voted 6-1 not to renew Olivieri's lease and instead offer the space to Tony Luke's. No deal with TL's has been signed yet, and Steinke wouldn't hazard an estimate as to when they would begin RTM operations. Olivieri said if he had been offered a lease, he would have signed it. "I've been in the market for 25 years, I've spent my life here." Steinke said Rick's Steaks probably would have been offered a new lease if Tony Luke's had not expressed an interest in coming to the market. Olivieri and at least one other merchant think his advocacy against mandatory hours as president of the RTM Merchants Association was, at the very least, a contributing factor to the decision not to renew his lease. (Olivieri points out that he is open most Sundays, even though Sunday hours are not mandatory.) Steinke said that had nothing to do with the board's decision. He acknowledged the differences he's had with Olivieri and other merchants over mandatory hours and other issues, but said the decision was based on the chance to bring to the market a strong local operator who is regarded as the best in the business. "Tony Luke's is a big draw," said Steinke, noting the recognition its sandwiches have received from both local and national news media. The RTM manager, after acknowledging the impact lease decisions have on individual merchants like Olivieri, emphasized that "the Board believes Tony Luke's will make the market stronger." He added that the recommendation was brought to the full board by its own leasing committee. Tommy Nicolosi, proprietor of DiNic's, and several other merchants appealed for the decision to be reversed when they met with the RTM board Monday. Nicolosi said today that although Tony Luke's would not put him out of business, he's unsure how much impact it would have, especially if TL offered roast pork sandwiches, directly competing with DiNic's, as well as cheese steaks. Nicolosi observed that he doesn't have the space to add a grill for cheese steaks. His menu offers roast pork, veal, chicken, sausage and beef sandwiches. Steinke said that in bringing any new vendor to the market his goal is to do it in a way that will not undermine the business of existing merchants. Nicolosi and his son, Joe, said my earlier analysis of the hoagie competition at the RTM was fine as far as it went, but didn't go far enough. Father and son observed that only Carmen's relies on the hoagie business and benefits from the overflow of customers at Rick's. (A situation, I might add, that would no doubt continue or grow if Tony Luke's takes Rick's space.) Salumeria, they said, does a higher volume in cheeses, olive oils and other Italian grocery products than it does in hoagies, and Spataro's hoagie sales are secondary to its breakfast and cheese steak business. * * * Those are the facts and views expressed by the identified parties. What follows is pure, unadulterated opinion and speculation. (And, just to remind everyone once again, you get what you pay for.) Olivieri won't go quietly into the night, as his petition drive demonstrates. It's unlikely he hasn't consulted his lawyers, and I'm sure articles will start appearing soon in the Inky, Daily News and the center city weeklies. The goal would be to create sufficient public and political pressure to have the board (whose membership includes direct representatives of the mayor and city council) reverse itself. Such a reversal is unlikely. But if it happened, think about how that impacts the ability and authority of Steinke, or any other manager, to do their job. More important, what would be the implications to the market's historic mission of providing a public market while preserving its financial viability. The merchants don't like it, but mandatory hours (especially the requirement that merchants stay open for business until 6 p.m. weekdays) are essential. How else can you attract office workers to make a stop for produce and protein after work or compete with Whole Foods? Although I don't work in Center City and would rarely take advantage of later hours, I think extending them to 7 or 8 p.m. would be even better given the increasing residential nature of the neighborhood. While there may be some impact on DiNic's if TL offers roast pork sandwiches, it's likely to be negligible. TL would be much better off devoting resources to cheese steaks because (1) there's only minor competition and (2) that's what the tourists and most of the office workers who populate the RTM at lunch time want. Even if TL sells pork, it would be a minor part of the volume (except among dedicated eGulleters).

I got there at 10 a.m. and was bowled over. At least seven produce vendors, each one with more pristine produce than the next! (Some overlap with Rittenhouse and other Farmers Markets in terms of who's there.) It's obviously the peak of cherry season. Quarts of sweet cherries were going for up to $6, while pie cherries were $4-$5. Northstar had two varieties of early plums, and even heirloom tomatoes! Beechwood Orchards offered Lodi apples (a very early tart variety) and apricots as well as cherries and berries. Birch Run cheese was there with their blue as well as "Fat Cat", a wonderful name given the dairy-intensity of this cheese, which is essentially their blue aged at a different humidity level to prevent the blue from blooming. Full slate of poultry and pies from Griggstown Quail. Given that I had plenty of produce at home already, I restrained myself but came back with pie cherries, apricots, fudge, gladiolas and blueberry pie. But I'll be returning to Headhouse Square frequently on Sundays. The produce was exceptional! Here are some photos: Northstar Orchards Lodi apples and Apricots, Beecchwood Orchards Headhouse Square shoppers and gawkers

Since starting this topic I've received two separate PMs reporting a rumor that Tony Luke's was going to replace Rick's. One of the correspondents thought Rick Olivieri was being singled out by market management because Rick opposes Sunday hours. The other said Olivieri refused to sign a new lease because the rent was being raised. I have no way of knowing whether the Tony Luke rumor has any basis in fact. Although I am not privy to any lease negotiations between RTM and Rick's Steaks, I would be surprised if RTM failed to increase Rick's rent at lease renewal time. Here are some thoughts on all of these rumors. Keep in mind they are worth no more than you paid for them. which is zilch. I doubt Rick's purported opposition to Sunday hours has anything to do with the lease stalemate. He's certainly not the only merchant who opposes Sunday hours (so do all the Amish vendors, as do Pizza By George/Mezza and others). And if Rick did oppose Sunday on principle, why is he open at Citizens Bank Park for Sabbath afternoon ballgames? Let's face it, this is about money: who gets it, who pays and how that money is deployed. Replacing Rick's with Tony Luke's is not beyond the realm of possibility, but so what? One of the PMs thought this would be terribly harmful to Tommy DiNic's. I doubt it would undermine Tommy's business. The RTM supports more than one hoagie outlet. Last time I looked, Carmen's, Salumeria, and Spataro's all competed to offer hoagies. And although it's not a hoagie shop, The Original Turkey can easily be considered a competitor. So can Mezze and its sister shop, Pizza By George, which sell "Euro" sandwiches. A cold meat sandwich is a cold meat sandwich; they are all competing with what is, in essence, an interchangeable product. My guess is there's plenty of business for both DiNic's and Tony Luke's. As it is DiNic's and Rick's compete today (both are selling hot meat sandwiches) just like Carmen's, Salumeria and Spataro's compete. Heck, Rick's competes with Spataro's, too, since Spataro offers cheese steaks these days. If they were any real concern that a TL operation would put DiNic's out of business, a lease agreement for Tony Luke's could be written to limit the operation to steaks (and prohibit DiNic's from adding steaks). TL's would either accept or reject the lease on that basis. Now let's talk capitalism. Assuming Rick's rejected paying higher rent, it stands to reason that the RTM would seek to replace him with a similar vendor willing to pay a higher price. If a Tony Luke's, or a John's or any other cheesesteak vendor is willing to pay a higher rent, well, that's what makes markets. Now let's talk socialism. Why would RTM management seek to increase rents from vendors like Rick's? The critical reason would be to assure affordable rents for the purveyors of fresh foods (fish, meat, produce, dairy). They, not the hoagie and cheese steak vendors, are the heart and soul of the Reading Terminal Market. If RTM management could not generate additional revenue from those with the highest profitable volumes (predominantly the lunchtime sandwich and meal vendors), rents would have to be raised across the board. This would harm the OK Lee's and Dutch Country Meats of the market much more than the Olivieri's and DiNic's. If the rents were based solely on square footage (rather than footage and revenue, which is what the market management is trying to implement) most of the fresh food purveyors would be priced out. Who owns a cheese steak stand makes a big difference to the vendor, but it is of only passing interest to me. What I fear much more would be the deterioration of the Reading Termnal Market into just another food court. That's the likely outcome if increased revenues from vendors who can afford to pay are not captured to support the fresh food purveyors. Goodbye Boston mackeral at $2.49. Hello $8 cheese steaks.

I was there from 8:40-10:40 a.m., and although the NEA was there in force, it was quite maneuverable. Ya gotta get in earlier, Mike.

Another public brou-ha-ha between Reading Terminal Market management and merchants bubbled to the surface this week. That's because of a petition "To Save Rick's Steaks" some vendors are asking customers to sign. According to the petition, customers are being asked to oppose the purported refusal of the market to offer Rick's a new lease, thereby forcing the eviction of the vendor. I found the petition at Godshall's, and expect other merchants may have it as well. I was unable to reach either Market GM Paul Steinke or Rick's Steaks proprietor Rick Olivieri today, though I am seeking comments from both. It's difficult to believe (but not impossible) that the market failed to offer Rick a new lease. What's easier to believe is that a lease was offered and Rick found the terms unacceptable. In the most recent round of lease renewals, Steinke has been seeking to restructure the lease terms and to track vendor sales, which is anathema to many of the vendors, particularly the high-volume lunch stands. All market merchants pay what is referred to as CAM, for "common area maintenance". And for virtually all merchants that figure is much larger than the separate "rent" fee. Indeed, merchants who are "purveyors" (sellers of foodstuffs for cooking/preparing at home, i.e., produce, fish, meat, etc.) don't pay rent at all, just the CAM. It's one of the mechanisms the RTM's uses to fulfill its mission of being a public market rather than a food court. Likewise, knowing the sales revenue of the vendors would enable management to charge them rents more in line with their ability to pay. I'll post as soon as (or whether or not) I hear from the parties directly involved.

Make it with lime and it's (almost) a Gin Rickey. The difference being that the classic Gin Rickey has no sugar and a higher proportion of soda to gin. But I prefer the Lime Collins with the sugar. Eric Felten wrote a wonderful article about the history of the Tom Collins in the May 26 Wall Street Journal, which includes the classic tale of the 1874 Tom Collins hoax which swept the nation. Here's a reprint of the article from the Providence Journal site that can be legally accessed (the WSJ site is subscription only).

It's great to welcome another RTM enthusiast to eGullet, Megan Kathleen. Don't hesitate to add your finds there. Watching tourists gawk is part of the RTM's charm. I've taken to very loudly saying: "COMING THROUGH, PLEASE". Andrew, of course, forgot to add that he curses them in Latin. Funny, "Megan Kathleen" doesn't sound Jewish (nor Muslim)! So true! As good as they are fresh, I've got to expand my repetoire with them. Last year I did ice cream, which, if my ice cream making technique was better, would have been a killer; as it was, even though the texture was sub-par the flavor was spot-on. Pudding sounds more do-able for me, I'll try it this September.I've bumped a sour cherry cooking topic from last year, so it should be easy to find. Someone mentioned making a milk shake. Sounds Yummy. Here's the link. Andrew: Wow, I missed that turtle! I think if Sam lived in the Pine Barrens rather than Lancaster County, one day he'd appear with the Jersey Devil drawn, quartered, stuffed and ready to cook. Here's a photo of Sam last fall at the Fairmount & 22nd Market:

Bumping since we're at the height of pie (sour) cherry season here in Philadelphia and environs, and they've been readily available at farmers' markets and the Reading Terminal Market. So far I've made sour cherry sorbet and cherry cobbler. Maybe I'll try those cherry-vanilla milk shakes this weekend.

That works, and I used to do it that way. But cherry pitters are cheap and make it easier. One of my few single function (well, double with olives) kitchen tools.

Headhouse Market Website

As James says, you can certainly eat them out-of-hand. But they don't call them sour cherries because they're sweet. The flavor, however, is essence of cherry. And they are best cooked in some fashion, almost always with sugar. (I don't think cherries take to honey: the latter's flavor gets in the way. Good ol' plain refined white sugar sweetens without flavoring.) The hardest part is pitting them, but a cherry-pitter (which can also be used on olives) makes the process, if still tedious, at least tolerable. Once you've pitted them, the rest can be easy: Cold Cherry Soup. Stew them with sugar and a little water. Cool. Here's an exception to my flavor rule: a barely perceptible hint of cinnamon works well. After chilling, top with a dollop of sour cream. Or near the end of cooking, temper sour cream mixed with a bit of flour into the soup, mix into the warm soup, then let chill. (Plenty of recipes for this on the web; it's a Hungarian style cold soup.) Sauce.. Stew with sugar and water, then chill and use as a topping ice cream. Or use room-temperature sauce over angel food cake or pound cake, adding freshly whipped cream. Cherries Jubilee. Stew them with sugar and water. While still quite warm, add brandy. Flame. Pour over vanilla ice cream. Cobbler. Sorbet. Cherry Pie. Two pints (four cups) would be a bit skimpy for a nine-inch pie. Five or six cups would be better.

Yes! But get them this week. The season is very, very short. I intend to visit the South & Passyunk market this afternoon and obtain more from either Livengood's or Rineer's. (This past Saturday's batch went into a cobbler. The previous week's take became sorbet. I'm not a good pie-maker, you see.)

I concur on Mangia Squared's evaluation. iirc, it was still there two years ago.

Whole Foods does carry it. I've recently seen the heavy cream in the Trickling Springs paper container.

the deli place that we saw is in Northeast Harbor because we took an island boat tour from there which was quite interesting actually....we try to do something different every time we go... ← Oops. I saw SWH in the topic and missed NEH in the body. I've had sandwiches made for me at Pine Tree Market in NEH, and they were fine. A Google map search produced the Full Belli Deli in NEH, but I'm unfamiliar with it.

I restrained myself this week from going overboard in buying fruit at the RTM. All I purchased was a quart of pie cherries, a pint each of sweet red and sweet Rainier cherries, a pint of blueberries, bananas and limes. That should hold me 'til Tuesday afternoon's farmers market at South & Passyunk. (BTW, last week's cherries went into a delicious sorbet; this week they're bound for a cobbler.) Fair Food featured sweet red Summit cherries and yellow/red Rainiers for $4.50 and $4.75 a pint, respectively. Over at Benuel Kaufman's the reds and Queen Annes were $3.95, pie cherries $2.95 per pint, strawberries $5.95/quart. (Ben's black raspberries were gone by 10:30 a.m.) Earl Livengood's pints were priced at $2.95 for sours and $3.75 for sweet reds. Blueberries were $4.50/pint, red raspberries $3.95, strawberries $3.75. L. Halteman's sweet cherries sold for $3.19 while strawberries were $4.39/quart. Benuel Kaufman also had the elongated red beets I love. I find them even sweeter than the most round beets. And Earl Livengood featured Lancaster County corn; seems early by a couple of weeks to me, but I couldn't resist. Time for lime sorbet, margaritas or limeade. Iovine has nice, heavy juicy limes for a dime apiece; lemons are still a relatively pricey 25 cents. Hass avocados $1.49 each. Deals can be had on eggplant (two pounds for a buck) and kirby cucumbers ($1 a pound). Copper River sockeye still available at John Yi at $12.95; Alaskan king for $17.99. Here's my abbreviated shopping list for today: IOVINE BROTHERS PRODUCE ($2.47) Bananas Limes Lemon Juice oranges EARL LIVENGOOD ($19.20) Sour cherries Sweet red cherries Blueberries Lettuce Corn BENUEL KAUFMAN ($6.90) Beets Queen Anne cherries GIUNTA'S PRIME SHOP ($13.82) Hanger steak

You can get a decent fish at any of the three purveyors, but John Yi at center court is the most reliable, probably due to the higher volume. With the other vendors you have to be considerably more careful in your selection. I don't find any of the fish mongers, however, outgoing in terms of offering suggestions. Maybe it's more language/cultural barriers than anything else. Too bad, because I'm sure they have a lot to offer. So I'd suggest you continue to rely on the basics. The three vendors do vary slightly in what they carry. For example, I've only seen skate at Wan's. And until last year, only Golden handled untreated ("dry") scallops; now Yi sells them, too. As a general rule, Yi's selection is broader with greater turnover. You might also want to consider frequenting some of the fishmongers in Chinatown. They've got items (razor clams is one example that comes to mind, but there are lots others) you won't find anywhere else, and I don't have any qualms with the storage quality and turnover of most of the merchants I've visited there. And keep those questions coming, Ron -- they generate interesting discussions. And let me join Pontormo in welcoming you!

Coca-Cola has backed off. I spoke with two Coke reps this week (neither of whom wanted to be identified in any way shape or form) who confirmed that while Coke did plan to make the push I outlined, when they learned of RTM management's objections, they canned their plans. They still hope to do sandwich-and-drink type promotions with individual merchants, and will continue to supply refrigerated cases and beverage dispensers with their logo, but you won't find the Coke logo or representations of the classic bottle plastered all over the RTM. (One idea they proposed, and was shot down by the RTM, was to put new seat cushions on the the stools at Golden Bowl, Carmen's and perhaps other eateries in which a silhouette of a coke bottle would appear. Nothing like shoving a bottle up your . . . ) I made my calls to Philadelphia Coca-Cola Bottling Monday and Wednesday. Funny, but later RTM Manager Paul Steinke got a call from the bottler's president assuring him that Coke will abide by his wishes and refrain from the more visible push. I'm guessing my inquiry drew their attention to Paul's publicly posting his newsletter to merchants. Let it not be said that Coke isn't sensitive to the preferences of their various markets. They wouldn't have become as successful a company as they are otherwise. BTW, don't write, call or e-mail Coca-Cola Enterprises on this issue. It turns out that while CCE does own a number of bottling companies, the Philadelphia company (formerly a minority-owned business in which Julius Erving was initially involved and was led by J. Bruce Llewellyn) is not one of them. The local bottler was sold to the parent Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta (the syrup maker). They apparently have shifted strategic direction and seek to have greater control over their products so are now acquiring bottlers. For the parent company's Bottlers Investment Group, formed in 2006 to bring company-owned bottling units under a single coordinated management, Philadelphia Coke is its first major bottling acquisition in the US (most of their bottlers are overseas) and they are using it as a test, with strenuous multiple marketing efforts.

Little Notch makes Italian-style sandwiches. Eat-a-Pita/Cafe2 makes sandwiches sandwiches. Both Sawyer's Market and Sawyers Specialities (wine, beer, some gourmet-type items) might make sandwiches. Cafe Dry Dock and the Hot Dog place may make deli-style sandwiches. But I'm unaware of a pure "deli" type sandwich place in SWH. Then again, I haven't been up there since October 2005.

After reading the topic heading -- Live Poultry; Should I Wait To Cook it? -- my initial response was: wait at least until it's dead. Now that I've got that out of my system, what you heard is correct. Let the chicken (dead) sit in the 'fridge for a day before you cook it. I'm sure someone can provide a scientific explanation, but it's much better that way.

There are better places for food, and I suspect because your colleague wants Old City the goal is to find someplace with an edge. However, if the guests are from out-of-town and not adventurous eaters/restaurant-goers, it might be worth considering City Tavern for the kitsch value if nothing else.

Think of potatoes like you do of corn: the sooner to boiling water the better. At least it's true for waxy "new" potatoes, whether red or white. That revelation came to me last year when I purchased potatoes from my favorite vendor at a local farmers market who had dug the potatoes just that morning. Simply boiled then adorned with some butter, salt and pepper, they were the best potatoes I've ever eaten. But Jannson's Temptation is second best!

There are always exceptions, especially in this age of speedy transportation, but it's hard to go wrong when you stay seasonal and local. Melons are always tough to call, but their season is still more than a month away locally. I placed one of those peaches in my hand and decided it would have been better to use as a weapon than a food. Those strawberries, however, are one of the exceptions that prove the rule. They were from California, but because they've got to compete with local berries right now, Iovine's can get a good price from their broker. And the industry has learned how to ship ripe (or nearly ripe) strawberries. (California cherries are in abundance now, but the local cherries have started to show up (barely); in another week or two they'll be in full glory. After that will come a profusion of local produce: raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, apricots, peaches, etc. I agree that Iovine's fruit salad is a hit-or-miss proposition, especially the melons. Yet, I had some a month ago where, while the canteloupes were quarried rather than harvested, the honeydews were juicy and sweet. Go figure! Don't hesitate to ask the staff at Iovine's how to use/eat a particular unfamiliar fruit or veggie. That's one way to expand your eating routine. Keep on enjoying the RTM. And experiment, experiment, experiment.