rlibkind

Reading Terminal Market has launched its redecorated website to match its new marketing campaign ("Make It Your Market"). Not much new in the way of content, but the redesigned merchant finder map is useful.

Have you tried to do that lately? All the tuna cans I've seen in the last couple of years have one lid that's cuttable, but the other is rounded off so you can't do this trick. I think it's a cabal between the tuna can manufacturers and the exorbitantly priced stainless steel-ring purveyors.

It better be delicious at $37.50 for a freekin chicken. ← Did you have many 10-pound chickens back in the Midwest, Jim?

More new fishies for the season today, Katie, including octopus. Also, over at John Yi's there were fillets marked "Black Cod (Pollock)" for $3.99/pound. Now, if this were truly black cod, a.k.a. sablefish, that would be a bargain, since sable goes for three or four times that price. But this wasn't Black Cod, which isn't a cod at all. It might have been one of two cod-type fishes, however: Alaskan Cod or Alaskan Pollock, the latter being a different variety from North Atlantic Pollack. In any event, the price was hard to resist, so it will be dinner tonight, broiled with a brush of soy (as if it were sable) and served with sauteed bell peppers (a bag of five medium sized mixed colored peppers from O.K. Lee purchased for the grand sum of ninety-nine cents) and tiny sauteed fingerling potatoes from Earl Livengood. Discount parking rates will go up on or about Jan. 15 at the Parkway garage across 12th street from the market. Instead of $2 for two hours, it will be $3. As noted here in my Oct. 15 post, the fee per car charged to the RTM Merchants Association by Parkway will increase to $5.50 from $5.25; the merchants decided they couldn't eat the increase and wanted to cut the size of their subsidy somewhat. Market Manager Paul Steinke, looking to the bright side, observed that other than the RTM there isn't a single other multi-vendor shopping venue in the city that offers discount parking. Even with the increase, though, the parking discount is substantial versus what lot/garage rates usually are in Center City. However, it's no longer at a par with street meters. As I've cautioned before, don't overstay the two-hours or you'll face the normal exorbitant fees.

Believe it or not, I've bought it at supermarkets. Not all have it, and I haven't looked lately. FWIW, Hershey's Special Dark cocoa is a Dutch process cocoa; given Hershey's distribution strength I imagine you can find it in many supermarkets.

Thanks to guidance from Rich (and I hope you know I was just :wink:'ing about the proximity) I made a highly succesful foray into the Great Northeast today in search of Christmas cookies and other goodies. Forthwith, my report (and some photos). The first stop was the highlight: Haegele's Bakery on a corner deep in the heart of residential Mayfair. The photos: A classic corner spot! The view through the window The staff was proud of the gingerbread house. Jean Erikson and June Haegele. If I lived in this neighborhood, my blood sugars would be even higher! I restrained myself (knowing I was going to hit a number of other bakeries), however, and departed Haegele's with merely a pound of Chrismas cookies and a small bag of springerle. The springerle (to be found in all of the German bakeries I visited) were intensely anise; hard to eat one of these without a strong cup of coffee in hand. Next stop was Mayfair Bakery on Frankford. Okay place, but not among the winners. Geiger's, a few blocks up Frankford and across the street, was very much into cakes with illustrations (as is Mayfair). Picked up another pound of Christmas butter cookies. Now I cut over to Castor and the first of two stops at kosher bakeries. At Weiss I went bananas. Well, no bananas, but good looking challah (I picked up a small raisin challah for french toast later this weekend). And seven layer cake! My favorite! I bought slices of both the yellow and mocha versions. Taste tests later tonight. Strictly in the name of science. Further up Frankford is Hesh's Eclair Bake Shoppe. More of the same as at Weiss, but they also had onion board. A big piece of this poppy-encrusted, oniony flatbread became my lunch. And a very good lunch indeed. At both Hesh's and Weiss I also restrained myself by not picking up any sweet munn (poppyseed) pastry rolls. Onward toward Fox Chase. First stop there was Shenk's Family Bakery on Verree Road just south of Rhawn. Limited myself to half a pound of cookies. The hammentaschen looked good here, too. Past Oxford Avenue I hit Danish Bakers, which is a bit of a misnomer. It's not owned by Danes and I didn't spy any of the real Danish baked goods you'd find in Aarhus or, for that matter, Racine, Wisconsin (the clerk didn't know what kringle was!), but they had a nice selection of various cakes and pastries nonetheless. I left with a cylinder of cinnamon bread (sliced). My final stop had nothing to do with sweet baked goods, but it was a pantheon to pork: Rieker's, the German butcher-deli. Here I let loose a bit, purchasing a bunch of different sausages to cook in their wine kraut tonight, a smoked pork butt for Saturday or Sunday, and a buckling, a style of smoked herring. All in all, a most rewarding visit to the Great Northeast, with lots more to cover in the future. It's a polyglot area with cuisines to match. Lots more to explore, including the Russian, Brazilian and Asian neighborhoods, among others.

Thanks, Rich. I knew I could depend upon your knowledge of the great Northeast! Hmmmm? Would the proximity of Geiger's and Haegele's to the Grey Lodge have anything with their earning your favor?

I'll be in Northeast Philly tomorrow morning and, to reward myself for the trek from Center City, want to find a good old-fashioned bakery, preferably one that offers a nice selection of Christmas cookies. Here are some I found on a Google map search: Mayfair, 6447 Frankford Geirger's, 6652 Frankford Eclair Bake Shop, 7721 Castor DePalma, 3611 Decatur Haegele's, 4164 Barnett Any recommendations among these or any other area bakeries?

I hate to be a bubble-burster, but Hershey is not listening to the dark chocolate lovers. They are marketing to the average consumer's desire to eat something sweet and, allegedly, healthy. Flavinol, antioxidents, etc. Dark chocolate has more flavinol than milk chocolate. So they (and other mass producers) are playing to the ersatz health benefits of chocolate. Never mind the fact that the high fat level of high-end chocolate counterweighs any purported health benefits. Me? Who needs a reason to be healthy when chocolate is involved?

It better be delicious at $37.50 for a freekin chicken. ← Well, you're paying for the skill of the surgeon . fwiw, I think it's worth it. Yes, a capon is just a castrated rooster, but it makes all the difference. Much juicier, fatter bird, higher proportion of meat to waste, etc. And a taste that can only be described as über chicken. And considering that good quality humanely raised chickens go for close to $3/pound, not that outrageous.

Surveys of merchants show overwhelming support for the Sunday hours. Here are a few of the results from the survey of merchants who have been open one or more Sundays during this evaluation period: 49% say their Sunday sales have exceeded expectations; 40 percent say they have met expectations. Fewer than 11 percent say sales have been below expectations. Asked whether or not it's been worth it to be open on Sundays, nearly 92% of the merchants said yes. When asked their druthers on continuing Sunday openings, more than 60 percent responded with an unqualified yes; 27 percent wanted only a limited extension of Sunday hours; the remainder opposed Sunday hours. The results of shoppers surveyed were also overwhelmingly positive.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the RTM's fish stores. This past weekend Golden offered whole sardines at $3.99, John Yi spearlings at $1.99. Expect to see greater variety as we approach Christmas. The capon I purchased from Giunta's Prime Shop ($3.79/pound iirc) was absolutely delicious: this big bird, which tipped the scale at over 10 pounds, cooked up incredibly juicy after a less than two hour visit to the oven (first 20 or 30 minutes breast down at 450, remaining time breast up at 375; basically you roast until internal temp at thickest part of the thigh hits 165). Minimal basting with olive oil, thyme, black pepper, salt mix over first 30-40 minutes; after that the bird renders plenty of its own fat to keep it moist. It was an Eberly-branded bird. Served with a potato-celeriac puree from veggies sourced at Earl Livengood's. Glad to see Fair Food has added Valley Shepherd Creamy cheeses from Long Valley NJ. I've been meaning to get up there to buy some; now I don't have to.

Okay, so the gross to the shrimper is $1,400-$1,500 or thereabouts. If it's a one-person boat and fuel was only $100-$200 bucks and the boat and equipment are paid for (unlikely), and it was a single-day trip, not too shabby. But I'm guessing my assumptions are way off base. So tell us, johnnyd, at these prices and at this level of haul, does it make sense for anyone to continue to shrimp in the Gulf of Maine?

Slightly (well more than slightly) off-topic, but the Fritz Blank discussion leads to one of my fav oft-told tales of this microbiologist turned chef (and I say microbiologist for a reason): Early in the history of the now defunct Saturday Morning Breakfast Club at the Reading Terminal Market about nine or ten years ago we scheduled a program where Blank's pastry chef would do a pre-Valentine's Day discussion and demonstration on how to make truffles. About two dozen women descended on the meeting (we usually only had eight or nine people show up), presumably because the discussion was centered on CHOCOLATE. Even She Who Must Be Obeyed attended because of the subject matter. As it turned out Fritz's pastry chef had emergency dental surgery and could not appear. Michael Holahan, proprietor of the Pennsylvania General Store and instigator of the Saturday Morning Breakfast Club, pleaded with Fritz in a panic to come instead and do the truffle-making demonstration. Fritz agreed and brought along a friend: Harold Mcgee, author of On Food and Cooking. McGee just happened to be in town attending a science convention. And he just happened to have samples of cacoa beans in various stages of fermentation and processing. It was one of the most fascinating food discussions it was ever my privilege to hear. Oh, and Fritz did tell everyone how to make truffles.

During an Alaska visit in June 2005 I stopped by the Douglas Cafe, across the bridge from Juneau. They prepared calamari steak quickly pan grilled and finished with a light lime-accented sauce. Should you find yourself in Juneau the Douglas Cafe is worth seeking out -- loved locally for breakfast and burgers, but the dinner menu offers some treats, too.

Ted Qualli, deputy communications director on the mayor's staff, finally responded today to my inquiry regarding the rumors that Mayor Street is opposed to continuation of Sunday hours at the Reading Terminal Market. Here's what he said: "The mayor supports the Sunday hours." End of story (I hope). Of course, the Sunday hours were established as a "test", so it's yet to be determined if they will be made permanent by market management.

Le Bus moved into its new quarters last week, opposite Bassett's Ice Cream. Work progressing on Hershel's East Side Deli, but as of this past weekend opening is still a bit off. It would be nice to see it in business before New Year's. Cactus (prickly) pears were back at OK Lee; deep, dark purple specimens which made great margaritas. Figure one fruit (79 cents) yields enough pulp/juice for two margaritas if you don't skimp on the booze. Benuel Kaufman had Arkansas Black apples in stock last weekend. This hybrid is a great storage keeper.

Hardly inexpensive, but Jens Restaurant does a fine job and offers good value for the money. You can't go wrong favoring the Scandinavian-influenced fare, particularly at lunch. And be sure they try a reindeer hotdog from the vendor downtown.

The flour weight usually works out to about 16 - 17 ounces, depending on the particular flour you use. 1-5/8 c water will always weigh out to 13 ounces.

After one message and three telephone conversations with underlings since last weekend, I've yet to hear from the mayor's communications director about the reports regarding the mayor's position on Sunday openings at the Reading Terminal Market. As noted earlier, some merchants report Mayor Street is opposed to continuation of Sunday hours at the Reading Terminal Market, which were introduced earlier this fall as a "test" through the end of the year. There could be any number of different reasons for the failure of the mayor's office to respond, not all of them nefarious: <UL><LI>It simply could have slipped through the cracks. (Unlikely, given my four phone calls since last weekend, but still possible.)</UL><UL><LI>The communications director hasn't been able to discuss it with the mayor or other appropriate source in the office. (Also unlikely; if a political/government press officer isn't conferring with his/her client daily, he/she isn't doing their job.)</UL><UL><LI>They want to blow me off simply because my blog and eGullet aren't considered significant. (More likely than the previous two possibilities -- and who's to say such an assumption isn't correct )</UL><UL><LI>The mayor doesn't have a position. (Certainly possible, but there's no reason not to communicate that. If he wanted to hedge, the mayor's spokesperson could simply say: "As RTM management indicated, this is an experiment, so we'll let the experiment run its course and allow RTM management to assess the experiment rather than prejudge it.")</UL>Of course, there is at least one other possibility, one that, at this point in time, I think the most likely: the mayor does have a position, but wishes not to communicate it at this time. As further update to my initial report, two different sources at the RTM have told me they have heard the reports of the mayor's opposition to continued Sunday openings. One source was at a loss to pin down the origin of the rumor; the other thought it originated with a member of the Reading Terminal Market Corporation's board. FWIW, when the Sunday opening proposal was presented to the RTMC board, the one representative directly appointed by the mayor as his representative, Peter Iacovoni, voted in favor of the experiment.

I finally got to STH this past Friday with She Who Must Be Obeyed, and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. SWMBO is considerably more moderate than me in her appreciation of heat, but found the kung pao chicken to her liking (even if it had too many carrots). I started out with the spicy dumplings (I concur with others' evaluations: delicious, but at least as sweet as it is spicy) and then knocked off an entire plate (leaving only a few peppers) of twice cooked bacon, er, I mean twice cooked pork. mrbigjas is correct: it's perfect. It certainly satisified my craving for pork belly (for the moment).

Keep in mind that although the hams I recommended form Harry Ochs or Giuntas are very good, there are quite different from Smithfield hams. The traditional Smithfield hams are dry cured. The hams at Ochs or Giuntas are wet-cured. No water added, i.e., they are not pumped up like supermarket hams, but they are cured wet, not dry.

The Reading Terminal Market merchants who have been open on Sundays are, by and large, pleased with the results. Some are grateful, because the additional sales are helping to overcome the rent increases under the new leases. But now, some merchants fear the Sunday experiment is threatened. They hear that Mayor Street does not like the idea of Sunday openings and may act, through his representatives on the Reading Terminal Market Corporation Board, to prevent making Sunday openings permanent. I've got a call into the mayor's office to confirm these reports and will report once they get back to me. More than half of the non-Amish merchants have been participating in the Sunday openings, and traffic has been growing. Last Sunday more than 15,000 visited, less than a normal Saturday but pretty close to the weekday average. Although the overwhelming sentiment of non-Amish merchants is supportive of Sunday hours, it would be disingenuous to suggest that view is universal. A number of merchants understandably enjoy having their Sundays free for church, family or other non-mercantile endeavors. The issue, though, is this point of view may be forced upon those who do not share it. Market management has made it clear Sunday openings are strictly voluntary.

Mayor Street is reported opposed to Sunday openings. I've posted at length Here.

A tower of collard greens reaching toward the rafters, lovingly built by the staff at Iovine Brothers Produce prior to opening today, was decimated by mid-morning into a pile of rubble. Collards are popular for Thanksgiving, and these exemplary greens were snatched up fast. But don't worry, there are plenty of crates weighing down the pallets in storage, so there will be plenty if you show up any day prior to Thanksgiving. Hormone-free, natural turkeys are very poplar this season. Even Martin's Quality Meats & Sausage had a case filled with the au naturel birds. Martin's brother, Charles Giunta of Giunta's Prime Shop appears to be doing just fine with his new store. Last week I picked up some veal loin chops and broiled them simply. Delicious flavor, though if you prefer the unnaturally-raised "white veal" you'd be disappointed since the natural, humanely-raised product comes from slightly older animals which have been allowed to roam, hence, their muscles are more developed and meat is firmer, though tastier. A new pie maker appeared today: Wooden Spoon Bakery. She's a home baker. I tasted a sample of the apple and it was very nice with a buttery crust. One of the better fish bargains today over at John Yi's was the haddock filets, at $5.99/pound. Once home I took some fish stock out of the freezer, put some of Cope's Dried Corn (available at Pennsylvania General Store, Benuel Kaufman's and most local supermarkets) in milk, and later today plan to make some fish chowder. Black sea bass looked good and nicely priced at $3.99/pound for whole fish. Dry scallops also a relative bargain at $11.99/pound (they were two bucks more at Wegman's yesterday). Didn't spy any cactus pears at OK Lee's today. I'm going to keep checking. L. Halteman continues to have the largest variety of apples. Local Barlett pears starting to look a little long in the tooth. Benuel Kaufman says he'll start selling Arkansas Blacks next week. This variety is one of the best storage apples available; buy them now, put them in your fridge's crisper and you'll still have sweet, crispy apples in February. Benuel continues to be well stocked with preservative-free cider.