rlibkind

Salumeria makes one of my fav hoagies. But it's closed on Sundays, just like the rest of the Reading Terminal Market.

You don't want your fish to taste like fish? What do you want your fish to taste like? Red meat?

The Famous certaily works. Abe's & Son , 7410 Bustleton Ave., has a nice variety, too. Both have belly (salty) lox as well as nova and herrings. Abe's also has sable, sturgeon (I'm not sure if The Famous does; they might). Prices pretty much the same, though I think Abe's might have slightly more variety in the smoked fish department. Actually, the biggest variety of smoked fish I've seen in town has been at Bell's Market on Castor, the Russian supermarket, though for lox and herring I think the quality is better at Abe's. However, if it's smoked hunks of lake trout or out-of-the-ordinary fish you're after, visit Bell's; heck, Bell's is worth a visit anytime. Both Abe's and The Famous also sell bulk halvah. Yum. In my neighborhood, Klein's Supermarket, on the ground floor of the Philadelphian, Fairmount Avenue between 24th and 25th, has a basic selection of both belly and nova, whitefish and chubs, some herring, too. You should expect to pay $20-$25 a pound for belly lox or nova, unless you buy the pre-sliced, pre-packaged Marshall's nova at Shop Rite's Kosher Corner in Cherry Hill for $10 a pound, which is certainly passable stuff.

I second and third this. Cactus pear margaritas are a SW classic.

Just got back from an early autumn trip to Mount Desert Island (as well as Calais and Winter Harbor), here's a report. Finally got to the Down East House of Dogs. Last season it was in the former soft ice cream stand near Seawall; now it occupies the former space of the Deacon Seat in Southwest Harbor. Based on how the Deacon Seat had declined in recent years, this is a welcome change. As baw noted, an awesome selection of dogs. One wonders how they can possibly maintain such a variety of stock. A freezer must help. I opted for the Best quarter-pounder; their menu identifies it as a NYC dog, but that's another case of the Big Apple trying to tap the barrel known as NJ: Best comes from Newark. I've never seen a Best quarter pounder before -- I'm used to the 5/pound served by Syd's, which, after tasting the quarter pounder, I prefer. Nonetheless this establishment is very welcome. I hadn't been to XYZ since it moved from the waterfront at Manset to the new location off Rt. 102A. A delightful room, with many of the same posters/art on the wall and old favorites on the menu. And they still make killer margaritas. A few years back Janet took lengua off the menu, apparently because of supplier issues. Well, she's got a new supplier and put it back on the menu, but in an entirely different form. Instead of braised and served hot as an entree, it's now one of the appetizer choices, served "pickled" in a vinaigrette. Absolutely fabulous! The acidity was in great balance to the paté-like richness of the tongue. I made a meal of appetizer and also enjoyed the tamales (can you say delicate and tamale in the same sentence? These were and, oddly enough, quite nice) and the queso fundido. And the lime bombe pie for the desert. I made my obligatory trip to George's and was not disappointed, though my server seemed a bit flummoxed (the other servers I observed seemed to have everything in hand). Again, another meal of appetizers, which George's encourages: a perfect duck leg confit, mustard shrimps (tasted like they were sweetened with a little honey), and butter-cooked lobster bits folded into crepes. I ended the meal with tart tatin, but was surprised when it arrived at the table with an almost jellied fruit mash atop puff pastry; it was just okay. Although this was not one of the best meals I've consumed at George's since I began going there in the late 1970s, it was still very enjoyable. The rooms, as ever, are attractive and comfortable. Another new stop for me this year was Rupununi where I indulged in Maine's Spinney Creek Oysters. a burger, and a Dogfish Head IPA. The oysters were fresh and perfectly shucked, not a single drop of liquor spilled in the shucking or in delivering the plate to me. The burger was above average, and the IPA, well, I'm a sucker for IPA and this is one of the best of the breed. The overall menu is pretty wide ranging, with something for everyone. Not a destination restaurant, but a good place to enjoy well-cooked meals and a great beer selection. Mike Boland and his wife, Deidre are the restaurant conglamateurs of Bar Harbor. While Mike runs Rupununi (including expediting in the kitchen during peak hours), Deidre manages Havana, which has higher culinary aspirations and prices more in line with George's than Rupununi. Again, I went for a meal of appetizers: a thick, spicy tomato soup with goat-cheese encrusted crouton, a scallop with more ingredients than I can remember, also well-seasoned, and, the hit of the evening to me, mushroom spring rolls served with a delicate sauce. The soup and scallops were intensively seasoned, and if the kitchen has a fault, it is this; the natural goodness of the prime ingredient is challenged by both the intensity of the seasoning and the use of too many accompaniments to a dish. I'm not against spice and heat, but particularly with the scallop dish (which arrived a tad overcooked) the seasoning and variety of flavors nearly overwhelmed the native flavor. A little restraint would actually take Havana up a notch. I did not try the Bolands' third restaurant, Mama Boy Bistro, in Winter Harbor, across Frenchman Bay from Bar Harbor. They acquired it from a previous owner who was financed by his mother; the previous owner was upfront about his financing, hence the name. Locals have avoided it because of the perception of small servings and high prices, an image the Bolands are trying to overcome. While in Winter Harbor I did try the Fisherman's Inn, a classic fish house owned by the former chef at the Bar Harbor Inn. The fried belly clams were crisp with a light coating (cornmeal, I suspect), perfectly fried and utterly sweet. Each table gets house-made foccacia, which didn't impress me until I tasted the dipping sauce: your basic EVO vinaigrette punctuated with lots and lots of garlic, countered by just a little parsley. I ate the whole thing, and not a drop of dipping sauce remained. On Mount Desert, the quintessential lobster pound remains Thurstons. As I've remarked previously, lots of places make perfectly good lobster: so long as it's fresh and steamed for the proper time per pound, it's hard to go wrong. But Thurston's location and view on Bass Harbor beat Beals and the Trenton pounds by at least 20,000 leagues atop the sea. And maybe it's just because I haven't had them for two years, but the hardshell lobsters (three pounds in two sittings) and clams (five pounds in three sittings) tasted better than ever. There isn't much in the way of fine dining I could find in Calais (pronounced "callous", not "cal-ay"), a burg on the St. Croix River across from St. Stephen, New Brunswick, near Passamaquoddy Bay. I was pleasantly surprised, however, by the Town House Restaurant, which did a credible job on a pot of mussels (small, the way I like them) and presented a steak sandwich which was basically a hunk of tasty sirloin atop a mediocre sub roll along with fries and slaw. I went to one of the two Chinese restaurants in town the previous night, King China; perfectly acceptable should you find yourself in Calais, and certainly good value for the money.

I'm not a big fan, but The Saloon is a local that can be classified a steak house. Perhaps not the classic one, like a Peter Luger's, but it is a steak house serving excellent quality dry aged steaks. Edited: I wrote this before scrolling down to Herb's comment, with which I obviously agree.

And that's one of the key reasons we all go to restaurants: to enjoy what we can't get at home. (Though it's fun, sometimes to try.) I'll make one more pitch: use an outdoor gas grill with a stone. You can even lay in bricks. It comes closer than most home ovens ever will.

I'm sure the supermarkets in Elizabeth carry it, since it's a relatively inexpensive cut. Are there any butcher shops along Elizabeth Avenue? In Union, 10-15 minutes from central Elizabeth, are two or three great pork stores/wurstgesheffts (it's a heavily Germanic community) and I have no doubt you could get fresh pork belly there. But I've gotta believe one of the Hispanic butchers in Elizabeth will have it. Or one of the Italian markets in the 'Burg, like Centanni's at 815 2nd Ave.

What day/time do you plan to pick up the hoagies?

PLEASE do NOT buy cheesesteaks at 6am for consumption hours later. ← What philadining said. A better alternative: hoagies! They can even be better the second day if you stick with oil/vinegar rather than mayo. Lots of good places to get them. I'll let others add their favorites, but mine are: Salumeria at the Reading Terminal Market (get them with artichokes and house dressing). Chickie's Deli, Federal near 10th. Sarcone's Deli, 9th and Fitzwater.

I've had great results using my Weber Silver B gas grill. It gets up to at least 600-F (maybe a little bit more), and while that's not as hot as a commercial oven, it does the job nicely when you've pre-heated a pizza stone.

Highly unlikely you ate wild Atlantic salmon. Perhaps wild Pacific salmon. If they had wild Atlantic salmon, it would either be (1) illegal or (2) wildly expensive and not at all fresh.

If it's on a Friday, Mugshots opens at 6:30 a.m.; it's at 21st & Fairmount, just five or six blocks from from Boathouse Row. Alas, on Saturdays it doesn't open 'til 8 a.m. Don't know of any "great coffeehouse or bakery" open that early on a Saturday morning. If you'll settle just for fuel, there's always WaWa or Dunkin Donuts. They may not be great but the coffee is reliable at both. Of course, you could always abdicate your captaincy and sleep in!

Edited to say: NEVER MIND. Didn't see that others caught date problem earlier. Alas, Gastro said he'd be in town this weekend, which is Oct. 1-3, so the RTM being open on Oct. 9 doesn't help him much. As to who will be open on Oct. 9 when the dentists descend, that's an open question. It's an "optional" open for individual vendors, according to the memo sent by the market manager to individual shopkeepers. My guess is that only a handful of vendors selling food for on-premises consumption will be open, because most of them like the fact that the market is closed on Sundays (the notable exception being Jimmy and Vinnie Iovine, who would love the market to be regularly open on Sundays, as well as later in the evening on weekdays) . As a rough guide, if a vendor is open during Flower Show Sundays, ikt will probably be open for the dentists.

Any good soup. I learned about mushrooms through Ratner's Mushroom Barley. I also love a good cream of mushroom. Mushrooms on toast in cream sauce. The ultimate mushroom dish. I don't care if the mushrooms are domestic buttons or foraged king boletes, so long as they are fungi delecti.

So why do you need to justify a trip by linking it to business? It's less than two hours down the Pike, perfect for a weekend day trip. Or make a weekend of it with a cheap Priceline hotel deal (you can usually get a room at a 3* for under $70) unless there's a big convention in town, like there will be Oct. 9 (30,000 dentists - keep your mouth shut).

Two good spots for slices: Sarcone's, of course. Pizza by George, Reading Terminal Market. Not designer pizza by any means, but well-made with a good medium crust.

Can you buy rabbit at DiBruno? I know where you can

DiBruno's certainly is a wonderful store and worth a visit, Jeff, but I'd like to put in my regular two-cents' worth on another institution, and the parking is only $2 for two hours in a garage across the street if you buy $10 worth of stuff: The Reading Terminal Market. While there's a lot of overlap, and both offer items the other doesn't, I think you'll find considerably greater depth and breadth at the RTM. After all, it's just not one store, but dozens.

If you're longing for meatballs, you might also want to try Ulrika's at 115 E. 60th (Park-Lex). More traditional approach than Aquavit's, but very, very good. And if it's potatoes you want, she has Jansson's Temptation at weekend brunch.

Couldn't find peaches today, but it's clealy apple season. Five or six different varieties at Halteman's. Benuel Kaufmanm still has Macouns as well as a couple other varieties. Red Bartletts can be found also. (I also know it's autumn when Iovine's has a huge pumpkin display.) APPLE CIDER! I hesitate to announce this, because he sells out often enough as it is, but Benuel Kaufman has unpasteurized apple cider he keeps in the fridge. Mrbigjas, you're gong to have to get up earlier to get it; last year if I got to the stand much latter than 11 a.m. on a Saturday he had already sold out. Local grapes at Kaufman's and the Fair Food Project -- Concord and Niagara. Yes, you have to put up with pits, and the skin tends to be, shall we say, resilient, but these grapes haven't made trans-continental or trans-oceanic voyages to reach you. Where those grapes from Chile and California are one dimensional (sweet) these grapes taste like they actually grew out of the earth. Iovine's today had salicornia (a.k.a. samphire, sea beans). Toss some on a salad for salty crunch, or lightly steam/par-boil as accompanying vegetable to scallops or other seafood. Ideal for stuffing into a whole fish or using as a cooking bed. This vegetable (it's not a seaweed and the tide never reaches it) does grow next to the sea and is very salt tolerant, so it will taste a bit salty, especially when cooked. Haas avocados at Iovine's $1 each, still a lot better than Whole Paychek. New crop Florida lemons in stock at 5/$1. Limes at the same price, so mix and match. Brandywine and other heirlooms can still be found, as well as just plain great field and plum tomatoes. But the season is coming to a close. Today I saw very little in the way of cherry tomatoes of any color. Corn is still available, but as happens every year, the late season corn is a little long in the tooth. Tasty, but more prone to malformed and infested ears. Benuel still has those cylindral beets I rave about, as well as kirby cucumbers. This is also the time of year when summer and winter squashes overlap. Benuel has lots of the former, Fair Food the latter. The Reading Terminal Market will have a rare Sunday opening on Oct. 9. That's because 30,000 dentists descend on Center City beginning that weekend for the annual convention of the American Dental Association. Merchants are not required to be open, so I would expect just eat-in/takeaway vendors to be open, though Iovine's may be open since Jimmy and Vinnie would love to see the RTM regularly open on Sundays. The Pennsylvania Dutch section, I can assure you, will be buttoned-up tighter than a Sunday collar.

Imagine a cross between better-living-through-chemistry orange soda and Vernor's ginger ale, but with lots more sugar and less carbonation. I'd stick to the Islay malts.

Picnic season may be drawing to a close, but there's always Slaw in all its infinite varieties. I'm a fan of quick pickled cucumbers, Scandinavian style, and the thinner you can slice them the better. Start with an English, Persian or Israeli cucumber ("seedless"), toss the slices with salt, let them sit in a colander for a half hour or so, then quickly rinse and press the remaining water out. Mix a couple tablespoons of plain white vinegar with a teaspoon of sugar, chop up some dill if you like, toss, and let marinate for no more than an hour. In fact, you don't have to let them marinate at all. These are meant to be consumed the day you make them. Many other vegetables also work well with this quick pickling process. Cabbage, red, savoy or regular, of course, but also summer squashes. Experiment. Unlike the cucumbers, cabbage/onion combos treated this way hold up for at least a few days, maybe a week. You just want to be sure not to use too much of the marinade. Just enough for a the lightest possible coating. You do not want vinegar pooling in the bottom of the bowl. I second and third the celeriac remoulade recommendation. And for a variation of the au gratin potatoes, try Jansson's Temptation, a variation from Scandinavia which involves Swedish anchovies (which are more like sardines, actually) and lots of butter and cream.

i have! i was with people who wanted to try both roast pork and cheesesteak, so we ordered both. the cheesesteak was solid. good stuff. in fact, if someone were wanting a good example of both sandwiches at one place, i wouldn't hesitate to recommend tony luke's. ← It's not whether or not TL's makes a good cheesesteak. I don't have the foggiest idea, because it's impossible for me to try anything else there when they have such goooood roast pork.

But no one ever eats a cheesesteak at Tony Luke's in Phila. -- if you don't eat roast pork with greens and provolone, you die.