rlibkind

Finally got to The Famous today after avoiding it under the former management for at least a dozen years (see previous post). What a difference new management makes! Whether judging by decor, service or food quality, this place is what a deli should be. Decor: First of all, it's clean. It's been scrubbed and repainted, lighting improved. The 1940s, 50s era memorabilia from ancestors' delis were delightful to behold. Service: Our waitress was there when we needed her, friendly, generous (she thought the egg cream too small, so she gave She Who Must Be Obeyed more). Since she was generous, so were we. Food: My pastrami was on-target. At Kibbitz, they had switched to Vienna Beef, imported from Chicago which, while of decent quality, was way too salty for my taste. This pastrami was better. However -- and I'm in the minority here -- I want it to be less well trimmed: Gimme some fat. For $9.50, it was good value, oversized at nearly half a pound of meat, I'd guess. I imagine the "zaftig" portion comes in close to a pound, and I can't imagine anyone eating one. (Though I have finished a standard sized sandwich at Harold's, which is probably closer to a pound of meat.) We'll be going back to try the rest of their menu. When winter comes, we'll taste the chicken soup with knaidele (well, one very big knaidel, the size of a softball, based on the order that passed us by at lunch today). We picked up some blackout cake to have for dessert tonight, and I had some belly (salty) lox sliced to order for brunch at home over the weekend. The smoked fishes looked pretty good. Bulk halvah, too. Cinghiale, I think the special sandwich you had was the "Franklin Avenue". Of course, on Franklin Avenue, they wouldn't have put cheese on the sandwich, which makes it non-Kosher. Growing up in North Jersey, most of the delis had a similar sandwich (invariably called a "No. 4" or "No. 5" combo: corned beef, pastrami, slaw and russian. For catering jobs, they'd make a similar sandwich, but with a lot less filling so it could be easily handled as finger food on party rye, and call it a "Sloppy Joe". (Yes, I know most folks consider the ground beef/tomato mix a sloppy joe, but at a North Jersey Jewish deli. a sloppy joe was entirely different.) The meats on the sloppy joe would vary to include roast beef, turkey and/or tongue. And if you make it from smoked fish, well, that's a Smoky Joe. But I digress. The Famous is now back on my "go to" list. Hooray!

In broad strokes, I don't take much exception to this statement, but I think the independent retailers who do disappear often have problems to begin with, or fail to take advantage of their advantages; those who have their act together can not merely survive, but thrive. What got me going on this off-thread comment was the hardware store reference. Yes, there are a fair number that have closed. But in my neighborhood, Fairmount, the local store has expanded and thrived, even though it faces competition of HD and Lowe's. Why? They have all the basics and they are convenient. They charge a tad more for that convenience, but like Wawa and am/pm, we urbanites don't mind being gouged a little (how's that for an oxymoron?) if it saves us some time and effort.

I've noticed the availability tends to be seasonal, at least for the U.S. Northeast/Eastern Canada catch. They are usually available at my fishmongers at Philly's Reading Terminal Marketing during late winter, early spring. I would think anything you're likely to see in NYC in late summer would be imported from a longer distance and not quite as fresh. The main reason your sardines in Turkey were so good is because they were so fresh. It's not the sardine (which, after all, can be one of any variety of fishes) itself; it's how long it takes to get that morsel of fish oil and flesh from net to fire to table.

I agree with you on the styrofoam/saran wrap at Iovine's. I'll have to ask Vin or Jim why they do that, but I can take a good guess: it allows them to carry a wider variety of goods without the need to provide bin space. If they had to have separate bins for all the items they pack this way, they'd either have to tremendously expand the size of their store or limit the variety of what they stock (which would mean no samphire or fiddleheads in their seasons). As for expansion, well, they probably pay enough rent already, and where would they expand to? At the same time, the "bagged" specials for $1 and the imperfect mushrooms can be great deals. I'm hard-pressed to think of another greengrocer in town who carries the quality and variety of produce at decent prices that Iovine's does. Supermarkets don't come close, and as good as some of the Korean greengrocers can be, Iovine's generally has them beat across the board.

Just like cherries, apricots are having an amazing season. I've never seen such good-looking apricots hang around for so long. Every week, I keep on thinking, better get some more, this is probably the last week. But it isn't! Halteman's, Kaufman's and Livengood's all were well-stocked with blemish-free, rose-touched local cots. Could it be that it's just an exceptionally good year for stone fruits? So far, the cherries and apricots have been outstanding. Hard to tell with the early variety peaches, but we'll know in another week or two how that crop's quality and quantity fares. Local plums are also coming in now. I haven't tasted any yet, but they look good. Blackberries continue strong. Absolutely amazing with Pequea Valley Dairy's whole milk yogurt from jersey cows (available at the Fair Food Farmstand and from the diary stand). Blueberries also plentiful, and they're cheap. Lots more heirloom tomatoes at Livengood's. Pricey at $3.99, but they are exceptional. The standard tomatoes from Benuel Kaufman aren't shabby either, and they're priced, IIRC, at $2.99, or is it $2.49? Local canteloupes (actually, musk melons) are available. Their going for $250/$3.50 a melon.

How about some shrimp. I buy bags of the frozen tiny northern pre-cooked/cleaned shrimp at Whole Foods (other stores have them, too), and they are wonderfully versatile. Although they aren't quite in the "put in the microwave and fuhgedaboudit" category, they are quick and easy. Just three examples: Do a quick thaw (very low power) in the microwave, then toss with mayo/remoulade, etc., and stuff a tomato. Or chop up celery, sweet pepper, dill and/or sweet pickle and mix with shrimp and mayo for a shrimp salad on a baguette. Bring water to bil for your favorite pasta. Just a few minutes before it's ready, add olive oll to hot pan, then garlic; before garlic browns, toss frozen shrimp into pan. Finish with capers or whatever herbs you fancy and toss over pasta. Fill flour tortillas with still-frozen shrimp, Jack or other Southwest/Mexican cheese, a little chopped scallion, maybe a touch of fresh diced jalapeno or other peppers of your choosing, then fold and cook in a non-stick skillet, no oil necesssary, til cheese melts. Beans are another possibility. In particular I like garbanzos. I cook them from dried beans, then put them in the freezer in portions (making sure to have them covered in the cooking liquid). You can take out a serving, nuke to thaw, add to chicken in a pan and season to taste. Lots of other ways you can use frozen beans. For a an easily nukable meal, there's this Indian chicken braise with garbanzos. Lightly brown some chicken thighs and/or drumsticks (in both cases, do not use boneless, but they can be either skinless or not, to your preference) in a neutral oil. Remove chicken, add onions/garlic cooking until transparent, then add curry powder/garam masala or any other South Asian style spices, quickily tossing with onions, then returning chicken to pan and adding broth or water to partially cover, stirring and cooking until chicken is cooked, adding more broth if necessary. The finished dish should have enough liquid to still look like a stew/braise. When done, add cooked chickpeas, then freeze into portions. Remove from freezer and nuke for an easy dinner. If you have fresh cilantro leaves on eating day, it's a perfect garnish. Serve as is or, to stretch it even further (and it's a delicious as well as nutritious combination) with Basmati or other fine rice. Edited to complete messge

Ghirardelli's web site includes the following statement on its "Our Company" page: What's unethical about that? I don't know whether or not it's on the packaging, but they certainly aren't trying to hide the fact. As for Stonyfield, its majority shares are controlled by another company, but not a cosmetics company as you aver. Groupe Danone controls Stonyfield, and they are primarily a food products company, not a cosmetics manufacturer. Regarding Aveda and Origins, since they are cosmetics companies, what's the big deal about them being owned by a "multinational cosmetics corporation"? Since I'm ignorant of what business Kiehls is in, I'll refrain comment. Please be more careful with the facts before stating them as facts.

Here's Hershey's news release which notes the small batch process. I would expect Hershey will use its distribution advantages to improve SB's margins while keeping the quality up. Otherwise, why bother? Hershey is not run by dummies. They may make mistakes (like going into the macaroni business), but they're not stupid.

Blackberries have arrived. Earl Livengood had some big, beautiful berries yesterday, and he should have them Tuesday at South Street and Thursday at Fairmount. Plenty of local blueberries, too. And when there are blackberries, there are also peaches. Early varieties can be found at Kauffman's, Halteman's, Fair Food Project and Livengood's. I think next week I'll make a blackberry-peach cobbler! Halteman's had the best price, at $1.89/pound. Cherries are just about over. This past Saturday the only cherries to be found were pie cherries at Benuel Kauffman's and Pacific NW Bings at Iovines. Tomatoes, however, are building. Livengood offered both certified organics and heirlooms. Wild Pacific sockeye and king salmon were available at John Yi's. The sockeye was a buck or two cheaper a pound. Time to cook greens. The chard, collards and other greens at Livengood's looked splendid. Fair Food frequently has Tuscan kale. Varieties of eggplant starting to expand exponentially, especially at Iovine's. Most of them come from South Jersey. Lima beans are in season, too; Livengood's has them shelled.

Here's a direct link to the hot dog run discussion at Roadfood. John - I've PM'd you on how to do the highlighted the link.

Follow this link to another message string on this subject which includes my report on Bar Harbor/MDI eating posted in May 2004. As noted, XYZ went out of business after the close of the 2003 season.

They were neither Queen Anne nor Rainier. They were a perfect pale yellow, no hint of blush. The vendor described then as "heirloom".

It's a jubilee of cherries the past few weeks. As noted on another thread on another board, it's been a great year for these stone fruits, both sweet, sour and inbetween varieties. Today Halteman's Country Foods was selling sweet red cherries for, IIRC, $3.89 a quart. On the other side of the market, Benuel Kauffman was charging about that for a pint. The Halteman cherries were just a tad softer, but measurably sweeter. Benuel, however, also had a yellow variety that makes an interesting color contrast and tastes pretty good, too. Benuel also had sour cherries of pies and other baked goods. Last week Earl Livengood offered a "sweet/sour" variety that was just a little sweeter than the normal pie cherry and could be easily eaten out-of-hand, or baked. This week and next will probably be the last of the cherries. Lemon cucumbers have started to show up (Fair Food Project had them; Livengood's usually has them in season, too). Another "ball" shaped veggie is the little round summer squash that Benuel Kaufman sells; grate them and sautee them. Last week I picked up some fresh beets at the Fair Food Project and roasted them in foil. Delish! Lots of other beets available now, too. What I'm waiting for are the longer, more cylindrical beets Benuel offers in season. They should be available soon. Raspberries were still available today at Benuel's, $3.95/pint. Tomato prices vary; Iovine's has Jersey's at 99-cents; Halteman's had two different Lancaster County tomatoes at $2.59 and $2.89, IIRC. Benuel gets about $3.50 for his. Goes great with the Silver King corn at 50-cents an ear. Fair Food had the first sun gold cherry tomatoes I've seen this season (they'll sauce pasta tomorrow night) Kirby cucumbers are in season, and Benuel has some nice small ones, perfect for pickle-making. (I do mine in a salt-only brine [no vinegar] with garlic and coriander seeds. Dill is nice, too.) Peaches have started to show up; Benuel had "soft" ones for $2 a pound, which is just a little more than the going-price for unsoft peaches at Halteman's. Local apricots were still here today, but it's probably the last weekend for them. I made a clafouti the other day with some that had been sitting in my fridge since last week (peeled by a dip in boiling water followed by ice bath) with a few going-soft black raspberries thrown in for contrast. It's amazing how even just-okay apricots become silken and unctious when baked. Finally got to try Tommy's brisket sandwich. I agree with bigjas, it won't replace roast pork, but it does present a difficult choice. It just melted in the mouth, and the light touch of gravy was perfect; I detected just a touch of tomato paste to give the gravy a light sweetness. I got the sandwich wrapped to go and ate it soon after I put the produce away; despite the sufficient quantity of gravy, the sandwich, though messy, stayed together, even though I ate at least a third of the meat with a fork.

In Philadelphia, the cherries available at the Reading Terminal Market -- sweet Bing-types, sour pie cherries and various old-time cherries (including one yellow variety I haven't seen before -- sorry, I don't know the name) -- have been exceptional. The sweet red cherries have been particularly sweet.

This has to be one of the most hilarious turns of phrase on this board in some time. ← Jamei's a professional. Don't do this at home!

I'll second and third the previous suggestions for remoulade. It's the classic. Just be sure to use lots of capers and keep the sauce nice and spicy. A slaw of your choice (given the spicyness of the remoulade, I'd keep it tame) and a corn and tomato salad would be ideal accompaniments. And don't forget the Riesling. Or a summer ale.

I cast my vote with Philadining. Went there a couple of times last winter and spring, and each time we had the same experience as Philadining: one or two wonderful dishes, and two or three awful or just barely passable ones.

A follow-up report (more appropriately, a non-report)... By the time we reached YVR after a three-week independent tour of Alaska, we were too pooped to pop; in addition, She Who Must Be Obeyed had a viral URI, and I was coming down with a bacterial infection. So, we were unable to take advantage of the many splendid recommendations offered. Instead, we tried to catch our breath for our trans-con red eye by drinking lots of liquids (non-alcoholic, alas) at AC's Maple Leaf Club. Again, thanks for the many suggestions, which we hope to enjoy on a future trip dedicated to Vancouver.

Hmmmm. This concept is not unlike a Philadelphia classic: a sticky bun split and heated on a steel griddle.

Methinks your confusbining Tommy DiNic's at the Reading Terminal Market and Tony Luke's on Oregon right by I-95. In either case, both make great Pork sandwiches.

Keep the regular sized bun, because that emphasizes the size (kinda like a codpiece that lets a little bit show). Just make sure the bun has enough firmness not to become flaccid.

Thanks for adding the photos to the website, Jonathan. Seeing a two-minute old calf is a wonderment for this city dweller.

Sounds pretty delicious to me! Next time, though, you might consider just using kosher salt. I love Maldon salt, but "designer" salts, for lack of a better word, shine when sprinkled on at the table, since what they are all about is the crunch or flake; as far as taste goes, the differences are virtually imperceptable vs. regular salt when you cook with these salts, IMHO.

Percyn, I did not see your request until Sunday evening, so I didn't offer suggestions at that time. But for a return visit, this neighborhood resident suggests: London Grill. It's the restaurant that started the fine dining trend in Fairmount and remains the best. Whether you order off the cafe menu or the full restaurant menu, you will be pleased. Jack's Firehouse. People either love the food or hate it. I love it. At lunchtime, I go for the pulled pork and a beer, but the restaurant's dinner plates are, by and large, well worth it. If you order a particular dessert, there are ususally "tastes" of other dessert offerings on the plate. A striking dining room, what with the rowing scull hung over the bar. Rembrandt's. I prefer the cafe menu to the restaurant menu here. But I haven't dined from the main menu since they changed chefs, so it might be worth a try. A wonderful neighborhood bar and a pleasant dining room. Illuminare. Worth it just for the backyard patio, and the interior architecture of the main dining room is stylish and interesting; the food is considerably above average (try the fried calimari with jalapeno and remoulade sauce as a starter), though the service tends to the amateurish. The biggest disappointment I had during a visit last week was when I asked for bread; the roll tasted like it had been frozen and then microwaved. How an otherwise good restaurant with access to the fine breads available in town can serve such drek is beyond comprehension. If you are available July 16, you can attend the annual Fairmount "Bastille Day" celebration (two days late this year) sponsored by the Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site and the neighborhood restaurants. London Grill co-owner Terrry McNally usually plays Marie Antoinette, perched on a prison parapret throwing Twinkies down to the assembled peasants. We usually decapitate a watermelon in lieu of Marie on the guillotine. The Eastern State website offers more information about this event.

Of course, but it's a bit tricky with the rigid, wax-coated paper cups used by water ice purveyors. Back in the day, when I used to get Italian ice as a kid in North Jersey, it came in plain white paper cups with straight fluted sides. They were easy to squeeze and didn't crack or rip when squeezed. ← DiCosimo's in the 'Burg section of Elizabeth still uses the fluted cups for their smallest size ice. IMHO, it beats any of the water ices I've had in Philadelphia, but then again, the food of your youth is always "best". But I make it back to Elizabeth regularly, and my opinion still holds. DiCosimo's is especially good after an Italian hot dog at Tommy's or pizza at Spirito's.