rlibkind

Some foods are meant to be consumed where they are harvested/raised/gathereed, etc. I think this is particularly true for many crustacaens and mollusks, though a few do ship well (oysters, mussels). Fortunately, tho pricey, when properly packaged salmon ships well.

Wish I could make it, but I'll be enroute to Alaska, where there is some fresh salmon, sablefish and halibut engraved with my name. Andrew, how much longer you have in town this summer before heading to Rome?

Yeah, but do they get soft shell Atlantic Blue Crab in the PNW?

Go with the plain old cast iron skillet. If you must have grill marks, do what (I am told) Howard Johnson's central plant did with the frozen burgers they sent to the restaurants: paint 'em on with caramel coloring; if you have that old favorite from the 1950s pantry, Kitchen Bouquet, use that.

Good to hear Sarcone's Deli is open on Sunday, much to my amazement. But, as said earlier, don't count on there being any hoagie rolls available in the mid to late afternoon. If George's on 9th Street is open, by all means try it. If you're really adventuresome, he makes a tripe sandwich. And if it's red gravy Italian you crave, down the block is Villa di Roma.

Sarcone's will be closed on Sunday, so forget about hoagies there. Two of the aternatives to Tommy DiNic's for roast pork are also closed on Sunday (Tony Luke's and John's). Geno's and Pat's and Jim's will be open, as will the Silk City Diner. I don't know firsthand of any steak/hoagie joint in the historic district to recommend, but in a different topic someone recommended Campo's (214 Market near the historic sites) to a visitor, and he reported being pleased with the recommendation; I don't know if they are open on Sundays, so give a call at (215) 972-7160. You might want to consider altering your dinner plans. Instead of saving Chinatown for dinner, why not come in early, say 11 or 12, and go for dim sum in Chinatown. You and your daughter can choose what you like from the rolling carts before ambling off to the historic district. (I strongly recommend the new National Constitution Center). I like Joy Tsin Lau, Race between 9th and 10th, but I'm in the minority around here. There are two or three other restaurants that do a nice job, though I don't recall the names; I'm sure someone on this board will post them. If you're daughter enjoys seafood, I recommend taking your evening meal at Sansom Street Oyster House, on Sansom Street between 15th & 16th Streets. Their website offers a coupon for second entree at half-price on Sundays between 3 and 9 p.m. If she's on dutie, our Katie will also treat you well. And they should have soft shell crabs!

It's real. The booze prices are their standard ones, i.e., slightly pricey compared to the corner bar but fair for their locations. I've only tried the happy hour at the Philadelphia venue (Broad near Chestnut, I think, virtually in the center of Center City) and was quite pleased. A very reasonable value. Of course, Sansom Street Oyster House is only two or three blocks away, and offers half-price Blue Points and raw clams for its happy hour.

A friend in South Devon writes: I seek a definitive answer from UK eGulleteers. Here in Philadelphia, Shepherd's Pie can be either beef or lamb, but since most people in these parts aren't fond of lamb, it's usually beef.So, I ask, what's the difference between Shepherd's Pie and Cottage Pie?

That oven is scary! IIRC from 30 years ago, don't they do bread, too, or am I confusing it with another Elizabeth bakery/pizzeria?

Ray's Boathouse! That's where I was introduced to Copper River King precisely 18 years ago this month, on my first trip to the PNW from Philadelphia.

The jaegerschnitzel at Ludwig's Garten is a satisfying dish, but, hey, it's just jaegerschnitzel. So I fully understand your aversion to Teutonic cuisine, such as it is at most German restaurants in this country. But the beer! I did have a good meal in Germany, however, and it was German food. A simple fish restaurant in Frankfurt's downtown retail district; I went for various herrings and salads. (Once again, I'm showing my tendency for fish prepared simply but well. Get thee to Sansom Street Oyster House.)

The logistics offered by mrbigjas, while doable, are iffy. Instead, I suggest this possibility. The cheesesteak will be merely passable, certainly not memorable, but the time constraints won't be challenged. When the meeting is over, call Fairmount Pizza & Restaurant at 215 763-1985 and order your cheesesteak for pickup. They are located at 2000 Fairmount Avenue (Fairmount & 20th Street), maybe five blocks north and another five blocks west of 400 N . Broad. By the time your cab gets there, your sandwich will be ready; you'll be in and out in two minutes and just another five minutes away from 30th Street Station. Again, the cheesesteak will merely be passable; the bread won't be particularly good. But it will be a bona fide Philadelphia cheesesteak, and actually much more typical of the cheesesteaks most Philadelphia cheesesteak consumers consume on a daily basis. I only recommend Fairmount because it's my sandwich shop of last resort in the neighborhood (they deliver). It's a typical Philadelphia Greek-style diner sans dining car: pizza and strombolis, cheesesteaks, hoagies, oven grinders, assorted other sandwiches, pasta, fried chicken, etc. I'm sure others can come up with additional sandwich shops that might be better with minimal detour between your meeting and the station. Hey, everyone, is there anything better out by Penn and Drexel, which are just the other side of 30th Street? Methinks there must be. The logstics of a cheesesteakerie there might be more doable and better tasting.

. . .If pressed for time, you could take a cab to the Reading Terminal Market: that's about five minutes from the Inquirer/Daily News building. There's an okay steak place there (Steve's Prince of Steaks, I think)-- though if you want something REALLY good, get a roast pork sandwich with greens and provolone at DiNic's. ← At most, it's an eight-block, 10-minute walk from 400 N. Broad to the RTM. The steak place is Rick's (a fair cheesesteak, not a great one), but as Andrew said, you'd be better off getting the pork with greens and aged provolone at Tommy DiNic's or, I might suggest, a hoagie with the house dressing at Salumeria, both at the Reading Terminal Market. And you can catch the SEPTA regional rail commuter train right under the RTM at the Market East Station. If you hold an Amtrak ticket, I believe you get free passage on SEPTA from any of the Center City stations (Market East and Suburban Station) to 30th St., where Amtrak stops. (If that's no longer true, the fare is $3). Headway between trains is 2 to 7 minutes during the afternoon, and the trip takes 14 or 15 minutes. A cab does it in about the same time, less if traffic's not bad, for about $5.

Don't forget Sansom Street Oyster House. Although it's not an 'R' month, they will still have decent oysters. And soft shell crab season is about ready to start, if it's not here already. In addition, if you're lucky, they'll have Ipswich clams (eat 'em steamed or fried), plus there's always Snapper soup, as well as all the other great fishhouse classics Cary Neff and crew serve up. And, of course, you get to say hello to Katie! I don't know where you call home, but if it's not the Mid-Atlantic region, then you owe it to yourself to get to Sansom Street Oyster House. Places like this used to be all over large East Coast cities, but today they are few and far between, at a great loss to those of us who enjoy their seafood fresh and simple and prepared with pride. I'm just curious -- why no Asian or German? Is it a matter of taste, or do you have plenty of either type at home or other places you travel?

Edited to delete replication of identical post

That was what we were wondering at Saturday's Pizza Club, too.

Thanks to Sandy for moving the ball on today's Pizza Club, the Farewell to Lombardi's at 18th near Sansom. Among the pies the nine of us sampled: spinach, sausage and pepperoni, white, mushroom, anchovy and others I don't recall. Alas, they no longer offer white clam. (A mostly moot point since you've only got another week to get to Lombardi's before they close the Philadelphia outpost.) Although each pie was delicious, I thought they undercharred most of the pies, with the exception of the anchovy. Still, a most delicious and fattening afternoon. Followed by an excursion to the new DiBruno's emplorium around the corner. (No one brought a camera, so this one will be remembered only in our taste memories and spare tires.)

Does it count if I enjoyed my Capogiro at DiBrunos' new Chestnut Street emporium following Pizza Club at Lombardi's? If so, I partook of coconut and chocolate. And it waas reported at Pizza Club that Capogiro is going to open a store in the vicinityh of 19th and Sansom.

I was at the DDC dinner, too, and concur in gbredben's opinion. The highlight of the meal to me was the lamb shank tapatio. On the regular menu I believe it's done with a more expensive cut of lamb, but I found the shanks delectable.

Wow! I completely forgot about Santillo's. I haven't had their pie in at least 30+ years. Glad to hear it's still there on South Broad Street. Gotta get there on my next trip up from Philly.

I've got a six-year-old Weber Silver B, which went through a 200-mile move since original purchase. It's a wonderful device and highly recommended just for the reasons you state: you want to grill, but you don't wait to deal with charcoal at 7 at night. I still have my Weber 22-inch kettle and use it for certain items (those I want to taste smokey; hickory or fruitwood chips on charcoal beats a smoke box on a gas grill by a country mile). But if I had to have just one, I'd go with the gas grill. It's also great for pizza since it can reach a temperature at least 100 degrees F higher than my kitchen oven. Just put a baking stone on a cold grill, then fire her up.

Well, that is what the website says. And, although this is probably highly tangential to the stated subject of this message string, I don't know any rabbi who would authorize as kosher a restaurant that is open on Saturdays, as Kosher Nosh apparently is, other than this rabbi and/or Kashruth committee. Anyone who observes Kashruth would not patronize this establishment; no matter what this particular rabbi says, if it's open for business on Shabat, it's not kosher.

I vote for the mortar and pestle. Produces best extra coarse.

Kosher is kosher. Not kosher is not kosher. If it's open on Saturday it's not kosher. Their food may come from kosher sources and, all other things considered, be kosher. But it's not kosher if it's open on Shabbat.

This is gonna be like shooting fish in a barrel. A bunch of amateurs. At least on the UK original Edwina Curry could give as good as she got from Gordon. The amateurs and wannabes on the US version will probably just melt on first glower.