rlibkind

My favorite food novel! like what Nabokov would have written if he'd subscribed to Gourmet rather than Lepidoptera Weekly. ← Note my avatar. 'Nuff said.

mrbigjas and andrew, Have either of you read John Lanchester's "The Debt to Pleasure"? Given the topic, this should be required reading for you both.

Andrew, your info reminded me that when I was a kid in North Jersey, we'd take the St. George's Ferry to Brooklyn to visit our Flatbush relatives, and while waiting for the boat vendors would walk through the queues hawking what we called "pretzel bagels" which, now that I'm tasting them in my memory, were probably boiled. But it's hard to image Federal Pretzel or the other Philadelphia bakers boiling them.

Soft pretzels are boiled? Not the ones made at Fisher's at the Reading Terminal Market, although they are dipped into a solution (is it a mild alkali of some sort?) before baking. And since most bagel bakers (alas) have eliminated boiling and instead are using steaming ovens instead, it's more and more difficult to find the real thing. Salt bagels have been my favorite since I was a kid in the 1950s and we made regular trips to Watson Bagels on Chancellor Avenue in Newark, then Irvington. Just last week I picked up some at Elmora Bagels in Elizabeth, owned by the same famiiy that operated Watson. Unfortunately, they no longer make bialys. But they still boil the bagels before placing them on wooden boards into the oven. I don't object to a few poppyseeds mixed in with the salt. But it should be a salt bagel, not a poppyseed bagel. The best bagels I've found in Philadelphia (the closest to Watson in size, flavor and texture) is Philadephia Bagel Company, in the strip mall at Columbus (Delaware) & Washington. They make an excellent bialy, too, but weekends only.

Among other things, they are control freaks. Meaning, they do their buying direct from many small producers (primarily European) and make their own shipping arrangments, so they have excellent temperature control, etc. Walk into one of their stores in the heat of summer, and when you leave your glasses will fog over because they keep the store so cool.

When I'm not near the burger I love, I love the one I'm near. That said, I like mine Pittsburgh rare: warmed over but red in the very center, nicely charred on the exterior. You've got to use high quality meat, 15% fat; chuck will do, but a mix with some sirloin, short ribs, etc. is even better, a la David Rosengarten. If not cooked over an outdoor grill, then done in a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. A few grinds of black pepper doesn't hurt, nor a quick sprinkling of kosher salt immediately before putting to the fire. Cooking technique: shape the meat very loosely, never press hard. And never press down while cooking. Mark's suggestion of the center indentation is advice worth taking. For condiments: good old American ketchup, raw or sauteed onions if I'm in the mood. Cheese not necessary with a burger this good (though I might make an exception for some good blue cheese, in which case I'll skip the ketchup and onions. And beer. Or hard cider.

What a feast! And what a turnout! I think the grand total was 73 attendees at this evening's DDC at Karma; according to Rich, that's the most ever! Many thanks to Aroona for organizing this dinner and making it happen. I managed two full plates of appetizers before tackling the mains. The biggest hit at our table was the Aloo Papri Chat -- fried lentils, potatoes and chick peas served in a raiti-like sauce, an incredible savory contrast of crunch and smooth textures. Other standouts to my taste were the Saag Paneer, Tandoori Gobhi (cauliflower) with its very black peppery spice, and Hara Bara Kabab (chicken marinated in coriander, chillies, ginger and garlic). With the rich green of one of the sauces and the Hara Bara Kabab, and the orange/reds of the Tandoori dishes, some of the appetizer plates looked veritble palettes. All that was missing was blue food, though the mustard-seeded chick peas almost looked blue (I have a vivid imagination even if I an color blind). Again, thanks, Aroona, for a great evening.

Since my trip has been delayed until next week, I appreciate the additiolnal suggestions, Scoats, especially for Rikker's. Although the Reading Terminal Market has some German deli meats, it just hasn't been the same since Siegfried closed shop.

What a great day! Especially meeting up with everyone, most of you for the first time. Many thanks to John for following through to the initial suggestion from Finker and putting this together -- including his advance calls to a couple of the establishments so we wouldn't overwhelm them upon arrival. Here some photos to complement those gorgeous specimens already posted by Jason and Rooftop1000: The last shall be first. Most of the remaining gang after consuming rippers at Rutt's Hut. Karl and Tracey (Rooftop1000) enjoy their rippers. John is definitey serious about his Italian hot dog at Charlie's (hold the onion, please). Gallloping Hill Inn's German-style franks, mit kraut. Syd's grillman chars those boiled dogs. Half a root beer keg keg mounted on wall at Syd's used to be a full dispenser at the original Syd's location on Chancelllor Avenue in Newark, opposite Weequahic High. Millburn Mall, in addition to Syd's, also features Tabachnick's Smoke House and Sonny Amster's Bakery. Breads and bagels are just some of the delights to be found at Sonny Amster's. I also took home a hunk of poppyseed strudel.

Exceedingly rare. And no celery salt, either.

TarteTatin (Phillyfrancophiles), I guess we'll agree to disagree. I'll grant you that quenelles are not limited to haute cuisine (indeed, to compare them to gefilte fish wouldn't be entirely off the mark), but I'll stand by my assertion that quenelles go against the grain of what is the classic Philadelphia oyster house. SSOH is not a French bistro; it's a Mid-Atlantic fish house. That said, I'll quote cdh's signature: De Gustibus Non Disputandum Est

Quenelles! At the Sansom Street Oyster Houe? I think not. The beauty of SSOH, as Katie made clear early in this string, is that it's an Old School Philadelphia restaurant, doing what the historic oyster houses always did: serving very fresh and high quality shellfish and finfish prepared in a straightforward manner. That doesn't mean it's immune to change -- SSOH was serving branzino four or five years ago, before anyone else in town even heard of it -- but it does mean sticking to basics. The kitchen at SSOH does an incredible job with fish (especially whoever handles the deep frying), but trying to expand its repertoire to quenelles would be, IMHO, a mistake. If you want quenelles, ask George Perriers to put it on his menus. That expanded plateau de fruits de mer sounds intriguing, but to my mind highly improbable. As SG noted in suggesting it, supply/demand issues would be difficult; to my mind, insurmountable. When's the last time you saw a razor clam in an East Coast restaurant? I figure one gooeyduck would be enough to meet demand for at least two or three months; that would hardly be fresh fish. Tweaking and expanding the by-the-glass offerings as Katie plans is most welcome, and she's concentrating on the right wines (no surprise there, one would expect no less from Our Girl Katie). As for bringing in some Alsace Whites, that brings back the memory of when I first started to understand the joy of matching food and wine: it was 1971, my first trip to Europe, visiting friends from NJ who were on assignment in Brussels, where I consumed mussels and an inexpensive and hardly remarkable Alsatian white, whose name was "Alsace Marie" (a cheap blend, I suspect). But it was real wine, made to be enjoyed with food, and opened my eyes and tastebuds to many possibilities. Beer and ale, of course, work just as well with oysters on the halfshell as wine. The current selecton of draught beers offered by SSOH do quite nicely, and I believe there's already a bit of rotation. Still, I'm confident in going over the beverage offerings Katie will not forget to pay homage to the brewer's art.

Yeah, Muscadet! Off topic, but this brought back a specific memory: About 30 years ago about a dozen friends got together for a mussel fest: we bought a burlap bushel bag full of the mollusks, scrubbed them clean (what work -- this was before you could get nice clean farmed mussels in North America), then cooked them three ways (marinere, with red gravy, and some other way I can't recall). Went through a lot of Muscadet. But after that all-day (and night) marathon, I didn't want to see another mussel for about a dozen years. I've since recovered. Definitely get a muscadet on the list, Katie, if it isn't there already.

For those who haven't been keeping up with the Pizza Club thread, our forum co-host Katie Loeb has taken on a new gig as General Manager of one of my favorite restaurants, the Sansom Street Oyster House. It can only get better! Congrats, Katie. Question: Upon agreeing to the new post, did you get a signed photo of Cary Neff and his Vita-Mix from the "Famous Chefs Naked" series?

I'll take credit for starting this "Expensive, expansive, exceptional" thread, but not for the photos. The images were posted by Percyn and they are enticing me to make a return visit! After all, it's only been eight months since I was first there for brunch!

Thank you, Refinnej, that was precisely the non-restaurant info I was hoping for! By all rights, I should have remembered your original posting and searched for it, so thank you for the recapitulation.

Some great ideas for lunch, folks. Too many to fit it on just one trip, but since it's winter a nice bowl of Portuguese kale and potato soup would probably hit the spot! So, lunch is settled. But doesn't anybody cook around here? Other than Rich's Nonno Ugo recommendation, no one has given any suggestions for comesibles I can pick up to consume/cook at home. Bakeries -- I don't care if they are Russian, German, Etruscan or plain basic American. Bread bakeries or sweets bakeries. And if there's stellar poppyseed pastries out there, I want to know! Delis -- Again, ethnicity is irrelevant. I'm just looking for cured, pickled, smoked meats and fish that are hard to find at the Shop Rite or of superior quality. And I'd appreciate knowing of any other noteworthy Northeast purveyor, no matter what the category.

I have reason to venture from Fairmount to the Great Northeast next Thursday morning and would like to sample the district's best: bakery, cured/smoked meats and fishies, and anything else of interest that is hard to find in other corners of Our Fair City. I'd also welcome recommendations for lunch beyond the Mayfair and the Country Club.

That is one great looking buffet menu! I've sent you my rsvp via e-mail. See you Jan. 17!

And a very good sandwich it is. Probably one of the most underrated in town. The artichokes cost extra, but that has never stopped me from ordering them. And get the house dressing rather than O&V or mayo. Although their bread doesn't have quite the crust crunch I like, it works well with their sandwiches.

The one on Rt. 130 was still called Roney's when I stopped there last spring.

Tommy runs the RTM operation. Full head of dark hair, 40ish or maybe a young looking 50-ish, sometimes wears glasses, wiry buil. When not busy he can usually be found schmoozing at his counter with other merchants.

Although there a couple of items from Aquavit at Washington Square (notably the foie gras ganache), the menus weren't all that similar. As for food like Samuelsson serves at Aquavit in Philadelphia, I'd love to see that! All we have right now that passes for Scandinavian, traditional or new, are Ikea's meatballs. Note that even working together Swahn and Samuelsson have had difficulty the one time they tried to take their show on the road. Aquavit Minneapolis, set in a region populated by residents of Scandinavia heritage, was forced to close due to lack of decent business. Without doubt, 9/11 and expense account clampdowns had something to do with its failure, but the idea itself may not be all that exportable. Think abut it: even n all of NYC there are only two true Scandinavian outposts: Aquavit (inlcuding its lunch cafeteria at Scandia House) and Ulrika's.

Before Michel Notre Dame opened his own place (Cuvee Notre Dame) he managed Brigid's, which is when it had a Belgian tilt.

What I object to about Jubilee is the lack of rich chocolate flavor in the shell. To get it so thin, coca butter is added, reducing flavor IMO. ← I had some Jubilee a couple of weeks ago for the first time since early last spring, and I thought I detected a thicker coating of chocolate than in the past, so maybe that's changed.