rlibkind

Birder53: Where are you from? That might help us guide you to Philadelphia specialties and restaurants that may be different from what you see at home. No matter where you hail from, the RTM is worth a visit (closed on Sundays, closes daily between 5 and 6 p.m., and the Pennsylvania Dutch shops are only there Wed.-Sat; in addition, the Pa. Dutch stands tend to close at 3 p.m. weekdays). Check out its website to whet your appetite: Reading Terminal Market For breakfast and lunch, the RTM is tops. Among the highlights: Tommy DiNic's roast pork (and beef and veal); Salumeria for hoagies; Bassett's ice cream; the Pennsylvania Dutch Eating Place; the Down Home Diner; Delilah's for fried chicken. You've got lots of good choices for Italian in NJ, but no reason not to indulge here, too. Let us know if you're interested in red gravy or finer Italian dining and I'm sure the gang here will come up with suitable recommendations. If you want beer, two spots in particular not far from Penn Center: Monk's Tavern on 16th near Spruce and Locust for lots of Belgian and other beers as well as way above average pub fare (I adore the veal cheeks); and Ludwig's Garten, on Sansom aboujt a block and a half east of Broad, with mostly German brews and a pretty decent jaegerschnitzel. I also always recommend the Sansom Street Oyster House (Sansom between 15th and 16th), a classic of a type that's hard to find in NJ, even down the Shore. The oyster selection is outrageous, and the fish cookery is basic but perfect. Although the baked and broiled fish are fine, they really know how to use deep fryer to full advantage; if they have fried Ipswich clams, go for them. Oh, and get a cup of snapper soup, too. Muffin210: For produce you won't find at your local supermarket, hit the RTM on Friday or Saturday, when the Fair Food Project Farmstand is set up at center court; also, on Saturdays, another fine produce vendor, Earl Livengood night still be there (he'll shut down by Christmas for the season). For that matter, the biggest produce vendor at the RTM, Iovine Brothers, always has excellent quality goods, and frequently hard to find and rare items. There is a Pennsylvania Dutch style baker at the RTM, Beiler's, but I find their output pedestrian; if they have shoofly pie, though, I'm sure it will be suitably sugary. Katie's right on target about Rittenhouse Square being a great place to stroll during the holidays with the beautiful holiday lighting. Another lovely neighborhood during the holidays would be Society Hill where many of the federal style town houses are tastefully decorated. Since you have a car, consider a short trip to South Philly for less tasteful but absolutely exhilarating Christmas lighting; on a number of blocks neighbors hang colored lights across the street. I think Rittner Street is one of them, perhaps on one of the blocks between 3rd and 8th streets, if memory serves me correctly. (Can anyone help here?)

Four of us stopped by tonight. Two ordered the pulled pork on pita. two the 1/4 slab or ribs. Both were quite fine. (We ordered relatively lightly because we were going to see 'The Big River' at the Acadmey afterwards.) I avoided the sauce but found the ribs suitably smoky and succulent. The ladies enjoyed the pulled pork, but it sure seems weird to see it on pita. We ordered the corn bread to share; fairly light and not as "corn mealy" as I like it, although the jalapeno punch was welcome. The "root beer" beans were good, too, although my portion seemed to have more than its fair share of meat -- perversely, it had almost as much meat as beans, and I'd rather have beans with my beans. At 5 p.m. when we arrived the place was pretty empty and service was good; if too many different servers stopped by the table in rapid succession to ask how we were doing, well, that's a sin I can live with when compared to not enough attention. All four concurred it would be worth a return visit.

I'm a dedicated RTM shopper, as anyone who's read this board knows. That said, some thoughts about some other markets in town and environs: TJ's: If you're planning a cocktail party, stop by the freezer case for hors d'oeurvres. If you make the drinks strong enough, nobody will notice how second rate they are. I do, however, like TJ's cheap chocolates, particularly the chocolate covered orange jells (orange sticks, they call them); it's better living through chemistry. And I don't know anywhere else in town where you can pick up Usinger's brats; now if only they stocked the beef franks. Whole Foods: The produce is overpriced and second rate. The fish department is much improved; it used to be that everything was old; now, it appears that only the steamer clams are dead. Fish prices, however, are exorbitant; generally 30-50% more than you'd pay at one of the good fishmongers at the RTM or Ninth Street; and although WF fish quality has improved, it's usually better at a dedicated fishmongers. The meat depatment is another story; unless you're going for dry aged prime (which very few stores carry; for this, take out a loan and go to Harry Ochs at the RTM), Whole Foods does a very good job with meats red and white and rose. I've had excellent veal, chicken and beef there, and the prices have been fair. (I made their St. Louis pork ribs on the grill a few weeks ago, using Mark Bittman's slow-cooked dry rub recipe, and they were superb.) Supermarkets. When I don't want to travel far, I hit the Super Fresh on Columbus/Delaware. Otherwise, I generally trek across the river to the Cherry Hill Shop Rite for my staples. They also have a full-service kosher store within a store where you can find $10 a pound presliced packaged Marshall nova. An even better ethnic selection than you'll find at the Super Fresh, which I agree with Andrew is pretty good. Another Shop Rite I sometimes frequent is the one in Port Richmond on Aramingo, just a 15 minute drive from my house in Fairmount via Vine Street and I-95 (when there's no traffic); it serves a different clientele than Cherry Hill, and its stocking selection reflects that. The Shop Rite in South Philly is okay, but I find it a bit hectic and difficult to manoeuvre. The advantage of going to Cherry Hill is that I can stop by Canal's or Buy Rite for booze, or even Moore Brothers if I'm feeling high falutin.. Edited to add pork ribs at WF.

Yeah, after a large totally satisfying Thanksgiving dinner that lasted from 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday, this morning, before returning home to Philadelphia, we jaunted three blocks from our hotel in Edison to another hotel in Edison, where we could indulge in brunch at Harold's New York Deli Restaurant. If this action does not define glutton (literally) for punishment, I don't know what dpoes. To anyone unknowledgeable, Harold's offers sandwiches and platters that can only be described as exponentially excessive. I ordered a whitefish salad sandwich on a bagel. Well, it comes with six bagels and enough whitefish salad to feed three with ease. At $22, good value. And since I'm a glutton, I ate half the whitefish; the rest I packed into the cooler for the trip home. Breakfast tomorrow! The smoked seafood platter for $100 can, and does, feed a battalion. Pancakes for breakfast are the size of medium pizza. (I advise ordering a single stack.) The 12-egg omelet is standard. Sandwiches? You want a sandwich? The corned beef and pastrami are piled higher than any hominid jaw can open. You've got your choice of size: 13 ounce or 20 ounce ($12.95 and $24.45, respectively; a pound to take home from the deli, which I did, goes for $21.95. Oh, the "takeout" sandwiches come with four extra slices of bread with a small sandwich, six with a large one -- unless you order a triple decker combo (made to feed 5 or 6 people), which comes with 12 extra slices. Who needs a caterer? The pickle bar offers a nice selection of sour, half sour, kosher dill and tomato pickels, as well as "health" salad. As Harold says: "Being that our sandwiches and dinners are of humongous portions, we encourage you to share at no extra charge." You bet 'cha. One would think that with such an emphasis on size, quality would suffer. It doesn't. This morning's white fish salad had something you rarely see: real chunks of fish scattered about. And the corned beef and pastrami is as good as you'll find in the Garden State (and better than any I've found in Philadelphia), even though my heart and tummy really belong to Goodman's of Elmora in Elizabeth. In the past, I've also eaten at a Harold's in the Parsippany area. Is that one still there? Is it the sameownership? It certainly looks the same inside as the Edison venue, and the food was similar in size and quality. I notice, however, that Harold's take-out menu and web site make no mention of the Parsippany locaiton. Given at that the Edison Harold's is located within a Holiday Inn at Raritan Center, I wonder how often an unaware out-of-town business person checks into the hotel after a grueling flight to EWR and asks the clerk if there's a place nearby to grab a half-decent sandwich. And I'd love to be there when the sandwich arrives! We did not bother with dessert, but they do feature the world's largest eclairs and layer cakes that reach for the sky.

Is the Smoked Joint located at Academy House? That restaurant space hasn't had any success since Marabella's more than 20 years ago. Everything else has died there. I'm not even sure how Marabella's did there, although it was busy the couple of times I went there.

The sauce at A.P.J. is fine; unfortunately, the hot dog itself is second rate, IMHO. I also prefer my chili dogs unsplit. If you gotta have a chili dog and you're in the neighborhood, by all means go. But it's hardly worth a special trip -- especially when you've got all the offerings of the Reading Terminal Market just a block away, including a pretty good hot dog stand with a modest variety of franks ("Franks-a-lot", an absolutely terrible name) and plenty of fixings. Not nearly as inexpensive as A.P.J., however.

Nothing much on the Smoked Joint's website yet. Though, I gotta say, their smoke house illustration looks more like an outhouse.

You can always place slivers of garlic in the meat as you would for a leg of lamb, i.e., by inserting a thin knife into the flesh then inserting the garlic slivers. No giuarantees if the meat isn't decent to begin with, but it can help.

Could it have been Country Scrapple: An American Tradition -- by William Woys Weaver? It's the classic text.

I've used Sam's 50/50by volume for beverages and it's perfect. Easy, too, just put the ingredients into a container, shake, let stand, shake some more, etc. No heating.

Finally made it to Matyson for lunch today, after all other plans to get there somehow got waylaid (waylayed?). As it happens, this week they are celebrating their first anniversary. What took me so long ! ! ! ! ! She Who Must Be Obeyed adores parsinips, so it was a no brainer for her to go with the parsnip soup as a first. A nice, creamy light concoction set off wonderfully by the dollop of orange concasse (or did they call it marmalade? - I forget). My black bean bean soup, while not quite as stunning as the parsnip, was enlivened by very fresh scallions. SWMBO hadn't had a muffuletta since a visit to N.O. many moons ago, so it was also a no brainer when she saw that item on the menu. Served with fantastic french fries. (Holly, if the best fries in town are at Bellini Grill are the best in town, Matyson's has got to be a close second.) The sandwich itself was a masterwork, so long as you like your pork roasted with plenty of rosemary. My duck confit was superb, served over creamy, tasty orzo spiked with some portobello, greens and who knows what else. By the time I was done, nothing was left on the leg but the bone, and it was a very meaty (and not overly salty) confit. SWMBO complained about the chocolate ice cream (she always complains about any chocolate that does not send her to immediate orgasm), but I noticed there was none left when she put her spoon down. As for me. well, Bontsche Sweig can have his sweet roll over day in Heaven; I'll take Matyson's coconut cream pie. We wiill be back, and it won't take a year.

If you screw it up (and you won't - think positively) bottled clam broth can always be used; just reduce the salt in your recipe., assuming the bottled broth is over the top in saline solution. Busboy: Fennel sounds very nice! Might work very well since the end product she's looking for is a lobster bisque, and lobster and fennel sounds like an Aces combination. As a general rule, though, I like to keep the fish stock simple and add the flavors I want to the finished product.

I agree, do it yourself, though I find the recipe Busboy posts has way many more ingredients than necessary. Fish bones (and heads, but gill-less), a very little salt, maybe a bay leaf. An onion, a carrot and a rib of celery if you want, but not necessary. Simmer gently, skimming as necessary. It only takes about half an hour of simmering to extract all possible flavor. When done, strain (I use cheesecloth).. Avoid oily fish like salmon, mackeral, etc. Stick with non-oily white fleshed fish, flatfish, cod and cousins, snappers, sea bass, etc. Compared to what's necessary to create a lobster bisque, the making of a fresh fish stock is a snap.

Upon finishing her portion last night after a dinner at Lolita, She Who Must Be Obeyed said of their bittersweet chocolate: When it melts you can use it for a chocolate sauce on top of ice cream!

She Who Must Be Obeyed and I finally got to Lolita's last night, and it was superb. Her guac was clean and fresh (which is all you can ask a guac to be, unless you top it with pomegranite seeds, as does Barrio Cafe in Phoenix), and the assorted freshly fried veg and corn chips great. SWMBO dug into the spicer red salsa; I liked it, too, and but I also enjoyed the more herbal tomatillo version. I ordred the tamale for a starter and was not disappointed. In fact, it's as good as any tamal I've had anywhere else, including the SW and both upscale and downscale Chicago Mexicans); put enough fungal material in corn meal and lard and I'll follow you anywhere. For mains SWMBO raved about special filet tips. I thoroughly enjoyed the lamb loin with its thin cheese glazing and, even more, the spicy braised lamb on the plate. For $21 you won't have as good a lamb feast anywhere else, except perhap some Greek style shanks. We opted for the seasonal special margarita mix to accompany our Tequila and Cointreau; it was blood orange and was not overly sweet. We will return! Dessert was across the street at Capogira: pumpkin/bitter chocolate for her, cinnamon/bitter chocolate for me. As SWMBO remarked about the bitter chocolate: Let it melt and you can use it as . . . ice cream topping!

In general, yes, I'm "thirding" docsconz's basic point about the sugar myth, i.e, diabetics can incorporate sugar into their diet when consumed sensibly. However, I don't fully subscribe to the view that you should make a point of consuming it with fats and fibers, though that's fine. Fats and fiber certainly do influence the speed with which carbohydrates raise blood glucose levels, however. Basically, it's total carbohydrates consumed that influence blood glucose. (Yes, there are other factors, like exercise. But for the purpose of this discussion we'll stick to food ingredients.) So you can certainly eat foods that contain sugars, you just have to incorporate the total carbohydrate count into your daily allotment. Whole grains (which contain fiber) are converted more gradually than refined grains, so where possible they are preferred. The influence of fat on blood glucose is interesting. It's my understanding that fat acts much the same way that alcohol does. A little bit has minimal impact, but larger quantities of either fat or alcohol (let's say the equivalent of two glasses of wine or more) tend, in many people, to immediately depress blood glucose levels because they interfere with the production of glucagon by the liver. What also tends to happen is that blood glucose levels rise inordinantly a few hours after consuming less than modest portions of fat and alcohol. These actions are of greatest concern for those who take insulin and/or oral medications which increase the efficiency of natural insulin. Moderation is what's important. When it comes to sugar and other carbohydrates, sheer quantity has a greater influence than the particular qualities of the carbohydrate. As to angel food cake, you're absolutely right: it has sugar, but little in the way of fiber and virtually no fat. But it's still a pretty good dessert choice for a diabetic when consumed in modest portions, even with a slighty sweetened berry topping. And if you want to add fat, hey, that's what the dollop of whipped cream is for!

I second and third what ruthcooks and docsconz say about the sugar myth. A diabetic can have foods with sugar in them, but does have to figure that sugar into his or her daily carbohydrate allotment. And Holly is right on target complaining about restaurant desserts that are all high-sugar and high-fat, with nothing on the menu more moderate. For the original poster, one of the easier and more satisfying desserts you can prepare at home is a simple angel food cake, adorned with some fruit and a dollop (not a big one) of whipped cream. You can even make a sauce of the fruit with a little bit of sugar or a sugar substitute like Splenda. Your choice of frozen berries works great for this. The suggestion of a more savory dessert works, too. Perhaps a small but nice selection of two or three cheeses, with a few walnuts, a nice piece of fruit and a couple of whole grain high quality crackers -- hey, there are some great apples out there right now! Keep in mind, some fruits are much more sugar-intensive than others. A four-ounce apple has a more moderate impact on blood glucose levels in most people than four ounces of table grapes. And raisins and dried fruits are off the charts unless eaten in very small quantities. Fresh or frozen whole berries are a great alternative; serving sizes (about 15 grams carbohydrate) can be about 3/4-cup for blueberries and raspberries to 1-1/4 cup for strawberries (remember, that's whole berries loosely packed, not chopped or cut up).

Ain't you got no Moxie?

I grew up in North Jersey and there it was called Sicilian pizza. Here in Philadephia you can find it, too, particularly at Italian bread bakeries where they make a rectangular pie out of their standard bread and slather some sauce (gravy) on top. Sarcone's makes a good one.

My recommendation: go with what you can't get in Seattle. Since you've got a decent selection of New American and French-inspired restaurants in the PNW, why not go for something that's done better and with more variety in Philadelphia than in Seattle. In other words: Italian. You've got lots of options in a number of different styles: Everything from inexpensive but satisfying red gravy (Marra's, Villa di Roma, Ralph's, Criniti) to top-of-the-line with prices to match (Vetri, Il Portico) and everything inbetween.

Sansom Street Oyster House is open for lunch Saturdays, if that would be an appropriate venue for your business guests.

In Elizabeth, Jerry's and Tommy's are just five minutes off the Turnpike. Syd's in Union or Charlie's in Kenilworth are about a 10-12 minute detour from the Pike (Charlie's is less than two minutes from Garden State Parkway, and Syd's is just a few minutes from I-78).

I second and third what Holly said. BTW, there was something foobar on the web address for Zahlen's. Here's the correct web link for Zwahlens. As for the Saturday Morning Breakfast Club, we usually meet the first and third Saturday of the month (ex. July and Aug.) at 9:30 a.m. at the Reading Terminal Market. Currently we're meeting behind the Beer Garden, though we're seeking a quieter location within the market for future meetings.

I'll be heading to Caribou Cafe this season for sure, Rich. I appreciate the reminder. Katie, should you find yourself in Chicago or Boston, definitely head to Brasserie Jo. It's about as authentic as it gets, even down to the yellowing decor, tile floors and seating, as noted by Johnny Apple in his NY Times article Wednesday. The Chicago original is located on Hubbard street in River North, just around the corner from Frontera Grill. The Boston branch is in the Colonnades hotel a few blocks west of Copley Square behind the Pru Center.

Well, the recipe you cited (puree and strain) is accurate as far as it goes, but... After processing four or five pounds of tomatoes (add a tablespoon or two of kosher salt to help them give off their water while pureeing), you gently place them in at least a double-thickness of cheesecloth, gather the ends of the cloth, tie the ends to form a sack, then tie the sack to a dowell or wooden spoon suspended over a non-reactive container (a very tall stock pot can work well). You want to arrange it so that the sack won't be sitting in the tomato water as it accumulates. The dripping process takes at least eight hours -- in the refrigerator. Whatever you do, don't try to rush it by squeezing; that will turn it bloody. When it's ready, discard the solids. The tomato water will keep for a few days. BTW another excellent use is as a base for a cold soup. Two or three small shrimp floating in lemongrass scented tomato water makes a fine summer dish. I don't know where you live or what the state of your local tomatoes are, but it is best to make tomato water at the peak of the tomato season. Trying to make tomato water with out-of-season tomatoes will be (1) very expensive and (2) less than satisfying. I usually make it in late August, early September, when ripe (sometimes slightly overripe) local Jersey tomatoes can be had in five or 10-pound lots at Philly's Italian Market for 50 cents a pound. The tomatoes you use for tomato nnedn't be pretty, but they should be heavy for their size (indicating lots of juice), ripe and cheap. Unless you've got access to tomatoes that fit this bill, I'd recommend waiting until next season.