mrbigjas

Three words: molcajetes de puerco Probably my favorite, and also the cheapest thing on the menu. Man do I love that stuff.

For the NFL stuff, you might have fun at New Wave, a neighborhood bar at 3rd & Catharine. They got the whole NFL ticket package (or at least they used to), very good bar food, a buncha beers. Or you could go to the horrible bar in the Marriott at 12th & Market.... nah, New Wave is much better.

Well, that's my problem--I only seem to be going by there when it would be closed already...

Is the new Rocco's on 19th St. closed already? I've walked by there a couple of times in the last week+ and there was white paper hanging in the windows. But every time I've walked by it's been a weekend or after work times, so it wouldn't be open then anyway, which is why I'm asking.

Nodding Head is a brewpub near the terminal that usually isn't bad WRT noise levels and available space in the early evenings. 1500 block of Sansom.

I used to think that asian pears kinda sucked, because you'd get them in the supermarket wrapped in those little styrofoam nets, and they'd have this very faint flavor but were mainly just like eating a big nothing. And then I had asian pears from north star and I SAW THE LIGHT! LET US ALL GIVE THANKS FOR THE ASIAN PEAR PEOPLE OF NORTH STAR FARMS! man oh man I can't wait till Wednesday.

I LOVE THE ASIAN PEAR PEOPLE.

Yep, that's the one with the train.

They did. Don't know if they still do. They also made their cheesesteaks by making a steak and throwing a couple of slices of american on it and putting it in the broiler to melt. Which toasted the edges of the roll. At the time I first discovered this (i.e. when I first moved into town from the suburbs) it was a revelation to me. I've since decided I don't like it so much because it's too dry (leaving aside for the moment the fact that it's american, not whiz). Then again, in the last 15 years I've developed a real appreciation for a wetter sandwich, most likely attributable to my discovery of roast pork sandwiches sometime in the early 1990s.

You know who else used to do this? Little Pete's, the one on 17th St. Don't know if they still do; I haven't been there in a couple years. I go to the one up here in the Philadelphian relatively often, but don't order cheese fries at lunch...

Did anyone? I mean, breakfast at 4 a.m. when you haven't gone to bed still counts as breakfast, right? Right? uh oh

Ha, yeah, anyone remember Barley and Hops? I guess that was closer to 40th & Walnut. Friend of mine worked there back in the day (I'm guessing 1990 or so) and reported for work one day and the place was closed. I mean, for good, not for that day. Good times, good times. But wait, on 39th near walnut? High Rise Restaurant? They used to serve us underage, as would Troy's, the original greasy and horrific diner type joint, which had the Eggel (fried eggs and cheese and meat of your choice on a bagel that was browned on the griddle, not toasted), and which went out of business around 1990 after getting busted repeatedly for selling beer to kids. Of course, the owners' repeated insistence that they didn't believe in the drinking age didn't help their cause any, I'm sure...

True. And it's bound to be better than the new restaurant opening up in my neighborhood (Graduate Hospital)--yet another "Chinese-American Food" takeout place. Right at 17th & South, as if we didn't already have one at 18th & South. Speaking of southeast asian food in U. City, though, I've heard from a couple of friends that Vientiane's kinda gone downhill and isn't what it used to be. Anyone been lately and have any comments?

Why not?

ah well, you win some, you lose some. i reckon i'll just keep going till either everyone gets it or i get my ass booted off here.

P.S. yous all know I was just goofing around, right? sometimes I forget people don't know me well here...

Yes it is. Owner is a former roommate of a former co-worker. So it's official: not quite as gay as Judy's, much much gayer than Smith and Wollensky.

There's always been a big population of GLBT in the area. Nearly 1/2 the houses on my block are owned by middle-aged gay couples. I think that would account for someone who's not used to that sort of neighborhood demographic thinking that L2 is a gay restaurant/bar, if it's not actually specifically gay-owned or something. But generally speaking, my impression of it has always been pretty much the same as Herb's, and I've been there for drinks a bunch of times, although never for a full-on meal.

We were recently at a restaurant here in town where a couple solved that problem pretty effectively. They both had phones with games on them, and they played them throughout the meal. Barely even looked up at each other. Gee, is it me or is that extremely sad? Why bother going out to eat in the first place? It's not you.

We were recently at a restaurant here in town where a couple solved that problem pretty effectively. They both had phones with games on them, and they played them throughout the meal. Barely even looked up at each other.

Agreed. It would seem if they really made their menus boring and pointless for this, that the whole event would do more harm than good to their business. Or not, I don't know.

Wow, that looks good. I have a chunk of pork shoulder in my freezer with the skin on it... maybe it's time to defrost it and give this a shot.

Excellent, thanks! It's got a mirror-polished finish, which looks nice right now, but I think I'm gonna take your advice and brush it up. Or just let it tarnish. I don't have the time or energy (or money--$32 for that polish!) to maintain that look. And I figure the bottom will get all scratched up anyway from being moved and shaken around on the burner and all... Thanks again--great course.

I do it all the time, mainly because I know some people who get really upset about it and I like to piss them off.

Sure we do, here in Philadelphia. Or, we did a few months ago, anyway. There's a place down on 9th Street just above the Italian Market that serves Peets. Good stuff.