mrbigjas

are there not a lot of people in there now? every time i've walked by it's been pretty hoppin.

so the folks from pumpkin have opened a market at 16th & south. they've been working on it for months, and tonight was their second night open. i strongly encourage everyone in the neighborhood -- or really anyone in this part of center city who doesn't feel like cooking -- to check it out asap. the folks running it are really nice, and as they told me tonight, pumpkin has gone beyond the neighborhood restaurant it was originally intended to be, so this is an effort to serve the neighborhood again. after my one visit, the thing is this: the prepared food they have is like the food you get in a decent neighborhood restaurant, but cheaper because you're buying it by the pound to take home. for instance tonight, they had veal and pork ragu. they had country pate. there was pork belly braised in cider, and a chicken thighs and cumin thing that i don't quite remember. there was broccoli rabe, and celeriac puree and roasted cauliflower and eggplant daube, whatever they meant by that, and there were lentils. there was oxtail terrine. there was chicken (or chicken liver, i can't remember) mousse, and more. it all ranged in price from about $4 to $12 a pound. so anyway, i picked up enough ragu for a half pound of pasta, and a packed container of the broccoli rabe for about $11. the broccoli rabe was kinda fibrous -- undercooked a little, maybe, or not boiled before sauteeing or something. but it was made with rosemary and possibly some lemon, which was something a little different. the ragu was great, exactly the kind of thing you'd make if you had three hours to braise veal breast and pork shoulder with tomatoes, carrots, garlic, wine, etc. while i was there, i also tasted some of the country pate, which was delicious. i would have bought some, but see my post earlier today about the szechuan tasty house pork belly i had for lunch... you gotta draw the line somewhere. in my original post about pumpkin on this very thread, i think i remarked on the good tuscan chicken liver mousse -- i get the impression dude has a way with mashed up things. my point is this: i don't know where else in town you can get food like this, to take home. i'll admit that i can't cook to the extent i used to since the boy showed up, so having food that's similar to the stuff i like to make, available to buy a block from my house... whoa. then there's the market aspect of things. they're still finding their way here (2nd day open, remember), and there's another reason to go: they are looking for feedback from people about what they should be carrying, and we need to tell them what we want. right now they have a limited selection of nice vinegars (red and white wine from martin pouret, also sherry and balsamics that i don't remember) and olive oils. they have saucissons of various varieties. about 10 types of cheeses (parmigiano, a couple of goats, some blue, manchego) cut into small chunks and wrapped up. and then things like nice tuna... and then hellmans mayonnaise, some mustards, crackers, potato chips.... it's a mixture of things. but they want to know what you want--they want to provide the neighborhood with what it wants. they said that they plan to stock some inexpensive cuts of meat like hanger and flank steaks (and they did go on for a bit about how they'd found a butcher they like when they were talking about their pork belly, although i didn't ask who it was), and that they would be happy to order fish for anyone with a day's notice. we have discussed in this very forum the question of how do you order from who the restaurants order from -- this is a great opportunity to do just that. i'll find out who the butcher is, and who the fish source is, if anyone's interested. ok i'll find out anyway, no matter who is interested. anyway, to sum up: pumpkin market is open. people are nice. food is good. everything's cool. get up there. thanks.

they do indeed deliver. and they do it when they say they will, too. recommendation: if you get the twice cooked pork, and you save it to finish the next day, and you have any delusions about the amount of pig fat you're eating, be SURE to heat it up the next day without looking at it. because one glance at the pile of meat pieces and peppers suspended in solidified pig fat will quickly dispel any thoughts of health.... if you heat it up though, you'll never notice...

if it's like the new york penthouse restaurant, it'll have some of the best steaks in town (bruni's review of penthouse executive club in this week's times)

yo y'all, if someone else wants to take this over, pm or email katie...

The old White Tower. Been there, nice little place, friendly people, language is a bit of a barrier, but not overwhelming. exactly. and they're SO NICE. my friend calls the lady who runs it 'mom'. but really her specialty is gamjjatang. and whether or not she knows it, she makes the best haemul pajun in the world. the key thing was woo rae kwan was the banchan. we sometimes got close to a dozen of the things--more than anywhere else i've been in town. i mean, steamed egg custard, like four kinds of kimchi, this thing with a hot dog in it, myulchi, this other thing that was like a small pickled mackerel.... they used to give us stuff we'd never seen before. other than that it was a little expensive and a little tame for some people, but the private rooms ruled. i'm not sure--he said he was going there for bbq lately, but i haven't been yet. i don't think so though. Gotta look that one up. that's the jawn at 21st & chestnut. good dolsot bibimbap, and good mandu. start with kochujang, sesame oil, light and dark soy and you're halfway there...

i think i've already told you guys the places i know. pojangmacha, at 69th street -- apparently she's changed her menu to include some bbq, but she didn't change it so it's in english.... anyway, also jong ka jib up on n. 5th which we've discussed, but not for bbq. i used to go to woo rae kwan, but they are sadly no more. there's a place called pandolne up there on n. 5th too that a friend of mine highly recommends, but i haven't been to that one. i always like miran, too, because they're really nice there. some of the food is really good, some is OK. truth be told i don't hit up bbq that often, since i find the other dishes in korean cuisine more interesting...

the part i don't get is why does she think her sauce will taste the same as her mother's, when she doesn't use the same ingredients? that's like saying, the recipe says to use beef, but i used pork, and also it puts in carrot but i used parsnip because it's nicer... i mean, if you change the recipe, it's not going to taste the same....

either we all had this exact same conversation when amada opened, or i'm trippin.

it's a kabob place on the NE corner of 11th & chestnut, i think. or maybe sansom. little tiny takeout place.

that cowgirl creamery "red hawk" rocks the house. capaneus brought it to a dinner we were at and by the end of the meal it was just sitting there stinking at us. i couldn't stop snarfing it. sweet, i'm in oakland this week. i'll have to see if i can get to either of them...

i recommend you not make one like this. (that's a youtube link to the infamous 1980s wendy's old school rap training video)

when i cook them, i often do. they're available frozen in packages of six for $8 at asian supermarkets. since i don't know where they're from or anything, i generally don't make them in preparations that call for searing them to medium rare or anything, but for recipes where they're roasted or something, they're good.

it was more 'industrial' seeming. i mean, i'm not sure how to put it. but at ocean city, for instance, even though it's a giant place like imperial in, it doesn't seem as rushed or... well, kinda brusque. the duck was great. the tripe was real tasty, but watch for the chunks of vegetables in there -- some are actually thumb-size pieces of ginger. salt baked squid also enjoyable. p.s. what i mean to say is if i'm doing dim sum, there are several other places i'd choose above this one.

at fair foods today in their 'bits and pieces' box, besides the usual lamb liver, heart, tongue and kidney, there was one lamb sweetbread. it's much smaller than the veal sweetbreads i'm used to, perfect for a little appetizer. tartetatin, i think that's the german red garlic they're selling. i haven't bought it recently because it's kind of soft; i feel like it doesn't store as well as some others. tastes great when it's on, though. very strong, almost hot garlic flavor.

interesting. googling huancaino turns up this recipe, which would indeed imply it's cheese, chiles, cream and turmeric. i gotta get down there one of these days. sounds damn good.

they're all cut like 3/4" thick, though. why so thin? i hate that. dammit! first i have to miss the very event i proposed, and now no props. a guy can't get a break around here... haha i kid. i kid because i love.

see, that's just a sad state of affairs, and it's why i hardly ever buy a steak anymore. i was hoping this tasting would turn up a readily-locally-available winner, even if it wasn't up to luger/lobel quality. as it is, looks like i'll just keep going with my usual flank, skirt, and hanger steaks when i want non-stew beef, sauce them willy-nilly, and save the good cuts for special occasions where i can plan ahead. a side note: if you want organic 100% grass-fed beef, one of the purveyors at the farmers market at the glenside train station on thursdays during the season sells it. it's frozen and i seriously doubt it's aged, but everything you've heard about it is true: the flavor and texture are totally different. interesting, to me, but maybe not for everyone.

i propose that the tasters club thread be split into separate threads for each session, before this thread spreads out to 150 pages and nothing is findable.

it's not the credit card that kills me, it's the waiting. damn my TV-created need for immediate gratification! damn it to hell!

i do believe i will do just that. do we know where they get their meat now?

p.s. while i'm at it, can we have a quick diversion and talk about this cooking method? i think i emailed you asking about it but i forget for sure.

for the first time, i regret having this kid. ok so anyway, this answers the question of which is the best meat available (answer: lobel's). and it answers dagordon's original question, which is are they available in philadelphia (answer: not really). but doesn't answer the other question that arises, which is of the fancy stuff that is supposedly available in town, how do we as consumers get it? i mean, the olive oil was easy: go to dibruno's. but this is a bit more difficult. for instance, your top five are: 1. lobel: mail order or pick up in NY 2. wolfe neck: mail order (?) if it's available to the general public at all 3. luger: mail order or pick up in NY 4. wells: apparently available in philadelphia, but not retail? -- edited: just called, and they don't sell to the public 5. esposito dry-aged: see #4, or can someone just buy this at the store? so what's the deal? say i wanna make myself a kickass steak, price not an object... TONIGHT. edited again to clarify: without driving up to NY or to upstate PA or north jersey or whatever. i mean in the greater philadelphia area, and preferrably in town. do i have an option here, or am i screwed?

why not do porterhouses of each? to even things out i mean.

excellent point. i only wrote down the varietals of the ones that specified them -- many don't mention it.