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In the food section in this AM's Philly Inky (yeah, in Philly the food section appears on Thursdays), I read this Wine Etiquette and if you scroll down there's a ref to etiquette as host and as guest. There is even a quote from Craig (no, the other one) from Elements of Etiquette: "[A] host is never obliged to serve a gift of food or drink, and a guest is never justified in feeling slighted if his does not appear on the dinner table."

Hi, Allie. Nice running into you on eG. Had any good taxicab rides lately that are in need of confession? Were they serving alcohol at the time at Pho 75? I once ate at a place with a liquor license that owed back taxes. LCB shut down the bar part. Though risky, the owner allowed BYO wine "discreetly" -- bottle kept in the back, wine served in styrofoam cups. I hope the situation changes at TV, though, cuz nothin' cuts through their zippy chipotle salsa like a cold beer.

Jeez, I just wanna beer w/my tacos, Katie. Dunno why they changed. I ride my bike thru the Market at all hours, and I don't know what you're talking about w/yr formula Under what law are the police allowed to "prevent a trend"? What "drunken idiots" are you talking about? "Law-abiding folk"?????? What ARE you talking about? I asked a harmless question about BYO policy and my belief that that is the realm of the LCB. BYOing a bottle of beer offends you? BTW: TV and La Lupe close @ 11 (La Lupe maybe 12). I guess I'll get my al pastor to go next time...

Decided to have a pre-Restaurant Row Fest breakfast at Taqueria Veracruzana Saturday morning. Upon entering, I saw a sign taped to the door: "No alcoholic beverages permitted by order of the police", including a photocopied logo of the Phila Police Dept. The side door had the same sign in Spanish. Huh? I had a late snack there on Thursday, complete with my usual BYO beer. No problemo. I swear I've never seen the sign before (I eat there maybe half-dozen times a month), but my friend, who is also an avid TV fan, says he's seen it "a couple of times". I tried asking, but no one spoke much English and hence didn't understand the query. This raised a couple of questions with me: (1) Can the police issue such an order? I always thought it was L&I that made these calls, and then only for nuisances/violations/taxes. For the record: I got up and checked their licenses. Everything for food prep/service seemed in order, so no apparent violations there. Obviously I have no idea about tax status. And as far as I know, TV is a pretty quiet place (no rowdies, drunken workers/partygoers). (2) Does a restaurant w/out a liquor license require some additional license to permit BYO? I've never heard of such a thing. (3) Can a restaurant w/out a liquor license refuse to permit you to bring in alcohol? The obvious answer would seem "yes," but this is something that I've also never encountered. Then again, I've never seen anyone drinking beer, wine, whatever at a fast-food chain (here in the U.S., anyway). Anybody know what gives?

What was up with the crabcakes? Ubiquitous. Seems that's the only idea a lot of stands could come up with. They must stand up well to pre-cooking and long warmer times. I did have one from SB, and it was good, though the chips were WAAAAYYY too salty. The Ecuadoran shrimp ceviche (+mojitos) at Alma de Cuba was also a hit in my book (and, like Tommy, I could, errr, enjoy the fashion show w/runway-side seating. Coolest creation: Davio's cheesesteak springrolls. They really worked! Forgettable crab rangoon from Wok. Godawful yellowfin salad hoagie from Opus 251 -- the bread was the texture of rubber. Potstickers from Audrey Claire/Twenty Manning were pretty good. I got the same feeling about the LBF pastry table and skipped it. When's Miel opening the Rittenhouse Square outpost, I mean inpost?

OK, since Mr. Camp's recs are straying outside of the immediate Bevagna vicinity, I'll toss in two recommendations. I Sette Consoli in Orvieto, a jewel of a place, whose chef/owner is a talented young woman. They had a * last fall, but appear to have lost it this year. Food was terrific, delicately sauced, simply presented. Nice, affordable Orvietan wines, too. Bill for 2: ca. US$120. Also, we ate late, and since Orvieto closes down early and cabbies don't work late, they kindly had one of their kitchen help drive us back to our hotel, La Badia, located outside the city walls (and down the usual hill), an 8th century monastery reputed to be Italy's oldest hotel and offering a beautiful view of the duomo through the ruined walls. Also, on the road between Orvieto and Todi is Vissani, a **. Now I know a lot of the intl. eGulleters probably are used to this, but I wasn't. No sign. No building visible from the road. No nothing. We drove past it three times. Finally, we pulled into a little gated drive and pushed the intercom buzzer. After a query about reservations, the gate swung open. We were there for lunch, and frankly the experience was a bit over-the-top. All the waitstaff were wearing some sort of tweed-like, I dunno, frocks. Two rooms. We're escorted through the first room, quite airy, into the one adjoining the kitchen. We were seated, and they brought a little stool for my wife's purse. The room features two windows fitted with picture frames. One looks into the pastry kitchen; the other, into the proper kitchen. The only other party in the room was a group of 8 or so Asians celebrating a wedding. Anyhoo, the food. We did the smaller tasting menu, 6 courses I believe. The dishes were all quite elaborate, far removed from cucina tipica and my limited Italian. In all, the meal was very good, though in direction more French than Italian (shades of the Plotnicki/Camp/Moore battles). Interesting is his use of sauces: fish-based with quail; beef with fish. Ordered wine by the bottle. Bill was ca. US$300. We also got to meet Sr. Vissani, who, as we left, was accepting an award from a food critics' organization, which was being filmed for TV. I must say that this Italian board is terrific. I learn so much, and I also have learned that there's much more to learn. Thanks, Craig, and all the other knowledgable contributors, for the invaluable information.

I've only been once, and it was the Slow Food Event last month. But: very disappointing. Someone overbooked -- dunno if it was the restaurant or the organizers -- leading to some very harried servers. OK, can deal w/that. Food, though, was forgettable. Of the three courses, nicely paced over 3.5 hours : one, I can't remember; a second was a dry, flavorless, spanakopita-like thing. But the main course was dumbfounding: ribs still bearing the thick rind. While I admit to knowing next to nothing about ribs, proper cutlery should, I think, be provided to carve through this monster. All diners had ... regular, cafetria-style, dull knives. When one neighbor's dinner when skidding across the table and others had taken to using their hands, I asked the owner (I believe) for steak knives. He grudingly departed in search thereof and returned with ONE knife. I told him that I guess our table could share the proffered knife. Taste-wise, the ribs were OK, but they were paired with teeny, tiny clams. Weird. I didn't stick around for dessert. I did chat briefly with the chef while outside killing time between courses. He seems like an enthusiastic young man. With the emphasis on "young". IMHO, he has a ways to go before getting into Django territory. Bryan Sikora is one of Phila's dining assets, and, again IMHO, he is destined for greatness (together with Aimee, of course). It is laughable that Rx should be compared in even the remotest fashion to Django. In the spirit of other posts, I'd call Rx "A Guy Still Learning to Play Guitar."

I asked them the question, and they replied in the affirmative, but I suspected that they didn't understand my question. I've been 5 or 6 times, always for the SDs. The pork rock; the crab are average. On that "other board", people complained about the quality of their Amero-Chinese offerings. I've always stay away from the Kung Paos, and in NJS I'll ask 'em, "Point out something that's typical Shanghai that you like," and I've never gone wrong. I also like the flat Shanghai noodle (a large dish and a bargain @ $5). Also, on the "other board", someone was talkin' about hairy crabs, which are apparently in season in the fall. Can anyone comment on these creatures? But, it's the SDs that keeps bringin' me back. I can't stop recommending NJS to friends.

And then about the $62K dinner at Petrus last year, FG said: Ergo, FG is not a rich investment banker, lawyer, or other, since $2K is his limit. Or, he eschews super-expensive wines while dining out, business or otherwise. NYT article

"Wagging tongues"? "Little knowledge"? "Greater good"? The antismoking bans are, all of them, utterly based on BS: From an anti-smoking groups (referring to NYC law):Warning: Overstating the Case Against Secondhand Smoke is Unnecessary—and Harmful to Public Health Policy Given that all bans are based on the EPA assigning a statistical "risk" factor to second-hand smoke of 1.19, is second-hand smoke statistically dangerous to those not already pulmonarily impaired? From the American Cancer Society (on breast cancer risk from abortion): Cato Institute From the National Cancer Institute: Forces.org You want to protect workers with a smoking ban? Fallacious. Morph into: you want to legislate the protection of public health via, e.g., a smoking ban? A most slippery slope. I smell potential for a successful constitutional challenge, if smokers could stand up to the PC crowd. It needn't be that all tavern/restaurant owners have suffered harm through a law based on bogus science; Bar X oughta suffice for the beginnings of a class-action suit.

Inimitable, one-of-a-kind, an unicum. Nothing else quite like it ... in Philly (again, IMHO). There are many fine restaurants here, just that no one cooks quite like Marc Vetri (and soon, Bryan Sikora -- again, again IMHO).

Haven't been to DiPalma, I eat often at Panorama. It's just that Vetri, IMO, is nearly sui generis here in Philly -- Italian or otherwise. La Buca is certainly "grown up". Some might say "tired"; others, "retro" or "old-school". I'd say it's more "classic". Men in jackets? Waitstaff in jackets. Much of their staff has been there for years. And the atmosphere is distinctly "adult" -- it's generally quiet, easy to carry on a conversation. The food is not novel or super-creative, just very well executed. And again, they pride themselves on their cellar. I'm no wine geek, but I've sampled through many of their Super Tuscans and have always come away happy. And as far proximity to the Hyatt, it's closer than Vetri. La Buca is off Washington Square, which is next to Independence Hall. Andrew: I think they draw an older, WashWest/Soc. Hill crowd, diners less concerned about restaurant buzz than consistently good food. Katie: If Frederick's has the live music, that can be a pain, no? And my one visit to La Veranda left me unimpressed. I agree on Panorama -- but it's the wild mushroom risotto that's killer!

If by "upscale, high-end" you mean novel Italian-themed cooking, you're not gonna find much approaching Vetri here. If, on the other hand, you mean $$$ Italian, you might try Il Portico, in "Restaurant Row" along Walnut Street. I haven't been in a few years, but it was quite good. Maybe Katie can weigh in; she's across the street. Il Portico in CitySearch And if you mean classic, old-school Italian, I'll throw in a pitch for La Buca. Very charming, below-street mainstay just off Washington Square. It does feature fish, prepared tableside, but veal and beef dishes are also excellent. And the orecchiette (usually with chard, I think) is outstanding. And, they have an excellent cellar focusing on Super Tuscans. La Buca

I was afraid, too, when my hard-wired smoke detector was configured in such a way that a triggered alarm would result in an IMMEDIATE dispatch of the fire company (ADT policy here in Phila now changed). One evening, the substance combination was wreaking its usual havoc with the limbic region of my brain (particularly those subregions dealing with memory, smell, hunger, and response to danger). So, ahead I forged with a too-hot skillet (or does the smoking point of butter somehow drop when you least expect it?). Before my gruyere and tomato snack was truly ready, the alarm was howling in the house, and I could already hear the sirens wailing in the distance (our firehouse is 5 blocks away). Now greeting your local firefighters in a red-eyed, unsteady, trying-hard-not-to-slur condition, a pall of burned-bread smoke wafting through the door, "Frankie Teardrop" turned up much too loud, is an unsettling experience, a definite buzz-killer. The boys took it all in stride, though. In response to a query from a curious neighbor, the head guys says, "Nothing to see here, just a burned sandwich." I have since stuck with foods, when in that state, that require no heating whatsoever.

People have been raving about Top Tomato, 11th/Walnut, but I've yet to try it. I stopped in and picked up a menu, and the offerings look impressive. As for La Fourno, the pizza is single-serving style pie, good but a little limp, so I usually ask for well-done.

... in multitasking mode, needing to quickly juice half a lemon and unable to locate a fork, use the nearest available utensil: a pointy paring knife. The bones in the palm did, though, prevent a complete dissection of my left hand.

Philadelphia/S. Jersey/Delaware: Moore Brothers Founded by former Le Bec Fin sommelier Greg Moore, focus here is small estates from France, Italy, and Germany (I'm currently drinking as much as I can of their significant offerings from the Pfalz). Great selection under $15. All wine is shipped climate-controlled from vineyard to store. They also produce a quarterly (sorta) newsletter/magazine and regularly host wine dinners in the Greater Phila area.

Read this w/interest in today's Inky.Hoggie? Hogan? Hoagie!