cinghiale

A few notes for the intrepid Italy voyagers among you. There's an abundance in Marche of good, solid dining options. Some suggestions: La Gioconda Cagli just off the main square 0721/781549 Web Site Your basic vaulted-cellar decor, but the food’s been given thought. The antipasti list included pata negra, of all things. After questioning, inspecting, and tasting, I think it was the real deal – and a steal at €10. Maltajati of polenta was a new one for me, and very good, though somewhat over-truffled on account of the time of year and proximity to Acqualagna. The pheasant with beurre blanc was excellent. Companions had, i.a., braised sausage that, despite the dorky tableside de-foiling, was well executed. La Pianella da Raul Serra San Quirico 5 km or so above the town 0731/880054 Continues to be just superb. Raul’s foraging porcini this time of year, and I had them served with spelt tagliatelle. Great stuff. Solid mixed antipasto of local/house specialities, with very tasty ricotta. Good brodo. Sizeable grilled meat portions. On my most recent visit, I had the pork shank, and it was enough for two. Da Maria Genga in the Pierosara frazione, high above the Frasassi Caves road 0732/90037 Terrific grilled meats, especially steak. Seasonal, well-composed primi and contorni. Spectacular views of the gorge below. Reasonably priced. Hostaria Santa Lucia Jesi not far from the City Per 0731/64409 Very fresh fish prepared and plated in a manner not often encountered in these parts (e.g., crudo). Not cheap but worth it if you’re jonesing for a sushi-like experience. They also make their own olive oil, which was served along with the bread. It’s sold in the restaurant but is likewise €€€. La Torre Numana just off the town square heading toward the harbor 071/9330747 Web Site Solidly prepared fish, if tending toward trendy. The piatto unico is a bargain at €18 (includes wine and coffee). The prix fixe offerings are likewise good deals at lunch. The glass-enclosed dining room offers great views of the Adriatic and the Numana harbor. Il Saraghino Numana south of the harbor a few kms 071/7391596 Web Site The most creative fish restaurant this side of Uliassi. Stylish preparations, elegant table settings. Well-designed starters and primi (I've really enjoyed the tagliatelle and the strozzapreti). Fritto misto is more like tempura and sizeable. Not cheap by any means: Lunch with a bottle of wine runs about €50 pp. Osteria dei Fiori Macerata one street up from the main piazza housing the Sferisterio 0733/260142 Web Site Simple food excellently prepared in a lovely setting. Panzanella was terrific, as was my “tagliulì” with chickpeas and guanciale. Prices are very, very reasonable. Antico Furlo Furlo down the road from Acqualagna toward the Furlo Pass 0721/700096 Web Site Didn’t eat here, having left after deciding that the snail’s pace of the lone server wasn’t helping to justify the €90/120 price tag for the two prix fixe lunches offered (it’s also apparently Michelin-listed). Still, I mention it since Mussolini used to summer here. My Blue Guide says Il Duce used to prepare his own tagliatelle and 12-egg omelettes at the former incarnation of the restaurant. The current owners maintain as an artifact, I guess, the adjacent Mussolini Dining Room, preserved in its 1930s state and replete with fascist graffiti (you can also spend a night in Room 3, “The Bedroom where Benito Mussolini Slept”). So, grab a piadina at the bar next door and check out this oddity at low cost. Also, Furlo is located on the Furlo Gorge, on which you can see the profile of Mussolini, carved into the rock by the Forestale in the 1930s. Partially destroyed after WWII, it’s been the back-and-forth subject of restoration efforts. And take the old Flaminia Road (one lane, for a stretch) through the gorge for the spectacular vistas.

Gallo's good. Pollo's better. It's juicier that way.

I've heard tell of a chef in these parts named, I believe, Giovanni Matto, who has a dish named "Tacchanatrallo", which involves serially stuffing three different fowl one inside the other.

I can recommend La Taverna del Pescatore, about 20 minutes north of Spoleto, just off the road to Foligno. Moreno cooks traditional yet creative Umbrian fare. And if the weather is nice, you can dine on the patio overlooking a small stream. Be sure the confirm driving directions in advance, as the restaurant can be a bit tricky to find. Also, I had lunch in June at Osteria del Matto, just off the Piazza del Mercato. Filippo (who is in fact a tad looney) serves you whatever he sourced that day for Mama to prepare. The food is quite good and the restaurant, intimate and charming. This Toronto Star review pretty much sums up the experience -- though I got to see not just pix of his son, but the video feed of him from their apartment.

Didn't quite know where to post this. Please leave aside the gourmand bullshit: just reportage. Geno's steaks are now $7. Cheesefries (frozen, but not bad) @$2.75. My swansong is leaving me sangfroid.

Spotted this item earlier this week in the Inky: Got milk? Could be a crime. Permit issues aside, this part had me chortling: Next up: cheese forfeitures.

Not Minar. Mithil & Naresh, maybe?

Had dinner here this evening, the latest from the owners of Doña Tomas and Tacubaya. Located in the old Oakland Flower Depot (19th and Telegraph), a gorgeous Deco building, the menu is a departure for this team, with neo-American comfort food the focus, and not a Latin offering in sight. They have a quite respectable cocktail list: I had a Dark and Stormy, and it was properly tart and spicy. Started with a pleasant, well-composed plate of hand-cut paparadelle with rabbit sugo. Others had a "fritto misto" of asparagus and Meyer lemon, a gem salad (baby romaine and butterhead, I think) with beets, and day-boat scallops. For mains, I had roasted chicken breast, small and moist, on below-average mash with pearl onions, pancetta, and morels, while others had halibut and a farro "risotto". Standard dessert offerings. Nice selection of open wines for about $10/glass. Place was pretty hopping for an early Tuesday dinner. Peeked in at the Uptown Lounge, housed in the same building. Looks like an old-school tavern that doubles as a rock club. One could, given the right level of enthusiasm, make it a night on that corner.

Are you expecting a sliced steak at John's? IIRC, they're chopped.

Well, maybe it's not Vandalla, but it's the left behind the Ikea, where the City impound lot is. Sure, take Washington, or the Platt Bridge, or whatever. Just trying to recommend the quickest -- and fairly easily negotiable -- route.

yes. ← From the south, I always take the Walt Whitman exit, follow the signs for Oregon, make a right on Oregon and a left on Vandalla after you cross back under the 95 overpass. That street is basically the back side of Ikea and Lowe's. John's is at the corner of Vandalla and Snyder.The gmap hack pedometer shows the route. Though OT, I saw the pedometer at a MoMA exhibition last month. For all you urban walkers and joggers, it's a great tool for calculating distances.

Stopped by this afternoon for a sausage, and proudly pasted at the pick-up window was a clipping of an Inky article about The Sausage That Saved I-95. Encased meats truly are a noble food.

Nice tip, Judith. I'll look for it. I've just ordered up a used copy of the 1996 edition of the Meat Buyers Guide. Figuring, as you say, that Italian butchers cut meat differently, my plan is to point at a picture in the book and say to the butcher, "Voglio questo taglio". Bene?

In researching how to ask an Italian butcher to cut shoulder/clod, brisket, short rib, chuck, etc., I found several helpful sites. According to the chart found here, you'd probably want a lombata if you're seeking to make a traditional rib roast. Of course, other cuts fore and aft work, too. More technical joint and meat cuts for cow, lamb, calf, and pig can be found at a German CMA site, both in English and in Italian.

What buckethead said. Had the turkey soup (fresh mushroom dumplings), BoW (great combo of caraway and salt), and awesome (tad sweet) biscuits -- all great. Also an endive salad w/ roasted apples and carm. cauliflower. Really good. We sat at the bar, relaxed crowd, totally acceptable noise level. Dining room off the bar looks comfy. Food + 3 pints: $38 b/t/t. It's still proto-hipster. Get there while the gettin's good. Website w/menu here.

It's south of Haddon Ave, just before the RR tracks on the west side of 130 (that is, on the right when going south). You're right -- it's easy to miss. And once you pass the tracks, you'll have to navigate the circle, come back north, pass the restaurant, attempt a complicated u-turn at Haddon Ave., and try again. On your map, it's the other side of the RR tracks from the B marker.

Nice pix, Matt. The friend I was shopping with last time picked up that Landjäger and loved it. His take on it matches yours -- not as dried out as it looks. I've gotten that chocolate a few times (the first was for the picture). It's excellent.

I had Trattoria del Rosso on my radar awhile back. Haven't been, but Gambero Rosso likes 'em. They have several prix fixe options, ranging from €5,50 (!) to €18 for lasagna and a cotoletta. Ala carte menu here.

I was gonna suggest Manna Catering, because I've enjoyed events catered by them. Plus, there's the charitable aspect. But upon perusing Manna's site, I learned: FWIW.

My understanding is that the Daisy was a sub for the маргаритка brand, which was temporarily out of stock. Fresh dairy obviously can't travel far or long. You're correct: there's a lot of dairy from Canada. But my sour cream came from Brooklyn. It was much thinner than what one commonly gets, maybe the consistency of a thickened sauce. And it was very rich. I used it with the roe I got at Net Cost, and it was nice to give the toast a light coating of sour cream and not overwhelm the eggs. With traditional sour cream, I often found myself beating it to break it down. Still, I'd often be unable to get less than a glob onto the toast and found myself eating roe-flavored sour cream. I also used it with the cherry vareniki. I contrast to Katie, I sauteed them over very low heat (having recently ruined some Port Richmond pierogies with too much heat), after first sauteeing some shallots. I then added two spoonfuls of the sour cream, which quickly soaked into the vareniki, leaving not so much a sauce as a film when plated. Delicious. Butter, on the other hand, comes from far and wide at Bell's. I tried two from Poland, though I didn't care much for them, as I found them lacking in creaminess. I'm still gonna give some of the other varieties a shot. If I can find a plugra-level butter at Bell's going rates of ca. $3/lb, I plan to stock up.

Made it to Bell's today, this time with camera. More of the sausage area: For cured sausages, I got Petrovskaya and Alpino, my two favorites from last time. Also, half a smoked chicken, four pork knockwurst, and cooked pork sausage. On to the fish counter: I got a small smoked fish whose Russian name now escapes me; it isn't listed on my receipt by name. It began with an "s"; needl-y head. The counterwoman didn't know the English name. There's plenty of herring: I passed this time, since I still have some from my last visit. Prepared foods: Per the posters above, I went straight for the cherry vareniki, which are being obtained for me in the last photo. I also got savory vareniki and the pork/mushroom croquette-like things (kotlety kupeches), also pictured above. I really enjoyed the croquette last time. I skipped the latkes, which are also good. Corner of the bread area: I got a package of pita from Damascus Bakery in Brooklyn: $0.89. Honey selection: Confitures and syrups: Pomegranite selection: I got one from Turkey and one from Azerbaijan: $3.19 for one, $3.49 (less $0.20, cuz I'm a Bell's Club Member) for the other. There's also "Georgia's Finest", as in the country, not the state. Farmer's cheese and kefir: Sour cream: I chose this one for the vareniki: I decided to give Kvass a try. Here are two examples: According to Wiki, kvas(s) means "leaven" and is sometimes translated as "bread drink". I had some at lunch at an Uzbeki place further up Bustleton (report later), and found it kinda like flat German "alt" beer, if that's any help. From Bell's we went up to Net Cost, and it's worth the trip. Unfortunately, I didn't get the OK to take pix. Their prepared food selections are somewhat different, their sausages are less extensive, but their pickled selection is better. I took home some seaweed, kimchee (kimcha) (choice of "hot" or "superhot"), and mushrooms. They also have an extensive variety of bulk caviar/roe. There must've been six different salmon roe. They'll let you taste 'em, too. I chose one that was priced at $18/lb. A really big container set me back $12. If you venture to Net Cost, I highly recommend Uzbekistan Restaurant right next door. I'll try to post about that lunch shortly.

Robert Sietsema presents a scathing account in this week's Village Voice of an ICA taping he attended.

Yeah, I found these lovely photos and was curious if the elongated guys are prepared differently. Pala means blade. Isn't a pala also used to remove tonde from the oven? Or, is it that the shape of the pie resembles a blade? Also, pala is pretty similar to peel, the oddly named (at least in the U.S.) tool used to remove pizza from the oven.

I received an email this morning from Gambero Rosso adveristing one cooking class for la pizza alla pala and one for la pizza tonda. Other than the obvious difference in shape, do they differ from one another in any other respect?

That's a nice looking specials board, phil -- the kind that always drew me to the Royal. Maybe I was there on a terrifically off night. The meatloaf that night was rubbery, not meatloaf-y at all. I'll give it another go. Thanks for the update.