cinghiale

FWIW, a search on epicurious turned up 12 recipes, with a variety of leek substitutions, including cucumber, watercress, zucchini, fennel, and mushroom (?, though with onion). One old school recipe has peas added, which I've enjoyed and believe works. But, there's only one true, straight-up vichyssoise recipe on the site: House and Garden, 1962. I've made this often. My tweak is poaching salmon in the soup, and then removing it prior to blending the soup, returning the fish to it during chilling. Alternatively, I add smoked salmon directly into the pureed soup. I'm doing the latter tonight, on this very hot evening.

I had a plain ole run-of-the-mill vichyssoise, albeit w/out ice boat, at Freeman's in NYC last weekend, and it was just great. I found myself asking the same question - why has it gone missing from menus pretty much everywhere these days? Then I remembered that a home-made version is pretty easy and delicious. Come to think of it, that's what I'll do for dinner tonight. ETA: Also at Freeeman I had iceberg salad w/buttermilk dressing, also a dish in that 50s camp that is slowly crawling its way back to respectability.

Katie has been a voice of insight on this forum since nigh on its inception. I'll miss her steady hand of moderation, but I nevertheless look forward to continued informed, enthusiastic posts from our Chief Intoxicologist.

Thanks. Made a reservation at Depuy Canal House.

I tried calling Mina, and the number's been disconnected. I'd like to eat there tomorrow night. Anyone know if they're still open?

Wanted to report that I had a "B&B" tonight. Bluecoat and blueberries (+ 7-Up). Such a perfect seasonal drink. Unfortunately, the Bluecoat can't hang with all that flavor and pectin, and whatnot. I'm gonna try it at home -- with Bartletts or Bartons or Beefeaters, or one of those other aromatic gins that could really make this summer drink.

Showed up about 8 tonight, and it was pretty full. The space is cool. The old hex tile, so typical of S. Philly, has bee revealed after years of covering. They've peeled away all of the window shrinkage, giving way to a brasserie feeling with the floor-to-ceiling windows, wrapping around the corner, out-and-out demanding attention to what's happening inside. The customary interior darkness is mitigated by a plasma displaying French avant garde/Dada/sci-fi flims. At first put off, I noticed when out for a smoke that the display serves to beckon. On the strength of the ambiance, a number of passersby stood outside and debated coming in. House sits maybe 40. As they yet to have their LL issued, there was plenty of space at tha bar, my preferred seat anyway. License notwithstanding, I was immediately offered OTH wine: a pinot grio, a syrah, something else. Nice gesture. Red was much too warm, though. Hope they get good wine service when the LCB delivers. Upon ordering, I was served in-house bread -- eggy white, firmer dark, standard peasant -- with, lordy, a golf ball of butter and one of pate. This hooked me -- no fru-fru infused oils, composite butters. Just great fat. And it was really quite good. First up were Cape May salts. Shucker is late of FLA and Newport. He knows his craft. Oysters were fresh and mildy briny, excellently opened for taking shell-slurp. Didn't try the mignonette or the other sauce. Plain were fine. Next duck rillette. Comes as laid down -- a cute, shot-glass-style canning glass, complete with clamp-down lip. Perfect for sampling with the knife tip -- how else, pray tell? A sweet/tart currant compote and a tangy/pickle-y slaw accompanied. While quite respectable, they overwhelm the otherwise underseasoned duck (fatty/stringy quotient was good). The "toast" was amateur -- blackened on the edge, limp in the body. Had to ask for, and promptly received, properly grilled, toasty bread. Steak frites. Served ala plancha. What gives? Wood retains 0 heat, and the steak was cold within minutes. Ditto the fries. The steak was well-seasoned, with a garlic kick. Steak sauce was passable. Fries need work. The center was well-cooked, but the outside was fried only passably, resulting in a limp frite. Rather bland mayo accopanied. Baba for dessert was my highlight. A delicious brioche, with just the right amout of soak. Light but rich cream with golden currants. Delicious. Dinner is currently served until 10. I was told they hope to go to midnight on weekends, once the liquor license arrives.

Cancer of the mouth. He may not be able to taste again. From the Trib: click

Lawyering-up begins.

No mention of spices. Just "red pepper, turmeric (for coloring)". Agreed, best to make curry powder oneself, but when in haste in someone else's kitchen, it's used to be an OK fallback. No longer...

I posted this in the India and Indian Cuisine forum, but I thought I might get more feedback from a general audience.

I'm staying in central Vermont at a friend's guest house, and I decide to make us all some curry. Back in Philly, I get fresh, store-made curry powder at the Spice Corner in the Italian Market, and I know I'm gonna have to go w/supermarket bottled powder. No big deal, I thought. At the store, I reach for the venerable Spice Islands curry powder, check out the ingredients, and find the following: "Red Pepper, Turmeric (for coloring)". I check out the lesser brands and find the same contents. Screw it: I'm not paying $6 for a bottle of colored pepper, and I decide to make do with any ancient spices back at the house. Upon my return to the house, I locate the spices and -- voila -- there's an age-old bottle of Spice Islands Curry Powder. I check the ingredients: "Cumin, Coriander, Fenugreek, Ginger, Turmeric, Dill Seed, Black Pepper, Red Pepper, Mace, Cardamom, Cloves". So, when did Spice Islands dumb down their curry powder? And why? Is a mix of the old formula that much more expensive? Is it ethical, fair, whatever to market colored pepper as "curry"? At a minimum, Spice Islands has lost me as a customer forever, since I apparently can no longer trust any of their spices to be authentic. Thoughts?

The above-linked thread to the Detroit discussion is really intruiging, and I've commented there. But I did want to toss in my opinion as a current Philly resident on this here thread: Detroit and Philly are really not comparable cities, despite similar sine waves of growth and decline. Philly has a dense, inhabited core, allowing residents to walk/bike/taxi/public trans easily between home-bar-restaurant-bar-bar-home. Detroit, otoh, is a car city -- always was, always will be, the People Mover being a stellar white-elephant monument to that fact. That said, Philly was in the dumps when I moved here in the early 1980s. A friend called Philly "a perfectly good city that wasn't being used." So we, and others, made use of it, and, for a variety of reasons, including word-of-mouth advertising, Philly caught fire. But, to my mind, that doesn't make Detroit any less of a dining city (residential city is another matter, I think), potential-wise. We have no Greektown in Philly. We also have no innate hot dog culture (Lafayette, American, and others way rock and are tastier in their genre than Pat's, Geno's et al). Sliders are now served in Philly almost as an homage, rather than as the awesome grab-n-go fare that Detroit makes in unsurpassable fashion (I'm visiting a few burger joints next weekend, e.g., Miller's [thanks Detroit eGers for some great posts on this item], as I travel north to Alpena). There's Lebanese and Polish fare. And the country's best charcuterist in Brian Polcyn at Five Lakes. (Philly, of course, has lots that Detroit doesn't have, but that's not relevant here.) Philadelphia whined forever about being an afterthought on the Metroliner dining line. I've always sought to disabuse people of this notion, and there no longer seems to be any need to do so. Detroiters ought to be about flying their flags, and some day others will see what they've been missing.

I'd add the Pontchartrain Wine Cellars (r.i.p.) to that. In googling the spelling of PWC, I found this article from Hour Detroit, which seems to be quite on-topic with this thread.

Maybe he was reminded of Poison and their unforgettable "Open Up and Say Ahh"

Hit both Louis Lunch and Yankee Doodle for a cheeseburger sampling last Saturday afternoon, and in my mind, it was no contest: The Doodle blew away Louis. Louis got first dibs. Went just after opening, about 12:10. There were already 10 people ahead of me, but the first burgers didn’t come out to customers until about 12:30, mine at 12:45. So, service gets a big donut. The hallowed Louis process consists of a borderline surly “grillman” carrying out the following steps: (i) loading 6 burgers into one of three contraptions not unlike a fish grill holder, (ii) standing around and waiting, (iii) removing burgers from holder, (iv) coating crappy, industrial-strength toasted white bread with the thinnest schmear of cheese-like goo, (v) cutting a thin slice of tomato and an even thinner, micro-mini wedge of onion and placing it on toast, and (vi) plopping burger onto bread and slicing it in half. This did not augur well for my anticipated enjoyment of the burger. And it indeed was at best mediocre. Despite the claim, the burger was somewhat past medium, rather than the boldly announced medium rare, though it was still mildly juicy. It was devoid of any seasoning whatsoever. And at $14 for 2 burgers and 2 sodas, not exactly a steal. If you’re going for food-history tourism, I guess it’s on the checklist. But for burger pleasure, I recommend steering clear. It's seems to be one of those places that feel that their reputation alone does away with the need to serve a quality product or be concerned with any sort of customer-friendly efficiency. The Doodle, on the other hand, is a treasure. The owner, Rick, was manning the grill and was happy to answer my questions. Their burgers are griddled 2-oz gems with an 80/20 mix. I ordered a standard single cheese, with grilled onions and tomato. The burger is thrown on the grill, and diced onions are sprinkled on top. After roughly 30 seconds, the burger is flipped and mashed down a bit to grill the onions. The cheese and tomato are set on top, and the burger’s covered for a few seconds before being placed on a soft, lightly grilled bun, to which a dab of butter is added as it’s served. The whole cooking process took about a minute. Man, it was good: almost perfect meat-to-bun ratio (just a teeny bit too thin, in my book), really juicy, very flavorful. I had to order another. I’m a griddled slider fan, and the Doodle’s are about as good as they get, right up there with my fav Bray’s in Detroit. I asked Rick about other burger joints in the area, and he suggested Ted’s in Meriden (he said Middletown, though), which was already on my list. He chatted about his life at the restaurant, pointing out a customer further down the counter who had eaten at the Doodle on opening day and still comes by very regularly. As mentioned on other posts, the pigs in blankets, as well as the milkshakes, are reputed to be excellent as well.

My gf and I ate at Amerigo dal 1934 in December 2005 and very much enjoyed it. We also stayed at the Design Inn, which is part of the Amerigo complex. Owner Alberto Bettini was most accommodating, as we arrived in Savigno late on December 26, when everything -- including the Inn -- was closed, but he arranged to have someone let us in. He was also kind enough to arrange a table for us for that night at Caminetto d'Oro in Bologna. Dinner at the trattoria was the best of our meals on that trip to Bologna (which also included Osteria Minestraio). As fortedei notes, the ingredients are wonderful and all locally sourced. The setting is very relaxed and the service warm and accommodating. We both ate from the seasonal menu. First up was "risotto" of potato with black truffle and a bean puree soup with fir...(?) mushrooms, the last of the season. We drank a fruity yet crisp Pignoletto Vallona. Next were passarelli, a traditional Bolognese pasta made with bread, eggs, and pecorino romano cheese, though ours also had 20% farina, served with tartufo bianco, which though subtle gave the dish an enormous flavor. For the lasagna w/ragú bianco and tartufo nero, my notes have only "wow", which serves I guess to accent fortedei's take. We also had cordonetti (semi-white wheat, ground at a nearby mill, plus farina 1) with mushrooms, also superb. Secondi were goose three ways and truffled eggs. The goose included breast and leg, slow roasted for 6 hours, and sausage made from the neck, braised for 1-1/2 hours in goose stock. Very, very rich, with a dark, intense flavor. Contorno was stuffed cabbage with barley. The eggs were served two ways: fried and deep-fried after soft boiling. About this time, Alberto came through the restaurant showing off a delivery of freshly bagged beccaccie, or woodcock: Having hunted woodcock myself, I was disappointed that we weren't staying through the next evening's meal. Alberto also showed us several tordo (thrush) breasts that he was planning to serve the next night: so very tiny, maybe 2 inches long. We skipped dessert but sampled liberally from the dispensa's digestivi: I second fortedei's recommendation of the nocino from the dispensa and would add to that outstanding saba that I purchased. Amerigo/Savigno can be a tad difficult to find, but it is certainly worth the trip.

For some time, I’ve also been sampling one of Jersey’s greatest assets: the hot dog. After numerous trips to Rutt’s, Syd’s, Libby’s, Hot Grill, and many others, I made it for the first time two weeks ago to Amazing Hot Dog and was duly impressed. Thanks to all NJ eGers for such great reporting. But now I’m starting to do some research on Central/North Jersey burgers and found this thread. I’m looking for drive-in/lunch counter/slider kinda of burgers, but I’d be happy to sample the 6-oz+ guys, too. Also prefer griddled to flamed or broiled; steamed are fine, too (I’ll be hitting Ted’s in Meriden later this month). After reading this thread, ahamburgertoday, munchmobile roundups, and tommy’s and perlow's blogs, I’ve got the following on my radar: ● White Manna ● Pal’s Cabin (½-lbers though they appear to be) ● Michael’s Roscommon House ● The Hearth I'm also gonna try a Red Robin; discovered we have Fatburger not far from Philly. Now, the place I really wanted to try was Burger Express in Carteret – it’s just what I’m looking for. Unfortunately, it appears to have been shuttered earlier this year. I did find this mention by ejebud in the RIP Restaurants thread Does that Burger Express still exist? I can only find a scant few mentions via google. Is/was it related to the other Burger Express in Carteret? There’s also a mention of one in Springfield. Is that around? Any other suggestions would be welcome. Also for points south of Trenton – it’s an easy hop for me from Philly. Thanks.

Tried Charlie's on Saturday. Had two: the Bunny (cheese, raw onions, mustard) and the Special (cheese, sauteed onions, mustard). I found them to be a poor excuse for a burger. The extremely thin patty was overwhelmed by the standard-size bun, resulting in the experience of eating burger-flavored bread. If the goal is a slider, the burger's gotta be smaller in diameter (and thus thicker) with a bun to match. They were also doing the dreaded "lean" on the burger, though it didn't appear to affect the juiciness/greasiness. Maybe the proper order is a double (at about $3.20/each), but I wasn't in the mood to try. I believe that if you place a single on the menu, it oughta have some heft. Penny wise, pound foolish, since I won't be back anyway. Milkshake came w/in 30 seconds of ordering; dunno where they're holding 'em. Also had a dog at the Last Stand. Same issue: skinny dog (grilled) on a too-large roll. Maybe Delco is carb happy....

And Sonny at d'Angelos.

Oops. Wrong link. It's Birchwood Farm Dairy. I saw their milk bottles serving as flower vases at that restaurant on west side of 413 between Newtown and Wrightstown (sign praises their crabcakes, IIRC). They directed me to a veterinarian's office on Pineville Road, which sells Birchwood Farm Dairy products. It's near the intersection with Thompsonville Road, on which Hortulus Farm, a wonderful plant farm, part of the Heritage Conservancy, is located.

When at Renny Farms in Wrightstown, I try to stop at Birchwood Dairy, which appears to be represented at the market. Man, their raw milk is awesome -- comes unskimmed of cream, which rises to the top of the gallon jug. Yogurt's pretty tasty, too. I was less impressed with the butter, but I only tried it once. Nice people. Glad that Bucks residents are getting access to the bounty of the county.

Happened to be @ 17th/Chestnut around 11:30, so I thought might as well give Snow White, just up the street, a shot. I've been jonesing for a regular burger, not the over-the-top fancy-pants variety. The place was pretty full, but I got me a seat at the counter, as most of those standing were waiting for takeout. There was not a wit of order behind the (15-top?) counter. I sat for about 10 minutes, and no one acknowledged my presence. There was a lot of wasted running back and forth, with the "FOH" asking waiting customers two or three times about the desired burger toppings, etc. The only cool head was the cook, but he didn't seem to be busting 'em out either. The burgers looked, IMO, pretty ordinary. And not worth the wait, so I split. Tried 5 Guys for the first time and was impressed. A well-run lunch operation, I had my order in and burger received in less than 5 minutes, despite the jam. I ordered the "regular" burger w/cheese (as opposed to the "small" burger). Came to $5.16 with tax. I mention the price because Laban makes a big deal of the fact that the SW burger is under $5. The 5G burger at $5 is a double burger; the "small" runs at under $4. Despite the cooks leaning on the patties, the burger was quite good. No smooshing of the bun (also quite good) either. Toppings were a bit skimpy, but they appeared to be even skimpier at SW.

Missed Formaggio, though I wasn't staying far away. Ended up cooking for the family. Got seafood from New Deal and Courthouse Seafood on Cambridge, plus tasty chicken from Fresh Killed Live Poultry across from New Deal. Man, I went early Saturday to Faneuil Hall and Quicy Market, expecting to find an actual market, much like we have at Reading Terminal Market here in Center City Philadelphia. Wow. I was surprised to learn that it's a pure tourist destination, opening at 10AM. I tried navigating along the waterfront, looking for seafood purveyors, but I found only one lobster wholesaler/retailer. Upside is touring Boston by car at 8AM on Saturday morning -- it's easy to get around. The areas along the river (North End and the neighborhood next to it?) look pretty lively. Still, it's amazing that there are so many restaurants yet an apparent dearth of markets. Thanks for your help. Look forward to a return visit soon.

It's not my party, but I'll cry if I want to. Very little on this Board about Seasons (who came up with this name?) at the Millenium (ibid). I generally avoid hotel restaurants, even if they're praised for excitinginventiveclassiccreative cuisine, because it's typically way too pricey and invariably underwhelming. Tuxedo-ed waiters? Quiet? Place parents take their college grads for a big dinner? Mobel gives 'em *** (I know). Plus, it's my first visit to Boston in decades and I wanna try all the other suggestions from y'all. Be that as it may, we're 15, ranging from age 18 to 70. It's gf's mom's 65th. It's a Saturday night. The party came together last minute. I tried Sibling Rivalry (good price point + can accommodate large groups + enjoy Kinkead's cooking), but they're booked. Other suggestions here are either too small, too far, or too funky to accommodate the diverse palates. Oh, and Millenium's website doesn't even list the restaurant, menupages doesn't publish any dinner entree prices, and Beard said last year they were closing to move to "private dining". So: (1) Any suggestions for this "American comfy food" place? Does pork really cost mid-30s? Is is worth it? What should one order? (2) Any other proposals for last-minute "nice" but less stuffy places for our group? (3) I was gonna cook a tapas/gazpacho/paella meal for the fam, now I'm off the hook. I can sample Boston street fare during Saturday. We're staying in either JP or Cambridge. Tell me where to go for, say, Ipswich clams or fish anything. Markets. Cheese shops (what's the name of that one in Cambridge? We've got DiBruno's here and I wanna compare). Hit me.