Mummer

Yeah, Holly, Katie hit a home run. Great to see everyone & happy to boost my pal Linda's heat scale a couple of points. You Heartlanders can come to Philly early & often!

Sorry, gang, I can't make tonight's dinner. Hoping to make the next 2. CAM

Glad y'all could get together. Looking forward to our dinner @ Zahav tonight. Hopefully the rain will serve as a well needed coolant & leave the area. Enjoy our wonderful city!

Not sure what's happening tonight, but the National Constitution Center has a really cheap ($5) admission & a similar add-on for the Springsteen exhibit after 5. I was there last week e& it's mighty fine. I'd not seen an Oscar b4. If you're a fan, the handwritten lyrics will blow your socks.

Welcome to the gang, chefmd. We'll have some phoodie fun (that ph thing gets old) this weekend. Katie, I'm a +1 for Sunday.

I'm not much of a cook & I've a conflict Saturday morning. Since cdh & his homebrew can't make the "potluck," I'll bring some of the local favorites.

Count me in for Zahav, Handy Nasty & Saturday night. I hope to have some plusses by Wednesday.

I'm happy the thread has moved here; since I seldom venture beyond the PA forums, I discovered it only last week. The not-so-fighting Phillies are home against St. Louis that weekend. Although technically sold out, ample seats and standing room should be available due to my compound adjective in the previous sentence. Our events should be much more fullfilling, anyway. I expect to participate extensively; I'll post details once I coordinate with several potential co-conspirators.

I was in Pittsburgh recently & we hit the Primanti's near Oakmont. The best part of the visit was that they refilled our sodas. An overcooked, niggardly portion of hyped, fancy steak beneath a passel of flaccid fries could never create a legend. To our server's credit, the slaw is vinegary, not creamy.

Shola - Life's a bitch & it will kick you in the ass whenever it can. Add Phila - gonna kick you again, and again, and again. Regardless, lookin' forward to your opening (whenever) and best wishes for your turn for kickin' some ass! Mummer Charlie

Not that I'm trying to cut, but who's quote is that one, Jeff? I've had enough Shola meals to know that, unless he steps on his whatever, he will serve magnifgcent food. I know that he has it for 8 or 10 or 12. Lesse if he has it for every day, every group, every request. 85% is my passing grade. The stoneys wandering from the hip neighborhood don't count.

Be careful. You're talking 2 places. Call Shola to confirm. To my resto friends - always call to confirm!!!

Hope it will become a favorite. Le Cochon Noir is scheduled to open this weekend at 5070 Parkside near the Mann. Jazz & blues on the weekends - seems to go with the cuisine. lecochonnoir.com

I've driven by a shuttered Dante's at dinnertime on Tuesdays and Wednesdays recently. It doesn't look inviting...

During my expense account days, I had the opportunity to eat well here and in a few other cities. At some French place in Atlanta, the white gloved waiter tapped the silver domes together as the entrees were served. Perhaps that was intended as fine service, but I thought he was drawing attention to himself. And that seems to be the point of this discussion.

Texas is beef country. Pork chops, yeah, but no pulled pork. I dunno if they include pork scraps, but I think of the sausages as beef products, also. As an aside, Smitty's blew Kreuz away during both Lockhart visits in the last two years. Worlds apart in moisture and taste of the brisket. And Smitty's prime rib is to die for!

One thinks that until the mutated soft shell crab jumps off the bun grabs on to one's face and claws up the nose into one's brain. That's so scary! I'll never eat a softshell again. (I'M A LIAR!)

OK, then. You might be aware that a Philly food blogger recently posted his 50 top bars list. That steered me to POPE last Tuesday where I had a fine bar burger, after agressively elbowing folks out of my way to order. (I'm just kidding about the elbows.) Last night, since the Phils were scheduled, I avoided traffic by hitting Local 44, 44th & Spruce in West Philly. Right on my alternate way! I was blown away be their steak sammie. Not shaved rib eye, but a hanger steak, as requested rare, served with swiss, fried onions and huge chunks of avocado on a garlic mayo slathered, toasted half baguette. Fantastic! Rather than a love handle's worth of fries, it's served with carmelized plantains. Local 44 is all about their drafts; locals, including hand-pumped Yards ESA, are $3 from 5-7. Both the bartender and a regular agreed with my love of that cheesesteak! A friend of mine PMed me about going to Bebe's, but they're closed on Tuesdays. In October, the band "gets on our feet," i.e. we also practice Sunday mornings to learn the steps that go with our New Year music. So Sunday Brunch, at around 1pm, enters the discussion.

If she's lucky. Many kitchens will do the "dirty work" for her.

After a 5 year hiatus, I'm a Mummer again! I've joined South Philadelphia Stringband. So I've gotta be in South Philly for rehearsals every Tuesday. I'm checking out all the South Philly joints before practice. So far, I've been to Nick's Charcoal, Nick's Roast Beef, Bomb-Bomb and South Philly Tap Room. I'm kinda doing this roast pork thang (when I first got to Philly, one of my pals told me that Italians know all about pork; I ain't arguing) but it's much more about enjoying the scene. South Philly rocks! I'm doing a 6:30-7 start so that I make my 8pm (never on time) practice. PM me if you'd like to do an early Tuesday thing. Pick the spot; I wanna check it out. HOST'S NOTE: This is an member-organized event and not an official eGullet Society event. Click here for the terms under which this event is listed in eG Forums. CA

It's Shola's job for the food to be "out of [the] league." He's not let me down. The wine, Sockii, isn't an issue. Some folks have fancy bottles to bring; that's great. Many of us don't. But Shola's dinners have always been about his food and his generous sharing about prep and sourcing. We could drink water and not lose a beat. Bring something wet. Either we'll have it or you'll take it home. Nobody cares. I don't even know where the new place is at this point. I'm sure it will work out.

Funny, when I stopped by the monopoly palace this afternoon, Riesling was on my mind. I found a Dr. Konstantin one, having shared one with Phil at another Shola dinner. I also grabbed a domestic Gewurtz. I'm far from a wine guy, so reading the above post when I got home cracked me up.

There's an amazing photo and recipe of Peter McAndrews "Sunday Gravy" in the current (09/09) Esquire. He credits the famiglia of his second generation Italian-American wife. Meatballs, sausages, on-the-bone pork ribs with extra bones for good measure stock the huge pot. So, has this been on the menu?

And if you don't like the street food tips from Forbes, you can always try Fortune, WSJ or Business Week. As reliable as Playboy's cheesesteak "reporting" up thread! Yeah, I always think of University City when I'm looking for a cheesesteak??? ←

This is sad. Friday, July 10, 2009 Ansill closes Citing the economy, David Ansill has closed Ansill, his ambitious, Euro-style foodie-centric bistro at Third and Bainbridge Streets in Queen Village. It opened in February 2006 as an offshoot of Pif, his now-closed French bistro in South Philly. Posted by Michael Klein @ 6:23 PM no need for a link; full Inky text above Isn't there an urban legend that Larry Fine of The Three Stooges grew up in that building?