Bilmo

I could swear I read somewhere that there is no cream or milk in Peter Luger's creamed spinach. I don't remember where.

I just want to note that, while I've never tried it, hickory syrup is not syrup made from the sap of hickory trees (although I suppose some sort of syrup can be made from any tree sap). The only hickory syrup I'm aware of, called Shagbark Hickory Syrup, is a syrup flavored with hickory bark. I don't know if the base is maple or some sort of sugar syrup.

Sidewalkers?

NOAA claims the skate wing/scallop story is an urban legend. I've read that elsewhere, too.

Note that the place is DeLorenzo's. Lorenzo's is a clubby steak place near the train station frequented by politicos. Used to have terrific fried calamari, but I haven't been there in years. There are multiple DeLorenzo's pizzerias in the Trenton area. Many people like the Hamilton avenue location. They have a better selection of toppings, and a more welcoming demeanor. The pizza's not nearly as good as the one on Hudson street (which is my local pizza place). I think it's the best pizza in Trenton, especially the quality sausage and pepperoni (not necessarily together), and excellent crust. I don't think it can hold a candle to Pepe's in New Haven. As far as bathrooms and the law go, in the Burg, all laws go out the window. Had DeLorenzo's opened yesterday without a bathroom, I'd bet there would be no problem.

I am totally dependent on the Princeton Wegman's, but... Is it just me, or has the store been gradually "dumbing down" over the last couple of years? I'm thinking in particular of the produce department. When it opened, it seemed to be like the old Balducci's, everything in perfect condition, anything you wanted was there, even the unusual and hard to find. Lots and lots of local produce in season, beautiful ripe tomatoes, super quality stone fruits. These days, it's still the best in the area, but perhaps more like a top-notch SuperFresh. The mesclun, which used to be like the pristine stuff I remember from the west coast, can be pretty mangy these days. The tomatoes are dull. It's disappointing.

But... Hudson Street has Hamilton beat on all the other pies.

My pizza stone works great, but... I'm currently living in an apartment with a very small kitchen with a weak exhaust fan. Between the previous leakage on the stone, and the semolina or cornmeal used to transfer the pie, the smoke and fumes are just too too much. Decent kitchen exhaust is pretty important.

Chili cheesesteak???? I've never seen one, but it sounds like it's got real possibilities...

I'm not much of a fan of frozen candy bars. Most of them are just too hard when frozen, and the super-sweetness gets muted. When I eat a candy bar, I actually enjoy the (for some people, not me) cloying sweetness. I often hear people complaining about some dessert or other as being too sweet, which I never understood. I'm not a big sweets fan, but when I do get in the mood, I just love baklava and pecan pie and galub jamen (sp?).

I couldn't agree more.

For another view on cream cheese, check this out (very interesting): http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/images/uc004849.jpg

Holly Moore's source could be correct, of course. But there evidentally is some contradiction among the various sources out there regarding the origin of cream cheese. In fact, there are surely very similar cheeses that were produced in Europe well before America's founding. For another view, I quote from Kraft's website: Q: What is the history of PHILADELPHIA cream cheese? When was it first introduced? What is the connection to the city of PHILADELPHIA? A: Cream cheese was invented in the United States in 1872 PHILADELPHIA Brand Cream Cheese was introduced in 1880.It was named after the city known for superb foods at that time, especially dairy products. Kraft acquired PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese in 1928 when Kraft merged with the Phenix Cheese Company, the producer of "PHILADELPHIA" Cream Cheese

Also: Pepperpot soup (tripe), snapper soup (turtle), the classic cheesesteak sidedish: cheese fries, and Wishniak (black cherry soda, pronounced VISH-nik, though I've heard even locals call it WISH-nee-ak). I don't know if this stuff originated in Philly, but Philly is certainly known for them. As for cream cheese, I question the Philly connection. The brand Philadelphia Cream Cheese originated in NY state. The name Philadelphia was supposedly chosen as something of a food status symbol, much as Quaker Oats (which has nothing to do with Quakers) was. (Edited by Bilmo at 1:53 pm on Nov. 10, 2001)

You could feed Lennon chapatis and cream