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

Arthur Treacher, Roy Rogers, Harlan Sanders, and Mamma Leone.

I went to JK's in Danbury recently, and was very impressed with the hot dogs. They were cooked and crisped on a grill, nicely smoky, and topped with chopped onion, mustard, relish, and hot sauce. Very tasty package. The fries were quite crisp, too. And the chocolate shake was just fine, served in a big silver cup that held two full glasses.

I started going to Lombardi's the week it opened. I was so blown away with that first visit. The crust was just amazing. My jaw ached for hours afterwards. I thought it was perfect (although we never did get clam pizza there - I don't even remember seeing it at the beginning). Anyway, I don't know if it's coincidence, but after that scandal they had, or rather the pizza maker went through, which removed him from Lombardi's, I never thought the pie reached it's former glory. I still think it's good, but just like I think lots of places are good. I rarely visit anymore. I'll go and try the white clam pie, though. And, that reminds me, speaking of seafood pizzas, has anyone else tried the lobster pizza at Biba in Boston? I thought it was amazing, and I'm not one to love anything with lobster. Intense lobster flavor. I don't know what current incarnation of Biba exists, if any. Didn't it burn down recently? This pizza was one of her signature dishes, so if she has a place, there's a good chance of finding this pizza.

I use a big pot with a basket, designed for deep frying. Works beautifully. I double fry, but I've been wondering - since the first, low temperature blanching fry doesn't brown or crisp the potatoes, what's the point of even frying them? I think it might be easier to bake or microwave them for the 1st "fry". It seems that the point of the 1st fry is to cook the potatoes, so that the 2nd fry can be done at a browning, crisping temperature. I haven't tried that yet, but will.

I've never been to Sally's. Who knows, if I went, I might find it to be better than Pepe's. But, Pepe's white clam pizza is the single most delicous food I have ever eaten! This makes it very difficult for me to experiment during those few times I'm in New Haven.

Kim didn't mention it, but Speckle Red's is gone. I never got to go, but heard wonderful things about it.

I'm a little hesitant to say it, but for corned beef and pastrami I love Harold's in Edison. The portions here are enormous, beyond enormous, and so are many of the patrons. I think it sometimes gets a bad rap because A) some of the food is awful, and B) super large portions make a lot of us suspicious of the quality. That said, the three things I can absolutely recommend are the corned beef and pastrami sandwiches, and the plain cheesecake. My only complaint with the meats is that they tend to be on the lean side. I'd prefer more fat. But the flavor is wonderful. The knishes are weak, the potato pancakes are so-so, as are the dry kosher salami and hot dogs, the desserts that I've tried (other than the cheesecake) are hideous, and obscenely large. Oh, and the kasha varnishkas and onion rings are tasty.

I've got to concur with robocoup. I cover the eggs with cold water, bring them to a boil over high heat, cover them, remove them from the heat, and let them sit 10 minutes. Then plunge in cold water. They come out perfectly, and they do not have the gray layer surrounding the yolk. 20 minutes sounds awfully long.