chowfun

that's the one they have a nice sioewalk dining area

Cold Stone Creamery opened in the Andorra shopping center last weekend. They have high quality house made ice cream and a large array of candy, nuts, marshmallows etc.. that you can have blended into your ice cream (a la Steve's). The ice cream is very good. The banana is better than Bassetts. My mom heartily endorses the peanut butter ice cream and the coffee ice cream. Per their website there are a couple of other Philly area locations in the works.

Your breeders/nonbreeders distinction does not work to differentiate homosexual and heterosexual people. I know many gay and lesbian couples who have kids. I have many heterosexual friends who have no kids and dont intend to. A restaurant that is family friendly would work better for a gay family than a sophisticated adult oriented gay friendly restaurant. My six year old and I have had very friendly and welcoming service and interaction with patrons at Milleneum.

I have heard good things about the Indian place in Manyunk. I heard it was a bit pricey and fancy, but good. Has anyone tried it? We used to go to a vegetarian South Indian place on Adams avenue at Tabor near the boulevard called Rajbhog Indian vegetarian. It was in the same strip mall as Cafe Espresso, a Portuguese restaurant. I havent been back to either place in years but they were both good. Rajbhog specialized in Indian sweets. They had odd curdy sweet confections that are kind of like fudge made with rose water and saffron and covered in edible silver. They also made fantastic Indian rice pudding.

My son and I were in need of some food on a Saturday morning in center city and we tried the brunch at Marathon Grill at Broad and Chestnut. The food was pretty good. Nothing challenging. I liked the breakfast sandwich with egg, cheese and pears.

I have never eaten there, but I have had take out cups of hot sweet black tea and coffee and milk mixed together. Weird but really good.

I didnt know Melting Pot was a chain. I've never been there, however. I do like Rita's water ice and Panera's.

Thomas Sweet rings a bell, but I thought it was in Princeton. Steve's Ice Cream from Somerville Mass. made a short and sweet appearance on the penn campus. I loved the mix-ins. I would order the sweet cream ice cream or sometimes the cappucino flavored ice cream with heath bars mixed in. Napolean Cafe was great when it was in Port Richmond, their pastries were very good. I never went to the center city location. Silveri's was a favorite of ours when they served food (I didnt know it became a sex bar), it was the first place I ever had Buffalo wings. They also made a great carbonara sauce. There was a very expensive, but very good gourmet pizza place somewhere in the Wash West neighborhood called Pizzaz. They made a great barbecue pizza with carmelized onions and an excellent seafood and pesto pizza. Very thin crusted and crispy.

Sorry for double posting, but I just thought of a few more places that I miss a lot. European Dairy Restaurant, it was at about 21 and Walnut, they had hot and cold borscht with sour cream of course and gigantic golden (and greasy) potatoe pancakes. Charlies Waterwheel, on sansom and something like 17th, great sandwiches and you could eat pickles and swedish meatballs while you waited to take out your sandwich. They also had sweets that you or they would throw in your bag for dessert. Things like hershey' minis. The Goldmine, only fairly recently gone. Good Jewish style deli. Does anyone remember a Japanese place on Juniper between chestnut and sansom. It was a little hole in the wall that served bowls of ramen soup and katsu? It was there in the mid to late 80's. There also was a Japanese chain restaurant for a short time on Chestnut between 18th and 19th that had noodle soups and dumplings, called Dosanko. I liked being able to get dumplings in a fast food type setting. I think the Commissary was already mentioned. That was a great place. Entrees on trays in the same building as Urban Outfitters at Penn was a favorite of mine. Especially for brunch. Jamiesons, a little bakery that was on Pine at around 12th. They made awesome sticky buns and bear claws.

I remember the place by its more popular name, "The Happy Pepsi Sign." It was fun. ← Y'know, I probably know more about Chinatown than anyone here, having grown up in it and still being continually involved in some fashion or another, and yet until Holly mentioned the Pepsi sign, I didn't know what you were talking about there. ← Now that you mention it, people used to call it pepsi garden or something like that.

I ate at Le Bus when it was a bus, and they later opened a second bus called Le Bus Pizza. They made an awesome whole wheat crust. The Roost was another spot to get good pizza in University City. I used to get the whole wheat with asparagus. There was a place called the Wurst House near Clark Park that made homemade corned beef. I think the store might have the same name in that location, but it is not the same owners and not the same food. Does anyone remember the Happy Paradise in chinatown? Tommy Bong made the best hot and sour soup, steamed dumplings and dishes with pickled turnip greens.

What I like most about the picture-taking story is that Holly gave the owners the benefit of the doubt and he was never mean about the incident. We hadnt tried this place until about a month ago. They have very good barbecue. The owners told us that they are now going to open up on South Street.

We were just at Manka's this past Christmas and I posted a review of our dinner on this board. I am impaired in the art of using the computer effectively so I will paste the review here because I cant figure out a way to give a link to it. "We had the xmas feast at Manka's. This was a $120 prix fixe feast. We went all out by bringing the kids along and my mom. We had two delicious bottles of wine recommended by our waiter one a chardonnay Pats and Hall from Carneros and a very good pinot noir from the Russian River valley, but I cant remember more about it. The service was friendly and perfect, seamless. Dont ask about the final bill. The food was excellent. Mostly local ingredients. The menu was funny, too. Crisped Tomales Bay Oyster in a little sea of local leeks (puree). Wild Inverness watercress soup (creamy bitter aromatic). "A gratin of Peter's potatoes and ham fashioned from Mr. Pasternak's pig laced with chanterelles foraged from the point crowned with crumbs (very good, very rich). A cloud of Inverness apples (whipped apple ice). Breast of Jim's Duck seared over almond wood nested in a hash of Peter's sweet potatoes and the Christmas Goose. This was so good. The duck was perfect. The hash had cubes of white sweet potatoes that were just barely cooked (al dente) and so sweet with crispy pieces of goose. "The local red hawk swoops down upon coastal quince and seasoned walnuts." They served this Cowgirl creamery cheese perfectly ripe and gooey. The nuts were great fresh and crunchy with just the right amount of carmelized spice sugar coating, the quince jelly and quince sauce the perfect sweet foil to the cheese. The dessert was homemade ginger ice cream with caramel sauce and a wedge of deep chocolate. The chocolate was like a piece of deep chocolate fudge, the ginger ice cream was so good with chunks of chewy candied ginger inside and the caramel a perfect complement. They also served very crumbly pecan cookies, marshmallows dipped in caramel and if that wasnt enough a box of homemade nut brittle to take home with you. The Inn and the dining room all dark wood were beautifully illuminated by candles, a big fireplace and low lighting. The decorations were gorgeous and fragrant. We left very happy. Luckily the dining room was extremely noisy and our kids were on good behavior so we all had a good time."

I have to put my vote in for Tai Lake. They have excellent fresh seafood, Cantonese style.

Two summers ago we used a personal chef, because we were frazzled and exhausted. Two doctors raising two kids, tired of cooking and cleaning. I hired a friend of mine who is the cook at my children's school, who runs a small catering business. She cooked our meals at her house and delivered them each day 4 days per week. It was a real indulgence. She made crab cakes, rabbit with carmelized onions, fresh haddock, polenta topped with a tomato cheese souffle, salmon with candied ginger, chicken mole. By the end of the summer we were refreshed and ready to start cooking again, and of course buying a lot of take-out as well. There is a member of our synagogue, Mark Heller, who runs a personal chef business. I have heard he is good, but we havent tried him.

I apologize in advance if there is a already a long discussion somewhere in this forum about Cafe de Laos in South Philadelphia at 11th and Washington, but my attempt to use the search function failed. I ended up with a listing of every topic Herb Lau participated in! We ate at Cafe de Laos last night. The food was fantastic. I am a total novice at Laotian food, it was the very first time I had tried it, but I can say that it was very fresh and well prepared food with bright flavors, and each dish had a distinct seasoning of its own and a nice presentation. There is an expansive menu with a section for Laotian food, Thai food, the "Thai-Laos relationship bridge" and a full vegetarian menu. We ordered from the Laotian section and the Thai-Laos section. They have a list of 6 different papaya salads (my kind of place!) We had the Som Tum Thai, papaya salad with haricot verts, carrot, peanut, dried shrimp and tomatoes, very spicy and very good. We asked our waiter what type of utensils people use to eat Laotian food, and he said that they make a ball of sticky rice in their fingers and scoop up the food with the rice ball. No one at our table did that, but we did order sticky rice to go with our food and it complemented the food quite well. It was served in its own steamer basket with a lid. We had the Labb Woonsen, a glass noodle salad with pork, dried chili,lime, mint, shallot, and fresh cilantro. It was very good and it was served on lettuce leaves. We had stuffed eggplant with a red curry sauce. This was an impressive dish of two perfectly cooked purple eggplants stuffed with glass noodles and pork and the red curry sauce had no coconut milk in it. It was a beautiful presentation with the bright purple eggplants surrounded by the dark orange curry sauce. We had another brothy curry dish from Laos with chicken and perfectly cooked vegetables. We shared the sticky rice with mango for dessert and it was great. They flavor the sticky rice with a leaf (cant remember the name) and it colors it green. The mango was perfectly ripened and the dessert was drizzled with coconut glaze. Really, really good and very pretty presentation! For three very full people the bill was 52 dollars! I'm ready to go back tonight! Has anyone who has tried this place been brave enough to order the ant egg soup (Kaeng Khai Mod)? I am a very adventurous eater but I chickened out and didnt order it.

In reference to the original topic,we have many times found ourselves needing to find a Saturday night dinner without a reservation. It is usually a pretheater time frame. So far we have gone to Chloe (virtually empty if you get there before 6), El Vez (they wouldnt give us a reservation, saying they were full, but seated us when we walked in at 630), Pastoral (Korean), and Valanni (we were able to get seated there on two different occaisions without a reservation at about 630). I would appreciate any other Center City suggestions, since we are absolutely unable to get it together fast enought to make advance reservations.

We are back and we had a wonderful time in your beautiful state. We saw elephant seals, tule elk, countless birds (love those pelicans), and salmon swimming upstream! In Point Reyes we ate at the Olema Inn on xmas eve. The menu is very interesting featuring local and organic produce, cheeses and meats. The food was very good and we had a nice meal with one exception. I ordered stuffed squab. The stuffing was delicious, but when I cut into the bird it was way, way, way undercooked. Bloody in fact. I sent it back and received the exact same plate again (already a faux pas, I feel) and the squab was cooked on the side that I had cut into, but again bloody red to the bone on the other side. I sent it back for good. They did take it off the check, but I received no apology. To be fair it was xmas eve, they were extremely busy and our waiter looked as if he were about to have a nervous breakdown. If I'm up there again I would consider giving them another try. We had the xmas feast at Manka's the next night. This was a $120 prix fixe feast. We went all out by bringing the kids along and my mom. We had two delicious bottles of wine recommended by our waiter one a chardonnay Pats and Hall from Carneros and a very good pinot noir from the Russian River valley, but I cant remember more about it. The service was friendly and perfect, seamless. Dont ask about the final bill. The food was excellent. Mostly local ingredients. The menu was funny, too. Crisped Tomales Bay Oyster in a little sea of local leeks (puree). Wild Inverness watercress soup (creamy bitter aromatic). "A gratin of Peter's potatoes and ham fashioned from Mr. Pasternak's pig laced with chanterelles foraged from the point crowned with crumbs (very good, very rich). A cloud of Inverness apples (whipped apple ice). Breast of Jim's Duck seared over almond wood nested in a hash of Peter's sweet potatoes and the Christmas Goose. This was so good. The duck was perfect. The hash had cubes of white sweet potatoes that were just barely cooked (al dente) and so sweet with crispy pieces of goose. "The local red hawk swoops down upon coastal quince and seasoned walnuts." They served this Cowgirl creamery cheese perfectly ripe and gooey. The nuts were great fresh and crunchy with just the right amount of carmelized spice sugar coating, the quince jelly and quince sauce the perfect sweet foil to the cheese. The dessert was homemade ginger ice cream with caramel sauce and a wedge of deep chocolate. The chocolate was like a piece of deep chocolate fudge, the ginger ice cream was so good with chunks of chewy candied ginger inside and the caramel a perfect complement. They also served very crumbly pecan cookies, marshmallows dipped in caramel and if that wasnt enough a box of homemade nut brittle to take home with you. The Inn and the dining room all dark wood were beautifully illuminated by candles, a big fireplace and low lighting. The decorations were gorgeous and fragrant. We left very happy. Luckily the dining room was extremely noisy and our kids were on good behavior so we all had a good time. I'll report on our SF adventures later, hopefully.

Thank you, Malik, for the sake website. That is a dizzying amount of information.

Speaking of Lulu, is it still around? We have had some good meals there.

Believe it or not, I have some more questions! We are arriving on the morning of December 24 and making a beeline from the airport to Point Reyes. We will likely be looking for some lunch enroute. I dont think we want to get too snarled in city traffic, so something near the airport or on the way to Point Reyes, such as in Marin, would be good. Also, because the next day is Christmas, we need to pick up some stuff for lunch to keep in our hotel fridge. Any suggestions for picking up some good lunch stuff, and snacks? There is a gourmet shop in Olema, but I have to check the timing to see if we will make it before it closes. Otherwise we need to pick something up in San Francisco or on the way. We have made reservations at Manka's and the Olema Inn for our two dinners up there. We will be in SF for New year's eve. We have a sitter. Any grown-ups only recommendations for that evening? As far as prices go, we are flexible on prices. If a place is expensive, the food should be worth the expense. I havent heard too much about sushi. I know that you have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to sushi in San Francisco. We are interested in quality over price. Where is the best sushi in SF? We have really liked Kabuto and we are likely to go there. Any other places?

Do y'all like Mexican food? ←

Wow. Mention kids on this board and the discussion goes wild. My boys are 6 and 9 and they are loud talkers, laughers and unfortunately at times whiners. They are never, ever allowed to run rampant in a restaurant nor would I allow them to throw food or make any kind of scene. They are actually quite well traveled and they have eaten in many fine establishments without incident. We are all much happier in a restaurant that is relaxed about children eating there. Quiet and romantic bad, loud and lively good. A place that takes a really long time to get the food out wouldnt be great either, but that's for us grown-ups! Thanks for all of the suggestions so far and keep them coming please! We will not be able to get to all of them, but we are coming in during the holidays and I think we will need some plan B's in case wherever we are headed is too crowded. How about breakfast? Years ago we went to Ella's and loved it. Is it still there? Dim sum in chinatown will also be a must for us. We will be going to the exploratorium and to Zeum. Any great places for lunch near either of these?

I think Laghi is gone. I called and their number is disconnected. Thanks for the recommendations. We will be staying close to North Beach and Chinatown and we will have a car. I would love to check out Chez Panisse. Is it a fussy place to eat? My kids have very sophisticated palates, but they are a bit loud, so anything quiet and romantic is out.

We are Philadelphians coming back to San Francisco for a vacation after a 10 year hiatus. We love many different kinds of ethnic food, Mexican, Chinese, Italian, Japanese ... On previous trips we loved Laghi, Kabuto, Mexican food in the Mission district (there was a place with Christmas lights up all year), a restaurant in Chinatown that made only congee and fried bread. Can anyone recommend some more neighborhood gems?