gabe

I have had success with Bon Ami cleaner, too, which is also gentle enough for nonstick (as long as you use a light duty "teflon-safe" scrubber)

Lemme guess, "guac wit"?

Too many of youse are violating stephenc's one-place-only diktat.

Tony Luke's, for the full Philly sandwich experience -- cheesesteak (wiz wit), roast pork sandwich with aged provolone and broccoli rabe, an Italian hoagie and fries. It would be a big meal, but you ain't gonna get that anywhere else in this country.

Billybob's closed and has been replaced by a Copabanana. We have been once since it opened, and while the food was good (jerk chicken, "spanish" fries (onions & potatoes), and great garlicky spinach), the service was veeeerrrrrryyyyy slow. Perhaps things have improved, because it is usually pretty busy there.

Leopold Bloom's repasts in James Joyce's Ulysses are most unforgettable. For example:

We've got reservations for early February at Django (made 'em well before the La Ban review)... any recommendations for must-eat items on the winter menu (aside from the cheese plate)? We've never eaten there before, but are looking forward to it very much.

Went to Tropico tonight -- not too busy, just one other couple besides us. We had a nice meal. I had cholitos (sp?), little nuggets of mashed and spiced yucca that are deep-fried, with a piquant pico de gallo. Very tasty. I also had a tasty piece of pernil asada, pork marinated in sour orange and latin american spices, then braised. Very tender and flavorful, with a nice salad, beans and rice. My fiancee had a cold marinated octopus salad and chicken soup. The octopus was a standout (it's technically an appetizer but big...) Some nice tropical juices to drink -- pineapple and guava for us. A great, friendly, experience with fresh and warming tastes on a cold night.

Main Line Jewel of India is on Lancaster Ave on the north side of the street just east of Ardmore Ave. I think they have a neon sign in the window. Parking is in back behind that block of stores and restaurants. As for why... I don't really know. But there is a big Indian community in University City in West Philly. Unfortunately, the Indian restaurants in this neighborhood are less impressive than the ones mentioned above in Ardmore, mainly catering to the college crowd in the eat-cheap-at-the-buffet fashion. Edit: brain fart

Khajuraho is good, but I actually prefer Main Line Jewel of India in Ardmore. It's a bit cheaper and the food is every bit as good, with some standouts like dosas and an insanely good fried cauliflower appetizer.

According to the journal Geotimes, coffee is essential to the work of geologists, and not just in the way you would think: http://www.geotimes.org/dec03/column.html

Jaffrey's "An Invitation to Indian Cooking" was a great starting point for me.

I dropped by Carlino's in Ardmore on my way home yesterday and was quite disappointed by their tomato product selection. I guess they probably wish they had more space, too. The only line of canned tomatoes they carried were Cento, imported San Marzano style, from Italy. I bought a can (I've had these before), but grumbled at the ridiculous price ($3.29? Come on). Luckily, there is much besides canned tomatoes to recommend that store. It was packed quite to the gills with Italian food lovers shopping for the holidays. I think the four people in front of me at the meat counter each bought the fanciest San Daniele prosciutto available.

So... what is it? And don't you dare say College Buffet...

Tommy, that's the brand I'm talking about -- my usual go-to can.

aren't all san marzano tomato products made from tomatoes from italy? i had assumed so, and just today i suggested this to someone. i hope i wasn't wrong. anyway, i've been liking Pomi brand tomato products. made by parmalat i think, and widely available i'd think. Thanks for the tip on Pomi. I've seen that brand at the Italian stores and remember using it when I was living abroad (not in Italy, though). The white-labeled San Marzano brand tomatoes that I'm talking about have a blurb on the label that says, basically, that they used to import San Marzano tomatoes from Italy, but the quality dropped and so they decided to switch to high-quality domestic tomatoes. I think they're actually canned in New Jersey. San Marzano is a place, a varietal, and a brand, so the company is certainly capitalizing on the confusion here. But the tomatoes are good.

Maybe it's because we're officially in the dead of winter, but I'm thinking about how long it's going to be before good fresh tomatoes are available again. Which got me thinking about canned tomatoes -- surely a kitchen staple. My standard for a few years has been the "San Marzano" brand that is available in many supermarkets -- the one with the mostly white label. I think they're pretty good, certainly much better than store brand or Hunt/Del Monte crapola. I've tried a few of the organic brands Whole Foods carries -- Muir Glen, Walnut Acres (or something like that) -- but they're not good enough to make me want to stock up on them over San Marzano brand (which, I know, does not actually come from Italy). I've yet to acquaint myself with the brands they carry in Italian specialty stores like Claudio or DiBruno or Carlino's -- some of which surely must exceed San Marzano brand in quality (if also likely in price). Which ones are worth trying? Are there any brands out there that, like Parmagiano-Reggiano, will make me unable to contemplate buying inferior domestic imitations?

Another possibility is that the "polymer infusion" is actually CK One cologne, hence the name and upmarket price.

According to the Calphalon website, it's "Exclusively @ Williams-Sonoma Through January 2004." Just a deal W-S cut with Calphalon -- W-S gets the latestandgreatest thing first and Calphalon gets a halo effect from the exclusivity of their latest (wouldn't be quite the same if it were available "Exclusively @ Target")... My guess on these pans is that at best, they'll be like nonstick-coated pans where the coating is more durable (since it's "inside" the surface rather than on top). Edit -- whoa, cross post and we both mentioned Target. Spooky.

In Vogue, your articles (about the joy of eating) get run alongside photo shoots of malnourished-looking supermodels. Do you think this is a bit like rubbing salt in the wound for people with healthy (though not chic) body types and appetites? Or do you see Vogue as just a soapbox for you, incongruous juxtaposition of rich food and stick insects be damned? Thanks... love your work, by the way -- it's even worth having to breathe those perfume-insert fumes.

Steam the label off by holding the bottle in front of the spout of a tea kettle full of boiling water. Takes a few minutes, but it couldn't be easier.

Phew! Glad I asked.

This may well be a stupid question, but is there a dress code (written or unwritten) for these DDC shindigs?

I've not heard of Grotten Brown either, but a little reconnaissance tells me it's made by Brouwerij Sint-Bernardus, makers of St. Bernardus Abt 12, a clone of Westvleteren 12. Bernardus is an awesome beer -- you can sometimes find it on tap at Monk's or Bridgid's. I'm looking forward to trying this Grotten Brown you speak of... it's the right time of year for those high-alcohol lovelies.

I'm wondering if anyone knows which restaurants in Philadelphia are offering this feast... there must be some places in South Philly...