Bell's Market

[rlibkind]

I made another trip to Bell's Market in Northeast Philadelphia this morning and left wishing I had a lot more refrigerator and pantry space.

A main attraction for me is the wide expanse of deli cases filled with all manner of Eastern European salamis, sausages, pressed and rolled meats, hams, bacons, etc. The photos below (please excuse the fluorescent glare) provide some idea of the variety.

Salami Central. I left with half a pound of a sliced Ukrainian salami, a fat-studded, emulsified and medium smoky stick sliced at an extreme diagonal for a lengthy oval.

Pressed and rolled cold cuts are available, so I purchased a veal breast roll, which I have yet to taste.

Yummmm, bacon! The lady behind the counter offered me a sample of the fully-cooked Hungarian bacon when I asked what it was compared to others; that was much simpler for her than trying to describe it in English. Very mildly smoked and seasoned, but pleasant. I bought a pound for $3.99. From a self-serve deli case I picked up a pack of Russian-style knockwurst made by a wurstgeschaeft I used to frequent, Gaiser's Pork Store of Union, N.J.

I restrained myself at the smoked fish counter, filled with fish you never heard of as well as whitefish, trout, mackerel, salmon, etc. This is the place for hard-core smoked and preserved fish lovers like me. I'll save major fish buying for my next visit, but I needed some jarred herring so picked up a small jar of Canadian fillet tidbits marinated in dill sauce. There must have been eight or nine different brands/size packages of matjes herring.

The only other fish product I bought was small jar of taramasalata. Here, the jar that would set you back $6 or $7 at Whole Foods sells for $3.50.

Packaged grocery goods offer savings, too. The cocktail-size packages of Rubschlager rye and pumpernickel go for $1.79 and $1.89, vs. $2.50 at supermarkets and $3 at specialty stores like the Reading Terminal Market's Downtown Cheese.

An entire aisle of pickled vegetables and related condiment is a veritable preserved garden. I escaped with one of my more extravagant purchases, an $8.79 large glass jar filled with marinated bolete mushrooms (porcini, just from Latvia instead of Italy) and a jar of red pepper-eggplant spread.

She Who Must Be Obeyed spent most of her time in the chocolate and cookie aisle where a full complement of European staple sweets can be had. SWMBO walked away with a box of Fidelios (hazelnut-encrusted cylindrical cookies), box of waffle cakes (napoleon-type cookies), industrial packaged croissants filled with apricot jam, and some German chocolates. I couldn't resist a 700 gram (1.5 pound) box of Turkish halvah with pistachios, priced at $6.59. Lots of different varieties of Turkish delights, too.

From the bakery (just around the corner from the salads and smoked fish) I purchased a slab of what appears to be a variety of Dobish torte, $5.95/pound. Across from there was a variety of packaged breads and breads from other bakeries, including a full range of Teixiera portuguese rolls. I found a round Turkish bread topped with white and black sesame seeds, still warm from the oven.

Among the items I want to try in the future are the various dumplings from the salad cases, especially the pelmeni (a Siberian style meat dumpling) and the cherry dumplings. Bell's Crossing also offers a wide variety of yogurts and other dairy products and beverages that you'll be hard-pressed to find anywhere else in town.

Since many of the ladies behind counters have only rudimentary English skills (though their English is far superior to my Russian), finding out what intriguing-looking items are can sometimes be a challenge. But even if you're mistaken and find out what you've taken home isn't quite what you thought it was, it's still going to be delicious. Since it wasn't too busy this morning the staff, which can occasionally be brusque, tried to help when they could.

[Andrew Fenton]

Bell's really is Valhalla for pickle lovers; also, they have the best selection of honey I've seen just about anywhere.

Which reminds me: I haven't been there for a couple years... maybe this weekend it'll be time for a return visit...

edit: and of course, don't forget the Lithuanian snack foods! Always worth it to have some of those on hand. For, y'know, company.

Edited January 18, 2008 by Andrew Fenton (log)

[MarketStEl]

Not that I'm likely to make it up there soon unless someone drags me along, but:

Address? SEPTA directions?

[mrbigjas]

it's in a strip mall on bustleton ave way up in the northeast. like nearly at pennypack park.

septa directions are your bailiwick, so i'll leave that to you and google.

[Greg Ling]

Not that I'm likely to make it up there soon unless someone drags me along, but:

Address? SEPTA directions?

←

The 67 goes near there.

[rlibkind]

Google Map link for Bell's Market

Also, I think it's the Route 58 bus along Bustleton that will get you to Bell's Crossing (where Bell's Market is located), not the Route 67. The 58 out of Frankford Transportation Center shows a schedule that gets you between those two points in 11 minutes with frequent service.

Update to my initial entry . . .

The veal roll was delightful, breast cured then rolled with herbs, nicely pink thanks to the sodium nitrate in the cure. Not unlike Danish rollepølse or old-fashioned Jewish-style rolled beef (though neither smoked nor dried like the latter).

What I described as a Dobish-torte like cake didn't taste like one at all. It seemed to be composed of multiple layers of sweet crepes (blinis?) with walnut buttercream filling and chocolate icing. Very creamy and rich, but light in texture. Quite nice.

The red pepper-eggplant spread, btw, was Bulgarian.

I won't buy the marinated boletes again. They are fairly tasteless, and the brine has no bite. Probably better added to salads than eating straight. I wonder if I could cook with them?

[MarketStEl]

Google Map link for Bell's Market

Also, I think it's the Route 58 bus along Bustleton that will get you to Bell's Crossing (where Bell's Market is located), not the Route 67. The 58 out of Frankford Transportation Center shows a schedule that gets you between those two points in 11 minutes with frequent service.

←

<slaps forehead>

Well, duh!

It would only make sense that Bell's Market is at Bell's Corner!

8330 Bustleton Avenue

Philadelphia, PA 19152

Nearest SEPTA service: Bus Route 58 from Frankford Transportation Center or Bus Route 59 from Arrott Terminal (Margaret-Orthodox station, Market-Frankford Line) to Bell's Corner (junction of Bustleton and Castor avenues, Fox Chase Road and Strahle Street; end of line for Route 59). It's a half-block further north on the west side of Bustleton.

[rooy1960]

oh, my, goodness !!! i had to take my husband to the doctor yesterday near Bell's Corner, so we ventured in . what a wonderful cornucopia of food. i was like a deer in headlights! since hubby wasn't feeling terrific, we made a short loop of the store. i did go home with some chopped liver, homemade potato dumplings and a raspberry strudel. i cooked the dumplings in some brown butter and they were amazing; wonderful light texture and flavor. the chopped liver was quite nice and loved the strudel. i cannot wait to go back (when were well) and really go crazy-

especially for the sausages and fish. i was so impressed with variety and volume of products. thanks for sharing the info rlibkind! now all i need is a russian friend to shop with.

[Gruzia]

i've been going there for a while now, so some recommendations of my favorites:

1. german kielbasa (in russian: nemetskaya kalbasa) - tangy, a little peppery,

2. Pomegranate juice - Bell's has tons of variety and really cheap price compared to how much the POM brand costs - I get a liter (maybe more) bottle for $3.99 - caveat is that the juice is more tart - tastes more like actualy fresh squeezed, not sweetened (cant stand POM because it's way too sweet) - look for juice from Azerbajian, King's Brand (I think) in glass bottles

3. Sliced herring wrapped around seaweed and a cranberry (or red currant) - this comes in flat plastic packages in the section where the taramasalata (sp) is. try it, really good with some plain boiled potatoes with dill.

4.Milko yorgurt - yummm!!! much praised in other egullet threads and with just reason.

5. Kefir - also sold in other groceries, but lots of varieties here.

6. Good selections of different feta cheese and some of the best prices.

7. Bakery is really good - try their Napoleon - there are two varieties, both are good.

8. Borodinsky Bread - russian black bread flavored with coriander.

9. Pickled tomatoes and red cabbage

ummm, that's off the top of my head, there are some other things that i don't know how to describe well enough in english.

also, it's very accepted to ask for samples of things, so if you see a tasty cheese, or salami (kalbasa, in russian) just ask for a taste (russian: mozhno poprobovat eto? can i have a taste of this?)

[rlibkind]

Thanks for all those additional favs, Gruzia -- and the Russian transliteration! I've definitely got to try some of them, especially the herring and Borodinski bread.

[KatieLoeb]

Is Bell's Market open on Sundays? I think a trip there next weekend is definitely in order! I need pomegranate juice to make a fresh batch of grenadine for the bar at Chick's and I like the idea of finding some that's less sweetened so I can control the final level of sweetness more to my liking.

[cinghiale]

After reading Bob's write up last month, I headed straight there. The sausage department is the most extensive I've ever seen (and I've spent a good deal of time in Germany). I got 6 different varieties of cured sausages -- mostly with nice fat content. There are maybe 50 varities in all. Also, a ring of their fresh sausage (which all hang behind the counter), plus a sampling of their cooked chicken and pork sausages. All of them were fantastic. Two kinds of Polish butter (good but not great). Cold-smoked trout (tasty, though texture was odd). Packaged matjes (musta been 20 or so different kinds). Prepared foods: dumplings, latkes, stuffed pork croquettes, stuffed cabage -- all cheap and very tasty. Pickled stuff: cauliflower, half sours. Really tasty pita -- other ME bread varieties, too, like lovash. Like gruzia, I was amazed at the pomegranite selection. Also, the mineral water, though the two I chose were excessively salty for my taste (though I was looking for high mineral content). Honey -- amazing selection.

Language can be tricky. I wanted bacon and ended up with backfat. I can think of far worse mistakes, of course.

Katie: Sunday hours are 8-6.

[KatieLoeb]

Bell's Market is my absolutely favorite new place! I was slack jawed and delirious with glee at all the things I found today. Amazing jarred, boxed and canned products (although some of them are frustrating as there are directions in Russian, Polish and Ukranian, none of which I could read!), amazing prepared foods and the most glorious cases filled with smoked fishes and sausages I think I've ever seen. Check this out:

That's about a 9"x6" slab of smoked trout that cost me all of about $4. It's a little tough on the outside, but once the skin is peeled back, the smoked flesh of the fish is as delicious as any I've ever tasted. I had some on a multigrain wafer with some fresh farmer's cheese with dill I bought in the prepared foods section. Delicious. Really yummy half sour pickles came home as well. Got a few stuffed cabbage and a stuffed pepper for dinners this week also in prepared foods, as well as some frozen pierogies and lamb raviolis that looked interesting from the frozen food cases. I bought some sort of pastry that's a gigantic triangle filled with pumpkin filling. I had a couple of bites and it's delicious, but I'm saving most of it for my morning coffee tomorrow. Yum.

After finding a few of the boxed products with English directions, I bought several different varieties of boil-in-bag side dishes. Buckwheat groats, lentils and some other sort of multigrain groats that will help me stick to my attempts to eat less processed white carbs and more whole grain products. I also got a big container of mushroom stock powder to put into the water I'll boil them in to make them a bit more flavorful. There has to have been about 80 different varieties of cereals, grains and legumes that looked interesting, but the language barrier made my selections a bit more limited. Still, if they taste good, they'll definitely become part of the regular rotation on my dinner table.

Then I got to the juice aisle. I thought. My head. Would explode. Oh. My. God. So many varieties of juices. So many cocktail possibilities, I got a little verklempt. I brought home two different kinds of pomegranate juice and some pomegranate molasses to make a batch of grenadine, as well as a carton of some sort of cherry juice I'll be playing with for cocktails. I think cherry-gin gimlets might be mighty tasty with the fresh lime cordial I made last weekend. I'll let you all know how that works out. Next trip I'll try some of the black currant juice that also looked intriguing. Although I didn't purchase any, there was an astounding selection of teas and honeys too. Worth a trip just for that stuff if you're into that.

My one and only complaint with the place is that the checkout clerks seem to want to make as many bags as possible. Maybe all those older Russian ladies want smaller lighter bags, but I was frustrated that they were practically individually bagging every single item I'd purchased. I spent about $60 for what eventually I condensed into six overstuffed bags. Last time I went to a standard American supermarket the average cost of the groceries was about $20/bag, so I think I made out like a bandit. I'll report back on how the dinners come out later in the week.

So the moral of the tale is that I am loving Bell's Market. It's the nicest ethnic market I've been to in some time. Thanks to all of you that brought it to my attention. I'll be eating much better from now on.

[KatieLoeb]

This evening's repast. Some Lamb Pelmeni from the frozen foods case with carmelized onions and some leftover sauteed mushrooms and shallots I'd tossed in the freezer. These were even better when I topped it with a little plain yogurt.

The lamb pelmeni are worth the trip alone. Oh - and that pumpkin pastry made for a delicious breakfast. It wasn't really too sweet so I cut it open and dusted the filling side with some Toast Dope. Delicious. I want to try the savory beef pastries they had next time.

I made a Cherry Gimlet as my cocktail of the evening, using some of the cherry juice I'd purchased, Stoli Elit and my homemade lime cordial. Refreshing but a hair too sweet. Easily fixed with a wee squeeze of fresh lime juice. Next trip when I buy some black currant juice I want to come up with a darker version of a Cosmopolitan. I think that'll be interesting.

Edited February 12, 2008 by KatieLoeb (log)

[Andrew Fenton]

I want to come up with a darker version of a Cosmopolitan.

Do it! It'll be like that episode of Sex and the City where Carrie accidentally killed that hobo and the girls all had to hide the body...

[Gruzia]

This evening's repast.  Some Lamb Pelmeni from the frozen foods case with carmelized onions and some leftover sauteed mushrooms and shallots I'd tossed in the freezer.  These were even better when I topped it with a little plain yogurt.

←

So here are some words on the pelmeni and vareniki:

1. both are types of dumplings, but the dough for pelmeni tends to be thinner and the fillings are, as far as I know, always meat. Vareniki are what americans think of when they say pierogi. And, this my be obvious if you've seen them side by side, the shapes are different - vareniki are sort of half moon shaped and pelmeni are round.

2. traditional ways to eat pelmeni -> butter and vinegar with freshly ground black pepper. Seriously delicious and addictive, should be tangy. My favorite, and ultimate, comfort food. Can put some mustart or horseradish into the butter vinegar mix, too. Can also do the sourcream thing but, to my taste, not as good.

3. traditional way to eat vareniki - sourcream or with sauteed onion and/or mushroom.

4. Must try - sour cherry vareniki - (not a desert dish, you eat them as a savory course) mix them with a bit of sourcream - some vareniki will inevitably leak the sour cherry juice and the whole dish will turn a lovely pink - i guess i should have posted this prior to Valentine's Day because now that I'm describing it, it would make a cool Valentine's Day addition. But seriously, eat these and love them!

5. There's a great restaurant, Gletchek (sp?) in Brighton Beach (NYC) that makes all of these things and they taste as if my grandmother made them!

Oh, and Katie, if you're very curious about something but the packaging is all in russian, if you want to take a picture and post it here, I can always translate.

Edited February 16, 2008 by Gruzia (log)

[KatieLoeb]

Gruzia:

What's the proportion of butter to vinegar for the pelmeni saucing? And what type of vinegar to use? Sounds delicious.

They had freshly made cherry vareniki in the prepared foods department. I was intrigued but didn't know how to prepare them. I'll get them next time if you give me some guidance. Just tossed with a little sour cream?

Thanks for the offer for translation services. I think I'll plod blindly along for now and be more adventurous. Most of the time I can suss out what they're saying from the diagrams in the directions. Y'know - the pot with the little thermometer next to it that say 100 degrees. I can totally boil water and drop the boil in bags in whether I can read the box or not.

[Gruzia]

Gruzia:

What's the proportion of butter to vinegar for the pelmeni saucing?  And what type of vinegar to use?  Sounds delicious.

They had freshly made cherry vareniki in the prepared foods department.  I was intrigued but didn't know how to prepare them.  I'll get them next time if you give me some guidance.  Just tossed with a little sour cream?

←

so the pelmeni- i don't know the exact proportions of vinegar and butter - i just tend to put in about a tablespoon's worth (for about 15 small pelmeni) and let it melt and then drizzle in the vinegar to taste. As for the type - either regular white vinegar or red wine or cider will work - don't use balsamic or anything sweeter because you want a bit of tartness.

the cherry vareniki you just toss with a bit of sour cream and umm maybe a tablespoon (not the measure as above, here i mean your regular tablespoon) for about 10 - see if that is enough when you mix it - you want that creaminess but not globs. i have the next two weeks off, so my plan is to make the cherry vareniki - if i actually do this (i'm a bit of a slacker), i'll post the pics and you'll see what i mean. But there are no hard and fast rules for this, you just do it to your taste - some like a little more and others a little less, as with the pelmeni.

[KatieLoeb]

the cherry vareniki you just toss with a bit of sour cream and umm maybe a tablespoon (not the measure as above, here i mean your regular tablespoon) for about 10 - see if that is enough when you mix it - you want that creaminess but not globs.  i have the next two weeks off, so my plan is to make the cherry vareniki - if i actually do this (i'm a bit of a slacker), i'll post the pics and you'll see what i mean.  But there are no hard and fast rules for this, you just do it to your taste - some like a little more and others a little less, as with the pelmeni.

←

A bit of sour cream and a tablespoon of ______??? I think we're crossing signals here. Tablespoon of butter, or a tablespoon of vinegar with the sour cream and cherry vareniki? Either version sounds like it might be interesting, but I want to make sure I have what I need in the fridge if you don't have time to post the step-by-step instructions with pics.

Thanks!

[Gruzia]

the cherry vareniki you just toss with a bit of sour cream and umm maybe a tablespoon (not the measure as above, here i mean your regular tablespoon) for about 10 - see if that is enough when you mix it - you want that creaminess but not globs.  i have the next two weeks off, so my plan is to make the cherry vareniki - if i actually do this (i'm a bit of a slacker), i'll post the pics and you'll see what i mean.  But there are no hard and fast rules for this, you just do it to your taste - some like a little more and others a little less, as with the pelmeni.

←

A bit of sour cream and a tablespoon of ______??? I think we're crossing signals here. Tablespoon of butter, or a tablespoon of vinegar with the sour cream and cherry vareniki? Either version sounds like it might be interesting, but I want to make sure I have what I need in the fridge if you don't have time to post the step-by-step instructions with pics.

Thanks!

←

Oh, sorry! I was a bit unclear - the tablespoon was refering to the sour cream amount. The cherry vareniki are just with sour cream.

[KatieLoeb]

Got it! The cherry ones will have to wait for my next trip. But I'm definitely going to try the butter and vinegar sauce on my next batch of the frozen ones I already have. I'm looking forward to it. Yum!

[bjcohan]

Fortunately, I pass Bell's Market at least once a week and often stop by. However, closer to home is another market that I like even more than Bell's -

Net Cost Market

in the Leo Mall at 11701 Bustleton Avenue

267-672-2500

To get there, bus route 58 stops less than a block away (at Hendrix Street), or by car 95 north to Woodhaven, Woodhaven to the end, right at the light onto Byberry Road, left on Bustleton and it's a block or two down on your left.)

They're open 7 days a week.

Their meats are good, breads amazing (and often still warm), smoked meats extraordinary, and they have a whole counter just for caviar. (I'm not a huge fan of salmon caviar, but I tried some there a couple of months ago that was so good, I splurged and bought a huge container without having to tap the piggy bank.) The prepared foods are also fascinating. They sell Texeira's Portuguese bread cheaper than any of the other markets. I have bought foods there that I had to go home and Google to see what they were, but nearly everything I've tried has been a winner.

I buy nearly all the fruits for our restaurant's sorbets there.

Favorites:

Their prepackaged smoked duck breast... to DIE for.

Borodinsky bread

Cranberry-walnut sourdough bread - prepackaged and sliced but still glorious (and not a single chemical among the ingredients!).

Fruits like cactus pear ("tuna"in Spanish), pithaya (on occasion), papaya, whole cartons of blood oranges, etc.

Fresh herbs, tiny eggplants, white asparagus, baby zucchini, daikon, bok choy.

Wonderful pickled mushrooms and vegetables.

Juices, such as 100% pomegranate or blood orange.

Incredible variety of smoked fish.

It's best to go when they're not crowded. Some of their employees speak a bit of English, particularly the younger ones. Most of the produce guys speak Spanish (thank goodness)! My Russian is so rudimentary that although I know when they've called my number, I often order deli meats by pointing. I've had particular difficulty communicating when I need something sliced paper thin. They have good prosciutto, but will usually not trim the hard bits before slicing.

My panini are definitely much better since I've been shopping there, and I don't have to go to 9th street as often as I used to. Best of all, it's like traveling to Europe without the airfare.

Barb

[rooy1960]

Fortunately, I pass Bell's Market at least once a week and often stop by.  However, closer to home is another market that I like even more than Bell's -

Net Cost Market

in the Leo Mall at 11701 Bustleton Avenue

267-672-2500

To get there, bus route 58 stops less than a block away (at Hendrix Street), or by car 95 north to Woodhaven, Woodhaven to the end, right at the light onto Byberry Road, left on Bustleton and it's a block or two down on your left.)

They're open 7 days a week.

Their meats are good, breads amazing (and often still warm), smoked meats extraordinary, and they have a whole counter just for caviar.  (I'm not a huge fan of salmon caviar, but I tried some there a couple of months ago that was so good, I splurged and bought a huge container without having to tap the piggy bank.)  The prepared foods are also fascinating.  They sell Texeira's Portuguese bread cheaper than any of the other markets.  I have bought foods there that I had to go home and Google to see what they were, but nearly everything I've tried has been a winner. 

I buy nearly all the fruits for our restaurant's sorbets there.

Favorites: 

Their prepackaged smoked duck breast... to DIE for. 

Borodinsky bread

Cranberry-walnut sourdough bread - prepackaged and sliced but still glorious (and not a single chemical among the ingredients!).

Fruits like cactus pear ("tuna"in Spanish), pithaya (on occasion), papaya, whole cartons of blood oranges, etc.

Fresh herbs, tiny eggplants, white asparagus, baby zucchini, daikon, bok choy.

Wonderful pickled mushrooms and vegetables.

Juices, such as 100% pomegranate or blood orange.

Incredible variety of smoked fish.

It's best to go when they're not crowded.  Some of their employees speak a bit of English, particularly the younger ones.  Most of the produce guys speak Spanish (thank goodness)!  My Russian is so rudimentary that although I know when they've called my number, I often order deli meats by pointing.  I've had particular difficulty communicating when I need something sliced paper thin.  They have good prosciutto, but will usually not trim the hard bits before slicing. 

My panini are definitely much better since I've been shopping there, and I don't have to go to 9th street as often as I used to.  Best of all, it's like traveling to Europe without the airfare.

Barb

←

Barb-

i am so there tomorrow. thanks for sharing!!! oh, yeah, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Paloma-----> my favorite restaurant in Philadelphia!!!

[cinghiale]

Made it to Bell's today, this time with camera.

More of the sausage area:

For cured sausages, I got Petrovskaya and Alpino, my two favorites from last time. Also, half a smoked chicken, four pork knockwurst, and cooked pork sausage.

On to the fish counter:

I got a small smoked fish whose Russian name now escapes me; it isn't listed on my receipt by name. It began with an "s"; needl-y head. The counterwoman didn't know the English name.

There's plenty of herring:

I passed this time, since I still have some from my last visit.

Prepared foods:

Per the posters above, I went straight for the cherry vareniki, which are being obtained for me in the last photo. I also got savory vareniki and the pork/mushroom croquette-like things (kotlety kupeches), also pictured above. I really enjoyed the croquette last time. I skipped the latkes, which are also good.

Corner of the bread area:

I got a package of pita from Damascus Bakery in Brooklyn: $0.89.

Honey selection:

Confitures and syrups:

Pomegranite selection:

I got one from Turkey and one from Azerbaijan: $3.19 for one, $3.49 (less $0.20, cuz I'm a Bell's Club Member) for the other. There's also "Georgia's Finest", as in the country, not the state.

Farmer's cheese and kefir:

Sour cream:

I chose this one for the vareniki:

I decided to give Kvass a try. Here are two examples:

According to Wiki, kvas(s) means "leaven" and is sometimes translated as "bread drink". I had some at lunch at an Uzbeki place further up Bustleton (report later), and found it kinda like flat German "alt" beer, if that's any help.

From Bell's we went up to Net Cost, and it's worth the trip. Unfortunately, I didn't get the OK to take pix. Their prepared food selections are somewhat different, their sausages are less extensive, but their pickled selection is better. I took home some seaweed, kimchee (kimcha) (choice of "hot" or "superhot"), and mushrooms. They also have an extensive variety of bulk caviar/roe. There must've been six different salmon roe. They'll let you taste 'em, too. I chose one that was priced at $18/lb. A really big container set me back $12.

If you venture to Net Cost, I highly recommend Uzbekistan Restaurant right next door. I'll try to post about that lunch shortly.

[mattohara]

wow! thanks for the pics. i assumed it would be much smaller-something like Bitar's. i'm really excited to go to Bell's in two weeks when my folks come in to visit.