Philly Mag best of 2005

[stephenc]

Anyone check this out?

It was like reading a year's worth of eg posts in one issue.

I loled when I saw Tifco win for best Chinese (Authentic). They better thank me for mentioning this humble little stripmall place way out in the 'burbs here a while back.

Props to Minor Gourmandry for winning best foodblog.

And hi to the Phillymag editors who are undubitably reading this right now.

[Rich Pawlak]

Anyone check this out?

It was like reading a year's worth of eg posts in one issue.

I loled when I saw Tifco win for best Chinese (Authentic).   They better thank me for mentioning this humble little stripmall place way out in the 'burbs here a while back.

Props to Minor Gourmandry for winning best foodblog.  

And hi to the Phillymag editors who are undubitably  reading this right now.

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Yeah, but not one BOP for anything beer related; and here we sit in the best beer city in America. How much longer are they gonna ignore The Grey Lodge? McMennamin's Tavern? Ten Stone anyone? Independence? Sly Fox? Isaac Newton's? McGillin's ferchrissakes??? Sheesh. Beer writer Lew Bryson said it best on his website HERE. Isn't it about time they do some decent beer writing at that magazine?

[stephenc]

That's because Phillymag has a reputation as a Mainline bourgeois magazine.

[philadining]

Indeed, thanks Stephen, I never would have gone in Tifco's if it weren't for your post here on eGullet. I hope they get busy, but not TOO busy...

And congrats Shinyboots!

And good point, Rich (and Lew). This is an unmistakably great beer town, it's just weird for that aspect to be overlooked.

[herbacidal]

McMennamin's Tavern? Ten Stone anyone? Independence? Sly Fox? Isaac Newton's?

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Where's Isaac Newton's?

[Rich Pawlak]

McMennamin's Tavern? Ten Stone anyone? Independence? Sly Fox? Isaac Newton's?

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Where's Isaac Newton's?

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Isaac Newton's is in Newtown, PA, and is one of the very best beer bars on the east coast.

[KatieLoeb]

Actually Rich, I didn't notice much of anything beverage related, save for the best funky cocktails at whatever restaurant it was in Chinatown that they mentioned. Granted, I only skimmed through the magazine at a friend's house this evening and don't have it at my disposal to check, but I was conciously looking for and didn't see anything about best wine list, best grown up bar, best martini, or anything remotely similar. Rather disappointing. I guess I'm going to have to try to make the list myself next year!

Props to Shinyboots for best food blog and to Marigold for best new BYOB.

Seems we PhilleGulleteers are ahead of the curve, as usual.

[shacke]

Seems we PhilleGulleteers are ahead of the curve, as usual. 

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To quote an obscure movie line .... "I say it here and it comes out there".

Albert Brooks in Broadcast News

and another shout out to Shinyboots - good work! Is he still in the area for school or is he off to another forum?

Edited August 6, 2005 by shacke (log)

[Jeff L]

McMennamin's Tavern? Ten Stone anyone? Independence? Sly Fox? Isaac Newton's?

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Where's Isaac Newton's?

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Isaac Newton's is in Newtown, PA, and is one of the very best beer bars on the east coast.

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I agree with Rich on the beer bar part of Isaac Newtons. I live next door in Holland and frequently visit when I want some real beer. My problem though is they are desperately trying to be Newtown's version of Monks Cafe and fail miserably with the food. The Belgium frittes come close but otherwise the menu is lacking in my opinion.

[Capaneus]

McMennamin's Tavern? Ten Stone anyone? Independence? Sly Fox? Isaac Newton's?

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Where's Isaac Newton's?

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Isaac Newton's is in Newtown, PA, and is one of the very best beer bars on the east coast.

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I agree with Rich on the beer bar part of Isaac Newtons. I live next door in Holland and frequently visit when I want some real beer. My problem though is they are desperately trying to be Newtown's version of Monks Cafe and fail miserably with the food. The Belgium frittes come close but otherwise the menu is lacking in my opinion.

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They have a better beer list than Monk's? How so?

[Rich Pawlak]

Not a better beer list, but a good beer list, with many more American micros than Belgian ales.

[etalanian]

Maybe it's time to start an email campaign to Philly mag with suggestions for categories. Would be nice if they did a readers' survey and asked for category suggestions. There are a lot missing, and some of the current categories are sort of non-items. Maybe an entire issue devoted to Best of Philly Food would solve the problem. I mean, Phila is such a food city. It deserves more than a few food categories on the Best Of list. And IMHO all of the food cartegories should be serious.

[Holly Moore]

Maybe it's time to start an email campaign to Philly mag with suggestions for categories. Would be nice if they did a readers' survey and asked for category suggestions.

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Me thinks you just did. OK what categories are missing from the Best of Philly food compilation and which places should win in the categories you would add?

[rockhopper]

Maybe it's time to start an email campaign to Philly mag with suggestions for categories. Would be nice if they did a readers' survey and asked for category suggestions.

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Me thinks you just did. OK what categories are missing from the Best of Philly food compilation and which places should win in the categories you would add?

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Well, there is the eternal "best cheesesteak" extravaganza. Why not a best roast pork sandwich category?

[Capaneus]

Maybe it's time to start an email campaign to Philly mag with suggestions for categories. Would be nice if they did a readers' survey and asked for category suggestions.

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Me thinks you just did. OK what categories are missing from the Best of Philly food compilation and which places should win in the categories you would add?

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Well, there is the eternal "best cheesesteak" extravaganza. Why not a best roast pork sandwich category?

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Bacause they "retired" the category after someone (Tony Lukes? Anyone?) won it for more years than was seemly. If I remember correctly. That's also the problem with "Best/Best French Restaurant" (LBF) and a slew of others.

The underlying issue, though, is that I think they have been deliberately trying to keep the BOP issue fresh by not repeating too many categories - or hitting too many of the obvious categories. The problem being that since, as someone else pointed out, they are very attentive to Main Line sensibilities, they end up not having very many many particularly interesting or adventurous entries anyway (with apologies to Main Line 'Gulleteers of a rakish mindset).

The City Paper's list, hit-or-miss and capricious as it is, is often a much more fun, and often surprising, read.

But if I take Holly's point, maybe we can do our own. Like

Best Classic Dish

Best New Take on a Classic Dish

Best Dessert, Chocolate

Best Dessert, Chocolate-Free

Most Creative Wine List

Best Value Wine List

Best Mashed Potatoes...

Take it away, folks.

[KatieLoeb]

How 'bout:

Best new restaurant - ethnic

Best new restaurant - special occasion/expensive

Best new restaurant - down and dirty/cheap

Best new bar

Best new signature cocktail

Best new concept restaurant

[MarketStEl]

One of the things I like about the CityPaper's best-of awards is that they invent neat wacky categories to recognize unusual places. I ate at Pho 75 (for the first time!) two weekends ago, and they had one--something like "best place to eat soup while pretending you're in a re-education camp" or something with a little less condescension. (The text pointed out that you went to Pho 75 for the fantastic soup, not the school-cafeteria ambience.)

Perhaps we could have a few of those, including some anti-bests, such as:

Best Place to Entertain Your Evil Mother-in-Law

Best Romantic Break-Up Spot

Best Mixture of Wildly Clashing Cuisines

Best Place to Pig Out for Under $25/Person

Best Place to Pig Out When Money is No Object

Best Comfort Food

Best Discomfort Food

Most Stylish Presentation

Best Triumph of Style Over Substance

[KatieLoeb]

One of the things I like about the CityPaper's best-of awards is that they invent neat wacky categories to recognize unusual places.  I ate at Pho 75 (for the first time!) two weekends ago, and they had one--something like "best place to eat soup while pretending you're in a re-education camp" or something with a little less condescension.  (The text pointed out that you went to Pho 75 for the fantastic soup, not the school-cafeteria ambience.)

Perhaps we could have a few of those, including some anti-bests, such as:

Best Place to Entertain Your Evil Mother-in-Law

Best Romantic Break-Up Spot

Best Mixture of Wildly Clashing Cuisines

Best Place to Pig Out for Under $25/Person

Best Place to Pig Out When Money is No Object

Best Comfort Food

Best Discomfort Food

Most Stylish Presentation

Best Triumph of Style Over Substance

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If we could combine the "Place to entertain the Evil (ex)Monster-in-Law" with the Prisoner of War Camp thing you might be on to something...

[shinyboots]

Thanks to those of you who commented on my award, and to Katie, for alerting me to the thread. I've been sun-basking and dining in Cape May for the past 8 days and without my cherished wifi, so my site and forum posting have been nill. (I've just completed a post with some mini-reviews of Cape May's best on my blog.)

About the award: I was invited to the "Best Of" party only days before its occurrence and attended believing I was being thanked for participating on a few miscellaneous articles. Whatever the reason for the invitation, my thinking was, in true minor gourmand fashion, why not go if there's free food?

Because of a freak wind storm, my "winner" nametag was blown away, only to be recovered and presented to me an hour later. Upon its belated reception, I was both suprised and gratified to find I'd been recognized by Philly Mag. When the plaque comes in the mail I will certainly proudly place it in the window of my dorm.

As some of you know, I am college-bound this fall, which is exciting for obvious reasons, but also upsetting because of my re-location. I will be attending Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, studying in the school of Agriculture and Life Science (no, not the famed Hotel School -- everyone always asks me). Although I'm not sure where my studies will lead, my major (Food Science), does seem to follow a recent life trend.

My first intention was to go to New York City, to Columbia, and continue the blog for fun while studying media (journalism). After the bastards denied me, I looked to Cornell, the school I should have applied to in the first place.

Almost a year ago I started Minor Gourmandry to explore the budding foodie inside me, and to placate my techie-wanabe yen. The languor of Senior year academics allowed me to develop the site's central themes: roaming, consuming, photo-ing, and reviewing. Now that I'm off to college, in remote Ithaca no less, I won't have the time to continue the site or participate in Philly's eGullet and Chowhound community with the same fervency.

What to do with the site, I'm not sure, but I'm open to suggestions.

In conclusion to this overwrought (and wildly conceited) post, I want to say that I've greatly appreciated reading and sometimes responding to all of the posts the Major Gourmands of eGullet have posted in this forum. Long live Philly food, and the sites that adore it.

[Holly Moore]

Let me add my congrats. I am curious what the best food blogger does at the Best of Philly party. Restaurants serve food there. Others demonstrate their products or services. Did you sit at a computer and blog?

Egad - you're going to be an aggie. I know the Cornell Daily Sun can use some astute food writing. As you said there is a decent hotel school across the campus. You might want to snag some electives there. Give you some restaurant insights apart from the customer point of view.

eGullet is not just Philly, but international. So I hope you'll keep posting on eGullet as the mood strikes. Of late I've missed your posts.

As to your site, there is a surprising amount of good eating in Ithaca and around the Finger Lakes region. I respect that you want to commit your time to studies, but in the spirit of college freshmen everywhere, you're going to need to break away on occasion. Given you're at the Ag school there should be plenty of those opportunities. Use at least some of those occasions to eat about and keep Minor Gourmandry flourishing.

I'm hoping you will keep Minor Gourmandry going as long as you're going. Imagine 80 years of Minor Gourmandry. Would be quite something and would live on as a valuable source of opinion and information.

Give my regards to Davey.

[philadining]

Andy, you totally should keep Minor Gourmandry going while you're at school. (Maybe it gets temporarily retitled Minor Dormandry while living on campus.)

Even though you'll probably only have access to some microscopic shared oven, i suspect you're still going to bake, you're still going to eat out, you'll be right near some pretty good wineries so, eventually, ahem, when it's legal of course, you'll sample their product. There's plenty of gourmandizing to do, even around Ithaca. And you'll have vacations and take trips, so you'll experience more restaurants and bakeries and farm markets and want to write about it.

Of course you'll be busy with school, but trust me on this, you'll still have some down time. So maybe your blog entries will be less monumental, but you're still going to eat. Tell us about it! There's no reason it has to be Philly-centric.

So again, congrats on the award, (and congrats on getting into Cornell by the way, that's not exactly a cakewalk either.) And I say keep blogging. Gourmandry never sleeps...

[shacke]

Don't give into Domino's dude. Ignore the peer pressure. Remember who you are and where you came from.

[herbacidal]

Even though you'll probably only have access to some microscopic shared oven, i suspect you're still going to bake,

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I suggest you wander by the Tasting Room, map linked below, for guidance on what wonders are available with limited kitchen resources.

http://local.yahoo.com/details?fr=dd-local...B1eEgKJfBe49jU-

Others can testify as to how much they can do with so little in the kitchen.

Also, there's all kinds of threads on dorm cooking, college cooking, etc. I can't find the particular one I'm looking for, but that might a pipe dream in my head of multiple threads in one.

[MarketStEl]

Anyone check this out?

It was like reading a year's worth of eg posts in one issue.

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True. But the Pizza Club hasn't yet given NYPD Pizza its official stamp of approval. It deserves its BoP--this place has thin, crispy crusts down cold--and we really need to descend upon it soon.

[VictorFiorillo]

Appreciate the feedback. Just to clarify, we did hit best martini, as well as some of the other categories that you mention.