Time to let the cat out of the bag

[KatieLoeb]

Hi all:

I had the pleasure of meeting Chris and his crew this afternoon whilst they were filming a segment at Freddy and Tony's featuring delicious Puerto Rican food. Tomorrow's shoot will be cheesesteaks at Steve's Prince of Steaks, 7200 Bustleton Avenue in the Great Northeast.

Chris asked me to post looking for PhilleGulleteers that might want to come and be part of the background for the shoot. Timing is approximately 6PM-ish Saturday 7/29 at Steve's Prince of Steaks.

Let's help make the Philly segment of Chris' new show the best one!!

PM me if you need further details, otherwise just show up at Steve's tomorrow!

[MarketStEl]

After tonight, I don't envy TV series personalities their lives.

I hope that Chris had several good stiff drinks after today's session. I know I did, and he did all the heavy lifting.

I think that someone once described war as long stretches of boredom interrupted by bursts of sheer terror. That may be a little over the top for describing a TV location shoot, but it's in the neighborhood: Hours of standing around followed by minutes of intensity.

And repetition. I think the crew spent about an hour on takes and retakes of what will ultimately become about five minutes of footage and narrative. Having been through all the shots, it will be interesting to see which ones end up in the finished product and which end up on the cutting room floor.

But the forced idleness came with its own rewards: one-and-a-half of the best cheesesteaks I've ever eaten, plus a chance to see what happens when real folks find themselves in the presence of TV cameras.

One patron preened for the camera, breaking out into a huge smile when one of the camera crew shot her eating through the window. Another figured out a way to turn a simple sandwich order into six different visits to the order counter in order to maximize chances of appearing on camera. Others simply stayed a while to see the show before the show.

Oh, yes, the steaks? First rate. SLiced (not chopped) steak on very good rolls, suffused with Whiz.

[KatieLoeb]

Obviously Sandy hasn't gotten home yet to post, so I'll just say what a heck of a lot of respect I have for the crew that Chris had working with him on this shoot. Three long 14+ hour days in brutalizing July Philly heat and humidity. Damn. And from what I understand, they've gotten a good look around our fair city, from Reading Terminal Market, to Johnny Hots for a Surf 'n Turf dog, to the Italian Market, to the greater Northeast. I can hardly wait to see the finished product which will be airing some time in October.

When you see that parting shot of Chris eating his cheesesteak at Steve's Prince of Steaks, right over his shoulder you'll catch a glimpse of Sandy and I sitting next to Chris at the counter, eating a cheesesteak in the background.

I'm ready for my closeup. Mr. DeMille.

edited to add: We cross posted!

[KatieLoeb]

I'd like to add that in addition to the steaks at Steve's Prince of Steaks being one of the best examples in the city of the genre, they also served fine cheese fries and spicy fries/spicy cheese fries, and had chocolate syrup available for my new favorite drink, the chocolate/cherry Coke! Yummy!

No gravy for "disco fries" though. Both Sandy and I were quite disappointed.

[Chris Cognac]

you guys were great, thanks for coming...I have to go shoot more stuff now and then fly to Boston...funny thing, all you locals left and we couldnt find our way home last night when we finished around 1115...uggh!

hey Boston folks, you are welcome to come and hang out, its an experience to see it made...

[MarketStEl]

you guys were great, thanks for coming...I have to go shoot more stuff now and then fly to Boston...funny thing, all you locals left and we couldnt find our way home last night when we finished around 1115...uggh!

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You needed the GPS in Holly's UAV. (I tried to get it to check my e-mail, but it wasn't having any of that Yahoo! s##t.)

It is also probably the only person, place or thing left in town (the ancient signs pointing to the on-ramps aside) that still calls I-95 the "Delaware Expressway."

[Nishla]

you guys were great, thanks for coming...I have to go shoot more stuff now and then fly to Boston...funny thing, all you locals left and we couldnt find our way home last night when we finished around 1115...uggh!

hey Boston folks, you are welcome to come and hang out, its an experience to see it made...

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I'd love to see a TV shoot...do you know when/where all the Boston locations will be?

[Andrew B Hurvitz]

Boston "Culinary Detective" itinerary:

Chris Cognac asked me to post his filming schedule in Boston, MA. These are the approximate times and places he will be in Boston this week.

July 31st

8:30 AM: JP Licks, Jamaica Plain

2-6PM: Warren Tavern, Charlestown

Aug 1st:

8am: Atlantic Coast Fish Co., Boston, Waterfront

12-2 PM: Modern Pastry Shop, N. End

2-6PM Daily Catch, N End or Waterfront

Aug 2nd:

9 AM-Noon: McKennas Dorchester

Aug 3rd:

4:30-8pm: Mary Chung, Cambridge

[agbaber]

Some shots from todays filming:

[Chris Cognac]

The light pole that the camera guy and I are standing next to causeed us endless problems....the camera guy Dave was walking backwards while I was doing a stand up walk and talk....he kept bumping into it and we would have to do it again (he doesnt have eyes in the back of his head).....it was funny so we decided to do a photo with the stupid pole! Andrew has been with us the whole time, he is a big help and I think he is getting some great experience out of it.....if you have not seen a food network show shot, its an interesting experience....so come on down if you are in Boston...

[LindaK]

Bummer! Such is the penance for for not checking in last night. this morning, I dropped my car off for service just a couple of blocks from JP Licks, at around 8:15 this morning. Walked right by the place en route to the subway to get to work, not knowing that you guys were there. Hope all went well.

I'll try to get over to the North End tomorrow for the midday shoot, it''s close to my office. So glad you chose Modern Pastry over nearby competitor Mike's--even though Modern's recent renovations still make me sad, the old place was so cool.

And do the Daily Catch North End rather than Waterfront if you can, the setting is unequalled for "local." Though how you fit cameras and people in there at the same time, I couldn't say.

[Jason Perlow]

DEFINITELY get the squid ink pasta and the fried calamari at Daily Catch.

[moosnsqrl]

Appropos of nothing, here is a shot I took of Officer Cognac posing in front of the fabulous outdoor kitchen facilities at the Hawthorne, CA "cop shop." Take note of how young and well-rested he looks in this picture -- given his schedule, it ain't gonna happen again any time soon.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=mo...md=si&img=62868

[agbaber]

Today:

Edited August 2, 2006 by agbaber (log)

[Holly Moore]

One thing that struck me while filming in Philadelphia, and as the pics above bear out, is that I could be Chris's heavier, eviler twin. Front and profile it's like looking at a mirror. Unfortunate for Chris. Maybe good for me if restaurants mistake me as the Food Network's Culinary Dectective.

[Jason Perlow]

You guys must be going nuts with half the Central Artery shut down.

[Chris Cognac]

Yea the traffic sucks and thats for sure...yea Holly the evil twin thing has been brought up by several people.....and its even hotter here in Boston than it was in Philly!

[judiu]

Appropos of nothing, here is a shot I took of Officer Cognac posing in front of the fabulous outdoor kitchen facilities at the Hawthorne, CA "cop shop."  Take note of how young and well-rested he looks in this picture -- given his schedule, it ain't gonna happen again any time soon.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=mo...md=si&img=62868

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Argh! I "don't have permission to use" this link!

[KatieLoeb]

One thing that struck me while filming in Philadelphia, and as the pics above bear out, is that I could be Chris's heavier, eviler twin.  Front and profile it's like looking at a mirror.  Unfortunate for Chris.  Maybe good for me if restaurants mistake me as the Food Network's Culinary Dectective.

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It's funny to hear you say this out loud, only because I was chuckling to myself over the very same thing as I watched you two walking and chatting as that same 30 seconds was filmed ad nauseum down the block from Freddy and Tony's...

And of course Holly, we need to dine together more frequently once the show debuts, as I'd be delighted to be mistaken for the faux-Culinary Detective's Frequent Dining Companion.

Actually I'd like to correct that. We just need to dine together more frequently in general.

and its even hotter here in Boston than it was in Philly!

Chris it's hard to believe, but it's hotter here now than when you were here last week! It was already 90+ degrees at 10AM this morning when I arrived at work. It's been an absolute sauna the last few days. Which wouldn't suck if I were appropriately dressed for it in nothing more than a towel, but it's not like that. It's even hard to breathe. Gah!

[MarketStEl]

Gawd, Boston/Philly comparisons again!

Not to feed our inferiority complex further, but I see your staff posted photos of the Boston swing but none of Philly.

Katie: There is no appropriate dress for this weather. Not even a towel, except to wipe the sweat off your body.

[Chris Cognac]

We have had Andrew from right here on eG with us all week and he has been awesome! We are gonna try and put him on TV today...that will make 4 eG folks so far on the show....Andrew has been posting the pics....off to go shoot the Mary Chungs segment..

[Holly Moore]

Yea the traffic sucks and thats for sure...yea Holly the evil twin thing has been brought up by several people.....and its even hotter here in Boston than it was in Philly!

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I'm thinking there might be work as your stunt double.

[SheenaGreena]

just my luck, I miss you in Boston by one day!!!!!

crap

[Jay Francis]

Ditto, Chris, for Houston. If there is anything that I can help with for your shoot in Houston, please don't hesitate to call. If you're looking for fairly Houston specific restaurants (smaller scale versus the famous ones, the ones that always get listed in Zagat's) here are the ones that I always expose out of town visitor friends to:

Williams Smokehouse for smoked ribs

The Tampico for snapper a la plancha

El Hidalguense for maguey smoked lamb shoulder

Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen for stacked enchiladas

The original Ninfa's on Navigation

Himalaya for the best naan in town

Caspian for Persian food

Mai's Kitchen for fun Vietnamese food

The food courts at Hong Kong City Mall for Banh Xeo and Pho

Jasmine for the Vietnamese fish seven ways

Raindrop Chocolate for gelato

Santong snacks for dumplings and noodle soups

Shri Balaji Bhavan for southern Indian specialties

Lopez for Tex-Mex

[Chris Cognac]

Jay, can you pm andrew hurvitz and tell him about yourself...he has some posts up thread a bit and is part of the production team....I am only spending 2 days at home and am off to NYC for some promo shoots than off to atlanta, charelston and miami...whew