JugglerDave's Profile
a.kitchen is a.mazing!
The Bride & I were underwhelmed as well, at dinnertime. Nothing that we ordered seemed to elevate above 'ok but not excellent'. The pot de creme dessert (which Craig LeBan wrote as "overgelled" was like a bucket of thick tar. I didn't finish it; the first time in a very very long time I can remember not finishing a dessert.
Off topic but we had a wonderful dinner at Kennett last night which we enjoyed 10x more.
Fancy Dessert (chocolate) "bar" in Philadelphia (at a hotel?)?
Swann Lounge at the Four Seasons had a dessert buffet on Friday/Saturday nights but they stopped it a few years ago. According to my phone calendar, we went in May 2002!
Meme Review
Meme is a restaurant I want to like, as I live in the neighborhood and love the outdoor seating in warm weather. Ive been perhaps 4 or 5 times since they opened. However, on my two visits last year I left disappointed.
On the first, a steak ordered medium-rare came out virtually well. I sent it back, and the second one came out not quite as bad but certainly over-prepared. On the second visit, pan-seared scallops (a dish I order often in many different restaurants) came out with the center COLD. Those went back as well.
Unfortunately it is hard to decide to return and give them another chance when two visits in a row were disappointing.
Shad
I had a very nice special of Shad fillet with a smoked scallop vinaigrette topping last week at Friday Saturday Sunday.
Help me find a good kosher butcher, please.
Yes the Acme on Montgomery Ave (Narberth/Wynnewood) has a kosher butcher section.
Great moist brownies in town.
I was very pleased on two separate occasions with the moist brownies at "Caffeination" coffee shop at 21st & Chestnut.
Seeking Fujianese cuisine:
Fuzhou House (22nd & South St) is a take-out/delivery place -- maybe one lonely plastic table in there, primarily for waiting for picking up food. I'm looking at the menu now and I don't see any dishes that I don't see on other typical menus, but I don't know anything about Fujianese dishes and whether they are over or under-represented.
We have only had the vegetarian dishes (they have a full page of the mock meat stuff, which is atypical, and their tagline on the menu is "Famous Vegetarian Dishes") and it has been pretty tasty, but nowhere as good as Su Xiang House for vegetarian Chinese.
Please help finalize Philly list!! (Researched)
Thanksgiving is tough, but I would concentrate on the Chinatown/Vietnamese places. Perhaps try Chung King Garden or Szechwan Tasty House in chinatown for amazing Szechwan food.
Attention Philly hounds! Car-less visiting L.A. Chowhound needs to know-- Where is the best Philly Cheesesteak available by SEPTA (subway and W2 lines)
I hate to say it but most of your choices are way off the beaten path for transit without several transfers.
My heartfelt advice: When you take the Airport Septa line, take it to Market East station. You are then only 1 block from Reading Terminal Market, where you can enjoy DiNic's Roast Pork (with provolone and broccoli rabe). And you can have all the other treats in the market (the market... and CH.... are filled with suggestions). Then an easy 1 block walk back to your train station, hop back on the R2 up to warminster.
Please help finalize Philly list!! (Researched)
If you can't get into Modo Mio, and even if you can, I would suggest Paesano's (same owner) for the best hot sandwiches. Mmm.
Try adding a lunchtime Italian Market crawl down 9th Street to your list. You can get great Puebla-style tacos at several of the places around 9th & Washington. Sarcone's Deli was mentioned, also Bitars at 10th & Federal does a nice grilled falafel sandwich.
I'll confirm that the chocolate cake dessert at Meme was excellent!
Adding Ethiopian food to your list... there are a few places around. We recently went to Abyssinia Ethiopian at 45th/Locust and it was very good. In Center City, "Almaz Cafe" also has Ethiopian (20th just above Walnut) but you can't tell from outside, it's on a 'hidden' menu.
Heading to Philadelphia for 2 days ONLY - have done research! Advice Rq Pls
Paesano's is fantastic and have some of the best sandwiches in the city! And as urbanfabric said, you don't have to walk there -- it's literally one block from the Market St El ("Blue Line") Girard Ave Stop, which is only 5 minutes' ride from Center City.
Oyster House
The Bride & I ate there on Saturday night -- thought we'd give it a try after being extremely underwhelmed during the previous ownership. Unfortunately we both thought everything was still VERY mediocre (although the NE Clam Chowder was quite good).
Service was extremely rushed! Even with a cocktail, appetizers, and entree we were out in 35 minutes, which was very unpleasant. I understand the need to turn tables and be "efficient" but that's too rushed for an evening meal.
The Bride's fish could have been titled "butter, served three ways". The fish, fennel & other accompaniments were extremely over-soaked.
My crabcakes were OK. Drinks were good.
Yogorino
We stopped in yesterday afternoon. The line was almost out the door. The yogurt was tasty. The dark chocolate "torone" topping was OK but not spectacular (and hardened a la "Magic shell").
The portion is deceptively small - the cups are part of the deception with the cup bottom halfway down the cylinder and domed upwards inside.
All in all the Bride & I agreed - we'll continue to go to Capogiro instead.
Saturday night dinner at the Piazza at Scmidts
Details please? Bad service? food? prices?
Ice Cream Sundaes - CC West?
Success! Tastebud's (24th & Lombard), a place that has been growing on us, now has hand-dipped ice cream & sundae toppings including hot fudge!
They have 8 flavors (pretty standard mix), kiddie cone was $1.85, a fairly large 1-scoop is $2.50, and Sundae w/ hot fudge & whipped cream & cherry was around $4.50 I believe.
We can now add ice cream to their other good stuff (Mac & Cheese, and their cupcakes).
I asked who provides their ice cream and they said most of them are "Lee's" which I have never heard of. Googling found a place in Blairsville PA, and a more likely one in Baltimore MD. I had the Cookies & Cream which was pretty good, The Bride had the Creamsicle flavor which she enjoyed.
Ice Cream Sundaes - CC West?
oy, for better or for worse.... we needed a Sundae fix so we took the bus crosstown to Franklin Fountain on Sunday.
First, I had the Mt. Vesuvius but made with Ginger ice cream. It was fantastic, somehow the malt powder, spiciness of the ginger, and hot fudge just made for a great flavor combination.
The place had the line out the door as usual. It seems like most of the people in line were foreign tourists but as a local we were happy to partake in the international environment of an authentic "American" ice cream parlor!
Seeking kosher caterer in Philadelphia
Axelrod food designs did a great job with our son's bris with a great spread of nice bagels, lox (very high quality lox) and other fish, and good quiches. I think they do a lot of delivery platters. Their website shows a menu with extensive hot entrees as well.
http://www.flower-florist.com/
Ice Cream Sundaes - CC West?
The Bride and I have been hit hard by ice cream sundae cravings without having to go all the way across town to Franklin Fountain. Is there a place that we just aren't thinking of (casual restaurant, take out place, or anywhere else) that has a normal, scoops-of-ice-cream-with-hot-fudge kind of sundae? Or even just scooped ice cream?
Just to give an idea of what we're talking about...
Pumpkin Market 16th / South doesn't have hot fudge. Otherwise it's got the scoops.
Capogiro, while fantastic, isn't the same thing.
Scoops De Ville focuses on mixins and may not even have hot fudge.
Ritas... bleh.
La Va apparently stopped serving ice cream two years ago.
Andro's is closed.
Any help before it gets to 90 again is appreciated!
Why is garlic bread such a problem child?
Growing up, "Hungarian Garlic Bread" was as follows:
Sliced Rye Bread.
Pan Fry in hot oil until golden brown
Cut a clove of garlic
Rub rub rub until clove is gone
Sprinkle salt.
I think the deep-fry gave it a little extra 'zing' of yummy.
Looking for bakeries in Philly
In the Manayunk neighborhood, there is a small neighborhood Italian bakery called Marchiano's which makes an amazing "Oreganata", a round ring of spiral-rolled bread with tons of olive oil and spices (I like the hot version which is very peppery-hot). They also have great "stuffed breads" which are really lunch entrees, fantastic tomato pie too. Go early or order ahead because they sell out.
http://marchianosbakery.com/menu.htm
Philadelphia - Best Buffalo Chicken Cheesesteak
Hmmm, so what are the qualities of 'the best' buffalo chicken cheesesteak?
- Using a high quality blue-cheese dressing instead of "Sysco-in-a-drum"?
- Quality of the chicken? Is it the pre-formed loaf or real chicken?
- The wing sauce is key, I guess that could vary widely from place to place.
I'm curious since I love very spicy wing sauce and some places might just use a splash of tabasco.
Bike and nosh suggestions
thanks for the bike advice (and feel free to suggest great alternate routes... along with noshes along the way so it's CH on topic).
I'm a veteran of 6000+ miles of cycling in and around Center City Philadelphia so I'm very comfortable with urban cycling and its challenges.
peppermint extract TODAY in philly
Just today I read (in a non-food related context) getting Peppermint Oil at Whole Foods.
You also might want to call and see if Fante's on 9th St. is open late since it is holiday season. They have a wide selection of cake/baking supplies and may have it.
Salty caramels in Philly
Along the same lines (non-artisan), Trader Joe's has "Fleur de Sel" caramels at $8 for 14 oz in a round woodenesque box. I bought some last night; they are OK but not great. I wanted more butter flavor.
HELP! Buffalo Wings in Philly
The Bride & I went there in late summer so that I could have the wings (she had some kind of salad).
The wings were very good, and were whole wings (not drum-ettes and other piece parts). The sauce had a great combination of tang, vinegar, and pepper spice. I like my wings hotter so I was a little disappointed that they only offer 1 sauce (which I would classify as a true medium or medium-plus on the hotness scale).
I can't talk to the quality of the rest of their food.
Ritter Chocolate Bars
when I was traveling on business in Germany I bought all the Ritter varieties and a bunch of other chocolates.
in a "Milke" variety pack they had a bag of chocolate-covered cornflakes and nuts in small clusters. They were great and addictive. Sadly I couldn't find them outside of the variety packs nor anything similar back stateside.
Annoyed with the surprise price of a glass of wine!
I've found a fairly strong correlation between the "typical" price of an appetizer and the typical price of wine by the glass.
That allen & delancey menu has many of their apps at $17, so I'd expect their wines by the glass to be in that range.
Most of the typical mid-range places in Philly are $9-11 for apps, and the wines are in that range. Go to the top-tier places and steakhouses, apps are $15 and so are the wines. You can get a $6 app and $6 glass of wine in low-key neighborhood places.
Grand Pizza Ripoff
How much of the $2 is the cost of the mushrooms? The cost of the labor to put the mushrooms on the pizza? The extra labor or concentration needed to ensure that only 1/2 the pizza is covered with mushrooms? The extra value of having two different types of pizza (plain, and mushroom) on the same pie without having to order two pizzas?
In short, maybe it's not a ripoff. Maybe some other pizza places will price on the fractions, you can try to find them.
Good and Cheap near 22nd and Chestnut?
El Fuego burritos is pretty good (and fast) and just opened at 21st & Chestnut. I thought I read they got a liquor license but I'm not sure.
Mexican in Malvern?
two places of medium quality locally, both the same chain
Mesa Fresh on Lancaster Ave in Frazer (by the shopping center w/ the DMV and SuperFresh and Cheeburger Cheeburger), and there is also one in Gateway Shopping Center towards KofP.
If you extend "Reachable for lunch" you can get to the Mexican places in Norristown, maybe 15-20 minutes by car from Malvern.
