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Where to get good sausage?
I wonder if it was due to careless smoking. Thanks for the update.
Best sushi in Philadelphia?
That experience at Vic's is unfortunate. The owner sold it last year so the real Vic is now in Spring House. But his old place kept the name. The new one in Spring House is among the best sushi in the area.
Where to get good sausage?
I went into Fiorella's recently on a weekday and the woman was sitting behind the counter smoking a cigarette. That is wrong on so many levels. I told her so and walked out. She couldn't have cared less. Maybe that's how they make "smoked" sausage.
Two day trip to Philly, need help
Unfortunately Paesano's new location is a real dump. They could have at least replaced the brown stained ceiling itles.
DiNic's To Take Over Ochs' Spot at Reading Terminal Market
You might want to correct the spelling of "public" markets in your note above so it sounds a bit less genital.
Ambler Donut Company???!!
I tried the blueberry pie (yeast) which was awesome and the sour cream (cake) which was too soft. They seem to do better on the yeast donuts than the cake. Normally I am a cake donut guy so I was surprised that I liked the blueberry pie one so much but I scarfed it down pretty quickly.
Agree with other people about the odd layout inside. It's tough to see what they have. They have a pretty good location to catch morning commuters.
Talula's Garden ... help me decide
As to be expected our meal was of very high quality. A few complaints though: my appetizer portion was so small (I mean really, really small---I didn't think anything could be sliced so thin) I thought it was a joke. The waiter even seemed to be smirking when he served it. Or was that just my imagination?
They also toss a dash of salt on everything before it leaves the kitchen so the meal was way too salty. We had sodium burn for hours afterwards. I would ask them to skip that step. With fresh flavors like this they don't need all the salt.
Overall it was decent and worth a try for the experience but I would not go back.
Hot Diggity opens - hot dogs on South Street
The new hot dog place, Hot Diggity, just opened at 6th and South Street. They have about 10 different types of dogs from around the world. We had the Saigon, which is basically a banh mi with a hot dog instead of comprssed pig's ears. Although come to think of it that's probably not much of a stretch.
The veggies on the Saigon were extremely fresh and crispy; carrots, jalapenos, cilantro etc. The fries were fresh-cut and served Belgian style in a paper cone with various toppings alongside.
We will definitely be back.
Great Pizza in Philadelphia
You are so right about Lombardi's. That was my favorite.
Great Pizza in Philadelphia
Ah, the endless quest for NYC style pizza in Philly. I have lived here for 26 years and am still searching. If you are out to the suburbs sometime Volare Pizza at the Ambler train station is the closest I have come. The owner is from Naples and his wife is from Brooklyn. It's a hole-in-the-wall place.
I too disagreed with many of the selections in the Philly mag article. But I have liked the pizza at Zavino's. It's not NYC style like you are looking for though.
I like the Sicilian at Little Italy behind the South Street Whole Foods. Their regular pizza is ok but the Sicilian is the best I have found around here. The owners are from Palermo as was my grandfather who had a pizzeria in NYC.
Garces pizza a bust
We tried the Garces Trading Company Chicago style pizza. We almost didn't because I balked at the $26 price but my better 90% really wanted to try it. What a disappointment. We've had Chicago style pizza in Chicago so we are not newbies to it. This was more like gloppy tomato soup in a partially burned crust. To be fair the cheese did set a bit after we ate our first slice so maybe it shouldn't be served right out of the oven. But that didn't compensate for a crust that was burned on one side and undercooked on the other. We threw the rest of it out and I am someone who always finsihes my leftover pizza. What a disappointment and at $26 what a rip off.
Best sushi in Philadelphia?
I had a good sushi lunch at Shiroi Hana today, on south 15th street near Locust. The best in the burbs is Vic Sushi in Spring House near Ambler. Get the I-roll.
Ambler Donut Company???!!
Frangellis in South Philly on Ritner Street are teh best donuts I have found. Normally I prefer cake to yeast but their yeast ones are quite crispy. They stuff the jelly and cream donuts to order. They also do that at a bakery in Oreland named Mindy's.
La Viet $5 lunch specials
La Viet, the Vietnamese place on South 11th Street jsut above Washington Avenue was passing around fliers on car windshields advertising their $5 lunch specials. At that price we figured they would be tapas sized so we each ordered two entrees for lunch. Oops.
The servings were rather large. I had the Sai Gon style crab noodle soup with pork roll (their own, not Taylor's) pork blood cubes and tofu in tomato broth. There was two of everything in the soup so it was easy to split. For my entree I had the BBQ pork chop over broken rice that came with shredded pork, eqq quiche, a fried egg on top and soup. I don't know how they can do this for only $5. Both meals were delicious. The pho was better than Pho 75. We also shared spring rolls and a pork rice vermicelli over fresh greens and peanuts.
From the outside the restaurant looks fancy and is gorgeous on the inside. They don't post a menu on the door so we just assumed it was expensive and never went there. They also don't post their hours, the fact they have free parking in the back or the generally positive Craig Laban review.
While the food is delicious I think the owner needs to run it more like a business if he wants to stay in business. We ended up going to the place because of a windshield flier but I doubt that is enough to sustain a restaurant with such expensive fitout and low prices.
La Fuente - New pizza place on South Street
They took over the business from Joey's pizza. I don't know if there was ever a KFC in there. They do delivery and take out too. While the atmosphere is nice I don't like the two large TVs in the dining toom. Too distracting. It seems more and more TVs have moved from the bar to the dining room which a trend I do not like.
openings and closings - winter 2011
Good idea for posting updates. Is there a Montreal style bagel place coming to around 20th and Spruce?
I posted elsewhere that La Fuente pizza has replaced Joey's at 515 South Street.
It appears that Paesano's has closed their Italian Market location as they scout for a new one nearby.
La Fuente - New pizza place on South Street
Joey's pizza at 6th and South Street has closed. New owners have come in and renamed it La Fuente. It's pizza by the pie only plus various pastas, salads and sandwiches. We went out in the snow last night to try it for the first time. We were actually heading elsewhere but their kitchen fan must have been venting onto South Street. We smelled the garlicky tomato sauce and immediately changed our plans. We loved the pizza. It is of the thin crust variety but it managed to be crispy and chewy at the same time, just how we like it, so it wasn't too thin. (Just like me.)
The sauce was flavorful and there was a good ratio of sauce/cheese. You won't get a big crust around the edge of this pizza since it is closer to a flatbread type of dough. We initially meant to eat half of it and take the rest home. One thing led to another and we ate the whole pie. That probably says it all about how we liked it. Next time we will try the truffle pizza with mushrooms, ricotta and arugula.
Being on South Street it's probably not the easiest location for a sitdown family restaurant. Maybe that's why Joey's closed. But it is definitely worth the trip.
Never been to Philly...
Thanks for that article posting. Sometimes it's great to read what out-of-towners are recommending. Note though that the Paesano's in the Italian Market may have closed while they are seeking a new location.
Turkey for Thanksgiving in Montgomery County
Dave's Produce in the Flourtown Farmer's Market.
First visit to Quebec City - seeking restaurants
We'll be staying in the Old Port area. We'll have a car but also like walking to things. Also looking for any good bakeries!
First visit to Quebec City - seeking restaurants
In a few weeks we will be visiting Quebec for the first time. (Not sure why it's taken us so long.) We are seeking authentic Quebec food experiences, the good places that locals know about and are not there just for tourists. If it's a bargain so much the better. We have been to Paris many times and would love to have a similar bistro/brasserie experience in Quebec. Also any recommendations for food stores and markets would be greatly appreciated.
Looking for splurge meal in Philly
Just sold our house in the burbs and moved into Center City. Looking for a high end dining experience to celebrate and spend some of the sale proceeds. But I don't want to pay just for reputation. What's one of the best meals in town that is worth it? 10 Arts looks interesting but being in the lobby seems noisy. Any recommendations? Thanks.
Vic Sushi in Spring House
Great review Mitch. I agree about the I-roll. It's about the best sushi roll I've ever had. I love the coconut jam.
Near Oreland: breakfast and later a cheesesteak?
Jack Frost in Glenside for cheesesteaks.
Just moved to Oreland...
Correction. I've just been told by my better 90% that it is the West Avenue Grill in the old Carambolas. They also have one in Jenkintown. B'fast all day.
Just moved to Oreland...
Just got back from Jack Frosts. Had the cheessteak for the first time and it was great. Really good roll. Their burgers are flame broiled. You can smell them a block away. Yummm. Their giant hot dogs at $2.50 are a good deal. I can't believe I'm making myself hungry and I just ate.
I think the place in the old Carambolas is the West End Grill. I had breakfast there 2 weeks ago and it was good.
Montco or Bucks Local Ice Cream
The gelato place in Ambler is Toto's. It is on Main Street which in Ambler is NOT the main street. Main Street is near the train tracks and parallel to them. The street that runs through town is Butler Avenue which also has a gelato place near the movie theater diagnonally across from Rita's. But Toto's has been on Main Street about 8 years and makes their own stuff.
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Main Street Cafe
126 E Main St, Elkton, MD 21921
Does anyone eat dinner in the Pool Room at the Four Seasons any more?
We went there last year to celebrate my wife's 50th. Growing up in New York it was a place I always wanted to try. I had some concerns that it was overrated but it lived up to my high expectations. I didn't find it to be overpriced, the duck for two lived up to its reputation and I loved the Pool Room's "Mad Men" vibe. As a kicker Jack Welch was sitting next to us. Overall it made for a special night. Glad we finally tried it.
