mikerichi's Profile
Pea soup with salt pork
I normally make pea soup with a ham bone, but have seen some recipes that suggest using salt pork, for example:
http://www.sofn.com/norwegian_culture/showRecipe.jsp?document=PeaSoup.html
This recipe uses "1/4 pound of salt pork in one piece". I am a novice cook and have never used salt pork before, so my question is why the salt pork would be used in one piece rather than cutting it up. Is the salt pork meant to simply provide flavor and then be discarded? Or from cooking so long would it break up into pieces and fall apart?
CHEAP EATS IN HORSHAM/WILLOW GROVE
I like Lee's, and there's also one in Horsham if that's closer to the poster's location. I haven't found a difference in quality between Horsham and Abington and I think both franchises have the same owner.
Dinner/drinks near Union Transfer
Prohibition is very good. I'm also a big fan of the Institute, and I saw they were doing some promotion where you get a bit of a discount on your check with a Union Transfer ticket, I think 10%.
Great lunch deals in Center City?
That Oyster House special was a joke. They advertised that they'd be selling them wrapped outside from 1130am-230pm, and I arrived around 1230 and there was nothing at all outside. I tried to ask someone inside what the deal was but the line to get a table was about 12 people deep. I was coming from about 20 minutes away so I only had time on my lunch break to grab something quick, definitely no time to wait in that long line for a table, so big thumbs down to the Oyster House for falsely advertising they would be selling them wrapped to go.
Best Wings in Philly?
I haven't tried the wings at Victory but I'll have to do so the next time I'm there. My favorite wings as of late are at Tavern on the Hill in Chestnut Hill. They're obviously grilled at some point in the cooking process because they come out with grill marks on them, and the sauce is different than a typical buffalo sauce. Their sauce is more of a darker brown and has more of a richer taste than buffalo sauce. I'd describe it as a BBQ sauce but it isn't as sweet as most BBQ sauces and they also have a BBQ version on the menu which is different.
Rita's Water Ice at Stenton & Mt Pleasant in Mt Airy Gone?
I saw the same sign at a few other Rita's locations in the nearby area. Aside from the Stenton and Mt. Pleasant one I also saw the "Rocco's coming soon" sign at the Wyndmoor Rita's on Willow Grove Ave.
HP SAUCE
The blue cap is the one labeled "HP Steak Sauce" and basically tastes like Lea & Perrins, right? Nice that the importer is able to get the UK-made goods to Amazon cheaply enough that the price is almost as cheap as US made goods.
La Viet $5 lunch specials
Do you know how long they're doing the lunch special? They did something similar in October but I thought it was just for that one month. I don't recall the name but I had some sort of seafood soup with bitter melon, looking at menupages I'm guessing it was "Bun Mam," described as "seafood noodle soup. served with fish, calamari, shrimp, egg plant, bitter melon, and pork." I also got an order of spring rolls that were very good. I was planning on heading down that way shortly to one of the Asian markets so I'll probably check out Le Viet again.
HP SAUCE
It ships from the US so it's eligible for Super Saver (free shipping) as long as you spend at least $25. I think I read that whoever makes HP and the UK-only Heinz products now has a manufacturing facility in the US (maybe north Jersey?) so that could explain why the stuff is able to ship from the US.
HP SAUCE
Amazon has it for significantly cheaper. Recently they've started offering a lot of British foods like HP Sauce, various Heinz products only available in the UK (potato and leek soup, beans, curried beans, salad cream) and the prices are very reasonable. I think the HP sauce was 4 bottles for $16 and the Heinz stuff was 12 cans for about $20.
Gyro
Over the summer the Brauhaus Schmitz on South St had a really good doner kebab on the lunch menu. I don't see it on their lunch menu on their website so I'm not sure if they still have it as an occasional special, but it was really good, plus it came with fries with a really tasty curry ketchup which I believe was made in-house.
Today's Groupon - Broadaxe Tavern
I'll cast a dissenting vote and say that I liked the Broad Axe both times I was there. Both times I sat at the bar on a weeknight and it wasn't all that loud (actually I'd describe it as quiet) and the bartender was friendly enough that I specifically remember his good service even though the last time I was there was several months ago. Both times I ate there I got the pizza which I'd describe as average, but they have a late night happy hour where all pizzas are half price and I thought the pizzas were a good value at half price. I can't comment on the liquor drinks as I drank beer when I was there, but whatever nights I was there they had a late night happy hour where the beers were discounted and they have a nice selection of craft beer. The Broad Axe is very convenient to one of my clients so I bought the Groupon and will report back with my findings.
Best Burger Bun - Easy Eating
One of my favorite burgers I've discovered recently is at the Institute at 12th and Green. They have a few different topping styles (my favorite so far is the bourbon bleu cheese with bourbon onions) but the roll is one of my favorite parts, I believe it's a brioche roll? The burger is on the large size and the roll holds up well when soaked with the burger juices so that it doesn't fall apart on you. I like kaisers for certain things but I'm not a big fan of a kaiser with a juicy burger because the juices seem to make them fall apart.
"Pub & Kitchen" Burgers @ 20th & Lombard – Not all that
They don't have the Windsor burger anymore, that was retired recently and replaced with another type of burger.
Best Bahn Mi?
Bread Top House has great breakfast buns too. I love their ham and cheese bun.
Lee's Hoagie House...authentic philly cheesesteaks?
As the previous poster said, Lee's can really vary from location to location. I go to the one in Abington and it's fine, but I've been to others (I forget exactly which one) that were horribly dirty and the food was terrible.
Craft Beer in Philly
Yeah, even including gas and tolls, the mix a sixes at Total Wine are so much cheaper than anywhere in Philadelphia that I'm sure it's cheaper to make a trip and buy several mix a sixes there as opposed to just going to the Foodery.
Dark Drinking Dens
I like Varga Bar a lot but I wouldn't recommend it for the specific requirements of the OP, as it tends to be crowded and somewhat loud in there, so I wouldn't classify it as dark and semi-private.
Looking for some non-Italian non-Asian options in Eastern Montco
I love the Iron Abbey in Horsham, which is connected to the Brazilian steakhouse already mentioned in the thread. It's more of a casual atmosphere and a bit less expensive but the food is still excellent in quality, and I like beer so I like their extensive beer selection.
Also MaGerk's in Ft Washington was mentioned--check out their specials, I forget which night of the week it is but they have one night with half price burgers and another night with half price cheesesteaks.
The Ultimate Philly Buffalo Wing String
You already mentioned Union Jack's wings which solid and they have a nice beer selection too if you're a beer drinker.
If you're up that way, you're only about 3 miles from Tavern on the Hill in Chestnut Hill which is one of my favorites. You can order the wings extra crispy or extra hot, they're a nice size without being too huge, and the blue cheese dressing is homemade with carrots and celery. My favorite part about their wings is that the sauce is a bit different from a standard buffalo sauce, sometimes I find buffalo sauce to be overly vinegary but theirs isn't.
A couple months ago my one friend and I did a "wing tour" where we hit Union Jack's, Tavern on the Hill, and McMenamin's, and had wings and an IPAs at each. (Actually we had a few IPAs at McMenamin's since we were in walking distance from home at that point!)
McMenamins closed?
They had signs up inside for the last several weeks that they'd be closed the week of the 9th for vacation, but I guess they forgot to put a sign up outside. I was just there three weeks ago and had a great burger and two good beers, a Belgian sour ale and a double IPA. My other favorite place for wings and burgers in Mt. Airy/Chestnut Hill is Tavern on the Hill across the street from where Borders used to be.
Where Can I Get Crappy Fake Mexican Food?
I agree. I've been there a couple times with a group and didn't have high expectations since it's a chain Tex-Mex place, but I was pleasantly surprised.
Beer Garden in Philly
The new City Taphouse in University City has a nice outdoor patio with garden and they have a great selection of good beers, probably 45-60 of a variety of styles. The patio's about 30 feet above street level so you have a bit of a view as well.
Looking for early morning soccer bar
Aside from the places mentioned, Tir Na Nog opens early for soccer and the food is pretty solid. I like the eggs benedict, Irish breakfast, and shepherd's pie.
Vic Sushi in Spring House
FYI, the Drafting Room closed shortly after the above message was posted, for those using the DR as a landmark to find Vic.
Irish Breakfast in Center City
Tir Na Nog has a pretty solid Irish breakfast, and I believe it's available any time they're serving food.
Restaurants everyone loves--except you
Not as high end as the other places mentioned but I've never understood the appeal of Dalessandro's cheesesteaks. I think they're always dried out and have never particularly cared for them.
Pittsburgh Bars Open at 8am Sunday?
Oh. I won't mention specific bars in case they're actually flying under the radar, but there are several bars in other parts of PA that open up early to show soccer and serve alcohol before 11AM. These bars are so large I'd be really surprised if they were actually breaking the law, though, since it's tough for a place that visible to fly under the radar.
Pittsburgh Bars Open at 8am Sunday?
I think there are other exceptions before 11am because there are a fair number of bars that open up early on Sunday to show European soccer, including Piper's Pub. Not sure if there's some special license involved or what.
