Thanks! We've lived in West Philly for almost 20 years now, but that's still before our time!

An old family friend, who is since deceased lived in that area when she moved from Germany with her family after WWI. I'd love to see back in time that far.

I know he doesn't carry caul fat (or at least didn't when I asked a few years ago). I'll definitely ask about the fatback. Maybe the Fair Food Farmstand can help out.

Was the lard you purchased from D'Angelo's leaf lard?

I wish someone would carry fat back and caul fat around here.

Foobooz actually "reported" it first if I'm not mistaken.

Thanks for getting back to us.

Glad it all worked out!

According to the menu I picked up at John's last week, both pork and beef with gravy is $11.99/lb.

John's sells it by the pound. Just give them a call tomorrow morning.

Beef of weck (wick) isn't British at all. Not sure why it would be on that menu, but it's good to know it's there.

Indifferent? How so?

Harried perhaps, but never indifferent in our experience.

Quick tip: go around closing time on weekdays and get a great deal on bags of bagels. Great for freezing.

I'm really looking forward to it. Thanks again!

Thanks for the headsup! I'm in the area often, and frankly, I'm spoiled at the amount of good food in the area, but I'll make room for pupusas!

But I'm pretty sure Mexican and Salvadorian food isn't really "Spanish" ;)

Where in W Philly?

Not sure about in the states, but in Vietnam, the bread is made with a portion of rice flour, making it crisper and lighter than a traditional baguette.

Just for future google searches, Supremo definitely carries it. Pretty cheap too, at $.49/lb.

I've never even heard of this restaurant, but I think I now know why.

What a bummer. Next time, based on your dietary restrictions, I suggest Vedge.

Off-hand, the first place that jumps to mind is Walnut Supermarket, an African/Caribbean grocery at 5130 Walnut St. I've only been in once, and it was a long time ago, but that's my best guess.

Edit: Pretty sure they carry it at the Supremo at 43rd and Walnut.

The black garlic soup was terrible. We mentioned it to our waiter, and they replaced it with something else. You actually went to the one year we weren't thrilled with the meal.

I'm pretty sure that she would have been too young to be there in 1970's and mostly worked as a dishwasher.

Sorry!

Didn't Gabrielle Hamilton work there as a kid? I think I read that in her autobiography (which is excellent, btw).

Zahav has its Passover menu up on its site now. This will be our fourth time. It's consistently one of our favorite meals of the year.

Many places will carry them in the frozen section, so they're not always obvious.

EHC Foods at 24th and Washington is the largest Thai store in the area that I'm aware of. It's definitely worth a visit if you're mobile.

I'd check with Fante's in the Italian Market.

We've found them on the south side of ridges with good drainage and plenty of humus. Usually found with tulip poplars and in close proximity to lady slippers. Actually, the lady slippers are ever rarer than the morels!

I have a buddy who can just tell there are some around by the conditions of the soil. It's eerie.

In a worst case scenario, Anastasi Produce at 9th and Christian usually carries them in the spring.

I was raised in central PA in the Appalachians, so that's really my foraging spots. I always keep my eyes open in the parks, and I've found lots of other edibles, but so far, no morels.

That said, I'm not the world's best morel hunter. I have some friends with preternatural senses for the little guys, but I just roam around until I find them.

They love disturbed land and recent fires, if that helps (probably not).

Morels aren't in season until mid-April at the earliest, weather dependent.

Honestly, you're best off planning a nice hike. Morels would be a bonus. My mushroom hunting buddies mostly keep their spots secret. And all the spots I frequent are on private land.

That said, best of luck. Nothing quite as wonderful as a good fresh morel.

I couldn't agree more. I have yet to find a bowl of ramen in Philly that even comes close to those I had on a regular basis when I lived in Japan. I lived in the Kansai region in the mid-90's before the huge ramen explosion, but you could find a good bowl even in a mid-sized village.

My main complaint in general is the noodles. Too tough, and frankly, simply not ramen noodles. Now that said, things have changed in the 15 years of so since I was there. I'm not sure about the newer styles, so I'm curious as to your take.

Even Osho had solid ramen if you were hung-over enough. Give me a large nama bi-ru, a plate of gyoza, and a hot bowl of ramen...perfect for those groggy Sundays! And don't even get me started on udon...

My wife echoed your sentiments entirely. Thanks for sharing.

"Eilon is awesome but he is now at Citron and Rose. "

Noooooooooooooooo!

Makes complete sense though.

Local 44 has a fantastic beef on weck. It's served with jus and knocks it out of the park.

They've done a significant upgrade of their menu. It's darn good for pub grub.