Life in the Philadelphia region (and beyond) from the ever-mobile desk of a Pennsylvania ex-pat living in South Jersey. Politics, sports, restaurants, food and drink reviews, family updates, considerations on celebrity, lots of photos and much more updated darn near daily.
I have lived In the Philly region my whole life and I have to admit there are some things I just don't understand about my hometown.
What are the top four weird things about your home town?
The Mummers - I just don't understand the fascination. Drunk, crossdressing union guys and banjo music? What am I missing here?
Wing Bowl - I wentto this bacchanalian event a few times as a young man, but I really didn't understand the draw of getting drunk at 5 am and watching guys eat so many cold chicken wings that they throw up.
Parking In South Philly - By all means, just stop your car in the middle of Shunk Street and run in to the deli to talk to Tony about that thing. Everyone will wait for you! No problem!
Scrapple - Ugh. Gritty processed pig parts. If the diner grease wasn't enough to make you vomit, the texture of this Philly Phavorite sure will!
So what makes your home town special? Everyone have a great weekend!
The three voices that I most associate with my youth have all left us now. First 'His Whiteness,' Richie Ashburn stepped out of the announcer's booth in New York City and passed into the night after calling a Phillies - Mets game in the Phils' dreadful 1997 last-place season.
Fresh off calling the 2008 World Series win for the Phils, Harry Kalas died preparing for a game in Washington, DC. I cried that day, and again a few days later when thousands welcomed Harry home to Philly one last time. While we still get to hear him sing 'High Hopes' every time the Phillies win at CBP, I still tune in sometimes and expect to hear him calling the game.
And today we lost Andy Musser, the third member of the Phillies broadcasting crew of my youth. He was always the quietest of the three, the most generally reserved, but I really think he only paled in comparison because of the two Hall of Famers he worked with. His double play calls were as smooth as Bowa, Trillo and Rose were on the field.
Some would argue Musser's voice went silent years ago when the Phillies management pushed him aside to give Chris Wheeler a larger role. I still heard a bit of a bit of it in my mind though until Harry passed a few years ago. Wheeler and Tim McCarver were a part of those broadcasting teams as well, but never really seemed to be as big a part. McCarver went on to make it big in broadcasting. Against all odds, Wheels is still here, over-analyzing every pitch.
I grew up lisetening to the Phils on the radio on my grandfather's porch, and on TV on Sunday afternoons at my other grandfather's in Essington. The silences were as important as the things that were said.
Today, we lost my last link to the soundtrack of my summer afternoons and evenings. I'm sad, but I remember seeing Musser a few years ago at a beer event he was working. Someone inevitably asked him if he missed the games. He looked wistful for just a moment and said something like, 'I'd be crazy if I didn't, but I've got a good life.'
Andy, thanks for all the great memories and say hello to Whitey and Harry for me. I'll have an Anchor Steam for you!
Dilworth Plaza is still an occupied camp as of lunch time today, with about half as many tents in evidence than there were 2 weeks ago.
I took a walk on this beautiful late November Monday, enjoying the bright blue sky and what is probably the last day we will see with 60 degree temperatures until April. There were throngs of people out walking the Center City Philadelphia sidewalks, and lots of them were headed over to Dilworth Plaza, site of the Occupy Philly encampment.
Since the group was supposed to be out by late yesterday, some of the Occupiers have moved on. Others are very much still there. Signs up around the plaza note that the Occupy Philly group plans to move to a number of decentralzied locations once the inevitable forcible eviction begins.
The mix of hard-core homeless to hard-core activist is about 50-50 right now, with several dozen of each group milling around quietly. Police and media are prominently present. There is a much quieter air than I have seen before, no bullhorns or group chants, no music or any really signs of energy.
Warm food was being distributed, a few folks were packing up, and mostly people were sitting around, waiting to see what is going to happen next. I didn't bring my Canon on my walk today, as the big camera attracted some unwanted attention on my last visit. Instead, I snapped today's photos with my HTC Thunderbolt camera. Many others were doing the same thing, documenting what it seems may be the final day that Occupy Philly calls Dilworth Plaza home.
Yesterday I took a bit of a walk at lunch and headed over to the Occupy Philly encampment at Dilworth Plaza, adjacent to Philadelphia City Hall. I have visited four times since the occupiers took root there in September.
There has been some news lately, as just after the election, Mayor Nutter took to the airwaves to declare that the Occupy Philly group had changed, and that given the change he was going to have to start dealing with them differently. Nutter noted issues with public health and safety as well as the group's refusal to move to an area across the street to allow a planned renovation of the Dilworth Plaza site to begin.
The Occupy Philly folks on the other hand have shot back that they have not changed, but rather it's Nutter that has been on the move. Various Occupy Philly members made statements in stark contrast to the Mayor Nutter's allegations. And, predictably, there were some folks in the middle, not sure who was right as the movement heads into the winter.
From my visit, I have to say that the encampment is distinctly different than it was in late summer. Then it seemed like a large portion of the group were college students enjoying the warm nights and permissive atmosphere rather than having to stay in their dorm rooms. When I visited during the day, the core group was a combination of aging hippies, some homeless people, a group of hard-core activists and a sprinkling of young people. All of those folks were there in the evening hours too, but there was also a night-time influx of vocal college aged-students, suspiciously clean for folks allegedly living outside.
Things have changed a lot in the last few weeks. The population of hard-core homeless is much greater. There are obviously people there up to no good. Most of the college students are gone. Many of the older folks have moved on as well. The police presences is decidedly more edgy. The place has the look and smell of a homeless encampment; it does not feel like a political movement from my perspective.
My photos don't show the change as much as they should. I didnt take as many this time and I definitely was careful who I shot. For the first time, I was subjected to open hostilty as I walked among the tents. There were areas where I not only didn't feel welcome, but I didn't walk though because they did not appear safe. It's also clear that there are concerns among those camping there about safety.
I am not sure what the future is for Occupy Philly. Will it be cleared away by force like Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Oakland? Will they move across the street to the area suggested by the city? With the movement continue to with as the temerature drop anonly those experienced with sleeping outside in a Philadelphia winter are willing to stay?
Whatever happens, I do feel like it will be happening soon.
Maybe the best restaurant in Philly right now. No hyperbole there.
Caution - you should know before reading the rest of the review that I am in full-on love with Barbuzzo at the moment.
First, it's a beautiful space. At night it's a bit hard to tell with every table filled from 5 though 11 pm, but stop by for lunch and look around. The place was meticulously put together by people with a wonderful eye for detail and quality.
Second, the food. Good lord, what flavors and preparation. Amazing vegetarian soup is a wonderful way to start any meal. The distinct flavors of each of the vegetables are evident. I also have had a chicken vegetable chorizo soup that was simply stunning.
The star of the antipasti plate was the buffalo mozzarella with an incredible arugula pesto. It's a fair sized meal, or an excellent sharing appetizer, and under priced at $13.
I have also enjoyed the Barbuzzo burger. It's a juicy, tender blend of salty and sweet with a tomato onion spread that makes me consider if it's better than the burgers at Village Whiskey. Maybe not quite, but close. Marcie Turney has an inspired menu and Paul Lyons and Chris Davis are doing amazing work in the kitchen.
Third, the drinks. It's a well-tended bar with every ingredient you could ever hope for. The Sazerac 13 features Old Overholt Rye and a several rather hard to find bitters. There are 6 taps of excellent craft brews as well as a number of great canned and bottled beers. If you are a wine fan, this is a super list by the glass, rivaling any wine bar in the area.
I have had great service in my two visits, though things are a bit noisy and tight in the evening. It's a really fun place and certainly the best food I have had out in some time. Make it a point to get in there! And stop by their website. The blog features reviews by people more famous than me.
It's a beautiful day for a walk, so I took some time earlier today to head up Broad Street to Dilworth Plaza, next to City Hall to see the Occupy Philly rally/demonstration/gathering. Honestly, if not for the police on every corner and the middle of Broad Street, you might not know anything was going on.
From 200 feet away, there was no sign of the latest outgrowth of the Occupy Wall Street movement. On my way into work today, there were helicopters in the air and news trucks everywhere. By noon though the 200 or so Occupiers were mostly surrounded by cops, confused homeless people, citizens documenting the situation, and folks like me, just enjoying the day.
Clearly the Occupiers had thought things were going to be bigger, staging a Medic area, a family zone, sign painting stations and food distribution areas. None of that appears to be really necessary. There were plenty of signs and food.
What there wasn't was a coherent message. Forgiving student loans was a common these, corporate greed another. But mostly the crowd seemed to be trying to convince itself that the gathering meant something. I just didn't feel it. To me, the folks there looked like an odd blending of the kind of folks you see on the steps at UArts every day and some seriously aging hippies. There were also several kids who can't play guitar. Maybe they read somewhere that you need to have guitars at protest rallies.
I have to say that i see this movement as a left wing version of the Tea Party. Nothing too organized, very diffuse ideaology, no center theme. Except that they are angry with the way things are and they want change. Both groups are dissatisfied with the way the nation we live in is being run. Neither seems to have a clue as to what to do about it though.
The Tea Party movement was co-opted by the far right of the Republican Party, and this Occupy movement seems to have been co-opted by labor unions. It will be interesting to see if the unions have as much success focusing the anger of the Occupiers. It will also be interesting to see how many show up tomorrow.
While some might argue that it would be better for the Phils to drop today's 4th game of the NLDS in St. Lois, so they can win it here at home in front of the CBP faithful, I am here to tell you the Phils will win tonight and end this nailbiter of a series. They've done everything possible to create interest and buzz in the first round of the playoffs, but this one is only going 4 games folks.
They've come from behind, blown a big lead, and hung on by their fingernails in the first three games. I recommend stocking up on the Xanax and Pepto for tonight's tilt as well. Oswalt looked great in his last start, but the Phils' bats, especially at the bottom of the line up could use a wakeup call.
The Texas Rangers have already taken one Cinderella out of the playoffs, dispatching the Rays, who dropped 3 straight after opening the series with a win. Now it's time for the Phils to end the Cardinals season and rest up for the NLCS.
It's great being in town right now, with the seas of red on the sidewalks, the bridges decked out and encouraging the home team and a giant jersey making its way around town. I made it down to the staggeringly difficult Game 2, but sadly I have a work commitment, so I will miss out on the action, but thank goodness for my HTC Droid Thunderbolt.
The restaurant space at the corner of Broad and Pine on the first floor of Symphony House in Center City Philadelphia has had a terrible history. The signs are going up today for celebrity chef Kevin Sbraga's eponymous new restaurant in the space. I am looking forward to seeing what the Johnson and Wales trained chef and his wife can bring to the space that last housed noodles joint Chew Man Chu and that opened as the forgettable DuJour.
I will get in there as soon as it's open and get you a review.
First, let me express my condolences to my friends who are Red Sox fans, especially Susan and Paul. Hopefully your significant others have removed all sharp objects from your vicinity. I said a few weeks ago that the Red Sox were lucky to have such a weak schedule down the stretch because they were playing terribly. The schedule wasn't weak enough.
While my brother wrote the best article I have seen on last night's amazing finish to a great season, the chart above came from a great article at the NY Times blog 538, usually on political statistics. Using a slightly tortured bit of math, he pegged the odds of all of last night's games ending as they did at 1 in 278 million.
It was truly a phenonmenal night of baseball.
In all the hysteria, it's easy to over look what the Phils did this week. With everyone from me to Ricky Bo saying, "They better get going, you can't just flip a switch and turn it back on," the Phillies did just that, standing on the gas and sweeping the Braves en route to a team-record 102 wins on the season.
It's a bit sad that Major League baseball, always looking for ways to mess up a good thing, seems to have decided to add another wild card spot. Why's that sad? Because none of the games last night would have meant a thing with that extra spot. Hopefully they re-consider.
It's a busy weekend for me with some work, Panek Oktoberfest, soccer, travel baseball, and Chowderfest, but I will do my best to catch the Phils' games at 5 on Saturday and 8 on Sunday. There's not much better than October Baseball!
We all know what success looks like or feels like. The effusive warmth of accomplishment. The buoyancy of being surrounded by well-wishers. The energy of the celebration.
We all get a few such moments in our lives. Some of us get more moments than others. Some of the moments are more ecstatic than others. There's always a coming down after a success, a period of quiet, of withdrawal. And, at least for me, of wondering. Wondering when the next success will come or if that's it for a while.
Unless you're the Philadelphia Phillies of the last 5 years.
In which case, it's just one success after another, from winning the NL East 5 consecutive times, to having a parade, to signing the best rotation in baseball.
My baseball-crazy 11 year old son John wears #34 for his baseball team in honor of his favorite Phillie, Roy Halladay. He got to witness in person the Phils clinching the NL East over the weekend. It was his second time seeing it in person, the first being that magical Spetember 27th of 2008.
I'm 41. I've only seen them clinch in person once.
Now thankfully the one I witnessed was with him in '08, but it led met to consider how my son thinks about the Phillies and approaches success in general. In his memory, the Phillies have always been a winner. There's always been Red October. He's never known the disappointment of a baseball season that is over before the dog days of August. I am not sure he's ever been to a Phils' game that wasn't sold out.
This run has almost ensured that John will be a Phillies fan for life. The excitement, the passion of the city and region, the sheer joy of it all make it a certainty. But what has it done to prepare him for the lean times that will most certainly come at some point?
Since the stadium is packed every night and the streets of Philadelphia are flooded with red shirts and hats, it may not be for a while. But one day this train will slow down. A free agent will sign elsewhere. One too many prospects will be traded away. Reuben Amaro won't pull off the miracle trade deadline deal. And Red October will fade. How will this new generation of fans approach a team that is .500. What will Citizens Bank Park feel like on a future September night when the home team is just playing out the string in front of 25,000 morose folks?
On a larger note, how has this unparalleled athletic success of the region's baseball team affected what young fans will accept as success in general. Does it have to be straight A's, or is a C in the mix ok? Does it have to be Ivy League, or is a state school ok? Is rec league acceptable, or is it travel team or bust?
I'm just not sure. But for now, it doesn't really matter. The Phils are in the playoffs and (with the exception of the NBA season) Philly sports is in a pretty darn good place. We can all live vicariously thought the exploits of men who make millions to play a game. And for a few more weeks we can savor their success as our own.
There were cars in the lots. "Hmm. That's interesting," I thought. "I wonder what the event is. From up high it looked like the The Linc was lined for soccer and that Citizens Bank Park had tarps around home plate. "Like for batting practice," I thought.
I zoomed in closer. And as I did I noticed the beer garden and radio tents set up near the Third Base Gate. I zoomed in closer and realized I was looking at a satellite image of the Phils 2010 Opening Day! "Holy shit!" I thought. "I am IN this picture!!!"
I compared it to a few photos I had taken that day and then looked around for someone to tell. After exhausting my son and a few other IM buddies, I decided I needed to tell all of you as well. I can't tell EXACTLY what time it is when the shot was taken, but it's a few hours before game time. There are not many people watching BP or Mr. Greengenes, but the parking lots are full of tailgaters.
As the temperature struggles into the mid-60s today and the Phils wrap up the regular season, I'm enjoying a day in my study, organizing photos, playing a few games and watching two televisions at the same time.
It has been a beautiful weekend here in the Delaware Valley. John's Fall Ball team played yesterday under the proverbial "sky so blue it hurts your eyes just to look at it." While the result was a loss, there were a lot of positives to go around, from John's RBI single though the hole to LJ's perfect inning, to Colin making solid contact at the plate.
Later in the afternoon, we headed into Philadelphia for the Mid Town Village Fall Festival. This even should ne re-named "People of Every Variety Getting Drunk While Wandering Around The Gayborhood." We enjoyed ourselves, taking in faux Sumo wrestling, sampling the offerings from Zavino, Bindi and El Vez and jamming to the music from Rich and his friends from "Swift Technique."
After grabbing a bite with Ed and the gang at Valanni, we headed home to an early night on the couch taking in "The Blind Side." I saw the sappy adaptation of Michael Oher's transformation from homelessness to the NFL a few months back on a plane, and chose it again last night over old standby "All The Right Moves," which just seemed like too dark a way to end a good day.
It was a good weekend to be out and about , since it looks like the weather for the week is cool and rainy, with little chance to get out and enjoy the early fall colors.
Well I am off to watch the return of the Kevin Kolb era as Michael Vick has gone down and the second half is about to start. Should be interesting ...
Today is the most American of our holidays. Each July 4th, we spend the day celebrating our nation by eating, drinking, watching baseball, playing in the pool and buying things. We cap the day off by watching things blow up. Here in the Philadelphia region, hundreds of thousands will gather on a plot of ground named for one of the greatest patriots in our history, Ben Franklin, and listen to music and watch fireworks.
Reflection is not a particularly American process. We fancy ourselves as "do-ers," the kind of folks who get things done, not the kind who sit around thinking about the past. This, in a sentence, explains a great deal about our foreign policy.
Today is a day that deserves some reflection. It was on this date. after a stifling late spring and early summer of political dealing in Philadelphia, that a group of white men announced that they had decided that the former American colonies of Great Britain were now a separate nation. In that most famous of American sentences, Thomas Jefferson wrote that:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
The document they published on this day in 1776 borrowed heavily from the work of French and English and French philosophers, but the process that took to creating a nation was American at its heart. Deals were cut in smoky back rooms and taverns. Those who disagreed were tossed out and arrested. What we celebrate today as a great time of national unity was in fact really a tipping point, a moment in time where the inertia of loyalism was overcome by the fervor of revolution and a new nation struggled into being. Thousands celebrated in the streets, but still others packed their things and shuttered their businesses, heading 'home' to England.
Noting the split that was in the air is important I think. Though all of the internal strife, we came together as a people and as a nation. Certainly it helped that there was tyranny to fight. A great enemy makes it easy to unite. It would take years to allow this nation to stand on its own, and even then, there would be problems. It would take nearly a century to begin to address the omissions of the founders.
Another war would be needed to give black Americans the beginnings of freedom in America. After fifty more years of complex social struggle, women would be recognized as more than property. 234 years after "all men" were declared "equal" we are still struggling with recognizing the right of any person to love and marry another.
America is imperfect. But she is the greatest imperfect nation ever created. And while we still struggle to rise to the high ideals the drafters of the Declaration of Independence set forth for us, there is an immense amount here that I am very proud to be a part of. The Declaration is an aspirational document, one that each of us has a responsibility to seek to work to each day.
Go forth ans enjoy the great beauty of this country today, gather freely and express your freedom as you see fit. And remember the struggles it took to ensure those rights for you. And especially those who do not yet enjoy them.
As I was ordering my overly complicated coffee drink at Starbucks at Broad and Pine, the room went deathly silent. Four Montreal Canadiens fans had walked in and were being sized up by the caffeine addicts.
Only one had the courage to have his photo taken. Apparently the others are home from work because they don't feel well. There was a good degree of confidence that the series will be tied up tonight. Apparently they had been drinking their lunch.
Go Flyers!!!
***UPDATE***
These guys are visiting from Montreal and are actually pretty nice guys. A shout out to the garage attendant at the PPA lot at 337 S. Broad who gave them a hard time but did it in a friendly way. Take that all you folks who say Philly fans don't know how to behave!
I like the concept of Philadelphia's Center City bike lanes. Creating safe lanes for 'green' traffic appeals to the environmentalist in me. The efficiency nut in me though is appalled by the mess the nearly-empty bike lanes make of traffic.
Spruce Street has become a constant center of gridlock, with a solid lane of buses, cars and trucks queued from Old City to Rittenhouse. With an empty lane right next to it, begging to be used to fix the problem.
I'm not sure what the solution is. The mayor has made it pretty clear that the bike lanes are here to stay. The extra 10 minutes they add to my daily commute aren't too bad. I guess I could live with the whole thing if only people used the bike lanes.
And there lies the issue. The lane is empty 90% of the time. When it isn't empty, it's being used as a turn lane or simply stolen by taxi drivers. There seem to be the usual number of bikers on the sidewalks of the city, so I have to assume that the bike lane project is yet another urban transit failure in a city with a history of them.
Eventually the bike lane project will go the way of the Chestnut Street Pedestrian Mall, the Penn's Landing Light Rail line and so many other well-intentioned but poorly utilized ideas in Philadelphia. Until then I will sit in traffic, resisting the urge to floor it and race down the empty bike lane.
I've written before about the nightclub atmosphere down at Citizens Bank Park. I don't think it's a bad thing, but things get out of hand now and then. Apparently last night's Dollar Dog Night was one of those out of hand nights at the ballpark. Among the 45,000 drunks on hand was a 17 year old who ran out on the field waving a rally towel.
While the rest of us tuned into the Phils' loss saw nothing but Ryan Howard laughing into his glove, this intrepid YouTuber caught the mayhem on his phone.
This morning all Channel 29 and Steve Keeley are talking about is the use of the Taser by the Philadelphia Police Officer to subdue the fan. How about we talk about how the kid got into that condition and how much abuse the cop had to put up with before he decided to take the kid down with an electric dart to the back?
I say if you run onto the field, you get what's coming to you.
We'd been trying to get into Zavino for a few months now. The consistent 90 minute wait times on Friday and Saturday nights were too much to ask with so many new places opening, so we kept moving on. This past Saturday night as Center City buzzed with the warm weather and the Phils drubbing of the Mets, we seemed to have gotten lucky.
After initially hearing that the wait was 'probably only a half hour or more,' we go the news that a deuce had just opened on the sidewalk and we could be seated right away! That was good news since the tiny, almost crowded dining room at Zavino was super-hot and way too noisy to hold a romantic conversation, and I had romance on my mind!
The wire table and chairs we were led to seemed perfectly adequate if a bit below standard restaurant quality. Our 'server' greeted us a few minutes later by explaining that Zavino had complimentary still or sparkling water. I asked if he was hustling nodding at the full restaurant and he faked a laugh and splashed some into our glasses and disappeared.
Time passed.
Our 'server' returned to ask what we want to drink. I asked him about what rye they use in the Sazerac cocktail on the menu. He looked at the sky and sighed. "No. It varies," he said. No offer to find out, no admission that it was odd he had no idea. I said ok, the Sazerac was fine. My lovely date ordered a Troeg's Dreamweaver and our 'server' stormed off. No inquiry about whether we wanted an appetizer, no refill on the water.
A few minutes later, the beer was dropped without comment or eye contact and we were left to gaze at the woeful 12 ounce mug of Dreamweaver that still managed a 2 inch head. More time passed and the exceptionally well-made Sazerac was abandoned to the table for my further contemplation. And we had plenty of time to contemplate those drinks. About about 20 minutes later, a hostess noticed four empty glasses on our table and refilled the water and too refill orders for the bar.
Then a strange thing happened. The 'server' showed up, and asked if we were ready to order. No. That's not the strange part. The strange part was that when I said yes, the hipster-turned-hopefully-soon-to-be-unemployed-waiter got his pad out, looked to his left and walked away as I ordered. I've never seen anything like it.
A full 33 minutes after he took our drink order, and after ducking past our table numerous times, the young miscreant finally decided we had waited long enough to be allowed access to actual food. We ordered appetizers and then had to nearly physically restrain him to put in our entree order at the same time.
After first getting the wrong food to the table, we got the grilled zucchini (her)
and the prosciutto (me) for our first course. We'd been on there more than an hour at the point both appetizers finally made it to the table. Sadly the food was not memorable. The zucchini was shockingly flavorless, in a melange of oil and grated pecorino and romescu cheeses served cold. The 7 delicate slices of prosciutto were a nice portion, but simply could not stand up to the scorchingly hot day they had apparently had.
We were starving, so we ate.
The pizzas arrived comparatively quickly, but still a few minutes apart.
I had the polpettini, which was a crispy pie with huge fresh basil leaves, provolone cheese, red sauce and near-microscopic veal meatballs. It was sadly average, and depressingly was the best food we had all night. My lady had the Kennett, with three different mushrooms over a bland white sauce and burnt crust.
Once again, we were starving, so we ate.
A few words about the restaurant itself. The door area is cramped, with the appetizer station immediately to your right as you come in. The tables are arrayed to the left, with windows onto Sansom Street. The bar is a fairly ample expanse of white marble for such a small room. You have to walk through the server area to get to the bathrooms, where the sinks are rather oddly outside the toilet rooms. The outdoor seating is along Sansom Street and is hampered by a narrow, sloping sidewalk. The fits and finishes of the spaces are very well executed and it has a nice atmosphere overall.
The upshot of the night is that we could have handled poor service or average (to below average) food, but not both. It's pretty clear that the ownership group is pushing the ability of the kitchen to get food out and the staff to serve the space they have. I assume that the problem is there are barely enough seats to make the space profitable and that the kitchen is undersized. The fix is to short staff the front and overwork the kitchen. I know the owner is the chef, but he's missing some of the fine points on quality control.
While I left a perfectly appropriate 15% tip, I will admit leaving a rather scathing note about our waiter with the hostess stand. Hopefully someone reads it. It's pretty bad when you watch another 2 person table get seated after you with the same waiter, get drinks, appetizers and dinner all before you and leave before you have gotten a check.
I generally don't read the reviews of a place until I wrote my own, but now that I do, apparently our visit may have been an isolated experience. I'm not sure it's worth going back to find out.
Occupying the space formerly known as DuJour at Broad and Pine, Chew Man Chu is a welcome addition to the foodscape on the Avenue of the Arts.
Kristin was my perky guide to the menu and she let me know that the portions were fairly large and would be served as the kitchen prepared them rather than in courses. She approved my selection of Ox Tail Soup Dumplings and Chicken Satay Salad.
I was attentively hovered over for the 20 minutes it took for the food to come out. The chicken was grilled in a very sweet sauce and presented on skewers with a generous helping of sweet peanut satay. The 'salad' portion was a pile of crisp sliced cucumbers and red onion.
The four golf-ball sized dumplings were served in an over-large bowl and swam in a tarragon, wine, vinegar and ginger broth.
The dishes were nicely prepared and presented, but the chicken was overly sweet. There was no easy way to eat the large cuts of chicken without a knife to cut them up. I thought the use of the word 'salad' was a bit of a stretch.
The meaty dumplings were quite good, but varied a bit in temperature. The savory broth was an excellent counter to the chicken.
The place is owned by the same group that owned the predecessor restaurant. They have remodeled a bit, adding a full bar with 6 seats featuring wine, bottled beer and cocktails.
Overall, Chew Man Chu is worth a look. The food and ambiance are quite chic and there is nothing like it in the area. The staff is friendly and helpful and you get a good bit of food for your money.
Chew Man Chu is set to open this week at Broad and Pine at Symphony House. The space has been vacant only a month since the closing of DuJour. Chew Man Chu appears to fix the prior outlet's error of not having a bar.
Things look a little harried and hurried today, but I will have a review when they open!
I recently said in this space that I thought that "There has been a subtle chilling effect on personal conduct that I
attribute largely to the prevalence of cell phone cameras and social
media sites."
Given last night's celebrations of the Phillies winning the National League Championship Series and the subsequent displays of public stupidity, i am forced to reflect that people are basically capable of anything when you add enough alcohol to the mix.
Hat tip to meech.one at The Fightins for the clip.
Earlier this week you might have seen the post I had about the display celebrating the coming of Autumn in front of Marc Vetri's restaurant on Spruce Street. There was an array of flowers, a dozen or more pumpkins and a box of apples for passers by to sample. Sadly some cretins smashed the pumpkins and stole the apples and we are left with only the flowers.
This pisses me off. You've got a guy trying to do something nice for his neighbors and the community and some clueless jerk shows us his true colors by destroying it. Classy!
So this leads me to this week's Fantastic Four:
What four things piss you off the most?
Senseless destruction - this one tops it all for me
People who spoil secrets. - just plain old mean
People who don't clean up after their dogs. How about I come over and take a dump on YOUR lawn?
Littering - you can't wait until you get home to toss your Big Gulp cup? You gotta throw it out the window?
A bit of a downer way to start the weekend, but please go forth and enjoy!
I kinda saw this one coming, but it still stung when my brother Matt called me and told me that Jody MacDonald, perhaps my favorite sports talker in the business had just signed off for the final time on his WPEN 950AM show.
I've listened to Jody for 20 years, first catching his overnight show on WFAN when I was working overnights. Later, when he was hosting mid-days on 610 WIP, we met when he came to the college radio station I worked at. I still caught his show a good bit when he departed for WFAN, but I was thrilled in 2005 when WPEN made Jody the centerpiece of its switch to sports radio and put him on afternoon drive against Howard Eskin.
As much as I love listening to the guy, he was never the brash, confrontation host that radio GMs and PDs seem to want these days. Wry and funny and full of substance, his shows are for the serious sports fan. So it came as no surprise when the station brought in Mike Missanelli and moved Jody to mornings.
When the move to mid-days came after his heart bypass surgery and he was paired with Harry Mayes, the writing was on the wall. Jody was playing out the string here in Philly and even his most frequent listeners knew it.
I will say here today that I am about done with 950. I used to be a big Misanelli fan, but his show seems sophomoric and silly. The station that said it would never insult its listeners and would be a different kind of sports talk is now just a poor second rate imitation of 610, the much-diminished giant of Philly sports talk.
My best wishes to Jody MacDonald and his family. I will be listening on Sirius and on 1050AM.
A 22 year old man lost his life last night in an altercation outside Citizens Bank Park while the Phillies were defeating St. Louis. The altercation allegedly started inside McFadden's at the Ballpark and moved down Pattison Avenue around the 7th inning. It's a terrible thing and one that does little but magnify Philadelphia's reputation as the rowdiest sports town in America.
A while back I lamented that The Bank had basically become a 43,000 seat bar. Security has certainly tightened since then, but it should be noted that this incident apparently started with a bachelor party at McFadden's. I'm reasonably certain that a scan of St. Louis or Miami or Detroit or Dallas papers this morning will find at least one other death outside a bar. However the talking heads will be all over our reputation as the worst fans in sports.
On a side note, it's shocking to me that you've literally got to search Philly.com for information on this terrible incident and what you get is this pathetic entry. I can't believe this is the only content you have on the site about
this horrible incident. I know this story happened in the evening,
apparently after the Sunday paper deadline, but you're not a Sunday
paper anymore gang.
To not have a story up on the front page shows a shocking lack of focus
on breaking news.
My thoughts got out to the young man who lost his life and to his family.
Every time a Philly sports team makes the playoffs the sports fans of this town are forced to endure a national cliche fest that paints us all as grade school dropouts who threw snowballs at Santa, booed Jesus in the manger, wear white sheets and pointed hats to games and hate anyone not named Rocky Balboa.
This week's drive by assassination of Philadelphia sports fans comes to us courtesy of Fox Sports' Ian O'Connor. This pretentious ass gets his though from an anonymous blogger named Gimpy von Hogaknocker who takes apart O'Connor's overwritten bag of BS on a line-by-line basis.
It's not just the best Philly sports blog post every (sorry E and Matt), it's not just the best sports blog post ever. It's the best fucking blog post ever. Period.
I'm pretty quick to jump on journalists when they mail one in, so I thought I'd take a moment today to compliment a stunning piece in today's Inquirer.
Melissa Dribben brings light to the sad story of Zal Chapgar, a young man who most of us knew only as the person who threw himself from the Lowes Hotel in Philadelphia earlier this month. Her prose is warm and empathetic, but also weighty with resolve to tell the tough parts of the story as well.
I'm not going to do a capsule here, I can't possibly do it justice. Just go here and read it. It's Dribben's best work in years.
As most of you know, I work in Center City Philadelphia and commute in daily
from the South Jersey suburbs. Most days it takes about 30 minutes. Some days longer. But almost every day I see something interesting.
Smart cars, fender benders, clueless dog walkers, movies shoots, girlfriends throwing the ex's stuff out a 3rd floor window. You never know what the commute will bring. Lately the Tylenol Taxis have been attracting attention. Billed as "London Taxis," the Illinois-licensed cars are left hand drive, so I am not sure how accurate that phrase is, but they are a pretty cool ad concept.
Recently the commute has been complicated by the installation of giant brown metal boxes at every intersection. The brown boxes are everywhere in Center
City! Part of the project that is replacing all of the traffic lights and adding street lights throughout Philly. It's a great project for the guys tearing up all the streets and installing ribbons of sticky hot patch on every corner, but I'm about done with it.
I'm not sure the long term value of the project outweighs one or two ugly brown boxes on every corner. These monsters are over five feet tall and two feet square. I am told by some of the workers that they house the controls for the traffic signals. And "some other stuff." Hmm. Sounds faintly like Dick Cheney might be involved. I thought that technology had made some advances in terms of miniaturization in the last century or so. These babies look like they could house a Cray supercomputer.
And finally you've got the recent appearance of these odd ads on the sidewalk in front of various Avenue of the Arts venues. I'm not sure what they're all about, but they encourage you to call a
Northern Virginia area code. Random stuff appears on the sidewalks and streets of Center City all the time, but the fluorescent paint caught my attention. They didn't hold up well to the recent rain so it's unlikely that the project has any serious legs.
Everyone have a great day and drive safely in the rain!
While you can't really see it in the photo, there IS snow falling in the Philadelphia region today, causing slick roads and as much as 3 inches in some of the western suburbs. It's been a wild weather week for me, from a record high temperature of 93 in Los Angeles on Saturday to snow and biting wind today.
So today's Friday Fantastic Four will be weather related:
What are your favorite things about the weather where you live?
1. Leaves turning 2. The first snowfall 3. Indian Summer 4. The earthy dampness that you can smell after spring rainstorms
Everybody have a great weekend and enjoy the snow!!!!
Yesterday was quite a day. I ran hither and yon, picking John up in the Pine Barrens, both of us driving into Center City in what was really a very normal commute given that 2 million other folks were headed to town. We had some fun with the UArts folks and hung out on the steps of Hamilton Hall basking in the sunlight of the best fall day in memory.
The crowd was raucous but well behaved save one small incident that Philadelphia Police handled perfectly. The brawlers were identified, cuffed and taken away in paddy wagons as the crowd chanted "ASSHOLES." The arresting officers were warmly cheered by throngs along the 300 block of South Broad Street.
After what seemd to be an interminable procession of helicopters, tow trucks, the media, motorcycle cops, segways, horses and police cars, The Budweiser Clydesdales pulled Pat Burrell, his hot wife and Elvis thought the ecstatic screaming throng who at that moment whould have personally paid him $15 million per year for 4 years. It ain't happening and this would mark his brightest moment as a Phil, but it was nice to see the fans acknowledge his years with us.
We cheered our heroes and took our pictures and held each other, trying to imprint the moment in our memories forever. And we held open our hopes for more parades. In January and April and next October.
I've had some very good days in my life. Meeting a president. Making out with a girl the first time. Winning a scholarship to college. The day my son John was born. The day my daughter Emma came home from the NICU. The day I got married. The day my divorce was finalized. Cutting down the nets in the old Sacred Heat Gym at Cabrini. Playing Torrey Pines. Driving the Green River Valley. Sitting in the rain at Fenway.
But none of those days compared to yesterday. The anticipation built all day. Coming back into Philadelphia from Toronto, I drove past the stadiums and knew in that instant daydreamed of a parade Friday. My son babbled for an hour as we drove home and his innocent certainty was infectious. The Phils were going to win.
I've been racking my brain all day. Trying to think of a moment in my life that meant more to me than listening to Harry Kalas on the call as John and I held each other and jumped up and down in rapture.
I can't believe that Major League Baseball let that game go on last night. Yeah I know they didn't want to call it and have the Phils win a tainted World Series title, but to let it go on in a complete monsoon was ridiculous and dangerous.
I know that fans are angry, and so are the players, but I am in the odd position of being happy. since I am out of town, MLB's moronic decision making process last night will give me the chance to perhaps be in town when the rains let up on Wednesday. Regardless, I'll be home for the parade.
There is a god and he wants me to see the Phils win the world series in person.
I know it's been 15 years since a World series in this town. I also know from
economics class that pent up demand for a product or service results in increased prices.
That being said, these Phillies World Series ticket prices are INSANE! $525 each for standing room? Actual butt in seat prices starting at $558? It's no better over on Craigslist, where pairs are going for $1300 each.
I've already resigned myself that the best I will be able to do for the home games is a seat at McFadden's. Maybe. My son seems to understand that the ticket prices are outrageous and there won't be a repeat of the good luck we had for the clincher.
The Phils have a place that holds 44,000 and stuff in 46,000 or 47,000 by selling the SRO tickets. In Boston, things aren't even as crazy as they are here in terms of ticket prices. There you can buy a World Series ticket to notoriously tight Fenway Park for a mere $495.
We all knew it was coming. Up 3-1 on a team that didn't seem to have the heart, we KNEW it was going to happen. But dawn today still seems a little bit surreal as I watch the celebrations in Mayfair and on Broad Street last night.
My friends over at The700Level have great coverage this morning and I encourage you to take a look. John and I are enjoying the coverage on ESPN and Fox 29.
This team still has a lot to do as it readies for the Devil Rays or BoSox. Charlie's mom and Shane's grandmother must be laid to rest. We need to figure out who the third starter it. We need to think about a right-handed DH.
But right now we can celebrate the Phils and their first trip to the World Series since my brother Matt was 14. Today's his birthday and this is a fitting present.
Sarah Palin. Yup. McCain's disastrous choice for veep will be in Philly again. I can't say I understand what Ed Snider is thinking. Why in the world would you pick this twit? Maybe she's into rich old guys. Ed Snider. John McCain. Both old and rich. Hmmm.
Come on Flyers fans, show your true colors. Boo your lungs out!!!
We were amidst the mayhem last night as the Phils brought home their second straight NL East Division Crown and then unfurled the banner on the field for the 45,122 Phans who got to watch it live. My brother Matt has a nice wrap up over at The700level.com, but I am going to give you the inside story.
My son John and I got a pair of $20 tickets in the 400 level by simply calling the Phils at 10 am. The seats were great. In the third row and on the aisle. We bummed around for a bit, watching college football and then decided we couldn't wait anymore. We packed some rain gear and the camera into the bag we always take to games (Fenway, Camden Yards, Yankee Stadium, CBP, some minor league parks) and headed over the bridge.
Michael Bradley led off The Jody Mac show on 950 ESPN today here in Philly by saying that Jody should be back next week for the Phils playoff run.
Jody has been home in South Jersey recovering from an August quadruple bypass, so it comes as great news to get a message from him reporting a 20 pound weight drop and to hear he's headed back to the air soon. I can't imagine the big guy not running out to sneak a smoke on breaks, but he'll have to or risk the wrath of his wife and daughter is my guess.
The Philadelphia Mural Arts project at Vetri on Spruce St. near 13th is nearing completion. While there was virtually no activity on the project for August and the early part of September, a team of artists has been working each day to finish the food-related mural.
The horizontal concrete repair appeared last week and I would imagine the artists will go back and touch it up after they complete the top center section. it's been very interesting to watch this mammoth work unfold across the 3 story wall that I see each day on my way home.
On my way home today, I had the wonderfully cool chance to run into the folks transforming the drab wall overlooking a Spruce Street surface parking lot into a work of art.
The still-untitled mural will feature scenes of people enjoying food (very appropriate for a mural on the wall of Vetri.) The artists are interested in titles if you've got one for them.
Developing the project commissioned by the Philadelphia Mural Arts program is lead artist Ann Northrup who studied painting at Boston University. She is assisted by Jessica Unterhalter, A MICA sculpture major, Julian Banks, a student at The Charter High School for Architecture and Design, Latifah Abdulla and Stephanie Acevedo. Stephanie's mom, Miriam will be joining the effort soon.
While there's no work going on today due to last night's wild weather, the mural at Vetri has taken a few steps
forward since I last posted. Some figures have begun to emerge from the wall. While I can't say exactly what the guy on the lower right is doing, there does appear to be a fatherly chat going on in the upper center.
You can see the number/letter gridding system in orange. That still fascinates me. No one is ever here working when I walk by. I'm hoping to see some there so i can learn a bit more about the approach they use to make ths massive paintings.
Coming off another 0 fer night, bringing the hitless streak to 0-23, Chase Utley will ride the pine tonight in the second game of the Phils' series against the AnaheimCalifornia LA Angels. Chutley has looked positively clueless at the plate recently, so a night off against tough lefty Joe Saunders is probably a good thing.
Let's hope the Phils decide that it's time to shake off the recent doldrums and take one tonight against the Angels. Whereever they're from.
Another Delco guy had an appointment canceled and good buddy Jody Mac from 950 ESPN has a remote leading up to the Phillies day game. So here I am!
The Tony Luke's steak egg and cheese isn't going to help me get back down to 165, but it's damn good! I'm reading a Daily News, talking sports and enjoying the day off. See you at the ballpark!
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