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My internet has eaten itself yet again.

Hannah, unfortunately I don't think that that is enough. I've worked for two restaurants in Philly that were exactly what you describe, with great, fresh, creative food; wonderful staff that really cared about their guests and the quality of their service; and a perfect atmosphere for either celebration or romance (depending on where you sat and the size of your group), and they both closed due to lack of business. In today's age of media oversaturation, people are more and more going to the latest and greatest, and if their neighborhood spot isn't throwing itself in their faces regularly, or they don't pass it on their way to the gym, it's "out of sight, out of mind". As much as I believed in these restaurants, their marketing plans were totally lacking, they weren't trying to get mentioned in the local blogs, weren't throwing themed dinners, etc. You need to find something to make yourself stick out from the pack. Jaba14 listed a bunch of places, none of them themed-out, but all with a shtick (except maybe for Modo Mio, except they also own a cult favorite hoagie minichain Paesano's.). So I am sorry for the rambling, but I guess in Philly you need a schtick, or at least some regular web/facebook/email newsletter/monthly event/blog presence?

Sauvignon Blanc.

irishnyc & tara - bring to a boil and then immediately transfer to the preheated oven. cook in the oven until done - at least one hour. similar to braising where you would brown the meat first, you are starting the cooking on the higher, direct heat of the burner before switching to the more even heat of the oven.

I worked in a Greek restaurant for a few years in college, and I was the only American in the place. I became addicted to Frappes there, and it hasn't stopped for 6 years. If you want the actual Nescafe Classic, check out Latin Markets. That's where I got it at first, but now they actually carry it at my ShopRite!

i just added this to my amazon wishlist. i dont even like cookies but i love hk more than i dislike anything! thanks.

hm sounds delish. if only they had this option in domestic airports. i already emailed my friend who lives in london, asking him to eat there and send me the bag. :)

My first Thanksgiving dinner. Everything came out great (even my mom said my turkey was better than hers!), and we had tons of fun. Learned to make butternut squash ravioli and drank tons of wine. I still do Thanksgiving every year now, with a different set of "orphans" every year.

NY Strip. Love it.

Appetizers
Cured salmon (homemade, based on the recipe in Charcuterie), served with whipped chive cream cheese, red onions, and capers
Cheese & Crackers

Dinner
Butternut squash ravioli with sage cream sauce
Herb and Mustard Turkey (epicurious)
Yukon gold mash with buttermilk and lots of butter
Bread dressing with onion/celery/green pepper
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Sauteed green beans with shallots
Turkey Gravy
Cranberry sauce with bourbon (friend brought)
Whole wheat dinner rolls

Dessert
Brownies with port-poached pears and vanilla bean ice cream (friend brought)

Sam Adams Winter Sampler beers
Apple Cider with Jameson
grenache/syrah red blend
sauvignon blanc/semillion white blend

Great dinner, great company, and the Eagles won. :)

A deli here in South Philly makes a similar sandwich called the Fried Tomato Sandwich. It's on sarcone's rolls with fried tomatoes, bacon, lettuce, and cheese (I get fresh mozz). Add long hots and a bit of mayo... DELICIOUS! They're back from vacation tomorrow and that's whats for lunch!!

I do my best to bag my own groceries in canvas bags. The closest supermarket to me has self-checkout so I always use it. The cashiers get too confused with I either a) tell them to use the bags that I brought, or b) tell them that I don't need a bag at all. The two of us went by the other day and bought 5 easily carryable things. When we told the cashier we didn't need a bag, it BLEW.HER.MIND. I will do self checkout from now on, thanks.

For large trips both of us always go, and one of us stands at the end of the lane and offers to bag everything ourselves. It makes the cashier very very happy. =)

I am totally making these next time we do a batch of sausage. Already planned are hot italian, feta/spinach, and venison. Thanks for the recipe!