My sister was in town a couple of weeks ago and really wanted to go to the Melting Pot. For some reason I obliged.
The restaurant itself is fairly pleasant looking - large tables and fairly plain, cookie cutter decor. That's probably where my excitement about this restaurant ends. We start off by waiting about 10 minutes for the Host to find our reservation and get his act together -- this despite the place being empty and our telling him that we were in a rush.
Finally we sit, and the waitress gives us menus and takes our drink order...and forgets my drink. I'll chalk this one up to ineptitude. We pick our choices and the food comes out.
The first course is the cheese course. We order traditional Swiss fondue and a dish called "Wisconsin Fondue:" a mix of cheddar, blue, and fontina cheeses. Now I don't know if this is a requirement for fondue, but the bread that came out was stale. Other than that, this was a decent course -- i mean, you can't go wrong with cheese.
Then the main course comes out. We ordered a vegetarian plate, a fish plate, and a beef plate (there were five of us in all), and ordered both oil and broth as our cooking media. They bring out a number of batters and sauces and show us what to do. I try battering some meat. The batter (of course) won't stay on the meat. I stick the half-battered piece of steak into the fryer and overcook it. Even overcooked, the batter doesn't cook properly (the oil isn't hot enough). So I wind up with some nasty excuse for tempura beef. The salmon, veggies, etc. aren't much better. The nice thing is that it's hard to really truly overcook food in fondue -- it's probably going to stay moist. In few words: this became a meal of sauces, as they were the only way to mask my distaste for basically everything else.
All in all, my take is that this is a gimmicky chain with mediocre food. See, I did promise you some bad reviews...
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Monday, September 11, 2006
A Nation In Mourning Five Years Later
It's hard not to reflect on the fifth anniversary of the largest terrorist attack the world has, and hopefully will ever see. Like many people, I'll never forget where I was when I learned of the attacks. A sophomore in college, we had lost power two of the last three nights as PECO struggled to fix a transformer on fortieth and spruce. We spent much of the night of the 10th playing board games by candlelight and talking to our neighbors on the porches around us. I resolved the following morning to call PECO. I also called my dad and asked him to call me at 10:30 to make sure I got up for class.
At 10:15 or so, I wake up on my own (I didn't have class until noon), and we still don't have power. I try calling PECO and get the "all circuits are busy" message that became so common that day. About half an hour later, the power comes back on and my phone rings about 30 seconds later: it's my sister and she's in tears, but at least she's reached both of my parents and they're alive. I never before considered the possibility of the death of my immediate family members before that day, but as a born and bred Lower Manhattanite (I grew up about a mile from Ground Zero on the lower east side), it was quite real that day.
I was beside myself. Luckily, I lived with a fantastic group of guys who realized that none of us should be alone that day. One of my housemates suggested we go to donate blood, and we walked towards the hospital. This is when the most inspiring part of the day occurred. Everybody was trying to help. Phone banks had already been set up on campus, allowing students to find family. People were being turned away at the blood bank (including us) because they couldn't handle the crowds. Money was raised, and the entire school (it seemed) wore ribbons made of intertwined red, white, and blue threads. We helped as much as we could, sending supplies and volunteers to DC and NY, yet it never felt like enough as our help could only go so far.
I wanted to link to Matt Gelb's piece on the first Mets game post 9/11, as it really resonated with me.
I'm not going to write about my feelings on the current state of the world -- today is a day of reflection (and this is a food blog anyway). But today, like many of you, I will take some time out of my busy day to reflect, mourn, and remember.
At 10:15 or so, I wake up on my own (I didn't have class until noon), and we still don't have power. I try calling PECO and get the "all circuits are busy" message that became so common that day. About half an hour later, the power comes back on and my phone rings about 30 seconds later: it's my sister and she's in tears, but at least she's reached both of my parents and they're alive. I never before considered the possibility of the death of my immediate family members before that day, but as a born and bred Lower Manhattanite (I grew up about a mile from Ground Zero on the lower east side), it was quite real that day.
I was beside myself. Luckily, I lived with a fantastic group of guys who realized that none of us should be alone that day. One of my housemates suggested we go to donate blood, and we walked towards the hospital. This is when the most inspiring part of the day occurred. Everybody was trying to help. Phone banks had already been set up on campus, allowing students to find family. People were being turned away at the blood bank (including us) because they couldn't handle the crowds. Money was raised, and the entire school (it seemed) wore ribbons made of intertwined red, white, and blue threads. We helped as much as we could, sending supplies and volunteers to DC and NY, yet it never felt like enough as our help could only go so far.
I wanted to link to Matt Gelb's piece on the first Mets game post 9/11, as it really resonated with me.
I'm not going to write about my feelings on the current state of the world -- today is a day of reflection (and this is a food blog anyway). But today, like many of you, I will take some time out of my busy day to reflect, mourn, and remember.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Coocoo for Tampopo Puffs
Less than a block from my house is the oft-crowded Tampopo, a little teriyaki hut that typically releases fantastic smells. Having never been, I avoided the temptation of Five Guys to try the rice bowls at Tampopo. Basically, Tampopo makes about 6 different types of meat (breaded, grilled, and spicy chicken, beef), some fish, and some vegetarian options. You then pick between rice bowl and bento box, and you enjoy. Some sushi is available.
The place is quite clean and the staff very cheery. Many people were eating in, despite everything pointing to a focus on takeout (cash register at the counter, disposable bowls). Prices are reasonable, in the $5-8 range.
I ordered Bi Bim Bop with beef, a classic Korean dish consisting of rice, steamed veggies, egg, and meat. This used to be my favorite dish at the old "Korean and Japanese Food Truck" on 38th and Walnut, now known as KoJa (the quality, in my opinion, suffered greatly when the new owners took over), and since they removed it from the menu, I've been pressed to find the dish for under $10. I paid $7.44 at Tampopo.
My food arrives and I mix in the hot oil (to me, much more palatable than the usual korean sauces, which are way too hot for my taste). The egg was missing from the dish, and the meat was not exactly plentiful. Additionally, the veggies were soggy (I like some crunchier bean sprouts in mine). Tasting the dish, the rice was well cooked and the meat was very flavorful. For the most part, I enjoyed the dish, yet it lacked the depth of a "traditional" bi bim bop. I put traditional in quotes because I'm not Korean, I've never been to Korea, and I'm basing this solely on the sum of my experiences with Korean foods at different restaurants.
So in general, I need to try this place again, but I thought it was a mediocre attempt. Based on the crowds, I'm expecting better than what I got. Readers, weigh in...
The place is quite clean and the staff very cheery. Many people were eating in, despite everything pointing to a focus on takeout (cash register at the counter, disposable bowls). Prices are reasonable, in the $5-8 range.
I ordered Bi Bim Bop with beef, a classic Korean dish consisting of rice, steamed veggies, egg, and meat. This used to be my favorite dish at the old "Korean and Japanese Food Truck" on 38th and Walnut, now known as KoJa (the quality, in my opinion, suffered greatly when the new owners took over), and since they removed it from the menu, I've been pressed to find the dish for under $10. I paid $7.44 at Tampopo.
My food arrives and I mix in the hot oil (to me, much more palatable than the usual korean sauces, which are way too hot for my taste). The egg was missing from the dish, and the meat was not exactly plentiful. Additionally, the veggies were soggy (I like some crunchier bean sprouts in mine). Tasting the dish, the rice was well cooked and the meat was very flavorful. For the most part, I enjoyed the dish, yet it lacked the depth of a "traditional" bi bim bop. I put traditional in quotes because I'm not Korean, I've never been to Korea, and I'm basing this solely on the sum of my experiences with Korean foods at different restaurants.
So in general, I need to try this place again, but I thought it was a mediocre attempt. Based on the crowds, I'm expecting better than what I got. Readers, weigh in...
Saturday, September 09, 2006
New Feature: Recipes
So I don't only like to eat, I also like to cook. Periodically, I'm going to share a recipe that I've created for some of my favorite foods...
I'm on a little bit of a barbecue kick. Luckily, since my readership is quite discerning, you all realize that I'm talking about sauce and meat, and not coals and meat. Big difference. While barbecue purists will be appalled by what I do, I can make a decent pulled chicken in maybe 20 minutes.
Quick Chopped/Pulled Barbecue Chicken
Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken breasts
1/2 medium onion
1 bottle of Trader Joe's BBQ sauce (I like the smoky taste of it)
Oil
1. Chop the onion and heat in a saucepan (oiled) until tender. Remove from flame and set aside in mixing bowl.
2. Cut chicken into strips, and heat in saucepan on low/med heat. Keep the lid on the pan, yet turn the chicken every few minutes. By keeping the lid on, you'll create a steaming effect which will keep the chicken nice and moist. When the chicken is cooked, remove from heat and let stand for 10-20 minutes.
3. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and either a) chop or b) manually pull the chicken apart. I chop, as I'm lazy. Place the chicken in the mixing bowl with the onion.
4. Slowly mix in your barbecue sauce. Make sure all of the chicken is coated with sauce.
5. Enjoy!
This was a pretty simple one, but hey, I'm a student (as are many of my readers) and don't necessarily have time to be more complex...
I'm on a little bit of a barbecue kick. Luckily, since my readership is quite discerning, you all realize that I'm talking about sauce and meat, and not coals and meat. Big difference. While barbecue purists will be appalled by what I do, I can make a decent pulled chicken in maybe 20 minutes.
Quick Chopped/Pulled Barbecue Chicken
Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken breasts
1/2 medium onion
1 bottle of Trader Joe's BBQ sauce (I like the smoky taste of it)
Oil
1. Chop the onion and heat in a saucepan (oiled) until tender. Remove from flame and set aside in mixing bowl.
2. Cut chicken into strips, and heat in saucepan on low/med heat. Keep the lid on the pan, yet turn the chicken every few minutes. By keeping the lid on, you'll create a steaming effect which will keep the chicken nice and moist. When the chicken is cooked, remove from heat and let stand for 10-20 minutes.
3. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and either a) chop or b) manually pull the chicken apart. I chop, as I'm lazy. Place the chicken in the mixing bowl with the onion.
4. Slowly mix in your barbecue sauce. Make sure all of the chicken is coated with sauce.
5. Enjoy!
This was a pretty simple one, but hey, I'm a student (as are many of my readers) and don't necessarily have time to be more complex...
Friday, September 08, 2006
Why I Hate The New Marathon Menu
I love Marathon Grill. I've been going there religiously since I was an undergrad, and have shared many a lunch at pretty much all of the locations. I love the simplicity of the diner food and appreciate the gourmet spin. Now I love a tuna melt as much as anybody else (probably moreso), but I feel much better about doing it with a garden salad on the side rather than french fries. Marathon lets me do that. Sure, it's a little more expensive than Midtown, for instance, but, as I'll post in a couple of days, you don't have to deal with possibly the poorest excuse I've ever seen for french onion soup. Today I went twice, just to show my loyalty.
Breakfast was fine. The "Blue Dot" coffee was, as always, refreshingly strong and effortlessly bottomless. The home fries were fantastic, and the egg wrap (with Pico, cheddar, and sour cream) was solid, but a little light on the pico.
Lunch was a whole different story. First, let's start with the menu. The new menu is smaller, with some new items, such as the flounder filet sandwich, the curried turkey salad on walnut bread (served with a beet and feta salad?!), and a shortribs sandwich. They've also changed several of the items, adding, for example, lemon aioli to my personal favorite, the chicken salad sandwich, and adding thousand island dressing to one of the burgers, in an attempt to gourmet-ify a Big Mac. They also removed (as far as we could tell), the hot dogs and the cheesesteaks.
The weirdest part of the menu though is a section called "Jay's Faves." In no particular order, "Jay" lists about 8 items off the menu that he "likes," yet all of these are new menus on the item. Thus, while a clever way to highlight the new items, this will get old fairly quickly. Plus, the B-School student in me realizes that they may make future menu decisions without taking into account the overpromotion of these items.
Then, the paper insert suggests some "items from the new menu" which is just a rearranged version of "Jay's Faves." Lastly, Mr. Rogers does not appear on this menu, a highlight of the old menu.
So after being told three times about the new short rib sandwich, I figured I'd try it, against my better judgement. What came out was a mess. First off, the sandwich is spilling out of the bun from the kitchen. I don't know how meat wound up UNDER the bottom of the bun, but it was there. There's really no excuse for this -- my sandwich rule 1: as hefty as a sandwich is, all meat should be reasonably contained by bread at time of serving.
My first bite (with only about a third of the meat in the roll) presented me with a slightly leathery beef drenched in gravy. Now I make short ribs. And the whole POINT of short ribs is that you cook them until the meat is incredibly tender. You don't quickly cook this meat, as the muscle fibers don't get broken down. Either their beef was very cheap, or the ribs needed more time in the crockpot. Furthermore, they've loaded up the sandwich with this horseradish mustard, which I was really looking forward too. However, when mixed, Grey Poupon and Horseradish create a tart, overbearing taste, taking away from the meat. A good deli mustard and a little bit of horseradish would have been a better choice to bring out the flavor. In essence, this sandwich pretty much tasted like something that would be served at Penn's 1920 Commons. My side salad was decent, coated an interesting, yet tasty thai lime yogurt dressing.
I tasted my friend's flounder sandwich, and it was quite good, leading me to believe that at least some of the new menu was decent. On further thought, however, I realized that Marathon is sending mixed signals. Their new comfort foods are good, because Marathon is good at comfort foods. That's their thing. When they try to fancify foods, they tend to mess up. Hence I don't think I'll be trying the curried turkey salad on walnut bread with a beet and feta salad on the side.
Marathon, do me a favor and bring back the cheesesteak... this is, after all, Philadelphia.
Breakfast was fine. The "Blue Dot" coffee was, as always, refreshingly strong and effortlessly bottomless. The home fries were fantastic, and the egg wrap (with Pico, cheddar, and sour cream) was solid, but a little light on the pico.
Lunch was a whole different story. First, let's start with the menu. The new menu is smaller, with some new items, such as the flounder filet sandwich, the curried turkey salad on walnut bread (served with a beet and feta salad?!), and a shortribs sandwich. They've also changed several of the items, adding, for example, lemon aioli to my personal favorite, the chicken salad sandwich, and adding thousand island dressing to one of the burgers, in an attempt to gourmet-ify a Big Mac. They also removed (as far as we could tell), the hot dogs and the cheesesteaks.
The weirdest part of the menu though is a section called "Jay's Faves." In no particular order, "Jay" lists about 8 items off the menu that he "likes," yet all of these are new menus on the item. Thus, while a clever way to highlight the new items, this will get old fairly quickly. Plus, the B-School student in me realizes that they may make future menu decisions without taking into account the overpromotion of these items.
Then, the paper insert suggests some "items from the new menu" which is just a rearranged version of "Jay's Faves." Lastly, Mr. Rogers does not appear on this menu, a highlight of the old menu.
So after being told three times about the new short rib sandwich, I figured I'd try it, against my better judgement. What came out was a mess. First off, the sandwich is spilling out of the bun from the kitchen. I don't know how meat wound up UNDER the bottom of the bun, but it was there. There's really no excuse for this -- my sandwich rule 1: as hefty as a sandwich is, all meat should be reasonably contained by bread at time of serving.
My first bite (with only about a third of the meat in the roll) presented me with a slightly leathery beef drenched in gravy. Now I make short ribs. And the whole POINT of short ribs is that you cook them until the meat is incredibly tender. You don't quickly cook this meat, as the muscle fibers don't get broken down. Either their beef was very cheap, or the ribs needed more time in the crockpot. Furthermore, they've loaded up the sandwich with this horseradish mustard, which I was really looking forward too. However, when mixed, Grey Poupon and Horseradish create a tart, overbearing taste, taking away from the meat. A good deli mustard and a little bit of horseradish would have been a better choice to bring out the flavor. In essence, this sandwich pretty much tasted like something that would be served at Penn's 1920 Commons. My side salad was decent, coated an interesting, yet tasty thai lime yogurt dressing.
I tasted my friend's flounder sandwich, and it was quite good, leading me to believe that at least some of the new menu was decent. On further thought, however, I realized that Marathon is sending mixed signals. Their new comfort foods are good, because Marathon is good at comfort foods. That's their thing. When they try to fancify foods, they tend to mess up. Hence I don't think I'll be trying the curried turkey salad on walnut bread with a beet and feta salad on the side.
Marathon, do me a favor and bring back the cheesesteak... this is, after all, Philadelphia.
Now Feeding Wharton
So we're hitting the big time. And by the big time, I mean that not only has one of our readers offered to guest write about her favorite restaurants, but I've now opened up the feed to WhartonLink. That's right, we're commercializing, as any good Wharton MBA should do...
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Five Guys Famous Burger and Fries
Courtesy of The Washington Post
A few weeks ago, I walked by one of the most garish looking storefronts I've ever seen. Looking like a picnic tablecloth exploded onto a wall, Five Guys did not initially impress me. Granted, I have not been to DC in a while, and was unaware of the fame of this place.
The following Wednesday, I walked by with my friend Mike, who repeatedly sang its praises. I had to try it.
When you walk into Five Guys, you are greeted with peanuts on the tables -- a testament to their allegiance to peanut oil as their oil of choice. Grab some while you wait, as depending on the length of the line, you might be sitting there for a while.
A standard cheeseburger is the equivalent to an In-N-Out 2x2: 2 patties, 2 pieces of cheese. Patties are flipped once and only pressed down once on each side to hold in the juices. Customers are allowed to choose from a list of toppings, including sauteed mushrooms and fried onions, at no extra charge.
I ordered a cheeseburger with mushrooms, onions, lettuce, tomato, and ketchup. Surprisingly, my order was ready in under five minutes, and I headed home. When I opened up the burger in my apartment, the burger drew similarities to In-N-Out. Taste wise, I think this may be a little better (dare I say). Two reasons: First, I really liked that there was a little bit of a char taste on the burger, which I don't remember from In-N-Out. Second, I really like the toppings choice. To me, any burger is made better with mushrooms.
I remind you that this is still a fast food burger. There are better burgers available in Philadelphia for not much more money (and in some cases, less). However, as far as fast food goes, this may be the best I've had.
On a side note, it may seem that I'm positive about a lot of places. Two reasons for that: first, food in Philadelphia is quite good overall, second, I'm writing about a mix of places I've been to and places I've recently visited. When I hate something, I'll be clear.
Five Guys Famous Burger and Fries
1527 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102
tel. 215-972-1375
The following Wednesday, I walked by with my friend Mike, who repeatedly sang its praises. I had to try it.
When you walk into Five Guys, you are greeted with peanuts on the tables -- a testament to their allegiance to peanut oil as their oil of choice. Grab some while you wait, as depending on the length of the line, you might be sitting there for a while.
A standard cheeseburger is the equivalent to an In-N-Out 2x2: 2 patties, 2 pieces of cheese. Patties are flipped once and only pressed down once on each side to hold in the juices. Customers are allowed to choose from a list of toppings, including sauteed mushrooms and fried onions, at no extra charge.
I ordered a cheeseburger with mushrooms, onions, lettuce, tomato, and ketchup. Surprisingly, my order was ready in under five minutes, and I headed home. When I opened up the burger in my apartment, the burger drew similarities to In-N-Out. Taste wise, I think this may be a little better (dare I say). Two reasons: First, I really liked that there was a little bit of a char taste on the burger, which I don't remember from In-N-Out. Second, I really like the toppings choice. To me, any burger is made better with mushrooms.
I remind you that this is still a fast food burger. There are better burgers available in Philadelphia for not much more money (and in some cases, less). However, as far as fast food goes, this may be the best I've had.
On a side note, it may seem that I'm positive about a lot of places. Two reasons for that: first, food in Philadelphia is quite good overall, second, I'm writing about a mix of places I've been to and places I've recently visited. When I hate something, I'll be clear.
Five Guys Famous Burger and Fries
1527 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102
tel. 215-972-1375
Aoi Aoi
I haven't had much sushi since I moved to Philadelphia. Although I love it, it doesn't really fit into the concept of a student budget, so I've avoided it as best I could. Last night, though, I was in the mood...really in the mood. I called my friend Jon up to see if he had any interest in going for all you can eat Sushi at Aoi. I remembered the place having pretty good fish, so it was worth a try.
Aoi is a strange place. You walk in to the black room with grey carpet and it feels more like a place out of the Philadelphia 1970's restaurant revolution (e.g. Fri Sat Sun with its fish tank and Christmas lights). There's half of a car sticking out of the wall over a bathroom -- kitsch at its best. It seems when they took over the restaurant, they spent as little as possible on renovations, adding just a couple of Japanese posters to the walls.
The waitress took a while to show up, and we informed her we'd be doing the all you can eat ($19.95). She took our menus away and brought special menus for the all you can eat. We then learned the rules:
Plate one comes out: I'm not too keen on the rolls -- the rice seems to be a little too chewy and sticky (a sign of not enough vinegar), but the nigiri is pretty good. A little too much rice, but hey, they're trying to slow down your fish consumption. The fish was surprisingly plentiful and quite tasty. The hamachi was especially good, with it's buttery bite and clean taste. The salmon was also quite fresh. Tuna and whitefish were less special, but still solid. We order plate two -- Jon is already struggling so he orders only six points, while I go for the full 15, limiting to just hand rolls and nigiri. I ask Jon to remind me to take a picture of plate two for the blog.
Plate two comes out: We both forget about the picture, and I go to town on my fish. I ordered tamago this time around to complete the meal (this is tradition in Japan according to Rachel J., who lived there for 8 years), and it's a little on the sweet side but still good. Again, I'm really surprised by the good quality of the fish.
Jon then reminds me that I haven't taken pictures. Because I care about all three of my readers, I decide to order more, albeit already pushing my limits here. I order two temaki and one nigiri. I can finish that, right? Wrong. The food comes out and I eat the nigiri with no problem. I start on the temaki. Problem. I've hit a wall. I have three choices:
In conclusion, scary decor, good service, and decent sushi at a great price. I wouldn't recommend this place for a la carte, as for me, the best part of a la carte sushi is finding really creative rolls. I'm sure Aoi has creative rolls, but I find it much harder to ignore the rice consistency with maki than with nigiri. But for all you can eat? this place is great.
Aoi
1210 Walnut St
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 985-1838
Aoi is a strange place. You walk in to the black room with grey carpet and it feels more like a place out of the Philadelphia 1970's restaurant revolution (e.g. Fri Sat Sun with its fish tank and Christmas lights). There's half of a car sticking out of the wall over a bathroom -- kitsch at its best. It seems when they took over the restaurant, they spent as little as possible on renovations, adding just a couple of Japanese posters to the walls.
The waitress took a while to show up, and we informed her we'd be doing the all you can eat ($19.95). She took our menus away and brought special menus for the all you can eat. We then learned the rules:
- Nigiri = 1 point per piece
- Maki = 3 points per six pieces
- Temaki = 3 points per hand roll
- You can order up to 15 points per order
- No sharing
- You pay a la carte for any piece you don't finish (we'll get back to this one)
Plate one comes out: I'm not too keen on the rolls -- the rice seems to be a little too chewy and sticky (a sign of not enough vinegar), but the nigiri is pretty good. A little too much rice, but hey, they're trying to slow down your fish consumption. The fish was surprisingly plentiful and quite tasty. The hamachi was especially good, with it's buttery bite and clean taste. The salmon was also quite fresh. Tuna and whitefish were less special, but still solid. We order plate two -- Jon is already struggling so he orders only six points, while I go for the full 15, limiting to just hand rolls and nigiri. I ask Jon to remind me to take a picture of plate two for the blog.
Plate two comes out: We both forget about the picture, and I go to town on my fish. I ordered tamago this time around to complete the meal (this is tradition in Japan according to Rachel J., who lived there for 8 years), and it's a little on the sweet side but still good. Again, I'm really surprised by the good quality of the fish.
Jon then reminds me that I haven't taken pictures. Because I care about all three of my readers, I decide to order more, albeit already pushing my limits here. I order two temaki and one nigiri. I can finish that, right? Wrong. The food comes out and I eat the nigiri with no problem. I start on the temaki. Problem. I've hit a wall. I have three choices:
- Pay the a la carte for the pieces I didn't finish (recall the rules)
- Take a short break and force them in
- Stuff them in my mouth, go to the bathroom, and spit them out into the toilet
In conclusion, scary decor, good service, and decent sushi at a great price. I wouldn't recommend this place for a la carte, as for me, the best part of a la carte sushi is finding really creative rolls. I'm sure Aoi has creative rolls, but I find it much harder to ignore the rice consistency with maki than with nigiri. But for all you can eat? this place is great.
Aoi
1210 Walnut St
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Friday, September 01, 2006
Primo's Last Stand
I received some flak for my Primo's post. Elizabeth commented that I should try the Schwartzie. Brett suggested that I try earlier in the day when the Sarcone's rolls are softer. I figured I'd try one more time.
I walked in today and the place was bumping. There were bags and bags of sandwiches awaiting delivery -- much different than my Saturday trip.
I ordered the Schwartzie -- with pickles and Swiss Lorraine (sharper and less fat than your standard Swiss).
The bread was softer, the corned beef thinly sliced and plentiful. The cole slaw and pickles gave the sandwich a nice crunch. The Russian dressing was probably a little too plentiful, but who's counting. The only drawback was that they didn't cut my hoagie in half.
So Primo's gets a plus in my book thanks to Brett and Elizabeth. I guess the best thing a place can have is an extremely supportive fan base...
I walked in today and the place was bumping. There were bags and bags of sandwiches awaiting delivery -- much different than my Saturday trip.
I ordered the Schwartzie -- with pickles and Swiss Lorraine (sharper and less fat than your standard Swiss).
The bread was softer, the corned beef thinly sliced and plentiful. The cole slaw and pickles gave the sandwich a nice crunch. The Russian dressing was probably a little too plentiful, but who's counting. The only drawback was that they didn't cut my hoagie in half.
So Primo's gets a plus in my book thanks to Brett and Elizabeth. I guess the best thing a place can have is an extremely supportive fan base...
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