Herr's Flavored in Philly Winners Return

Attention Walmart Shoppers! Herr's has brought back the past few winners of their Flavored in Philly contest. Unfortunately, both the Tomato Pie and Stromboli were inferior efforts that beat out better chips (I don't know anyone that didn't love the John's Roast Pork flavor). Long Hots with Sharp Provolone was pretty good, as I recall.

REVIEW: Poe's Sandwich Joint (1710 N. 5th Street, Philadelphia, PA)

Our daughter is getting ready to finish her junior year in high school, which means it’s time to start taking trips to colleges and scope out the campuses where she might be spending a chunk of the near future. It also means we can research and try new places to eat and drink! 

During our recent spring break we decided to take a ride to Philly and look at a few schools, one of which happened to be my alma mater, Drexel University in West Philly. It has been longer than I care to acknowledge since my graduation, and the campus has changed dramatically. The food trucks I subsisted on as a commuter student have been pushed away from the street in front of the main building, replaced with pizza joints, coffee shops, chicken sandwich establishments, and even a Shake Shack. 

Further up the campus towards the University of Pennsylvania, students, faculty and staff can choose from Wawa, Chipotle, more pizza, and a Pret A Manger, which is where we decided to grab a bite and some coffee while we chatted with an old buddy from my days on college radio. We discovered Pret while we were traveling through Europe back in 2017 and I hate to admit I’d rather have one of their baguettes or chicken salad and avocado sandwiches than the hit-or-miss offerings from our nearby Wawas. 

Our travels the next day took us to North Philly and a tour of rival Temple University. The night before our visit I sat down and did some research on eateries around campus. I’m more familiar with spots in the Northern Liberties section, but we wanted to see what Temple’s environs offered, just in case we’d need a good spot when we came up for a visit. 

I whittled our choices down to Oh Brother (burgers and sandwiches with a variety of gourmet cheesesteaks), Luna Café (featuring breakfast and lunch), and Poe’s Sandwich Joint (a, well, sandwich joint located inside Human Robot Brewery at 1710 N. 5th Street). After much deliberation and reading the menu offerings from each, we decided we would be gently rapping on Poe’s door. 

After a soggy college tour in the spring break rain, we hopped in the car and headed back towards Center City. The dreary day certainly didn’t do much to improve the area’s ambiance, and Human Robot is just the sort of dark bar where you could have found me during my college years; though back then I preferred 25 cent Meister Brau drafts and bottles of Yuengling lager/porter/black & tan to a $7 hazy IPA that reminded me a great deal of the Ship Bottom Brewing Hop & Hazy IPA I’m sipping as I type this. 

The small kitchen is tucked down the brewery’s hallway, with only a small sign to let hungry patrons know it’s there. Manned by a few cooks, the brightly lit kitchen cranked out a healthy number of eat-in and take-out orders while we were there. The cooks suggested ordering from the online app since there were “eight or nine” new sandwiches not on the printed menus. 

Our previous night’s research paid off and we ended up ordering exactly what we’d zeroed in on: Gabbygool (chicken cutlet, hand pulled fresh mozzarella, hot “gabagool” capicola, roasted red bell peppers and arugula with house lemon pepper mayo, balsamic glaze and red pepper flakes); Seoulgirl (Korean fried chicken topped with homemade kimchi slaw, drizzled honey, spicy gochujang aioli and cilantro); Hamilton (chicken cutlet, bacon, hand-cut fries, Cooper sharp, house ranch dressing, scallions); and, Skinny Joey Fries (hand cut French Fries, extra sharp provolone, Italian style roast pork, sautéed broccoli rabe and roasted long hots topped with house horseradish mayo, parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes). 

Each sandwich featured a great bread-to-filling ratio with the nice chew that Philly/NJ-baked rolls are so renowned for, and I now demand that ALL fries be topped with roast pork, provolone, and horseradish mayo. Best Fries Ever. Nobody finished more than half of their hefty lunch selection, which meant we also had dinner for the dreary evening ahead. We packed up our sandwiches (and fries) and dashed to the car for another white-knuckle drive through torrential rains back to the shore, the smell of our leftovers filling the cab for the next 90 minutes. 

A few hours later we popped everything into the oven at a low temperature and gathered around the counter for round two. Not only did the sandwiches hold up as leftovers, but I was kinda jealous of the Seoulgirl (Chris’ selection); the kick of the gochujang and the crunch of the kimchi really added texture and heat to the fried chicken. 

We might have to schedule a return trip just so I can get my hands on another one. 

And the Best Fries Ever. — Dan Taylor

Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of The Hungover Gourmet, which is back in print after (checks notes) 15 years! Visit our website to order our current issue and see how you can contribute to our next issue.

Happy National Cheesesteak Day!

Happy National Cheesesteak Day! 

I would link to the article from the award-winning issue of The Hungover Gourmet that featured our Philly Cheesesteak Tour which took place on a hot and humid summer afternoon but our website is currently MIA due to a defective hard drive. So you'll just have to wait.

In the meantime enjoy these photos of cheesesteaks, cheesesteak signage and stuff that is definitely #notacheesesteak...

Not sure why "James Beard" is in quotes like that but John's Roast Pork in South Philly is home to one of the best cheesesteaks in the area. Slamming roast pork, too.

#notacheeseteak

Wally's Country Store is not far from us in Parkton, MD. It sorta reminds me of an old school Wawa but with its own funky vibe.

Steve's Prince of Steaks ranks in my Cheesesteak Top 10 thanks to the ooey gooey cheese-to-steak ratio and excellent bread.

If you see this on a food truck in NYC it is definitely #notacheesesteak.

Signage at Philly's wondrous Reading Terminal Market. I'm sure you can get great cheesesteaks there but if I'm in Reading Terminal I'm heading right to Dinics for a roast pork with provolone and broccoli rabe.

A-Rod Mocked for Calling Cheesesteak A "Cheese Sandwich"

I always loathe the pandering of national sports broadcasts, but ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball took it to new lows the other night during the Phillies/Braves game.

In an attempt to show some love for the Phightin' Phils – who haven't exactly been a fixture on the network's marquee baseball broadcast in recent seasons – somebody had the bright idea to have the (ugh) Phillie Phanatic deliver cheesesteaks to the broadcast booth.

What followed was an ill-advised and uninformed attempt to embrace Philly while sampling some of the iconic sandwich, with Jessica Mendoza wondering why there was red sauce on one and Matt Vasgersian inventing something called "wiz wit sauce".

Why not bring some attention to Questlove's vegan cheesesteak, available at the ballpark and drawing rave reviews from Friends of THG, via a blind taste test?

But, fittingly, the most mockery was reserved for walking suntan bed A-Rod who gushed "this is the greatest cheese sandwich I've ever had – it's amazing" and smelled the inside of Bryce Harper's cleats. – Dan Taylor

Dan Taylor is a lifelong Phillies fan and the editor of The Hungover Gourmet. He is looking forward to visiting Citizens Bank Park, sampling a Questlove "cheesesteak" and jeering Johnny Haircut, er, rooting for Bryce Harper. Sorry. It's going to take some getting used to.

Steve's Prince of Steaks (16th Street, Philadelphia)

Several years ago, before my wife and I welcomed our darling eating machine daughter into the world, we would meet up with friends for food-related excursions.

Sometimes it was a huge group from the old Roadfood forum gathering at G&M in Maryland for all things crab, like their softball-sized crab cakes.

Other times we'd get the bright idea to drive around Philly on the hottest, stickiest day of the year and tour varied cheesesteak joints. Like, five or six of them.

And on that day, as the sun beat down and the humid, subway air belched its way from the ground beneath us (or maybe that was just me), we ended our trek at Steve's Prince of Steaks on Bustleton Ave. There, some participants threw in the towel and couldn't eat another bite while the brave among us soldiered on, eating one... more... sandwich... a river of wiz and slightly less-processed cheese products cascading down our throats, grease dripping on our sun-baked arms, convincing ourselves that we'd eat salads all week to make up for this gluttony. (By the way, you can still read all about the High Steaks Showdown at The Hungover Gourmet website or in printed copies of that award-winning issue.)

When all the votes were tallied, Steve's ended up a close second to Dallasendro's (another personal fave) with points taken off by several voters for what some considered a sketchy bathroom.

These days, most of my trips to Philly feature scarfing down Wawa while enjoying film festivals at International House, or our annual Christmas excursion complete with the vintage light show at Macy's and a trip to Reading Terminal Market for a roast pork sandwich from DiNic's. In other words, I have to find my cheesesteak fixes where I can get 'em, even if that means the Korean bulgogi and beer cheese sandwich at The Point in Towson, MD or a no frills but tasty cheesesteak from The Gateway on LBI after a day of surf fishing.

So when some friends mentioned trekking up to Philly the Saturday after Thanksgiving in order to see legendary drive-in film critic Joe Bob Briggs give a talk about 'How Rednecks Saved Hollywood' I was definitely intrigued. When they suggested we could head up early and make a stop at Steve's for dinner, I was hooked.

While crummy weather and roads packed with holiday travelers and shoppers did their best to keep us from our cheesesteak rendezvous, we were undeterred. Though I always prefer to hit the original location whenever possible, the Steve's on 16th Street was near covered parking and much closer to our North Philly destination, so that became our stop of choice on this day.

And while $9 for a half hour park job sounded steep, the jump to $19 at 31 minutes made it sound like a bargain. And a challenge.

As the clock ticked we dodged the raindrops and hustled through the doors into Steve's brightly lit but no frills eatery (silver tables, light as air chairs and no restrooms). After re-familiarizing myself with the menu and the ordering "rules", I stepped up and asked for a Cheesesteak (American) With (Fried Onions) and 'Shrooms. Though intrigued by such menu items as the Shrimp Roll ($2), this trip was all about speed eating a cheesesteak. There will always be a next time.

With our orders placed we grabbed a recently unoccupied table and thanked the heavens we arrived when we did, as a couple large groups streamed through the doors just after we sat down. Our sandwiches arrived within minutes, with freshly grilled meat (a big Steve's selling point!) and ooozing cheese barely contained by the long, flat rolls.

Unencumbered by shrimp rolls we dug in and I was briefly transported back to that time when I could still wolf down (parts of) five or six cheesesteaks in an afternoon. Those days are long gone but it's nice to know that while times have changed and some things will never be the same, you can still count on Steve's Prince of Steaks to deliver a timeless Philly favorite. – Dan Taylor

Dan Taylor is the editor of The Hungover Gourmet and a lifelong cheesesteak aficionado. He's still searching for a good Baltimore cheesesteak joint.

Fried Chicken Sandwich at Spruce Street Harbor Park

First visit to Philly's Spruce Street Harbor Park​ last night and I have to say I was smitten.

A fun, relaxing waterfront food and drink court complete with ping pong, bocce and an arcade. Perfect spot to meet old friends (and I do mean old... my buddy Chris and I have known each other since 1st Grade), hang out and chit chat before seeing the one and only Butch Walker​ at the TLA.

Excellent chicken sandwich from Port Fednuts (the park location for local hotspot Federal Donuts), too.

When I told Ryan what was on it – fried chicken, spicy mayo, melted cheese and pickles on a Martin's potato roll – she said they should just "call it The Dan".

Thanks for a great night, Philly!

Quick Review: Jack's Beach Grille on LBI

Stopped by Jack's Beach Grille in Bay Village on Long Beash Island (NJ) last night to grab dinner to go for my daughter and me. Wanted to try the roast pork and compare it to my favorite (Dinic's) but it was out (next time!) so I went with the cheesesteak. 

As a longtime DelVal resident and cheesesteak fan I'm always skeptical about cheesesteaks that aren't made in Philly or just over the bridge in Jersey but I have to admit I loved and devoured the cheesesteak with fried onions and sauce from Jack's. Wish the roll had been a little denser and chewier but that's a minor quibble. (You know I liked the cheesesteak... I didn't even take time out from wolfing it down to take a photo!)

Kid's Menu grilled chicken breast was juicy and tender. My daughter chowed down the whole order and we split (and couldn't even finish) the huge order of fries that came with her order. Here's to success for Jack's and I'm looking forward to going back and trying that Roast Pork Sandwich.

Jack's offers inside and outside seating and is BYOB friendly. Their ad in the local paper even makes pairing suggestions so you can walk across the street to the newly opened Ship Bottom Brewery and grab a growler to go.

Jack's Beach Grille is located in Bay Village in Beach Haven on Long Beach Island, NJ. Call 609-492-2328 or visit jacksbeachgrille.com for more info.

Moriarty's in Philly Makes List of Nation's Best Wing Joints

I've never been a huge fan of wings.

Most places tend to go overboard with the sauce, making it either too hot or too vinegary. Plus, they're a lot of work for the end result, which is probably why I only eat steamed crabs once every couple years, too.

It might also have something to do with multiple trips to Wing Bowl, the annual chicken wing eating event held in Philadelphia on the weekend before the Super Bowl. There's something about that Buffalo Sauce stench and grown men eating wings till they puke that leaves its mark on your psyche.

You can read my original report on Wing Bowl 2000 here as well as our "triumphant" return in 2007.

Anyway, was glad to see a Philly joint like Moriarty's make this list of the best wing joints in the nation. It'll come as no shock that a good portion of the list features wing joints from NY state and the Northeast, but I was a little surprised LBI's Chicken or The Egg didn't make the list, especially after they gained some notoriety for being on one of those dumb eating challenge shows.

You can check out the full list here.

What's your favorite wing joint? Comment below to be entered in our random monthly drawing for The Complete Hungover Gourmet featuring all 11 past issues.

Wahlburgers Coming to Philly, Shake Shack to Baltimore

Wow, the burger craze doesn't seem to be showing signs of slowing down. (Though I'd still rather eat my own grilled burgers.)

Turns out that one day after hearing that my adopted home of Baltimore is getting a Shake Shack, my old stomping grounds of Philadelphia will be home to as many as five Wahlburgers locations. The chain has gained fame due to ownership by the Wahlberg brothers and the A&E reality show filmed at one of the MA-based locations.

I've never been to a Shake Shack or Wahlburgers? Worth the trip? Use the comments section to weigh in.

Cheesesteak Hot Pockets May Contain Meat from "Diseased and Unsound Animals"

As if eating a Hot Pocket wasn't exciting enough.

Now comes a report that Giant food stores (Hey, I go there... see me at one later this morning!) have pulled Philly Steak & Cheese and Croissant Crust Philly Steak & Cheese varieties from their shelves.

No, the chain didn't suddenly develop a conscience or have an attack of good taste. They simply found out from the USDA that some of the meat in the items had not, you know, undergone proper inspection.

I believe the actual phrase tossed around was "diseased and unsound animals".

Hoagie Porn: Phil & Jim's (Brookhaven, PA)

Takeout hoagie (Special with Prosciutto on Top, no onions, no pickles) from Phil & Jim's in Brookhaven, PA. Picked these up on our way to see family in New Jersey. Definitely up there with Pastore's as one of the best hoagies I've ever had. They also know their clientele... if you ask they will wrap the wet ingredients separately and place them in the middle of the sandwich. When you arrive at your destination just open the packet and flip into the waiting hoagie!

Philly Cheesesteak Place to Open in Federal Hill

After a decade of living here it's pretty clear that I have embraced the Baltimore area as my second home.

Sure, the Delaware Valley will always be home to me but I have to admit that I've been won over by the city and its characters not to mention the Natty Boh that flows like water, great seafood, a fun ballpark, and even teams like the O's and Ravens, both of which I enjoy following and rooting for (as long as they're not playing the Phillies or Eagles).  And believe me, that's a big step for me. I lived in Pittsburgh for three years and it did nothing but intensify my dislike for the Pens and Stillers.

The one thing that still bugs me about the area, though, is the inability to find a really good cheesesteak place. Admittedly, I haven't tried all that hard, but why would I? I wouldn't go to Philly expecting to get a great crabcake sandwich so why should I expect Charm City to do a great cheesesteak?

But I have high hopes for Fat Larry's, a new "Philly" cheesesteak and hoagie joint opening later this year in the old Corks location in Federal Hill. Just from glancing at this article in the Baltimore Business Journal I have to say Fat Larry's definitely passes the "eye" test...

• Run by a Philly native? Check.
• Bread baked fresh in Philly daily? Check.
• Steaks made from rib eye? Check.

In other words, I think we have a destination on our hands. We'll keep you posted.

A Cheesesteak is Not a Philly and a Philly is Not a Cheesesteak

Herr's should know better.

Regular readers of this blog know that I'm an admitted, card-carrying Cheesesteak Snob. My general rule of thumb is that if you're a cheesesteak that wasn't made within 30 miles of Billy Penn's hat atop City Hall, well, then I'm not eating you.

Naturally, that rule applies double if you're some sort of chain. Like Arby's. (And even Wawa. Sorry Wawa.)

You've probably seen the commercial for the new Arby's "Philly". The one where the guy takes a bite of his roast beef sandwich and says, "I know a good Philly, and that's a good Philly".

My wife and I recoiled in horror the first time we saw that spot. We grew up in South Jersey, spent many a night in South Philly and went to college in Delaware and Philly (respectively). But our post-college lives took us to Pittsburgh, Arizona and finally back to the east coast, but to Baltimore (where they think they know how to make a cheesesteak, but they would be wrong... and their bread sucks). So, we've seen our share of misguided attempts at making the real deal.

Our reaction to the commercial? Pretty much, "WTF's a Philly?!".

Luckily, this story is gaining some media attention, though it's hard to get past those Occupy glory hogs and attention-whores in the Republican party.

The Philadelphia Daily News (which I'm shocked is still in business) took on the battle cry yesterday with their article, 'Philly's a city, not a sandwich' and I was happy to learn there's a website chronicling the misguided attempts at cheesesteaks from around the country.

Don't Put Lettuce on My Filet-O-Fish, Don't Put Arugula on my Cheesesteak

I'm an admitted Cheesesteak Snob and normally will not order one outside of a 30-mile radius from Billy Penn's hat atop City Hall. (Some special circumstances do apply, especially if you bring in Amoroso's rolls and/or the proprietors are Philly ex-pats.)

In other words, it's highly unlikely that I would order a steak sandwich even from Wolfgang Puck's Cut steakhouse in LA but I'm even less likely when the restaurant's executive chef offers up something with arugula... and garlic mayo... and cheddar?

It reminds me of what Michael Moore once said when McDonald's tried to fancy up the Filet-O-Fish: "They put lettuce on my Filet-O-Fish... fuckers".

Extreme Ritz! Guy Fieri Style!

While walking through the grocery store today I found myself being verbally accosted by none other than Guy Fieri.

I couldn't understand exactly what he was saying but it was impossible to mistake that voice and the way every sentence is punctuated by an exclamation point or the way words like "bananas" and "money" drip from his goateed lips like he's on the set of a low-budget, foodie-centric porno.

"Oh crap," I thought. "This is it. All my bad-mouthing has come back to haunt me and now I'm going to have to fight Guy Fieri in the snack aisle of the grocery store. In front of my daughter. Oh well, I hope he didn't bring Bobby Flay with him."

As I turned, eyeing my basket for the best weapon – Rapunzel snacks? broccolini? – I was relieved (sorta) to discover that there wasn't going to be a supermarket rumble. It was just an extreme to the max Guy Fieri motion-activated shelf display exhorting me to grab some Kraft snack crackers and get extreme this post-season. To the max.

Naturally, the snack booklet accompanying the shelf display features a Guy-inspired take on Cheese Steaks and Sliders called, what else?, Ritz Cheese Steak Sliders. See scans below and click for larger, extreme details...

Mmmmm, Church Beer

While this isn't quite as awesome as Church Brew Works – the former Roman Catholic Church in Pittsburgh that was sold and turned into a brew pub – but I like the idea of tapping into the dual concepts of drinking and charity.

Take Me Out to The Ballpark: Part 1

While getting my post-breakfast, pre-lunch coffee at Wawa this morning the cashier and I struck up a conversation about Citizens Bank Park (CBP), the new(ish) home of the Philadelphia Phillies. Prompted – I assume – by the Phils t-shirt I was wearing, the cashier informed me that despite his allegiance to Chicago's purveyors of the "national pastime" he loves CBP and suggested that when I get there on Wednesday evening I should seek out the pulled pork and grilled kielbasa at Bull's BBQ.

Ah yes, Wednesday evening. To say the date has been circled on my calendar well in advance is like saying a 7-year-old looks forward to Christmas.

Not only will the evening feature my first trip to a Philly ballpark since my wife and I bid a fond farewell to the Vet, but it also mark an equally long-overdue reunion of sorts with Chris, Scott (aka Koog) and Joe – a trio of pals I've known for, well, let's just leave it at many, many years. Hell, I'd venture that Chris has known me longer than anybody I'm not related to by blood.

Knowing that I was going to be descending upon the park whipped into a food frenzy of orgiastic proportions, I decided that I had to channel my inner culinary Boy Scout and be prepared. Chris and Scott were all-too-eager to help and have been filing reports from their various visits to the park over the course of the season.

Despite the welcome culinary advice from my chatty cashier pal, it seems that THG's trusted advance scouts might quibble with his recommendation. Here's a report the dynamic duo filed earlier this season...

After learning that the hot dog contest was over, we wandered around a bit to find some eats. The line at Tony Luke's was about 40 people deep and unless I haven't eaten in a week, I'm not standing in that kind of line for food, so a TL cheesesteak was out. We made our way to the Schmitter stand and watched them mass produce these overloaded piles of calories and fat. It really doesn't look particularly appealing so we took a pass and made our way to Bull's BBQ pit. Koog had the Bulldog and I opted for the Pulled Pork Sandwich. And yes I ate the bread. I'll allow Scott to provide his food commentary (see below). The pulled pork was adequate – smoked nicely and tender but over-sauced. It could use a little more subtlety a la less barbeque sauce drenching it. The cole slaw was awful – way too much mayo. The baked beans were not bad but they and the pork could have been a little hotter. Overall, I'd give it 2.5 stars out of 5. While better than the crap they served at the Vet, I have become spoiled. I want good food at the ballpark. The real find was the Leinenkugel Summer Shandy. Fortunately they sell it on tap at a stand near my seats. Nice wheat beer with a hint of lemon. A perfect adult beverage for a hot day in the sun. – Chris R.

I'd had my fill of barbecue on a southern trip just a week before, so I wasn't too particularly inclined to try the CBP version of BBQ. Anyway, I've had it before. However, long lines for what would likely be mediocre cheesesteaks didn't seem all that attractive, so we went for it. I opted for the Bulldog, more a sausage than a 'dog'. True to it's namesake, former Phillie slugger Greg "Bull" Luzinski, it looks big, menacing, and appears to be more than you can handle. [Ed. Note: No word on whether it swings at pitches in the dirt like a drunken or fields its position like a pregnant mule.] For all it appeared, this Bulldog was no more than a dachsund. All bark, no bite. While it looked luscious, and even appeared to have the ruddy complexion of spicy hot sausage, the bulldog was no more than a bland tube of meat. It didn't seem to know what it was. Spicy italian? No. Smoked Sausage? No smoke flavor either. Best I could figure was that it was a Kielbasa, but lacked the smoky, garlicky punch that I expect from the best polish meat-torpedoes.

I really want to like Bull's BBQ and will try it again. The restaurant, and CBP in general are a noble experiment in ballpark dining. The concept of actually giving fans a place to spread out, congregate and even choose from multiple dining options (as in a food court) only makes the ballpark experience better. The fact that a place as far north as Philly would devote so much space to a 'cue outlet in a ballpark is even that much better. I appreciate it, but it needs to come up a notch. CBP has been voted among the best in ballpark food every year since its opening. High standards must be set.

I second the vote on Summer Shandy. I was a bit skeptical of Leinenkugel beers after my first experience with their Sunset Wheat. Wheat beers are great by me; they're almost a meal in themselves. However, what I didn't expect with the Sunset Wheat is the over-the-top flavoring with coriander. I love coriander, mind you, in my food (particularly Asian dishes). Not in my beer. This brew tasted like my beer had a collision with the lady at the Chanel counter at Macy's. Summer Shandy, on the other hand, is also a wheat beer, flavored instead with lemonade and a touch of honey. It's definitely not sweet, but very refreshing. It really slaked the thirst – perhaps too well, on a hot spring day. Buy it while this seasonal brew still is on the shelves. – Scott W. aka Koog

Will the Bull get another chance on Wednesday night? Can I actually resist the siren song of The Schmitter – something named after one of my all-time favorite Phils? Will CBP security haul me out after stadium personnel tire of my demands for something called The Bowa Blast?

Stay tuned!

Farewell Khyber

I was bummed to hear that tonight will mark the last night of live music at Philly's storied Khyber Pass Pub. As I wrote on The Hungover Gourmet website many years ago...

For all intents and purposes the Khyber was my home away from home from the late 1980s until I moved to Pittsburgh in the fall of 1995. A dingy, dark hole of a bar, it was also home to some of the greatest punk and rock shows in Philly's checkered musical history. (Especially the night the Dwarves played a spectacular 10-minute set that ended with Blag Dahlia triple-lindeying into the drum kit, only to be dragged off to the bathroom by his bandmates.) While it would be impossible to rattle off the names of every great band that I watched -- or simply heard on really busy nights -- grace its tiny stage, here's an all-star ballot of pre-Green Day "alternative" if ever there was one: Didjits, Pegboy, Fleshtones, Junk Monkeys, Figgs (shown playing at the Khyber in the photo above), aforementioned Dwarves, Urge Overkill, The Fluid, Bash & Pop, Lunachicks, Original Sins, Boredoms, Neighborhoods, Elastica, Bullet La Volta, New Bomb Turks, Devil Dogs, Soul Asylum... and the list goes on.

Not just a great band bar, the Khyber was also one of the oldest bars in the city and sported a mind-boggling, world-class selection of draft and bottled beers due to its proximity to Penn's Landing and the city's tourist/naval traffic. Me, I just plunked down my $2.50 and had me another Yuengling Porter. Oh yeah, it was also purported to be haunted! How could you possibly go wrong?

I can't remember what the last show I saw at The Khyber was but I have so many strange and good memories... interviewing Tommy Stinson for the pages of Exploitation Retrospect and chuckling as he bad-mouthed the Goo Goo Dolls for sounding like The Replacements and not having a hit, chatting with the guys from The Neighborhoods, Peter Zaremba of The Fleshtones jumping into the crowd and pulling me into a headlock as we belted out one of their garage rock classics, nearly getting killed during the choas of a Lunachicks show, having a good-natured argument with my pal Lou about which of us the lead singer of Elastica was making goo-goo eyes at, getting what amounted to a private show by the fellows in The Junk Monkeys, running into old friends and old flames, dashing across the street between sets because I'd already blown all the money I'd gotten out of the bank, and so on and so on.

For more on this once-great venue check out this oral history from The Philadelphia City Paper. Me? I gotta go get a six-pack of Yuengling Porter... for old times sake.

Gail Shister Gets Flay-ed

When I went to school in West Philly back in the late 80s there were not a lot of dining options. There was Troy's, a greasy spoon that served great egg and bagel sandwiches (called Eggels) till all hours and a variety of food trucks that lined the streets serving up everything from Chinese to cheesesteaks. Hell, there wasn't even a Wawa and there certainly wasn't a trendy cereal bar or a burger joint fronted by a celebrity tv chef.

Veteran Philly area reporter Gail Shister ventured up to West Philly to sample Bobby Flay's new Philadelphia Burger joint and here are her thoughts.

Deja Vu... Are You Ready for Another Dose of Snowmageddon?

As the impending winter storm approaches – local news puts projected area totals at 16-24" with some areas getting more than 2' – I'm reminded of a similar storm back in the early 1980s.

Like this storm it arrived on a February Friday with lots of hand-wringing and local news buildup occurring all week. By Thursday afternoon forecasters were calling for a storm of death with crippling snowfall amounts visiting the region.

Naturally, our high school was abuzz at the prospect of an extended weekend and rumors of school being closed Friday were so persistent that the principal took to the airwaves and declared in no uncertain terms that school was on and they would wait until there was actual snow before making any decisions.

Crushed, I went to bed that night anticipating another day of junior year drudgery. My Friday morning routine followed as usual: sleep as late as possible, wolf down breakfast after I showered and head off on the 2 mile walk, Walkman on, new wave blaring as I trudged past 7-Eleven, McDonald's, Burger King...

Somewhere in the parking lot of the old Two Guy's (I believe it was a Jefferson Ward by this point) I finally started taking note of my surroundings and it slowly dawned on me. I hadn't seen a bus pass me by during the entire trip, nor any cars filled with fellow students. Our principal had been so adamant the previous day I hadn't bothered to listen to local radio (in the days before Twitter, Facebook, and local news shows with crawls of closings and delays).

In other words, I'd gotten up for nothing. School had been closed based on the dire forecast and I was free to head home and do whatever it was I did back in 1983. I'm guessing watching trashy movies and college basketball... some things never change.

When the snow finally started later that day it came on like Vin Diesel and Paul Walker... fast and furious. By the time I glanced out the bedroom window of our suburban split level that evening the snow was piling up at a then-record pace.

When it was all said and done the official snowfall for the area stood at 21.3", a record only bested by storms in 2009 (23.2") and 1996 (30.7"). If the forecasts, watches and warnings here remain on target, this weekend's storm could easily land in the top 5 for my new home of Maryland. Yay... ugh.

Things have changed a lot in the ensuing 27 years. I'm up earlier than I ever got up as a teenager, blogging and working on client projects before the storm hits. I can't remember what provisions my Mom had on hand back in 1983 but I'm pretty positive they didn't include wings, guacamole, pork shoulder, Lancaster Milk Stout (this winter's beer of choice) and Pepperwood Grove Pinot Noir (one of my fave $8 bottles of wine).

Today I'll be roasting a nice chicken to go along with what may have been the best mashed potatoes I ever made and juggling conference calls, Quark layouts, our daughter, our dog, and two visiting dogs as we watch the snow pile up outside. All the while wishing my wife was here to watch with us, not stuck inside her work for the weekend.

Who knows if this weekend's storm will rival what dumped on us 27 years ago, but I'm better prepared and ready to enjoy it as best I can.

What food and drink do you have on hand for Snowmageddon 2010?