Craig LaBan: Good afternoon, my hungry friends, and welcome back to the Philly food chat that puts the sizzle in your summer dining. Sorry about my unexpected absence from the chat last week - I was covering the Fancy Food Show in New York. It's a fun, but overwhelming event, what with five miles of olive oils, cheese, truffled butters, jams, miracle waters and salted caramels lining the Jacob Javitz Center. Still, I found some great things to nibble on, like a chile-spiced pineapple marmalade from Mauritius (made by Poivre d'Or), and some amazingly decadent lobster macaroni and cheeses from the Hancock Goumet Lobster Co. in Maine. One piece of good news there, those mac 'n' cheeses have plummeted in price on the company's website since it won an award at the show, from $48 (for two) to $33.95. Still a splurge for a "frozen" dinner, but that's more like it.

Craig: In the meanwhile, I'm getting back into my Philly dining groove since my hiatus down the Shore (Part 2 of which - all Italians - is coming out this weekend). Take a peak at this Crumb Tracker quiz and see if you've been eating (and drinking) in my wake. Be the first to name all three in order and win a signed copy of my book: (1) an absinthe fountain, (2) eggplant beignets dusted with powdered sugar, (3) Poori bhajee. (Hint: this place is pretty new). Ready, set ... start crumbing!

Gerry: Craig - Is Farmicia still open? I went when it first opened and it was great, seemed to downhill after that. Haven't heard anything about it in a while though.

Craig: Yes, Gerry, Farmicia is still open. It's not a place I hear a tremendous buzz about - I know it didn't start off so well with me. But still, I'm glad to see it has survived for so long in Old City, which is a tough, martini-driven market.

Julie: (1) Apothecary (2) Les Bon Temps (3) Ashoka Palace

Craig: Julie, you've got one of them. I'm not yet saying which.

Dombino: Craig, ate at Inlet this weekend, not bad. You been there yet?

Craig: Dombino - The Inlet was one of last year's big openings. It's part of the Mary Grims group of restaurants (Moshulu, Plantation, Daddy O). Certainly worth a visit for stylish New American small plates - but I don't recall liking it quite as much as either Plantation or the Moshulu. It has a great Bayside (liquor license) view of the OC.

Chris: Do you remember a restaurant called Clayton's Log Cabin that was located on the ride to Long Beach Island? If so, was it a memerable spot? I've heard many old stories of the place. Thank you!

Craig: Clayton's must have been before my time, Chris. If it was anything like Allen's Clam Bar, another seafood shack just off Rooute 9 near LBI, I probably would have liked it. Anyone out there with Clayton's memories?

Mike R: #1 must be the Absinthe Lounge at Time Restaurant, right?

Craig: OK, OK, that was the easy one! Yes, everyone's doing the absinthe fountains at Time, which are essentially elegant, retro-looking glass tanks filled with ice water that trickle down through tiny spigots over sugar cubes on slotted spoons perched over your glass of absinthe. Absinthe, fyi, is legal again, and is making a serious comeback. Time has the best collection in town - Swiss kuebler, Absente, the new Lucid, which I really like. There are no hallucinations with the modern day absinthe, but they're pretty powerful, alchohol-wise, so one glass will do the trick.

Julie: (1) Time (2) Les Bon Temps (3) Palace at the Ben?

Craig: You were right, of course, about No. 2. Those fried eggplant beignets at Les Bons Temps are straight out of an old line NOLA menu. Nothing like a little powdered sugar with your Southern-fried veggies.

Dana Aversa: Hi, Craig. You reviewed Javier in Haddonfield, NJ, this past April and gave it "No Bells." I dined there this evening and it was amazing. The food was superb and the atmosphere was inviting. The owner was passing out articles, fighting back if you will, regarding your review. Since then he has fired the chef and starting cooking again himself. He originally only wasn't cooking himself because he was taking care of his sick wife. I would like to ask you to go back to Javier's to review again. You won't be disappointed and you certainly won't give it "No Bells." Thanks.

Craig: Hi, Dana. Thanks for writing in with this recent report on Javier. I understand the owner has made some serious changes since the No Bell review, and has jumped back into the kitchen. I have heard some seriously mixed reports, though, on how it's going. Glad your experience was a good one. Javier will definitely get a second shot before year's end to improve on its first review.

Django Fett: Hey Craig, long time no chat. Thought you would be interested in an early report from Michael Schulson's Izakaya at the Borgata. My wife and I went Saturday night. It was only the second day but in a word - outstanding. Great menu, great drinks, cool atmosphere, etc. Everything we ate was great, but our favorites were the cold smoked hamachi and the kobe beef fried rice. It's great to have Chef Schulson back in the area.

Craig: Wow! Now that's an early report on Izakaya, which was supposed to have its official opening ... today. Glad to hear Michael Schulson's already off to a fast start. He is a seriously talented chef - a Starr protege who really made his name at the NYC Buddakan. I am excited to see what he can do on his own. Maybe AC will finally get that serious destination restaurant it keeps searching for. (Not that Sea Blue or Bobby Flay or Ombra are mince meat, but I think of them as "gambling plus ..." not "dinner plus gambling").

Todd: #3- Cafe Spice?

Craig: No.

Marty: Craig, my girlfriend and I had an amazing meal at Marigold Kitchen. We both ordered the tasting menu and were delighted by the chef's choices. The cheese plate was fantastic, there was a chevre from California that I meant to write down but I totally forgot what it was called ... do you or any of the chatters know which cheese I'm talking about?

Craig: Marty, I'm glad you had a great meal at Marigold, and you're right, they offer an excellent cheese selection, usually a trio paired with some very creative accoutrements (e.g., shaved white chocolate, cider soaked raisins, green olives). That said, chef Erin changes the cheese platter regularly - I had six different cheeses in two visits. If it's a California goat, though, I'm guessing it was a Humboldt Fog from Cypress Grove. It's one of the nation's best goats producers, and they had some great cheeses at the recent Fancy Food show, including a truffled chevre, Truffle Tremor, that is totally addictive.

Marty: Absinthe is legal ... but no wormwood means no thujone! Who drinks absinthe for the taste?!

Craig: Actually, Marty, all the new absinthes do have grand wormwood, which is the original ingredient, but they have managed to remove the thujone, which is the toxic ingredient. So, really, no psycho visions may hit you, but I found these absinthes do give an exceedingly mellow warmth to the evening. Plus, I actually really do love the anise taste of absinthe. It reminds me of a hot summer's day in Avignon (many, many years ago), at an outdoor cafe watching all the old men play petanque on the gravel alleys of the parks.

KL: I stopped by the West Chester farmers market on June 28 for some supplies for vacation, and there was Talula's Table, offering samples and selling their pate and sausages. Samples were great, and I'll be shopping again. They're there every other weekend, and closer than Kennett Square.

Craig: Thanks for this dispatch from the WC farmer's market, KL. Actually, Head House Square's Sunday market is even closer for Center Cityzens than West Chester, and the Talula's folks set up there, too. I'm amazed that Bryan and Aimee (Talula's owners) have as much energy as they do - but they do make some seriously good party nibbles. I was at someone's Queen Village bbq the other night, and we were all fighting (kids and adults) over the cheddar-beer dip and the smokey slices of artisan sausage.

Corinna: Craig, I am an Asian dumpling fanatic. I've been to Joy Tsin Lau a couple of times, but I wasn't that impressed with the quality of the meat. Where can I get Susanna Foo quality dumplings? Are there any dim sum places in Chinatown worth trying now that Lakeside Chinese Deli is closed? (Sadly, I never got to try it before it closed, but I have a feeling it was exactly what I was looking for.)

Craig: Corinna, we all miss Lakeside, but there is hope. Susanna Foo is actually planning to open up a dumpling stand in the intriguing new food court that just opened under the Comcast Center. (More about this venue at a future chat.) I understand she's aiming to open in several months, still. Meanwhile, in Chinatown, have you tried Dim Sum Garden yet? They're one of my new favorite Chinatown dives, with great Shanghai soup dumplings (or "souplings" as an in-the-know New Yorker corrected me), as well as some great veggie bao, cleaver-shaved noodles, and handmade dumplings. Check the archives for the review, which ran a couple months ago.

Chris: I think it has been pretty clearly established that absinthe never had enough thujone or anything else to cause hallucinations. In fact, there's no evidence that thujone causes hallucinations even in extremely high doses.

Craig: Thanks for chiming in on the thujone matter, Chris. Absinthe, as a genre, has pretty much been exonerated of all the bad rap it acquired in the Belle Epoque, when it basically became a scapegoat for a lot of other social ills. That said, my understanding is that these new absinthes do have to be "thujone free" to pass muster with the FDA. All I can say is, I haven't missed it in my recent absinthe adventures.

Kate: Hi Craig, I'm wondering if you know of any places in Philly that have good chilequilles (sp?). I had them once down in a little place in AC and would love to have them again.

Craig: Kate, I haven't explored the wonderful world of chilaquiles too much at our growing roster of authentic Mexican restaurants, almost all of which do a serious breakfast trade. But I did have some very tasty ones recently for brunch at the new Memphis Taproom on the northern fringe of Fishtown. They were actually quite excellent, with sausage, chiles, and corn tortilla strips all tossed into the scrambled eggs.

Had a great meal at Modo Mio last Friday and service was not an issue. The $32 four-course on the whole menu is unbeatable. Loved the octopus and salmon starters, the gnocci in calamari ragu ... quite a good veal cheek, too!

Craig: Don - thanks for this report on Modo Mio, which a few weeks ago was catching flak for service. I also went back there since that chat, and found the service to be pretty good - a little frantic, but outgoing and enthusiastic. Food was also excellent, albeit a little salty. My favorite thing, though, at this Girard Ave. BYO is the 20-pound loaf of rustic bread they slice up near the door. It may be my favorite single loaf of bread in town (although, Metropolitan Bakery's organic miche is up there, too).

JD: Craig, are there any spots to get some good homemade Polish food? I've been craving some decent pierogi, kielbasa and golabki.

Craig: JD, there is no fancy Polish place in town that I'd send you to, per se, but there is an excellent Polish cafeteria in Port Richmond I'd definitely send you to: Syrenka, at 3173 Richmond St. The service is a bit cold, but the food is pure comfort - go for the bigos cabbage stew, the pork cutlets, the pierogies, the stuffed cabbage. Personally, though, I'd wait till winter.

Matt: Hi, Craig. Trying to find the best gnocchi in the city. Ever since Felicia's closed, haven't found anything close. Paradiso seems to come in a close second, but any suggestions for an alternative?

Craig: Matt, I've been avoiding this question for months, mostly because there are so many good gnocchi makers in town. But I just took a quick look back (about five years) into my "gnocchi files" and have come up with a few worthy names. Can we just exclude the Vetri restaurants right off the top from this competition, since I consider them already in a class of their own? I'm not trying to start another Vetri thread, just let's consider some others: In South Philly, you have Mezza Luna and Cucina Forte, who make the same amazing cloudlike ricotta gnocchi; also, in South Philly, there is L'Angolo, Tre Scalini, Pesto, among others. In town, Modo Mio makes some excellent gnocchi, but so does Lacroix (I once had them there with crispy guanciale on top). So does Radicchio, which serves them in a ricotta blush sauce. I also recall some fabulously light, little ones in a tomato essence at Alex Capasso's Blackbird in Collingswood, where Nunzio Patruno also makes some outstanding, classic gnocchi.

Craig: Two more gnocchi spots: Restaurant Alba in Malvern, where I once had them with braised rabbit and chanterelles, and Rylei in Northeast Philly, where they're serving some very ambitious food for Frankford Avenue.

BGC: Is #3 the new King of Tandoor in Fairmount?

Craig: Yes, BGC, that's the one. Send me your mailing info to claban@phillynews.com and I'll send you a book. King of Tandoor opened quite recently on a block that has suddenly exploded with dining options - plus Sabrina's Too and the truly brand-new Kite and Key gatropub. I'll say this, the owner was over-the-top nice, the room has one of the sparkliest chandeliers and golden ceiling fixtures I've seen. The food? It's early. Our lunch was just fine, better than average, but didn't knock my masala-socks off quite yet. I'll be back.

BGC: Hear any early buzz out of Chima? I'm looking to do the Center City meat-eat thing soon and am trying to decide b/t there and Fogo. Thoughts?

Craig: I haven't heard any reports yet, and it's still too new for me. Anyone out there with an early dispatch from the skewered meat front?

Cheezy: I found Vintage's selection of cheeses to be average. Tria and Benneluxx have a slightly more decent selection. Can you name any other wine bars where I can get some good cheese? I love cheeeeeese!!!!

Craig: Cheezy, I'm a cheese-a-holic, too, and find Tria's selections to be among the city's best. That said, there are other good venues that mix the wine bar/beer bar concept with good cheese: Ansill, the Ugly American (a nice surprise, at this mostly beer stop, to find Up in Smoke as an anchor on their platter), as well as Tinto and Amada (which have really raised awareness of some good Spanish cheeses, like La Serena, with their wines). Also, Fork has long been committed to good cheese. One other suggestion, though not in the city: Domaine Hudson in Wilmington is a very good wine bar that is serious about cheese. Just take a look at this link of their current cheese offerings and note all the unusual options from the old Ossau to a couple British choices: http://www.domainehudson.com/Cheese.html

Lauren: Are there any good sushi places in the Sea Isle/Ocean City area?

Craig: Not that I can think of, Lauren. It's odd, because you'd think the seaside would inpire great sushi. One possibility for not-bad sushi down the Shore would be Moonfish Grill in Cape May, which replaced Daniel's on Broadway. It's a multi-concept place with giant steaks, and big, cream heavy pastas. The sushi was the best part of our meal this June. Also, in years past, I have enjoyed the sushi at Yama, in Ventnor, though it's been a long time.

Craig: On that note, I'm going to call this chat finito for today. I'll be back next week - at 2 p.m., in the good old time slot. Until then, may you all be well, and eat something worth bragging about!