Cellar GTG 2008
 

Anybody up for a dim sum GTG in Chinatown round about Friday Aug 29th?

I'll be in town that week, free to travel a bit (got to visit relatives first) esp in the evenings.

I am amenable to other locations but the last GTG there was so successful that UT showed up!

Unfortunately, I might be working if my project isn't postponed.

Might I recommend Sang Kee Peking Duck house at the end of 9th street where it hits Vine. Great food, low prices. Also, they have private rooms.

If I don't have to work, I would like to attend.

Pencil in Rich Levy. Anyone else?

Gotta work. :(

day and night? Damn but Boeing works their slaves hard!

I'll be at the beach.

You beach.

Where is Chinatown? Philly area?

Just off Leicester Square as far as I know...

Well I doubt if you're planning breakfast or a midnight snack. :headshake

I stay up late anyway but am usually in bed by midnight.
Maybe next time.

Shawnee - yes, Philly. Bit of a drive from OH.

SG - one day my wife and I will visit Europe again. And we will start with London, move on to Scotland (I'm a Scot by birth), pass over France (so I can flush), then hit Germany, train south to Italy, possibly a stop in Switzerland (she loves chocolate), and end up in Greece to take a ship home again. It's an ambition of mine.

If I win some huge lottery I will drive my BMW Z4 that way! :)

Would love to come over but that weekend just won't work, sorry -big weekend at the pool, weekend before school starts.

Would it help if I told you that the missus will be there?

not for us, we'd come if only your spirit was there if we could..... it's just the wtong weekend for people who are several hours away....

...bruce, however, has no excuse.

Bruce is saving the free world.
You don't think Superman takes time off do you?

No, purely selfish. If I take off the Friday before Labor Day Weekend, I don't get paid for Friday or Monday... plus they'd be pissed.

doesn't have to be Friday...the date is flexible, as is the time. I do have business to transact earlier in the week and it a bit open-ended but should be done nlt Wed.

I can also do travel for once so I can come to you. Not to Michigan of course, but locally.

Hmmm, I might be able to make it on Friday. There was another event I was planning on attending that night, but if I'm able to take off from work that day like I'd hoped, then I could go for some Sang Kee earlier in the evening.

Final plans!

My dates are fixed now to:

Arrive Sat the 23rd (late)
depart Tues the 2nd (early)

So, if we can fix up something in that range, I'm there.
If it's the 28th or later, the wife unit will also be there.

I'd prefer Friday the 29th or after...but if it's earlier in the week, I'll probably be able to be there. Especially if it's anywhere in CC.

The weekend looks like the best bet, but many people have plans for the Labor Day weekend. I didn't plan the dates but I did extend them a bit. I should have been out of town by Saturday morning. I just redid my airline tix to leave on Tuesday morning instead.

So, we have Rich Levy and Bluecuracao penciled in...who else? Mitch? How about you, we hardly ever hear from you and never see you!

OK, reservations are in and my flight has been moved up...I now arrive in Phila at 1800 (6 pm).

Is anyone actually coming to see me sometime that week? I leave at 1100 on Tuesday the 2nd. The wife unit and I will be out and about from Wednesday on.

No one? OK, tomorrow is the last day. After that, we eat dim sum by ourselves. And Pudge's with Wolf.

Well, there is now only a %10 chance that I will have to work Labor Day weekend.

Marci and I had an anniversary dinner this week (#25 silver) at Jasmine , a slightly upscale sushi/Asian restaurant. A little posh, with a martini menu. The downside is that while the sushi was good and the entrees were good, we missed the pot of tea and the fried noodles you get at a regular Chinese restaurant. That and the wooden floor and tin ceiling made for a lot of noise.

I'll take a good downscale Chinese restaurant any day.

If it's just you guys, Wolf, and a few others, we can always order out to this great takeout place near us and eat out on the deck at my house.

Of course, I have not checked this with Marci, and if I want to see year #26, I think I'd better.:D I'd love to meet the new Mrs. R.

Hey, just post what time you'll be at Sang Kee or wherever you're eating, and I'll show up. I have Friday off, so anytime until about 8-8:30PM is fine with me.

If you guys just do the 'burbs, I'll probably have to pass. Unless Rich's house is convenient to SEPTA.

I might be able to pick you up if you're someplace where we can find you. I know lower Bucks and MontCo fairly well...

Looks like Rich, bluec and us two, unless there are latecomers. Rich, the wife wants dim sum BAD so I think it'll be in Chinatown. I dunno if Wolf will come that far downtown...I'll have to ask. She and I were just going to hit Pudge's for a hoagie and conversation. Maybe I can talk her into dim sum. I'll call her tonight, if she's not working.

Bllue...pm me with your location and let's see what we can arrange. I'll be checking in more often today.

If it's Friday I'll come straight from work (Exton). I might not get there until 7:30, so I hope you guys are planning on a long evening.

Dunno. Blue?

BTW I am here, I got in at six last night but didn't manage to get to my hotel until eleven. I talk too much!

Let me know place and time.

Imperial Inn used to be the best, a few years ago. I also used to like the Lakeside, but one article mentions that it's closed.

Here, here and here are recent lists of dim sum restaurants. Unfortunately, while you can always order dim sum off of the menu, real dim sum, with the carts that roll up and down the aisles, is usually an afternoon thing.

There's also Dim Sum Garden, on 11th between Market and Arch. A few people I know have been there, and they love it.

I can hang out until about 8:15, but then I've got to head out...to another forum GTG! Which you guys are more than welcome to accompany me to--it's not far from Chinatown.

Surely someone OUTSIDE of Center City makes Dim Sum ...

Have you decided on a day for the Pudges expedition, Brian?

I am NOT available on Thursday. (I'm going to a Chinese Feast that night and I'll need the belly room for the multi-course menu).

Thursday is right out for me too. Mary's birthday that day. Bookbinder's followed by IMax and maybe something else special is the plan.

I vote Friday evening six pm. Yes? Wolf: I will call you soon to make a date.

Busy Busy Bee today and tomorrow.

B

Sounds good to me. Where are we Dim Sum-ing?

Suggestions Rich?

I'll defer to Blue on this one. I haven't been to Chinatown in over a year and don't know anyone who has been.

I found those links, but I don't have any first hand recommendations.

I'll show up wherever you guys decide, but I'll be late. If you don't think you'll be hanging out very long, let me know, because I'd hate to get there when you guys are getting ready to leave.

BTW, Blue, can you give a link to the 'other' board whose GTG you are going to at 8:15?

Window of opportunity is narrowing, bri. I like you and all, but BF and his mom outrank you ...

I'll go anywhere in Chinatown, but if I'm the one who gets to make the choice, I'd pick Dim Sum Garden.

Here's the thread about the other GTG. Where: Dark Horse Pub, 421 S. 2nd Street (at Headhouse Square in Society Hill).

Dim Sum Garden it is. Friday evening at six until about eight or nine.

The wife is here now, safe and sound.

See you guys there!

Pudge's was outstanding as always, and I had a lovely time with Brian and MrsR.

There was an interesting moment toward the end of our visit when I had an interaction with a patient's family member, but hey, it's par for my course.

Wolf, so far it looks like we're the official Cellar welcoming committee for the Philly area--you have the burbs territory and I have the city. But some day I hope we can join our hostess-ing forces into a single event.

Dinner was wonderful tonight. We ended up going to Imperial Inn; not for dim sum (we learned the cool cart service thing stops at 2 or 3PM), but for 2-course Peking duck and a plethora of other tasty dishes. Our waitress was pretty enthusiastic to take photos of us! So those should be forthcoming...

Brian allowed photos in more than one location? That's pretty impressive.

Ask and you shall receive. I was going to load these first thing when I logged on, but I got suckered into a political discussion.

Dinner was great. It was nice to meet Mary and Blue. When the first location didn't pan out. I suggested Imperial Inn from memory, even though I hadn't been there in over 15 years. It still turned out ok, since Imperial Inn is 'old school' Chinatown, with yellowed menus that look like they predate the discovery of the printing press, and a cocktail bar that serves Rob Roys and other cocktails your mom and dad enjoyed. If anyone ever wants to have an outing based on the "Mad Men" series (which came up in our discussion), slap on your thin ties, suits and bullet bras, and head over there.

The Peking Duck was different than I've ever had it. Instead of plain duck with scallions and Hoisin sauce on pancakes, the first course of two had small round sweet buns instead of pancakes. The pancakes came out on the second course, which was shredded duck with veggies. The picture doesn't show it all, but we ordered the Pu-Pu platter for two, Phoenix Roll, Shrimp toast, one full Peking duck in two styles, lo-mein, heaven and earth, and scallops and garlic.

We should have brought a shopping cart to help us haul away the leftovers.:D Brian and Mary didn't have a fridge in their hotel, so Blue and I got to bring home the goodies. Jeffrey loves duck and will have a pleasant surprise for lunch today.

Brian looks good, but a little thin. Mary and Blue were both lovely. We had a great conversation. I would have gone to the Pub if I didn't have a few pounds of spoiling leftovers in the back of my car. It's just as well, because by the time I made it home I was a bit tired.

It was a great evening.

P.S. The next time I go into Chinatown, I will purposely do what I accidentally did last night. I arrived at 6:30, which is the exact time that parking on Arch street near 11th goes from tow away zone (4pm-6:30) to free street parking on weekdays.:thumb:

Looks like a great time. Sorry I missed it. I did have Chinese to sorta be there in spirit.

I think that photo shows about 1/3 of the all the food we had.

You all look so fine, wish I had a chance to be there. Although apparently itchy palms are a sign you're going to come into money and lord knows mine have been itchy this week :)

And the food! At my weight I can hardly claim I am in need of food parcels, but it's cruel, cruel, cruel to tell me how much you carted away when I'm washing my keyboard with drool!

Lovely write up and lovely pictures, thank you.

Well SG, when you come into that money, we await you in Philadelphia!

The wife nags.

Rich... I am waaay too thin and had better gain at least 30 lbs soon or I will have to see a doctor about it.

Do my eyes really look like that???

Well you were a little close to the flash. Normally, I turn off the flash and try for a low light shot, but it takes steady hands. The waitress did get everyone in frame.

If you and Mary can make it to my house next time, I'll grill up some chicken and steak for you so you can bulk up.

It's a date!

Wrap up
 

here are a few pictures I tolerated.


#1 Wolf and I at Pudge's
#2 Bluecuracao, RichLevy and I at Chinatown
#3 John (not one of us) and I just before departing for Ocean City, NJ
#4 Kurt (also not one of us) and I at his place near Baltimore, MD

Great pics -

Aw, those are great B.

excellent pics. Now you just need to fulfil your sworn dwellar duty to turn John and Kurt into ones of us. :borg:

I tried John but he's too busy running his own auto repair shop. His first time yet.

Kurt works 12 hrs a day in DC and only wants to relax wen he struggles home. Plus he's having an addition built onto his hose so internet and electric are liable to be spotty for a while.

Does anyone know how I can insert captions between the photos so it's easier to identify them?

You can only do that if you post them to another website like flickr and then link to them from here.

When you do them as attachments like you did above, they show up at the bottom of the post.