PARC BISTRO in Philadelphia

Finally made it to Stephen Starr's homage to the chic brasseries of Paris, Parc Bistro on Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia. Well, my first impression was that is really more of an homage to Keith McNally's bustling French bistros in Manhattan, because the decor and vibe is essentially identical. The menu - and I am not complaining - was the same as Balthazar or Pastis in New York.

I arrived for Sunday brunch and the dining room was jam packed. I got a seat at the bar and ordered a French 75 cocktail and immediately struck up a conversation with a very nice guy about baseball. Unfortunately the bar staff was not so friendly, and the service was genuinely poor throughout my stay. Too busy to be attentive. But the food was superb - French onion soup to begin. My entire was steak and eggs off the brunch menu: petite filet, mornay sauce, crisp slices of french bread, and two perfectly cooked eggs, sunnyside up. Every bite was absolutely delicious. Unfortunately, as the service continued to falter, the overall experience at Parc Bistro did, too. It is really shame, and I hope that will be reversed on my next visit.

Cumberland Sausages from Myers of Keswick

Myers of Keswick is one of great culinary treasures of Manhattan. It's been open for twenty-five years now on Hudson Street, between Horatio and Jane. It's a traditional English grocery store with great selection of imported products, everything from tea and biscuits to mustard and Marmite. It is also a butcher shop, serving pork pies, sausages, cornish pasties, scotch eggs, and shepherd's pies. The English and Irish cheese selection is also excellent.

The homemade Cumberland sausages are absolutely to die for. A specialty of the Lake District in England and made fresh daily in the shop, the meat is pork, and seasonings are prepared from a variety of spices and herbs, though the flavor palate is commonly dominated by pepper, both black and white, in contrast to the more herb-dominated flavors of sausage varieties. I served them with mashed potatoes and currried beans, and they're a treat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Myers and Keswick also serves them wrapped in puff pastry as a sausage roll, and they're just too good to be true.

A Kentucky Gentleman Named George T. Stagg

This amazing bourbon, uncut and unfiltered, is heaven in a glass. Rumor has it that it is not allowed on airplanes due to flammability issues - it's 141.8 proof. Made by the historic Buffalo Trace Distillery in Kentucky, George T. Stagg ($75) just might be best bourbon I’ve ever had. I've only seen it in a retail store once - I bought it - and it is only found in restaurants and bars that specialize in high-end bourbon.

The first sip is a scorcher, but it slowly unravels in wave after wave of complexity. I drank my first sip neat, and then followed with a three fingers measure over one large ice cube. Deep, dark brown color. Some sweetness, and a long, lingering finish. This is a beauty, not to be missed when the opportunity arises.

George T. Stagg was a whiskey salesman who teamed up with the legendary E. H Taylor in the 1850s to start one of America's great distilleries. The original George T. Stagg distillery was renamed Buffalo Trace in June 1999.

Ain't Nothing in the World That I Like Better

It's that time again. Heirloom tomatoes. All I do is add a pinch of sea salt and a drop of extra virgin olive oil. Nothing better. For background music, Guy Clark's classic Homegrown Tomatoes.

Ain't nothin' in the world that I like better
Than bacon & lettuce & homegrown tomatoes
Up in the mornin' out in the garden

Get you a ripe one don't get a hard one
Plant `em in the spring eat `em in the summer
All winter with out `em's a culinary bummer
I forget all about the sweatin' & diggin'
Everytime I go out & pick me a big one

Homegrown tomatoes homegrown tomatoes
What'd life be without homegrown tomatoes
Only two things that money can't buy
That's true love & homegrown tomatoes

You can go out to eat & that's for sure
But it's nothin' a homegrown tomato won't cure
Put `em in a salad, put `em in a stew
You can make your very own tomato juice
Eat `em with egss, eat `em with gravy
Eat `em with beans, pinto or navy
Put `em on the site put `em in the middle
Put a homegrown tomato on a hotcake griddle

If I's to change this life I lead
I'd be Johnny Tomato Seed
`Cause I know what this country needs
Homegrown tomatoes in every yard you see
When I die don't bury me
In a box in a cemetary
Out in the garden would be much better
I could be pushin' up homegrown tomatoes