Recently, PA State Senator John Rafferty has become the latest to challenge Pennsylvania’s strange and arcane beer sales laws in attempt to allow six-pack sales at beer distributors, grocery and convenience stores (read more about that here). In addition, it’s been just about a year since Wegman’s made a splash in the PA scene when it was announced they would be selling beer. Beer in the supermarket? In Pennsylvania? Amazing! The catch, of course, is that they got a “pizza place” license to sell up to 12 beers (or the equivalent) for takeout. Sales are only allowed in the food court area, not the main checkout aisle. Still, the fact that you can grab a sixer on a trip to the grocery store is certainly a big plus for PA residents (and a Wegman’s should open in Malvern in 2010).

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For many years, our family has celebrated Christmas Eve with the traditional Southern Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes (Festa Dei Sette Pesci), also known as The Vigil (La Vigilia). The origins of this celebration are Roman Catholic — on Christmas Eve in particular, it is a commemoration of the wait for the midnight birth of the baby Jesus (Vigilia di Natale), and stems from the Catholic tradition of abstinence, in this case, refraining from the consumption of meat or milk products, on Fridays and specific holy days — but, as with many Americanized traditions, it is now celebrated by people of all backgrounds and faiths.

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Sometimes cultural epicenters sprout up in unlikely places. Take Wooster Street in New Haven, Connecticut, for example — absent any previous knowledge, one wouldn’t expect to find arguably the best pizza in the world here, but one does. Similarly, Newtown Square, PA happens to have a mile-long stretch of Rt 3 in that houses three of the best Italian-style roast pork sandwiches anywhere. Because Philadelphia is famous for these sandwiches (much like NYC is famous for pizza), it is not all that surprising to find a good pork sandwich in the suburbs — but 3 great ones in one mile? It’s odd for sure, but we aren’t complaining.

All three are slightly different, but excellent in their own way, and we haven’t been disappointed with any of them. Here’s a little more info on each:

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Whole Wheat Baguette

South Philly Italian bakery Carangi Baking Company has recently opened at 1556 Lancaster Ave. in Paoli, bringing a wide variety of freshly-made breads, pizzas, stromboli and other Italian specialties to the ‘burbs.

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Shipyard's Pumpkinhead Ale

One of the great things about Fall is the arrival of all kinds of pumpkin beers. Brewed with real pumpkin (usually) and the spices associated with pumpkin pie, these beers are best enjoyed on a chilly October or November day.

Of course, living in Pennsylvania, where it is required to purchase a case of beer at the distributor, it can be intimidating shilling out $40 for a case of pumpkin beer you’ve never tried. A few years ago, I purchased a case of Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale, the first commercial pumpkin beer brewed, only to come home and find that I didn’t particularly care for it. So, in attempt to prevent you from having a similar experience, here’s a little bit of information about many of the pumpkin beers we’ve tried recently:

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Burgers are the hot trend of the moment, at least in this area. This summer, approximately 347 burger joints have opened in the Delaware Valley alone – from chains like Elevation Burger to indie joints like Downingtown’s Doghouse. Despite their trendiness, however, burgers are no tapas – they always have been a part of our lives and always will be. Still, we at MLD not afraid to jump on a good trend when we see one.

When riding home after experiencing Butcher & Singer’s “Best of Philly” $6 burger special (which was very good but unlikely the actual best in Philly), we got thinking about where one would find the best burger on the Main Line. Magazine Main Line Today recently crowned TJ’s in Paoli the winner, which, out of the ones we’ve tried, is a solid choice. But what of the ones we haven’t tried? Surely there are some other contenders out there.

So… To the point: we’re on a mission to find the Main Line’s very best burger, and we need your help. If you have a favorite burger, post a comment below with where to get it and why it is so great. This fall, we’ll try to eat as many as we can (prioritizing the most compelling descriptions below) and pick our winners at the end of the year.

Oh, and one more thing: No chains. We just can’t be bothered with that.

Go!

We’ve submitted a review of Luigi and Giovanni’s great Porchetta sandwich to Best of Philly Blog Unbreaded.

Read the post on Unbreaded.

In many ways, Wayne has become the flagship Main Line town. It has perhaps the most defined “town center”, with walkable streets, ample parking, and an eclectic mix of businesses. When one thinks of great areas to go out to eat on the Main Line, Wayne surely jumps to the top of anyone’s list. Recently, however, as we watch one more independent restaurant close and await yet another lackluster addition to N. Wayne Ave., the dining scene seems to be in the midst of a moderate crisis.

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About a year ago, I came across an article about four friends who traveled to Texas with in search of great wine and great barbecue. It was an entertaining article, but I couldn’t help but wonder: Why I don’t have a job that allows me to to take wine and food tours?

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