Gravy

Though it is no doubt heresy Downtown in South Philadelphia, there is a clear move at the supermarket toward the marketing of "homemade-style" spaghetti sauces, most often distinguished by their Ball-jar like bottles. (You can tell it is heresy, of course, because those bottled concoctions are referred to as "sauce" and not the true appellation, "gravy. ") Nonetheless, it is only fair to try to give the glassed-in reds their due. So the Daily News gathered a panel of worthy judges with good Italian eating roots to dive into a half-dozen of the new bottled entries.

We were tooling along one of Phoenix's endless multi-lane quasi-highways a few years ago when the heresy was committed. The woman who would be my sister-in-law if all the familial connections involved marriage licenses was running down the list of things to do and items to buy in preparation for Christmas dinner. One of them - and her inflection indicated it was not a minor consideration - was to pick up gravy at the supermarket. Oh dear, I thought, trying earnestly - politely - not to betray my feelings.

A diet rich in tomato sauce . . . and other tomato-based products . . . can lower the risk of prostate cancer, a new study says. - Associated Press Red gravy is concentrated, molten Italian-ness, a soulful symbol of family, identity, memory and mom. It's not fancy. In fact, tangy, spicy, satisfying tomato sauce - it's gravy here in the East, sauce nearly everywhere else - is dismissed as common and unsophisticated, especially as restaurant fare. But to Italian Americans, there's mojo in the boiling pot. "I think it is at the heart of what it means to be Italian in America," said food anthropologist Paola Sensi-Isolani of St. Mary's College of California in Moraga.

Philadelphians may set records in buying prepared pasta sauce, but homemade also ranks high here. Hairdresser Nicole Bologna, 23, of South Philadelphia, says she not only makes her own gravy, she's "never even tasted jarred sauce. " (Vocabulary note: In South Philadelphia, if it comes in a jar, it's called sauce. If it's homemade, it's called gravy.) When Mariella Esposito, owner of Fante's cookware shop on 9th Street, was asked if she could name some customers who buy pasta sauce, she exclaimed: "In South Philadelphia?

In Italian South Philly, two things rule: the heart and the stomach. Which is to say that the most important things in life are the family and food. As soon as the first Italian immigrants settled in South Philly (or "downtown," as locals call it), trattorias appeared, clustered primarily around the main intestinal tracts of Ninth Street and Passyunk Avenue. The exotic, ethnic food - gutsy, saucy, garlicky and, best of all, affordable - attracted adventurous eaters from all parts of the city - except South Philly.

St. Elizabeths Hospital is a sprawling facility for the mentally ill located almost in the shadow of Capitol Hill. It took in its first patient in 1855. Founded by Dorothea Dix, social reformer and mental health pioneer, the institution adhered to a view that was novel for its day and is sadly, if one takes Gingrich seriously, novel in ours. Dix argued that if we treat the mentally ill kindly and with dignity, some might recover. Gingrich ought take a few minutes out from hobnobbing with publishing magnates and $5,000-a-plate dinners and drop in on the young patients at St. Elizabeths.

A devotion bordering on the sacred can attach to a properly made (or perhaps familiarly made) meatball, its specific dimensions and manner of browning, its tenderness and level of grated cheese signaling that, for a moment at least, one thing can be relied on to be what it is supposed to be in this world. This is not the case, of course, with so-called novelty meatballs, stuffed with feta or pine nuts or composed of exotic meat. It is the unwavering character of a meatball that is its chief asset - character and predictability and consistency.

What: Thermal syrup/gravy server Manufacturer: Progressive International Corp., Kent, Wash. Where: Kitchen Kapers Price: $9.99 Purpose: Keeps gravy, sauce or syrup warm during meals. The gravy boat that matches your china pattern may look pretty on the table, but it won't keep gravy warm during a long meal. Progressive International's lightweight plastic gravy pitcher has a Thermos-like, stainless-steel interior; a two-cup capacity; and a cap that screws on tightly so that gravy will stay hot even during a marathon dinner.

Casseroles travel safely to Thanksgiving dinner in this two-quart covered dish. Fits neatly into a woven wood basket, and the pair would make a nice gift to leave with the host.   For the gravy This lovely porcelain gravy boat is bordered with a garland of oak leaves, acorns and pumpkins - perfect for the annual autumnal feast. It holds 11 ounces of gravy, and it's microwavable and dishwasher safe.  

Last week's Inquirer Food section offered suggestions on wines for Thanksgiving and recipes for citrus roasted turkey, stuffed turkey breast, glazed brussels sprouts and pan gravy. Plus, read Craig LaBan's recipe for "The Incredible Barbecued Bird. " Go to and click on the Restaurants & Food link.

A proper red-eye gravy gets its bold richness in part from a dose of strong black coffee. Shawn Sollberger, chef and co-owner of the new Northern Liberties pub Gunners Run, combines his grandfather's technique for chicken-fried steak with his North Carolina neighbor's red-eye gravy recipe. Instead of adding ham to the gravy, as is the norm, Sollberger crumbles bacon into the oil he uses to pan-fry the top round steak. He deglazes the pan with coffee. It's served with sauteed spinach and black-eyed peas.

With a name like West Side Gravy, you might be looking for the Sharks and Jets. Instead, look to Gordon Ramsay's "Hell's Kitchen" and season seven contestant Siobhan Allgood. Allgood first came to my attention when she turned out fantastic fish tacos at McKenna's bar in Fairmount. I was saddened to learn the tacos had packed up and gone to "Hell's Kitchen. " Now they are back in a new location. West Side Gravy is the second venture for Alex Capasso of Blackbird in Collingswood, N.J. In September, he put Allgood in charge of this kitchen, which turns out casual meals grounded in comfort food.

Here is an excerpt from Craig LaBan's online chat:        Reader: I checked out Capasso's West Side Gravy and the place was deserted except for the lonely greeter. What's going on with that restaurant? C.L.: West Side Gravy was deserted the last time I passed by - on a Friday night - which isn't a good sign. Alex Capasso is an excellent chef, and I've yet to try his comfort food updates here. They may be outstanding. But there's something a bit cavernous and stark about this converted Woolworth's space that seems to be uninviting.

By Ralph Cipriano Philadelphia officials would rather risk our lives and raise our taxes than kill DROP. The Deferred Retirement Option Plan is the program that pays city employees six-figure cash bonuses when they retire - on top of their regular salaries, pensions, and five years of free health insurance. Rather than get rid of it, city officials have raised property taxes 10 percent and passed budget cuts that will shut down firehouses, whack millions of dollars in police overtime, and shelve plans to hire 200 new cops.

The timing and the substance of what he said didn't make sense. Not at first. After the Flyers won the Eastern Conference and reached the Stanley Cup Finals, Comcast-Spectacor chairman Ed Snider addressed the media. If the camera really does add 10 pounds, it might also brighten your smile and intensify your glow. Snider positively beamed that night, and with good reason - his beloved team, the franchise he brought to Philadelphia and introduced to the people more than four decades ago, had just earned its first chance to play for a championship in 13 underproductive, frustrating years.

A break from the bird If you're starting to feel turkeyed-out this Thanksgiving week, head over for lunch to the swanky new Palomar hotel, where the restaurant, Square 1682, is serving a uniquely tasty short rib sandwich. The beef, a half-inch-thick bar of rib meat braised to tenderness with lemongrass and ginger, gets crisped in the oven with a tangy Asian gravy before it hits the baguette roll. Topped with a peppery tangle of watercress salad, sweet caramelized onions, and a dab of horseradish cream, it captures the ideal balance of worldly style and comfort that chef Guillermo Tellez's globe-trotting menu is aiming for.

Casseroles travel safely to Thanksgiving dinner in this two-quart covered dish. Fits neatly into a woven wood basket, and the pair would make a nice gift to leave with the host.   For the gravy This lovely porcelain gravy boat is bordered with a garland of oak leaves, acorns and pumpkins - perfect for the annual autumnal feast. It holds 11 ounces of gravy, and it's microwavable and dishwasher safe.  

A devotion bordering on the sacred can attach to a properly made (or perhaps familiarly made) meatball, its specific dimensions and manner of browning, its tenderness and level of grated cheese signaling that, for a moment at least, one thing can be relied on to be what it is supposed to be in this world. This is not the case, of course, with so-called novelty meatballs, stuffed with feta or pine nuts or composed of exotic meat. It is the unwavering character of a meatball that is its chief asset - character and predictability and consistency.

WHEN THE four-generations-old Young's Candy store was shuttered more than two years ago, it seemed that the 2800 block of Girard Avenue had lost some of its spirit, if not sweetness. And that loss had been preceded by Miss Shirley's passing - she was known for her soul food take-out a few doors down. Happily, over the past few years, Butters Soul Food To Go has seemed to be putting back some of the flavor and vibrancy in the neighborhood. In fact, chef/owner Kevin Bell once worked for Miss Shirley and took over her storefront to start Butters in 2005.

WHEN THE four-generations-old Young's Candy store was shuttered more than two years ago, it seemed that the 2800 block of Girard Avenue had lost some of its spirit, if not sweetness. And that loss had been preceded by Miss Shirley's passing - she was known for her soul food take-out a few doors down. Happily, over the past few years, Butters Soul Food To Go has seemed to be putting back some of the flavor and vibrancy in the neighborhood. In fact, chef/owner Kevin Bell once worked for Miss Shirley and took over her storefront to start Butters in 2005.