New York Restaurants

i figure they'll prove useful for me when i finally go though so carry on...

asian: i mostly eat italian in nyc for some reason but i do sometimes end up at zen palate in union square (they have multiple locations). it is all vegetarian and very tasty. also, i have a soft spot in my heart for he numerous Ollie's Noodle Houses, but that is not a great place to go as a visitor. lastly, i was taken to the china grill once, which is fancy ish and was very hip in the 80s, and the food is not bad.

latin america: coco roco (?) on 5th avenue in park slope is incredible. there is another place that i have to look up and post later.

I like El Sombrero at Ludlow and Stanton, haven't been there since I moved back tho.

There's a Cambodian place in Fort Greene that's good.

Uh, there's lots more, but nothing coming to mind just yet. I am still asleep, sort of.

I think Lupa is the best Italian restaurant in the city. It's on Thompson between Houston and Bleecker. 'hearty' 'rustic' Roman-style stuff like Saltimbocca, most things are like $15. mmmm pork shin.

decibel?

Well, I used to write restaurant reviews for the NYU paper, and also I've been fired as a waiter from like 10 NYC restaurants... but i like:

Pongsri Thai: cheap and yummy thai.

Blue Ribbon: expensive but veyr well made yummy things like the raw seafood platter... in Soho or Park Slope. open late.

Cafeteria: The macaroni&cheese and fried chicken & waffles are good. 24 hours in chelsea... but a weird mixed crowd of fabu-gays and thugz.

Florent: Always dependable for moules frites or a cheeseburger or eggs/bacon after a night at APT or something... in the Meatpacking district.

Tabla: Very good fusion Indian food on Madison Ave. Expensive though

avoid, because someone might try to take you to:
Avenue A Sushi [YUCK!]
Dojo [DOUBLE-YUCK!]
Casa La Femme, Kin Khao, Chez es Saaada, Jewel Bako, Genki Sushi, The Grocery, Uncle Pho, Coffee Shop, and The Park [the bastards all fired me]

nobu
sushi samba
the coffeeshop (i swear it was good! i was not THAT drunk!)

um...
one of the indian restaurants with the belly dancers on the lower east side (e. 6th?)

i can't remember any others...

NOOO!! Coffee Shop is the worst. I worked there one day before I got fired. The food is awful and the service sucks - trust me. Everything is seriously overpriced. $12 for a Cuban Sandwich? Nigga please. I could go down to Houston & Attorney and get one for 3 bucks. And also, they have a policy for the host-staff. All the beautiful people get the prime seats and booths, while the uglies get sent away to the back. It's true. It's policy. It sucks. Though the waitstaff is all pretty hot [but dumb...]

Ugh Zen Palate. So frondy. I think I'm going to turn into an overpriced plant everytime I walk past one of those places so I try not to let the waitstaff see my eyes. NEVER let them see your eyes.

Word. Also, for REAL Mexican food: the Rocking Horse Cafe, Gabriela's, Los Dos Rancheros.

A good place to check out if you want to spend lots of time (and major bandwidth warning) is the message board at chowhound.

Commentary on places mentioned before:

I second the recommendations for Gabriela's (90s location probably has a less annoying crowd than the 70s one), which is pretty good as far as NY Mex goes. Maya is a wonderful, if expensive, haute Mexican place on the southern tip of the Upper East Side. One of NY's better restaurants. As for other places, I've been once to the supposedly authentic La Palapa in the E. Village/LES and wasn't impressed, food- or other-wise. The others I don't know about.

Carmine's is not exactly subtle food, but it is better than one might expect and can be a great time for a group. Go for the Upper West Side branch, if convenient, to avoid the Times Square crowds (though I don't know what effect the theatre strike will have). If you do the Little Italy thing, you should know that the restaurants there aren't necessarily great (I don't know how they stack up against the E. Vill/LES places, which I've never been to). Of the ones there, Il Cortile can be pretty good.

Ollie's has a special place in my heart, but it is not worth your time unless you want slightly-better-than-average-Americanized (and excessively corn-starched) Chinese and it's nearby. Columbia branch better than the others.

John's Pizzeria (the Village place referenced, but not named, in Aaron Grossman's post, I believe) - very good pizza, not sure if it's a destination. V&T near Columbia is comparable. The great pizzerias are Lombardi's (in Little Italy/NoLita) and Patsy's (in Harlem, with V&T-quality branches elsewhere). You should, however, have some cheap, average NY pizza in addition to excellent, wood-burning-oven pizza to get the full experience.

Dosa Hutt - I've never been, but this place gets raves from most foodies. And you don't have to go to Flushing - there's one on Lexington in the 20s (26th?). Also nearby on "Curry Hill" is Curry in a Hurry, a great place for dosas and steam-table meals. That place, however, can't beat...

Pakistan Tea House in Tribeca (the place Tracer Hand was referring to). In the past year and a half, I've eaten in probably ten of the best restaurants in New York. I'm not sure I've had anything more memorable at those places than this place's Chicken Makhni platter with spinach and dal.

Coffee Shop - food shouldn't be the reason you go there (though it is decent). I'm not sure what should.

Blue Ribbon - I've never been to Blue Ribbon proper, but have been to the Blue Ribbon Bakery, slightly less, but still relatively, expensive. The food wasn't as amazing as I expected (though it was very good and I ordered strangely), but this place has great atmosphere.

Stuff you should try:

Hot Dogs - The classic places are the papaya ones (Gray's Papaya over Papaya King for me). F&B in Chelsea is a v. cute place with a chic'er and broader menu and probably better food.

The Soup Nazi - in midtown, open during the day. Cuisine in an expensive-for-lunch-but-cheap-for-quality cup (with lots of goodies added). Worth the adventure.

Sushi - but only if you go to one of the really good places, which will probably cost $. On the Upper East Side, Sushi of Gari is an inventive, fun (and pretty trendy for the UES) place that my Dad thinks has the freshest fish he's ever eaten (and he's eaten a lot). The invention here isn't quite my style (I do like invention, just a different kind), but many disagree. The other great sushi place, besides Nobu (which, like most big-name restaurants, is totally hit-or-miss) and the midtown-business-lunch places, is Jewel Bako in the East Village, where I've never been.

Chinese/Vietnamese in Chinatown/Little Italy - I'll leave the picks to others (I'm too Americanized to appreciate rice gruel). But I do like Funky Broome.

A cute/trendy/semi-cheapy French bistro like Le Pere Pinard on the LES. Metisse near Columbia has especially excellent food in this category, but is a much older, more sedate scene.

A personal pick - Beyoglu - on the Upper East Side (where it seems you won't be going), this place has really fantastic Turkish food, perhaps the best in NYC, for not all that much money. A group meal here can be great.

Are you a serious foodie planning on eating somewhere seriously gourmet/expensive? Cuz that's another discussion. I'll note that some of Danny Meyer's restaurants have comparatively cheap options - lunch at the bar at Union Square Cafe, the front room at Gramercy Tavern, the Tabla Bread Bar - that get you their very good (but not life-changing or anything) food and wonderful service for slightly less money.

Michael Daddino - are you the only other UES'er besides me? Am I going to run into you in Eli's (though I never have time to waste money there any more)?

Yes! But Ashoka is better.

the upper east side is way underrated. three reasons to visit: the pizza at, fuck, can't remember, it's on like 81st and First Avenue, is my favorite I've had in NYC. I also like Angel's on 63rd and First. and perhaps greatest of all, and a real NYC institution: SERENDIPITY on 60th between 2nd and 3rd. I had my b-day dinner there (thanks again, Andy!) and love it every single time I go there, which isn't frequently enough. HUGE ice cream desserts, good soup and regular U.S. fare (nachos, burgers, chicken) done really well. the interior design is SICK--basically it's '70s nostalgia for the '30s. Andy Warhol ate there regularly, and it's where John & Yoko went for ice cream after John got his green card. Love it love it love it.

I live around the corner from Curry Hill, the heavily Indian-restaurant populated area of Murray Hill, and there are quite a few good places there. what I remain a perpetual sucker for, however, is Curry in a Hurry on 28th and Lexington--quick, delicious, well priced (big chicken tikka masala platter w/rice, naan and vegetable side is $9.19 including tax) and once you go upstairs to eat very atmospheric, w/blue walls and one of about three Bollywood flix playing silently on a small TV screen, huge picture windows to look out of. (plus Gareth can compare it to similar UK spots.)

and hell yes stay away from Dojo.

Seconded, although I haven't been there in years.

Curry in a Hurry is k-classiXor.

Though Jewel Bako in the East Village is really truly fantastic, really super-expensive. One piece of otoro is $20. The omakase is either $70 or $100. And don't arrive hungry, because you'll leave hungry. Oooh, but my favorite is Sushi Hatsu on 1st avenue and like 58th street. It's open till maybe 2am and they have the widest variety of fish [many flown in from japan] and THE freshest yummiest fish on the east coast. They have maybe 50 varieties of fish including many I've never heard of - but the waiter can explain what the differences are. It's crazy expensive though. And they only take American Express.

in my experience, this is somewhat true (while not exactly terrible) not only for NYC but for anywhere off the pacific rim. you can only freeze seafood for so long before you sacrifice freshness.

that being said: nobu nyc was really great ALL THINGS CONSIDERED (ie, far lesser than nobu la and on par with nobu vega$). i will be going to the original nobu next month... anyone ever been?

I will second Serendipity but not the food, the desserts are where it's at.

Oh Lord, tell me about it. I worked there for three months and the food is horrific [and really fucking expensive]. Though I have to say, the Brunch isn't that bad if you don't mind terrible service. $17 for 2 courses and a mimosa, in a really nice garden. The place looks prety nice, in the early evening when all the trashy people haven't arrived yet. Anyways, NYC restaurants spend too much money on design and not enough on, like, food.

Lombardi's is the best pizza in New York, but still can't beat pizza in CHICAGO!!

love,
phil

Also, must have bagels. Most NY'ers go for the enormous, doughy variety epitomized by H&H Bagels.You can also get this variety at Pick-A-Bagel (and Ess-A-Bagel? which some consider the best). The classic, smaller, crustier kind are probably epitomized by Columbia Bagels (also sold at Zabar's, which is essential in its own right).

I'm pretty sure the pizza place Matos is referring to is Totonno's, on Second Ave between 80th and 81st. It's a branch of the Coney Island original, which is considered one of if not the best in NY, but the branch is supposed to be not quite as good (I've never been).

I miss Ed Debevic's too.

Aspirational: Howard Johnson's Midtown

Intrigued by this description - ? Is this like how you would describe the late Sholl's Colonial Cafeteria in DC?

also hoboken, nj.

This will be my next C.I. destination, along with Garguilos.

Gareth and I went to Rocking Horse Cafe. I thought it might be more faux-authentic but it was all Chelsea-trendy. Gareth's burritos were good but my enchildas were a bit acidic. However, my watermelon margarita was delicious.

What's the DC place you mention above, gab?

Also, last time Gareth and I went to Ghenet. The food was great, I think it was the best Ethiopian I've had, but the atmosphere a bit obnoxious. And there were no red beets:(

I hate to say it to the PacificRim people, but I doubt the average sushi over there is any different from the average sushi over here. I've only had the SF variety, but it was nothing to write home about. I doubt that Seattle does any better. New York has great sushi -- you just have to go to Hasaki or Zutto if you like freshness, and anywhere else if you like oversized slabs of chokability.

Today I got Gareth bagels and biyalis from Grand St. (he was too hung over to leave the house ahem) and a chocolate donut from Planet Donut, also on Grand.

The other restaurant we went to this time was Liberty Heights Brewery in the Hook. The pizza was really good (once it finally came) and the Red Hook Blonde and IPA beers were nice, but the decor was all Dumbo/Red Hook waterfront yuppie. (Gareth calls it heritization.)

Has anyone eaten at the New Leaf Cafe by the Cloisters?

((Also: Pakistan Tea House is good, cheap, poetically named [where's the tea?] etc., but it is hardly the high point of Indian cuisine in NY. And college students outnumber cabbies there now by a lot.) )

West coast sushi v. East coast sushi - my parents (them again; living vicariously through your parents - c/d?) consider San Diego's Sushi Ota the best they've ever had.

(wonders whether people know that Red Hook beer comes from Seattle)

The place in DC, per former W. Post restaurant critic (and the first critic to whom I was beholden) Phyllis Richman's last dining guide before retirement...

Your mother doesn't make rice pudding anymore? She buys her biscuits from the refrigerator case and her pies from the freezer? You need SHOLL'S, the venerable cafeteria that starts the morning with fresh doughnuts and brightens the evening with seasonal vegetables and house-made rolls, biscuits, cakes and pies. It's hardly more expensive than cooking for yourself, and while the food is as plain as plain can be, it is all made from scratch.

Maybe you've forgotten old-fashioned chopped steak, flavorful and juicy even though it is worlds away from rare. It's my favorite entree here, with mashed potatoes and the thin brown pan gravy. Chicken is apt to be dry, and fish can go either way; look carefully before you choose. But anything that's braised, stewed or immersed in gravy has a homey goodness. Crab cakes are as creamy as croquettes, and though they may be more filler than crab, they have a powerful charm.

SHOLL's is a crossroads. it serves both old-timers who probably eat all their meals there and busloads of schoolkids on field trips. Pennywise lawyers dine a table away from homeless people on a splurge. it's friendly, wholesome and as reliable as 70 years can promise.

http://www.seroy.com/sys-tmpl/scrapbook2/view.nhtml?profile=scrapbook2&UID=10028

this place is fantastic, i totally love this place, HUGE portions, really cheap, and really nice

doyers st is the one with vietnam on isnt it?

The Old Town Tavern on 18th
burger/fries/cold beer

tony montana's favorite pupusa joint!

Grand and Graham

Is this in BoCoCa?

May I add, in spite of it's touristy location in Union Square, Republic is an awesome cheap noodle shop.

go to mamouns and ask for the 'special felafel'.

my two favorite restaurants at the moment, kirara - incredible sushi place at moderate prices on carmine/bleecker. el maguey y la tuna - mexican food on houston/attorney. spicy pork & pineapple burrito, yum.

My fav restaurant is Artisanal when my parents are paying.

(Hi Phil, Yanc3y and Lauren)

megu and union square cafe are my two fave places. when someone else is paying.

But one he hasn't found yet: Radjhani (sp?) in Jackson Heights, Queens. AMAZING Indian food very cheap.

Where's a good place to buy men's dress shoes in the Upper West side (59th and above)? I have to buy some tomorrow afternoon, and I only have an hour or so.

Now you can enjoy the world's best soups... Introducing The Original SoupMan™

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just say it

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Hands up if you spend time in Morningside Heights and are creeped out that Ed listed Deluxe as a great NYC restaurant! Foreign objects I have found in my food there: cellophane, hair, bacon-encased pebble. Longest I have ever waited there for a medium-rare hamburger: one and one-half hours. What everything there tastes like: everything else there.

9th ave between 14th & 15th. Haven't been in years but I'd bet it's still good. roast chicken w/garlic sauce. yellow rice/red beans.

there's stuff not far away in the 40s tho.

LOTS of new cheap joints walk up 9th twds 57th, follow your nose

In the 80s I was partial to Veselka's mean green vegetable soup and AM buckwheat pancakes. After five hand-to-mouth years in the EV though I lost my taste for kielbasa and sauerkrauet 4 ever. :-0

I've been shocked at how bad a couple picks have been, and also some of the stuff they bother to review doesn't even SOUND very good.

Most recently I had a downright awful and overpriced meal at the Greek restaurant Delphi. The four of us literally left the restaurant frowning and clutching our stomachs.

My steak au poivre had one of the most delicious sauces I've ever tasted and great potatoes as well, and my gf's West African chicken was very good as well. Liked the atmosphere -- definitely hipster/bohemian style but very aesthetically nice. Prices were not cheap but reasonable for what we got. Very good espresso. Liked whatever brand of Cotes Du Rhone they were pouring. Service was a little unattentive but that was kind of what I expected from the look of the place, and it was the kind of place where I wanted to relax/hang out anyway. Definitely will be going back.

A $47 "tasting menu" that includes a sampling of antipasti, pasta, two main dishes and two deserts might sound like a bargain if it were genuinely a consumate chef's "tour of Tuscany," as the menu claimed. But instead I felt I was getting a tour of the weak spots on the menu that weren't selling well that week. The "artisinal beans" (!) were unconvincing, as were the elaborate descriptions of them given by the waitress (Sorry, they just tasted like beans. Perfectly good beans, but beans). The warm salad with pancetta and scrambled egg was, as a friend acutely observed, essentially eggs and bacon with greens. Again, perfectly fine, but unremarkable. One of the pastas (the "Moonshine") was farily good and the other was bland. The bass was not especially fresh and uninspiringly seasoned. And the flank steak was also perfectly fine but nothing special. What was unclear was why all this also needed to be accompanied by a basket of extremely oily french fries, especially since both entrees already came with potatoes. Then again, the fries may have been for another table, as were, undoubtedly, the three extra deserts brought to our table (one of which tasted like toothpaste.) Aside from these mistakes (about which one can't really complain) the service itself was quite good and very friendly, and I enjoyed the atmosphere, particularly the beautiful skylights.

1) 3 kumamoto oysters w/ ponzu jelly
2) jalapeno yellowtail sashimi (ex-nobu guy, afterall)
3) sea urchin w/ soy gel
4) miso black cod wrapped in phyllo dough (ditto)
5) sushi/sashimi plate w: the best bluefin otoro ive ever had, uni, botan ebi, horse mackerel, salmon 'toro', yellowtail.
6) meille feiulle

i think it might be the best japanese meal i've had in new york. it came to about $130 for food for 2 people.

Friend who spent some Thailand said it was one of the more authentic places he's tried in NYC. Most entrees in the $8-12 range. Extensive menu. Excellent quality. Beers are $3. Atmosphere is pleasant enough - casual, big picture windows. Last night we had two soups, a chicken Krapao Sub (thai holy basil sautee) and a quarter fried king fish in Tamarind sauce, a beer and a glass of wine for $36 before tip.

but fleur de sel, perry street, and jean georges do year round lunch prix-fixe deals all for $25/$28 each, so i'll save those for later

Here's my review from a restaurant site:

Tourist trap is an understatement - rat trap is more like it. The grossly overpriced and oversized "Turkey Reuben" came on white bread, smothered in low-quality cheese with barely an onion in sight. I don't believe a chicken ever dipped its toe into the matzah ball soup, and the knish was downright foul - literally bursting with inedible, gristly meat - prompting us to rename the establishment "The Carnage-y Deli." I left not only nauseous, but ashamed that anyone would associate this restaurant with my Jewish heritage. Avoid at all costs.

i really want to go to eleven madison now that this new guy is there

that's in, er, good taste given the murders that happened above it a few years ago.

so i need a good NYC greek-ish place with a nice summer atmosphere and good drinks

come on someone has to frequent a great summery mediterranean place downtown

cheap? moderate? pricy?

moderate to cheap? but i don't want cheap if it means a less than enjoyable experience, which probably means i can't have cheap

I don't frequent any such place, but I got my father-in-law's Zagat password. BRB

oooh!

Maybe this place?

Snack Taverna
63 Bedford St.
(Morton St.)
Manhattan, NY 10014
212-929-3499

Food Decor Service Cost
21 16 17 $39

Can't speak for the atmosphere

The younger, more upscale sibling to Snack, this “friendly” “modern Greek” on a “lovely Village corner” is touted for its “mouthwatering twists” on the “classics” and all-Hellenic wine list; sure, it “can get noisy”, but still most “everybody leaves happy.”

i has a favorite

Greek food in Manhattan be expensive

word

both do look verry nice tho

i want an outdoors too, but i bet that's tough - and i need to not spend 30 on my entree, cuz i'm gonna have the drinks

thanks guys - any other suggestions welcome, i might succomb to citysearch...

Might be worth browsing the Voice archives, though Sietsema himself tends to mostly review cheapo joints in Queens and Brooklyn and the other food info on the site can't always be trusted (in fact it once led me to the worst Greek meal I've ever had)

go to queens for greek food, srsly

lol xpost

i know, queens has been popping up

i love this place

that looks PERFECT, but i really don't think i can go to queens 2nite : (

there's a nice greek place on grand street in williamsburg. i don't know the name, though.

is it mykonos? the one across from trash bar?

pylos, on e.7th, is a nice modern greek that's not too pricy. all indoors, though. in general, you have to make some trade-off for a good outdoor space - usually price or quality.

i know that's so true, ok i'm lookin it up

okay has anyone been to Medina?

yeah pylos is ok. you got to bring a lot of people to share al the dishes they have there.

http://eater.com/archives/2007/06/the_dish_shopsi.php

okay, so cheap sushi in West Village/East village/somewhere downtown, with cocktails

anyone?

Tomoe is the cheapest decent sushi bar but there is usually a line of people outside.

And most other decent sushi in that area is not cheap.

That thread bump reminds me that I went to Ferdinando's in Carroll Gardens this weekend and recommend it. Some of the best calamari I've ever had, and you ought to eat a panelle at least once in your life. Plus they're the only place in NYC with Manhattan Special on tap (it's way tastier than the bottled stuff)

Best Use of Chickpeas - Ferdinando's
FERDINANDO'S is Brooklyn's oldest focacceria, a Sicilian snack shop that specializes in oil-slicked vegetables, stewed seafood, and tiny sandwiches on round rolls. One of their best products is the panelle special, made with chickpea fritters that show the influence of North Africa on Sicily piled on one of the aforementioned rolls and then heaped with clouds of the freshest ricotta. Two make a meal. -Robert Sietsema

151 Union Street, Brooklyn

xpost I did a little Zagat search for you -- there are a few very highly rated places in that area in the $35-40/person range: Kanoyama at 2nd and 11th, Yama (which has a Carmine St. and a W. Houston St. location), and Hasaki, on 9th btw 2nd and 3rd.

Just slightly cheaper is Mizu Sushi, on 20th btw Broadway and Park.

Sapporo East on First Ave. is cheap and decent.

anyone have an opinion on Rose Water?

One of their best products is the panelle special, made with chickpea fritters

Is this like socca?

cheap sushi ..... East village

Esashi at 3rd and A is pretty good

it's no Tomoe or Yama but it's cheap and never has a wait. it's on the level of a good neighborhood place.

but I would say go to Yama if you don't mind waiting a bit

anyone have an opinion on Rose Water?

Based on my one dinner there, it was kind of meh. Not especially original, and not very well done, for the prices they charge...

xpost Wikipedia suggests there is a connection but does not clarify whether they're exactly the same thing.

dave, do you go to Taro near you? people rate it as the best outer-borough sushi, fwiw. I'm no expert, but I like it, and they have a fried chicken appetizer that, while not sushi, is really tasty.

Based on my one dinner there, it was kind of meh. Not especially original, and not very well done, for the prices they charge...

thanks, that seems to be the opinion of some others who've been there as well, but it's hard for me to tell if my panisse-ian taste would feel differently

Orhan Yegen now safe for below-14th Streeters - http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/sea-salt/

btw, Rose Water was v v pretty

Geido on Flatbush is my fave sushi in my neighborhood .... have not tried Taro yet. Haven't tried the Brooklyn outpost of Blue Ribbon Sushi either ($$$). Sushi Gen on Washington Av is pretty good (only gotten takeout) but I like Geido more.

cheap sushi ..... East village

what about Zen Garden on St. Mark's and Ave A? this is definitely not gourmet sushi, but they have a perpetual "thank you campaign" that gives any customer, any day of the week, at any given hour 50% off of the sushi. also, 10 PM to 1 AM drinks 50% off as well.. this is mainly for undergrads without fake IDs, but if you're looking for cheap east village sushi..

we had dinner at taro before going to southpaw a few months ago. based on that meal, i'd rate it as one of the better places in the city (outside of the big name, expense account category) and would agree with the best in the outer borough claim. kanoyama, mentioned by hurting upthread, is really great as well but the price per person is a bit misleading. they do high-quality basics for pretty good value, but the real draw of the menu is the special fish of the day list. once you're in that territory, the bill shoots up. mishima, on lex in the low 30s, is kind of like kanoyama uptown. if anyone finds themselves in murray hill craving sushi, i highly recommend it.

is zen garden the place with a karaoke room for hire in the back? yeah, it's not knock-you-out sushi or anything, but the whole "50% off, ALL THE TIME" thing is pretty crazy. why not just change the prices ont he menu?

thanks guys!! i'm going to this place tonight:

http://almarestaurant.com/

the whole "50% off, ALL THE TIME" thing is pretty crazy. why not just change the prices ont he menu?

uh

gesundheit

http://www.yelp.com/biz/wNWEO6UzGNsti9pjmdFpgw#hrid:fj_5dthEiRvvi4UySzChmA/query:zen

("great location"!)

we had dinner at taro before going to southpaw a few months ago. based on that meal, i'd rate it as one of the better places in the city (outside of the big name, expense account category) and would agree with the best in the outer borough claim.

two high recommendations .... I'll have to check it out .... thx for the tip

i'd make a reservation, as the place is very small (8-10 little tables). we would have had at least a 20 minute wait if we'd been walk-ins.

Taro has great lunch specials and usually isn't crowded then. I guess that's great for those of us without real jobs.

surmounter, alma is great. make sure to sit on the roof. also: pineapple vanilla margarita

wtf that sounds amazing thx

a couple more favorites..

Lunch:
-Chez Brigitte @ Greenwich & 7th Ave. Really small diner that serves simple, hearty french-italian food. The lunch special gets you a soup, entrée, and drink. I think it's $8, so $10 plus tip. Chicken cutlet, very good.
-Home @ Cornelia St. Slightly overpriced for dinner, but the lunch special is a good deal if you're with someone else. If you split an appetizer and an entrée, you get a free dessert. The food comes from local 'artisans,' etc and is gourmet american.

Brunch:
- Elephant Castle @ Greenwich & 7th Ave. Great menu. Great coffee.
- Honorary Brooklyn places that serve decent food but I never go to anymore because the service is shit: Wombat, Relish, Enid's.

Dinner:
- Mas on Downing St. Okay, no one can afford this, but damn this is the best food I've ever eaten. Great service, too. Slightly less expensive/pretentious alternative next door at Blue Ribbon Bakery.
- Lupa @ Thompson & Houston. Batali pre-Babbo. This is a new favorite, although meat dishes can be a little salty. Fantastic wine and service, too. Kind of expensive, but worth it.
- Dumont @ Union & Devoe (in BK). Obviously.
- Pepé Rosso @ Houston & Sullivan. An Italian restaurant where Italian people eat. Very inexpensive and cramped, but divine pasta.

Vegan/Vegetarian: Candle Café, Pure Food and Wine, Counter.

Mas sounds so good. It may be #1 on my have-not-eaten-yet list.

candle cafe is overrated.

and over-priced! $20 for some kale, tempeh, and pureed sweet potatoes that could be made at home and more flavorfully for about $3.

I worked briefly at Mas. I currently work at one of the restaurants on my list.

Candle 79 is over-priced/rated. Candle Café is only overpriced if we can agree that every organaturalegan nyc restaurant is, too.

yes, linds! i think by overrated i meant overpriced! i mean, it is a good tempeh sandwich/whatever but i could make that at home if i tried hard enough! the juice drink i had was good but again, proper blender + me at home = could have made it.

poortheatre, i have not been to too many but i am inclined to agree with you on principle. unless someone makes me some incredible outlandish exotic vegan thing i never would have dreamed up making, vegetarian restaurants leave me feeling blah. in fact, <u>part</u> of my leaving vegetarianism after 6 years (no meat at all)/10 years (no red meat) was that i was bored of going to restaurants (even veggie ones) with crappy, unimaginative entrees.

pepe rosso is still there!!??? awesome! does it still have the small sign inside that says "no skim - no decaf - only real food" ?

i have this wonderful memory of a fresh salad there made with these ingredients only: spinach, bacon, olive oil

- Elephant Castle @ Greenwich & 7th Ave. Great menu. Great coffee.

-Chez Brigitte @ Greenwich & 7th Ave. Really small diner that serves simple, hearty french-italian food. The lunch special gets you a soup, entrée, and drink. I think it's $8, so $10 plus tip. Chicken cutlet, very good.

these places have been around for SO long...must be doing it right.

on the not-cheap tip we had a nice dinner at The Orchard on the LES a few weeks back, what my wife calls "interesting American" food. only one entree out of four -- a soupy paella -- was less than stellar.

oh ok i have only been to candle 79, didn't realize there was a difference. to be fair, the raw food lasagna thing i had a bite of was excellent but also teeeny tiny and more than $20.

the only vegan place i love is hangawi - also not cheap, but really wonderful vegetarian korean.

the pistachio tofu ice cream at hangawi is incredible, really much better than many "real" desserts. also, the fried mushroom dish is SO TASTY.

mmm the fried mushrooms. i wish i could eat their pumpkin porridge everyday!

woori jip (the cafeteria-style place on 32nd) has decent and pumpkin porridge for cheap most days.

that should be, "decent and cheap".

i was astonished by pure food and wine (near gramercy park), it's all raw and all totally delicious. not sure if it's still around.

This might be stating the obvious, but Hummus Place is my new favorite cheap Manhattan spot. The hummus with fava beans is incredible.

pure is still around and going strong. a friend of mine (carnivore) ate there a while back with some vegans/vegetarians and was raving about how good it was.

i thought the shtick there was "raw" = not heated above a certain temperature? that dude has always had really great notices from some people, but overall gets treated sort of middlingly. the former group can't be just vegetarians who are amazed by food that tastes good, can it?

no, like lauren said, it's also meat-eaters who can't believe that uncooked food can be so amazing. matthew kinney gets middling notices because he's bad businessman and has reportedly screwed some of his investors over the years. i think his ex-wife runs pure food and wine now? (still using his recipes though)

and yeah, some of the ingredients are heated (in order to get certain things to adhere to each other, like the nut-based cheesecake, etc) but nothing has been cooked.

couple friends of mine (non-veg) have told me the desserts at Pure are amazing

no, like lauren said, it's also meat-eaters who can't believe that uncooked food can be so amazing.

-- Tracer Hand, Wednesday, July 18, 2007 7:54 AM (2 hours ago)

what about carnivores who eat uncooked meat?

yeah for real! the raw foodies haven't done nearly enough to incorporate ceviché, steak tartare etc. into their menus. it's because they're all actually dirty hippie vegans, masquerading as rawists.

i would really like to try a good raw restaurant sometime. in fact, the whole idea sounds really appealing and healthy and energizing, but i just like meat too much to be convinced it's worth switching to completely.

yegen v. ripert, child, et al - http://newyork.metromix.com/restaurants/article/and-god-created-orhan/155154/content

btw, the nyt's 'discovery' of kebab cafe was contemporaneous with its post-renovation reopening (i.e. it was news of sorts) and highlighting on bourdaintv - http://astorianyc.blogspot.com/search/label/Kabab%20Cafe

(and an archive search indicates that they previously discovered it 7 times between '98 and '02)

My well-to-do friend ordered Nobu take out three nights in a row while I was there. It was excellent, but I felt like something was missing when I wasn't paying for it.

Has anyone ever tried Blue Hill (the NYC or the Westchester County one)?

Blue Hill is really good (the one in the village). Food is seasonal and not overdone, big vegetable flavors, OK decor, service is brilliant. It's a food-over-scene deal, which I like.

bf has always wanted to go there, the westchester one

food over scene is so nice

Wife and I are going to the Westchester one for our anniversary. I am psyched.

Yeah, food over scene is key. I am not very scene.

I went to Blue Hill in the village six months ago. I plead guilty to it being totally up my ideological alley with the seasonality and big flavors and hushed worship of the solitary baby vegetable and all, but it was the best meal I've had in NYC since Jean-Georges was in the kitchen at JoJo (I haven't been to J-G itself). It wasn't scene-free tho, I thought.

What did Honmura An ever become? I heard J-G took the space over and were gonna do something...

Anyone been to Masa or Bar Masa?

I've been to Masa twice and Ginza Sushi-ko (Masa's old restaurant in LA which is now Urasawa).

oh that'll be a great anniversary spot xp

really enjoyed queens hideaway the other night, even if my seafood gumbo was just okay. shoulda ordered the tongue.

I've been to Masa twice

was it worth it? practically the most expensive place in the city (which is saying something)

I think I would try Per Se before Masa if I was going to drop that kind of $$$

I've heard the Westchester Blue Hill is really good. was supposed to go one time but had to cancel -- my friends went without us and ended up sitting one table away from the whole Clinton fam.

our meal at blue hill was wonderfu, although next time i'd do a cheese course instead of a sweet dessert. they were lovely to look at, but a bit underwhelming after the excellence of the rest of the meal. my big complaint: the beautifully presented, interesting wine list doesn't have a "big, bold" red (their words) for under $50.

Blue Hill was really good. You certainly pay for it, but at least you have a unique food experience. We spent a few hours on the farm, then changed in the restroom and had dinner. We went for the cheapest option - two-course plus dessert, but they gave us a couple of extra tasting dishes on account of our anniversary and we splurged a bit on a bottle of wine. You can't really eat pork and lamb like that many places, regardless of price (or vegetables like that, for that matter), not to mention that it's from animals like the ones you've just spent the day watching in the pastures and pens outside. I thought the deserts were great, actually, except slightly too sweet. I couldn't have even handled a cheese course by the end.

The whole "sustainability" thing is a bit of a marketing gimmick - this is basically aristocracy eating for the capitalist age - high quality, small quantity estate livestock and produce for anyone willing to put up the money.

Had Congee Village for the first time 2nite. Dried scallop congee/clams in black bean sauce/pan fried shrimp noodle all delicious.

blue hill in the village was one of the first real top-notch restaurants i ever went to in new york (the first was patria).

a friend of mine went there once and puked up afterwards because she hadn't eaten in like a day and a half and then went straight for the pork shin once she was there.

Hey, is Wo Hop still there? I forgot to look for it the last couple of times I was in town. I used to love their big bowl of periwinkles.

I don't think Wo Hop will ever die. Last time I was there was maybe 18 mos ago, though, so anything could have happened by now.

Does anyone have anything to say about Aurora in Wmsbg?

went once a while ago, it was pretty good.

I'm going to Zenkichi tonight.

yeah, went to aurora in soho once. solid modern italian.

Anyone recommend any good drinking dens for this evening?

looking for a nice somewhat romantic place in Williamsburg or an adjoining neighborhood, but quality of food is probably the top consideration. Any other recs are welcome.

Emma B, mrs Tracer Hand, rates food at Aurora very highly, which is about as good a recommendation as a place can get. I might try next week. I believe it is Cash only.

menu looks great

dressler. still haven't been myself, but i've heard glowing reports (and it got a michelin star, ooh la la).

ed, what neighborhood?

dressler looks good too but I have a feeling the wife will like Aurora better

is east side company bar still going? i love that place.

LES, Willamsburg, wherever, if anyone else is out drinking would be good too.

yeah, east side company is still around, i think. you'd probably like that, ed. milk and honey-affiliated so it has wicked cocktails but it isn't a members bar. on essex st, in the les. i think i'm out of commission tonight sadly due to martini/red wine hangover. ow.

it's the first thing that came to mind when the phrases "Ed" and "drinking den" appeared in the same sentence

Dressler has top hipster decor but it is noisy and overpriced, in my book.

You want Aurora for romantic. Grand to Aurora is one of the most romantic walks in Williamsburg. It is cash only. You need a reservation. Request the garden area if you can get it. The wait staff have such thick Italian accents you can barely understand them.

I am not a big drinker but the Prosecci are really good. Their pasta is like candy, and I don't even like Italian food!

only been to dressler once, but it was awesome (venison wau)

Definitely worth a visit. Brooklyn, represent.

Speaking of Williamsburg Italian, did any of you ever get to try 718 diner (R.I.P.)?

http://www.freewilliamsburg.com/restaurants/archives/w-diner.jpg

Their chocolate souffle was to die for. Does anyone know if 718 is permanently closed?

Another great, mobbed-up North Side Italian joint is
Cafe Capri at 427 Graham between Frost and Withers (technically Via Vespuccci).

http://www.brooklynrecord.com/archives/060719wrap.jpg

BEST ICED COFFEE.

dressler = fantastic. best service i have ever received.

also great in williamsburg: the diner/marlow pair. always great.

I ate at the 718 a while back. I thought it was good but the meal was not especially memorable. They had really good coffee though. Didn't know it had closed.

cafe capri is great.

Download the Shake Shack Dashboard Widget.

It tells you the frozen custard flavor of the day, time, temperature and, most importantly, refreshes the Shake Shack Line-cam every 5 seconds.

the best service I ever recieved, by about a million miles, was at this place:

http://www.bluehillstonebarns.com

not to mention some of the best food. 5 people, we did the farmers feast tasting menu, it was my sister's birthday and in discussion they knew she is a pastry chef, and she knew one of the chefs. We had 3 amuses, 5 courses, 3 deserts, chef Dan Barber came out and introduced himself twice, we got a tour of the kitchen, the curing rooms, the wine cellar. Pretty much the best possible eating experience imaginable. And the best bit was one of the deserts, simply sweet potato, candied pecan and brown sugar ice cream. They made mine without the pecan and it was still the best thing I'd ever tasted. Just the fact that for a tasting menu they dealt with a party that involved 1 vegetarian, 1 pescatarian who hates cheese and one omnivore who's allergic to nuts.

capri's cappucino is yummmm

Masa, Per Se, Daniel, Jean-Georges, Blue Hill, blah, blah, blah.

Holy shit! I had no idea Diner closed! It was my favorite restaurant in Brooklyn.

No love for Danny Meyer's Shake Shack . . . can I get a witness? Madison Square Park, Breakfast at Tiffany's, cheese fries, Chicago Dogs, custard calendar? Come on.

Daniel is the most beautiful room in New York.

As I said upthread, my wife and I had a great experience at Blue Hill Stone Barns. If anyone is thinking about doing it, I recommend going early on a milder day and spending a couple hours on the farm before dinner (we brought clothes and changed in the restrooms).

that is if you can bear to look a beautiful hog in the eye before you eat its cousin.

shake shack is so awesome in good weather

last night we had valentines dinner at babbo. I had sweetbreads for the first time. mmmmmmmm ... pancreas. insanely good.

my favorite thing they do at stone barns is the soft fried egg -- I guess they hard boil it halfway, then peel the shell, bread it and throw it in the deep fryer

diner is not closed. felicity was talking about 718 diner aka ms williamsburg diner.

I just went to Blossom in Chelsea. It is the better of the vegan restaurants.

I really want a chicken burrito now.

I just realized I was confusing the 718 diner with Relish.

Aurora tonite. Will report back.

I was not impressed with my admittedly institutional dinner at Daniel, and I've heard similar where's-the-beef sentiments from others who have eaten in the comfier rooms.

I like the Shack lots and what room could beat Madison Square Park, but I prefer the burger over at Blue Smoke. Maybe that's not a fair fight, but even on the faster end of the burger scale and putting aside the fact that my apollonian sandwich is essentially a tomato-delivery-device, I lean toward the mini version of the real thing rather than the glop-crunch of a double stack, though the latter admittedly is a better adjunct to a tasty root beer.

Dressler doesn't look nearly as pleasant a space as Dumont's garden, and the room/vibe are probably fixed just-so in michelin's supposedly-food-only cosmology, but the food at Dumont made enough of an impression on me that a hauter version is high on my list. I suppose it helped that I ate at the older place at the height of Summer.

speaking of great little places, Spigolo, located in the restricted zone, is kind of harried, but has some really wonderful food, and I'm not even that into 'Italian'.

I've never eaten at any of the Batali places, unless you count an institutional dinner at Del Posto, which really was pretty good as far as those things go, though the wine outshone the food.

I haven't yet eaten at any of the Michael Psilakis places either, but he seems to be the most interesting thing going right now.

Spigolo is indeed great, I think run by a husband and wife team who actually live upstairs

I've eaten at Blue Hill in the city -- about four years ago now? -- and it was fantastic, but the whole farm experience sounds really cool. If anybody's planning a trip to southern Italy any time soon, there's an amazing centuries-old farm with its own citrus grove outside Ostuni, it's called "Il Frantoio" (which means "the olive press" I think). They do a zillion course meal every night, and the guy who owns the place tells you about each thing you're having. It's mainly vegetarian since that part of Italy is so dry that it can't really support livestock. (During our tour the owner pointed at the roofs of the main house, saying "see that section? That was the first to be built. In about 1500. See the roof? It's pointed. It rained here then. See that section? It was built in 1600. Flat roof. no rain. It's been that way ever since.")

The only Batali place I've been to is Otto, which is fun. Once we made a full dinner out of antipasti, another time I had a pizza, and another time I just went for coffee and gelato and stood at one of the bar tables. All three were good experiences.

I walked into Otto once when my friend and I were being indecisive, and the place looked like a zoo.

Wow, gabbneb went below 14th st!

Otto is great place to take the kidz, we go around 6 PM before it gets all zoo-like. I always get the clam pie. it's great - dozens of clams w/garlic parsley and a touch of fresh mozz. the pizza crust is different here, sort of crunchy and I can see why some people don't dig it. no complaints re: the italian wines by glass.

am looking forward to taking Aidan to Otto, especially as we're not going to get anywhere too top end with him, I think Stone barns may be a bit adventurous too, so we'll probably make do with the cafe there while out for a walk.

Otto, is a great lunch spot, wouldn't choose it for an intimate dinner. Good food, though.

hi jon, we're past our sell-by date here, but i was below 14th st on the regular before you were in middle school

http://www.google.com/search?q=meme&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

jaymc how old is gabbneb

Aurora was good overall. Food was slightly disappointing - the pork belly was dry and the lamb was too fatty and gristly (in the low light it was actually very hard to avoid the fat and gristle), although both were seasoned very nicely. The octopus antipasti was great and so was the ginger parfait dessert. The coffee was not up to the standard you'd expect from a good, self-respecting Italian restaurant. But it was such a nice place to be in terms of atmosphere and service that I didn't mind so much, and I'd still go back at some point. The bill was also not bad at all for everything we had.

for whatever little it's worth, I concur with everyone else in New York that Momofuku Noodle Bar is really good.

tried octopus salad, baby bok choi, shredded pork ramen - all great. The soft-serve ice cream they have was even really good (Cousin Ben & Larry's or something like that)

next time get the steamed pork buns!

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/189/522600496_9266cab453.jpg

yarrr

oh man, salivating.

dmr, yer not going to see Roky tonight are you?

nope we're gonna try to see times new viking at don pedro and then go up to the environ records thing at studio b

are you going? never seen the man

I'm going, yeah. He was great last time.
Would have gone to TNV if i didn't already have tix for this thing.

oh rite restaurants uh, i am a big fan of eating at them.

I'm gonna try some Salvadoran joint in east wburg called Bahia? supposed to have good pupusas

have fun at Roky dawg

dmr - what is that little sandwich you posted? i want

i dub it the cukie monster

dmr - what is that little sandwich you posted? i want

momofuku steamed pork buns

Obama's got the Gray's Papaya vote

we did the bo ssam dinner at the ssam bar. it was very fun and very delicious. sadly, lunch there is pretty bad.

yeah the wraps kinda suck, I went there early on (when the better food was still late-night-only) and hated that place. need to go back for the full menu

bahia pupusas were an A+, rest of the menu a little bit hit or miss. I had some pretty good shrimp ceviche though.

Pam Real Thai again tonight. That place is a miracle. Amazing oxtail soup.

that is if you can bear to look a beautiful hog in the eye before you eat its cousin.

Ham and eggs: The chicken is dedicated but the pig is committed.

egg on N. 5th in Williamsburg has a good ham biscuit, candied bacon and grapefruit brûlé.

Thin crust NY Pizza ladder IMHO:

1. Totonno's, Coney Island
2. De Marco, Houston Street
3. Lombardi's, Spring Street

Mary, did you ever make it to Totonno's?

Court Square Diner, Court Square, LIC by PS1 - Fuck Yes!! 24-hour delivery delicious Greek, breakfast, booze & ciggies!

Peruvian in Port Chester (think it was called Chavin) last night - some really really tasty food, and ridiculously cheap too.

I love Bahia's pupusas but it always takes like 45 minutes when I want it to go.

The staff is ridiculously friendly at Court Square Diner. A+ I did make it to Totonno's despite their policy of closing early/always being full/not accepting visitors. It was good, but not so amazing, I didn't think. I like the pizza place in Dumbo--so yummy. Also, there is Michael Angelo's in Ditmars for when you just must have your thin-crust delivered.

I want to try Agnanti by Ditmars Park. I haven't been that into the Greek food in Astoria. So far it seems kind of mediocre and over-priced. But maybe I don't have a good Greek food frame of reference? I went to Taverna Cyclades where the atmostphere is great but the food just sort of meh. I also went to Elias Corner which had great atmosphere but so expensive for just whole grilled fish. I haven't tried any of the mezzo places yet. I really want to try the fancy Italian place on 31st past Ditmars but I need a date!

I want to try Bahias too. Where is it? NoVa actually had lots of pupusa places.

Agnanti is pretty good. I liked Cyclades too though. You should go to the fancy Italian place and just get a brick oven pizza, their really expensive dishes are overrated imo!

Bahia is in east williamsburg at grand and graham (grand st stop on the L)

Agnanti is really good. It's by Astoria Park. The setting is very nice over there by the water. It's nice to walk down to the water, not as nice to think about the greatest tragedy to happen on New York soil prior to 9/11 took place there.

We like JJs sushi in Astoria, not mind-blowing, but nice.

Doughnut Plant
379 Grand Street
New York, NY

i really, really, really really need to go to momofuku

they carry those doughnut plant donuts at dean & deluca but they are about $3 each and look like they would give me a stomach ache. they look amazing though.

Gennaro on Amsterdam at 93rd, roast game hen with lemon.

speaking of donuts. whatever happened to krispy kreme? it just kind of died off. maybe america's love affair with the doughnut is over.

i actually don't like donut plant, although i've never tried the cake ones. i hate the "yeast donut" style that they started out specializing in. peter pan is my choice for occasional indulgence.

xpost - maybe people realized that kk's are kind of gross.

KK doughnuts are so gross to me, I adore the apple cider kind, the cake ones with a slightly yellow interior and either no frosting or the real chocolate stuff. I've heard there are Greenpoint bakeries with reasonable facsimiles of my childhood doughnuts but haven't rly looked.

greenpoint bakeries have some amazing donuts.
i hate krispy kreme too. and the look of the doughnut plant ones give me the same sickly sweet feeling, though i have never tried them.

so is the consensus that ssam bar is better than noodle bar?

laurel, you would LOVE peter pan. trust me on this. run, don't walk!

someone on ch0wh0und said that biting into a glazed yeast donut is like biting into wet waxed paper, and i find that description totally accurate.

is there a time when it's better to go to momufuku to avoid the crowds? or is it not that bad? it looks so tiny.

or: do they deliver?

krispy kreme::donuts = taco bell::mexican

speaking of donuts. whatever happened to krispy kreme? it just kind of died off. maybe america's love affair with the doughnut is over.

-- bell_labs, Wednesday, March 12, 2008 3:34 PM (16 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

lol come to flyover country

they've closed down all the krispy kreme stores in nyc though, right?

if you go before 7, or for lunch, or if the weather is shitty you should be ok at momofuku. the new place is bigger so sometimes the wait is not as bad as it looks. I doubt they deliver.

you can get Top Pot donuts on every corner now, why would you want KK? for real doughnuts, get out of the city.

i don't want KK. it was just mysterious how the stores all vanished. what are top pot donuts?

you can find them at the evil coffee empire

My mom used to make doughnuts once in a GREAT while...I remember sitting on the piano bench eating doughnut holes hot from the fryer until I was ill.

the old smaller place is now Momofuku Ko with some goofy internet reservation system. posts like this one from Eater make me not even want to fucking bother. reservation scalpers?? get the fuck out.

>Ko-BOOM: Still Hope —This just in from the tipline: "Ko-ancellations do happen. I just picked up a two-top for 9:00pm tomorrow night." Cancellations— resulting in new prime open seats—could be a by-product of the new ID rule forcing resy scalpers and those who made multiple resys to hand over the goods.

i think if you go to ssam bar early (like 5.30/6) then it might not be too bad. you can make reservations for the bo ssam dinner. if you have the max number of people (10), then it actually becomes a greata value.

I was gonna say, is it really hard to get into those places if you go at like 1 in the morning?

I went to Noodle Bar around 4pm on a Sunday and got seated right away, but before we were done a line was already forming.

I went to the original momofuku once (the night of the last blizzard that dropped 30 inches of snow overnight, feb 05 or 06 maybe?) and it was garbage... seriously, i can not comprehend the level of acclaim such a generic fusion place has garnered.

my understanding is it's highly inconsistent - it's capable of greatness, but only some of the time

aw i thought this was the shasta approved noodle bar! which one am i think of?

i've been three times- twice to noodle bar and once to ssam when they just sold burritos. all was awesome.

that would be Ramen Setagaya (1st ave btw 8&9).

i realize my palate is probably quite different than their frequent customers though.

mmmm, setagaya! i really liked the ssam bar, but not for the ssams (in fact, i thought lunch was pretty bad). shasta and phil-two both gave the noodle bar a big thumbs-down, and that was enough to put me off.

^^^their = momofuku's

to me momofuku and setagaya are about equal taste-wise but I'm far from a ramen connoisseur. setagaya's a little cheaper too.

horray i will go to setagaya!

i want to go too!

it's been a while.

do you want to go this week?

sure. i kind of like doing ramen brunch, if that works for you.

i emailed you!

Lauren is such a brunch tart. She'll eat with anyone!

PS: I am totally going to Santana soooooooooon.

it's true.

As someone who doesn't eat eggs (although I eat eggs cooked in stuff), it is very very annoying that most brunch places have such crap options for me (and vegetarians & vegans). Never a fan of brunch, especially in N. Brooklyn.

most places do a really half-assed job. eggs are cheap and fast, so you get pretty ill-considered variations on 2 served any style with potatoes and toast.

Deee lishus.

Wait, you forgot pork form.

i go to sushi gen in pspect heights for brunch almost every weekend now. they do an amazing job with everything. and the only eggs are a tamago patty usually with eel or crab.

and i am so over potatoes in the morning, they just put me to sleep!

i really hate the paprika-heavy home fries with green/red pepper and onion that have become the standard at a lot of places trying to class things up. it doesn't help that they're almost always lukewarm.

god i love eggs and breakfast meats but would gladly go back to santana sooooon. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

I think home fries are better than potatoes cut up as far as this xpost to b_l

The blueberry pancakes at Clinton Street Baking Company are really good.

Peppers in home fries are gross. Home fries: day-old cooked potatoes, onions, fried in butter/olive oil mix with shitloads of pepper. A dusting of paprika is fine to give veggies a smokey taste but in other circs the paprika ought to come via the tiny pieces of chorizo you fry off with the onions. Simply put, do not embellish HF recipe until you can make it with only onions, pepper and the cooking fat of your choice.

Lauren is also correct in that HF should be HOT.

My best experience with day-old potato usage is (attn Londoners) the chips from the Fryer's Delight, which are chunky and fried in beef tallow.

I want brunch. Is the Greenpoint ramen open yet?

that place is never opening, as far as i can tell.

Ah, well I'm working this Sat. but could do a Sun. ramen/brunch if it goes done.

Alan Richman slams Les Halles after receiving Douchebag Award from Anthony Bourdain at Golden Clogs.

Oh, Astroland opens this Sun.--maybe a C.I. brunch?

oh, re: ramen - someone on c.hound posted that ippudo should be open next week (person has apparently received the friends & family invite).

they have help wanted signs in japanese as well.

ippudo's specialty is tonkotsu, right?

To be really technical, their specialty is "hakata" ramen which usually features a tonkotsu broth.

i don't know what any of that is but WANT.

the richman/bourdain beef is fucking fantastic, and makes me like AB even more

I think les halles kinda sucks, but don't see what responsibility Bourdain has for the place these days.

I am saving up my quarters to play racecar games at C.I. this Summer

i'm reading a bourdain book (a cook's tour) and it is making me hungry all the time. though the guy is totally corny.

bourdain is not a very good writer.
even if his anecdotes themselves are sometimes illuminating, and definitely hunger-inspiring.

i want to see his show.

the one episode i saw was so awesome that i priced airfare to hong kong the next day, but it kinda depends on your acceptance of him as some kind of bad-ass rebel rock star persona.
he also recreated sequences from kung fu movies

his show is good TV, last season especially was great, but it's still good. I mostly find him annoying but then he says something really OTM, or suprisingly poetic, or something really funny or crazy happens, or you just see some awesome food in an awesome locale, and that's enough to make me watch.

the only part I don't like is his once per episode "my producers made me do this / I'm too good for TV" schtick

when he's sincere it's usually really good

hungover and craving ramen, i tried to go to setagaya yesterday afternoon but got there just as they stopped the afternoon service. heartbreaking. went to m0m0fuku noodle bar instead and had the pork neck ramen. eh. not great, not bad. the noodles are good, but i didn't care much for the broth. a liberal dose of sriracha helped out. the pork was tasty, but there was so much of it that it was kind of overwhelming - more like meat with noodles instead of the other way around. it's certainly a generous portion, as i ate until i was stuffed and still had about a third of the bowl left over. the other menu items sounded delicious, but sadly the ramen was all that my budget could accommodate. 3 of the dishes i had my eye on would have set me back about $45.

yeah the ramen is really the least interesting thing on the menu at m0m0fuku - the best thing I've had there was a big plate of schezuan crayfish.

i really wanted rice cakes with oxtail ragu.

also the grilled beef tongue, and the sweetbreads. /glutton

Lauren, I ordered in brunch from Taco 5antana last weekend, just to relive the deliciousness. Next stop: their enchiladas. I can hardly wait!

SZECHUAN CRAYFISH OMG WANT. Even though I don't know exactly what it is. Describe this?

what do people think about Otto? went for the second time Saturday. the pizza is just .... not that good. the crust is like a hard cracker. it's not terrible (the anchovies I had to start were great) but for the amount of hassle you have to go through to eat there it ain't worth it.

have not tried otto, but that seems to be the conventional wisdom. they're seemingly quite child-friendly, which is a plus for people who want to go out somewhere interesting/nice-ish with the kids.

haha, laurel - i had huevos rancheros there on saturday. so good. my friend wanted to go to egg, but fuck an hour wait for eggs and grits. over to t.s. we went.

that seems to be the conventional wisdom - by that i meant that the pizza is actually not their strong suit.

i can't decide if i am craving ramen or pho today. i have a sore throat so i think that super-salty ramen broth might destroy me. does anyone have a favorite pho place (that isn't in jackson heights)?

i think the crunchy pizza crust @ otto works on the no-tomato sauce pizzas like my favorite clam pie. but it's kind of weird on the pepperoni, say, though their house-made meat on that one is wild, really spicy. it is a good place to take kids and easier to get reservations at than babbo. the wines and side-dishes are great.

but then my tastes in restaurants are "middlebrow" compared to serious foodies, so take it w/a grain o salt.

you always seem pretty otm to me.

ah thanks laurel the feeling is mutual. it's just lately when i read restaurant reviews I don't feel so adventurous.

lol

laureN sorry i am pathologically typo-prone

linds, stop in chinatown for pho. several vietnamese places - pho bang is ok and cheap, but can anyone recommend something a lil better?

brunch at gen this weekend:

-sake mimosa
-loos leaf "special" green tea

-crab curry soup

-salmon/tuna/mackeral chirashi
-mini eel & onion fritatta
-renkon hasami age

-spring roll with sponge cake, mango, peach & red bean in mango puree.

-green tea ice cream

soooooooo good.

ugh, i really don't like pho bang. i like nam son and pho tu do a lot, although i'm not sure how the pho is. cong ly always gets high marks for that, but i've never tried.

great $5 lunch: a package of "finger maki" (basically thinner, elongated korean sushi) and a small container of octopus salad from m2m on 3rd avenue & 10th st.

i had brunch at bogota bistro in park slope yesterday. guava mimosa! i loved it, and i am usually a bloody mary girl. my friend's friend is an owner and brought us bunuelos with guava butter. yum. i had mexican breakfast (eggs scrambled w/ jalapenos and chorizo and some other stuff, rice, beans, salad, tortillas), which was OK, but my friend's 'carribean breakfast' was yum - eggs with scallions and some other stuff, arepas, tostones, cabbage, potato cakes. so much food, we couldn't finish.

went to that downstairs place on Doyers last month, used to be called Vietnam? it's still tasty and super-cheap. had curry squid and a spicy beef salad but no pho (see what I mean about not being adventurous.)

ian totally has a crush on the sushi gen waitress. it is cute.

last weekend tried an italian spot in the village called Maremma. the chef is a protege of Mario Batali and the menu showed it, homemade testa (headcheese) and two pork-ragu pastas. i was tempted by a pasta special of spaghetti w/beef ragu made from cattle 'the chef raises on his upstate farm it's leaner and sweeter' but I planned to make a ham on sunday so I went with the old standby of chicken cooked under a brick w/garlicky greens and a great starter of sea bass w/veg whipped into a spread-- like an ital version of whitefish salad!

like an ital version of whitefish salad

do you mean it was italian or rastafarian?

ooooh me <3 whitefish salad. i am still trying to remember the name/exact location of a really excellent italian place i stumbled upon in the east village ~2.5 years ago... it's killing me because it was really good but i can't remember which avenue it was on. it was somewhere btw houston and 14th, probably closer to houston, but there are so many italian restaurants around there...

i get my hair cut down the block from maremma, and have been wanting to try it for a while. it sounds great.

t, do you remember any details about the place?

at the new cubana cafe in carroll gardens i had for the first time, coffee with frothed coconut milk. i don't know why I had never thought of that before.

it was on the nw corner of the block (i think), kind of dark wood inside... had like two rooms side by side. there may have been some red in the decor.

do you mean it was italian or rastafarian?

italian, though a rasta might do a similiar salad w/stockfish aka salt cod. could be er, "irie" or terrible.

I haven't found the pizza at Otto amazing but I think it's generally an enjoyable place to eat. The gelato is pretty damned good though.

I ate at Maremma a while back and didn't think it was so great. I posted what now seems to me like kind of an obnoxious review upthread. Maybe I was in a bad mood and should try it again.

I've been to Cafe Mogador a couple times lately and was pretty happy. Not the best Moroccan I've ever had, but good lamb tagine, good couscous, good tabouli and hummus and nice atmosphere, and the prices are very reasonable. The waitresses also knew their wine and made very good recs.

ian totally has a crush on the sushi gen waitress.

Of course he does. SHE BRINGS HIM FOOD.

I heard a thing on NPR today about the Moonies and was reminded that Rev. Moon has a virtual monopoly on the sushi industry in this area.

i like mogador a lot. pretty cheap and generally always good. they have excellent breakfasts, too.

used to go to Mogador back when I lived on St Marks Place, nice to hear it hasn't declined or slipped into self-parody over the years the way so many long-running NYC restaurants do.

xpost
still? does Moon control the suppliers? in the 80s people said he owned all the Korean vegetable markets too.

both mogador and cafe orlin up the street are still totally solid. for some reason i associate the two places.

They totally look alike. I think they might even have the same neon "Cafe" sign. In fact last time I got mixed up and gave my friends the location of Orlin instead of Mogador. Is Orlin an Israeli place? I'd like to try it.

oh man, i LOVE orlin. i walked by a few weeks ago and it was shuttered and i almost had a fit right there on the sidewalk, but it turns out they were just on hiatus for march or something.

orlin's food is kind of euro/bistro, i guess. i love their brunch, the smoked salmon with potato pancakes being a particular favorite.

ian totally has a crush on the sushi gen waitress. it is cute.

-- bell_labs, Monday, March 24, 2008 7:09 PM (51 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

Of course he does. SHE BRINGS HIM FOOD.

-- Laurel, Monday, March 24, 2008 7:28 PM (32 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

Yeah dude, I was gonna say, anyone who gives me free green tea ice cream....

you brought her chocolate. i don't ever get chocolate!

things you get:
apples
beer
toilet paper
cat food
orange juice
poland spring water
chocolate (i totally bought twix & kit kat the other night)

besides the chocolate was for EVERYONE, not just her! and it was a 99c easter bunny!

you know i am JOKING right?

defensive ian is defensive

IT MUST BE TRUE. OMG TOTES CRUSHING.

toilet paper? it must be love

romanting toilet paper

p.s. i think orlin kinda sucks but that's because my annoying college roommates would go there all the time and try to get me to go and it was always a bad time.

smoked salmon and potato pancakes sound great/hard to mess up though.

i never liked that hanging-around-the-cafe scene either. bad associations w/orlin cause i had an unrequited crush on this britishes girl and sat there for hours one night listening to her pretentious babble and drinking espresso after espresso... OD on coffee is a bum trip, man, I went home (alone) and watched TV til 7AM.

ah, youth. tbh, i basically only get the smoked salmon brunch thing at orlin or the big salad with breaded tofu, so for all i know the menu could be filled with duds.

we ate at Otto last week and thoroughly enjoyed it - their pizzas are just how I like them, almost cracker like as someone says above, in fact, just like the better ones I've had in Italy. I had the one topped with ricotta, potato and anchovey (maybe would have been better if they'd used anchovies kept in oil rather than those kept in vinegar perhaps). The antipasti were a great deal, only 4 dollars for each, and all very very good (especially the carrot and parsnip in balsamic and walnuts, not to mention the octopus and celery)

the gelato though, the olive oil gelato? oh...my....god....

They were most friendly with Aidan too and we had no problem witha table (it was early lunch on a Monday mind you)

anchovey? oh dear

toilet paper? it must be love

romancing the throne

fuck yeah the olive oil gelato

Does anyone have any favorite West Village spots? I always find that area tough for good eats, but the Christopher St. and 9th St. PATH stops are such a short ride away and I need places to eat before/after Smalls or IFC or Film Forum

gray's papaya.
still the best chain in new york.

we ate at Setagaya tonight. i think i was more impressed than linds was, but i was quite satisfied. also tried the Orion beer, which was A+. Doesn't hurt that there's a special Monday nights that comes with gyoza in addition to your pork ramen.

ooh yeah, i had an Orion at Momufuku and it was v refreshing
i liked pearl oyster bar, and mary's fish camp is supposed to be good.
cheaper alternative is the grey dog, which can be annoying but pretty tasty

also, meyers of keswick, i think that's what's it's called, has awesome english meat pies and such. but no dining room.

(What happened to ramen brunch?)

Ear Inn on Spring Street is my go-to place when at Film Forum, though I could use other suggestions for when I feel like a change.

better question is what happened to pio pio fap??

Oh yea! Come on foodies!

Lauren and I had a pio pio riko fap...college friend was in town.

Otto is pretty decent, I think the pasta is better than the pizza, but the pizza is still pretty decent. Olive oil ice cream is indeed good.

I could do with eating at Pio Pio again. ALthough preuvian chicken fix has been coming from Chimu express, which delivers and does a good 13 buck steak, chicken and fried rice box, which does dinner nicely for two people.

I'd be up for doing Pio pio when I am next over. Hopefully early may.

oh yeah, pio pio fap, good call. i will do this anytime!

i thought setagaya was just ok, but i've never had ramen that wasn't out of a packet before so i don't know what i'm talking about and should not be listened to. it was just not what i was craving at the moment. and i thought the gyoza were not only very average quality but soggy and only cooked on one side.

hmm, weird. i love the gyoza. i don't mind if they're only cooked on one side, as long as that side is really well-grilled (which ours were). maybe they turn them out really quickly when they're offering the special.

I thought Setagaya was a bit al dente; I don't think I had their gyoza though.

OK when is Pio Pio?

This Sunday? Or are weeknights better for people? Let's make a plan plan.