joyvan

Super -- thanks all for the suggestions!

I'm going to be staying on Keuka Lake in Penn Yan this week, heading up with stops in both Cooperstown and Corning. Any suggestions, especially for roadfood types of places? Thanks!

I believe Adriana's is no longer at GCT, sadly. Great source for chiles in NYC is Kitchen/Market at 218 8th Ave at 24th St, 888-HOT-4433; kitchenmarket.com They will surely have mulatos and pasillas. Great take-out food too! Good luck!

JJ is a whiner, though I did enjoy watching him pick "ear" out of his teeth. I had the pernil and found the meat rich and flavorful and the accompaniments fresh, if not outstanding. I'd say it's worth a shot unless you're a Taco SuperTaster like the aforementioned.

Sounds great -- I'll be there in the second week of May. I will have a car, and will definitely check out Richmond. I'll check the forums for more recommendations for sure. I'd love to hear more about anyone's particular favorites for southeast asian and for hot and spicy dishes. Thanks again for all your help!

Hi there -- I will be travelling to Vancouver in May (I'm from NYC) and will be in town for several days. I keep hearing that Vancouver is the place for all kinds of Asian cuisines. Any advice on places to check out? Any range from cheap to expensive is fine. Is there an area of town where there's a concentration of Asian restaurants? Thanks so much in advance for your help! Joy

I had a plate of delicious meatballs there in September, an appetizer which served as a sufficient snack-with-drinks for two hearty eaters. Haven't tried anything else on the menu!

Some quick Fornino notes so far: I loved Cucina and had high hopes for Michael Ayoub in this new venture. So far, I'm a little disappointed. I had the Pugliese last night -- mozzarella, broccoli rabe and sausage. The crust was good, but not excellent, and suffered a bit in flavor and texture -- at least two rungs below Franny's in my opinion. The toppings were also a bit bland and were definitely sparse. I'm spoiled by DiFara's generous rabe pizza, but my large pizza had only six small stalks of rabe and a minimal number of sausage chunks. One more complaint: my friends ordered the vongole (clam), which came with the clams still in the shells. The kitchen sliced the pizza after the clams were on top, and several sharp clam shell fragments ended up on the pizza. They complained, and the staff didn't respond -- a major service issue, in my book. All that said, we need good pizza on the Northside, and I'll give them another shot before my final verdict.

Zipi Zape totally rocks. I have eaten my way up and down the menu, and have been utterly delighted. I was sad when Nar, the previous Turkish mezze place in the space, closed, but man, do those little Spanish cartoon twins know how to make tapas. I love being able to get a single item for a buck or so, rather than ordering a plateful of the same thing for $8 -- true mix and matchability. Fabulous boquerones, love the tortilla gallega, -- everything is very fresh and made with care. Everyone is extremely friendly and helpful with suggestions. Word to the wise: if you sit at the bar next to the Torta del Casar, don't lift the glass hood. Really. Don't. -Joy

If you'd like to drink your Ommegang at a bar, check out the brand-new Spikehill on Bedford and North 7th in Williamsburg (just outside the L train station). They have the 750ml bottle for $8. It's a lovely place -- though it's still got that new-bar smell.

Brooklyn restaurant week, eh? Bay Ridge, I'd recommend Tuscany Grill. They have lovely food, and are very sweet people -- I've had a few family events there. I have to agree on Williamsburg -- Miss Williamsburg is one of those places that I love, but I always seem to get sticker shock. The food is worth the price, and the ingredients are tip-top, but Restaurant Week pricing would be refreshing there. My one experience at io burned me on it forevermore. I read on Schnack's blog that their $18.98 special is for two, and includes everything from beer to coffee. Smart twist on the special price -- I had been wondering how they'd make it worth it. -Joy

Does anyone have any good lunch suggestions near the Brooklyn courthouse? Yup -- jury duty later this week. I suspect Andy's crispy bean curd in garlic sauce will get me through one day, but the other meals stretch out before me... Thanks in advance to any Court Street locals!

JJ, et al: I really like Schnack. It is very homey and comfortable, and an excellent value (big plate of fries, a beer and a slider = $4). The schnackies (sliders) and fries are very tasty and the artisanal sausages from Jubilat are wonderful, especially the extra-spicy kielbasa. Very cheap decent beer, oddball sides and condiments like the kind you might invent in your home kitchen, and an informative blog http://schnackdog.blogspot.com/ are my other reasons to like Schnack. One warning: Service is very laid-back. If you're near there, brave the hipster onslaught and give it a shot.

I went to Bianca Saturday night at 6:30 with three companions, and had a wonderful meal. We had no trouble sitting down at 6:30, but the line was down the block by the time we emerged. We started with fried artichokes, which came on an enormous nest of fried parsley -- tasty-- and a decent artichoke salad and unmemorable radicchio with prosciutto. We also ordered the chicken livers. Now, recently I ordered a chicken liver appetizer at Tournesol (which was fabulous, btw) which was a small, delicate plate of endive topped with about four well-done lobes. Lovely, filling, a great starter. The chicken liver appetizer at Bianca was truly massive. Three of us ate all the bloody rare chicken liver we could eat, and had to leave some behind. That's one appetizer plate between three healthy gals, folks. I followed up with the fritto misto: calamari, red snapper, shrimp and zucchini. A mound of crispiness twice the size of my head, and every bite delicious. I seem to have forgotten what it's like to eat Italian food. Abbondanza indeed. Others had the "boiled giant fresh sausage" with mashed potatoes (cotechino) which got raves, the mackerel which I heard was so-so (I didn't try it) and the spaghetti pomodoro (forgive her -- she's pregnant and picky.) I had a nice glass of unidentified merlot -- several intriguing bottles on the list, but I was the only one indulging, so that'll have to wait till next time. One more plus: staggeringly good-looking, friendly waitstaff with exquisite accents. Loved it. Will go again. Joy