mascarpone

I was in the neighborhood, so I went to Hanahreum Asian Market at 25 West 32nd Street. I asked for Korean Red Garlic, but they only had regular garlic, and garlic in a net bag that was imported from China. When I asked several produce guys they just said they didn't carry it, and did not know where to find it. Perhaps I got the wrong location . . .

Wow! Thanks, Raji.

No, I didn't. I have been in there hundreds of times; however, it didn't strike me as a place that sold especially high quality garlic. Could it be a different strain of the garlic species altogether (like Asian pear/Apple)? I apologize that I may be grasping at straws here. . .

I went to a Korean Restaurant several years ago and I tasted a piece of raw garlic that was so strong, I had a burning sensation on my tongue. Where can one purchase garlic like this in New York for cooking at home?

Thanks for the suggestions, guys.

I picked up Chorizo from Esposito on 9th, Fennel from Faccios in the West Village, and Kielbasa from Steve's in Greenpoint. Any other leads?

Nougatine

Perhaps I am off the subject, but my favorite dessert in the city is the Budino di castagne $7.00 (Warm chestnut pudding on a bed of chocolate cream) served at Gnocco Restaurant @ 337 East 10th between Ave. A and B. http://www.gnocco.com/# If you can get to Brooklyn, try Villabate @ 7117 18th Ave, Brooklyn for Italian pastries. 90% of the clientele will be speaking Italian when they are waiting in line to be served. http://www.villabate.net

What do you mean by e-fu? My wife and I had wide noodles there on Saturday night. We really enjoyed the Wide noodles with Chicken and Vegetables. My wife, who is Japanese, commented on the al dente texture of the noodles and the distinct egg flavor. These are qualities that many Japanese find appealing in ramen noodles.

Thanks, everyone. I appreciate your suggestions and am looking forward to the visit.

Thanks, BrentKulman. This sounds interesting. Any other suggestions are welcome. . .

My wife and I will be in Pittsburgh next week for the Music Librarians Association/Society for American Music Conference at the Hilton Pittsburgh & Towers, located downtown at 600 Commonwealth Place. We will be staying at the Days Inn on I-279 and Banksville Road. We will not have a car, but will be relying on public transportation to get to and from the conference. We are interested in every kind of cuisine and our spending budget is $10-15 per person for lunch, $20-$35 per person for dinner. Any good breakfast spots (bakeries, diners, etc) are of interest as well. Please keep in mind that our mobility will be limited as we do not have a car. Also, any suggestions on points of interest (cultural, shopping, etc.) would be appreciated.

Does Teitel Bros. have good deals on imported canned San Marzano tomatoes?

Where can I get the best bang for the buck in terms of Parmigiano Reggiano in the boroughs? I am also interested in getting fresh herbs like whole Sage leaves and oregano. I thought about going to the Green Market at USQ/14th to look for herb plants. Any advice would be welcome?

Hey, Pan. I am sorry to hear that you were under-the-weather on Turkey day. By coincidence, my wife and I ate at Cafe Mogador (Saint Marks, btwn Ave. A and 1st Ave). I called the night before and made a reservation for two. We both got the thirty-dollar holiday special. The meal started out with a glass of bubbly (six dollars extra, I can't remember the name). We both got the butternut squash soup and the mixed salad with pear, walnut, and goat cheese. I got the Cornish hen stuffed with couscous and raisins, while she got the short ribs with mashed potato. There was a warm apple cake in sweet crème sauce for dessert. It was a very nice meal. The soup and main dish were both served piping hot. My favorite was the short ribs--my wife abdicated the remainder of her meal to me as her stomach was at capacity. There were no ribs to speak of, just very tender cuts of meat. I also liked my hen stuffed with couscous and raisins. Service was very warm and efficient. As it turned out, dinner was only part of our epicurean adventure this Thanksgiving. We saw an excellent film, Volver at Sunrise Theater on Houston in the AM, and ate lunch next door at Yohah Schimmel's. We both shared a bowl of Borsht and a mozzarella potato knish. She drank coffee, and I had water. The best thing was the knish. The borsht was a variation that I was less familiar with; it consisted of a beet broth with sour cream mixed in with dill. It was served warm. I guess I am used to a hearty vegetable borsht served hot, with the sour cream on the side. After this we stopped by Moishe's Second Avenue Home Made Bake Shope 115 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10003; (212) 505-8555 where we picked up cheese Danish and blueberry cheese strudel for 'the day after' breakfast. We sampled several delicious delectables while we were there. One was a potato onion loaf, whose name escapes me. It was very peppery (black) and salty for my taste, but my wife loved it. After dinner we shopped at JAS-mart on Saint Marks and Hong Kong Market in Chinatown. The Hong Kong Market on East Broadway was considerably cheaper that JAS-Mart; there was incredibly inexpensive and fresh shrimp, squid and scallops there. What a great place!

I like Zaiya, although it has a sort of bakery, supermarket decor. Very informal, and can be very busy and hectic during lunch and after work.

Any recs for a first date coffee near Grand Central Station? My co-worker asked me to ask for any ideas. She doesn't like Starbucks . . .

A colleague asked where to go for a first date dinner. Not to heavy on the romantic decor, as it a first dinner. Money is not a problem. Anything but Indian cuisine.

No problem! Thanks for the warm welcome. Personally, in general, I prefer mul nengmyun (the broth) over the bibim nengmyun (the spicy one). Not to say that I don't like a spicy mul nengmyun like they have at Memroy in Seoul. I have been to Memory in Seoul (aka "YooChun"). I'd say it is good, but there is something about that doesn't feel quite right. It could be that there is a bit too much sesame oil in it and its very spicy, which is something I'm not used to in my nengmyun. Don't get me wrong, I love spicy food and sesame oil, but nengmyun is a dish in which I have a very picky palate. But, anyway, I'd say YooChun on 36th St. is an overall decent nengmyun place. The YooChun in Palisades Park, NJ, on Broad Ave, is much, much, much better. I'd recommend taking the bus or driving out to Broad Ave in Pal Park to try some of the Korean restaurants on that block. Another place, I've never been here, but people claim that Hamu Nengmyun (not sure what the english name is) in Closter, NJ is supposedly the best. I will look into that and repost. ← Better than in Korea?

The name does not ring a bell.

It was red bibim spicy. There were shards of ice in the dish. They also had mustard on the side. It came in liquid form in a little pitcher, and was very potent. There was also a little pitcher of vinegar. I did not use them much, as I liked the flavor without extra seasoning.

Whoops. Big brother is always watching.

Pan taught me everything I know.

This morning my wife and I ate breakfast at Junior's Brooklyn @ 386 Flatbush Avenue Ext. (718)-852-5257. Service was very good; we had a leisurely paced meal, were not rushed, yet our server always seemed to be there and anticipate our needs. It was uncanny, like when I asked my wife if she was ready to leave, I didn't even have to ask for the check. It just appeared. Perhaps the waiter practices mind reading after waiting tables. After we ordered, there was a plate of miniature Danish pastry (prune, and cheese) as well as poppy-seed and onion rolls that was brought to the table with coffee and fresh squeezed orange juice and cranberry juice. The waiter recommended the omelet; however the Scottish Kipper and Eggs caught my eye. My wife ordered two eggs and bacon. The portions of the eggs were augmented; my wife thought that the quantity of eggs was beyond the two that she had ordered. The kipper was a large portion of a whole fish minus the head. It had a nice smoked and salty flavor, and I am quite sure that was not from a can, but rather it had been broiled prior to serving. The bacon was cooked perfectly until crisp. Both of our breakfasts came with an order of home fries and a slice of orange. My wife commented that the home fries were not at all oily. The coffee, refilled without requests, was fair, although above average for a typical American diner. All in all, the breakfast was very filling and pleasant.

I will be near Junior's for breakfast tomorrow. Never been. I did a search and couldn't find any comments relating to what to eat at Juniors other than cheesecake. Any suggestions? When do they stop serving breakfast?