mascarpone

I have very little to add to Pan's wonderfully detailed post, other than the highlights of the meal were Seth's desserts, the King of Kimuchi app., and Pan's Cod main dish. My wife and I had a very nice Gewuertzeminer wine that went particularly well with the Kimchee app. The waitstaff was extremely attentive and accomodating. In my youth I was taught by my parents that it was not proper to share food in fine dining establishments. In later life, I always advocate and practise exchanging portions of my meal with other dining partners so that they may experience my dish in addition to their own. At CHANTO, when I began the process of transferring a portion of my shrimp to my wife's plate, I was immediately given an elegant dish an serving spoon. Pan and my wife were also given the same, which facilitated our food sharing project immensely. Although a very different restaurant, CHANTO is an example of a very effective fusion retaurant, equal in calibre to UNION PACIFIC of yore.

Cafe Fresh @ 1241 Amsterdam Avenue between 121 and 122 Streets. Open seven days a week from 7:30 AM - 8:00 PM Although one partner described the cafe as continental American, one cannot ignore a European vibe at Cafe Fresh. There is elegant, tasteful lighting, large picture windows with venetian blinds, and the decor is spacious, airy, bright and uplifting unlike other coffee places that are dark and cavernous. Several graduate students (presumably from Columbia University or City College) were enjoying coffee there while editing or grading papers. In addition to the bookish clientele, soft classical music (WQXR) also contributed to the sophisticated atmosphere. The cafe is a sleeper, not at all overrun, and as a result, is a place where one is not pushed out the door, but where one can spend an entire day writing and editing a chapter of a dissertation or exam while sipping espresso and nibbling chocolate cake. I was initially served Jana Artesian spring water shortly followed by a delicious organic vegan leek soup that was accompanied by a side plate of organic eggplant caviar (eggplant, olives, tomato, garlic), as well as goat cheese and olive oil. After this came a large plate of varied organic salads: Prebanac (Seasoned canellini beans), Pingur (roasted red pepper, garlic, chili pepper, eggplant), mashed bean salad (canellini and garlic), and hummus all served with green and black olives as well as Amy's organic bread. The flavors of these organic salads were very pronounced, particularly the dramatically spicy and colorful Pingur, which was my favorite. For dessert I had a slice of delicious Praline Chocolate Cake accompanied by what I thought was a scoop of gelato, but instead I was pleasantly surprised by cooked wheat with spices and walnuts. The cooked wheat was very sweet, and contrasted well with the subtle Praline cake. I was informed that the organic teas (Ceylon, Hibiscus, Green) and prepared salads that inhabited the refrigerated glass case at the front of the cafe would soon be replaced by an assortment of chocolate cakes, and that the proprietor would apply for an alcohol license later in January. Menu: Brunch Eggs served with organic roasted hash browns Roasted Vegetable Omelet 7.25 Asparagus & Tuna Frittata 6.75 Goat feta, avocado, tomato & herb omelet 6.75 Scrambled eggs w/ house cured salmon & chives 7.25 Two baked eggs w/ spiced roasted red peppers 6.75 French toast w/ sherry maple syrup & caramelized bananas 6.50 Fresh Organic Fruit w? thick yogurt & thyme honey 7.00 Dill cured salmon plate served w/ chopped egg, red onion, capers served with cheese toasts 8.75 Lunch Salads Organic bean & and avocado salad w/ mesclun, red onion, sprouts 6.50 Three dip spread—Organic hummus, rustic beans, eggplant caviar & tabouleh 7.50 Roasted beets and goat cheese w/ watercress & avocado 6.75 Organic tabouleh w/ mint, parsley, diced cucumbers, tomato & goat feta 6.50 Arugula & blue cheese, currants, sunflower seeds, pear, & beets 6.75 Organic baked tofu salad w? mixed greens & three savory dressings 6.75 Quinoa timbales w/ currants and pine nuts served w/ dressed spinach 6.75 Adriatic Tuna—marinated imported tuna, egg, cucumbers, olives, tomato, arugula 7.50 Poached Salmon on a bed of avocado Caesar salad 7.50 New Word Salad—corn, avocado, beans, red onion, cilantro, soy queso fresco 6.75 Tartine—open faced hot sandwiches served w/ soup or organic salad 7.50 Vegetarian chicken salad w/ shredded red cabbage, Poached Salmon, tomato & capers, Spiced Avocado on arugula & nori seaweed, Manchego cheese, roasted tomato, arugula & pesto, Egg salad w/ capers & dill, Marinated tuna w/ black olive paste & peppers Main Phyllo casserole w/beets, spinach & potato served with French lentil sauce 7.25 Organic baked zucchini parmigiana 6.75 Goat feta phyllo pie served w/ turnip & celery root slaw 6.75 Organic vegetable lasagna 7.25 Maccaroni & cheese w/ crispy mushrooms & truffle oil 7.00 Vegetarian tex-mex chili w/ roasted corn, served w. organic corn bread (baked at the café) 6.75 Poached Salmon over tabouleh and yogurt dill sauce 8.75 Baked Items Cakes (served by slice) 3.00-4.50 Assorted Cookies 1.95 Assorted Muffins, scones 1.75-2.25

Yes, naturally.

The dinner at Tocqueville was splendid. The décor reminded me of a concert hall or theatre and there were curtains drawn at the far end of the space which led to the kitchen (it is fitting as the kitchen is the stage in this restaurant). Service was impeccable. We started with a Gravlox Amuse. The appetizers were excellent: I had the California Sea Urchin and Angel Hair Carbonara. Both my wife and my sister chose the chilled Green and White Asparagus with black truffle vinaigrette and herb salad. My mother had the chilled Spring Pea Soup (served over crabmeat, lavender, and mint), and my father had the special appetizer: oysters with a very interesting dressing. ] For the main course my mother had the salmon and my father and sister had the 60 second seared aged seared steak and 24 hour short rib. I tasted the steak which was delicious in taste and texture (sort of a steak lovers black and white). This was a very interesting concept of opposites and contrast. My wife had the black sesame cod that was aesthetically (Asian theme) pleasing to see as to taste. I had the Grilled lamb T-bone that was perfectly cooked and the T-bone was propped up so when the plate was initially set down, I was starring at the “T.” The red pepper was actually a delicious whipped red pepper spread across the plate that the lamb was placed on top of. The eggplant roulade was delicious and a wonderful contrast to the lamb and red pepper. The entire dish had a middle-eastern flavor to it, and was very effective. My mother chose the wine; she got a small bottle of white Burgundy that had a very strong oak flavor that was a bit off putting when she drank it by itself (it almost tasted like a sherry), but went extremely well with her salmon. My wife had an Alsatian wine that she liked very much and my sister, father and I had a bottle of Chateau Nuf du Pape that was very nice with the steak, short rib and lamb. For dessert my father had the roasted Polenta Cake and my sister had the Valhrona chocolate soufflé, my wife and mother opted for tea. I had the Selected Homemade Sorbets and Ice Creams (Chocolate, yogurt, and lime were outstanding). My heartfelt thanks to Jo-Ann Makovitsky, the Manager, Chef Marco Moreira, Chef de Cuisine George Mendes, and Bond Girl for her great recommendation that made a very memorable meal for a very, very memorable occasion.

As luck would have it, a great suggestion landed me a reservation at Tocqueville .

Thanks very much for the suggestions.

I am getting married!!!! I am planning an evening meal for five following a civil ceremony at the NYC courthouse. The event will take place the first Friday in August. In a years time there will be a larger, more inclusive religious ceremony. My parents are flying in and we are interested in Western Cuisine (New American, New or classic French, Italian . . . .). If possible, we would like to spend no more than $60 per person including wine. The location of the restaurant does not need to be in the vicinity of the courthouse; however, we would prefer not to have to schlep to one of the outer boros or Long Island. My father had an idea of a place: The Wall Street Inn; however, he is not a foodie and, although he insists on picking up the check, he is very parsimonious. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

There is a supermarket called Yagura on 41st Street between 5th AVenue and Madision (close to B,D subway at 42nd street and New York Public Library/Humanities). I have gotten Yamaimo for Yamekake there and it is quite good and less expensive than Sunrise Market.

Ugh. I will never eat cold sesame noodles again.

My god! The photos are so vivid and the food looks so fresh it seems as though it is alive. . . like it will jump off the screen and bite me. I feel like I am reading National Geographic.

I guess what I was driving at was Central/Eastern European Jewish. Satmar is around present day Romania, but was originally part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, if I am not mistaken. Perhaps a restaurant in Williamsburg?

Anybody know where I can get Halushkas, Kishke, Goulash in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens?

I went to Ariana Afghan Kebab House [(212) 262-2323; 787 9th Ave, New York, NY; www.afghana.com] for dinner and had a delightful Aush Soup and Bamiya Chalow, which consisted of chopped okra and pieces of lamb over rice with salad. The whole meal came to $24 including tip. I drank NYC tap water. I asked the waiter if the cuisine at Ariana hailed from any particular region or ethnic group. His reply was that it was typical modern Farsi cuisine found in Kabul. He also added that in Kabul, modern cooks use less oil in their cooking. Ariana is not a fancy restaurant by any means. Space is extremely limited. I think it is currently on the site of the former Lemon Tree cafe (Lebanese accented/middle eastern quisine) that I used to go to frequently in the early '90's.

The satay took longer to prepare than the other dishes. When it came I was somewhat overstuffed. It was so good that I ate some anyway. Very good sauce.

I would describe Momofuku as a Pan Asian East Village Noodle bar. It is fun, but for a more authentic Japanese ramen experience, I would recommend Men Kui Tei (East Village branch) 63 Cooper Square (Between 7th Street & Astor Place) Phone: 212-228-4152; (Midtown branch) 60 W 56th St (Between 5th & 6th Avenues) Phone: 212-757-1642. The gyoza (dumplings) are my favorite in the city.

I found it; never mind.

Was the asam laksa a regular dish, or was it a special. I looked for it on the take-out menu but couldn't find it.

Kossar's Bialys; 367 Grand St, New York 10002; (Btwn Norfolk & Essex St); Phone: 212-473-4810 Is this the only place? How about Moishe's Second Avenue Home Made Bake Shope 115 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10003; (212) 505-8555 Are all NYC bialy's machine cut or is there someone who still hand rolls?

There has been so much discussion on this forum about bagels. How about bialy's. Where does one find the best bialy in: a) Manhattan b) the outer boroughs (Queens, Bronx, Staten Island, Brooklyn) c) Westchester/Long Island and WHY are they superior at these particular locations?

I wonder if both of these restaurants serve a "pan-Afghan" quisine, or if they feature any specialties of a subculture or ethnic group of Afganistan (as mentioned in my initial post in this thread). Afganistan is, after all, a crossroads of Asia. Although labeled as Central Asia, it comprises a polyglot of ethnic factions, and from what I have surmised by the recent conflict in the region, particularly disparate factions at that. So what I am interested in knowing is whether what is being served in Afghan restaurants is actually cuisine typical of Pashtun, Tajik, or one of the other groups. Or perhaps it is an Americanized mutation. . . Perhaps this discussion belongs on another thread (Silk Road). . .

Beats me . . . I was just being glib. It might work for an Afghan restaurant that has a seperate banquet/group/event room and menu (like at some Korean and Chinese restaurants), to call it the Loya Jirga Room or Loya Jirga Banquet Menu. [Then again . . . ]

Where do you go for the best Loya jirga buffet? Do particular restaurants vary (Pashtun, Uzbek, Tajik, Hazara, Aimak accented quisine)? Here is a list: Afghan Restaurant (212) 473-0989; 34 Saint Marks Pl, New York, NY Ariana Afghan Kebab House (212) 262-2323; 787 9th Ave, New York, NY; www.afghana.com Afghan Kebab House (212) 307-1612; 764 9th Ave, New York, NY Bamiyan Afghani Restaurant 212-481-3232 Fax: 212-481-5507 358 Third Ave. (at 26th St) New York, NY 10016... www.bamiyan.com/ Kabul Cafe (212) 757-2037; 265 W 54th St, New York, NY Speengar Shish Kebab House (718) 426-8850; 4009 69th St, Woodside, NY Pakistan Tea House (212) 240-9800; 176 Church St, New York, NY Pamir Afghanistan Cuisine (212) 734-3791, 1437 2nd Avenue, NY Afghan Kebab House (212) 280-3500; 2680 Broadway, New York, NY Afghanistan Kebab House (212) 768-3875; 155 W 46th St, New York, NY

I had Felafel at Azuri. It was a smaller, medalion shaped Felafel like Hoomoos Asli; however, it is considerably smaller and they only give you three when you order the deluxe felafel plate. The portion/value is much better at Hoomoos Asli. Also, on both occassions that I went to Hoomoos Asli, the Felafel were cooked after I ordered them. At Azuri, I had some that had been made earlier. Somewhat off topic; the accompaniments to the Felafel at Azuri were sublime (Hummus, Babaganoosh, cabbage, spicy green sauce, various pickeled vegetables). I prefer the pita at Hoomoos Asli.

I like the pork chops, and am also a big fan of the steak cubes.

Recently, I had the opportunity to dine at Hoomoos Asli. I had actually been there about a year before, but had the shwarma, and, as a result, never went back. The felafel was very fresh, flavorful and much larger than the smaller felafel balls that I was accustomed to at Jerusalem and Mamoun's. A large order was $7.00 and was plenty for two. We also had a lentil and Yemenite (chicken with a mild curry-like broth) soups and fairly good pita.