lambretta76

First off - I'd like to introduce myself. I'm a member of eGullet from NYC and you'll be hearing a lot from me in the next few months as I'll be on my way back to Japan for a short vacation. Okonomiyaki is one of my favorite Japanese foods, and I was lucky enough to have some great versions in Yokohama and Kobe on my last trip to Japan during the World Cup. However, I'd like to try some of your favorites, and was wondering if anyone could recommend great places for okonomiyaki in Tokyo and Kyoto. Of particular interest would be Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, which I am not sure is available in the States. Many thanks!

That's good to hear - I noticed the woman in the kitchen and she did look, umm...., unbalanced. Just something in the way she was holding that meat cleaver.... I forgot to mention the worst part of our last visit there - they were out of pierogies! Such blasphemy. Next time I'm in town I'll have to stop by on a Saturday evening...

Besides the aforementioned Brasilia in Newark (beware - some cuts are incredibly salty), there are a number of other choices in the Ironbound and Astoria, two Brazilian strongholds. (I imagine another one or two exist in Mineola, LI, where there is a large Portuguese presence - Brazilian culture is de rigeur in Lisbon these days.) Sabor Tropical, a great Brazilian restaurant in Astoria, recently opened up a Churrascaria a few doors down on 30th Ave. If it is anywhere near the quality of the original then this could be quite the find. ($22 on weekends for rodizio service.)

Last time I was in, BBT had gone downhill markedly - the duck blood soup gamey (in a bad way, not in its usual tastiness), the haluski flavorless, the galumpki cold with a sad, watery tomato sauce on top, and even the kielbasa tasted a bit off. I'd recommend Tessaro's up the road for huge, tasty burgers. Head up to Mount Washington for dining with a view. I haven't been in years, but I imagine some others could pipe in with recs. And Eleven and Lidia's (Lidia Bastianich's place) in the Strip are both quality restaurants.

I'm confused by the repeated quotation of this phrase by the editor: "The stars reflect only what's on the plate." Now, I must be confused, as I thought the forks and knives were the reflection of "what's on the plate." On my last perusal of the Red Guide for France, there seemed to be a number of 5 "fork-and-knife" restaurants that garnered only one star, while I noticed a few of the three stars only had two or three "fork-and-knife" ratings. I though the star system was based on the overall quality of the restaurant - the service, the room, the floral arrangements, the exquisiteness of perfumes to be found in the ladies' WC, etc.

Wow - they didn't even pretend not to be ripping off their former employers... I guess they did ditch the Resevoir Dogs references for baseball ones, but otherwise it sounds like the exact same place.

Wine.com takes $25 off orders of $50 or more via coupon code "SHOP25". This offer is available now through March 11, but may end sooner depending on popularity. (I always love it when I can combine my love for food and wine with my love of shopping and finding the best deals.)

Zeitoun - do you happen to know off hand where the Jamaican place on Livingston is? There's one that's in the back of a CD/jewelry shop which is OK, but they have shrink-wrapped coco bread. An integral part of the patty experience is the coco bread - a reason I love Christie's in Flatbush so much. (I used to buy their coco bread to eat as a snack itself, or, to use as the bun in homemade jerk hamburgers, pressed ham & cheese sandwiches, breakfast scrambled egg/chouriço/manchego sandwiches, etc.) I'm definitely on a Jamaican kick today and would like to check this place out - otherwise, I might try out Coal Pot Cuisine on Bridge St.

Would this be a good event for coffee newbies? In other words, I'm not a coffee nerd, but I'd like to become one...

Well - went there again on Monday night and I'd have to say that the kitchen hasn't slipped a bit. And, as a side note, our waitress was the best we've ever had in NYC at any price level. Gracious, courteous, knowledgeable (upon learning of a shellfish allergy of one of our dining companions, she checked with the chef about all of the dishes ordered to make sure none contained shellfish - who knew that Thai beef salad would have oysters in it?), well deserved of a 25% tip. When informing us of the restaurant being sold out of our desired wine, she knowledgably discussed wine options with our table and offered an even better off-menu wine that was $15 less than our original bottle. As for the food, everything was as good or better than I remembered. The chocolate ribs were decadant, the chicken lollipops crunchy and meaty, and the curries dense and nuanced. (The lamb and monkfish particularly notable.) As for dessert, the trio of ice creams (thai coffee, thai tea, and coconut) was fantastic, as were the kaffir lime tart and mango with tapioca. A bottle of wine (a surprisingly spice-worthy pinot grigio), three apps, five entreés, three sides of rice, five desserts, and two Thai iced coffees came to $250 on the nose with tax, but not tip. With a beautiful design and great food, this place certainly deserves to be hotter than it is. (Spice Market is the crabapple to Kittichai's Seville orange.)

When first debuted, the pastas were reported to be "overly salty" and "overly al dente". I'm planning on hitting Otto tonight and was wondering if I should stick to the veggies and pizzas, or if a sampling of the pastas may be in order.

Has anyone been to Kittichai lately? I went back in the week it opened, and was really impressed with it. That's been about 6 months, and I was wondering if Mr. Chalermkittichai was still cranking out interesting takes on Thai fusion cuisine without being too east-meets-west-y.

Max & Mina's in Kew Gardens Hills. The regular flavors are fantastic, the slightly bizarre hit (chocolate covered potato chips, sweet corn, horseradish) or miss (lox and cream cheese, baked beans). And for those without a care for their health, there's the über-Orthodox kind (I forget the Hebrew word) that has like 90% butterfat. (It's not that high, but it really high - I want to say 40%.) I miss this place dearly ever since I moved back to Brooklyn.

I hit Havana Chelsea last night, and I have to admit that cubanos are pretty good. Not great, but definitely among the better in the city. Of course, since there is no cuban bread in the city (that I know of), the bread was a bit off, but serviceable. The innards were wonderfully moist (but not too much so) shredded pork, ham, cheese, pickles, and mayo. A side of mojo that was served with the tostones was spread on top to give it some garlicky kick. (There was already a little garlic flavor in the pork.) The regular costs $4, the large $5, and the special - with chorizo - costs $5.50.

My friend, who is Cuban, has had amazing Cubanos in Santiago de Cuba - in fact - he said that most of what you find to eat (he's not limited to tourist restaurants as his mother holds a Cuban passport) is either ham, ham and cheese, or cubano sandwiches. As for around here, the chef at Cafe Habana is Mexican of Cuban descent, and the one at Cafecito is Cuban-American. The other places I've had them at tend to be run by Dominicans. For the record, I love Cafecito's - though the bread is slightly off. Why is it so hard to find good Cuban bread in these parts?

Seems to be the best Cubano in the old Cuban neighborhood in Chelsea can be found at Havana-Chelsea, so I'm going to head out there tonight. My standard for that neighborhood has been Sucelt Coffee Shop, down on 14th Street. Are Havana-Chelsea's better?

The aforementioned Bacchus has two-for-one entreés (in the American sense, not French) on Wednesday nights - two steak frites, two glasses of wine, and a shared dessert comes to $32 without tax/tip on those nights... Absolutely brilliant. Great food, too. Though not classically French, 360 in Red Hook, with their $20-$25 three-course prix fixe dinners, is a great value.

Can anyone recommend their favorite Korean restaurant for vegetarians? I know Hangawi is, but we'll be going with some teenagers and I feel that its prices are just a bit too dear for us. Franchia seems to be a slightly better option, but yet again, it's a bit pricey. I've heard good things about Cho Dang Gol and their homemade tofu, as well as a possibility of another veggie place on the 2nd floor of a building on 32nd St.

For Bulgarian, the crowds probably have dissapated, so if Mehanata 416 BC is still in business, they are a Bulgarian restaurant. (Its on Broadway south of Canal, 2nd floor) But since it always looks to be a state of being out of business, one never knows. It's only open at night perhaps Wednesday through Saturday. And if anyone knows of any Pondicherry-style eateries, I'd love to hear about those.

I live right across the street from Brawta and ahve to admit that the patties aren't all that good. I've had one in six years, where I used to go to Christie's once or twice a week. I've not tried the one on Livingston, though I will certainly be doing that once the rain stops.

Christie's (or whatever it's called) on Flatbush and Sterling. Really good - the jerk chicken and vegetarian ones are top notch.

Next time I'm in town I'll have to try out First Choice BBQ. FOr locals, though, I'd love to hear a comparison of the two joints. I'm from NYC, so I'm not exactly a Q expert, but I do work out of an office based in AL, so I have had some good Q. The only thing that turns me off at Hot Rod's (besides that somewhatr tacky decor) is the Lutz Lake Water drink, which has real frog eggs in it... nasty!

So - I'd like to try and get some of the Pierr Hermé for Wegmans chocolates this weekend, and was wondering if anyone knew the easiest Wegmans to get to from NYC via mass transit. According to the Wegmans website - these three locations carry the Hermé products: Bridgewater, Manalapan, Princeton. Are any of these accessible easily by train, or train/bus?

Owen - Thanks for the hint. Actually - I realised I forgot to put that in - that I actually purchase it from that Seabra's, but I do not have a car and only find myself out in the Newark area once every couple of months or so. So, a better source for this would be much appreciated. BTW, the big Seabra's was selling decaf espresso for $1.99 a pound last weekend - it makes a solid cup in my stovetop espresso maker.

When I'm in Tampa, I really enjoy Hot Rods BBQ & Grill in Lutz, FL, about a half mile over the Tampa/Lutz border. (It's the Bearss exit E, then a left on Livingston.) Really tasty, smoky, BBQ. In fact, you'll know you're near by the low cloud of hardwood smoke floating around the area in the dense evening air.