jgould

almost impossible to select 2 of any cuisine thx for the four. do want to try Devi as a hi-end representative, as well as Amma p.s. on chowhound: some recent negative comments re: Tabla.

Hopes this helps you ← re: above detailed reply: very much so!! thanks. myself, would lean towards non-vegetarian, but appreciate & respect all.

félicitations dan!!!!!!!!!

thx for the very detailed reply. does one equate Indian cuisine with vegetarian in general?

thx 4 continuing the string

"HOLY S__T, BATMAN" WHAT A FANTASTIC WEBSITE!!! merci beaucoup!! are u aware of similar sites like this re: bordeaux, alsace, rhône, loire? ← DARN!!!! i really hate to see this excellent string slide back into egullet oblivion sometimes a string can become so interesting, it promotes a lot of good discussion & information exchanges. so much more to bring into this discussion. for ex. florida jim stated above the vigernons de bourgogne are more important than either the vintage or the appellation; would be interesting to explore this in further detail, n'est-ce pas??????? ← i cannot believe there are so few that are participating ← ok, to continue the string: anyone care to compare a Chambolle-Musigny vs. a Volnay &/or a Pommard?

great report, thx very much. will go 1st for a lillet, & peruse... ← only other comment would be that if a restaurant charges $35 for a dish, that dish should ALWAYS be above average-to-excellent as advertised. to fall short is inexcuseable!!

Thanks, v gautam! I've tried Chennai Garden for the lunch buffet, and thought it was only OK. But I know I can't judge based on the lunch buffet. If I go back, should I order from the regular menu? Any recommended dishes? I'd also add Angon to the list (320 East Sixth, between 1st and 2nd Avenues), though the chef is Bengladeshi. Actually, she doesn't call her food Indian or Bengladeshi; she likes to think of it only as her food. ← how about Sapphire on the west side nr TW bldg & Amma on E51st?

You posted on a weekend . Here's a thread on choucroute. ← thx, thought w/e's would produce better results. anyway, L'Absinthehe food ridiculously overpriced, particularly considering the quality of the food but its regulars don't seem to care; Jarnac has never been as good as many posts here seem to proclaim; haven't tried Park Bistro since ownership change; dbBistro too chi-chi & i'm probably the only one in Manhattan who is not wild about D. Boulud's various places since he begin branching out & is now simply the head of a hi-priced chain; Le Quinze is a wasted trip; & lastly, from the suggestions received so far, LCB Brasserie, will try if only for the decor, but i have a very suspicious feeling that it is probably similar to experiences at L'Absinthe & Orsay. i don't mind paying more for ambiance, decor, above-average food, a la Balthazar, but Orsay, L'Absinthe, LCB Brasserie are all simply beautiful, very Parisian, but its just too hard (for me) to stomach the nose-bleed prices NOT justified by the food. the wine lists are simply amazing in their price audacity. i would love to know who are all these people who go fairly regularly. i can only assume they go to be seen, or live so close, its just too easy not to go. i'd like to think restaurant consumers would be more discerning, but are not. once a restaurant realizes their audience, or establishes itself as a "go-to" place, then price does NOT enter into the equation. i know this is the "Holy Grail" of restauranteurs, & 97% of restaurants, although good, never enter this rarified atmosphere. but, its hard for me to frequent these places, even though i can easily afford. its those people who these shrewd owners target knowing their egos far outweigh their common sense.

so thats it 1 response? guess its better to stick to the obvious

"HOLY S__T, BATMAN" WHAT A FANTASTIC WEBSITE!!! merci beaucoup!! are u aware of similar sites like this re: bordeaux, alsace, rhône, loire? ← DARN!!!! i really hate to see this excellent string slide back into egullet oblivion sometimes a string can become so interesting, it promotes a lot of good discussion & information exchanges. so much more to bring into this discussion. for ex. florida jim stated above the vigernons de bourgogne are more important than either the vintage or the appellation; would be interesting to explore this in further detail, n'est-ce pas??????? ← i cannot believe there are so few that are participating

perfect time of the year for CASSOULET et CHOUCROUTE , so where is the best in Manhattan?

of course, sripraphai is the real standard for thai -- but maybe you're talking manhattan. and angon is certainly a contender. ← thx, BUT using Grand Sichuan for Szechuan @ their 9th/51st location; the original Wondee Siam & Pam Real for Thai; now concentrating on comparable INDIAN restaurant(s) in Manhattan however, do appreciate your comments

"HOLY S__T, BATMAN" WHAT A FANTASTIC WEBSITE!!! merci beaucoup!! are u aware of similar sites like this re: bordeaux, alsace, rhône, loire? ← DARN!!!! i really hate to see this excellent string slide back into egullet oblivion sometimes a string can become so interesting, it promotes a lot of good discussion & information exchanges. so much more to bring into this discussion. for ex. florida jim stated above the vigernons de bourgogne are more important than either the vintage or the appellation; would be interesting to explore this in further detail, n'est-ce pas???????

agreed, devi is fairly upscale but sounds delicious. others, but not inclusive or exclusive: amma, sapphire(?), dawat, diwan???????????

brunch there is generally a madhouse.. but the thing is, the place doesn't start to pickup until close to eleven.. i attribute this behavior to the same thing that gets me an outdoor table at coffee shop at the same time, people have realized that there's no alcohol served prior to noon and adjust their schedules accordingly.. ← Hmm, so if I wanted desperately to have brunch at Balthazar (or any similarly popular brunch location---Barney Greengrass) the best thing would be to try and walk in at 10:30 or so? The brunch places usually open at 10am, right? I don't mind the not drinking, I can't drink that early anyway. On the other hand, I'm more than likely going to be going to bed late the night before, so it might be a moot point. ← not exactly the string continuation i was hoping for? somewhat along the lines of comments re: my comments above would be more consistent with THIS string's revival. additionally, where would the best places be for cassolet & choucoute??

great report, thx very much. will go 1st for a lillet, & peruse...

definitely agree re: many different regions in both India & China. but for this, i am simply looking for a comparable Indian restaurant along the GENERAL lines of a GSI for Chinese, Pam Real/Wondee Siam for Thai. all 3 have received very favorable reviews here, so i'm curious if there is an Indian restaurant that is spicy, flavorful, & generally considered excellent. not sure if Devi fits, have never been there, but if Devi is to Indian, as GSI is to sichuan chinese & wondee is to thai; then devi certainly fits.

yes.

using the following as the standard criteria: for regional chinese: grand sichuan on 9th bet 50/51st for thai: the original wondee siam on 9th bet 52/53rd & pam real on 49th nr 9th av which 1-2 indian restaurants should be listed?

forgot to add, how casual all the above are - vs. - an Orsay, La Goulue, L'Absinthe, or Brasserie LCB. however among the small # mentioned, Orsay, La Goulue, L'Absinthe, Brasserie LCB, & of course Balthazar are all beautiful. i guess, in the long run, one does have to pay for their creativity, attention to detail, as well as their ambiance. generally the food is above average, & none of these trying to "reinvent the wheel" - vs. - a Jean George, Ducasse, Boulud. sounds like i'm trying to justify the high prices, but in a city with so many restaurants, these do stand out. next "crusade" is to try & dine at each & compare the big 5: food, prices, service, ambiance, authenticity of theme.

walked by LCB today, very french, & looked great. liked La Cote Basque, but have not yet been to LCB. any recent experiences? prices didn't appear too bad.

quotes: bronihk "It's the most democratic dining room in the city, in a way. At least as democratic as any place with more than more than one phone number. " jg "all very true, & having been there recently, i did notice the wine list WAS all French. another nice little attention to detail by McNally which continues to emphasize his attention to detail, & subtle way of reminding his clientele this is, in fact, a French brasserie!!!!!!" bux "Just in case they see people eating burgers and fries and forget it's a French brasserie. It is too noisy. I obviously don't hate it, but I'd love it more if I could carry on a conversation with my tablemates." in the midst of meetings & wanderings last nite, at both Les Halles & Balthazar, jules in the e. village, then just for the" hell of it" walked over to Landmarc. never was wild about Les Halles, but since its enlargement, the "buzz" seems gone, & it now somewhat depressing (to me). Balthazar, as usual packed, & not even able to sit at the bar!!! why does this fun & unique place have to be sooo popular????? Jules & other e. village "bistros" not in same league as a Balthazar, so why go unless in the area? Landmarc is simply a GEM. maybe just better to go there directly & forget the entire east side of manhattan, certainly the most convenient (for me).

It's the most democratic dining room in the city, in a way. At least as democratic as any place with more than one phone number. The carafe wines are good value, but there's also an interesting and extensive wine list, all French as I recall. ← all very true, & having been there recently, i did notice the wine list WAS all French. another nice little attention to detail by McNally which continues to emphasize his attention to detail, & subtle way of reminding his clientele this is, in fact, a French brasserie!!!!!! why does Balthazar have to exist so far away from MY neighborhood

sounds like MY memories of Benoit food are in the minority. on a # of trips to paris, meals at benoit have always been very good, the service excellent, & the evening very enjoyable. i did not find it to be any more (or less) expensive than others, nor the food inferior. i did not find the service "overly solicitious", nor did it appear that we could be accused of being "clueless" about french bistrot cuisine!! 1 caveat: our visits to benoit were prior to the old team recently leaving as per the reference above. its interesting how opinions differ. for example, as acclaimed as taillevent is considered, i did not find the quality as high as i had expected, & the service was extremely solicitious. for those who think service is better when speaking french, our hosts were french, as well as our ability to speak french, is near fluent. the general catty criticisms that consistently crop up strike a chord of an american view "tout le monde". it would be interesting to note what french restauranteurs think of the pompous american "supposed foodies" who overrun their restaurants, brasseries, bistros, cafes, etc... bringing their perceptions & misconceptions, & judging every minute detail. i wonder how our restaurants in manhattan would stand up to a similar constant barrage of scutiny & criticism. many of the comments appear to be just as solicitious as the service at benoit. while it may be true, the anticipated sale of benoit caused a change, it still does not change the fact that for many yrs, benoit served as a superb example of what an upscale parsian bistrot looked & acted like. the fact that benoit was filled with "americans" was a byproduct of visitors returning & expressing how much they enjoyed their experience. the same holds true for l'ami louis. filled with americans, & french. why? because people enjoy going!! in spite of amazingly high prices, somewhat brutal service, & a crappy part of the 3er!!