herbacidal

evidently mongo was under the impression i was taking it seriously.

i am neutral about "delhi". partly because i am from there and partly because the use of that in the name assumes that people know where delhi is. "delhi" and "durbar" together is a different story though. what is "durbar"? new delhi was my favorite indian buffet when i was in college. still is, if i were to sample a indian buffets. too bad my friend's favorite, tandoor india, wouldn't pass the test. and he has way more firsthand india experience than I do.

how ya feel about "delhi"?

I plan on making a conscious effort to be out of town that week. come down to philly. i love hanging wit visitors. read: visitors NOT tourists.

when i want a quick cheap good fix, verucruzana is my place. i did like la lupe when i was there with katieloeb. can't recall what we had (may be in a prior thread). there was probably an innard, and something else with a green sauce. vague memories. katie, wanna clear that up?

really? lemme make sure i understand. wholesale price for printing 1000 cards 4color front, nothing on back, C1S card stock is $25. and it's potentially going lower. whoa. okay, guess i'm gonna work on getting my card.

hmm. that contrasts with me. i drink everything. course, once i got past the initial taste of alcohol, whatever alcohol it is, i can drink. that's weird, b/c i consider GTs sweet. you gotta work on sweet talking more men into buying you drinks. i like ginger ale. my preferred bourbon drink when not drinking it neat is bourbon and ginger. but ginger ale with limes? that's different. that's a worthy test for yourself. i'm not volunteering. playing the devil is a whole lotta fun, but i can't be sweettalked into buying you drinks. in part b/c i can't afford it.

Diner: Could I see your wine list? Waiter: Oh - we have both types - Red and White Even better is "we have all three kinds -- red, white and pink". didn't your sig formerly say "fuckin' idiots"? think i liked it better like that. and that red, white, pink response is a hoot.

Add some fries, a couple of brewskis, tax and tip, and you're at about $33-$35. Damn, I'm glad I don't drink! Saves me a few $$. you don't drink? we'll teach you yet, young wanker.

i think developing other brands makes a lot of business sense. it's just that it's contrary to what they've been saying for a while, especially since they're calling it revitalizing their brand. on that matter, MSG, they're doing what makes business sense. they're just not describing it accurately. if i'm not mistaken, when the new CEO took over a few years ago. he indicated that McD's was going back to basics, and decreasing attention paid to some of their subsidiary brands. (Donato's, Chipotle, etc.) have they changed leaders again? i think full development of those subsidiary brands makes enormous sense. it is potentially tricky managing multiple lines of business, let alone multiple brands, but done well, there is enormous growth potential. my feelings on it are above.

...the "pub" looks like it was decorated by the marketing department at Guiness. you referring to Fado, Diageo's chain of Irish pubs?

you telling me you don't like it when the manager's wife's hairdresser's boyfriend's illegitimate son is back there thinking up specials?

gracias. it's not what i would expect, so if true, that'd be educational. you wouldn't be the first to draw lengthy, insightful conclusions from spike lee movies.

much like someone else's feelings in another recent thread, i have never heard good stuff about azteca, but also never been there. or more exactly, for every good thing i have heard, i've heard about 5-8 bad things. the occasional bad experience/comment/perception/etc. i can understand. but that's way too high a ratio.

call and check on BinG. 10th St. is a good alternative though. the one time i've eaten there i liked it, although can't recall specifically what i ate.

Wow-- that's crazy-- hard to believe; The place was always packed-- always a long wait on a Sunday-- how could they go under-- did they spend beyond their means? Were the prices too low? Very sad, a loss of a unique place.... i remember walking by enough during the week, and they were often empty. OTOH, I know they were looking for additional BOH/FOH staff, and if they were unsuccessful, that would be another reason. plus rents undoubtedly rose since they opened initially.

commentary on the digression: In my experience, most Chinese-Americans tend to lean towards Democratic. If NYC is an exception, that's an interesting phenomenon. I agree. very much so.

list to start or list to avoid?

in 2000, as i recall, most of the events were in central philadelphia area. i remember one at 5th and vine (caviar assouline), rittenhouse square (art gallery since closed), and drexel u campus (armory). can't recall if there were any events at restaurants. i imagine there were, but i remember most of the ones i can think of were catered. all the above were catered by my firm at the time.

i heard the sansom st. one was average at first. then i actually went there. i've liked it since. been there 4-6 times i think. 2-3 in the past year for brunch. 2-3 more times before that for weekday breakfast.

does this mean you won't be down on somebody for starting Thai monkey brain club?

If they wanted to revitalize the brand, they'd get back to basics. Not that messing around with McCafes, Chipotle and etc. isn't worthy, because they are. They just don't revitalize the brand. The best business tactic for them is to take advantage of those areas is to develop other brands. They should be trimming a few locations and streamlining their menu, as far as McDonald's goes. That provides steady cash flow. Then develop a cafe brand, Chipotle brand, etc. That provides sales growth. Combine the 2, with McDonald's distribution, system, etc., and that's a formula for success.

would it be accurate to say that UWSiders may not want restaurants as much as they might like bars that aren't divey and inappropriate for youngsters that serve good, slightly touched-up bar food?

does anyone know: how old is alex lee? how old are his children? perhaps he might return to the high profile manhattan scene after they're in college? yes FG, I originally expected alex lee's former title to be chef de cuisine as well.