SobaAddict70

That depends entirely on what you want re Japanese food. If you want sushi, then Jewel Bako, Tsuki, SY or Kuruma. And of course there is always Masa....although it is in a class all by itself. If you want ramen, then Minca is a nice introduction. For soba, Honmura An or Soba-ya are two good places to go. If you have to have Japanese influenced fusion, Asiate and Riingo are two choices above and beyond the range that Nobu has to offer, at least imo. Soba

Chef Patricio Sandoval, formerly of Maya and Pampano, offers a transformatory outlook on Mexican food. Mercadito (Frank Bruni) Soba

I felt the sashimi was better than the sushi. Soba

Dinner at Koi last night with a friend. Some highlights: Monkfish pate with soy and mirin Live sea urchin Saba (mackerel) with onion and scallion Sardine sashimi with shiso, lime and yuzu Amaebi sashimi, after which the heads and tails were deepfried and then served again to us Conch sashimi Sushi plate which featured a number of items both familiar (tuna maki rolls) and unfamiliar (deep fried ebi heads and pressed sushi wrapped in a banana leaf) Koi invites a number of comparisons to Jewel Bako; some may feel that it delivers a relatively better experience for the same amount of money as the top omakase at JB. Our bill ran to about $120 (including tax but not tip). I'm not so sure that the comparison is accurate, with respect to Koi's sushi -- I felt in retrospect that there was just a bit too much fish and rice, compared to either JB or Tsuki. On the other hand, the appetizers hold up well to JB and possibly Tsuki. I'll just have to come back again, I suppose. Koi 175 Second Avenue (East 11th Street) T: (212) 777-5266 Soba

Have you done Philly cheesesteaks yet? Soba

Does anyone remember Craig Claiborne's dinner in 1975, with Pierre Franey, which took place in a Parisian bistro to the tune of $4000, 31 courses and untold bottles of truly expensive wine? An article appeared in the New York Times shortly thereafter and Critical letters such as these are not new. There will always be people who think, for one reason or another, that vast amounts of money spent on something like food could be better spent on endeavors of a more tangible nature. It's a rather sad commentary on the extent that people will go to deny themselves the vicarious pleasure of experiencing fine dining, either in person or through someone else's own experiences. Soba

I was wondering if eating patterns in Hong Kong are the same as mainland China or if they're mostly Westernized. Or if they're a weird fusion of the two cultures. Soba

I can think of four Spanish restaurants off the top of my head that have opened in New York in recent years. Four. As opposed to how many Italian-influenced/Asian-influenced/________________ other type of restaurants? Azafran Solera Bolo Casa Mono Five if you count Bar Jamon. There probably are more, but I had NYT-starred/rated restaurants in mind. Spanish food is more than just gazpacho, paella and tapas. I really wish we saw more food representative of the country than just a few select regions. Soba

Cool! Star Wars food, right here on eGullet. Soba

Are fruit soups fair game? I have a watermelon-mango-ginger soup somewhere I can dig up. (for summer.) Soba

Well, they were out of the ma po tofu. Hm, must be a really popular dish there. It's not even past 1:30 pm yet. I ordered the ox tongue and tripe (lots of Sichuan peppercorns here), and the tangerine chicken. I think the tripe freaked out a couple of lawyers. They went for moo shu pork, wonton soup and fried dumplings. Oh well, can't win everything. Apparently there is an UES side branch as well? On 86th St? I can't remember. One of the lawyers I was working with mentioned something about that. Soba

I haven't been able to go here yet, but we're doing takeout from them today. (Yes, I have to be here at work today, which is both a good thing and a bad thing.) I'm making it my mission to stop in here for lunch one day later next week. Stay tuned. Incidentally, I'm getting the ma po tofu. We'll see if it compares favorably to the version at Grand Sichuan (midtown location). Soba

Since this week has been the week of thread bumpage, I was wondering if there were any significant food trends that you may have spotted coming out of the UK this past year....and if there are any you'd like to see coming in 2005. We're familiar with most of the ones Stateside. Any news? Soba

Thought I'd bump this one up for everyone as well. There will be a test on Monday. (Just kidding, folks!) Soba

Suzanne is probably referring to mostarda. (Could be wrong though.) Mostarda di Cremona Soba

Maybe make it a fifth star? You know, in a category all of its own. Or not, as the case may be. Soba

or rather the first one to receive a four star rating since Hatsuhana received a four star rating from Mimi Sheraton in 1983. Soba

An allusion to this review by one of Mr. Bruni's predecessors. Soba

Masa (Frank Bruni) With this review, it seems that Mr. Bruni has dispelled the ghosts of reviewers past. Soba

I dare you to make epoisses sound obscene. Soba

They're your photographs, silly. Soba

For reference's sake, here are shots of Mr. Mayhaw's chicken and sausage gumbo.

Funny you should ask, boychik! We had an exchange that went like this: Chef: Are you ready? Me: *nod* -- omakase please. Chef: Sushi or sashimi? Me: Whatever you think is best. So, it was a progression of appetizers, followed by sashimi prepared in different ways, followed by the parade of sushi that one gets at places like Yasuda or JB. Next time, I have to try their house-made tofu. I am a purist when it comes to sushi. I tend to prefer traditional preparations when it comes to maki rolls (so for instance, spicy tuna rolls are out), and I like to keep soy use to a minimum. In fact, I bring this up because Chef noticed that I rarely used soy and he was like, "you know, you can use soy sauce on your pieces". Their wasabi is freshly grated and their gari is also fresh. Definitely a keeper. Soba

Tsuki is the Jewel Bako of the Upper East Side, and that's saying a lot. In fact, I'd probably rate it higher than Jewel Bako on a scale of one to ten, with JB rating a 9 and Tsuki edging it out by a slight lead. Tonight was my first visit and hopefully the first of many, many more visits. The restaurant features a multi-tiered omakase, from $30 to $100. The amount of fish that you get (even at the price that I paid -- more on that later -- is easily the amount of food you get at Jewel Bako). The quality is excellent; I daresay that it's a hairline close to what you would get at Kuruma if you did a side-by-side comparison. Chef Kazutoshi Maeda, formerly of Sushi Maeda and owner of Tsuki, hails from Kyushu, Japan and is a veteran sushi chef, having been in the business for at least twenty-five years. Highlights from my dinner: Amuse of ankomochi, topped with radish oshinko, scallions and a dab of plum sauce; Sashimi: toro (both raw and lightly seared), octopus, scallop; Lobster, broiled, with sauteed onions, glazed in soy and mirin, and served in its shell; Needlefish sashimi, with pickles, and an egg "viniagrette"; Horse mackerel sashimi, with ginger and scallion; Live sea urchin -- well, the uni was moving until the chef lopped off its base -- and served in its shell. Deep fried shrimp heads, served alongside amaebi sashimi; Broiled eel, chopped, then mixed with thinly sliced Japanese cucumbers and gomasio, on top of Japanese rice; Deep fried bonito; a parade of sushi: fluke with orange zest; scallop; chu-toro; red snapper; amberjack; bonito; salmon; hamachi; maguro; o-toro; and others I can't quite remember. This was topped with an ume shiso handroll as a finisher. I could have sat there and eaten more, but I was rapidly approaching my limit. The total? $80, including tax and tip. They have a rather nice wine and sake selection, but then again, I don't drink. Tsuki 1410 First Avenue (75th Street) 212-517-6860 Reservations are recommended for the sushi bar; there are only six seatings. Tonight, there were two reservations for the sushi bar, despite it being Christmas Eve. I managed to luck out however. Soba

Abboccato (Frank Bruni) Soba