Scargo

Had I seen this in a timely manner I would have suggested looking over my map for something accessible. http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=106324921966915789140.0004585e078a49e893c72&z=8 Austin's bus system is passable and can get you to a lot of places and I believe they are designed to deal with bikes.

Here's a good foodie social network in Vancouver: http://vanchow.ning.com/main/authorization/signIn?target=http://vanchow.ning.com/ Many post to the Chowhound board, BRITISH COLUMBIA & TERRITORIES (INC. VANCOUVER), but they use Ning-Vanchow to arrange and discuss get togethers in the area. A good, active group.

We've got four full days in Tulsa (coming up very soon), and having been there a number of times we are looking for something other than the $25-35 entrée type places (that we know are good), and the fried catfish places. What is there that is unique to Tulsa or is a new gem or hidden gem? Money is not an object, but as I've said, most of the upper-end/upscale places are well-known and well-worn. Hole-in-the-walls are fine as long as they have alcoholic beverages and are safe to go to. Thanks BTW, let me share my POIs that I've put on my Google Maps (user-created content). If anything jumps out say so. Most we have not tried. They just come from (mostly), Chowhound recommendations. http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=106324921966915789140.000456dd0994adb8b2b25&ll=35.9024,-96.036987&spn=1.317055,2.469177&z=9

This is my experience. I was fortunate to have a Chowhound friend, who uses and posts to Yelp, give me the names of some Yelpers (in our area), that she trusted. I then found that I could trust most of them regarding their Yelp posts. Joe Blow, not so much. Way too many five stars and hyperbole. It is an easy to search, first place to look site.

While this (best Q in Austin), may be so, I would point out that the place is kinda scary. This may not mean a lot to a seasoned, manly Q hunter. I was reminded of Steve's BBQ Pit in Denton, TX when I walked into Sam's; it's just bigger. Wall to wall tobacco brown and smelly. Beyond no frills; run down at the heels. But unlike o'l friendly Steve and his tiny shack, Sam's has people hanging out outside, watchin' you, like you're fresh meat. Panhandlers and drug dealings at night. Dangerous alleys. While I wern't scairt, my young (25 YO), son and my SO were... They refused to eat there. This was for lunch... Why doesn't anyone talk about that side of Sam's? Are some going to be shocked, or worse, when they go there (especially at night), if this is not mentioned?

Sally's consideration: some consider the service to be pretty bad. Like server abuse is part of the aura. Also, I've read, several times, that some insiders have a special number they can call and make reservations which allows them to bypass the line (since average Joe customer can't make reservations), and gives their orders priority. This slows down the line. I can't really help you with the wait time. Could be 45 minutes to two hours before you can eat. Perhaps not so bad at 9. Some prefer to go to Modern, on State Street and not wait quite so long. Very similar pizza, I've been told. Modern's very good. I have not eaten in Sally's or Pepe's.

I have a collection of various restaurants that you might want to look at on Google Maps. They were vetted as best I can for future visits to Boston. I've only been to a few. http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UT...77,0.07699&z=14 I'd also appreciate comments if some really don't belong.

I guess this isn't the place to discuss fine dining in Tulsa... They do have a little, I believe. Just don't know where to get good advice. We'll be there between Christmas and New Years. I'm just a little concerned that the mix of advice I've found is laden with the "OMG that was great food" because it was better than Applebees... Do any local Tulsa papers have a good restaurant critic? Any Tulsan with a foodie blog? Was not impressed with Scott Cherry, in the one review I read of Bluestone. I am always concerned when the review is so generic and positive. It's like he's discussing restaurant details with the owner while he's there dining, when he says, "X (the owner), said...".

I'm really curious what people's opinions are of what "slack-cutting" means. Does it mean that they are not held to a standard of most other restaurants? Are Q places somehow deified? Does it mean that a smoky, poorly lit, uncomfortable place is going to have all that overlooked if it has good Q, or does that just not fit into the equation? Just as it doesn't seem to affect the rating if a Q place has few choices of food on the menu? Is it like comparing apples to oranges? What kind of slack are we talking about?

Take a look at the collection of places I have saved to my Google Map. It's a pretty broad spectrum of recommended or (personally) tried places. http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?f=l&hl=en&g....373047&t=h&z=9

That is a nice, artistic site LeAnn did. Unusual and ingenious. I like the way you can drag the menu and history pane around, on the page for no apparent reason at all; just for fun. I wished the pics were bigger. Great photos, though. She should expand on it. I wonder who took the pics? Makes me yearn for home and Q. I was born near Taylor. Now in CT

No prob! Glad I could help. I hope they work out for you. My "New Haven area" map is rapidly expanding. If you get the chance, and want to provide feedback, I will be curious of what you think of them. Some places I have only been to once or twice, though I usually do internet research before and after I go to a place.

I'm back to this again. I've moved to the vicinity of Seymour, CT and am trying to find any nearby ethnic markets. Particularly Asian and Spanish (or Mexican). I don't mind driving a few miles but I try to avoid going across town (into and through New Haven) to the Fair Haven area, if I can help it. Places off 8 or The Merritt would be great. I have my Google Map (user created content) I am willing to share. It has all my favorite restaurants, too. Scargod's Good Chow: New Haven, CT (Google Map) You don't need to limit your suggestions to just Asian or Mexican. I am interested in butchers, fishmongers, bakeries and unusual wine/liquor stores (similar to The Wine Thief or Odd Bins (both in New Haven, proper).

You are correct in that the soups were chocked-full of veggies. Quite unusual, but good. The top soup is Tom Kai Gai (chicken) and the bottom one was my main entree, a seafood soup, Tom-Yum Goong (I'm pretty sure), which had squid and other seafood as well as the shrimp. CTmenusonline/Som Siam Thai Restaurant CT has their menus. I intend to try Thai Terrace in Hamden at my next opportunity. Funny how, with the gas prices, I think twice before I go out and I try to consolidate errands and kill many birds with one stone... This has got to be hurting businesses. BTW, I hate to say this... I have shifted to putting far more energy and time into chowhound than here. I have always liked eGullet very much. I enjoy the format, lack of bling-bling and advertising, but it is just dead (speciffically , the New England subforum in Restaurants, Cuisine, and Travel) compared to CH. I'm glad you liked Som Siam. There is a somewhat new one that I reviewed a couple of weeks earlier you may want to try: Ayuthai review on eGullet It is in Guilford (but almost in Branford) and easy to get to from I-95.

Uhmm, Doh! Sorry!. I just noticed Boston in the title... Was that there before?? I feel like I am being gaslighted...

Has anyone been to Leon's, Sage, Stillwater/Martin's Riverside, Stonebridge, Stone House, etc. lately? Good food... with a view? What others should be on our short list? What's within driving distance of New Haven, on the CT shoreline (or just a great water view/openness feeling) that has both great food and a great view? Hopefully, seasonal outdoor seating. I have not been to Sage, so I cannot comment on it. I have been many times to Stillwater, AKA Martin's Riverside. We like it and our visits are well exceeding a dozen times. I think they have good food and Leon's can do some things well on occasion. We like Leon's location and outdoor seating. Stillwater is smaller, but the couple that own it are hands-on and he is the head chef. They have canoes to use on the river, a bocce court, outside bar and occasionally live music. We were not impressed at all with the food or service at The Stone House in Guilford and the view can be very marginal or non-existent, when in the restaurant. We went as far as The River Cat Grill, in Royaton, thinking it was "on the river". It has good food but is NOT "on the river" (you can't even see it). I thought, from their map, that it was. Outdoor seating is minimal, and next to a fairly main drag. For some reason, they also have a lot of families with kids. River, lake, seashore setting...what have you got? Where are bugs a problem if you sit outside? You can mention seafood shacks that are only open in season but I am mostly interested in table service dining.

This all looks very interesting; Id like to try it.... but it underscores one of my pet peeves: where the hell are you talking about? Boston, Providence, Norwich, Portland? Sorry, I'm not in the B&G clique.

Probably too late but you didn't say where you were coming from and what roads you would be on. I have no crystal ball, and if I did I wouldn't know how to use it. There is supposed to be good Mex in Middletown, Hartford and Startford. New Haven Has Guadalupe la Poblanita. Need more specific info...

Last night we went to Crave for the second time. They were fairly busy at 6:30pm but there were a couple of tables still open. Some forty-ish ladies were finishing up at the other two-top in this corner and I heard them say that they liked Crave and had been there before. Crave has a following. We ordered a bottle of Archetype Vineyard's Shiraz, 2006 and for $30, it was superb. Libby said it was one of her favorites. We were in appetizer land when she stopped by to see how things were and she recognized me (and knows I write on Chow. I don't think this had anything to do with the spectacular meal we had. We often order quite a bit so we can get a good sampling of the food. That or bring help. On this occasion, we were alone and we just expect to take lots of "dogggy bags" home. I know that term is not used up here. OK, we had lots of things "wrapped". Much more civilized! We tried the shrimp avocado salad, which is spilling out of a avacado skin, the fried calamari, with an unusual, sweet dipping sauce, and the chirozo with cannelli beans and chard. They were all great. I mentioned that there were not enough peppers with the calamari and Libby said to ask for more. Seems some people don't like it hot. Some serious heat would work great with the slightly sweet sauce. Everything was very fresh. We liked the lime zest in the whipped butter, which was nice and soft. It went well with the soft rolls, though I prefer a chewier bread. I had the salmon and mussels for a main entree while my partner stuck with the beans and chorizo. Amauri, our waiter, asked if medium was OK. I said no, that I wanted medium rare and that is how it was. The mussels were some of the best I have had and stand up well against the green-lipped imports. This grilled fish was really tasty, with a buttery, lime/cilantro sauce and perfect seasoned rice and fresh veggies. So often the vegetable medly is a "throw-away"; much like a garnish. These fresh, perfectly seasoned and sauteed veggies were wonderful! Throughout the meal our waiter was attentive and kept the table clean and cleared in a timely manner. This was first class service. We finished at the bar where I talked to three guys who semed to be regulars. Libby was tending bar (though she seems to tend to many things). I had an espresso and we sampled the pineapple-infused vodka. We left at 8pm and had a spectacular time for under $90.

Not long ago I posted a review of our first visit to the recently opened Ayuthai restaurant in west Guilford. A couple of days ago we tried the Som Siam Thai restaurant on the green in Guilford, for the first time. This is a smallish restaurant sitting behind the storefronts facing the green. We liked the art and table settings. When you walk in you can see employees working in the kitchen. It's a pretty small and intimate place but we were not disturbed by the kitchen/bar around the corner. Once inside you could imaging being in someone's diningroom because of the view out the windows. You get more of a residential than commercial feel. We went at 2PM so there were only a few other clients in the place. We were waited on by two mature and attarctively dressed Thai ladies. We had a nice bottle of 2005 Steltzner Claret; about $34. As I recall the wine list was not large but decent. The wine was a little cold. Sorry, but during the meal I continually forgot to photograph the food before I dug in. This is fairly typical Thai fare but the quality is high, the food very fresh, good flavors and portions fairly large. We started with spring rolls and then I had Tom Kai Gai. I opted for the house salad over the house soup (that comes with the meal). The salad had a very good peanut dressing. My partner in crime had chicken Pad Thai. All the food was prepared perfectly. This was a near perfect meal in every way. Granted they were not busy. To finish the meal we were given a complimentary desert of rice, sweetened coconut milk and (?). The look of the rice reminded me of caviar. While finishing up they were setting up for dinner. Only one visit, but we will go back! Personally, we enjoyed this meal more than the first (and only) meal we had at Ayuthai and better than anything we have sampled in New Haven, so far (and that has been quite a few samplings of four different places). 63R Whitfield Street. (R meaning "rear") On the Green. Guilford, CT 203.458.0228 Hours: Sunday through Thursday, from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

I erred when I said I doubted that they made their own tamales. They do make their own! This might be reason enough alone to try this place for yourself.

I returned yesterday for lunch at Leon's (so this was my second experience). My partner has been back many times with both her (adult) daughter and son, as I have alluded to previously, and she obviously likes the food. The manager recognizes her on sight. He was not officially there yesterday. My experience was good this time with the exception of a couple of minor items. The bread was good, but could have been fresher. We started with a yellowfin tuna carpacchio appetizer. It was topped with pieces of cucumber, grated radish and drizzled with a weak Limoncello vinaigrette. I'm not sure what the vinaigrette base was, but it wasn't mustard. It seemed more like buttermilk or perhaps mayonaise. The tuna itself was excellent sashimi. Another issue I had was with the "dead" glass of Pinot Grigio, which had next to no flavor. It was if it was watered down. The waiter quickly brought me a glass from a freshly opened bottle and it was fine and of darker color! The bartender said the bottle (from the first glass) had been open from the day before. The seafood bisque was lukewarm and "jiggly". It was so over-thickened that it was nearly pudding consistency. It had decent flavor, but it wasn't from a condensed, cooked down seafood soup base. It was too weak in flavor for that. This was one of the poorer seafood bisque renditions I have had in New England. I had the Veal Fontina; scaloppines sautéed, bathed in a veal sauce, on a bed of fresh spinach, a mix of generic and wild mushrooms (not just wild mushrooms, as advertised) and Fontina cheese. This was a good dish and way too much to eat, with three large scaloppines. Same for my partner's "Gypsy Chicken" or "Chicken Zingara"; a very large tasty portion of sautéed chicken, fennel infused sausage, onions, garlic and potatoes, filling a large, deep plate. The service was great and overall it was a nice meal. We had four glasses of wine and no dessert. The bill, with $20 tip, was $125. Perhaps a little steep but the portions were large and the place has a nice atmosphere and a great view. Personally, I'm still waiting for something really good of this place (that's cooked) related to seafood.

No prob. I think you will find it interesting. The menu portion of their new website works so you can get an idea of the fare and when we were there they had plenty of interesting specials, not on the menu. It was hard to decide. I was originally going for the short ribs. I think I mis-spoke when I said they served pinto beans. They were quite dark and perhaps slightly smaller than a pinto, so they were probably Mexican red beans. BTW, I went back to Leon's for lunch on Sunday, so I want to report on that.

Last night we went to Crave Restaurant and Wine Bar. This is an unusual place for the unassuming, quiet town of Ansonia, CT. Located at 102 Main, it is in the heart of downtown Ansonia. It is probably only 1,000 square feet, or so, in size and has about 15 tables, of which most are four-tops. There was one round table, smack dab in the middle, which could seat at least eight. There is a lovely, long bar along one side, towards the back. All-together I would guess Crave could seat about 90, if the bar was fully occupied. This Friday night, it was full at 7PM and after 8:30, it had only a few empty tables. The crowd was affluent late thirties to sixties. Almost exclusively, nicely dressed couples. Nice cars were prevalent. Seems to me that Crave has been found by the upper-class foodies of Ansonia (and the surrounding towns in the Valley). They were in dire need of a restaurant of this caliber. It has been open almost exactly six months, with little fanfare. When I first stumbled upon Crave (on the internet, as noted in my first post, here) I thought the reviews (pretty much on just Yahoo, Local) were unbelievable; they were so totally positive. The very next day a friend said he and his wife had been there. He said it was the real deal! Finally, I have first-hand information to share. We made a reservation and it was probably a good idea. I think we could have been seated immediately without it, but it was close to full at 6:30PM. This was Friday night. I wanted a real test of their mettle. We were tended to fairly quickly and professionally and found that there were some nice wine selections and, like many better restaurants have wisely adopted, they had some better wines, by the glass. I guess you should expect good wines to sample, by the glass with the tag of “wine bar” on the name. We chose a bottle of Artizen (Zinfandel) @ $32 and were very happy with it. Later, we ordered one more glass of it. Warm bread was brought to the table right away and the cold and hard butter was infused with finely lime zest or possibly ground or grated Kaffir lime leaves. It was an unusual and tasty surprise! I would have preferred a stouter, chewier bread than the almost “white bread” personal loaves we were served. There are so many excellent artisan bakeries in the area that I think the bread deserves an upgrade. We shared a “Classic” Caesar Salad and I had a bowl of seafood bisque. The salad was delicious and perfectly dressed. Not to much, nor too little; just coated. This was a good sign! I thought it lacked in anchovy and lemon flavor for a “Classic Caesar” but the wonderful, garlicky croutons made up for it. The shaved parmesan was a nice touch, though I wouldn’t call it well-aged (i.e., quality/expensive) cheese. Nevertheless, I am being nit-picky and will continue to do so. The salad was quite good. Also, I’ll whine about the seafood bisque, which was chocked-full of goodies and flavor, but a bit thin for my liking. Not so thin that it kept me from cleaning the bowl! For our main course I had one of the specials: rack of lamb with a mustard seasoned coating and served with a nice red wine reduction coulis, which probably had some fruit, fruit jam and/or mint/mint jam in it. The lamb and the accompanying green beans and roasted baby red potatoes were au point and very flavorful! I can’t say anything good about the "tostones" or fried plantains, however. A little like overcooked fries, they were dry, fairly hard and rather tasteless, except for the dusting of salt. A clunker as far as I am concerned. I have eaten plantains at many restaurants and cooked them myself, so I know how tasty they can be. These were not. My mate had the jerk chicken, which we both liked a lot. The pinto beans were an amazing coincidence and surprise because it’s exactly how I usually cook them (and I’m a Texan). They were cooked with tomato, onion (and probably garlic, pepper and a little chili powder) and tasted terrific! The really “sticky rice” was flavorful (like there had been chicken stock and parsley added) but it was terribly gummy and not to my liking. Like Marge Simpson’s hair, it never budged from its tall, mounded shape. All the food was classy in its presentation, but not over the top. Nothing was “growing” or flying out of our food. Portions were average or normal, yet relatively pricey. Ah, then dessert! We shared the “tres leche” cake. This is a whipped cream topped yellow cake (or “rum cake” style of cake) soaked in sweetened milk (and God-knows what else). It was fabulous! My partner, who usually doesn’t eat much dessert, couldn’t stop till she finished it off. Nuf’ said. The couple at our side seemed to really enjoy their flan. There is enough Southern flavor to the food we ate at Crave that I have to wonder if the owner or Chef is from Texas….. Whatever the case, the ethnic influences are varied, noticeable and appreciated. Crave doesn't have the same-old safe menu of many places. I love its eclectic menu! OK. What I don’t like: The noise level. Crave got very loud. So loud that at times we had to shout at each other to be heard. There was a small speaker mounted overhead, in the corner where we sat, and it added “black noise” with the steady drone and thump of bass, to the already loud restaurant. The place is nothing but smooth walls, glass and hard floor, so it is no wonder that it gets loud. I think some attention to sound deadening would be appropriate. The place looks nice and classy, but just gets way too noisy. This doesn’t seem to stop anyone from coming though. I think I will time my future visits for when it is not so crowded. Service was not perfect, but far above average. We never had wine poured for us after the initial service. We had to request that the salad plate be removed. Beyond that, and the slight slowness in service, I can say service was polished and professional, especially for a very busy night and (I was told) being short a waitress. I can tell that attention has been paid to training the wait staff in good restaurant etiquette. Price? We were out-the-door for a buck-twenty-five. About right. This is not your down-and-dirty eatery. It measures up well to New Haven’s best. So there it is. A delightful, chic restaurant in the most unexpected place! An owner, who is on the ball; greeting us at the door and personally seating us. I introduced myself at the end of the meal and Libby sent us both a gratis, green apple liquor aperitif. Can’t beat that!

Zeemanb, I have had the exact same knife for over a year. It was love at first slice for me, too. I look for it first, and if it's dirty I might wash it or I might pick up a Henkels, if it's sharp. About Octaveman's comments, I would say that he is right on the money! Perhaps I'm riding on Octaveman's coat-tails, but I know enough about steels, from being a machinist (AND, I watched a special about Japanese swordmaking) to know that these Japanese knives are very special and deserve special treatment. Just like a ceramic knife, they are often too hard (meaning brittle) to use for chopping and cutting through hard objects. It would have to be an extremely controlled environment for these super hard edges to be used to cut through bone; I.E., the bone would have to be held rigidly and the knife the same. This cannot be done consistently (or at all) while working in a kitchen. That's why there are meat cleavers. I have chipped my Shun on numerous occasions (as I got to know it) because I have used it on chicken and for deboning a steak. I have no one to blame but myself! There are softer steels available in these Japanese knives that I think could better endure cutting a mix of materials. And, like Octaveman suggests, you can sharpen the knife differently to suit the material being cut. Sometimes you are defeating the point of it being razor sharp and razor hard! If you choose a softer Japanese steel then there is the trade-off of it dulling faster, more like a German knife's steel. Germans found a better, all-purpose compromise in their typical steel. Just my 2 cents worth of seat-of-the-pants experience and a dangerous amount of knowledge!