Gastro888

We went for ramen the other day and ate the cha-syu-men and the cha-syu tsukemen plus the deluxe appetizer platter with marinated bamboo shoots, egg and cha-syu. In all, 30 bucks before tip. Overall the food was good. I enjoyed the complexity of the cha-syun-men more than the tsukemen but I must say the thicker noodles and intense broth were tasty. For both dishes, the broth was tasty, the noodles were firm. The cha-syu, however, was dry. The fatty parts were delicious and had the nice smokiness from the charcoal grill but the meat was dry and overcooked. This being said, I wish we could've gotten all pork belly instead of the belly/loin mix in our noodles. We had no wait and the staff was, well, it's a noodle bar so I don't expect much. On the menu that's posted outside they had gyoza but the menus at each seat did not. Given how small their kitchen is, maybe it was too much for them to have on the menu? Is it worth waiting in line for? No. Go during an off hour so you don't have to wait.

There's that new Sophie's Cuban that's in the mid-50's. Further up than you'd like but if you're up for a walk.

You should include them and educate people on what's out there. That's part of the joy of reading - you get to learn about all the great things that yes, might not be in your neighborhood but hey, isn't this an interesting thing to learn about? Who knows if you might inspire some kid from Iowa to go on a trip to NY in search of what you're writing about. Just my thoughts.

Why not a piece on Asian bakeries? I think alot of people are missing out on the joys of buns, baos, hot dog buns, Korean bakeries, Japanese bakeries, etc. Definitely include a primer on a Chinese/HK chachanteng - translated into "teahouse" but more like a Chinese diner. People are missing out on some good eats there. It's a shame!

My apologies, I made a complete gaff in my reply. Since I am unable to edit the original post, I wanted to edit it here. Cost is the reason why you won't see sea cucumbers on Chinese-American buffets. It would be a loss leader for the restaurant to have those. Properly prepared, chicken feet are a happy marriage of texture, fat and richness. Sorta like pork belly...only tastes like chicken!

There are some good Japanese grocery stores in Maryland - one's on Rockville Pike near the Best Buy in Rockville, MD and another is in Bethesda called Daruma. Daruma used to be stellar with the sasadango (spelling) but they stopped making them! Those were the best ever. Matuba is a decent sushi place in Bethesda that's actually run by Japanese as is Kotobuki in Washington, D.C. Temari is a Japanese cafe that serves ramen and whatnots and is in the same shopping center as the Rockville Japanese grocery store. But nothing beats the ramen up in NYC...damn, someone needs to open a ramen shop and a yakatori shop in the DC area!

AI YA! Who eats all that?! That's a meal for 3 instead of one person. Good grief. You'd get overweight from the sheer volume of food alone. Hey, regardless, it's still healthier than the processed crap you get at any fast-food chain.

I'm curious what you mean about on the mark vs al dente--I haven't been to Italy so don't know what the true Italian way is--I cook pasta until there is just the slightest bit of bite to it--what do they do in Italy? Inquiring minds want to know! Zoe ← Limp, mushy and without a bite. That's what I got when I sampled pasta at the Italian-American booths. The European vendors cooked their pasta in the manner in which you describe. But when you're hungry...

The Jan 2008 one will be in San Diego. Try to get in and work the show, especially on the last day when exhibitors give away their goodies. One show last year, I went home with some truffle oil. The FF show is a great event for foodies but I do want to advise people to be polite. Not that egulleters need that reminder but believe you me, some people were at the show with no home training at all. Ugh. I know you guys won't hararss the vendors, demand outrageous samples, and will say "Please" and "Thank you". Selma's is a baked goods company that makes awesome marshmallow-Rice Krispies treats that are far better than anything I have had to date. Not overly sweet, no artifical taste, and a "clean" finish (if there is such a thing with this type of food). I gorged on pasta at the show. (Normally I don't eat much pasta because I have to watch my weight) Using premium pasta makes a huge difference. The sauce does cling to the pasta better and you get this wonderful toothsomeness to it. So does cooking it properly. The Italian-American companies cooked their pasta past al dente while te European companies hit it on the mark. I'll try and find the name of this one company that makes bronze die cut pasta.

The show was a good show as always. I tried so many wonderful things. I loved the Twelve bubbly tea beverage, the truffle pizza from Divine Pasta, HiBall energy drink, and pretty much any salumi I could eat. My favorite was that I was able to sample some Indian mangoes. Unfortunately, I found out that they're more hype than anything else. eta: Some people get in the shows by working for the exhibitors. Wages range from $10/hour to $150 a day. Local culinary schools will have postings for these positions. I liked the pop rice crackers they had in the Korea area. I've had them before but it was a treat to eat them super fresh. There's not a whole lot to dislike at the FF Show. I mean, hello, it's a food show.

Jol Myun! That's the name of the dish.

Meh! :-P ;-) I'm just saying what was the best for me. Hey, for some it's 31 flavors and that's fine...

Mine did not taste like wall paper paste, it was some good eats! Cheap, too. I got a big bowl of it, plus 4 fried mandoo, a cup of some seafood broth soup and 5 panchan for $12 all in. (This price included $2 tip and tax) AzianBrewer, when I get the name, I'll post it. Since you're in Bayside, you're awfully close. Try it, you'll like it. =)

The noodles were kinda thick and white and the dish had julienned veggies (carrots, cukes, red cabbage, soy sprouts, zuchinni) and some of that great gochujang with sesame seeds. It was good!

Road trip to Eden Center in Falls Church, VA for the best pho & bo luc luac you've had on the East Coast. Slap yer momma, it's that good...

I ate this awesome cold noodle dish last night in Flushing that was like bi bim bap but with cold noodles. No meat (boo!) but man, it was so tasty. The noodles were thick like kalguksu. YUM! Another cold noodle dish to my list!

I'm not saying that my opinion's the end all be all. And of course you have to do a side-by-side taste test in order to be completely fair and etc. Maybe some have bad taste memory but to each their own. I still stand by my words that Grom's overrated, overpriced and way overhyped. Not worth it!

I've been to all 3. I'd rank il lab and Capogiro neck and neck with Grom a distant second. Capogiro gets kudos for having space to sit in & a bathroom. Both offer good quality gelato. Then again, all of them pale in comparison to having a gelato from San Crispino and walking around in Rome...ahhhh...I'd give anything for that right now.

The most uptown ramen shop I know of is Men Kui Tei ramen on 56th St. and 6th Ave. If you are able to, I would suggest going at noon. That's when it's least crowded.

Perfect! Thanks for the input.

Eh? Seriously?!

Wow, sounds like il lab's service is going down. It's been a couple of months since I went. I'll have to stop by. Grom was such a disappointing clusterf**k last night.

I should've asked for my money back and not taken the gelato. But I wanted to see if Grom was all that. It wasn't. Like I said, I'll take great food and poor service if the food is worth it. Hell, I go to Mei Lai Wah and get bitchy service there but those pork buns are awesome. Cha siu plus chai siu fat in this great fluffy bun!

Don't bother going. The service is so bad, it's not worth the overpriced, overhyped, only a bit above average gelato. The gelato tasted like regular premium ice cream. Hiking up to the UES to deal with incompetent servers and "meh" gelato? Don't bother!

The Bar Room at the Modern. Ideally, what I'm aiming for is great food in a setting where I can actually talk to my dining companion instead of going, "WHAT?". A quiet, semi-romantic evening out, if you will.