peter_nyc

Oh, and I forgot to mention, you should definitely check out the depachika, or food-courts in the basement levels of the department stores. You'll encounter a dizzying array of prepared foods of extremely high quality. It's a great place to graze or pick up tasty bites for a picnic in your hotel room (I don't eat in public in Tokyo).

It's true that the first few days after New Year's is probably the worst time to visit Tokyo if you're primarily interested in food experiences since most establishments will be closed, so I'd definitely try to return for at least some of that third week if possible. IMHO there's some common ground between French and Japanese cooking technique and philosophy--the significance/importance of preparation, refinement of cuisine--so I wouldn't be so quick to discount Michelin. It may prove a good supplemental resource as you plan your culinary itinerary. You may also consider a meal at a good (Japan-ized) French restaurant while in Tokyo, in which case the Michelin would certainly come in handy. As for specific recommendations, I offer the following: Ten-ichi (tenpura, multiple locations) Bentenyama Miyako-zushi (edo-mae sushi, Asakusa) Kaikaya (inventive seafood, Shibuya) Seigetsu (izakaya, Kagurazaka) There's also a very good unagi-ya that I visited but can't recall the name of right now, kind of hidden away. I'll see if I still have it written down somewhere. Another great resource: http://www.bento.com/tf-rest.html

thanks for all the great info!

I'm wondering if anyone has any rec's for okonomiyaki restaurants in Tokyo... Are Tokyo-style okonomiyaki similar to the ones made in Osaka? I'll be back in Tokyo in a few weeks and I've been craving them ever since I had my first (and only) one in Osaka.

Well, it appears that google is quite sensitive when it comes to spellings of foreign names (of restaurants). In this case, a missing 'u' led to absolutely no info... needless to say I figured out my error and am all set with an address and phone number!

I'll be in HK in a few weeks and I plan on spending an evening at Da Ping Ho, which seems to have quite the consensus here as an excellent Sichuan outpost. Trouble is, I can't find an address OR telephone number to place a reservation! Can anybody please help me out?! Thanks!

I did not use a suribachi and surikogi. I have wanted one for a while, so I think this might be the excuse I was looking for. As for the nagaimo, I'm guessing it wasn't the highest quality (although it was somewhat expensive). But I'll just have to try to find other sources and start comparing.

Today I finally tried to make at home one of my favorite dishes of all time, yamakake. So, I grabbed some nagaimo, nori, wasabi, sushi-grade tuna, and quail's eggs from a favorite Japanese market and rushed straight home to experiment. Everything turned out great except for one very important factor: the consistency of the grated nagaimo. It was very, very liquidy. I used the finest grate on a standard box grater, and it ended up way too watery. My attempts to use a less fine grate were unsuccessful since I ended up with small chunks of potato in the end product (not necessarily a bad thing, just not what I was looking for). How could I obtain that perfect consistency I've enjoyed so many times before? I ended up cutting it into matchsticks for a delightful alternative, but I'm still very much interested in figuring out what went wrong! Are there other varieties of patato that would be better for the grated type of yamakake?

I never leave Sripraphai without some coconut covered casava confections. Utterly addicted to them.

Thanks samgiovese! I ultimately decided to rent a car to use throughout the trip since it will be less expensive than renting a limo/car service.

Thank you for the advice... you wouldn't happen to know any good limo services would you?

I am going to be visiting San Francisco in March and have booked a night at Manresa, but have no idea how to get there! Since I don't want to have to rent a car, does anybody have any idea as to how I can get to Los Gatos and back in a single night?

If money, smell, and overcrowding on weekends were no object, I'd live in Chinatown. Pho and bun thit nuong every day!

What are people's thoughts of Chickpea on 3rd Ave. right near Astor Pl.? Never had the falafel, but the "chickplant" sandwich (eggplant and toppings in pita) is quite good.

Would Naples-style pizza be a good enough substitute? I'd try the upscale Italian establishments for something like that. As for NY-style pizza, I'm afraid I do not know...

...and since I'm running out of the kitchen (LOUD NOISE!) at a fixed and precicely measured velocity (running-speed in the direction of the nearest exit), there's an even lower probabiliy of absorption since my exact position (or more specifically the quantum particles of which I consist) at any given point in time cannot be determined with any reasonable precision. Thanks high school physics!

I can't stand MI stoves... most produce a blaring high-pitched noise that is 1,000,000x worse than nails on a chalkboard. It hurts, really. Make sure you're not sensitive to very, very high frequency sound!

I'll second the pho at Pho Tu Do. #2, good stuff.

weinoo is talking about Tsuki, a great spot on the UES. I wouldn't necessarily consider it in the same league as my favorite spots (in terms of quality), but it seems to be consistent.

Even though you mention you are aware of the middle eastern establishments along Atlantic Ave., I can't pass up the opportunity to recommend Waterfalls Cafe for the best baba ganoush, just in case Pacifico, betw. Smith and Boerum Pl. on Pacific St. mass produces huge quesadillas (aptly called the "killer quesadilla") and margaritas... used to be one of my regular hangouts until I found La Taqueria on 7th Ave. in Park Slope.

I had my most memorable and enjoyable NY sushi experience at JB about two years ago. Subsequent visits (post-expansion/renovation) have been mediocre at best.

Japonica seems to be quite popular, and yet I have absolutely no idea why. I was there once and, well, never returned. Oversized fish of somewhat decent quality. The best sushi experience I've had in NYC was at Jewel Bako a couple years ago. So far my attempts to recreate that amazing meal have come up, very, very short. Something changed after the renovation, which seems to be the consensus. IMHO Yasuda-san is (consistently) making the finest sushi in these parts.

I believe the worst pho I've ever had was at Pho Grand. Tasted like chicken soup with stuff thrown in. I heartily recommend Pho Tu Do, on the east side of Bowery just south of Grand St.

Wow. What a place. Absolutely delicious labaneh and hummus. Mains were good all around, and I have to disagree with Asimov's judgment on the Kibbe: he complained it was too dry, I thought it had a crispness/crunchiness that matched beautifully with the salad it was served atop... a very toothsome dish. I actaully ate the entire gargantuan portion, even after filling up on the lemon infused baked pita-like breads and mezze. The mint tea was lovely, and I think compares favorably to the Moroccon incarnation served at La Maison du Couscous, a short walk away. For dessert, Ms. Bishara cooked us up a cake like none I've tasted before. It was basically a 10 inch disc of a stringy mozzarella-type cheese encased in a crystalized sugar nest, drenched in sugar water, topped with a generous amount of finely chopped pistachios. This thing was intense. The first bite packed a powerful punch of sweet and salty, crunchy sugar texture, stringiness from the warm cheese, oily, nutty goodness. It's really something. But one bite was enough, not only because by that time I had consumed much more than I could bear, but because this thing was ridiculously rich, greasy, heavy, and, well, artherosclerosis inducing. It should come with a disclaimer or some sort of warning. But definitely worth a shot if you have a chance to sample it. edit: spell

That is a thing of beauty.