peter_nyc

Now for the $25,000 question: I am familiar with the term yamakake, but is there such a thing as nagakake or even namakake?

Yes, I meant nagaimo, silly me Sorry for the confusion, but thanks for all the great info! I'm desperate to make myself yamakake.. I've been eating since I was 8 and absolutely love the stuff. Mostly the variety where the nagaimo is grated to a slimy goo, but recently I've fallen head over heels for the matchsticked-variety. YUMMMMMMMM.

Is there a distinction between yamaimo and namaimo?

I was also there this past Friday night and had the 7-course tasting menu which included the sable and tofu dish--I thought it to be one of the most enjoyable dishes I've ever had. The simplicity of the tofu really highlighted the sable's flavor. Anything less subtle would have detracted from the intrinsic qualities of the fish, and wow was it cooked to perfection. The tofu was panko-crusted and quickly fried before being partially submerged in the flavorful bonito broth, adding wonderful yet subtle (the theme of this dish) texture. Another standout dish was the duck served with wheatberry salad. Do not hesitate on this one. This restaurant really amazed me although the wine pairings were not wonderful. I should also mention that both of the two desserts I sampled, a chocolate cake and a meyer lemon "bread pudding", were absolutely fantastic. I was thoroughly impressed to learn that Anita does her own desserts.

Kristin, that is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen...

Gave NYNoodleTown a shot this afternoon. Ordered the wonton with "beef meat" soup and the shrimp dumpling soup. The kitchen accidentally swapped the dumplings and so I ended up with shrimp dumpling with "beef meat" soup and wonton soup, and the "beef meat" was actually beef tendon, but both soups were delicious anyway.

I can vouch for the Chocolate Room in Brooklyn (5th Ave. and St. Marks Pl.) Plated daily specials are usually outstanding. Their homemade mint ice cream and chocolate sorbet are amazing. Don't skip the homemade marshmallows or bittersweet chocolate pudding! edit: spelling

Does nigori sake have a shorter/longer shelf life than filtered sake? I brought a few bottles back from Japan this April and am starting to become concerned. What about filtered sake while we're at it? They've been sitting in a wine cooler set to 57F/14C for about four months now... thanks!

Does anybody have any rec's as to where I can find a good incarnation of halo halo in NYC? I've become enamored with the Vietnamese che (coconut milk/evaporated milk/condensed milk/mung bean/agar agar/tapioca/beans drink), and want to broaden my horizons a bit.

It appears that you can't have your cake and eat it too... or, should I say, your coffee and drink it too.

A bunch of brave fellows have finally opened up their coffee shop down the block from my apartment on fourth avenue, (hopefully) marking the beginnings of an encroachment upon the wasteland that lies between 5th avenue and, well, Smith St. (an overly optimistic perspective I admit). But nevertheless, I am more than happy to welcome these guys to my block. They call themselves Mule, and do not seem to have any web presecene whatsoever at this point. The opened Monday according to the owner who built the place by hand (he was/is a self-proclaimed "wood and steel man"). They open and 7am and serve coffee, espresso drinks, bagels and some assorted muffins and pastries. They expect the menu to become more expansive over time as they get settled. Friendly. Pleasant atmosphere. Had a double espresso but do not really know enough about coffee to confidently report anything about it other than the fact that I enjoyed it and subsequently suffered from caffeine-induced tremors that lasted a few hours. <b>Mule</b> <i>4th Avenue between St. Marks and Bergen St.</i>

Dining at Per Se tomorrow evening. Should I go with the wine pairings???

An assortment of Plantations Arriba chocolate bars can be found at Chocolate Room on 5th Ave between Lincoln Pl. & St. Marks Pl. Great homemade desserts as well.

I can't profess enough my affections for Taro! My companions and I are regulars, mostly stopping by for or taking in lunch. Last evening my mother came to town so we all went for Taro. The omakase was divine as usual, mostly traditional Japanese preparations except for the occasional funky item like salmon sushi topped with a sliver of avocado and a dollop of sevruga caviar. I love this place!

Dined at Babbo twice in the past month in groups of 2 and 5 at 10:45pm and 9:30pm respectively, both on Friday evenings. My two prior experiences to these had been wonferful: the pasta tasting menu on my first visit over a year ago was nothing short of spectacular. These most recent visits, however, were not thrilling. It was quite disheartening to have two lackluster dinners in the course of a short few weeks. It all started when my companion received his grilled octopus. This was not the first time we had tasted this dish--in previous incarnations it had been incredibly tender and flavorful. This time around it was tough. The rest of the meal was riddled with inconsistencies: the lamb's brain "francobolli" were bland, the rabbit was cooked very well but overpowered by lavender honey, the lamb's tongue were a bit greasy and not as good as I remembered from a previous visit. My most recent outing was probably worse. I was so excited to order the pasta tasting menu once again, hardly able to contain myself thinking back on my first experience at Babbo. The real problem this night was getting the food from the kitchen to our table: when our second pasta course arrived, mine was the only plate that had some ravioli swimming in a sea of butter, and I'm not exaggerating. One dish claimed to include a scoop of gelato, but instead arrived as a brown puddle leaking onto the miniature ricotta cheesecake. My tasting of garganelli with funghi trifolati, one of my favorite go-to dishes at Babbo, arrived with 2 lonely pieces of mushroom while some of my luckier companions received what appeared to be an extra helping. I resorted to cutting up the pair into smaller pieces, hoping to spread the flavor a bit, but was only mildly successful. By this point my spirit was all but broken. On a good note, the wine pairings were better this time around. I'm not sure what to think about all of this. Should I be worried? Will I ever have a great meal here again? I'd hate to think that I won't.

I made my way down to World Tong Seafood Restaurant on the fourth at around 2:30pm for some dim sum. The place was absolutely packed. After spilling hot tea all over my partner's lap, I was ready to eat. Everything was delicious except for an order of what appeared to be a large helping of pork fat and skin with traces of pork meat-- none of the fat had rendered out in the slightest. And while I have no clue as to whether this is an authentic preparation, the sheer amount of pork fat was simply offputting to me. One interesting thing though: While I just returned from a trip to Vietnam and therefore have all things Vietnamese on the mind, I swore I heard the waiter who did not speak English call one of the dishes "Bun Xeo". It was a glutinousy-rice pancake-y thing but it had no filling and was doused in a sesame-peanut sauce, but was certainly reminiscent of a bun xeo. Was I hearing things?

I ate at S&T for the first time this evening...almost ended up in the restaurant that took their old space as I took down the address from an early eG post, but luckily hesitated and checked twice. Here's what I had: cold jelly Chengdu style spicy bamboo shoots lamb with spicy sauce sauteed chinese vegetables cucumbers in vinegar sauce The cold noodles were really fun for me since the flavor brought me back to a childhood friend's family dinner table--his mother was an excellent cook from Chengdu. The lamb was very good although the cumin was not mixed in very welll, leaving some bits too intensely cumin-flavored. There was also a spice in the lamb dish that I haven't had in years... it's one that I can only describe as "tongue-numbing". Does anybody have any clue as to what spice might be causing this sensation? All in all, I had a great meal and am looking forward to exploring the menu more thoroughly.

Somebody mentioned Peperoncino on 5th Ave. and St. Marks Pl. upthread... ...while I enjoy their pizza, I must warn you all to NOT order the mixed meat and cheese plate appetizer, unless of course you're in the mood for a few microscopic slivers of cheese (one variety, not assorted in the slightest) atop a huge pile of crap ham studded with slices of pimento loaf. Oh, and the service was incredibly bad.

Thanks for that info! Do you have any Tokyo kaiseki rec's?

Actaully... I might as well ask: If you were to allow yourself one lavish kaiseki meal in either Tokyo or Kyoto, where would it be? (I'll be in both but assumed that Kyoto would be the more economical choice). And is there a difference between traditionoal kaiseki and kyoto-style kaiseki meals? Thanks!!

mid-April. let's pretend not, so long as it's worth it :)

Does anybody have any suggestions for a wonderful kaiseki meal in Kyoto? edit: spelling

I will be in Tokyo for one week next month for the first time. As a traveller who is intent on sampling some of the best that Tokyo has to offer (mostly Japanese fare), would the Tokyo Coupons program be a good idea? In other words, are there any *greats* on the list of participating restaurants?

The size of the fish is much more authentic than most places serve up (small): I'd say slightly larger than Yasuda-san's. This guy knows what he's doing and obviously takes great pride in his work. I would say that the quality of fish is one step below Jewel Bako and Yasuda. But much better than pretty much everywhere else.

I just wanted to let everybody know about this place Taro Sushi-- I've been back many times since I started this thread. My expectations have been surpassed time and time again. This place is FANTASTIC. Ridiculously good value and VERY fresh fish. Anybody in the area who is even has the slightest hankering for sushi should look no further.