beayang

no idea about the doughnut place but pastrami queen relocated to lexington just south of 79th street: Pastrami Queen 1125 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10075 (212) 734-1500

Just to report back - the mangosteens I bought were awful! The outer skin was still rock hard after a day and so I cut them open with a knife. The insides looked good, but the taste and smell were completely off. So disappointing. scottie, the only other time I've had these was in Indonesia and the skin was thicker than these ones and gave in to pressure (similar to squeezing a navel orange) when ripe. To eat them, we were told to press the flower-shape stem on the bottom and that would kind of crack open the outer skin. I'm curious to hear how yours turn out!

I just bought mangosteens in Chinatown for $7 for a bag (12-14 in a bag). They are from Thailand and still pretty hard so I have no idea how they will taste.

markk - was this your best/favorite dinner of the three you had in miami? everything sounds great! bea

Amazing photos. I can't wait to go and have one of those artichoke pizzas.

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I went to Vegetarian Dim Sum on Tuesday and had a mixed experience. Some dishes were very good and others just so-so. It is a huge menu. It's interesting because they use a gluten(?) meat substitute in some dishes and the texture reminded me of fish paste, slightly rubbery. I've had battered mushrooms in place of meat, which texture-wise I think is more successful in stir- fry dishes. Next on my list are Bodai and Zen Palate. Vloglady, is the place you recommended called MaMa Buddha? I like their non-veg dishes, so I'll have to try the veg options sometime. If you're ever in LA, Happy Family is definitely worth a visit.

There is a great vegetarian Chinese restaurant in LA's San Gabriel Valley called Happy Family. I am looking for the New York equivalent. The menu should be completely vegetarian, not just a Chinese joint with veg options. Any suggestions?

I just spoke to someone - they should be open at the end of the week! bawk!

sorry to hear you had a bad experience! i feel like the service is never that good in chinatown, but i wonder if i'm just immune now... i was also thinking, one doesn't normally want to sit near the kitchen, but at dim sum it can be a plus because you catch the carts on their way out. i've gotten screwed when seated on the far side, away from the kitchen. Try dim sum go go next time. You'll definitely get better service!

Wow, I'm excited to try a new dim sum place! Pan, how does Grand Harmony compare to Golden Unicorn and Jing Fong?

Hi u.e. - just saw your request in the NYC forum for dim sum - let me know if you need any more chinatown recommendations! bea

Try Golden Unicorn on East Broadway or Jing Fong on Elizabeth. Get there early - 11 am would be ideal.

Just wanted to thank everyone for the Detroit food suggestions! Here's what I had: Small Plates - this was a great suggestion. i was by myself so i couldn't taste a lot of things, but the beef with gorgonzola sauce was excellent. Slow's BBQ - baby backs were ok, but the brisket was excellent - smoky and tender. the restaurant is nice, very mellow and laid-back with a good selection of beers. Sweet Georgia Brown - this seems like an expensive date place. i did have a deep fried lobster tail which was fantastic. Let me know if you're ever in NYC - i would be happy to give food suggestions!

thanks for the suggestions - they look great! someone also mentioned "greek town" to me. Is this worth checking out? Is it like little italy/chinatown?

hi all - i have 1 free saturday to explore detroit. What should i eat? I will be in the downtown area (no car, so not able to travel out) and just want to explore and have a great meal. Thanks!!!