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dimsumfan

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  1. That would be my guess/hope, but one IRS agent read from Pub 463 and said 50%. Hoping others can offer their perspectives! yes, they are--they are a business expense here, as oppose to entertainment. ETA: I am not a tax consultant, but I spoke with one when I started doing reviews and he said that I could deduct the entire cost. ←
  2. I know I should probably contact a tax consultant, but interested in others' perspectives. If doing freelance (paid) work as a restaurant reviewer and filing a Schedule C, are full costs of meals deductible? Meals are generally 50%, but this is real expense, not entertainment. Thanks!
  3. Do you have a favorite tea when you go here? ← No...like I wrote originally, I can't say I like a specific tea. I like to try different ones.
  4. This overall PNW board is sleepy, so thought I'd chime in. I also like Panama Tea House. Can't say I like a specific tea, but I like the variety - though the prices have climbed quite high from a few years ago. Beautiful interior with great photos of old Nihonmachi. I also like the different seating spaces, including a large table where it's fun to spread out papers and work if no one else is around.
  5. Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately, the timing didn't work out for either of these, but I've noted them for next time!
  6. Thanks. I enjoyed reading that article when it came out! But looking for things just a little beyond Flushing.
  7. Okay, I'm going to be in Flushing for the long weekend (tennis, etc.) and looking for some good food destinations. I like having a restaurant as a goal, then going and exploring the surrounding neighborhood (especially if food stores). For example, last year I went to Kebab Cafe in Astoria, walked around the area, and made my way to the Noguchi museum. Made for a great afternoon! I've been to Sripraphai, Burmese Cafe, and a bunch of the places in Flushing's Chinatown like Joe's Shanghai. Love all kinds of food - the more offbeat and hole-in-the-wall, the better. I've got Rego Park on my list this time. Love to use mass transit, but will have a car a couple of days, so I can go further afield. (Enjoyed DUMBO one afternoon last year.) So: 1. Any suggestions of restaurants I should check out in any NYC-area neighborhoods? (Great if in Queens, but willing to travel.) Bonus if you can recommend nearby sites to see that aren't necessarily in the guidebooks. 2. Any early-hour breakfast suggestions of the ethnic variety? A lot of the better places in Flushing's Chinatown seem to open later than I'd like to eat (i.e, 8-9 am). Thanks!
  8. Making an overnight drive from the Halifax airport to Antigonish on a Friday afternoon, returning the next day. Any recommendations for an interesting food stop or two?
  9. Two of us coming in from Seattle soon (3/28-31). We always build our vacation days around food, whether it's finding all the best xiao long bao places in Taipei, following Bourdain/Zimmerns finds in NY, or looking for good holes-in-the-wall everywhere. So, keeping in mind that we're not looking for high-end dining (we might do one meal at Fraiche, but that's about it - and not the highest end!), hoping for help: 1. Haven't had dim sum there in a few years, but used to like Empress in Chinatown and Ocean Harbor (?) in Monterey Park (better seafood there, I recall). Still good places? Better ones to recommend? Do they serve dim sum on weekdays, or only weekends? (Bonus: Where can we find more people to round our table to four, more ideal for dim sum!?) 2. Any good xiao long bao, aside from Din Tai Fung? 3. Any good ramen to recommend? Staying in Culver City, and recall some good, cheap places on Sawtelle, perhaps? 4. Is there a Thai temple that still does street food, or am I really dating myself? 5. Anything to recommend for the day headed down toward Irvine (there or Huntington Beach or Newport Beach) for the flight out? 6. Any fun food tours or events to consider? 7. Any place doing anything interesting with organ meats/offal? 8. Given the type of food I've been describing, any other suggestions for LA/Santa Monica spots to try? Again, we like unique, perhaps ethnic, unpretentious, etc. places. Lots of questions...and lots of appreciation for any help!
  10. Thanks for the ongoing replies. When first posting the message, I was initially thinking of dinners comped to just me and a guest - not the group media event. I'm learning that when in doubt, it's best to ask: Both the firm setting up the meal, and the server providing it. And as mentioned originally I've asked the restaurant owner, and I'd like to think I should be able to take that person at his/her word; that said, I agree it's best to tend toward generosity.
  11. Steven, thanks for the thorough and thoughtful reply. Very helpful, and I really appreciate it!
  12. I'm looking forward to thoughts about the "freelance restaurant critiquing" post that's current on this board, and have a somewhat related question. When comped a restaurant meal by a PR firm, is it standard practice that the firm is covering everything including the tip? Last thing I'd want to do is not reward the server (and others) for their service, so please excuse the naivete and help me get this right. I actually asked at one place and the restaurant said "we actually pay for the meal, and we'll take care of the server as well," but I left with an uncomfortable feeling that maybe the server wouldn't get tipped. Anyone with experience on this? I want to do the right thing! (Yes, I know, the right thing for some means not accepting a comped meal, but let's just run with the comped meal part for now!)
  13. I'll be in Madison and Ripon in a couple of weeks with a couple of days off between business obligations. I'll be far from home, and I'm trying to figure out what to do with that time. The foodie in me would like to do something interesting, perhaps in conjunction with something relaxing/retreaty. Food tours? Farm stays? Anything food-related that's amazing to see/taste? Any suggestions? I'm willing to drive a reasonable distance, but I don't want to spend an extravagant amount of money, and I think I'd rather not go into Chicago (unless you can convince me otherwise...I'm sure I can have a feast there). I realize this is a pretty wide open request, but I'm hoping someone can come up with something fun for this foodie!
  14. Any suggestions for somewhere unique to eat for lunch on the road from Norfolk to Dulles (anywhere in between) tomorrow? I won't likely have much time to stray far off the main road (except maybe Williamsburg), so easy access preferred - and also prefer a non-chain that offers something regional, ethnic, hole-in-the-wall, or the like. Thanks!
  15. They look to be shijimi clams. See this Seattlest entry.
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