raji

I have been as recently as last summer, and you could arguably say that the canteen or the Hudd make a better paper dosai or sambar or chutney, but for a mysore or pondicherry or other escalations of spice, they are very very good. Their masala potato is also awfully tasty without breaking the ghee barrier. I take them to go eat @ Shea, lucky I have a front row and aisle in front of me otherwise it could be unwieldy

I haven't lived in the heights/DUMBO for a while, but when I did, everything on Montague universally sucked, while almost everything down Henry was very very good. Perhaps things have changed but it just seems like one of those trends like 14th Street vs. the area directly above it.

You can show up anytime, mine's totally authentic . I even have a half-pound nagaimo sitting in my fridge. You might also try this place http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/otafuku/

I consider Korean BBQ and yakiniku different cuisines with a common history - don't you?

Are you sure you aren't mistaking Ethiopean for Indian? the 2 are very similar - a lot of the better traditions of south indian cooking made it's way to Ethiopia/Somalia and vice versa - like the tangy breads, the complex vegetable curries, and very much the spicing.

AKAIK momofuku defines any categorization. At the same time, as it should, the strongest influence is korean, across the menu. It's name is unfortunate.. Momofuku Ando was the inventor of cup ramen - I really doubt that the original intent was to call it "lucky peach". Chang's original intent was to make a better bowl of ramen for NYC, as far as I can tell, and he arrived here through a huge series of accidents, some happier than others.

Yeah it got DoHed. You know how I always talk so positively of how it's so great that in NY we can get the same kind of singular culinary obsession, be it soba or yakitori or edomae sushi, that they have in Japan, rather than the "generalized" Japanese restaurant so common elsewhere? This IMO is too extreme. Apparently the health/skin benefits of collagen were the driving force behind the restaurant. Meaning it's primary customer was middle-aged Japanese women. Despite the DoH, wonder how it was doing...

Well Aburiya doesn't need to be any more or less expensive than Totto, and both can be relatively inexpensive or relatively expensive depending on how you order. Totto, Torys, AK, Soba Totto are all the same owner and paradigm, so I'd say if I had one weekend, to do one is to do them all. also, with this enterprise, the best of the group tends to be the newest because that's being supervised the most - check Meehan's review of Soba Totto

Well I applaud your focus on Japanese cuisine - if you're coming from Seattle/Portland/SF and Boston, all which have small but devoted Japanese populations, than you're really going to dig the level of specialization, authenticity and diversification and see that our Japanese is the best outside of Japan.... I would go to Soba Totto, because then you can have your Soba and yakitori (and chicken sashimi) experience all in one go., so that takes care of Totto, Torys, and Sobaya. If you like santouka, go to santouka or skip setagaya. Gyu-kaku kinda sucks and if you want, I'll make you an okonomiyaki in my living room that you'll love. Suibi is great if you're from Okinawa, are you? I would keep Aburiya in there, that's an experience. But if you can afford Aburiya and Totto than you could probably hit up a 15-piece omakase at Ushiwakamaru. Can post more later lemme know what you think

I should also add that I'm not exactly going out of my way to return to 2nd Avenue Deli - my mom's cousin, who probably eats enough deli to keep one of those places in business, reported back that the lines got longer, the prices skyrocketed, and the portions actually got smaller, so if she's around there she goes to Sarge's. Katz's is still my favorite for pastrami and corned beef, but PQ is damn good. I can justify paying >$20 at Carnegie because, if I have the good fortune of buying a "Woody Allen" before a major weather event, I know I could pretty much make sub-sandwiches off of the original Carnegie monster for another 3-4 days.

I somehow wound up at 79th and Lex, and on Lex between 77th and 78th on Lex is the Pastrami Queen. Is this the same one you refer to? I popped in and ordered a hot pastrami on rye to go, russian and mustard on the side and ate half on the bus downtown; not the ideal situation, but I had to stay mobile. Dare I say this is a very good sandwich. Very much a more refined Katz's, sliced thinner, leaner but very flavorful. Size-wise, it's probably about .25 lbs smaller than a Katz's, so it can be consumed in one sitting without a huge amount of guilt, but for $12.95, you are paying Upper East Side prices.

Peter Meehan just reviewed Soba Totto - the 4th of this group, Totto, Aburiya, Torys, now here, which opened across the street from Yasuda which I mentioned in another thread - http://events.nytimes.com/2008/02/06/dinin...html?ref=dining And it offers new insight behind-the-scenes of the mini-empire of Ryuichi Munekata... I first met him back in 2003 just as Totto was opening, but haven't caught him much since then, he seems pretty busy with 4 restaurants and counting - I took part in a complete feast at Aburiya Kinnosuke on Friday night. It was my friend's birthday and he wanted "something different" after a cycle of prodigious sushi-eating, so I suggested we dine at this robatayaki/modern,high-class izakaya. Consumed: edamame their housemade tofu assortment of pickles sashimi - Yuzu hamachi (hardly tasted the yuzu, but the fish was delightful) uni - sea urchin amaebi (small sweet shrimp) ikura The uni and amaebi were as good or better than those had at top sushi bars. The uni was a bright orange and extremely delicious, the sweet shrimp amazing and the ikura also wonderful - all served with or without small shirataki noodles, shiso, kelp, etc. Salmon kama - completely covered in salt and fired, absolutely succulent miso'd mushroom shishamo (smelt) grilled nagaimo (mountain yam) wagyu tongue tsukune - chicken meatball (this was the only disapointment of the meal, it had too hard of a crust, and this is one of their signature dishes so should be perfect every time) plum ochazuke (rice & green tea) chicken & gobo (burdock) takikomi gohan (cooked rice dish) crab butter - this was a miss - it's what's normally known as "kanimiso" - crab brains, but they whip it with butter and server it with crackers. It's so rich, you can only possibly eat like 20% of it, I wanted to take the rest home. several carafes of sake, several kirin drafts, and a couple of imo-shochus on my part - the entire feast came in under $300, not bad as we all super-extended our stomachs, not easy at a Japanese restaurant I haven't been to a DINNER here in probably a year or so, and it has matured, but it's maturation is a bit of a double-edged sword. The sake, shochu and wine list is now even moreso extensive, so that it occupies a binder on your table. Whereas a couple of years ago, the specials could fit on one page and on a blackboard, now indeed there are more specials than there are items on the regular menu - the specials also occupy another binder. This is great as they very much try to serve what is current and perfect and in season. However, the only downside is that when they had a more limited menu (it was never all that limited), the level of execution neared perfection on every dish, now it's a little bit more hit-or-miss - the misses are far and few, but they do exist now where they didn't before.

Pretty interesting - it's good to know there's a food critic out there who can cook. For some reason, my image of a food critic's fridge is like that of Frank Drebin's from the Naked Gun. I don't know why that is - just seems like a natural case for "the cobbler's son has no shoes" Let Alan know that he can get yamaimo and nagaimo, Japanese mountain yams, at one of the many Japanese or korean marts in Hartsdale or White Plains which is pretty close by - Daido, Meiji-da, etc. And tell him that he should go work at Barfry - his trip to japan apparently endowed him with some basic knowledge - wok, hot oil, flash-fry - tempura goodness!

Your memories were most likely of the same chain, Santouka, which starting popping up in So Cal at the Yaohans in the 80s. A lot of Japanese chains made their way over to Cali, i.e. Yoshinoya and some of the convenience store brands, during those heady days. Santouka will always be the best, but, Ippudo is imminent and may trump Santouka. While personal preference can steer a ramen-eater, It really comes down to execution at level, because noone is operating at Santouka's level of execution - (ad in Japanese newspaper soliciting opening staff)

Well you're just cherrypicking quotes to try to make your point. I think in general there's a stronger case for shopping rather than restaurants. There's no shortage of New Yorkers who hop in a car to stock up at Trader Joe's or Stew Leonards or Costco, and really, the Indian, Korean and Japanese supermarkets we went to are like Asian versions of those. But I can't get anything like the Moksha buffet or the Santouka ramen in NYC. I can get a very very good, stupidly overpriced slider, but not a White Manna slider... you might not appreciate that until you've had one. And I'm quite certain I can't get anything like a Jimmy Buff's in NYC... I mean, it's so wrong, all these tourists come to NYC and get a dirty water dog, but there's no hot dog culture like there is in Chicago or LA or who knows where else. I CAN, tho, go to Lederhosen and get a brat, a bock, some german fries and spaetlze, and get something approximately close...

Yes - what he said. The Ketchup was merely in service of the potatoes. the Mustard and accumulated rendered beef and pork fat were in service of the hotdog. I will make fun of your mother if you put ketchup on your hot dog. This is not one of those cases

I'm the last person and Manhattanite that would schlep to NJ for much of ANYTHING, but Fat Guy is right. The tour he arranged of New Jersey was a revelation to say the least. I have to be a bit brief because I'm rather busy, but The schlep to Edison, which was by far further out than anywhere else we went, was like a great homecoming for myself. When I was young, we'd go into the city, be it Manhattan or Queens, to get authentic Indian food and groceries. But what is in Edison makes the grocery shopping look ghetto. Clearly, like many things Italian, well-off Indians have long since fled to the suburbs, and Edison has grown by leaps and bounds since the 80s. And Moksha. Moksha!! Wow. Basically, you are getting a full tour of a top South Indian vegetarian and non-vegetarian kitchen. I called it Chola in a buffet. They make fresh dosais for you and have all manner of house-made chutneys and pickles. The flavors and spicing are divine. And it's $13. You really, really can't beat that. Combine that with the supermarkets, and it's well worth a 35 minute drive. If not Moksha, then one of the others of the Mehtani empire, North Indian, Singaporan/panasian, etc. You probably have a friend or relative with a car or who regularly rents one with their wife. Have them drive you and they'll thank you for the trip - My first go at the buffet sick selection of house-made Indian sweets. Doesn't get much better than this The supermarket makes Jackson Heights look like a 3rd world country, not to mention vintage rice! Jimmy Buff's (FG posted pictures) I would say was the only debateable stop on the tour. Not debateable, yes, we should stop there, and YOU should stop there if you're ever in Jersey, but debateable if it's worth a foodie shipping to West Orange NJ for. That said, take 3 dishes you know and love - a hot dog, a sausage and peppers, and home fries - put it on tasty focaccia, up the grease and meat quality quotient, and holy shit, that was a tasty sandwich.... I called it a garbage plate on bread. BTW mayur and FG are pussies cuz I did not feel intimidated by the crowd there! No worse than any old place in Yonkers or the bronx don't forget your C&C Music Factory Orange Soda... Super H-Mart, for Mitsuwa shoppers, is totally worth hitting up before hand for pretty much anything Northeast Asian you might need... we bought a bunch of stuff like daikon, tofu, and their huge-ass selection of korean bbq meats, which would be a lot cheaper than Mitsuwa, but Mitsawa you want to go to for the authentic Japanese goods which does make a big difference. this place is a Korean mitsuwa on super steroids. Did we mention the kimchi bar? Another revelation from the trip - it's so close to the GWB, I'll be back DEFO We were chuckling like idiots because the roman letter "H" means sex in Japan, so, yeah, Super H Mart, sounds like a great place, wonder why they didn't open in Japan.... "Select few" my ass weinoo! This is the king of ramens. Man, I read about setagaya and it's broth, or this place and it's toppings, blah blah. Santouka's ramen is so damn good because it hits on ALL points. It's broth is downright intoxicating. It's noodles are FAR more edible than Setagayas. And it's toroniku (pork) is delicious and better than any in the city. Don't ask IF it's worth it to go to Mitsuwa for the ramen - I already do.... And someone on here insisted that Landmark has a better sake selection than Mitsuwa. Bullshit. I count 120 in this picture alone. Plus they have another 30-40 shochu selection, and all sorts of Japanese wine and beer. BUY BOOZ @ MITSUWA White Manna - described by FG as White Castle's if they actually did everything correctly. Truer words have never been spoken. I don't even LIKE White Castle, and I love these burgers, and I will return in an instant if I'm every in northern NJ in a car. Or even if I'm not.

Yeah, seriously, neither - go to MOMA

In my experience, for a group that size, Korean BBQ, shabu-shabu, or Chinese hotpot are all perfect for, and all fit into your budget. Shabu-tatsu is still perfectly fine, on 10th street. Maybe someone on here can tell us which Korean BBQ is currently using charcoal, and which chinese hotpot place is good. Anyway, those 3 ups the fun and interaction because everyone is participating in the cooking... and Jinro and shoukoshu are cheap and get you blotto

Oh - well that's easy. Just tell them you want all nigirizushi and some sashimi. I'm not all that familiar with their menu, but if there are omakases and tasting menus that don't list their contents, then they will tailor it for you, and if not, doesn't sound like it's any more expensive to order a la carte there anyway, as pricey as it is. This is all easier at the bar, usually sushi chefs will ask me when to switch from sashimi to sushi to maki etc. If you go there so much, you should know what their strengths and weaknesses are by now If you knew which sushi chefs I talk to, I doubt you'd be suspicious. "Consumption Roe Sea urchin roe is considered a delicacy in Japan, where it is primarily served raw in sushi. The Japanese name for sea urchin roe is uni." Most sea urchin roe buyers at Tokyo's Tsukiji Central Wholesale Market purchase for expensive traditional Japanese-style restaurants which demand extremely high quality in both appearance and taste. Although some imported sea urchin roe is currently shipped to Hokkaido and northern Honshu for processing, inferior quality has prevented an increased market share for imported roe. The demand for sea urchin roe is seasonal, with the largest amount being consumed in December. Sea urchin roe is marketed in different product forms: Fresh (nama uni), frozen (reito uni), baked and frozen (yaki uni), steamed (mushi uni), and salted (shio uni). Salting is used primarily for lower-grade roe. Two fermented urchin roe products are also popular in Japan: Neri uni (a blended urchin paste) and tsubi uni (a lumpy paste). Live Urchin Virtually no live imported sea urchin is sold at the Tsukiji Market. Buyers of live sea urchin usually prefer the domestic Japanese sea urchin which is limited in supply. Because of the difficulties in shipping and handling live, whole sea urchins, Japanese importers generally prefer to have the roe processed at the place of origin. "

NO WAY! I'm not buying what you're selling! there has to have been another factor? ← I shit you not; it's true. I'm told there were more staff than diners. At a place that is pretty much packed to the gills any night of the week.

I'll post tonight/tomorrow with all the photos from the trip too (except the ones of yours truly trying to fit his mouth around a Jimmy Buff's in all it's calorific glory). I've espoused Santouka's ramen ad nauseum - I'd rather hear what you, FG and Mayur had to think of your Santouka shioramens, especially since there are people out there who believe Setegaya's shioramen to be the best, whether they've tried Santouka or not. And if Santouka's is judged to be the best, this would further support FG's original claim, as to sample the best ramen in the NYC area would be to go to across the river to Edgewater, NJ.

Sushi Yasuda was not busy last Friday night. I can't attribute this anomaly to anything other than the fact that at this point, the majority of Yasuda's customers seem to be American who would have caught wind of this stupidity.

I've always felt that, at equivalent prices, the butchers and fishmongers of sub-42nd 9th Avenue offer much better quality than Chinatown. I braised a buta no kakuni from pork belly I bought at Esposito's for 5 hours and damn was it good - http://recipes.egullet.org/recipes/r1108.html I also had them sell me a whole cow tongue as well as slice a bunch of pork and beef razor thing for a yakiniku party I had. holy shit was that tongue a revelation - but I sliced that at home on my own slicer. short ribs too

Eisenberg, eisenstein, schlemeil, schlemozl