raji

That's a very difficult question to answer, as people's tastes vary widely. Just take a look at this topic and all the topics it links to, and you'll see hundreds of ideas for what makes a perfect burger. ← Thats right - that's an extremely personal question - there are as many burger variations in the USA as ramen variations in Japan, it's as much as a national dish as you can get, so the burger debate is definitely akin to the ramen debate. Also, people will tell you that LA is a burger town vs. NY, but those people probably prefer skinnier fast-food style patties. Personally I very rarely like those, and judging by popularity of burger joints in NYC, most NYers are with me - to them (and me) what makes a perfect burger is in fact a thick patty, 1/3-1/2lb, that is thick enough to show off how it's been cooked - i.e. medium-rare should be pink in the center. Skinny fast-food style patties can never do that. On a sesame-seed or poppy-seed kaiser-style roll, or perhaps a potato roll that has been crisped up perhaps with a little butter, lettuce, tomato, thin-sliced half-sour pickles, onion, ketchup and mayo, (or perhaps a russian dressing)... mustard, rarely... At the more luxe places you will find things like caramelized red onion, sauteed mushrooms, bleu cheese I've reverse-engineered the formula a few of the top places are using. They use approximately 70% sirloin or chuck and 30% brisket. Fresh-grind the meat - if you don't have a meat grinder or food processor or something that will chop it up, witness a sushi-chef making negitoro and do likewise - a rough chop with a sharp knife should be fine. Freshly ground meat will shock you how much better it tastes - ground meat from the supah takes on oxidation and the characteristic totally changes. The brisket adds fat content and bite in a very positive way. Anyway, this is the formula places like Shake Shack, Burger Joint, and GoodBurger (there has been a burger war going on for about 3 years now here) use and I daresay my homemade burger was just as good made at home - Report back if anyone tries this out!

I've been to Johnny Rockets once, a location in CA, and if that burger is representative of the entire chain, I'm not impressed. Those Kua'aina burgers look like they're worth the money, keeping in mind that theses days a combo meal at McD's here in CA is over $5. ← They have a Johnny Rockets here in NY, too. The one in Tokyo is a lot better, as are their fries and shakes, but also they stand out because there are so few really good burgers in Tokyo - $5? That's a fucking steal. A combo meal in NY is more like $7-$8. Maybe it was $5 back in 2000. The beautiful thing is, though, when's the last time prices have changed in Japan? Totally stagnant.

Hey guys - I lived in Japan 2000-2002 returning a few times each year since then - some of my intel might be a bit dated, I am going to put together a map on Google maps of all my recommendations, and I will post it in this thread when it's up. I hope you guys can help add and annotate that map when I do -

Did I get the spelling and location correct? They are SICK there - how much was it again?

That's been my experience when returning from Asia, especially Japan. The difference between a can of Sprite in Japan and USA is shocking.

I thought our goal is to next year be eating supermarket matzohs in Israel?

As a born/bred NYer I refused to live in Tokyo because the pizza so universally sucked. My friend vowed to take me to an impressive pizzeria, and it quickly became my favorite. It is located in Akasaka, off Akasaka-dori (I believe) near the nagatacho station? It is run by a Japanese chef who had trained in Italy and even appeared on Ryouri no tetsujin. Their pizzas are WAFER-thin so you can have several at once, one of their best being quatro frommagio. If anyone cares to dig up which this is, GO, you will be rewarded!

In Japan earlier this year (this trip was almost a month so I was jonesing) the best burger I consumed was in Shimo-Kitazawa http://shimokitareviews.blogspot.com/2007/...e-vanguard.html I think this dude listed an unassociated link: http://www.village-v.co.jp/ It was fully worthy of most any burger joint in NYC and LA, not to mention the topping selection. My other favorites from living there were Kuwa'ana, there's one in right near Aoyama-Gakuin on Aoyama-dori, and Johnny Rockets near Roppongi Kosaten

That is the population of the Kanto Plane, isn't it? The population of Tokyo's 23 wards is much smaller, about 8.6 million, and the guide talks about retaurants in those 23 wards. I'm not qualified to talk about the guide, but I think it has succeeded in getting a lot of attention of the Japanese people. As you may know, the Japanese like to listen to what "gaijin" have to say. ← Thanks for the correction. 35 Million is Kanto, yeah. Probably 40 million now. 8.6 million is Tokyo's population. 8.25 is NY's population. I'd argue that FAR more people commute into Tokyo than NYC, and that Tokyo is much further developed than NYC's 5 boroughs, but still, Tokyo kicked NY's ass apparently... I still think you will find a much wider variety of INTERNATIONAL food in NYC, but lord knows I miss Tokyo for having so many goddamn excellent restaurants. Watch out guys, I'm moving back. You guys will enjoy this: http://nymag.com/daily/food/2007/11/how_to...michelin_c.html I disagree with the author's contention that good food must be expensive. I don't care if you're "qualified" to talk about the guide - what do the locals think? is what I still want to know. I don't think a bunch of French gourmands are "qualified" to judge Japanese food - but there they went. I should publish my own guide!

I haven't found an oversalting problem... and I only use shakers at diners... In Japanese dining, different kinds of salts, from French grey salt to mineral salts to dead sea salts to hawaiian salts, have been a bit of revelation given that this was the realm of almost exclusively Soy sauce for salting in the past, and it's been a welcome one, adding new flavor and texture to everything from sushi to yakitori. I noticed this starting around 2000 - Seki, Shimizu and Yasuda all will present with various salts instead of soy. They also work at places where customers don't drown nigiri sushi rice in wasabi-infused soysauce

Man, gotta rack my brains over this one - There's places like a Corner Bistro; despite the name, it is a meant to be a W. Village watering hole, and judging by the size of it's double broiler, you can definitely surmise that they stumbled upon something when their burgers became so popular - Joe's Shanghai has an entire Shanghai Chinese menu, but you wouldn't have known based on mass ordering of it's soup dumplings 10 years ago... There's a great takeout place in Hell's Kitchen that I stumbled upon, Sawa BBQ http://www.sawabbq.com/index.html A Japanese chef doing American BBQ standards. With Daisy Mae's 4 blocks away, i've never tried it, but I imagine someone told the guy "err you might try Japanese food" because now there's a chalkboard up offering standard donburi like oyakodon, katsudon, katsucurry, shogayaki, even sushi, and they're all done expertly in a neighborhood rife with Japanese knockoff eateries. On the BBQ-tip, many people go to Daisy Mae's because they're SIDES are so excellent, although I'd argue on a good day the Memphis Dry Rubs is one of the best rack of ribs you can get in the city, as well as their beef rib... On the Adam Perry Lang tip, If Robert's Steakhouse wasn't called Robert's Steakhouse, you could argue that it's funny you can get a world-class steak on the mezzanine at the Penthouse Executive Club, where it's mammaries, not meat, being the main event... There's probably numerous steakhouses out there where it's something other than their steak that is the best there... the only I can think of is perhaps Keen's, where you are advised to order the mutton. I've read several reviews of Soto which proclaimed that it was the wife's kitchen dishes rather than the sushi that deserve praise.

South Indian restaurants should definitely be able to accommodate you, as they are used to serving all manners of kosher, vegan, etc. not to mention the brahmins.. anything being made fresh out of the kitchen just ask for those omissions and it should still be delicious... .but is Ghee (clarified butter) dairy? Never had vegetable Ghee before... My first suggestion, for a good date though, was going to be Japanese food. Dairy is very rarely used, so it should be obvious those few dishes which are verboten; same with salt. So then it's just a matter of making sure any tofu and soy sauce are ommitted or are on the side. You could go to sushi - fish, rice and wasabi - and a good place, she won't miss the soy sauce so much, and could ask for plum or ponzu or a "safe" sauce for some minimal flavoring. You could do the same at one of my favorite Japanese restaurants, Aburiya Kinnosuke - this is a robatayaki which means the emphasis is fresh fish, meat and produce and everything prepared to order in an open kitchen. While soy-mirin-sugar is a common glaze, they could omit the soy for you and get you other sauces. A lot of fried/grilled stuff is often served with salt lemon and miso on the side anyway. Heck, they even got a Michelin star (not that I'm acknowledging those frogs) http://www.aburiyakinnosuke.com/web_menu/a..._dinner.pdf.zip

No dedicated Kuruma thread.... A JP friend interviewed there today, they told her to come back in January as there will be a second restaurant opening up. I really hope it's an affordable version of Kuruma. Any Kuruma regulars on here heard likewise? Is Eater gonna scoop me? Anyway, she's starting at Yasuda.

Salumeria Belliese is probably your best bet in the city, if not going the french route (honestly what beats a good saucisson sec) - you can get some pretty cool Chinese sausages/hams in Chinatown, if you like those. Esposito's are pork specialists but I think all their ahms are imported from Italy...

Thanks. Sounds like you had some bad luck at Hatsuhana, but, I've seen the diligent waitresses and waiters at Shimizu, Ushiwakamaru (coming back soon!), Seki, and Yasuda express-deliver the sushi. Esashi, most likely because there's never more than a dozen people in there. But those places are so small that the sushi chefs are hyper-aware of the counter AND the tables as everything is so close. Weekends, you may be right, but I think a lot of us avoid eating out altogether, as you could accuse most restaurants of bad customers AND bad service!

Mostly agreed. Calling 15 East more "nouveau" was moreover based on their extensive kitchen menu which receives more accolades than their traditional sushi. But it is possible to enjoy a very traditional omakase sushi dinner at any reputable sushi bar with a chef that was traditionally trained in Japan. Even 4 people at a sushi bar is rough unless you have the corner. But the reason I mentioned the service of the restaurant is that a good waitstaff will swiftly deliver your platter, and a proper sushi chef will also be able to make the whole thing rather quickly. So it's a service issue, and if they have bad service, complain and/or don't go back. But with good service, and as long as you don't order $100 of sushi at once, a table order can be totally fine. I can't believe anything would wait for 30 mins at Hatsuhana, that's shocking to me as it is a reputable sushi bar within the Japanese community. As for fresh fish, I too think it's a nonargument, BUT realize the bubble we are in. Not only are we in NYC with it's world-leading Japanese expat population, but we actually know where to go. How many NYers do you meet who proclaim their favorite sushiya is a place that you and I would see as a knockoff immediately? At those places, and outside NYC, freshness IS still an issue, sadly.

I'd really love to hear the local's opinion on this. I don't hold Michelin's food guides in high regard outside of Europe. Does Tokyo win because it simply has exponentially more people, 35 million, and all of Tokyo's visitors? Is this guide good or just a guide to how to waste money while in Tokyo? Dying to hear.

I went there, while in Japan, for the World Fair and Sumo - 2 Places that stuck out - there is an Okinawan food restaurant near city hall. Also, there is a famous Yakitori chain which I ate at in Shinjuku but was amazing - this chain was from Nagoya - I bet someone else from this forum could fill in the blanks -

Hey guys - Thought I'd let you know that we have a really good wafuu-chuuka right here in NY - and now I'm friends with the chef - I even played witness for his wedding! http://www.saburiny.com/ which is run by a protege of Chin Kenichi - of Ryouri no tetsujin fame - is he still considered a "celebrity chef" in Japan? Anyway, would love to know what you guys thought of the menu and maybe it gives you some ideas...

I was under the impression that 15 East served more nouveau-style sushi (sauces, foams, exotic fruits or vegetables) vs. the other three...? Am I mistaken? I agree that Masato deserves to be in the upper echelon, and now has a venue he can better control the entire production line. While sitting in front of the head chef will get you the best craftsmanship, show, and the salesmanship to go with it, it shouldn't really get you better fish. It's not like any decent sushiya is going to stick the chef they're hazing with older shrimp. I've discussed the table issue in other threads; without a doubt, sitting at the counter and ordering omakase/a la carte/piece-by-piece is getting the authentic (and most expensive) treatment. Go to Japan and you'll see that most sushi bars traditionally don't have or simply don't have room for any tables. At the same time, I feel like sushi bars lose a lot of business, and customers lose a lot of potential good eating, because people feel like they HAVE to book at the counter. Unless you are determined to do the full omakase experience, as long as the service at the restaurant is good and you know to order in several rounds and whatnot, most people will not see an appreciable difference...

is Westchester upstate enough?

I'm 18 from Tampa Florida and have never met a single food i didn't like( I mean this), I hardly eat astronomical foods (often) here in town and am looking for the best experiance possible ← I bet the Japanese places wont card you...

← Yeah and A-Rod is in it for the love of the game, not the money. "I got it!"

Drive me to to Edison! I'll even chip in for gas! New York, NY 10036 Edison, NJ Drive: 35.0 mi – about 47 mins up to 1 hour 50 mins in traffic Thing is, I'm trying to agree with you objectively, but logistically the transit issue really is a whopper. I mean, to extrapolate a little, Alinea should be on every NYC foodies map too, especially if Delta were running a shuttle there - we could do Jersey, or Chicago, in 1 day, right? I'm a born-and-bred NYer, I know a whopping one NYer who owns and maintains a car in the city (not counting SI). Sure I have friends with cars in Westchester and Jersey, but they don't count. That one person makes bi-weekly trips to Mitsuwa to stock up which means we get to go to what should be the only Japanese entry to your thesis, Santouka Ramen, offering what I will maintain is the best ramen in the NY-metro area; without that car, I can't carry any decent amount of groceries home, so unless I really have time to kill, it's not really worth it to go out there with out a ride. I can't say that on a whim I'm going to take public transit either to get to Hoboken or Jersey City or Newark, I've got to make plans. If it weren't for the Hoboken Grimaldi's, the ratio of us going to see a sibling in Hoboken vs. them coming into the city would be radically different. Maybe what we're trying to say is that BECAUSE we're foodies we don't go to Jersey enough! That all said, I coudln't have said it better than Sam did:

IMHO If the stars given to Vong and Jewel Bako prove that the Michelin guys are [inconsistent] - took more than those 2, but YES then they don't suddenly get smart when they give out a rating that Frank agrees with, like Del Posto or Dressler - NO THEREFORE they're incompetent, and the ratings he agrees with are just a fortuitous coincidence - YES they're good at what they do, and the ratings he disagrees with are due to a legitimate critical difference of opinion - NO