pups224

I hope that this is the right forum to post this on. When I was growing up in NYC, there was a bakery named Grossinger's on the UWS in the eighties. They closed in the '80s or 90's. They made the most amazing coffee, hazelnut praline ice cream cake. I searched the web yesterday for a recipe and came up with NY Times references of the bakery's closing and some posts akin to this one. Does anyone remember this place and does anyone have a recipe for that wonderful cake?

It was very easy to miss. We were headed south on Market. It is on the east side of Market street, one block south of Division Street, under the Manhattan bridge, at the begining of the arcade. If you go to the play ground, face east and look up (do not enter the arcade), it is right there.

I _tried_ to go. Walked down East Broadway. Checked numbers. Found the little internal alleyway. Found the playground, entered across from the playground. It was a Chinese mall!!! We walked further and hit the vegetable stands under the Manhattan bridge (which in and of itself was a scene. Especially the vegetable crates of what we thought was DVD porn closer to Canal). My gf and buddy were pretty starving and I looked like an ass, so we gave up. The entrance was right there at the playground. Had you looked up, you would have seen the sign for the place. Went to 88 Palace, which I hadn't been in about 5 years. It's not bad at all. The har kow and shumai were great. They've taken to the practice of having a manned station that offers a few things you can get from the cart and then a bunch of cauldrons of stuff you can't get from the carts. I got some chinese vegetable and chive dumplings from them. I don't dig on the stinky tofu and some of the brown-sauce cauldrons or the snails, but I'm sure they're good as they were going at a regular rate. But we arrived at 1pm so I think we missed the main rush. When all else fails I end up at 88 Palace or Golden Unicorn... ←

I love this place. There's a playground just outside the front door where the kids can get their wilds out. Also the market on the ground floor is one of the best in Chinatown. Try the tripe. ← So I went. It was very good. Unfortunately I was a guest and was not next to the carts as they arrived. The pork with taro was excellent. The baby clams in brown sauce, not very deep. Numerous items from the trolleys, again, very good, but I wished that I could have picked. Probobly on par with Go Go. We were the only caucasians there and they treated us extremely well. Next time, more sea food and larger people. Just a small detour. I was at a place named Noodle Villiage at 13 Mott a few week ago. They specialize in HK noodle soups. It was very, very good. The wontons and shrimp dumplings were so fresh. The noodles were chewy and broth was quite decent. I am dying to go back with more than just me.

Fresh pork tenderloin from the Spanish Pata Negra Pig, roasted and served with a slice of Lardo on top and hashed brussels sprouts with bacon. You can get this amazing pork in Europe.

OOh, food porn. Thank you so much Soba. I second Sneakie's recommendation of World Tong. Some pix for your viewing pleasure: Eggplant with battered shrimp and peppers Red-cooked pig's knuckle Clockwise from top left: turnip cakes, the eggplant dish, scallion dumplings, conch with celery Shrimp dumplings each topped with a piece of offal or duck's cartilage, atop cucumber slices Top: stewed tripe, squash and curry sauce Bottom: tripe in vinegar sauce with scallions and jalapeno peppers Hmmm....I need to go there again soon. ←

I have to take 3 foodies from Chicago for dim sum over July 4th weekend. They surely will want to go to chinatown. Love Go-go, but no atmosphere or carts. Pings does not seem to be as good as it once was, although it is acceptable. Have not tried Chinatown Brasserie (do they have carts on wkends)? Is it any good? Are there any updates? Thanks!

Rosengarten's food clubs are the biggest rip offs. I just got an email from him on Chilean olive oils, which of course are available through his food club for an astronomical amount. I found (and bought) them for less than half on the web. I hate being ripped off.

Thank you all. Off to Brooklyn. I am surprised that there were not more quality restaurants!

Our favorite Turkish restaurant, Hemsin, in Queens closed. We thought that it was much better than Turkish Kitchen. Peri ela, near us is pretty awful as are most of the places i've tried on the UES. There is also no thread on 'Best Turkish'. Although we are in Manhattan, the DH is willing to travel far and wide for his favorite food. Does anyone have any recommendations in the five boroughs or nearby in NJ? So now he yells, how about Armenian restaurants! Thanks!

In my opinion, many of their early issues miss the "perfection" mark by a pretty wide margin, so I'm happy to have them revisit some of those. I have recently been trying to stay away from recipes published in the 90's if there is a more recent version: in my experience, the more recent one is generally far superior. This seems to be over-stating things, in my opinion. I mean, OK, I'm from the middle of nowhere USA, I fancy myself a "gourmet cook," and I dish up CI for, well, many meals, in fact, but to say categorically that all of those meals are "boooring" strikes me as a little pedantic. When the vast majority of Americans are serving frozen dinners, casseroles featuring cream of mushroom soup, and enchiladas with canned sauce, I think making Sichuan Green Beans, homemade enchiladas, and burgers with fresh ground beef, seems downright exciting. As jsmeeker says, I have no other cookbook or recipe resource that provides me with the consistent success that Cook's Illustrated does. So while it could of course be argued that using a recipe at all is "boooring," as far as I am concerned, the fact remains that at least with CI you are going to end up with something that tastes good. ← Maybe to you. To me their recipes are inauthentic and with the rare exception so "white bread".

I do the no-no. Buy the best marbled choice steaks Costco has to offer and Dry age them myself in the fridge. I once had a set that I thought was better than Lobels. Have purchased all of my family meats at Costco for over two years now. Fantastic quality, rigorous inspection, and great prices. Ribeyes in NY are usually $5.99 per pound, boneless, 3 to a pack Usually around 1.1 pounds per steak. I find that two of them, when sliced after grilling, easily feed three adults. Have had the filet mignon, the ribeye, the skirt steak, sausages, chicken and mostly every meat there unprepared. Watch the portions, as these are huge pieces of meat. For a family, its a great deal... ←

Cook's recipes are totally middle of the road and have zero edge. They are so boooring. Sort of like some one from the middle of nowhere USA, who fancies him/her self a "gourmet cook", and dishes up CI for that special meal.

One of my favorite German main courses: Konigsberger Klopse (Veal balls in sour cream and caper sauce). These are amazing with buttered egg noodles. A reasonable rendition is in Claiborne and Franey's "Veal Cookery".

I stopped into Mitsuwa on my way home to Manhattan. They are having an event today and hopefully it will be all this weekend. Octopus balls, a strange sashimi-ish concoction, every kind of croquette, fresh mochi, a delicious looking plum desert, sweet potato and much more. They also had a special on some expensive thin cut angus beef short ribs that I have been eyeing for a long time. Now I need to figure out what to do with flanken that is cut 1cm thick. Suggestions are always welcome. The Uni is a new brand and looks much more luscious. Another find is the raisin rolls at the Red Tomato counter. Sort of like Parker House rolls. Great with a slab of butter. So, for those of us that summer where we winter, get thee to NJ.

Hi Chufi, Thank you for all your amazing posts. If I were to splurge on one night and have a NY experience, I would chose the Bar room at the Modern, but not on a weekend. Here is a way to reserve at many NY restautants. http://www.opentable.com/ The Moderm is right next to the Museum of Modern Art, not so near Union Square, but it's so NY. You can wear anything. Legal drinking age in this town is 21, but if she looks old..... Otto is nice for pizza. Shake shack is also a NY event, but for lunch. Also, Momofuku Ssam bar (no reservations) is very good. Then there is Una Pizza Napolitana. Were I from Europe, I'd skip it. I hope your husband and daughter in law enjoy this city. JH

I was there two months ago for dinner. Not really memorable enough to post about. Had a nice asparagus salad. That was about it. Not nearly as good as it used to be when it opened.

Is it time to revive this thread yet?? I plan to go this weekend and am not sure what to expect.

IHow was the peanut fed pork? was it nice and porky or bland. I've had the pata negra acorn fed pork which was the best meat i've ever had (even Luger steak in the old days). Also where did you get the micro greens? The only place I see them is Fresh Direct. Thanks!

Thanks for the suggestions Chappie. The best food was at Tilghman Island Inn, where we were staying. They did an eight course tapas dinner with eight wines from Torres. They really knocked themselves out. Breakfast on the day we left was a decadent crayfish dish with grits. 208 Talbot was good. The place is pretty and the chef has a way with vegetables. I had a perfectly done overseasoned quail and a tasteles Muscovy duck breast. Harrison's on Tilghman was absolutely revolting. Went for the seafood buffet. I do not remember eating such bad food. Plus there was the misfortune of seeing Donald Rumsfeld. I thought that I would lose it at the table. Never made it to Easton. Did have the Smith Island cake, yummy-ish. The food festival was fun.

Unbelievablely well said and to the point. Once in a long while I'll make a recipe and I'm disappointed. There is one recipe for pear fragipane tart that is a keeper.

I read in Eater that Amanda Hesser is leaving /has left the NYT. Does anyone know anything about it? Any comments? Is this the right place to post this? I know that I may infuriate many, but for me, the magazine was never the same after Claiborne left.

It's that time for DeMarVa again. Going to stay at the Tilghman Island Inn (again) for the St Michaels food festival. I am wondering what new or improved restaurants have opened in the past year. I heard Inn at Easton is closed. How is his new Thai place? Has 208 Talbot improved? Any news and reviews are welcome.

I was in Las Vegas for the first time for less than 24 hrs. Had the Degustion menu with several other plates at Atelier de Joel Robuchon. The meal was outstanding and just as delicious as in NYC. Best was a deep fried egg with soubise onions topped with salmon roe, and a moussline of asparagus. If I ever re-visit Las Vegas, I'll have to try the restaurant.

La Pequena de Columbia. Roosevelt Ave and about 82nd St. Great food, wonderful soups, especially fish soup on Friday, Very authenic.