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bpearis

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Posts posted by bpearis

  1. A little non-food item here. If you sign up for SY's mailing list they send you a holiday card every year in the form of a Sushi Origami kit.

    2005's was Eel:

    gallery_350_5544_28964.jpg

    Last year was Fugu:

    gallery_350_5544_57270.jpg

    This year it's, um, a fishing boat:

    gallery_350_5544_237284.jpg

    Not the most exciting one for 2007, but still pretty cool.

  2. In Bruni's defense... 15 East was barely -- barely -- open in 2006. Like second week of December. And Ssam didn't really become Ssam until the dinner menu started... which was when, January? (EDIT: Answered my own question by reading through the Ssam thread... September 2006... so I'll give you that one.) But technically, and that's all that matters to you lawyers, you are correct. But both feel like 2007 places to me.

    1. Ssam Bar and 15 East didn't open in 2007. So even a McDonald's that opened in 2007 has more right to be on the list than those places. Certainly, Graffiti does.

  3. I was a big fan of Jewel Bako and spent many nights eating in front of Masato Shimizu and was very excited for 15 East's opening. I went on my birthday back in January.

    We did the full-blown omakase which included a bunch of appetizers, sashimi, sushi, etc. Highlights included toro from the jaw that was blowtorched first, two kinds of uni that were presented together in a little bowl of rice with a spoon, and a couple pieces of braised octopus that Shimizu was quite proud of. The last piece of sushi was his "signature eel" which he gives to you in a wide bowl and drizzles the sauce all over the place. His eel is second only to Yasuda, I think, but the presentation was a bit superfluous.

    Also, they have the best gari I have ever eaten. And the yuzu granita for desert was just right for the end of the meal.

    The only thing I didn't really care for was a shreded burdock root and scallion tempura -- fine but not much different than hashbrowns. And the music is standard Asian Chillout Mix stuff.

    The space is nice, and the sushi bar itself -- made from some kind of ancient wood they got from Africa somewhere -- is really lovely.

    The sushi was great, but for what you get, it is very expensive. And I don't need all the fuss. (Though I enjoyed it at Jewel Bako, mainly because I think Jack Lamb jas a sense of humor about it.) I'm not dissing, but next time I splurge, it will probably be at Yasuda.

  4. (This topic continues the old Sripraphai topic)

    And isn't a Thai restaurant that serves bad pad Thai kind of like an Italian restaurant that serves bad pasta?

    If you said all their noodle dishes were bad, maybe that would be so. But you're comparing one specific dish (pad thai) to an entire group of dishes (pasta). Isn't it more like a Sicilian restaurant that is forced to put tagliatele bolognese on the menu from customers who demand it, and it's not very good because it's not what they do?

    I don't know what region Sripraphai is supposed to represent, but maybe it's not one that is known for awesome pad thai. Actually I don't think I've ever had pad thai anywhere that I've thought was very good. It seems like the thai equivalent to nondescript Chinese lo mein.

  5. I love Pies n' Thighs, but I will agree that eating your food in the Rockstar Bar is less than ideal. It's really more of a warm months kind of place, when the "garden" is open. I remember asking co-owner Steve Steve in September what they were going to do when it got cold, and he kind of scratched his head and admitted they hadn't quite figured that out.

    But I think their biscuits and gravy are worth the depressing aspects of eating in the bar, as are any of the baked goods. They have this molasses cookie that is just out-of-this world, and those doughnuts are too. But it's better at dinner when you can get the chicken and pulled pork than at brunch.

  6. I was there Saturday night around 12:30 and it was only about 1/3 full. Despite the popularity of the original, I don't think awareness of Saam has really set in. Enjoy while you can. That banh mi is something else; also enjoyed the apple/bacon/lichee gelee salad.

    Do any of you know if late Friday nights (after midnight) are terribly crowded? If so, when is the best weekend time to go? I (and Keith) will be in NY in two weekends, and because of all you people I want to go here really, really, REALLY badly.  :raz:

    Also, if anyone is interested in joining us so we can order more food and try more things, feel free to PM me.

  7. Exactly. It's full enough of people as is; if it gets whacked with the Bruni two-star treatment, I don't anticipate being able to go there on my designated Queens dining night (Friday). Maybe I'll have to start slacking off early one other day a week...

    I can't imagine it will truly disrupt the normal flow of diners for longer than two weeks.

  8. Eater reports that Bruni will be reviewing Spicy & Tasty in tomorrow's Dining Section. With no celebs, hotties, or pop music on the soundsystem, I guess he has no choice but to talk about the food. I would be worried the place will be overrun now, but I think the perceived long schlep to Flushing will keep most from checking it out.

    Not that the place is hurting for business.

  9. The one time i went to jewel bako was about 3 and half years ago.  i loved and and have been raving to my SO for ages but never actually gotten the chance to take him. We're finally going tonight so i decieded to check the boards, see what people were thinking as of late.  Looks like there has been little to say and now i see the bruni review and am a bit worried.  do people agree with his recent assesment?  really dont want my good memory of the place to be ruined!

    As of about two weeks ago, the Lambs shut down JB Makimono and migrated the chefs over to the regular Jewel Bako. It has now basically turned into Makimono -- no reservations, lower price point, more of a focus on rolls, good but not as great like it used to be fish. JB's sushi chef of the last three years, Masato-san, has left and I haven't been able to find out if he's gone somewhere else.

    Hope your evening wasn't too disappointing.

    I've picked a new favorite place since JB's downgrading... Ushi Wakamaru on Houston.

  10. I never ate a taco, never mind made one, and I found that article interesting. I even bought some [packaged, forgive me] taco shells (from corn meal) so I can eventually get to it. So now I find out it's all wrong. Is there a "how to make a taco" thread? Is it time to start one?

    Never eaten a taco? Really? You must be rich. :wink: There are a lot of things wrong with Bittman's article (one of which is not telling people to buy hard shells, which aren't tacos in my book), but i'll quote Patalarga from the NY times message boards on the subject:

    To start with, taco does not mean sandwich. Taco literally means 'wad'. Torta means sandwich. And it's all downhill from there.

    "If you roll the tortilla, it’s a burrito, which appears to have been created in the American Southwest; if you layer food on top of it, it’s an enchilada"...no, and no. A burrito isn't rolled. And it's made with a flour tortilla. And an enchilada--oh, he's just so off base it's impossible to clarify.

    That's just a start. But yes, if it gets people to try thighs over breasts... it's a good thing.

  11. they're open now, though their deep-fryers aren't working so everything is being pan-fried. right after i placed my order they told customers it was rotisserie-only for the next hour.

    i got a leg and thigh, both of which were very good. very moist. batter coulda used more salt. i got the seasonal vegetable of the day -- sugarsnap peas -- which were really good.

    biggest complaint: they gave me one insufficient napkin... and no wetnaps!

  12. I think the chicken meatballs were the best thing I had when I was there last month. They give you this soy-quail-egg sauce to dip them in. Really, really good. I am also a sucker for those ceramic beer mugs.

  13. Our mango salad special came with an unadvertised but totally delicious smoked fish topping, a curious ingredient that was wispy thin and moving (but very much cooked) when it was served. I've had that fish once before in a Japanese restaurant. Kind of freaky, but delicious.

    Sounds like bonito flakes to me. I like Zabb a lot, have been a bunch of times. They are different than Sripraphai, and their curries aren't as good, but the soups and all those salads are something else. Plus, they're BYOB and open till 1am.

  14. Andrea Strong visits Morimoto...

    ...if Starr actually thinks Morimoto is more interesting than any restaurant New York has seen, clearly Mr. Starr has either (a) never eaten in New York City, or (b) is suffering from a rare and little known ailment I call Chronic Culinary Delusion (hereinafter, “CCD”), and needs a major dose of restaurant therapy. My prescription for a CCD cure would be visits to several restaurants that are far more interesting than Morimoto: WD-50, 71 Clinton (while it’s still with us), Annisa, Fatty Crab, Momofuku, Gilt, Tia Pol, and yes, how about Nobu? After my meal at Morimoto, Mr. Starr, I respectfully submit that you will need to start eating your words.

    The quote is indicative, she pretty much slams the place. Read the whole thing in this week's Strong Buzz.

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