bpearis

The food would probably be considered okay if you weren't paying $22 for an entree. Lately, Marion Burros has been laying it out like a lame duck president. This may be the least number of reccomended dishes in a main review I've ever seen.

They're a bit more lax than the takeout menu says. I used to work in Rockefeller Center and they delivered there and I now work on 42nd street and 7th ave and they deliver there too. That's definitely out of their supposed range.

They deliver, but that particular curry isn't on the pared-down delivery menu. But if you ask them about it, they'll do it. Here's the delivery menu.

Pretty much. I haven't eaten in the restaurant in a while, but in the main dining room they used to have a desk with a shelf stereo system and a computer on it. It was like they had nowhere else to put it. Always nice flowers on the tables, though. Some people swear Wondee Siam is the real deal (there's a seperate menu for Thais, I'm told) but I've always found Pam a million times better. I had thier squid salad for the first time on Monday. It's off the hook. edited for quoting correct person.

I'm a longtime fan of PRT (Well, summer of 2001, anyway). Their menu has grown more ambitious and authentic over the last year, though the take-out menu has stayed the same. You know they're different from most other places right away when they actually offer pork as an option on almost all the dishes. My first experience with jungle curry was there. Pam's version tastes different than what you get at Sripraphai or anywhere else. Maybe it's because I had it first, but I like her's the best. It's a little more savory than others. I've had that curry with the fermented fish livers and can't say it was to my tastes. I order delivery lunch from there at least once a week. When you get your bill, you'll notice little astericks by the items which indicates spicyness. Whenever I ask for them to make something "very very spicy" it's always three asterisks. Three stars spicy comes absolutely swimming in those flecks of chili and it is as spicy as I can take (I'm no wimp). I figured the spicy scale went to four stars. But I just found out it goes to five! I can't imagine how hot that would be. But that's the easy way to get your food spicy at Pam Real Thai. Just say how many star spicy you want it. They may ask "are you sure?" but they'll give it to you. You've been warned.

I'll attempt a Williamsburg roundup. Lived there for six years where it has gone from four restaurants (not counting old school Italian and Polish) to probably 30. In neighborhood news, two big closings: The L Cafe, which was one of the four when I moved in. It was never anything special and had bad service but it was an WB landmark. Secondly, the much-talked-about Chickenbone Cafe is no more. They were originally going to close just for January for renovations, but word is they were hemoraging money and after the departure of chef Zach Pelaccio they just decided to call it quits. Very sad. I will miss their expensive but amazing cubano. Thai How many Thai restaurants does Williamsaburg need? The answer continually seems to be "one more." The two best, in my opinion are, Siam Orchid on Grand and the new Chai. Though not on the menu, SO will make a very good jungle curry for you. The owner/chef is the nicest guy ever. Chai, meanwhile is one of the newer restaurants in the hood and I was skeptical at first. But it's maybe the most authentic, tastiest. Items marked with a spicy asterix actually are spicy. Thier duck salad is very similar to Sripraphai's catfish salad in flavor (but not texture). Have never had anything bad there. Chai is right down the street from SEA which is a great place to take out of town friends because it's very hip/cool looking with it's ponds and funky furniture (it was the location for the raw food restaurant in Sex in the City). The food? Just ok. Amongst the other decent but nothing special Thai places in WB: Khao Sarn, Planet Thai, Cheers and Tai Thai. Italian There are tons of Brooklyn red-sauce places in Brooklyn: Bamonte's, Giando on the Water, etc. But the ace stuff comes from Miss Williamsburg Diner and Aurora. Miss Williamsburg has been around for almost five years and they're just great. Some people don't like the "you eat our food our way" attitude, but their chef is almost always right. Giant garden is awesome in the summer, they project old Italian classics on Sundays. Aurora has only been around for only four months but it's a winner. (Plus, it's only a block from my apartment.) Most of their specials are worthwhile -- they do this slow-roasted pork belly that's just excellent. On the down side, their contorni is an afterthought. The D.O.C. Wine Bar has swell panini, cured meats and cheeses, lots of great wine and not much else. But it's a cool place. Mexican First stop in Williamsburg for me is Matamoros Puebla Grocery for their sopes. One of my top five favorite things to eat in the city. Their tacos are very good too (I like the al pastor the best), as are the tortas. Lots of funky offal for the adventurous. I can't reccomend the tamales, which are pretty dry. They put burritos on the menu about a year ago but why bother? Further out in Williamsburg, the Grand Street Bakery is a diner whose Mexican section of the menu is the only reason to go. Well, that and they're open 24/7. Chilaquilles are the best drunk food ever! Bonita is reliable and fairly authentic. Great mole, super tacos (especially pork and fish), ok enchiladas. Delicious tortas at lunch -- the puerco torta especially. On weekend brunches they usually have pambazos on the menu: chorizo, potato and guacamole in a roll that is slathered in mole and then grilled. You need a knife and fork to eat this sandwich, but it is truly something else. Vera Cruz and Bean are good, but not great. Bean puts the lettuce in the burrito and then pops it in the oven, making for gross wilted iceburg. Avoid that, but the enchiladas are good. Sally's Burritos is much better than El Loco Burrito II if you're going that route. Japanese/Sushi I like Miyako a lot, easily the best sushi in the WB despite being run by Koreans. (Nothing against Korea at all, just don't like Korean sushi in general). The sushi isn't that wierd ball of rice with a fish tail that you get at Sandobe/Jeolado in the EV. Not fist sized, fresh. They've got Korean food too which is okay. They don't deliver. Wasabi on Bedford has never done anything for me. There's a new place, Samaurai, that moved into the space formerly occupied by the all-you-can-eat sushi place The Spot that I never saw anyone eating at. We'll see. Chinese, etc. M Shanghai Bistro does a very good soup dumpling. Actually most of their stuff is good. Yet I don't order from them very often. Normally I go to Snacky on Grand which is sort of an izakaya lounge that has Chinese, Japanese and Korean menu items, almost all of which are tasty. I'm good friends with the owners, but I'd hang out there even if I didn't. Try the chasu shao-bing, a sandwich of roast pork using these Chinese flatbread things. The hot pots, chap-chae, dumplings are also winners. The rest of the best: Allioli is a terrific tapas place with almost no bad dishes; DuMont is consistently excellent and any special on the menu that is braised is worth getting; Diner is too crowded usually for my taste, but consistently above-par with a great burger; Meditteranian standby Oznots is known for their brunch for good reason -- it's the best in the neighborhood and they've got a nice tea selection too. Dinner their is good as well. The Rest of the Rest Hot dogs? Though Sparky's uses Niman Ranch and specially-made buns, I prefer Coney's on Bedford, just below Grand. Sparky's buns are too good and too big. It should be about the meat, in my opinion. Coney's are no-nonsense. It tastes like a hot dog. They also do a mean fried clam strip roll. Turkish place Oasis just opened outside the Bedford stop and it's done right, up there with Bereket. I always forget about Eat This New York subject Moto, under the JMZ, but the three times I've eaten there were quite good. Hurricane Hopeful Chowder Bar has been oddly fused into the average Italian place Carmaya. The chowders are very savory and satisfying, the rest not so much. The Brick Oven Gallery makes the best pizza, though the "lasagna pizza" at Cono O'Pescatore really has to be tried to be believed. Bring Alka Seltzer. I'm not much into Polish food, but Raymunds is the one I'll go to if I'm going. Avoid the marketing-concept-before-food vietamese/peruvian restaurant Tacu-Tacu/Rice Republic. The Indian options are slim pickings, but the lazily-named Taj Mahal is the best. I have never liked the refurbished Relish diner. Mugs has better food than you'd expect from a pub (great beer selection too); Teddy's does not. And of course there's Peter Luger Steakhouse. It's been written about enough. I finally tried the burger last week. It was so juicy it didn't need anything on it, though the bacon and tomato made it better.

Sushi Yasu. I've been meaning to post about this place for a while, as it is awesome. They cater to a Japanese clientelle, so the sushi and menu in general reflect this. They've got all the good stuff and if you sit at the sushi bar put yourself in the hands of the sushi chef you'll get all sorts of fish that aren't on the menu. It's up there with Sushisay in terms of quality and selection. And it's relatively inexpensive, for what you're getting. But as great as the sushi is, I like the kitchen menu just as much. It's all sorts of traditional stuff. Om-rice, katsu-don, katsu curry, etc. Maybe the best chawan mushi I've ever had. They even have traditional Japanese breakfasts. Great lunch deals, most under $10. You get a main (see above paragraph) plus a really nice salad and miso soup. The portion is quite big. It's never been crowded when I've been and they could probably use the business. Very friendly staff. You can check out the online menu here. 324 West 51st, between 8th and 9th. -bill

Riingo was also reviewed today in the Daily News. And not very favorably, either.

Now word has it that Gage & Tollner is closing this weekend too.

I went to Jewel Bako three weeks ago and I can say unequivocally it has not gone downhill one bit. (Had toro from the cheek that was so marbled it looked like proscuitto!)That said, Yoshida-san is missed there as his personality brought a lot to the dining experience.

Not to mention bland. Click here for a review of Hangawi. Soba I second the bland tag. But it's a nice place otherwise.

Both Gramercy Tavern and Tabla have amazing vegetarian tasting menus. The last time I was at Tabla, I had the regular tasting menu and my friends had the vegetarian one and I think course for course theirs was better. Both places are market-oriented. Eleven Madison Park may be the same way, but I've never been there.

Here's the link. Scroll down for the Casa Mono thing.

He won't even eat fugu!

It opens this friday (1/30) in NYC at Cinema Village.

Super Size Me just won best direction for a documentary at the Sundance Film Festival. The director/subject announced that it will debut on A&E TV, as well as play in theaters.

It's one big menu that has all this stuff in it, plus an explanation of sichuan cooking and more. it's a good read. it's just the takeout menu that doesn't feature the other stuff.

I don't think the Parrot dish would do you on it's own, though you could supplement cheaply with either the dan dan noodles or the wontons in red oil. Try the braised beef fillets with chili sauce... if you dare. the bean curd family style is also good.

Izakaya are places that put as much emphasis on drinking as on eating. More snacky type stuff: yakitori, okinomiyaki, takoyaki, oysters steamed in foil, etc. Many of the places, here in the city at least, show a strong Korean influence in the cooking, with kimchee, raw liver and the like. Village Yokocho and Yakitori Taisho, Sakaguru are all examples. There's supposed to be an amazing place in midtown somewhere but the name escapes me. Like I said upthread, these places are a lot of fun in a tapas bar kind of way.

I agree. I'm sure they put them on the menu after the Great Soup Dumpling Craze of 1999. Stick with the Sichuan dishes, avoid the rest.

They've got this section of the menu with dishes inspired by a Chinese TV miniseries, Prodigal Daughter (not full title). All the dishes have super poetic names like "bird with ribbon in mouth flies over the hill" (not actual name but close). The "Green Parrot with Red Mouth" is this cold spinach dish with a sour dressing. To look at it, it doesn't look like much but it's really great. I think it will run you about eight bucks or so. you'll need to request the freshly-killed chicken version. it is more expensive, but worth it. the first time you have real sichuan peppers is a fun experience -- they aren't so much hot as tingly and numbing. -bill

Well-respected screenwriters like John Sales, William Goldman and Quentin Tarrantino all do uncredited rewrites for really lame, commerical films all the time. (QT worked on the It's Pat movie.) It's a money gig. This is not like Bayless and Burger King. Unless you're a big, big name, writers don't make all that much money. It's hard to turn down advertising/marketing money, which is usually a lot more than what you'd make writing for a paper. I don't think there's anything wrong with using a fake name for it, but uncredited would be the best way to go.

They do deliver, but the takeout menu doesn't list the fresh chicken dishes or the Prodigal Daughter dishes. I'm sure if you requested them, they'd deliver them. Personally, the dishes that typify what Grand Sichuan does are the Sliced Braised Beef in Chili Sauce (hottest dish I've ever eaten) and the fresh chicken kung pao. My favorite, though, is off the Prodigal Daughter menu, the "green parrot with red mouth" or something. It's cold spinach in some sort of sour dressing and you just can't believe how good it is.

Was at JB last week for my birthday and it's still amazing. Among many, many, many other things, I had o-toro from the ribcage and cheek (it looked like prosciutto it was so fatty)!

I work accross the street from the 42nd street Yoshinoya and used to eat there a lot. But it has gone severely downhill. I think most of the Japanese management staff that ran the place have gone back home. The pickled ginger they're using now is way, way, way too salty and they don't have the good chili powder anymore. For a place that basically has two menu items, it's pretty dissapointing. I like the izakaya places the best: Yakatori-Taisho, Village Yoko-Cho, etc. It's hard to go wrong at these places. There's a strong Korean influence in most of them, which makes the food a more boldly flavored in general. Mostly, though, izakaya places are just fun. All the Menchanko-Tei (including Katsu-Hama and Onigashima), places are good too and show off a different side of Japanese cuisine that Westerners don't know so much about.