Eatmywords

Brilliant. Such attn to detail. You really take us there. Can’t wait for more.

While it's not a steakhouse, the best properly prepared Kobe beef I've had in NY was at Sugiyama. He offers it as part of his kaiseki style meal. ← I second that although the only other place I've had it was in Kobe.

Yeah, looks like the success of the show has pushed the producers to reassess the target market. I mean the show has always been a joke but it seems a cooking competition is really an afterthought this season. GR even looked embarrassed a couple times and not in his usual “I can’t believe how incompetent they are” way. Will we continue to watch (and laugh our asses off)?.....HELLZ YEAHHHHH!

We recently took 81 to visit my dad in Lenoir, NC (where he's relocated). It's a cute little Americana town with some interesting street sculptures and close to the Blue Ridge Mountains. I looked and asked for recs around the area (western NC) but didn't find anything recent so I went to roadfood and exchanged a few posts here. http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/Best-North-...BQ-m491424.aspx. Not sure those posts will help but have a look. I would definitely recommend a trip (next year) to the Blue Ridge Bbq festival. Amazing que in a beautiful setting. http://www.blueridgebbqfestival.com/

I kinda disagree on the Mexican. We don’t have good high end (if there is such a thing). ((Rosa Mexicano sucks btw)). But we have some competent bare bones authentic. Tulcingo Del Valle (46th/10th Ave) I feel is the best in Manhattan. Their mole has some nice deep flavors and the soft tacos with green sc are really good. Go for the tripe, goat, tongue and pork (El Pastor). As good as what I sampled in California and Texas.

The couple times I went to Wondee and granted this was a few yrs ago, before the so called “secret” menu, I found it pretty standard Americanized Thai. Wasn’t bad just nothing special. Wondee 2, I thought more competent with their combo seafood dishes and a solid country curry. But neither compared to Pam’s depth and authenticity and none of them have been as good as the recent meal I had at Rhong Tiam (as Sneak referred to). I wouldn’t mind getting back to try that special menu though as I’ve read several positive comments besides here. Too bad I don’t live around the block anymore.

Yes, Albanians have taken over some eateries, possibly the majority, but Arthur Ave is more about specialty stores and they have remained in the famiglia. And the look and feel of the hood is old school (American) Italian. Certainly more than LI.

There isn’t one dish on that summer menu that doesn’t look really good including (but not limited to) the sea urchin, pig’s ears, cuttlefish, loin and clams and baby goat. Then I viewed the gallery (food) pics and became angry that I wasn't going there tonight. I will try to get there soon. Room reminds of Perry St a bit.

This past wknd I did a dry rub of cumin, paprika, chili power and s&p on a 3lb flank, for about an hour. On the grill I basted with a mix of generic hickory bbq sc, tamari, worcestershire, sweet/spicy Korean chili sc, sriracha, fresh thyme and sesame seeds. It sounds like a mess but it came out great. Didn't overpower the meat and had a nice kick too.

A bit but it's not that bad. Only about a 10min walk from the train (Metro North) or a short bus connect from the subway. I came across this Times article comparing the hoods. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/28/dining/a...tml?pagewanted= Though written 7yrs ago, of course not much has changed.

Good rec! Much more authentic (unchanged). Plus you can still get a spleen sandwich from a real Italian there. Not so sure in LI.

Why, that's answered in the original post: Obviously, if the question had been, "Where is the best Italian food in NYC?" the answer would be different. ← Yea, but he’s asking on EG not Tripadvisor. Call me crazy when I assume that requesting recs on this site implies food is a priority. Does he/she know what type of food to expect? Is he willing to eat canned clam sauce to appease her?

And that’s the million dollar question. -What is the foody factor here? Is it about doing the tourist/nostalgia thing served with edible penne vodka or the best Italian food in NYC?

Yea, that's what I was thinking. If visitors assume LI showcases good Italian food its up to the natives to set the record straight esp if it’s someone on EG asking. I think Little Italy deserves a walk through (which would be convenient after dim sum in China town) but I’d pass on the food. If they're really jonesing an LI experience a cappuccino and canoli at Ferrara’s would be a good way to go.

Ooooh, that bar app of wild boar prosciutto and entrée of veal cheeks sounds mighty good. On a separate note, and this is based only on one experience (though reliable sources have confirmed it’s always empty) I’d nominate Rhong Tiam as underated. No place serving food as good as theirs should be so empty.

That's a good place to start. I haven't noticed or looked for them in a long time. I feel like you see them less and less (in NY). I'd check the seafood category on menupages and make a few calls if Oyster doesn't havem. http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/all-a...rhoods/seafood/

Not that they’re expensive, but the 2 fondue sets I have. I’ve used one of them once in three years. Why won’t I get rid of them (or just 1 set)? -I’ll use them one day…..one day.

They were sous viding, using liquid nitrogen and some other technique I believe. I don’t think they would’ve taken issue if Wylie brought some toys from home (ala Richard, Marcel and others from TC seasons past). I was surprised that Wylie didn’t win, at first. But when I thought about how his cuisine is so technical, precise, reliant on various cooking techniques, machinery, chemicals (often requiring longer prep/cooking times) not to mention the number of components and ingredients in every dish, I was surprised he did as well as he did. As the guys inferred above, his is not the food for stealthy preparation. Btw, I took my wife to WD-50 a couple years ago for her bday. And while we don’t get out to as many of NYC’s top spots as we’d like, we’ve done a nice sampling over time. The dinner and experience we had at WD-50 was perhaps the best meal either of us have ever had. I would say to anyone interested in this cuisine that it is a crime not to experience it. And he is truly a class act (even though he said f*@k about 10x).

This is the most accurate depiction I’ve read so far. Bravo. He’s horrible. His camera presence, interaction with locals/providing background content, cockiness, and yes, outright rudeness. (I remember watching a few episodes and remarking he never says “thank you” nor attempts to speak the native language or show much interest in the culture.) I was shocked to see his show renewed. I just don’t get it. I love when Bourdain pokes fun at him. Pretty sure he can’t stand him either.

Funny you should say. I went to the Blue Ridge BBQ and Music Festival in NC held over the same wknd. It's a national competition so maybe the cause of scheduling conflicts? http://www.blueridgebbqfestival.com/ I find it amazing that multiple events on this scale can occur on the same wknd. Didn't realize there were so many traveling pit masters able to handle large volumes and produce (for the most part) excellent quality product . The festival was definitely worth the 10hr drive (each way) to avoid those BAB lines though. And the q was phenominal. Best we ever had.

← Yea, he got some good press from the 2 Lafayette’s and JoJo but they were more contemporary French. I don’t believe they singled him out as an innovator. The fusion Thai-French (whatever you want to call it) at Vong set him apart and remains as the foundation, as we all know, to JG and the offspring. It seems the ingredients of the mee goreng could appear on a number of S.East Asian menus without too many questions of it's nationality. My guess is due to the Penang link they wanted to show some crossover. Of course at this point, you must go and try the dish and report back.

Very enjoyable thread, thx. So a family member has recently moved to Lenoir, a few miles north of Hickory (and what seems to be pretty far west from most of the places discussed above). Since we’ll be visiting a couple times a year I was hoping to get some recs within this more western part of the state and within an hour from Lenoir. I came across a couple mentions for Shell’s, Mountain View and Butch’s in Hickory. Any opinions on those? Are there any others we need to visit in the area? Also, does anyone have an opinion on the listings on the Historic NC Barbecue Society Map? Are these places generally considered some of the very best NC has to offer? http://www.ncbbqsociety.com/trail_map.html Thanks for any and all recs

I misunderstand your turn off. I thought you were implying you knew the traditional recipe; thin yellow noodles fried with onion, tofu, chili, vegetables, tomatoes, and egg and why would we waste our time on it? Hence my reply that Rhong’s interpretation differs from the classic. Either way I’m usually curious to try a restaurant’s interpretation of another cuisine’s dish. To e/his own on Vong of course. But you have to consider that if it was not such a huge success his empire might not be what it is today.

Mee goreng noodles (from the menu): "Indian style stir fry egg noodles with eggs, potato, shrimp, crackers and bean sprouts. Toss with grated peanut". -What's wrong with that? If you think this dish unworthy of our sampling (of some 15 dishes) you are mistaken. It was a really good carb dish. Remember, we shared aprx 15 plates and this was one of maybe two rice/pastas. Anyway, Sneak ordered it (though he can’t remember). Vong was most definitely interesting back in the day. Nobody was doing Thai French like that and on that level of execution. It may be tired now but it was ground breaking and it was that type of food with the Asian flavors and classic French technique that set the standard for his cooking and success. I’m not sure if I’m disagreeing with Sneak by saying that I do believe Rhong worth a visit. If you love Thai and don’t care about elaborate settings/service, why not? You’ve apparently hitup the Momo’s and the other in-the-knows. And unless you have the time for a Queens (Woodside) excursion, you’ll get very similar quality and execution. Compared with my last two visits to Srip, I’d say Rhong was better.

Mileage, ayy? Put it in neutral and have a look at the online menu. I'm sure much will come back to you. After a quick glance, (in addition to above) apps included thai nachos, curry puffs and duck buns. Mains; chu chee duck, rhong tiam duck, mix seafood red curry and mee goring noodles. There were at least 6 more dishes. If we lived closer it'd be our "once a weeker".