magic168

Last minute trip to NYC this weekend (arrive evening on Friday, leave late afternoon on Monday). I've always turned to eGullet for some solid recommendations, so any help would be appreciated. Staying near Times Square, so public transportation is a must: Friday evening: Luke's Lobster (based on a recommendation from a friend) -- thoughts? I don't see it mentioned at all on here...basically, looking for something easy, casual, not too taxing. Saturday: Morning, probably taking a visit to the Donut Plant early morning, then looking for recommendations on Farmer's Market type places to visit? Maybe visit Chinatown for soup dumplings. Dinner is undecided -- maybe Japanese? It seems uber pricey, though, in NYC... Sunday: Mainly looking for recommendations for pre-theatre dining (show is at 6:30) Any/all recommendations welcome! Monday: looking for breakfasty recommendations... Thanks!!

Thanks everyone for the replies -- I will keep all these in mind. How much does yumcha cost in one of the fancy places in a fancy hotel? I'm staying at the intercontinental grand stanford...do you guys think the concierge there will be able to get me a spot at the China Club? Keep the ideas coming!

I have 3 days in Hong Kong, staying in TST area...what're some "must haves" in these categories: - Dim Sum - Snacks/Desserts (Egg Custard Tarts, etc.) - Dinner? I'd like to stay mainly with Cantonese style food, including a keen interest in Peking Duck. - Lunch and PERHAPS dinners in Macau? Looking forward to recommendations! Thanks!

Re: Farmer's Market The farmer's market is only in "full blast" on Saturday mornings/early afternoons. Tuesday around lunchtime/Thursday nights, there is a MUCH smaller version available. I didn't even know they put out stands on Fridays. So, the "farmer's market" is not fully a misnomer...only on certain days.

Both times we arrived at around 12PM on a weekday (I know, not prime time, but both places still seemed to be full of people.)

I hope it was a fluke too about the food, but the price is certainly indicative. We left hungry as we had to rush back to the hotel to check out, but there was no indication more food was about to come (and we weren't really hopeful og getting any good food anyway at that point).

I was in NY 6/26-6/29 Had dim sum based on recommendations here at two different places. Jin Fong was awesome -- food was fresh, variety was good, and it was CHEAP, even by my standards (and I'm pretty frugal). Decidedly different experience at Golden Unicorn. Food wasn't fresh. Chicken glutinous rice wrapped in leaves was SPOILED inside. It was sour and clearly past its prime. Variety was not there ( we had maybe 10 different items pass us) and we paid the same price we did at Jin Fong even though we ate about 1/2 the amount of food. Awful.

I've been reading this thread trying to compile a list of non-spicy dishes that are recommended...and I'm just getting lost. Would GS be worth it to try if everyone in my party can't eat spicy foods?

By the way, I would love some simple recipes for mountain yams, if possible! I'd love to try cooking with it.

Funny you mention that....in San Francisco, they just started popping up at the Chinese grocery stores. Around $3 a pound. I would imagine the same in New York's Chinatown.

Anyone been recently? I'd love to hear about your experiences, what you ate, the tab, etc.

Jason, that sounds like an idea. What dim sum have you tried? I saw the beef traingles, which looked good. Not a big fan of the chive dumplings in general. Do you remember what else was there? By the way, I realized my phrasing might have been overly harsh in the my reply above...I'm not saying the stuff is overpriced or bad (especially knowing NYC prices these days), it's just not exactly what I want right now, especially since I basically have a limited number of meals during my visit.

Thanks for the pics. After seeing them, I've crossed CB off my list of possible restaurant choices for my trip later this month. Don't get me wrong; the dishes look nicely made, but truthfully, don't look all that different or inventive enough to get half the portion sizes at three times the price.

Can't wait to hear your thoughts. I wish there was some way we could see the menu.

raji, You've probably had one while having dim sum! Char siu = Chinese bbq pork (in varying degrees of redness!) and bao = bun. BBQ Pork Buns!