larrylee

The place looks beautiful. Given the dynamics of the slow periods, would it be possible to reconfigure the space to make it look less empty? For example, removing some of the tables on slower nights... doing something to make the space seem smaller, more intimate? Just a thought.

A long time ago, when I was very hungry, I did a few times. But if you order as a set with gyoza, onigiri, or some such... it turns out to be quite a bit of food... so I leave broth. Which is pretty much what I've seen every other Japanese person do.

I stopped by for lunch this afternoon and the place was mobbed. The meat line was into the bar. They were out of the moist brisket. At 1:15 PM. We left and had lunch at Minar instead. I noticed "beef sandwich" written in chalk on the sides board. $9. There's no doubt that they're making a mint off the sides. As the saying goes, it's easier to mark up cheaper items (sides) than the expensive ones (e.g. prime rib).

I think the best eating experience is always had at the bar, but you may have to make compromises if you're with a group. Sitting at the bar is easy with 2 or 3. A group of four or more and conversation becomes difficult. So as Raji says, I agree that ordering in rounds is definitely a smart choice. When I sit at a new place I might try the omakase, or I might just order several selections of sashimi to see what I like before delving deeper into the rest of the menu (e.g. "Okay, the kanpachi may not be the best thing you have today, but dammit, I have a craving for it anyway"). Incidentally, in my mind there are few culinary experiences more enjoyable than receiving a freshly rolled temaki from across the bar. Warm rice, crisp nori, cool seafood... woo. The thing about Tsukiji that I think is not mentioned in the press is that the sushi is very inexpensively priced. Everyone talks about Tokyo being an insanely expensive place to visit... but twelve pieces of jaw dropping sushi for about $36? You'll never find that in New York. And besides, going to Tsukiji is one of those experience-type things, like going to McSorley's. Chiyoda - I went once to sit down and the service was awful. Besides being rushed out, there were all sorts of inconsistencies on the menu. For example, the set order reads two pieces of toro. Oh, that's two pieces of chu-toro, but if they give you o-toro it's one piece. They don't tell you that when you order. The list of grievances went on. It's been over a year since I last went... maybe they've corrected those problems. I suppose the bar at Chiyoda is the best place on that block of 41st to get sushi, but I'd rather wait for dinner and go elsewhere. But the temaki at Nori Maki is quite nice...

Thanks Emily! I did some digging through Chowhound and found numerous references, both near and far. I'm doing some advance research. Normally I'm not in the Journal Square area, but I might be there for a bit in the future and I wanted to see what the eats were like. It seems like there's a small grouping of Vietnamese restaurants closer to Grove street, and there might even be a Filipino place or two.

Doc, neither Raji nor I were directing our comments to you. The comparison between Setagaya and Momofuku was made by chetlemon.Sorry for the confusion!

Apples and oranges! ← Agreed 100%. It's not a valid comparison, especially in light of the fact that Chang makes no bones that his ramen is not Japanese style.

Using a bit of shelf liner will hold any cutting board in place, even on marble.

Hi all, I'm wondering what sort of eats are available and recommended around Journal Square? I'm looking for any and all suggestions... what are your favorites?

I'm put off by all the "why is Tomoe on here?" griping. Tomoe is great for what it is, a neighborhood sushi joint. Now granted, the shima aji I had at Ushi Wakamaru tonight was far superior to what Tomoe normally offers. However, when I am craving large cuts of certain basic fish, I will make a bee-line for Tomoe at an off-peak hour and happily get my fill. Good is good. You may turn your nose up at larger cuts of fish but that's like sniffing at the Cafe Bouloud burger for being too high end, or a Corner Bistro burger for being too low-end. Morimoto, at least when it opened, had very high quality fish, much of it flown in from Tsukiji several times a week. It's a bit of a scene-y place, and admittedly I was not as impressed on my last visit. But the quality was on par with what we ate, unsurprisingly, in Tsukiji. The mere mention of the sushi spreadsheet being resurrected as an old news item on Eater is, in and of itself, unnecessary here. I'd rather see an update on "The Best: Sushi" thread of places people like.

Regarding whether or not it's safe to "double dip" in salt... Keep in mind that salt curing has been used for "a very long time" precisely to kill germs and preserve food. That doesn't mean that we should necessarily be dipping our chicken-y hands into our salt cellars without a thought... for example, using that same salt to season a finished dish before it goes to the table... But I don't think we have to worry about the proliferation of germs within our salt containers.

I mean the lean brisket. But there you have it.

Dumpling, I didn't have a chance to try the moist brisket but I wouldn't try the dry unless you really feel a need to do so. I agree with Jammin that the dry brisket was too dry.

I have one of those AB salt cellars and I think they work just great. If I'm going to be using salt for food prep I might pour some out into a little prep dish.

If you plan on making anything like burgers, meatloaf, etc, the food grinder attachment is a must... not a possibility! Infrared surface temp thermometer.

Photos available: http://flickr.com/photos/larryleenyc/sets/72157600544527765/ This is based on just one meal. Here are my thoughts, draw what conclusions you will. The meats were tender but desperately lacked smoke, a critical flaw in execution. The prime rib, not pictured, was the biggest disappointment. Not enough smoke, not enough salt, and the most expensive meat per pound on the menu. "What the hell are we paying for?" was the thought that went through my mind as I bit into it. As big a shock as trying the tong-po pork from New Green Bo (compared to the version from New Yeah Shanghai across the street, but that's another story). Maybe we went on a bad night, but it's a hell of a bad first impression given that we tried almost everything on the menu in one shot. The sides as a group were better than the meats. I wish we had tried the cucumber salad and the cole slaw. I like Daisy May's sweet tea better. The desserts were expensive (e.g. $4 Blue Bell ice cream, never again) and, in my opinion, not worth repeat tastings. The bottle of sangiovese we had went very well with the meats. As an overall meal experience, with the company I was with, the band downstairs, the friendliness of the staff, I'd say it was quiet enjoyable. If the food improves it would be an excellent place to have a party. There was, however, one very weird moment where someone (I think one of the managers) at the sides bar gave my wife a hard time about the amount of food she had on her tray. The issue was that she might have received some food without her card being stamped. In reality, she had all of my food because I was walking around with my camera taking pictures. What should have happened is that I should have shown him my card. But what REALLY should have happened is that the manager should have been asking the station staff because they're not supposed to give out food without stamping your ticket. It's poor form to accuse your customer of stealing.

I thought I saw the "nouveau" ssam being made at dinner, but regardless... what you said is spot on.

Just thinking aloud... he has a business to run. The East Village is not exactly teeming with expense-account business lunch types. Maybe it's a money-loser to run the dinner menu at lunch as well. If people will come in and buy the Chipotle-style ssam wraps and it makes money, then so be it. Maybe it's gauche for a chef of his caliber to do so, but it doesn't bother me either way. A lettuce-based ssam is available at night. That's probably been mentioned somewhere in this thread. Edit: Bah, Nathan already said this in post #347. "What he said."

Owen, BTW, thanks for posting the ingredients up-topic. :-)

Mister Softee is still very much a warm-months institution here, jingle-ban notwithstanding. What's interesting is to see the fast-and-loose pricing practices. If you walk up to any truck, ask for a twist, and hand over $2, you'll walk away without a problem. I've gone to the same truck on different occasions and asked the price in advance, only to be quoted a higher price (say, $2.50). Maybe I have "sucker" stamped on my forehead or something...

For the curious, here is a copy of the menu from lunch today. In comparison with the listing on nymag.com, items under "To Start" and "Seafood and More" are mostly unchanged. The Meats and Game section has some movement. The specials and vegetables have changed quite a bit. For example, items such as guinea hen, venison, lamb shank, monkfish, calf's liver, goat cheese canelones, pimientos, brussels sprouts, artichokes, scallions, and cauliflower are no longer present. TO START Pan con Tomate Jamon a mano Esalada Mono with Manchego Roasted Beets with Valdeon Bacalao Croquetas with Orange Alioli Pumpkin and goat cheese croquetas Calamares Fritos Sardinas Fritas SEAFOOD AND MORE Chipirones with white beans Mussels with cava and chorizo Sepia a la plancha with salsa verde Pulpo with fennel and grapefruit Razor clams a la plancha Fideos with Chorizo and clams Duck egg with Mojama Sweetbreads with Fennel al Mono Lamb's tongue with Favas Foie gras with Cinco Cebollas MEATS AND GAME Pork Loin with Saffron Honey Duck with Cpers Cock's Combs with Cepes Tripe with Chickpeas and Morcilla Duck Hearts with Lentils Piquillo peppers with oxtails Lamb chops with peas and mint Skirt steak with onion mermelada ESPECIALES Dorada with white gazpacho Ribeye for two with ramps VEGETABLES Cardoons with garlic alioli Patatas Bravas Artichokes with mint Setas with garlic Asparagus with Shiitakes Ramps with Romesco

Landmarc definitely has kids at earlier hours (they give out cotton candy at birthdays, I think) and you'll find strollers parked outside and such.

Owen: Interesting... I tried briefly to find the ingredients in Mister Softee's ice cream but fell short. I wonder if it's similar to Dole Whip? I also emailed CSC asking for nutritional information on their menu desserts (e.g. the stuff you can order directly off the menu, not the do-your-own desserts). My guess is that the calories and fat are going to be astronomical, but I'm willing to concede that I'll be proven wrong. The Carvel factoid is interesting... I'm not really a fan of their hard ice cream or their ice cream cakes (though the name "fudgie the whale" always makes me laugh). It also makes me think of vanilla. After you make your own vanilla ice cream, it's really hard to eat the commercially available stuff. It's tragic that such an amazing ingredient has turned into a symbol of blandness. Full disclosure: the Tragedy of Vanilla hasn't stopped me from regularly ordering mass market atrocities like... a Mister Softee soft-serve twist. :-P

I was very dismissive of Pinkberry at first because of all the hype. I like it on its own terms now. It's light, refreshing, tangy, and not cheap but I think still worth it except when the line is insane. Raji: Make two trips. Try not to think of the hype. Get a small regular the first time. Give a day or so to let the experience sink in. Go back the next day and get a small green tea. In either case, get the mochi topping at most. The other toppings will just obscure the flavor of the fro-yo. I think a few trips here by even the most skeptical visitor is worth the price. You may decide you don't like it but it is guaranteed to change your perceptions about frozen yogurt. Just go when the line is short. Regarding the price of the product... all I'll say is that people pay a lot for crappy coffee drinks. You just have to decide what you're willing to pay extra for.

Yeah, agreed... I guess that's what was crossing up my opinions of the dish.