larrylee

The Best Halal Cart does a few things differently. 1) Basmati rice, which you're not likely to find at most carts (though you'll also find it at the Kwik-Meal and Trini-Pak carts during the day, which are both farther south on Sixth Ave), which serve very boring rice. 2) The white sauce: I have no idea what goes in white sauce but theirs is supposed to be "a secret recipe." 3) The lamb seems to be seasoned differently. Again, I can't explain it, I don't know much about Arabic/Halal cooking. The chicken, which I've never gotten, seems to be quite popular. 4) The hot sauce is rocket-hot. It's now served in a separate container... they used to squirt it on directly. Not sure what happened. 5) Crisps of pita wedges. Something extra to nosh on. You get a real mix of people here, but probably not a lot of millionaires. The flavor you get out of this food for $5 is more than you'll get from the competing carts. The lines and turnover will also insure you're getting the food as fresh as it can be. You'll find a fair number of families lining up and getting 8-10 packs of dinners to go. The line from the western-most part of the deli is about... 30-45 minutes. The drink cart is a few steps away, the southeast portion of the same corner. When the weather is warmer, it's a fun outdoor meal. Tonight might be a good time to go, what with the near-summer-like temps. Also referenced in the "Midtown, lunch and dinner" topic. The milkshake from Burger Joint comes in really handy if you've scorched your mouth on the hot sauce.

The place was monstrously packed on Friday night around 8 PM. There was barely any space to move around in the entire front space. We walked up to Spiga and ate there instead, but we're planning on returning to Kefi sometime this week.

FG: Well, that's why they have bench seating, too. :-) Note to the rest, the place tends to clear out after 10 PM. Also, you can begin ordering at the standalone counter at the back, assuming there's not a crowd of people around it already. It's also a better place to wait compared to the crowded front. I thought the uni had a little too much going on and the broths are too sweet overall (the latter seemingly a trend in Korean restaurants these days, which is a pity). But, I've basically enjoyed everything there and I was echoing the same sentiments to my wife this past weekend.

Travelling ignorant of local customs is no excuse to complain after the fact that one did not budget an appropriate amount of money for food. Just add (at least) 15% into your travel expenses alloted to food. OR, don't eat at places that require tips. Surprisingly enough, such places exist. Having said that, I have no appropriate response for PLangfordJr. The only time I've been approached is when I've forgotten to sign the credit card bill. :-P

I'm curious to know where you're receiving this kind of service.

Besides the comment about pithing (which I mentioned earlier) and the Filipino method (which does nothing to address the pain the frog feels), that thread is not very helpful. I think your best bet is to ask the merchant to kill and prep the frogs for you.

I'll start off by saying that I don't know how you're supposed to prepare a frog for sashimi. I've also seen live eel pinned and skinned, lobster broken apart alive, eaten live octopus, etc. But "just hold it down and skin it while it wriggles around" sounds incredibly callous. From a medical research perspective, the proper, humane way to kill a frog (at least as I recall) is to cut off its head and pith it, which is to insert a thin needle (or something similar) down the spinal cord to destroy it.

Or Pastis for that matter. Anyway, I agree that there's no excuse for warm dishes being served cold. The stinco we ordered wasn't served cold but the sauce did start to skin over when it was delivered to our plate. Not ideal but I shrugged it off given all the factors involved. Late seating, we ordered a flotilla of appetizers and small dishes before the mains, the kitchen was closing, etc.

So would it be strange if we went to all the dim sum haunts and just ordered the custard egg tarts to go?

Woot, sign me up.

The service may have suffered during Jesikka's visit but It's unrealistic to assume that a McNally joint is going to open as a quiet little neighborhood joint.

Ray, You're right, 500 is probably too high. I chose it because I used a low temp (can't recall exactly) and that contributed to the caramel/tacky coating. I got impatient. :-) A side note - after that first disastrous attempt I tried reseasoning the skillet... I got a black surface but it kept flaking off. I put up with it for a while and then resorted to the flathead screwdriver method. Regarding the upside-down skillet... after the first few smokey tries I put aluminum foil underneath to catch the drippings.

So there's a post on Chowhound about restaurants using diabetes test kits to determine optimum frying conditions for potatoes, based on the glucose level present. Googling for "potato fry glucose" shows some research done in this area. It seems as though lower amounts of glucose will result in a lighter color fry. www.umanitoba.ca/afs/plant_science/extension/potatoessugars.pdf There's also a reference to using Diastix diabetes test kits to test the sugar content of potatoes: In terms of appearance this seems to be a good thing, but does a high level of glucose in a fry really result in a bad tasting fry? Has anyone tried this out? And most importantly, is this referenced anywhere in the Bouchon cookbook? ;-)

I use the oven method with Crisco, but at 500 degrees. I start off with the skillet upside down on the top rack with aluminum foil underneath. Flip it after 25-30 minutes, give it another half hour or so and it comes out black as night. We clean and reason in much the same way as Octaveman's recent post. When I first got my skillet I tried the lower temp baking method but it just resulted in a caramel-colored tacky (in all senses of the word) coating. It eventually turned black but the seasoning kept flaking off. Eventually I took it all off with a flat head screwdriver and started from scratch with the higher oven temp. Edit: There was a post some time last year in the Yahoo "Good Eats" group where a poster tried accelerating the aging process on his skillet. As part of this process he sanded his skillet down but the action did not appear to have any detrimental effects to the seasoning process. Another mistake I made in my earlier baking-seasoning attempts was to use too much Crisco. I use a really light coat now, and the side benefit is very little smoking. The skillet actually has not been fully re-seasoned in about 2 years because it's held up well and gets a decent amount of use.

Wow, I think nearly every TV show listed on that page was Korean. Trang Tien bridge - yes, I have to get on the stick and post the rest of the pics from the trip to Southeast Asia. I'm procrastinating big time, but now we're veering off topic. :-)

You mentioned "3 layer pork" in the previous post without links or other references so I couldn't tell. Looking at all those pictures of pork is sure making me hungry. That's definitely samgyeopsal. I believe it translates literally as "3 (sam) layers (gyop) fat (sal)." I think thdad's nailed the Korean dramas. I've heard that Bae Yong Joon s more popular abroad than he is in Korea itself, but that's neither here nor there. thdad might be better able to answer that question. I can't speak to the trendiness factor. All I can say is that personally, I love Korean food and I think it's spread is a good thing for the global palate. I think the proximity of the two countries will ensure a steady state of cultural exchange.

We live in the 'hood and we like eating here. Agreed that it's cheap. I believe it's also cash-only, and I have no idea about take-out. Best thing is to call: (212) 874-4559. The one thing I can't figure out is the difference between the regular pasta dishes and the pasta specials. In our experience, the pasta specials have always been something off the regular menu. It's more expensive, but beyond that we haven't been able to figure it out. Some pics from brunch.

Blether, interesting post. But why is that an irony of ironies? I'm also curious about "three layer pork" that you mentioned in post #7. Is that the same thing as samgyeopsal? Basically, uncured pork belly sliced thin and grilled, often dipped in a mix of sesame seed oil, salt, and pepper. Sometimes served with ssam. (edited to correct html tags)

For the record, I agree 100% with FG.

Great question, I've wondered about this, too. Sometimes the produce looks a little "too fresh" and seems a little "too cheap." Given the language barrier and a general lack of information about the farming practices used, the question "are these veggies laden with chemicals and pesticides?" always nags me. It hasn't, however, deterred us from actively seeking out and happily eating this produce. I just wish more information was available. I'm sure the labor costs are lower, but beautiful veggies at astoundingly low prices just makes me think that -something- has to give. Out of curiosity I googled for Chinese produce pollution and found that pollution is certainly a concern back in China. Chinese switch to organic produce as toxins, pollution foul food Southwest China to Produce Pollution-free Vegetables Oh, and I just found this web page showing a "pick your own Chinese produce" farm:

Update: We didn't finish the stinco di maiale so we took it home and had it as leftovers. Wow, what an improvement reheated! Nicely herbed and much better piping hot, as u.e. hinted at offline.

Broadway Panhandler has moved to 65 E 8th Street. (links showing this below) http://www.broadwaypanhandler.com/broadway...=0&dept_id=602& http://stg1.uniteu.net/broadway/assets/images/location.html I think Pommes Frites is overrated except for the sauces. Try the frites (and moules) at Cafe des Bruxelles and try the selection of Belgian beers and experience nonchalant European-style service. Kee's has nice chocolates and if you're doing the chocolate tour you should definitely try the hot choc at La Maison du Chocolat. However, try Marie Belle and Chocolate Bar, too. Particularly the spicy hot choc at Chocolate Bar. City Bakery's hot choc is too sweet for my liking. However, if you're down there, try the pretzel croissant and avoid their regular croissant at all costs. Bakeries: Add Bouchon in the Time Warner Building at Columbus Circle. Try anything there... croissants, pain au chocolat, brioche, savory scones (I normally dislike scones) are excellent. Order at the counter instead of sitting down, though you may have to wait for a seat at one of the few tables or a spot along the standing counter. La Bergamote (169 9TH Ave) has better pain au chocolat than Balthazar. Cupcake Cafe ... overrated IMO. If you're going to be on the UES, you might try the excellent calamari salad at E.A.T. (1064 Madison Avenue betw 80/81). It's pricey but had a spectacular flavor and mouth feel. Pair it up with the lentil salad for a $16 "2 salad plate" and eat it with Zabar's breads (the baguette is so-so, the other breads are better), finish off with the orange pound cake (or something like that). The 3-bean salad also went well. Maybe try some smoked sturgeon while you're at it. We took a "big" tub of the calamari salad to go... cost a eye-opening $60 but it was really good. If you're doing pizza, why not the original Patsy's... where's that, up on E 103rd? re: Little Italy... what's left of it. You're better off walking along the eastern (but perhaps not far-eastern... e.g. not past bowery) parts of Chinatown, like around Grand St and Chrystie. While you're on Grand, head east a few blocks to Doughnut Plant. Guss' Pickles. And finally, I'll cross-link to my other Chinatown post.

Speaking of chains... MSN is running this piece called Pig-out Picks.

Interesting to see the different perspectives on the fried artichokes. :-) I think we're going to angle for the bar on our next visit, too, and work our way through the small dishes.

Yes, people staying at their table -way- too long. The staff were all quite busy.