LPShanet

I agree 100% with the above comments. And I think the price I mentioned was before tip, so it's probably very close to the same. My only divergence would be that I like the looseness of the rice from a taste perspective, but agree that it's slightly trickier to deal with.

In terms of food, I'm thinking Nick and Stef's might have the best options. However, Brasserie is a New York classic (at least among the nightlife set) and might be fun for that reasons. And Brasserie 8 1/2, as previously mentioned, is very interesting (if somewhat dated) visually, and was featured on Sex and the City, so it has pop culture value. Iwouldn't bother with Cafe Centro and Naples 45.

Does anyone have any really good Chinese, Vietnamese or Japanese places to add to the list? (Ones that are better than anything in NYC.) This came up on another thread recently (with respect to Chinese and Vietnamese) so I'd be very interested in checking out Chinese food (especially any type that isn't well-represented in NYC), Vietnamese food (authentic Vietnamese) or any type of Japanese that isn't well-represented in the city. I've heard there's a thriving Japanese community in NJ, which seems likely given the fact that Mitsuwa is supported.

Don't remember the exact total, but I want to say it was about $180 for two, including a couple of shochus and lots of sushi. In general , I remember prices being about the same as Ushi Wakamaru or Sasabune for the amount eaten, and less than Yasuda.

Had been meaning to try Shimizu for quite a while, and was having a sushi craving on Tuesday (always a good night for sushi). Since my go-to, Ushi Wakamaru , has been closed for a bit due to an ongoing feud with the DOH, and Yasuda was fully booked all night at the sushi bar, I finally had my chance to check it out. Before heading out, I checked with eGullet's resident sushi (and all things Japanese) expert Raji, and he confirmed that Shimizu would be a wise choice. And I'm here to tell you, it'll more than hold us over until Hideo-san gets back to biz on Houston Street. While the location is less convenient for me (I'm a downtowner), the space at Shimizu is light and pleasant, as are the staff. I made a reservation at the bar, and my girlfriend and I plunked ourselves down and asked Shimizu-san to give us whatever he saw fit. Because we ordered a few rounds of shochu, I'll do my best to recall what we had. It should be noted that Shimizu has a really great shochu selection. While I'm sure there are places in town that have a lengthier selection (though probably not many), Shimizu has done a great job of providing a variety of different types of shochu made from a really wide variety of source elements. In addition to the typical rice, potato, sweet potato, barley and other standard varieties, they also have one made from sudachi (a Japanese citrus fruit in the lime/yuzu category) and another made from dates. Both were great, and distinctly communicated their base in a subtle way and without any sweetness. It's really worth your while to try a few side by side. But on to the sushi. We opened with a couple of marinated shiny skinned varieties. First up was sanma (sometimes known alternately as saury or mackeral pike), which was a very nice version of that...not my g/f's taste, but for those who like things in the mackeral/gizzard shad direction, meaning fish varieties marinated in rice vinegar it was a fine piece. Next up was kohada (gizzard shad), also really nice, and more subtle than the sanma (which in turn is more subtle than a typical piece of saba). Though neither piece blew my socks off, they were both good, subtle versions of their kind. But the good stuff was still to come. Since my memory of the order they arrived is a bit foggy, I'll just provide a list of the other pieces I can remember: - Octopus (w/ sea salt and lime) - very clean and nicely tender - Shima Aji (striped jack...in the yellowtail family) - perfect and buttery - Uni (a good piece...I've had better, but it was very good) - Ika (squid) served with ikura (salmon roe) on top - wonderful...the squid was tender, the ikura was the best I've had in NY apart from Ushi Wakamaru's (which is light years better than anyone else's. At it's best, it's like tasting a fresh bite of ocean, with no fishiness or stickiness.) - King crab - the best piece I've had at a sushi restaurant. Tasted purely of crab, with no residual flavors of anything else. - Engawa (fluke fin) served with shiso leaf and a tart red garnish - the tartness and herbal shiso flavors really brought the gentle taste of the engawa to life. - Hamachi (yellowtail) belly - rich and very nice - Chu-toro - one of the finest pieces of tuna I've had in recent memory. The cut and flavor were both flawless, and my g/f wanted to double up and get another. - King Salmon - managed to be really flavorful without having any bottom-feeder/fishy taste. The two traps of most salmon to my palate are either being bland or tasting like leftover cheap lox. This one had all the good qualities of top notch gravlax without any of the negatives. - Otoro - Another great piece of tuna. The g/f, who usually gravitates towards akami and leaner tuna cuts, really dug it, despite it's decadent richness. She was right. All the things we crave in a rich, fatty piece of toro, but still clean and perfectly textured. - Mirugai (giant clam, specifically geoduck) - a really good, flavorful piece, with firm but not chewy texture. First rate. - Anago (sea eel) w/ grated ginger - really nice. The ginger was a nice element to counter the richness of the meat and sauce. - Ama ebi (sweet shrimp) - We have been craving botan ebi since they went out of season. This will have to hold us over till they come back. Shimizu also served us the tempura fried heads of the shrimp, which is pretty standard in sushi bars in LA and Japan, but for some reason very few places in NY do this. Very glad to see that here. - Spicy tuna (3 pieces of a roll) - I was honestly a bit surprised to see this. Not typically something you get at a traditional sushi bar, but a good version, and quite tasty. At this point, you might imagine we were getting quite full, and the g/f called it quits and tapped out. But I'm always good for a few more pieces than the average Kodiak bear, so I soldiered on with: - Seared white tuna - Very nice, but nothing really special. - Aji (horse mackeral/Spanish mackeral) - very good...always a fave. - Awabi (abalone) - not the best I've had, but I'm always eager to try it when available. - Seared hotate (sea scallop) - Really good. Normally, if there's a really good scallop, I hate to see it get any kind of cooking, but the sear (with a blowtorch) was just brief enough to make it interesting without doing any harm to the first rate scallop. I'm leaving out a few pieces in the shochu haze, but I think I covered a pretty good percent of what I ate. Overall, it was one of the best sushi omakase outings I've had in New York. If I had to choose, I'd say I still like Ushi Wakamaru a little better. The main reasons being Ushi's wider variety, more exotic stuff, more perfect rice (Ushi's is warmer and slightly looser than that at Shimizu, but this is a subjective preference in style), and slightly greater creativity. Still, I'd say Shimizu is in the same league or better than some of the really good places I've been, such as 15 East, Esashi (a bargain but not as good as the others mentioned), Sasabune, etc. It's a more than worthy addition to any serious sushi fan's list, and I highly recommend you go there if you appreciate serious sushi. For those jonesing for the return of Ushi Wakamaru, you'll be really glad to discover this place. Of course, as soon as the feast was over, we walked the couple of blocks over to Kyotofu (Raji and I think they should start up some sort of cross-promotion setup), and proceded to eat a three-course dessert kaiseki with sake pairings.

Thank goodness! Wouldn't want to disappoint.

I completely agree with you on many counts, actually. For one, that NY's best dim sum (and other Asian food) isn't in Chinatown. Also, that Joe Ng is very talented. However, I think you'd find that Wai Lah Heen operates at the same or maybe even higher level. This, not just according to me, but to various dim sum authorities from Hong Kong. Incidentally, there wasn't any back and forth...that was my first post on this thread. (I was just checking that you'd seen all of the Toronto areas, and not just downtown, etc.)

http://edlevineeats.seriouseats.com/2007/0...n-chinatow.html ← If you've been to Toronto, but have never been to Lai Wah Heen, you MUST go on your next visit. People have come from Hong Kong to go there (!) and say it compares to their best. Also, FWIW, I've eaten a LOT in both NY's Chinatown and in Toronto (I'm a dual citizen and have family in both cities), and I wondered if you had been to any of the other Chinatowns in Toronto besides the one downtown (there are actually 3). There's an area called Markham that's about 20 minutes from downtown that is in many people's opinions WAY better for Chinese food than the downtown Chinatown. While the downtown Chinatown is roughly comparable to NY's in quality, Markham is a whole level higher. The explanation I was given is that Markham is one of the few Chintowns outside Asia, where the majority of the people who immigrated there came with money rather than seeking it. The result was a more refined, more upscale vision of the food, and an audience that demanded a more refined standard. It's worth a shot. Also, do yourself a favor and have lunch in the food court of the Pan Asian mall...it's crazy fun. You'll thank me later.

Well, we both love Asian cuisine so Tsukushi sounds like it could be a possibility?? I guess we'll make some calls and decide from the choices that have been suggested. Thanks for your reply. I just read the link to another post about Tsukushi. Sounds like speaking the language is a plus when it comes to being served?? Lucky me....Adam speaks the language. So when I tell him tonight about the place, I'm sure that is where we'll be eating. Thanks again for the tip. I'll have to let you know what we think of the meal. ← I strongly agree with the recommendation of Tsukushi. I've always been a fan of the place and the food is really good (and feels "homey" even if you're not Japanese). Not much to look at but a great experience. Nice that you have someone who speaks the language, but it's really not essential at all. They're very accommodating of their few Western customers, and the menu-less format makes lots of communication about the food unimportant. Also, most of the employees speak enough English to make anything relevant quite clear. Another option for you is Mamlouk in the East Village. I haven't been in a while, but it used to be a pre-determined meal with no menu and I had several very good meals there. It's middle eastern and they bring you about 8 rounds of food, all of which is very well made and quite authentic. The atmosphere is also transporting, and makes a nice date place.

I've been to a few of these places, and since I live in the area I really really want to find some great stuff. Recent signs are encouraging, but of the many I've tried, none seemed particularly worth singleing out. There's a New Zealand-themed restaurant with slightly above average food that seemed promising, but like many joints near the financial district, it's turned into a noisy happy hour haunt filled with loud drunk junior bankers and the women who love them, to the point where it's impossible to sit and eat anymore. There's pretty serviceable Italian food at Barbarini Alimentari, although the space isn't really much...they do deliver, though! Quartino changed ownership and name, but still seems to be an organic oriented Italian eatery that is pleasant without being really distinctive. Great rustic space, though. Stella Maris is good if you keep it simple, but we had a couple of really awful dishes there as well. I've been meaning to try the wine bar (Bin 220), and a few of the other places along the miniature restaurant row, and will definitely report back if there's anything outstanding. I wouldn't say any of the new places in the area are real foodie spots, but I hope to be wrong soon!

You were told right. Apart from noodles, Thais use a spoon (in the right or dominant hand) as the main tool, and a fork in the other hand as a pusher. Almost everything is eaten this way, with the spoon being the utensil that goes to the mouth.

Isn't loads of noise part and parcel of being "hip"? And, Chinatown Brasserie was at one point hip...may still be.

You'll be happy to hear that you no longer have to mourn the loss of Devi. The two chefs bought the place from the previous owner and are reopening it this week or next after having done some renovations.

I'm not comparing it to any of the other specific ramens I've had in town (Rai Rai Ken, etc.) but I've had some very good ramen at Tsukushi. Since there isn't a menu, you either have to ask for it, or hope that he serves it as a last course (it's one of three or four things he often rotates in to close out the main part of the meal). Nicely balanced flavor, though it doesn't have all the traditional garnishes that you'd get at a place that did ramen as the meal.

All really good suggestions. If the prices of some are a little high, you might want to add in Lupa and Centro Vinoteca. Also, although it's pushing the price envelope, you might include P*ong on the list...it at least LOOKS hip.

Also, Seamus's other place, Boqueria, comes to mind, as does Merkat.

Artisanal also sells its cheeses, so if you don't want to dine there, you can buy cheese from their excellent selection (which is one of the best in terms of proper storage, ageing, etc.) on a retail basis. Also good is Saxelby, which specializes in American cheeses.

It is hilarious that we've now applied "terroir" to WD-50, as Bryan pointed out, but that is my impression and experience. Wylie seems to specifically incorporate new takes on classic American (and often specifically New York) food, at least in a tongue-in-cheek way, into his concept. Alinea (which, by the way I was just lucky enough to visit a couple of weeks ago....WOW!!!!!!!) seems not to be as concerned with that factor and takes a more general perspective...maybe because Grant's background includes so much varied and international training.

The chains that were pointed out to you will probably give you all you need. Here's a few suggestions I'd make, which are probably on the lists: Cheese Shop: Murray's Cheese on Bleecker. Comprehensive selection and great staff that know a lot and will give you tastes. Butcher: Lobel's is the classic NY butcher shop. Also good is Florence in the West Village. "Sub": While general subs here are called heroes/heros, I don't think there are many life-changing ones. However, you might want to treat yourself to a great banh mi (Vietnamese sub) if you've never had one...there are a couple of really good examples. Places to go for this are Saigon Banh Mi Bakery (on Mott), Banh Mi So. 1 (on Grand) and Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches in the East Village. Personally, I think a good banh mi is better than any hero/sub/grinder/hoagie of American origin. Bagel: I may get flamed for this, but I don't think there aren't that many great bagels left in NYC, surprisingly. H & H is the most famous, but I don't think they're what they used to be, and I don't think many places make their own anymore, or do it the "old way". I'd be curious to see if anyone on this list has a NY-style bagel place that they still would rave about. Some ethnic places: Sriraphai (already mentioned upthread), Thailand Restaurant on Baxter and Bayard, Doyers Vietnamese (on, you guessed it, Doyers Street). Also, even though you have Chinese, you may want to do dim sum at one of the places in Chinatown or Flushing, since you probably don't have much authentic dim sum with carts, etc. in Missouri.

welcome Kaiser Penguin! I've been an avid read of your blog for awhile now. restaurant: Jean Georges (or if it's booked...Perry Street). best lunch deals in NY (you can get out for $40-50 with several courses and a glass of wine, tax and tip) bar: Death & Co., P.D.T. or Pegu....these are the top three cocktail bars in NY....with Milk & Honey and Flatiron Lounge close behind. Anywhere else suggested is a tier behind those five. D&C and P.D.T. are only a couple blocks away from each other so you could do both easily. liquor store: LeNell's...but that might not be convenient to get to. Astor Place has a massive selection and is in walking distance of the bars named. ← Because I know how important determining concensus can be when making these decisions, I thought I'd reinforce Nathan's suggestions. Jean Georges is definitely the best lunch deal in town. Was just there the other day and found that the cooking is much the same as at dinner (which is to say, arguably the best restaurant in the city), but the prices are incredibly low for that level of service and food. The format also lets you design your own menu, by offering any two plates on the menu for about $30 and additional plates for about $12 each. You can do a gut-busting tasting menu that would have cost $150 at dinner for less than half that, when you factor in the free amuses, mignardises, etc. Nathan's cocktail recommendations are also spot-on. However, as you may know, it can be tough to get into Milk and Honey, so why not stick with the top three he suggested (Death & Company, PDT and Pegu). Incidentally, the small plates at Pegu are quite good, so don't avoid them if you decide to go there. Also, as for markets, while its contents are totally dependent on the season, and it's far from comprehensive, you may have fun visiting the Union Square Greenmarket. There's a variety of great food there, and many of the city's top chefs do a bunch of their shopping there. I'm pretty sure Monday is one of the days it's open. Finally, while there are a few great old cigar shops downtown (Tribeca and Financial District, among others) where you can view people actually making cigars, I can't vouch for their quality. Are you going for novelty or to actually buy high end cigars?

There are actually fairly good Indian places in Paris, but Bread Bar isn't traditional Indian, and the atmosphere there is more of a departure from what's found in Paris than that upstairs. As for WD-50, I suggested it not because she wouldn't be able to find molecular gastronomy in Paris, but because it offers a uniquely American take on the genre. Saying that WD-50 should be skipped because they have molecular gastronomy in Paris is like saying she should avoid Grammercy Tavern because they have rustic cooking in Paris (or suggesting that she not bother with American art because they have painting in Paris). Wylie's food, while generally in the "molecular" category (for lack of a better term), is different from what other international chefs are doing in that category. Just as El Bulli's food was envisioned as a molecular take on Spanish food, Wylie riffs on many items that are distinctly American, such as pastrami, creamsicles, butterscotch pudding, corned beef on rye, pepperoni pizza, and American-style mayo (fried in cubes). I also second the recommendation of Blue Hill mentioned above.

I know this sounds strange, but in essence you're actually agreeing with me. Maybe I wasn't making myself clear, but part of the thought I was trying to convey was that a restaurant can be loved by a critic (including Bruni or those at Michelin) as much as they can imagine possible, and be the best of its kind without having the top rating (4 NYT stars or 3 Michelin) overall. For that reason, a place with seemingly inferior food might merit the same overall rating because of its higher level of service, decor, wine, etc. To someone only concerned with food, this would seem unfair, but really isn't. Also, the relative weights assigned to the "non-food" areas may vary among the reviewers, further leading to bias. NB: the real point of my post, however, was to draw attention to the OTHER type of controversy with the list...the indefensible type that points to error, sloppiness or lack of expertise.

First off, a note: the space is the one that used to house Jefferson (in its various incarnations). While I haven't eaten there since the official opening, I did attend a pre-opening special event at Kingswood, and was able to sample a few items: - a very nice, juicy "mini" burger that was too large to be a slider as described - some item that involved prosciutto wrapped around a peach and mascarpone cheese with balsamic. Good flavors, but very hard/large to manage as finger food. - a piece of lightly battered fish that broke in my hand as it was being given to me and promptly got stepped on (with a dipping sauce I didn't get to try as my fish was on the floor) - a couple of other things (lamb, fries) that appear to be simpler variations of what's now on the menu. Unfortunately, due to the format of the gathering, I had to sample them all standing, which meant that my (very sharp, if I do say so myself) jacket got about the same amount of food applied to it as my mouth did. Overall, I'd say the food is good, on a "neighborhood" level. It's certainly got no shot of becoming as good as a Little Owl type place, but if you live in the 'hood, it would be a decent place to grab a bite. And as Nathan noted, the room is very nice...they've really added a lot of warmth and an "organic" quality compared to Jefferson. I'd also say that it's likely to end up being at least as much about the scene as it is about the food itself, which isn't distinctively Australian, but certainly has Aussie elements to it (not that Australia has an outrageously distinctive cuisine to start with).

I was going to mention the Bread Bar, but was beaten to it. Personally, while I like Tabla a lot, I think you'll find the food on the Bread Bar side to be even more of a departure from what you'd find in France, as the flavors are bolder and more rustic, whereas they're more refined and restrained at the Tabla side. Also, since it's more casual (and a bit cheaper), it'll enable greater excess in your other meals:) While we're on the subject of good Danny Meyer restaurants, I'm really surprised no one has brought up The Modern. It has an obviously great view (of great modern artists' work) and the food has seemed to me to be far superior to that at Union Square Cafe and River Cafe. Now, if you want an experience you can't get in the Languedoc, you might want to put WD-50 on your list...that's WAY more different than anything you've mentioned.

Classes are only a meme, just like your percentages. I just think my meme is better, because I could imagine an intelligent person arriving at a rating by comparing restaurants to others with similar aspirations, but I couldn't imagine an intelligent person doing it putting percentages into a spreadsheet. ← It seems that many of us are saying the same thing: that, in effect, there is and has to be some way of putting restaurants of vastly different types and levels of ambition on the same big scale. Without some kind of "handicap", there would be a strong bias towards the more formal places, which is something that Michelin and Bruni both give at least some lip service to avoiding (either successfully or unsuccessfully). Another, albeit strange, way to look at it, would be like the scoring of certain sports in the Olympics that use "level of difficulty" as a factor. In other words, the best divey Thai spot in the world (a four star within its own type) would merit some lesser number of stars when compared with the difficulty of running a place with the ambitions of a Per Se or Jean Georges. No neighborhood Thai place is capable of attaining the same level, because they don't do certain things that would be required, and it wouldn't be fair to the Per Ses or Daniels of the world to award them the same top level, regardless of how good a place of its kind the joint was. This all needs to be taken as read to some extent. The disagreements start to pop up when we begin to analyze HOW these handicaps are arrived at. I'm guessing that in many cases (both Michelin and Bruni, as well as others), the rating isn't a purely numerical thing. There's a subjective or instinctive component as well for the reviewers. Not much we can do except voice our respective opinions in many cases, since it's a mostly subjective argument. However, I think the case of Jewel Bako is something different entirely. Michelin's inclusion of it at the level it was given shows either a lack of OBJECTIVE expertise in the sushi area, or the inclusion of a place based on outdated word of mouth, etc. rather than actual current visits. While many can argue the relative merits of the top gourmet destinations in town (Daniel, Jean Georges, Per Se, Le Bernardin, etc.), I don't think anyone would say that the stars those places earned were WAY off. Maybe some would demote a three to a two, or promote a two to a three, but by and large they're close, and most people who are considered experts in that type of cuisine would probably agree that all are in the top 10 or so restaurants in the city. In Jewel Bako's case, however, it is being included on the list in seemingly random fashion, alongside two places that DO turn up in every sushi geek's top 10. Meanwhile, Jewel Bako is a place that most of the sushi cognoscenti wouldn't even go anymore (and haven't for at least 3 years) due to a precipitous decline in quality that makes it absolutely no better than DOZENS of other places. It literally is just another neighborhood place now, and I'd dare say there isn't a sushi expert in town who would still put it in their top 5, let alone top 3. So to single them out for a star is very strange indeed, and suggests that someone did their work for them rather than it being a result of the purported Michelin review process. The problem here seems not to be subjective disagreement, but an actual lack of proper procedure, which to me is much more troubling.