NYCviaRachel

These places both still open, I'm assuming? It was hard to find info via Google. My boyfriend is coming to visit next week and it sounds like he'd enjoy it.

Hey all, My boyfriend is coming to visit me from the states at the end of April and we've planned a trip to 2 nights in Uluru and 3 nights in Sydney. I know choices of food in Uluru are very limited, but I was wondering your recommendations of the best of the bunch? We are doing the famed Sounds of Silence dinner, which I'm quite looking forward to. Regarding Sydney: We're there for 3 nights, and are planning on one really nice dinner. It doesn't have to be ridiculously fancy, but something memorable. He'd be content with a well cooked steak and myself with a nice duck breast - yum. I've looked at the other Sydney threads in the index, but if you have anything in particular to add, let me know. On another note, if you have any recommendations for a "best of" Sydney that we'd check out on our sightseeing travels that would be much appreciated. Some cheap eats for lunch and such. Thanks!

Thanks for the tips! I'll definitely check out Nudel Bar. I finally tried Ladro in Fitzroy and thought it was great. I took a friend from Adelaide and she said it was the best pizza she's ever had. I also tried Grill'd in St. Kilda and wasn't impressed. The meat was flavorless and tasted almost like a garden burger. Sunday I went to Jungle Bar on Centre Place and loved it. Nice lively atmosphere with some yummy bagels. Their menus are in those Little Golden Books that I used to read as a kid - I thought it was a nice touch. Last night my friend dragged me to Degraves Espresso Bar and thought it was pretty eh. I think it's one of those places that capitalizes on its premier location than its food. ----- Oh, and earlier we were talking about Pelligrini's random pricing. I went there by myself and was charged $13 just for a pasta and tap water. I went again with a friend and was initially charged $32 for the two of us (we both had a pasta and a granitas), then a worker nudged the the guy who charged us and said in front of us, "Boy those were pretty small dishes, I'd say its about $30."

Whoa, like I said before it was just a craving. I was no way commenting that the Melbourne culinary scene sucks. I want to try "he food you get here that you would not find in NYC," hence this thread.

Believe me I understand. I was no way complaining about it, just musing about a selfish craving I'm definitely going to get the guide when it comes out and, yes, dinner seems to be the main issue. I'm surprised so many of the cafes close early. You would think a lot of the university students would hound them at night. Even drunks trying to satisfy some late night cravings. To put it more simply, NY style pizza is crisp thin crust pizza on large triangular slices. It's certainly not Domino's. There's a good eGullet thread on some of the more famous/best places in NYC found here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=35551&st=0

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll definitely check it out. Well I should rephrase that: good New York pizza. Your average slice joint in New York is totally satisfactory - just a quick cheap eat you can eat on the street. Good New York pizza is this: The first is a fresh mozzarella slice from Joe's Pizza (with a bite taken out of it). Sweet sauce, flavorful thin crust, and some great cheese. The second is from Patsy's Pizza in Spanish Harlem. Paper-thin crust, out of this world sauce and cheese. If you actually care enough, there's this site that's really good at documenting NY pizza: http://www.sliceny.com I find a lot of street pizza here is like foccacia bread back home - not really pizza.

Thanks guys - those suggestions definitely help. I haven't done as much exploring as I have wanted to (been so hot here!!), but here are some places I've been going to... On the Asian front I find myself repeatedly at BBQ Chinese Restaurant (how blunt) on Swanston/Lonsdale. I'm a big fan of roast duck and they do it well for cheap ~7.50. It's also right next to my building, so it's come quite in handy. I was having a craving for New York pizza and I checked out an an article The Age put out in 2005 about pizza. I went over to Fitzroy for lunch and went to Bimbo Deluxe. It's a cute, sort of trendy looking, bar (or pub, I can't tell the distinction between the two well yet) and had a decent pie. Nothing like New York, of course, but it somewhat satisfied my craving. It was a bit disappointing, but oh well. The crust, although cooked quite crisp, lacked any real flavor. I got their plain margarita - I think I need to get some toppings next time I go. They have dinner specials Sunday-Thursday nights $4 ANY pizza i.e. unlimited toppings. It's between some specific hours that I cannot recall (they do stop serving pizza at 2.30AM), but I don't remember the hours being particularly restrictive. I took my requisite tourist trip to Queen Victoria Market (which I loved), and tried out Cafe Verona in their food court. I got a plate of meat ravioli in a bolognese sauce which was surprisingly very satisfying. At first I thought it wasn't going to be enough food (they put it in a small bowl), but I ended up not being able to finish it. That with a bottle of water I think was about $11. I could be off a bit. Definitely some good stuff though. I guess I'll add some posts as I explore Melbourne Tomatom: The Age is coming out with their 2007 edition next week, so I'm holding out until then.

Hey all, I'm new to Melbourne, hailing from NYC. I'm only here for about four months and was wondering your opinions on your favorite cheap eats around the city. I noticed a bunch of threads on Melbourne top restaurants, but nothing regarding everyday meals. It's hard to classify "cheap eats" sometimes so I'm guessing a max of ~$17 per meal (not including drink). I'm living in Melbourne Central and as much as I enjoy Asian food, I am starting to get sick of it. Any ideas of places around here, and other parts of the city? Thanks!