Steve R.
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Posts posted by Steve R.
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We were there last week and I enjoyed our meal at "Seven Fish", a nice corner place a couple of blocks off Duval (Elizabeth and Olivia?). Pretty assertive flavors though, so it may not be for everyone. The use of mango in my penne worked well, as did thyme in with a seafood dish. Very nice room with a decent wine list and a New England charm to it. Reasonable prices and a quiet, reserved crowd.
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If you'd like to sample a Canora/Grieco place, and you should, I'd recommend Insieme, their best production, which unlike Hearth is new since your last visit here.I'm a fan of the food at both Insieme and Hearth, but atmosphere-wise Hearth wins for me. The dining room at Insieme is a bit too sedate for my taste.
I greatly prefer the room at Hearth as well. Even though the Insieme menu is more wide ranging, I also think that the food is a bit better at Hearth.
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Well, you said "preferably" on the high end requirement, so I'll second EMP but add Hearth and Devi, which are both very nice but a notch or two under "high end" in NYC. In both cases, I'd advise having a little discussion with them and asking them to cook for you. At Hearth that'll mean a couple of extra courses of menu items (probably nothing off the menu). At Devi it can mean almost anything, especially if Suvir is around... some of it might be dishes not on the menu but that they're trying from his "American Masala" cookbook (or whatever he'll be working on by May).
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The one exception is World Tong in Brooklyn. It remains a solid quality (not so much in high end ingredients as in preparation and execution) at low end prices. Take your wife's family there & they'll be fine.
This is quite true, but once you've taken into consideration the travel costs in time and money, the prices at CB just don't seem all that much higher.
Lunch specials for assortments of dim sum (I think there's a large and a small one) are under $20, including soup...tea is expensive, however, at about $6 a pot.
Agreed, if you live in Manhattan. Although, as Sneakeater said, it's more a time consideration than a $$ consideration since the N train gets to World Tong pretty easily.
Of course, your (unwritten) assumption that most diners at CB's dim sum are from Manhattan may not be correct and World Tong may actually be closer to many of us from the farmlands. Or, more concisely, a lot of us live in Bklyn to begin with.
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If the dim sum in Manhattan's Chinatown were better, I wouldn't want to pay CB prices either. But you know what? It's all pretty lousy down there, and I for one definitely appreciate the higher quality ingredients, including a very nice tea selection.
As for service, it hasn't ever been great, but I do think the pretentiousness has dropped over time. There are only a couple of waiters who are great, and one hostess who is very friendly with us, but the rest have always just been ok - so despite service being good for me when I go, I wouldn't count that as a big plus in general for them.
I think it just has to do with how you were brought up. My wife grew up with traditional style chinatown (not NY) dim sum, which is cheap, served in huge rooms with minimal fuss and decor. It took her a long time to get adjusted to the "faux imperial" vibe, better ingredients and (principally) higher prices at CB. Myself, I didn't grow up with dim sum and don't mind paying $30-$40/pp (we order a lot) given the clearly higher quality ingredients and craftsmanship involved. Initially my wife did mind it, and I'm still not sure she would want to take her family there if they visited, cause their initial reaction would likely be similar to hers.
The funny thing is that this old/new school distinction exists in Hong Kong as well, to a far greater degree. The tourist guides still point you to the old school, no frills, cheaper ingredients/prices dim sum main stay of the city (mostly populated by older locals and tourists - a weird mix) while I've found myself far far more attracted to the newer, fancier and pricier places in town.
Well said. Although I'm with Pan in not being willing to pay CB's prices for dim sum, I really do appreciate that there are just about no places that manage inventive quality at reasonable prices and the alternative, especially in Manhattan's C-town, is low cost mediocre fare. However, they do pop up for brief periods and, over the years, I've been able to catch places as new chefs try to get a foothold in NYC by starting with a local C-town place. I remember Mandarin Court on Mott as being one such place a good 15 years ago and it lasted less than a year at that quality level.
The one exception is World Tong in Brooklyn. It remains a solid quality (not so much in high end ingredients as in preparation and execution) at low end prices. Take your wife's family there & they'll be fine.
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review can also be found on my blog foodieatfifteen.blogspot.com
It all started back in early September of this year. I found myself with plenty of leftover dough from my summer job, and plenty of sensible things to potentially do with it, the least of which being to spend it on a restaurant. Yet fate displayed its dominance, and I decided that once again, I would throw away $298 on a single meal. This would be my third time going, and I am often asked why I am continuously drawn back to Per Se. The rest of this paper will aim to answer that question.
Welcome to egullet and thanks for a great first post. I can't believe you're only 16. (I'm jealous - I didn't realize my love for food until considerably later.)
Hell, when I was 16, I would have gone just for the champagne. Another reason I focused on Japanese and Korean food, at that time in the city, they never carded....
At 16, I had similar emotions about a restaurant with a similarly short 5 letter, 2 word name: Wo Hop.
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Agreed.
What's interesting about this place is that it's really become a full on restaurant. With the recent press, and not to mention great food, it's becoming something of a not-so-sleeper success as a restaurant not as a bar, cocktail or otherwise. I wonder if this was entirely on purpose, or do we have a nearly Ssam Bar-like situation on our hands where a spot that does something decently (Korean wrap fast food/above avg. EV watering hole toying with the idea of serving food) morphs into something quite different and markedly better.
Entirely on purpose. The current owners bought Detour Bar to make a restaurant. The pace of doing so might seem slow to those that dont know them but there've been reasons. And now it's finally a restaurant. I'm not into cocktails (as Sneak and Jesikka know) but the Jala-pina that Rob designed for Centrico is still on my summer drinking list & I dont mind the Gotham at all for the winter. Eating there on the average of once/week for at least 6 months now (including last night), I think "bar" is the secondary aspect of the place, with cocktail lounge not really even on their minds for a close 3rd. But, if you want a well crafted cocktail, talk to Rob & ask him to make it. He can and will.
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I find Veselka's e. European food only OK, but the sad fact is that there are many fewer places to get this kind of food in that neighborhood than there used to be.
When I lived on 1st Avenue in the late 80s (more than 20 years ago, gulp), the consensus of my roommates and I (fledgling gourmands w/ huge appetites and less than no money) was that Veselka was the least good (and most yuppified, even then) of what at the time were at least 1/2 a dozen options in a few block radius for borscht, pierogis, blintzes, kielbasa etc. (The old original pre-any-makeover or menu expansion Christine's was the best -- I mourn it still). So we never went there...
Until recently, I would go to Teresa's, when that pierogi and kielbasa craving hit me, but that's gone too.
So now, when I want that kind of food, which I do find very comforting, I usually end up at Veselka -- I'm never blown away, but I'm not usually disgusted either. (I do have to get to Greenpoint and do some eating there). I did try the burger once and thought it was only pretty good despite the hype, and if I go to Veselka and want to eat something fattening and artery clogging, it's going to be pierogis with butter fried onions and sour cream! I'll take my burger cravings elsewhere.
But, back in Brooklyn, Teresa's thrives.
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Did a little food outing in flushing today, mostly in the basement of the Golden Shopping Mall, and then some dishes at Spicy & Tasty which were mostly both (although not really super spicy - did they go light because we weren't asian? I could have handled more heat). Will post photos when I can. The food stalls in the basement of the Golden Shopping Mall were AMAZING. When I'm back in flushing next I'm spending the whole day there.
A bunch of us spent noon-2pm on Sunday in the newish Roosevelt Mall (small, 8 stall place around the corner from Fu Ran aka Waterfront and 1/2 block from S&T) checking out the food. By and large, as interesting as Golden, but much more open & well lit. Posts on CH about it. I miss the J&L Mall but the food at Golden and now Roosevelt will fill the void.
As an aside, I've grown to like Fu Ran better than just about all the other Flushing places, with Little Pepper right behind and S&T in third.
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Yes, my cumin lamb wasn't too dry as previous complaints on eG but rather less crisp than it should have been. And not sizzling hot (temperature-wise) like it used to be.
Actually if you want your meat + cumin fix, I recommend Grand Sichuan's Cumin Beef. Similar preparation but they give you a lot more heat. Last time I had it, it came out burning hot, fresh from the fryer. And (filling-less) steamed buns on the side, IIRC.
So far, the best cumin lamb that I've had, believe it or not, is at the Bay Ridge Bklyn place (on 5th between 87-88th Sts).
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So, 4 of us went last night (sorry you couldnt join us, Daniel) and had a good meal. Probably a B, maybe B+. This was certainly better than a recent meal on 9th Ave in Chelsea, which I would have rated C. The lamb with cumin was well done... not dried out but certainly dry, meaning no grease or any liquid. Very nice taste to it. The dan dan noodles were the only thing I thought 9th Ave does better (as do most places)... they were not very silky &, while okay, nothing to write home about. Eh. The cold cucumbers were very good, cut into larger pieces than most others do. Refreshing, with good spicing. Pork belly was, as usual, well prepared and the fish with Napa cabbage was similarly good. Although it looked like it would be fire-y with a full crust of peppers, it wasnt. As a matter of fact, my major impression of this meal was that they managed very well to serve food that had spice that was integrated into the taste of the dish but wasnt the main aspect of the dish. This often isnt the case when heavily spiced food is ordered... the "hot" can easily outweigh the fish or the pork in too many places. We ordered the tea smoked duck as well & it was very smoked... I liked it but it was heavy on the smoke.... the opposite of what I liked about the other dishes.
Overall, I continue to think that this place is someplace to keep on the rotation when in the mood for Szech. food and, overall, better than 9th Ave's food (which can be downright mediocre). But I've liked the place on 2nd Ave in the 50s better and certainly think that, if travel isnt a major concern, the Bay Ridge Szech. place (5th Ave and 88th St) is better as well, right up there with Flushing's Little Pepper and Spicy & Tasty.
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Hello,
I am headed to Provincetown after labor Day. I will be doing some reserch based on the info in these posts for some casual places..specifically to see if these palces are still round, lol.
BUT, I am looking for a fine dining option or two... $$$ not an issue, cuisine can be flexible but would not prefer asian, a good wine list is important.
We are staying at the Crowne Point, but will gladly travel to Truro, Wellfleet and environs. if anyoen can point me in a direction ,I would appreciate it.
We'll be in Orleans 9/8-16, probably around the same time as you're in P'town. Not that we're the masters of fine dining, spending most of our NYC dining out at moderately priced (Hearth, not Bouley) or lower (sometimes waaaay lower) places, but the Cape has just never been exceptional upscale dining experiences for us so we tend toward the pleasant moderately priced places with decent wine lists. That being said, I know it's a little far (ok, a lot far) for you, but we'll no doubt be eating at Red Pheasant once or twice, as we've always found it one of the Cape's most welcoming. Havent been in a couple of years, but it's been a steady go to place over the past 15 years for us. Just sayin'.
Let me know if you strike gold. We'll be driving to P'town for a day or so... hopefully the Portuguese bakery is still there.
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I'd second the recommendation that you dont dismiss going back to Flushing if you havent been to Spicy and Tasty, Little Pepper and Fu Run. Or the stalls in the remaining "Mall".
However, if you're dead set on something else, there are other places close to the tennis. Last week (after going to the Quals.), I went down Roosevelt Ave to the 70s. This put me past all the Latin American trucks, taco places, fruit stands, juice places, etc. that are mostly great. Then it got me to some of the Phillipines places, a couple of Indian/Pakistanian places and finally to the Sripraphai neighborhood.
Tonite I'm picking up my wife after tennis (she's not working & I am, damn it) and going to Seva, a nice, small Indian restaurant on 30th Ave (Astoria, but a ways from Ali's). Zabb Thai also has a branch around the corner and there are other Greek, Latin and even E.European places around.
I'd also recommend going to the small Italian enclave in Corona, where you can find both The Lemon King ices place, some small groceries and Parkside Restaurant, an old school red sauce place.
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Happened to stop by the garden on the way back on the water taxi a few weeks back and remembered what a lovely place it used to be, but no clue on the current state of the food.
Can anyone comment?
Overall, the knock out room, view and general ambience goes a long way in overcoming what is now only good food, uninspired, from a competent kitchen. We still go a couple of times a year but made the mistake, last month, of going the week after an excellent meal at Eleven Madison Park. It paled in comparison, even at 2/3rds the price. Still has a very nice wine list and gracious service. They need a new, motivated up and coming chef to take over the kitchen.
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Okay, I'm going to go out on a limb here. Ginny and I accidentally found a place 6 months or so ago that was brand new (then) and showed great promise. Lots of fresh seafood. However, as it's now 6 months later, I have no idea if this will still be good or a complete bust so let the buyer beware. East Market Restaurant, with an official address of 75-85 East Broadway, but its actually upstairs, with an entrance from an internal alleyway between E.Bdway and Henry, Market St and Forsyth St. A block away from the E. Broadway Mall.
Soba: are those pictures from our dim sum together at World Tong? Nice shots. No durian.
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My parents learned of Taci's Beyti from one of the Turkish maintenance workers in my dad's office building. It's right near my sister's apartment in Brooklyn, so my parents and sister have gone a lot (she works for my dad on Fridays, and they go for dinner and drive her back home on their way back out to LI), and I've gone about 10 times when I was still living at home. There is no atmosphere, if you care about such things, but the food is cheap and quite good. From Manhattan, it's about a 1/2 hour or so on the B (weekdays only, of course) or the Q to the Kings Highway station.
If you go, make sure to get the pan-fried calf's liver. You'll understand why. (For 4 of us, my parents would usually get 2 orders of it.)
I think Hemsin, at it's prime, was better than Taci's (in Bklyn, on Coney Island Ave off Ave P). However, Taci's is close enough that it may well be the best alternative now that Hemsin is gone. Sahara, a couple of blocks down Coney Is. Ave (off Ave T), is a much more festive, bustling place but is no longer worth much food-wise. I'd advise some exploration of this area, since there are quite a few small, new Turkish places around and even a couple of larger ones that I havent been and look interesting (on Emmons Ave by Loehman's and around Kings Hiway and Coney Is. Ave).
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Unless something's changed in the last week or two, the folks at Eleven Madison Park told me that they intended to have Van Winkle bourbon drinks again in their courtyard. Last year, I spent as much time there as anywhere.
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Unfortunately, your experience is par for course. The place was good its first year and had lofty ambitions but it's exactly like you experienced most, if not all, of the time these past several years. I don't know why anyone even thinks of going. Much better food in the surrounding areas.
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Pan's correct. Best dim sum is World Tong in Bensonhurst by far. There's no real Chinese restaurant community around there though (although Villabate Italian Bakery is only 10 blocks up on 18th Ave & makes it all worthwhile) so if you're looking for the general ambience, the Chinatown is 8th Ave in the 50s... decent dim sum, nothing to write home about. Lots of Cantonese fresh pulled noodle soup places and street vendors.
Get to Brighton Beach Ave and walk around. Russian places for lunch including the markets that have tables/chairs to eat what you buy. Get to DiFara's on Ave J for pizza. Walk down Coney Island Ave to the Pakistanian neighborhood as well. Then up to Nostrand Ave for West Indian foods. Plenty of dinner places in Park Slope. If you're coming several weeks from now and are here on a weekend day, hit the Red Hook ballfields for Mexican, Central and S. American foods.
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We've been there a # of times over the years, although not recently (that's 2 years in Steve R lingo). Throw in a couple of "functions" there, including a grad school alumni event with a kitchen tour, and I guess we have a feel for the place. All told, good to very good meals have been had.
Best adventure (disclosure -- this was over 10 years ago): 8 of us descended on them and had a very good (two and a half Bruni stars?) meal over the course of several hours. Lots of conversation, time flying. Dessert course was taking unusually long to come out. First, our server said "almost ready", then someone else said "I'll check with the kitchen", then... well, you get the idea & 45 minutes went by. Finally, we all got sick of talking to each other and focused on the waiter, who basically shrugged "I dunno" and got the manager/supervisor, an "over 50" well dressed guy, who looked like a stern dean of students and had a nice french accent. "I'll check". Well, you could hear the not so elegant yelling from the kitchen and then, in a recomposed state, he returned and eloquently stated "the kitchen informs me that they 'ran out of chocolate' and didnt quite know how to tell you so they just stalled and hid". He gave us a very nice smile too.
So... without any chocolate desserts, we got comped something or other in the liquid department & went on our way, knowing we had a story to tell which, obviously, I'm still getting mileage out of.
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Metrotech - right - well I'd definitely hit Junior's weekly - you and Marty Markowitz
If you had a bicycle you could roll downhill - Grimaldi's is definitely worth it, and there's a lot more options in DUMBO. There's a Rice, which is good, but try the steak sandwich at Superfine, it's worth the trip.
To add to your DUMBO recs, Hecho is a very nice small plate Mexican place in a room that's a coffee shop by day. Worth a visit. I hate Grimaldi's.... I think it's been running on reputation for years, since the family sold it (might be 10 years by now). But the lines are out the door and the tour bus trade keeps pouring in. I'd go 15 minutes in the other direction for Lucali's any day (Henry and 1st). Incredible pizza and calzone made by an upcoming craftsman.
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I might add that it may even be worth it to flop into a cab and hit Junior's, cuz Junior's in Brooklyn is still relatively cheap
I can walk to Junior's. I work at MetroTech Center.
I haven't ruled out Atlantic Av., Steve; I just want to change things up. But what kind of food is at Waterfront Ale House? That's on Atlantic between what and what?
I really prefer not to spend more than $25 including tip most of the time, occasionally up to $35. I'll have to feel very self-indulgent or celebratory to treat myself to a $60 solo dinner after work.
agentmule, I haven't been to Queen in a long time. How late are they open and what would dinner cost? I remember the place being kind of pricey but good a few years ago.
Waterfront Ale House (used to be Pete's) is a burger bar place between Clinton and Henry but it has lots of beer on tap and surprisingly good food. Pulled pork, burgers, salads, sandwiches and even entrees, all in your price range. Pretty famous in those parts. You can also stay within budget at Downtown Atlantic, which is a slightly upscale Waterfront. Better entrees, not as good burgers and beer selection though. Nicky's is the banh mi sandwich place on Atlantic... nice. There's also a relatively inexpensive "Soul Spot" (only 1-2 tables, mostly take out) on Atlantic but I wasnt impressed with the food the one time I ate there.
Queen is a $40-60pp place. Good Italian food in a "you gotta be kidding me" room (plastic flowers and all). But the food is as good as you'll get... it's a business lunch place for the politicos and lawyers for 50 years that's now gotten itself a respectable dinner business thanks to the influx of young 'uns moving in to the neighborhood. Well worth a visit for the food.
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Well, I'd take Henry St. recommendations, too, but preferably pretty close to Borough Hall and the Post Office, because I already have to walk from Jay St. to get there.
I like at least one restaurant on 14th St., Crispo.
The recommendations already given are good ones but I hope you realize the price range they represent. A good dinner at Henry's End (my favorite place) is $60-70pp, but we're talking game menu and a very solid domestic wine list. Well worth it. There's a French place at the same price range next door and, although the food is good, I think it overpriced. Jack the Horse (Hicks St) comes in at around $40pp and most of my friends like it more than I do. Noodle Pudding is excellent and you can spend $25-60pp depending on what you feel like ordering. There's now a wine bar on the corner of Cranberry and Henry that has a good buzz but I havent been yet. Same with the trendy pizza place, Oven. Fascati is above average NY pizza by the slice. The Thai place is long gone. That's Henry. Tutt Cafe is on Hicks, almost across from Jack the Horse... it's not bad for laid back Middle Eastern.
I'm assuming you've ruled out Atlantic, since it's in the wrong direction from the subway? You already know Yemen Cafe, since we ate there together a couple of years ago. The Waterfront Ale House, Fountain and Waterfalls are all there as well. In the other direction on Atlantic, Nicky's is now going strong and Downtown Atlantic is pretty solid home cooking. Both are actually close to trains.
The places on Montegue change with the seasons and I can go thru the names of the current residents for you but, suffice it to say that the general level has not even inched up over the years. Very mediocre cast of characters. Walking the extra 5 blocks in either direction yields vastly better food.
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....We're planning on doing a LES walking eatathon for Katz, Russ and Daughters, Yonah Schimmel's, egg creams, Kossars, Gus's Pickles, Il Laboratorio del Gelato (3 of us have been to the one in Rome, is the same thing?). We may also be venturing out to the Bronx (Arthur Ave), Brooklyn (pizza) and Staten Island (ferry ride and pizza).
Basically, for the rest, we're looking for non-Euro based food that is at it's best in Manhattan (if you leave out Flushing). Due to budget constraints, we're not going to do sushi, but there are plenty of other places to choose from in the East and South East Asian category, some that we're thinking of are Yakitori Totto or Torys, Aburiya Kinnosuke, Ramenya Setagaya, Sobaya, Gyu-kaku or Suibi for Japanese. I'm not a okonomiyaki fan, 2 of us are big ramen fans (Santoka is our favorite Japanese export so far). Any clear consensus on something must not miss on the list? We're also considering Grand Sichuan Intl, since our friends haven't had good Sichuan before. Other considerations are Skyway (because one of them loves Malaysian food, but the partner is dubious given his culinary background), Congee Village for when we're in that hood trying to find house made lap cheung, places in Koreatown like Han Bat or Mandoo Bar. Our interest was also piqued by Chinese-Cuban, but it seems like that is pretty much a dying cuisine in NYC? Are there any glaring omissions in our list? Any avoid at all costs?
We're not tied to just Asian, but its the easiest for us to figure out. You'll notice I didn't mention any Momofuku places, fusiony Asian places have a pretty high activation energy barrier for some people in the crowd to get over.
thanks in advance!
trillium
I know you'll be right there, but dont waste the calories/capacity on Yonah S's knishes. Eat more pastrami at Katz' or add something to your Russ order. You didnt specify where you're thinking of going but, if you come to Brooklyn for pizza, skip Grimaldi's (one of the places with a reputation that's undeserved for 10 years or more). If you're serious, go to DiFara's. But you probably know that.
In Manhattan, go to Devi. Not that it's cheap (Ssam Bar range) but it's quite an innovative take on Indian food. Good fried chicken to boot. For Cantonese, NY Noodletown in C'town (end of Bowery, near the Manhattan Bridge & Canal St) is still the best. For a quick but very nice lunch soup & some hacked chicken, pork &/or duck, I've been going to Chiou Chow (or something like that spelling) on Mott, a block north of Canal, for over 20 years. Simple and very good... and cheap. You probably wont listen to this but there's a family run Ghanan place in Harlem (W113 & Douglass) that's worth a visit. Called Florence's, it's so inexpensive that you should overorder by a bit, expecting to not like some of it. All my other ethnic places are in Queens or Brooklyn and you said Manhattan so...
Michy's, Miami
in Florida: Dining
Posted · Edited by Steve R. (log)
Realizing we'd be overlapping in Miami for one night, me and the missus got together with Rich and his missus for dinner at Michy's last week. We really loved the place and the 1/2 orders are definitely the way to go. Four of us getting 9 half plates more than sufficed and the sweetbreads order was excellent. The truffled polenta w/egg (see above post by Rich) was still (or back?) on the menu so we got 2 half orders of that and it was a major winner.
Got to admit though... after a week in Miami, eating around, I thought the most outstanding place was Talula. We wound up going twice. But I'd go back to Michy's easily as well. Very nice.