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We took the train from Shanghai to Xian-land of the terra cotta soldiers. The offerings on the train were terrible. We did not even see soda pops for sale. Plenty of bottle teas however. The dining car had a chinese broccoli dish with a brown-grey gravy-it did not look like oyster sauce. There was another entree that bears description. Maybe mabo dofu. The language barrier was huge and the dining guy said he could set us up with these two entrees and tea for our family of four for 50 bucks-and laughed. Needless to say we opted out. The morning cart had congee. Few people ate the train food. In contrast the trans siberian RR we took a week later the food was good but pricey. We took the turk-siv train from Urumqui to Kazakstan and the food was not chinese and was both limited and over priced. .

We found Baikal pastry shop in Kyoto marvelous. French croissants, eclairs and sticky pecan buns were our favorite. An open kitchen allows visitors to watch them make there famous berry pies-it was apple that day. Will get the address.

Joke aside we will be taking the train from Shanghai to Turpan to stay for a day or two. Any places on the foodie radar not to be missed. Local cuisine to try? Any rec would be most appreciated. Thankyou.

Having lived in Japan it seems the following gifts were most appreciated: Fancy chocolates beautifully boxed and wrapped. Golf balls and tees. Grouund coffees-flavored and regular. They are big on Italian and and french roasts. Jewelry-preferably gold (platinun but its expensive). A pretty bracelet or necklace for the women and cufflinkls or tie clips for the men. Inexpensive vermeil with semiprecious stones is good too. Guest towels that are fancy. Towels of any kind are expensive there. Pick up some deals at local discount stores. An expensive bottle of wine or chamapagne. As long as the present is beautiully wrapped it will be graciously accepted.

My girlfriends and I dined at Spacca Napoli this weekend. The atmoshpere is charming and the service friendly and attentive. My only objection (shared by my fellow diners) was the lack of basil. We ordered the buffalo mozarella with procuitto(sp). The ball of cheese was huge and very soft and the meat was generous as well. There were two leaves of basil under the cheese. The dish came with a small side of toasted italian bread dipped in olive oil and fresh minced basil(or parsley-hard to tell believe it or not). We needed two more sides of the bread which was promptly served. The dish needed more basil. We asked for extra basil and it was served without any problem. Maybe we were just changing the recipe but it seemed lacking. We ordered two pizzas-one with mushrooms and sausage. The mushrooms were button mushrooms and were flavorless. Due to the small serving we thought the mushrooms would be a bit less pedestrian. The sausage was marvelous. We ordered the Diavlo(sp) which is like their Pizza Margharita but with a spicey sauce with crushed red peppers. It was tasty. The crusts are nice but both pizzas needed more basil (two small leaves were placed in the middle of the pies( which we supplemented tableside. The chocolate truffle dessert was nothing special but I am not a big mousse fan. The place is very popular and there was a wait when we left.

Our family has a 5 hour layover so we are taking the train from the airport to the city. Is there a great place for a nice late/morning early afternoon lunch within walking distance from the train station? We have two children. A budget friendly place will be perfect. We also seek a recommendation for a place to buy food for the trip back home to the states -anything to avoid airline food. Any rec will be most appreciated. Thank you.

The place is still great!

Ron, please count me in for the Saturday dinner. I can't wait! Let me know if you want me to do anything to help.

Oru family of four will be in this neighborhood for a few days in June. Any recs for some budget places for dinner? We have two toddlers who are not big sashimi eaters. Any recs will be most appreciated!

We are going to be in Chinatown since we are anti food chaiin and budget diners. Any recs for some good places to eat in Chinatown? We will have a bus pass so other 'not -to-miss' local places would be helpful as well. Thankyou for the martini rec. I am geting thirsty now...

Our family of four will be in Waikiki for three days. We are staying at a budget no frills hotel. Thus after minding the toddlers at the beach all day I predict that I will be a tad 'parched'. As our hotel does not have any bar or dining facilities, I am looking for a place with tasty tropical drinks and decent beer prices (the latter for my husband) that we will not have to dress up for. We will be eating in Chinatown as I heard that it is not that expensive. Are there specials at local bars not to miss? We do not stay out late at night so early bird specials are perfect. Any recs will be appreciated.

Our family will be visiting this city in June for a family vacation for two days. Our two kids (5 and 6 years old) are fairly adventurous (to a point) in ethnic dining. Any places to recommend for us to eat? Local specialties? I understand the city is pretty expensive so budget choices would be preferable. Any recs would be most appreciated. Thanks

Spending a weekend in Muncie IN and wondered if there are any not to miss places to eat. I will be with my family (two kids) and we are adventerous diners from Chicago. Any good hole in the wall BBQ places? Any dining rec is most welcomed and appreciated. Thank you.

We are so in!

Thank you everyone for your informative posts. After I do further research of the various cities we will be visiting I know I am going to have more questions about the food experiences that await!

This summer we will be taking overland-overnight trains in China ending in Shanghai. We are independent, budget travellers with two toddlers. How is the food served on the trains? We would be having all meals on board. Are their food vendors on the platforms for quick take a way? Any advice,comments or observations would be most appreciated. Thank you.

Re the wheel of Edam and the brick of cheese-I thought hard cheeses were OK as opposed to soft cheeses?

I tried the Espesso macchiato as the cappuccino was sold out. Apparently the regular Espesso is the least popular as it is not as sweet. It came out from two whippet-like containers that had to be vigoursly shaken before dispensing. One side was the milk foam and the other was the coffee. It had the consistency of hair mousse or shaving cream- more watery than milky. It does lose its consistency similiar to whipped egg whites deflating. It was rich but not sweet. I wanted to add some sugar but felt that the crystals would not blend and it is not supposed to have it. It came in a small cup with a tiny pierced spoon that forced you to take very small bites. I felt it needed a pastry/sweet accompaniment but since it was not liquid it would not quench a thirst or go down like a hot capp or expresso. I am not that anxious to try the cappuccino-I guess the stuff did not WOW me.

I see no responses to my post. I am not surprised. I have tried to order some of the stuff since my post. Everytime I made a special trip to the Loop location it either has not made it yet, it was not ready (it apparently takes time) or it is sold out. There is no set time when it is served and portions are limited. I may have better luck going to Spain! I asked if it is popular and the reply was "only when we run out". I am getting mad and wonder when and if I eventually I get it will I be disappointed.

I have saved a lot of money by ignoring the weekly food ads. The old ostrich head in the sand defense. I shop at local butchers, delis and other independent places for meat, prepared foods and produce. Other grocery items not offered at these places-paper products, beer and kids' school snacks require a trip to the supermarket. I use to examine the ads and add to my list various sale items that I may not need but because they are on sale and I am already in the store I would get them. I am no longer tempted by frequent sale items such as cookies, ice cream, bags of chips, bacon, pastries etc that would not have made it into my basket. Out of sight out of mind! And those extra bottles of ketchup, mayo and other frequently on sale condiments no longer accumulate in my cupboard. Sure, some times I run out of something and have to pay a nonsale price but the small savings is outweighed by the expense of the needless sale items.

Anyone tried this yet? It started Sept 12 in Chicago stores. For $2.95 you can get a 'solid' cup of espresso. Espresso mixed with a secret ingredient, sits in a pressurized canister for 12 hours. It is then sprayed into a cup and served cold. It also comes in cappuccino and macchiatto (served with solid milk on the side but in the same cup). Based on preparation, quantities are limited each day.

I have three and four year old girls. Shopping carts are a nightmare. I was at a liquor store with a cartful of wine and cases beer. My oldest insisted on pushing it and WHAM! it fell over right next to my 3year old. There were a few broken bottles. Kids want in, they want out, they want to push-it is always a fight. I think my food bills are lower since I can not concentrate and forget many items. I am so glad that you are introducing your kids to various ethnic foods. We have done so since they have been able to eat food and it has made dining out easier. Now if we can just get them to stop spilling! Try Nonna Kabob on Kedzie south of Lawrence for persian fare. The markets across the street (west side) have wonderful selection of olives and fresh feta. Get the super creamy feta, olives, fresh pita and some sumac-yum! .

Looking forward to this blog! In addition to big Polish and Mexican populations with local restaurants, Devon Avenue's offerings of Indian and Pakistani meals and foods as well as Argyle's vietnamese fare and shops support Chicago's melting pot reputation.

It will be interesting to see how Tony will handle drinking non-Amstel brews when travelling.

IIRC, Wendy's was accused by McDonald's of placing stores near a McD's. McD's apparently does a lot of feasibilty research- which costs $- and Wendy's just followed the tracks. I am no Starbuck$ fan-I do not drink special coffee drinks. Just plain black coffee or espresso which I find Starbuck$ to be bitter. I will always try the independent first to give it the business. It is a hit or miss.