La Niña

Yes there was - scroll up. FG and Wilfrid both mentioned it.

What's the wine situation at Don Pepe's? Wine list to speak of? BYO is fine? Corkage? It's on my short list for an upcoming meal...along with Manducatis, Zum Stammtisch, and Touch of Hungary... Thoughts? Additions?

I'm not positive, but I believe Queens has a significantly larger Chinese population than Manhattan (Chinatown), and the number of excellent, authentic Chinese restaurants of various kinds may well exceed Chinatown. And there are several excellent Chinese restaurants in Sunset Park (Brooklyn), which is a Chinese community growing quite rapidly. And another thing about Diwan: yes, the food is good, but it's an upscale yuppified restaurant. How often does your average guy in Bombay eat a venison chop?

Lex, you're right about most people being in Manhattan and wanting convenience. But a lot of the time, that means that people will justify their desire for convenience by convincing themselves that they're not missing out on better food or experience. I'm used to it. So I go when I go, and take people with me, and c'est la vie. Their loss. It takes 20 minutes from midtown to Sripraphai, for example. But somehow that border to another borough is a psychological obstacle for a lot of people. I don't get it. I'm just grateful that I don't suffer from that particular affliction. With that...I am off to Sugiyama, a respectable Manhattan establishment.

ajay, if you're largely inexperienced eating ethnic food in the outer boroughs, I might suggest that you don't know enough to make these comparisons and generalizations. Dimple in Jackson Heights is better than the one in Manhattan. I also have greatly enjoyed Student Biryani, and the chaat at Maharaja Sweets is very good. There are other Indian places which I will talk about later on. I have heard wonderful things about a new-ish place called Rajdhani in Woodside. Although I really enjoy the food at Diwan, it is quite upscale (both the food and the atmosphere) relative to most Indian places, and does not provide a typical neighborhood Indian eating experience by any means. And if we're really talking about great Indian food away from NYC - that strip in NJ right above Jersey City - some of the best Indian food I've ever had (somebody remind me the name of the town and that main strip...) I haven't even begun to talk about the Brazilian and Columbian and Ecuadoran places in those neighborhoods...and Astoria - all the middle eastern stuff there... You will notice that the subtitle of this thread is "outer boroughs strongly recommended."

Ron - what kind of food? While one *can* find *decent* ethnic food in Manhattan, it's not going to be as good as the ethnic food one finds in the communities where the people of whatever-ethnicity-you're-eating actually live. The restaurants in those communities are catering to an ethnic population, not to others - it makes a huge difference - not only in food, but in feeling and atmosphere. Don't be afraid of a 20 minute subway ride. It's no big deal for most of these places - and they're all close to the subway. I'll be happy to advise you (or whomever) on your transportation, etc.

I'll start, of course, with pizza. There is really only one pizzeria in NYC worth venturing forth for - and that's DiFara. It's on Avenue J & E. 15th St., in Midwood, Brooklyn. Less than one block from the Q train stop at Avenue J. There's a thread on DiFara's just a few threads down - so I'll let that thread speak for itself. More suggestions, and I'll elaborate later (and please everybody, don't wait for me...): Kabab Cafe - wonderful eclectic Egyptian magic in Astoria, Queens (find the most recent thread on it) Spicy & Tasty - in Flushing - Szechuan Waterfalls Cafe - Syrian place on Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn the good Korean grill place in Flushing (scamhi will know the name I can't remember right now) 100 Dumpling House - in Flushing Banh Mi place - An Dong - in Sunset Park (Brooklyn) Sripraphai (best Thai in NYC - it's in Woodside, Queens) Ihawan - great Philipino bbq place - also in Woodside, Queens Tangra Masala - unusual Indian/Chinese fusion in Flushing Plenty of Manhattan Chinatown recs, too, if you want those. Good falafel in Manhattan: Azuri, Mamoun's, Rainbow

Lets do it while the weather is still cool... Feijoada Choucroute Cassoulet Pot au Feu CHOLENT!!!!!

And one has to pretend not to know certain G&S references in order to make Simon feel like a big, big man.

It's Ferdinando's Focacceria - on Union St. But I've heard that the pannelle at Joe's of Avenue U are even better.

Cabrales - Let me ask you, do you think your average everyday diner is beset with these concerns? La Nina - No sometimes you really don't want it. Sometimes you walk into a place and you hate it. And they are fawning over you and you have to make believe you love it. I'm not very good at not telling the truth in those situations and I find them pretty uncomfortable. Especially if it onvolves nice people who are trying their hardest. I'm very good at it. Especially if it involves un-nice people who are trying their hardest. I'll give you some pointers.

Oh c'mon. You can bullshit with the best of 'em. It's like going to a show where you hate the show, but you know the actors/musicians/director...so you say some niceties and go to the party and say some more niceties. What's the big deal? In these kinds of situations, truth is highly overrated.

Nina -- what you have described is precisely what I meant: you DEMONSTRATE that you deserve the special treatment. Not that you ASK for it, nor that, heaven forfend, you DEMAND it. But that you SHOW you are capable of appreciating it. Part of how I "demonstrate" this desire is, in fact, by asking for special things - in as polite, charming, respectful and appropriate a manner as possible. And I don't think it's about my deserving anything - it's about the restaurant showing me that they deserve me as a customer. I am giving them an opportunity to show me their best - and hopefully they will, understanding that I'm capable of appreciating it and paying for it.

I shall provide musical accompaniment. And a-one, and a-two, and a-three... I'm getting VIP treatment in the morning...

Let's drop this "VIP" thing and talk about eliciting the best of a restaurant, even the first time you visit. First, I start with my appearance. If it's an expensive and elegant place, I dress accordingly, to indicate my seriousness, and ability to afford potentially more expensive items than might be listed on the menu, depending on what I may end up negotiating. I look at the menu, I think about ways I might combine things, I think about what *I* prefer, and I start talking to the staff about my thoughts about the menu. Invariably, in a good restaurant, the staff will be interested in what I"m observing and thinking about, and a creative conversation will ensue. In the best case scenario, these conversations result in "special treatment," meaning that I get brought different things, different combinations of things, extra things...in a good restaurant, the staff (both front and kitchen) *want* to please an appreciative, experienced diner. I also get things that *are* on the menu, hopefully based on the recommendation of the staff, once they understand my preferences and expectations somewhat. It's actually satisfying for all concerned - and it also many times results in a larger gratuity for the staff. I, like Steve, can't understand why anyone thinks there's anything wrong with this.

"If you have to ask for VIP treatment, if it is not automatically accorded you, then you have demonstrated that you don't deserve it." That's absurd. I don't walk into a restaurant with a t-shirt with VIP written on it. If I want the best that the kitchen can turn out, whatever that means for a given restaurant, I have to do something to signal the staff that I'm worth the effort. That means telling someone - giving someone an indication of my seriousness, of my level of experience and appreciation, my intention to spend money. How would special treatment be "automatically" accorded to me without my communicating my desire for it?

Cato Corner cheeses are also sold at Bierkraft - 5th Avenue near Berkeley, in Park Slope.

I thought it was funny. And Pan is a New Yorker.

Candles and flowers are very nice...but when a table is so small, sometimes the candles and flowers are inappropriate when you can barely fit your glasses and plates.

It was a joke.

Chazzerai is....junk. Commonly used as "stuff." As in oh, why am I shlepping all this chazzerai in my bag? Drek is...inferior merchandise...used like "crap." As in I went shopping for shirts but all they had was drek. edit: I checked these in printed sources, just to be sure.

Plenty of places here and there put all kinds of chazzerai on too-small tables.

Shmutz is...dirt. Maybe you mean chazzerai? Or perhaps drek? But I agree with you on the principle of the thing. It's very annoying. I usually ask them to remove the nonessential things.

Yes, Joy's raita was great. But sometimes I put in a little roasted, ground cumin....

Yeah...but Murray's in GCT can be very convenient at times. And it's certainly good enough so that you don't have to go look elsewhere when it's more convenient to go to Murray's.