jogoode

I was very upset to see Bruni's review. I love Donguri, and am sad that it is no longer a secret -- or at least off the press radar. It's modest, and many of the dishes are not unusual, though I wouldn't call it typical, as Todd36 did. The quality of its ingredients are very high and they source unusual ingredients, many from Japan. And I've eaten a few dishes there that I haven't found in other ambitious NY Japanese restaurants. And some common dishes are even served differently in the typical Japanese restaurant. Their lotus root tempura stuffed with shrimp, not mentioned specifically by Bruni, is unusual and, as is all of Donguri's tempura, excellent. Donguri's sazae, a shellfish served sometimes as sashimi, is grilled in the shell and served with its innards, dark green and curled like a fiddlehead. Not so at Megu -- its sazae tastes French, like escargot. In my experience each dish has arrived not wordlessly, as Bruni writes, but with a soft thank you in Japanese. The owner's wife is always smiling, chatting to customers, and answering questions -- again with that distinct Japanese politeness. In this way the place feels Japanese in a way that the typically slick and pretty New York Japanese restaurants rarely do. After every meal, as I am walking toward the door, the hostess comes after me, bowing and saying thank you and then gesturing toward the kitchen, where the chef is standing doing the same. Again I'm upset to see a review, but enjoyed Bruni's take.

Thanks, bvus!

It's too bad you're no longer in LA and up on the Thai scene. Finding good Thai food is very important to me. I hope to try both of the places you recommended, plus a few from Mr. Gold.

Jon who? What's his take on Thai food? pardon my ignorance.. Mr. Gold is the critic for LA Weekly who seeks out inexpensive and -- for the most part -- ethnic food. Here's a link to LA Weekly's restaurant database.

Thanks, everyone, for your help! That is great to hear, pim, especially because I have only limited time in LA. In NYC, there is only one Thai restaurant that I think is worth visiting and it's a trek, so I thought the same rule might apply in LA. Tell me, do you (or anyone else) find that Jon Gold's take on Asian food to be accurate?

Hi Everyone, Sorry but I haven't had time to do a search. I'll be staying in Thai town when I visit LA next week and am in the market for some good Thai and Korean. I'm looking for authentic food only. Is Renu Nakorn worth a trip to Norwalk? Thanks!

I'll be in that area this summer, Russ. Is this the place?

Next installment here. * * * Be sure to check The Daily Gullet home page daily for new articles (most every weekday), hot topics, site announcements, and more.

I think, then, my definition of a great chef is too narrow. I assumed that this skill is common to all great chefs. But my guess now is that you're saying that it is his focus, his main objective, to build depth of flavor; whereas other chefs may focus on, say, creating a dish of integrated flavors, in which none outshine the others. How did DeLouvrier change the food at Lespinasse when he took over. Did he banish most of the international influence on Kunz's menu? Did he start serving more game?

Here's a link to the new menu at ADNY. Thanks for that, Steven. A neophyte's question: what does it means that "Delouvrier's strength was his ability to develop depth of flavor, primarily in his meat dishes (and especially game) and also with shellfish"? Does this refer to his skill with stocks and sauces or his overall treatment of meat/shellfish?

L'Impero's prix fixe: 4 courses, $52.

Good question. It's difficult to describe, but it should taste like cream -- that full, fatty flavor.

I've never had better than Russ & Daughters.

Ba Xuyen, Sunset Park. Excellent banh mi. Under $3. Melampo, on Sullivan. Celeste, UWS. Sushi Yasuda, per piece at the bar. Dumpling House, Eldridge St.

I've been going to El Cibao, on Smith Street, a lot lately. It's a Dominican restaurant, I think, all I order over and over is the roast pork (pernil) with rice and beans. It's excellent and $7 will get you a heaping platter that two can share. Actually today I had roast chicken, which was pretty good but a bit dry, with a side of broiled green bananas. The first time I went, I asked about the ghostly white logs in the steam table were and the woman at the counter let me try a piece of the broiled bananas. They are starchy, a bit sweet and a bit salty. On docsconz's reccomendation, I tried the panelle (sandwich with ricotta and salty shred of another cheese) with potato croquettes -- small but filling. It was excellent, and the place looks great inside. Really old school. Has anyone tried the cooked food there?

So many adjectives -- it's got to be good.

Thanks for the detailed answer, alekeep! I'm not sure why I thought some beers were fermented four times. In asking the question, I was thinking of a beer I tried recently, a new beer from Allagash, a Quadrupel. At least I think it's new -- it's not listed on their Web site. It was high alcohol, but very smooth and full of flavor.

At dinner, omakase is 80, 100, 120 and up. Nobu was one of the first meals I had at a restaurant of any sort of acclaim. This was four years ago, when I was 18. I went again soon after and was disappointed, everything I'd eaten the first time was lackluster the second. I have since found many restaurants that suit my taste better than Nobu and was not interested in returning. It impresses me as a sort of factory, and I get annoyed when friends use it as the obligatory example of great Japanese food, as it doesn't serve the Japanese food I love the most. (I tried not to call it inauthentic because that implies that it aims to be authentic.) Yet someone gave me a gift certificate almost a year ago, and I put off using it. Just before it expired a few weeks ago, I made time to use it. Like oakapple, I thought the yellowtail with jalapenos was overpowered by the overly acidic sauce and peppers. The ceviche was mediocre, with poor quality fish. The clams and other shellfish were tasteless and the white fish chewy and mealy. I did, however, enjoy asparagus in egg sauce with salmon roe -- though I might not order the strange dish again. The cooked fish dishes I had were as good as I remember them being. The black cod with sweet miso and chilean sea bass with black bean sauce were both well executed with straightforward flavors. I wouldn't go back if I was paying, but I've learned that if you order right it can be fun.

Thanks for being with us, you two. My question is about beers that have been fermented over two times. Does this method only add to alcohol content or does it help develop flavor? Are you fond of any triples?

Perhaps I haven't stressed that enough, but much of my reliance on the Michelin guides in France and elsewhere in Europe including the UK, is on finding an unstarred place to eat... I'm not that familiar with the Guide, just with the star-concept. Thanks to both of you for that information. But the idea that they might alter the significance of their ratings in order to make them applicable in another city/country makes them less relevant to me. Since the Guide has been around for so long and is familiar to so many, comparison of ratings between countries is inevitable even if it is not the Guide's intention. This will result in a confusing rating system with a lot of backlash if the new standards for the ratings aren't explained. I was going to argue that there are already so many sources of restaurant information that Michelin ratings would represent just another sticker to put on restaurant windows, but if it can commit to providing a more agressively vigilant system of reviewing that can comment on the consistency of a restaurant over time, then I welcome it. Compared to the Times' effort -- though I do hold their newer ratings in high regard -- this wouldn't take much.

Welcome, RobinsonCuisine! How do you think the Michelin ratings will translate to restaurants in New York? Will the three and two-star NY places only be those that follow the high-end French model? As Fat Guy has mentioned in other threads, New York has only a couple of restaurants that replicate the three-star French experience, not just in quality of food and level of cuisine but also in that they offer the sort of leisurely, luxury dining experience where a table is yours for the entire night. ADNY and Masa are the only ones of this kind since Per Se has started doing multiple seatings. Does this mean these will be the only restaurants eligible for three stars (if Masa would be eligible at all, because it differs so from the French-model in other ways)? If so, it seems the guide will not have nearly the same relevance in NY as it does in France.

Hey, I've got some more -- the second installment's right here.

Welcome, jmax. I hope that your crisis isn't serious and that you can work a reservation switch. I also hope that when you do get to Per Se, you'll share your experience here.

Thanks, Varmint! Last spring I hit Skylight on my way down to Florida. I think it was my first taste of Carolina barbecue. I'll have to make B's and Bum's destinations for my trip this summer. Can't wait to be eating barbecue again. (Oops, I mean barbque.)

The fact that Kai serves Junsai is exciting. According to Steingarten's The Man Who Ate Everything, it's a springtime delicacy, a pod which in the spring is coated with a gelatinous sheath and eaten primarily for its texture. I've been meaning to try it for a while but haven't been able to find it. I'm also happy to see ayu on the menu, another springtime food and one that I noticed recently on the menu at Koi, in the East Village.