jogoode

Omen is on Thompson, btw Prince and Spring, I think. I remember a review of the place recommending toro with quail's egg -- doesn't sound like peasant food to me.

I hear Les Halles is serving three or four types throughout Jan and some of Feb. Where else can I find it?Are there any restaurants that focus their food on Alsace?

found this on the Voice's Web site. It might help with brainstorming... And here's a bit about Joe and Pat's. And the Voice's take.

All of the pizza needs to be photographed.

If I remember correctly, the tables are so large at Le Bern that you can hardly see your companion, let alone speak to her. Maybe I'm just tiny.

There are also, I've heard, places in Japan that specialize in horse meat, but they haven't yet reached us here. Might donburi be considered a specialty? Haven't seen any great examples in NY.

one of the many priceless scenes in that documentary (Eat This New York) is the one in which one of Maccioni's sons runs out to buy that camera and bumps into his brother, who has already bought the camera, coming out of the store. A great movie -- and strongly recommended for anyone with aspirations to open a restaurant.

See this is what Brooklyn posting should be, how it should begin, at least. I've ogled Convivium for a while, but it seems a little pricey. I'll check out Fatoosh; it's pretty close to my apt. Next time I go to Biscuit, I'll have the fried chicken.

I wish there were more Brooklynites out there. The more we post about it, the more willing people will be to join in...Where are you in Brooklyn? I don't do enough exploring outside of Carroll Gardens and Brooklyn Heights. I did eat some great tacos at MATAMOROS PUEBLA TAQUERIA, 193 Bedford Ave., Williamsburg, yesterday. Much better than Pampano Taqueria and even better than the similarly packaged Mexican groceries in Poughkeepsie, where I first learned the pleasures of a grocery store taco. (I took home some great Colston Bassett Stilton from Bedford Cheese.) And I had a good tamales in southern Park Slope, the other day, at Nuevos Tacos (5th Ave. and 12th Street). I'm not sure whether Biscuit is completely fake BBQ or not. Do you know how their pork is smoked? They have one of those charming disclaimers that says that they are not a fast food restaurant so the food takes longer to be served. It also says every item on their menu is either smoked, cured, pickled, etc... in the restaurant. What have you had? Edit: Colston

Stopped by Biscuit, on Flatbush Ave., tonight. Good looking place. Framed old-school butcher diagrams on the wall -- cozy, quirky, a New Yorkified BBQ joint. Against the opposite wall, an assortment of hot sauces in squeeze bottles. Sam Sifton liked it for $25 and Under, in Nov. 2002. I had some decent slaw and solid roasted veggies as sides. Oh, and a couple biscuits and lots of wings (eat in special: $.25 wings!) I tried the pulled pork, which was served surrounded by a thick, tangy but inappropriate BBQ sauce and two pieces of white bread. The unsauced pork was the best I've had in NYC. Biscuit's biscuits are very good, rich and buttery if the slightest bit dry. The restaurant is doors down from an intriguing place called Wing Wagon, but it'll be hard for them to beat Biscuit's wings. They are, skeptics, fried but fried well and sparely sauced. But I admit I ended up pouring on various hot sauces on after a couple. Their peanut butter cookie -- a present for my girlfriend that I ate most of on the way home -- was as dense as peanut butter. I think she'll like the rest. They have a pig pickin' every Sunday night. Has anyone been? Anyone interested in that pig pickin'?

Why is it that people in this state are so fucking contrary? Honestly, I didn't like living there nor do I like talking here. I will cease all of my discussion here, indefinitely. Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought that dr memory was just joking. Don't cease. You will not cease. You shall not cease!

I've heard PR for a restaurant can cost over 150K/year, and some restaurants will spend that much promoting its chef. Is this level of expense common even for a restaurant without a big-name chef? How much more does a WD-50 PR campaign cost than one for Sumile? How about Hearth? Does it depend on how successful the initial campaign is?

Suzanne, Is Sifton the section's editor? If so, would taking on the position be possible, given the grueling eating schedule?

Aside from this: how was the service?

Great report, Kurl!

I like this explanation.

down where?

Keep'em coming. I'm taking notes. Strangely, I haven't eaten much Chinese food in NY. (And no I haven't been to Grand Sichuan. )

I'm ashamed to admit that as much as I like finding a hole-in-the-wall Ecuadorian place, I usually hesitate to order its ceviche, until after a few visits. I've read Steignarten enough to know that I'm probably risking more when I order chicken than raw oysters (and of course ceviche is "cooked" by acid, but we'll leave that alone for now). I'm overly-cautious nonetheless -- to avoid sickness and to avoid a dish ruined by bad seafood. At Sripraphai today I ordered the crispy watercress salad with chicken, squid, and shrimp. Great dish. Fresh seafood, especially the squid, as usual. Since the restaurant is popular, turn-over is high, and seafood doesn't sit around too long. But are there any clues to look for before you eat at a new Thai restaurant, or before reviews come out?

I assume Burmese food is a lot like Thai? I'm surprised not to see any Burmese spots, given Thai food's popularity of late in NY. Sadly, restaurateurs might have to sell it as "Thai with a twist".

Aleo's Website

Welcome lafcadio! Thanks for the info. I've never been Louisiana, so I'll look forward to it. Have you been to his Louisiana restaurants? Do you think his menu or style will change whewn he comes to NY?

Welcome Mulcahy. I'm very jealous -- you had the cockles! When I went, the cuttlefish was great, chewy, yes, but very tender for cuttlefish. Maybe yours were overcooked? And the scallops disappointed me, too. Great report!

mazman, Welcome to the NY forum! I've never been to Aleo. How did you hear about it?

Unbelievable dinner at Amma tonight. Service -- Suvir was not in the restaurant -- was excellent, unintrusive, almost unnoticeable. We had a ton of food and the waiters did a great job stuffing it on the table and serving it from the cart. I ordered a few dishes I was skeptical about -- who knew eggplant in a peanut-curry leaf sauce would be good? -- and all were great. Besides that, the basil chicken and mint rice were also great surprises. I ordered two dishes I've had before -- apricot-fennel stuffed lamb and stuffed chicken -- and they were in top form. The lamb, which had been tough in the past and the dish overly sweet, was tender and subtle. The chicken was great. Great raita. I didn't love idly upma -- but it was a very interesting dish -- like farina cakes. Great job, Suvir. Nothing will keep me from returning.