Pan

un-American. But you're not un-American; you're just weird.

Stuffing yourself with good dim sum for $9.50 plus tip? Pretty cheap, don't you think? I'd imagine if I could have had the same meal at an eating hall in Manhattan's Chinatown, it would have cost around $4 more. But I don't think I could have had the same meal.

(Stupid question alert:) So, they remove the stingers? Do I gather correctly that you're glad you tried it but aren't in a rush to try it again?

You mean 6/10, right? That's OK for me. So, who's in? We need a list. We also need a time. 7:30? 7?

Yeah, I, too, wanted my eggs completely cooked through when I was a little kid, but I must have started enjoying runny eggs pretty early, maybe around 7 or so.

What are the explanations for this ruling? I'd think an egg with a spot of blood in it would be fleishig (meat), rather than pareve. Is it treyf in order to avoid confusion of pareve and fleishigs?

Marina, I just checked out your cake again. Truly awesome, in the original sense of the word!

It has some interesting stuff I've never seen in Manhattan (the short ribs, the beef muscle dish, the broad noodles with sesame seeds and shredded cilantro) and which helped make the meal a very nice one. Larger parties were special-ordering some big dishes that looked interesting, too. Otherwise, the fried leek dumplings were on the same level as Jing Fong; same with the chicken feet. My schedule hasn't allowed me to go for dim sum often enough in Flushing to compare it to other dim sum-specialist places there.

Thom, for lunch places, Chinese restaurants are just about always family-friendly. Grand Sichuan has been mentioned. Usually, when people mention that name, they mean the Midtown location at 9th Av. near 50 St., but the St. Marks location is by now just about equally good, so decide which neighborhood you'd rather be in at that point and pick the place accordingly.

I'm willing. I've thought of going in there by myself several times, but haven't gone yet. I'm not playing that gig, because it turns out to be a reed chair (flute/clarinet/soprano sax/alto sax, one player), so that opens up that week for me. So, anyone else interested? If so, post your availability.

Ketchup has its place as an ingredient in a multi-ingredient sauce, but I don't like it by itself and never have. I never put ketchup on anything. Why? I don't really know how to answer that; I just don't like the taste. I can't say it's because it's unrefined-tasting or blunt: I like blunt food, if that means spicy or garlicky.

I should add that, for those who'd prefer to drive, there is a pretty large parking lot directly in front of the restaurant.

It's becoming a redundancy for me to say how good everything looks. You two are simply great home cooks.

That grilled pineapple slice looks great! Did you make the ice cream yourself? Also, perhaps you'd like to say something about agran oil. A web search turned up the information that it's from a Moroccan nut. Is it possible to give a rough description of the taste of the oil?

I had a tasty dim sum lunch at this place this morning, arriving around 11:15. There was some room and I actually had a large table to myself, but most tables were at least somewhat occupied and the sound of convivial conversation permeated the room. All the customers except me were Chinese. I was lucky enough to be seated near the exit from the kitchen, so I got to see what was being put into the carts. I ordered the following: Beef Short Ribs with Black Pepper Sauce (unsurprisingly, a little fibrous but very tasty and definitely worth ordering again) Beef Muscle in a sauce of pleasant sesame oil fragrance (a little difficult to pick up with chopsticks, but so what?) Chicken Feet in Black Bean Sauce (average quality for NYC dim sum) Fried Leek Dumplings with shrimp and scallops (quite good and very leeky) Broad noodles of the type usually filled with beef or shrimp that weren't filled with anything but had a pleasant sauce that included soy sauce, sugar, and rice wine; they were also topped with shredded cilantro and sesame seeds. Those were very tasty but perhaps a bit too much unfilled starchy stuff to be ideal. I'd order them again, though, if I'm hungry. A headwaiter was impressed that I ordered it and said that they never put those in the carts (this time was clearly an exception). I wasn't able to finish the broad noodles or the chicken feet but was stuffed. Charge? $9.50 plus tip! Prince Restaurant 37-17 Prince St. (near 38 Av.) Flushing, NY 11354 Tel: (718) 888-3138, 888-3139 Any Mandarin words you know are helpful, as the waitresses rolling the carts speak very limited English. I picked up a copy of their takeout menu, which includes some of the dim sum plates I ordered and others, as well as larger dishes, which also look interesting. Opening hours aren't listed.

Different strokes, etc. I think I've been exposed to Philadelphia-style pizza long enough that I've started to fetishize crust; that's just not DiFara's strength. ← Yeah, most of the NYC Pizza Survey participants agree on that. I just love their toppings! I haven't, but I'm willing to give it a try next time I'm in Brooklyn (which, unfortunately, probably won't be until July 2006 or so.) What do you like about it? ← Great cheeses, great ingredients (same as available for pizza toppings), lots of olive oil, and it's less messy than the pizza. Otherwise, you'll just have to try it; it's delicious! I love to get porcini and onions. The calzoni are humongous, but they will give you a slice or two if you like.

Marlene, that chicken looks almost as good as it must have tasted! And I wouldn't turn away the trifle, either! I look forward to seeing "after" pictures of your chicken, Sam. Break a leg, in boca al lupo, merde, and all other such-like reverse-magic wishes for your audition, Kathleen!

Have you tried the soup dumplings at Yeah and Joe's, by way of comparison? Overall, I think Yeah's are the best of that lot, though I had better at the banquet last year at China 46 in New Jersey.

Is it untrue that papaya and pineapple help digestion because they contain enzymes that help settle the stomach before they are themselves digested?

I don't mind the mess at all, it's delicious! But have you tried the calzone?

My favorite toppings at DiFara's are the artichokes, porcini or regular mushrooms if they don't have porcini that day, and pepperoni. Oh, and I almost forgot: The baby eggplant. I like the onions, too (and I'm sure I'd like the garlic), but have them as a second topping. If you like broccoli di rabe, they have very high-quality stuff. As much as I like the cheese Dom uses, I couldn't imagine asking for extra cheese there. The other thing that's fantastic at DiFara's is the calzoni.

Must we? ← I'm a bit surprised you don't know a meatloaf recipe you like, but no-one's forcing you.

Sure, I eat halal when Kosher options are not available. ← I just did a Yahoo search of "+beijing +halal +list" hoping to find a list of halal places in Beijing. I haven't found anything of the kind, and it's been tough to get any relevant information. Here's something from 2002: http://www.islamicity.com/travel/China/journal2.asp We later find out that that hotel had a halal restaurant. But I don't know if you want to go to a hotel restaurant; it might not be any good, plus I don't know where the hotel is. That said, the report continues: http://www.islamicity.com/travel/China/journal3.asp Later on that page: Halal Beijing ka ya; cool! Anyone know either of these places? I've also gleaned the information that Niujie Street is the heart of the (a?) Muslim neighborhood in Beijing and halal eateries can be found there. I hope others can provide more information. Having found little of real use after looking through over 50 search results, I'm quitting for now.

I don't think I've mentioned yet in this thread that I hate colas. Coke is even worse than Pepsi, but I hate both of them. There are few sodas I like, and I always find it hard to understand how people with good taste in food can eat it with a Coke, Pepsi, Sprite, 7-Up, whatever. The few sodas I like have a good taste of real fruit or other essence (e.g., Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray celery soda). Mineral water can be fun, though.

I hear there's some pretty decent eating in Vancouver, too.