Pan

I see some of the paired wines are called "non-vintage." What does that mean?

Alright, here's the new thread: Food trends that should stick around

We should probably have a different thread on that and just let people bitch here. [No offense, folks!]

Jackson Heights is a possibility. Mexican, but also Central and South American. Less and less. On the block between 1st and 2nd Avs., there's now an Italian place, an Ethiopian, a Cajun, a Moroccan, and also a genuine Bangladeshi. Besides, the Bangladeshi-owned "Indian" places on 6th with the mythical common kitchen (an apocryphal story, of course) were never good. Madras Cafe, on 2nd Av. between 4th and 5th, however, is a consistently good restaurant. The best neighborhood for Indian food, though, is Jackson Heights around 74 St. and Roosevelt.

Some of the things people are complaining about in this thread are just matters of taste. Hummus can never be a "tired trend"; it's a classic, basic item in Middle Eastern food. It would be like calling hamburgers or fried chicken or eggs over easy a "tired trend." And there's nothing wrong with beets for people who like them. Nor is there anything wrong with fajitas when they're good.

What I'd like to know is whether there are any Barbie dolls or posters in the restaurants. If there are, I think Mattel should win, because the Barbie paraphernalia would show that the chain is trading on the name of the doll. If not, I hope Mattel loses, because "Barbie" just means "Barbecue" in (e.g.) Australian lingo. I also think that Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin should lose their case against a clothing firm calling itself "Cliquot," unless they're putting out clothing with champagne themes or something. I don't know what Canadian law is on this, but in the U.S., if your company is clearly in a different industry and therefore isn't likely to cause confusion with another of the same name, you are generally home free. I cite the example of Century 21, a major real estate broker, and the unrelated discount clothing store of the same name on Cortlandt St. and Church in lower Manhattan.

Even for noodle (pasta) dishes? I find that bowls work well for those.

You don't have any respect for religious dietary prohibitions? I don't know; I'm kind of shocked by that.

This is not the case for the Romance languages I speak (French and Italian), but there may be other instances other than Portuguese in which it is the case. ← In Hebrew (I believe also Arabic and , I presume, other Semitic languages), both nouns and verbs are in masculine singular, feminine singular, masculine plural, and feminine plural forms.

Shabbat shalom, everyone! What's se'udat shilshit? The Havdalah meal to close the Sabbath?

No doubt about it. Agreed on the kicap manis, PCL.

Keep in mind that I haven't been there in at least 3 years (probably 3 1/2), and they could easily have deteriorated in that time. I really doubt that the use of lard would explain the over-the-top fattiness of the food I had back then at Singapore Cafe. I've seldom if ever had that much fat in Malaysian food in the U.S. or Malaysia.

I believe someone (perhaps Laksa?) reported that the personnel there are actually Cantonese, though that's not conclusive evidence for lack of authentic cookery in another style. Do you recommend the place? How does it compare to Chinatown Vietnamese places like Pho Thai Son and Pho Nha Trang, in your opinion?

About a year ago, I started an "I love the East Village" thread. What I love about the East Village is how you can get food at any hour of the day or night and there are several good places that are often open into the wee hours of the morning, and also that you can get delivery of good Chinese food, good Polish food, good Madrasi food, etc. A lot of this stuff is less applicable to other areas of the city, like the Upper West Side where I grew up, and where the city does sleep in the wee hours, for the most part (and has fewer diverse, high-quality food offerings). But Lee, in terms of a specific thing for your friend, Katz's pastrami is something that makes me love being in New York. It's too rich and filling for me to have more than once every 1 1/2 or 2 months, but being within a 10-minute walk of the place? That's a blessing.

So many people picking on my trusty Site Manager...Well I never... Seriously, I like both of you. Play nice!

Yeah, that's correct. It is in fact across the street from (and slightly further north than) Teresa's, between 6th and 7th Sts. on the east side of 1st Av.: Polonia Restaurant 110 1st Avenue New York, NY 10009 (212) 254-9699 I was underwhelmed with the place during the time when Teresa's was undergoing renovation a few years ago, but I never tried the lima bean stew. Polonia seems to have another branch: Polonia Restaurant 1398 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10029 (212) 289-9673 Courtesy of www.superpages.com.

Not 5th St. I think you're thinking of the little store on the east side of 1st Av. between 7th and St. Marks' Place that used to sell pierogis, soups, and the like. I'll try to remember to check on the place because I can't remember if it's still open.

I presume so. There are two branches, one on Centre and Walker and one on Baxter between Canal and Bayard.

I went there last summer!

Yeah, one of the pictures of roti jala I looked at looked lacy, but roti canai is flaky and unlike crepes usually has no filling and instead is eaten with sauce.

Janet, I assume the first place you're talking about is Borobudur. I plus and minus the place; I doubt it's worth a major detour, but it wouldn't hurt to go there for a special reason. Here's my negative take on New Malaysia. Here's a thread I started on Chowhound on Singapore Cafe. I said the food was "authentic," but I was really thinking authentic for Malaysian food, not specifically Singaporean. However, as I mention in a later post in the thread, the food was tough on my system. I probably haven't been there for at least three years, but the times I went, I found their food tasty but over-the-top fatty. I have to admit I'm not familiar with roti jala by name, and onde onde is usually something I've just eaten as a kueh without thinking about its name. Perhaps someone could clarify precisely what the difference is between roti jala and roti canai.

Q train to Av. J. DiFara's is on the corner of 15th and J. Yes. Get there before 1:30 if you're going for lunch. If you're going for supper, I'm not sure I could give you reliable advice on when to go, but just do it.

You and your girlfriend certainly had adventures in eating! Thanks so much for sharing them. I respect your capacity and envy your metabolism.

I went to Proton Saga twice and it was bad both times. The second time I had asam laksa that was by far the worst I have ever had anywhere. I simply have never understood what Sietsema could like about the place and strongly urge you to give it a wide berth. Laksa and Ms Congeeniality have enjoyed the Malaysian/Indonesian restaurant down a staircase at Doyers and Pell. Have you tried it?

I'll put in my own 2 sen in response to Ducky, who I think was very helpful. For one thing, I've always loved the Chinese and Indian food in Malaysia but was less impressed with most of the Malay food in the 1970s (with the notable exception of Kelantanese food and Satay in Kajang and good places in KL); now, I'm highly impressed with the Malay food, too. But I had several memorable meals during two 2-week trips to parts of Sumatra, Java, and Bali in that same period (1976, in that case). If it's true that nowadays Malaysian food is clearly better than Indonesian food generally (which I wouldn't know), I'm guessing that's because Malaysia is so much wealthier. Other points I'd make are that there are a very large number of Malaysians who are of Indonesian heritage, with ancestry from Minangkabau, Aceh, Java, the Bugis region of Sulawesi, etc., and also that, in addition to being greatly influenced by Chinese, Indian, and Indonesian cuisine, Malaysia has been suffused by influence from Thailand in the last couple of decades. In a way, the Thai influence is returning the favor, as Panang and Massaman Curries are Thai versions of Malay curries (or Thai versions of Malay versions of Indian curries -- see how complex the web of influences gets?).