Pan

Fragolini del bosco. I love those sweet, fresh little strawberries! That picture is another reminder of what the usual produce is like there, and not here.

Why didn't you explain?

We've gone way past Chow Mein and Chop Suey in the US. Sichuan and to a lesser extent Hunan food is available, and there are a lot of things Grand Sichuan may be, but very watered-down for non-Chinese palates isn't one of them. And then, there are the Sichuan-style restaurants in Chinese neighborhoods like Flushing, with very largely Chinese clienteles but, sometimes, coverage in the mainstream press.

What's distinctive about Shaanxi-style food? Yunnanese? (Partly answered with the fish soup and so forth described in Ellen's report on her trip to China in the Adventures in Eating Forum.) Anything specific to Anhui or Hubei provinces? And what are the odds of any of these things (especially those from inland provinces) becoming available abroad? Finally, why do you think food from Sichuan, also a landlocked province, has made such an impact in places with very small numbers of immigrants from Sichuan?

Glad to read all these entries. Some of these places really push past inexpensive, though. The thing is, when I took a friend to L'Ecole for his birthday several years ago, I can't remember whether we had wine and that's what pushed up the cost to something like $112 for two people, but that is not inexpensive to me in the least. I didn't care at the time because it was a birthday gift, but I remember feeling like it was alright but I wasn't in a rush to return -- and haven't. I had forgotten about La Petite Auberge. [Edit: I realize now that I'm remembering another place -- a small chain called La Petite Abeille or L'Abeille, and I think it's Belgian.] I remember finding the food good and definitely felt it was a good value, and if it wasn't the most exciting thing I ever had, who was complaining at those prices? Bacchus definitely sounds interesting to me. I think that was the place where I heard some interesting jazz playing, I think on Wednesdays last semester, but had already eaten dinner. I think I'll go there after work some night. How likely am I to get in there as a singleton on a spur of the moment (i.e. without reservations) around 8:30-9:30? What about eating at the bar?

Daniel, it's too late to help you this time, but another good restaurant near Sal & Carmine's (at least based on one trip so far) is Turkuaz. I'm frankly unfamiliar with those Mexican places up there.

Sam, you were much more nuanced in this post in the NYC Pizza Survey thread:

Darcie, you'll probably be unsurprised that there's an eGullet thread about that topic.

Follow along as New York Magazine reporter Kristal Hawkins trawls the Lower East Side in search of a genuine Old-Fashioned: Old-Fashioned Drinking: In search of a lost cocktail on the LES. And where do you go when in search of an old-fashioned (or, indeed, Old-Fashioned) cocktail? (I imagine Libation Goddess would have something to say about that. )

Glad to have the explanation, as I couldn't understand the connection between a large mammal and an old-fashioned fortification.

You're right; "mainstream" is hard to define. But let's try. Undoubtedly, Italian (i.e., Italian-American) food is mainstream. What could be more "American" than pepperoni pizza or spaghetti and meatballs? Chinese (again, Chinese-American) is surely mainstream. You can find "Chinese" restaurants all over the country, many with more or less the same takeout/eat in menus though separated by hundreds or thousands of miles. Mexican (again, Mexican-American) is definitely mainstream, given the spread of Taco Bell. What other "foreign" foods are mainstream? Sushi is pretty mainstream, I think, at least on both coasts and various urban areas. I'm not sure whether you can find sushi in rural Iowa or not, though I bet you could find pizzerie. And then there is the Greek diner, bringing Spanakopita, Avgolemono Soup, and Moussaka far and wide. Of course I'm oversimplifying, as many Greek diners do not feature Greek food to any significant extent and "Mexican" food is nowhere near evenly distributed throughout the country. Nevertheless, by these standards of popularity and ubiquity, I don't think anything else "foreign" is truly mainstream in the US yet.

Well, in terms of the USA, we can predict certain things based on a presumption about the likelihood of current immigration patterns continuing. For one thing, I think we can expect an increasing number of Mainland Chinese immigrants, many of them from the northern part of the country. I think we can expect more Northern Chinese restaurants, and more Shanghainese ones, too, in addition to Cantonese and other regional styles. Same thing in terms of India -- more restaurants, and more regional ones. I also expect more immigration from Africa, so there could be some proliferation of some African cuisines in places where a sufficient clientele settles. Clearly, Latin Americans will continue to come, which is what makes a prediction about Peruvian food reasonable, but it might be equally likely that Argentinian, Dominican, Guatemalan, or Colombian food could become mainstream. I think that in general, food in the US will become more East, South, and Southeast Asian, more Latin-American, and more African than it is now. And what of the future of cuisine in other countries? There are a lot of Moroccan immigrants in Spain. Will Spanish food get a new infusion of Moorish influence? Any effect on Italian cuisine from Albanian immigrants? Will Acehnese refugees in Malaysia popularize local specialties (whatever those are)? As more Ethiopian Jews arrive in Israel, will Ethiopian food become a big-time thing there? Beats me. I will say this, though: I think that certain countries like the US, Canada, Australia, and Israel that are used to thinking of themselves as lands of immigrants may well be more open to influences from immigrants than some of the European countries I mentioned. One thing I wonder about is how the tremendous movements of refugees in Africa may be affecting local cuisines. Of course, many of the refugees and their hosts are suffering from food scarcity in the first place...

I'm glad to have those recommendations. I've been to Les Sans Culottes, and that's OK for a bite if you're hungry and there's one nearby, but that's far as I'd go, based on admittedly limited experience eating there (I remember a dinner at one on something like 42nd and 2nd). Lots of food and some cheap wine, though, in reasonably pleasant surroundings. But those other places look like they might be worth a subway ride.

Oh, in that case, I'm astonished if it's so hard to get them in Melbourne. No problem getting them in New York.

Waxed meats? Could you please elaborate?

Yeah, I love anything butterscotch (good butterscotch, of course, not that sickening artificial stuff). I'm trying to remember what I used to have in butter rum flavor when I was a kid -- some candy. It had a minute but tasteable amount of rum in every candy. Bad food for a Muslim, but very pleasant for a non-Muslim American kid. I must have had those things when I was like 7 years old. Never got a buzz on them, didn't care, but they tasted good.

You know what we may be lacking in New York? Places with good down-home French (Belgian, etc.) food that are inexpensive. Know any? You know, where you can hearty comfort food like Boeuf a la Flamande, Coq au Vin, Daube a la Provencale, Bouillabaisse, plus a soup and salad without spending more than, say, $30 (pushing the concept of "inexpensive" a little). The thread on out of style foods reminded me of some of these things. How about a meal of Quiche Lorraine, Coq au Vin, plus a dessert? Less than $50 anywhere? Soupe d'Oignon, salad, and Daube. Less than $60? Is there a reason why French food has to be expensive in New York? Isn't someone missing a niche?

Hey, is Boeuf a la Flamande out of style? Let's here it for out of style things, then!

Oh, another one that my grandmother and mother used to tell me was that if I didn't eat carrots, I wouldn't be able to see in the dark.

You know how some people say eating brains makes you smarter? Well, my mother also used to jokingly say that if I ate calf brains, I'd be as smart as a cow.

didn't say anything about cooking/eating. ← True. Assumption on my part.

Will there be a Part 4? Where are you now, Ellen?

There's an Elephant & Castle on Greenwich Av. in Manhattan, but it's rather more upscale and French-influenced than what I'm seeing on the website and apparently unrelated to the chain. Interesting. (For the record, I haven't eaten there.)

Yetty cooking pork rinds? I don't think so.

David, Zagat isn't a complete listing of restaurants. Result for search on "Parkside" in Brooklyn, NY on www.superpages.com, with "Food" clicked on in the "Narrow Your Results" menu on the left side of the results page: Parkside Restaurants 355 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11238 (718) 636-1190 And here are some Manhattan (New York, NY) results for restaurants named "Parkside," but I don't think these are relevant.