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Doesn't Saravanaas have a new name? Saravaana Bhavan or something? Madras Cafe in the East Village is also still good, though nowhere near the level of deliciousness of Saravanaas, or whatever they're calling it now. I've never been to a vegetarian restaurant in Chinatown, but I will observe that Shanghainese restaurants make vegetarian items, including mock-meat, that's very good. I'd think you could get the following at most if not all good Shanghainese restaurants (definitely including Shanghai Cafe and Yeah): Kao Fu (wheat gluten with mushrooms in a sesame-paste-based sauce) Seaweed Spicy Cabbage Mock Duck Mock Ham Mock Chicken With these and any number of other vegetarian cold dishes plus some hot dishes, you could certainly have a good meal.

I've been patronizing Shanghai Cafe lately and enjoying it. I actually do think that some of their dishes are better than Yeah, but it's a matter of taste and not a slam dunk. I much prefer SC's Kao Fu, for example, but prefer Yeah's Ja Zhang Mian. I'll have to go back with my girlfriend or some other person/people to try some bigger dishes at SC.

It's a mob scene - till pretty late...but you can try and make a reservation and see if that helps (I've used reservations there a couple of times, and they seem to work). Hunan - I wish. Grand Sichuan Int'l. - everyone else can chime in on what their favorite branch is! ← The original 24th St./9th Av. branch is the best. Szechuan Gourmet is better, but no Hunanese dishes there. When I'm having a banquet at Congee Village (I mean, like 4-5 or more people), I always get (or try to get) reservations, but even then, if they're out-of-control slammed, forget it. Never go there around Chinese New Year's, but a Saturday night with reservations still might work and could be worth chancing, though I actually haven't gone there on a Saturday night for probably a year and a half. I eat there most any other day except Saturday - or Friday night, which is also bad there.

Bryan, were you in the big dining room, the small one, or downstairs in a party room? I ask because I actually like the look of the big dining room. Of course, the food is more important, and I'm glad you share my appreciation of the place.

I thought there already was a "best pie" thread, but if so, I can't find it. Anyway, Thanksgiving is almost upon us, and I would like to get delicious sweet potato, pecan, and apple pies, preferably in the same place and preferably with the possibility of getting small pies for a couple of the varieties. I love Southern-style pies, and that's what I'm looking for for the holiday (those of you who remember Elyse's pecan pies will know what I mean). Where should I go? Either Manhattan or Brooklyn is fine.

It was actually fine. The stuffed canneloni were actually pretty tasty, and the desserts were also good, those the salad was overdressed and too vinegary. I was shocked that the peperoncini antipasti were exceedingly hot - in fact, way too hot for even ME to finish! Katie, I'm sorry I was occupied all day and night with a date and then a party. I would love to see you. Rangoon was very good, and both my date and I liked it. I over-ordered, which was OK because my date had a full-sized refrigerator in her hotel room. We had the appetizer combo (crispy onions, golden triangle, spring roll), thousand layer bread with vatana dip, tea leaf salad, and curry shrimp. The golden triangle was excellent. The crispy onions were something like very good onion rings but better, because of the besan flour they were battered with. The spring roll was just an ordinary spring roll. The thousand layer bread with vatana dip was very good, though a little salty (which really didn't bother us). The tea leaf salad was a pretty strong taste and pleased both of us. The curry shrimp were very flavorful. All in all, it was a better Burmese meal than I've ever had in New York, though I have yet to check out the Burmese place(s) in Queens that some folks have touted on Chowhound. And we did go to Capogiro after lunch. It was just as great as you all have been saying for years. I had a sugar cone of Bacio and Fior di Latte, both great, and my date had a wonderful Peach flavor. Their cones were also delicious, and they told me they fly them in from France every day (seems excessive, but they are great). Thanks for your help, Philadelphians!

Thanks for the quick responses, folks! By the way, she does eat seafood as well as fish and vegetables. I really like good Burmese food, so I'll look into Rangoon. I will still be in Philly for dinner, but it's a huge get-together (50 or so), and the venue (D'Angelos Ristorante Italiano) was probably picked more for size and inoffensiveness to a mostly non-foodie crowd than for any great quality.

Hi, everyone. I'm going to be in Philadelphia this coming Saturday and will be hanging out with a fishetarian (still trying to find out whether she eats seafood or only fish and vegetables). I'm taking the Chinatown bus that arrives just before noon (by the way, do you think I should buy a ticket in advance?) and was leaning toward Dim Sum Garden. Do they have good fish dishes, or would you recommend some other place as better for us? Knowing Shanghainese food, might I be able to construct a good meal around things like Spicy Cabbage, Kao Fu, Seaweed, and an eel or other fish dish?

I went to Pegu Club for the first time last night, with three other people. Everyone found the place thoroughly pleasant. The best cocktails were the one I got - a Tantris Sidecar, which was wonderfully complex and left a good taste in my mouth - and the eggnog-like cocktail (I don't remember the name, but someone will) that tasted like the greatest eggnog you NEVER had. A good pisco sour of some variety was also ordered. I will be back. By the way, I don't know if it's been mentioned that it's under the same ownership as the Zinc Bar catty-corner to it. The bouncer outside the Zinc Bar recommended it as a place to go to for drinks and told us about the common ownership of the two places.

I've had some good dinners in the last few months at World Tong on 18th Av., and its dim sum is still highly rated on Chowhound, for whatever that's worth (not much discussion of it here). I would think it would be very good. What else are you looking for?

I got a slice of Sicilian cheesecake from Veniero's to go last week, and I found it rather tasteless, so I'm not in a mood to recommend that place. I would plus and minus the Tarallucci e Vino on 10th St. and 1st Av. (rather good pastries; rotten lettuce in the salad accompanying the panini too often for my liking, especially at their prices); is the Union Square location much better? In terms of the pizzerie in the East Village that were previously mentioned, I recently went to Luzzo's and was pretty impressed. The crust could have had more char but was good, and the quality of the ingredients was excellent. Nice appetizers, too. I also went to Vinny Vincenz last week and found it to be merely a pretty good slice shop, nothing special. I haven't been to the others. In terms of places near Union Square, I believe no-one has mentioned Casa Mono yet. It's a place where your husband can drink wine and both of them can eat tapas. The expense may not be much of an issue with the Euro to dollar exchange rate, etc.

Does Szechuan Gourmet deliver? If so, how far?

I've concentrated on barbecue so far at Madangsui, and it's all been delicious. I love the banchan, too, which includes a small bowl of excellent Dwenjang Jigae (which is pretty spicy, though).

I find Szechuan Gourmet much better, but at 39th St. between 5th and 6th, it is not a short walk from 56th St. And so far, most of the interesting stuff I've had there has been pretty spicy (but I like that). Katie, if your mother doesn't mind cabbing it to 35th St. between 5th and 6th, consider going to Madangsui for some great Korean barbecue. Some of the banchan will be spicy, but the barbecue doesn't have to be, since it's to the diner's discretion whether to put hot pepper in the lettuce with the meat and sauce, or how much sauce to use. Madangsui is mid-priced, to my mind, though others would call it relatively inexpensive, and it's a terrific value.

I loved the report, but I have to ask: How many people were involved in this chowfest?

Ariel, there's nothing wrong with reviving old threads. It happens all the time. But in any case, I'm curious why you plan on going to Les Halles. If you want great pastrami, you won't find anything as good as Katz's, though I suppose 2nd Av. Deli has a wider menu. I definitely would suggest that if you go to one deli, it should be Katz's, and I doubt I'll get much argument on that. As far as pizza is concerned, do you have your heart set on wood-fired, or would you be interested in old-fashioned coal-fired New York pizza? The two are not the same.

Batard, how old are your notes? I'm sorry to inform you that both Sweet 'n Tart locations on Mott St. have been closed for at least a couple of years, maybe 3. [Edit: I did a search and found a post by docsconz on August 9, 2006 quoting Florence Fabricant as mentioning that those Sweet 'n Tart locations had lost their lease. So less than 2 years ago.]

Raji, where do you like to go for dim sum items? The 5 dumplings for $1 places? Pandora, my favorite place for food that the uninitiated would probably consider non-scary is Banh Mi Saigon Bakery, on the east side of Mott St. just south of Grand. I usually get their spicy chicken sandwich, but they have non-spicy sandwiches, too, and are best known for their Banh Mi Saigon (Saigon-style roast pork sandwich). No place to sit there, but if the weather is nice, just carry the sandwiches out and sit in a park.

Pandora, there's not much Italian in Little Italy, overall. Click these results for threads with "Chinatown" in the title, though. (Note, by the way, that Chinatown Brasserie is not in Chinatown, but in or near the East Village, depending on what definitions you're using.)

Yep. For example, go to "Wildman" Steve Brill's website, click on "The 2008 Calendar," and click on any of the park names.

Well, wood sorrel is something you could gather yourself. It grows very commonly. You could probably find some in a park. And if you can't find wood sorrel, sheep sorrel is an acceptable substitute and will probably be easier to find in a market (it's the main ingredient for Shchav). I know there's a booth that sells nasturtium flowers at the Union Square Farmers' Market. I'll bet you could ask them to bring in some leaves for you. I'm sorry, I don't remember more specifics on which booth that is, but others will.

Had the chef been maintaining his neurology practice, too?

If you're a senior, I'm a sophomore. Nice to see you posting, and I hope your health has improved. Any input for these ladies? I don't hang out on the Upper East Side. I believe you've had reason to be in the East 60s, no?

Kim, enjoy blogging! I'm interested in knowing more about your bread pudding, as I've never had one that has mustard and onions in it. Was it more savory than sweet?

How did you respond?