Pan

Solex has just looked like a wine bar to me. I wasn't aware they even had food. Please tell me something about this place, though I'm tempted to boycott it for all time because it's there just because a greedy landlord raised rents too high for Teresa's to stay in business at that location.

Huh? Please elaborate on what you mean in regard to both neighborhoods. ← I'm not aware of any restaurants of significance in either neighborhood. ← Do you consider the River Cafe and Grimaldi's Pizzeria to be in DUMBO? And I do believe there are some restaurants in LIC. If they're just cheap, good neighborhood places, do they not exist?

Huh? Please elaborate on what you mean in regard to both neighborhoods.

mascarpone and I had a great dinner at Szechuan Gourmet last night. We got: Smoked Tofu Shreds w. Asian Celery, which unlike a similar dish at Spicy & Tasty, had hot oil and the ma-la effect going. I noticed how fresh and good the celery was. Thin Sliced Beef Tendon w. Roasted Chili Vinaigrette, which mascarpone found very peppery, but I found more watery and vinagery and not very spicy. The texture was firmer than the comparable dish at my local Grand Sichuan. We both liked this dish. Braised Eel w. Napa, Bamboo, Tofu, in Spiced Chili Broth. This dish was a knockout, wonderfully tasty, and we were supplied with a meshed spoon, perfect for serving this kind of soupy dish. Goat in Casserole. This dish was a special on the board. It was just as good as the eel, but in a different way. My verdict on my first meal at Szechuan Gourmet is that this restaurant has a much longer Sichuan-style menu than Grand Sichuan St. Marks, though not as long as Spicy & Tasty's, that it's a serious restaurant that is making real Chinese food for Chinese people (the waiter said after serving the eel to us that he hoped it wasn't too hot for us, which is exactly the right attitude -- serve the real stuff to the patrons and hope they like it; don't dumb it down), and that in quality, it's clearly better than Grand Sichuan St. Marks and comparable to Spicy & Tasty. It also costs much more - some $60 including tip for an admittedly large meal (there were leftovers to take home), as compared to around $40 for a meal of comparable size at Spicy & Tasty. But this place's location is much more convenient for me and most of my friends. I look forward to eating my way through the menu!

There's almost nothing on the menu at Itzocan Cafe like anything anyone else is serving in the EV. But it's still absolutely a quintessential East Village neighborhood restaurant. Because it's tiny, cheap, and bad. ← I had a very GOOD meal there during the summertime. How many times did you go there before concluding it's bad? Once, I'm guessing? Perhaps I lucked out, but given how many positive comments I've read about the place (mostly on Chowhound, I guess), I think it's more likely that you had bad luck.

Chocolate sauce, no? Did they change it?

mexigaf, the last few days have been very empty at the bars and restaurants I've been to, except for Chinatown yesterday, which was mobbed. I think many people are still out of town for the rest of the week. So my guess is that you will indeed luck out. But if you can call in advance, definitely do that.

I recognized all the names on the list but Mai House. There's no thread on Mai House, which appears to be an expensive Vietnamese restaurant. Is it actually a really good place worth paying in the mid to high 20s for entrees?

What's "Hudson Heights"? ← Hudson Heights is Ft. Washington to the West Side, North of the GW and south of the Cloisters, it's a recent broker carving out of what is better known as Washington Heights, which until recently was considered to have more crime and (nothing implied)more Dominican, to the east is and moving south is also considered "dominicaland" ← Interesting. I have friends who live there and say they live in Washington Heights. Are the developers and brokers gonna keep coining more names until there's a new "neighborhood" every 2 square blocks or something? Are they giving the far west part of Harlem (west of Broadway) in the 130s and 140s a new name, too? What neighborhood is the West Harlem Fairway considered to be in now? Columbialand?

Kalustyan's is at 26th and Lex, Spice Corner (or whatever) at 27th. That isn't very far. I'd estimate about 15 minutes walking time. About the same for Dual, 1st Av. between 5th and 6th. I suppose it would take 25-30 minutes to walk to Chinatown, depending on which part.

What's "Hudson Heights"?

I think east of Broadway. Am I historically inaccurate?

What a beautiful story, Savethedeli! Thanks for the link, Melissa.

Do you believe the server saw the $100 bill clearly?

Another vote for Katz's over Carnegie Deli and any of various other places over Lombardi's. (What kind of pizza did you have at Arturo's yesterday, weinoo?) I had dinner (all dim sum items) and cocktails at CB on Friday. The food and drinks are great and the room is pretty, and the coat-check folks did a lot to find a hat that turned out not to have been checked, but instead to have fallen and gotten lost in the lounge. But many other things about the place are BS (never picking up the phone when we try to call to tell them we're stuck in traffic; trying to avoid giving us a booth, which we requested when reserving; a snooty Maitre D' who tried to convince us that the folks in a booth waiting to pay their check were going to be there for 30 minutes, so that he could avoid accommodating us, after all; really loud, obnoxious, repetitive dance music [or "music"]). So anyone who wants pretty consistently good dim sum (with the exception of some of the bao, which can get a little soggy) in the modern Hong Kong style -- not quite as complex in taste profile as CB's, but inventive, pretty impressive, good, and quite modestly priced at lunch -- without the BS, should go to Dim Sum Go Go. That said, doesn't London have great dim sum??

So, I take it none of you eat or like any non-dim sum items at Chinatown Brasserie, or are you just ignoring me? The dinner is tomorrow. Last chance for you to help me!

When was your last meal at Lupa? My last two meals were within the past 3 - 4 months, and they were both fabulous - we ate lots of the menu at one of them. Still the best restaurant in the city for food of this style, quality and price. Wine list excellent, too, though not at the level of Otto's. And some decent cocktails. Aren't Crispo and Bianca really different types of restaurants and price points? ← I don't remember when my last meal at Lupa was, though if I really wanted to check, I believe I posted about it in the Lupa thread. Bianca is a bit cheaper than Crispo, but Crispo is so much better that the difference in price is well worth it.

I don't consider it cheap. To me, Crispo is not a cheap restaurant, but a moderate restaurant that's a very good value.

My dinner at Al di La with wine pairings chosen by the bartender in their Enoteca was one of the best Italian meals I've had in New York, just fabulous!

My experience with Lupa was a downward trajectory from great to good to mediocre and disappointing, and I don't plan on returning. I also consider Crispo clearly superior to Bianca. The meal I had at Franny was great, but the place is rarely convenient for me or my dining partners (witness that I have yet to return, despite great memories of that one meal). However, I haven't been to the rest of the places mentioned so far and appreciate the recommendations. Thanks for starting the thread, Nathan.

Please tell me what's better for Italian at the same price point, though in a different thread.

Your opinion is duly noted, Nathan, though I would have to disagree somewhat, given the fact that the Chowhounds were responsible for my patronage of Crispo, which has been grossly undercovered on this forum. But in any case, do you have any suggestions of particularly good non-dim sum dishes at CB?

I'm enjoying the posts very much; keep 'em coming! What's next on the agenda?

That chicken has a big crown and wattles. Looks like a rooster to me.

Nice blog you linked to, Abra! But I'm going to leave it aside, or I'll never catch up with this one! Have fun, you two!