Pan

Just as a tangent, Malaysians of all ethnicities generally use the "Ghandi" spelling, and I always thought it was simply a local misspelling and was unaware of its history. They also confusingly refer to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as "Martin Luther" and sometimes get indignant when I explain that I expect a reference to the Protestant leader when I see that name. But getting back to the topic, it seems to me like the best solution is for you to have a meal at the restaurant - since you'd like to, anyway - and ask them their reasons for their choice of spelling while you're there.

Yeah, you're right. A generous tip. Well, I always got good grades in Math but it was never a forte of mine...

That's funny! So I'm guessing you'd call the place an excellent two-star? Or perhaps not, because of the reception and service problems?

Sounds like you doubled the tax and your tip was appropriate. We New Yorkers frequently double the tax and round up, plus extra for particularly good service, long occupation of a table, etc. Thanks for posting the review.

Ditto to everything others have said. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

That's a new one on me. One interesting thing about Pesach is that it's celebrated in so many ways, not only by practicing Jews of various degrees of orthodoxy but by so many irreligious Jews. One of the seders I'm going to will be at my father's cousin's apartment. Until a few years before his father Shoil Gutman died at the age of 96, Uncle Shoil used to conduct the seder as a Yiddish nationalist ceremony, complete with the singing in Yiddish of the Partisan's Song and another song (In der Lant der Piramidn, if my spelling is right) which doesn't mention God but celebrates Moses as a hero of the Jewish nation and credits him with things believers would credit to God. In large part in Shoil's honor, we continue to sing the Partisan's Song every Pesach. Shoil was an atheist who tried his best to promote Yiddish secular nationalism. His American name was Saul Goodman, and you can read a description of his book The Faith of Secular Jews here: http://www.ifshj.org/bookforum/philosophy_goodman.html His efforts to promote Yiddish secular nationalism can be very reasonably said to have failed miserably, but he was a sincere and very interesting man, and I was certainly glad to know him.

Funny, I can't remember ever seeing the "du jur" misspelling. Jonathan, I don't say "bay-zil," but I don't know how to represent my pronunciation. OK, I think this from www.m-w.com (an American dictionary, of course, so take that as a disclaimer on the "as in"s) will help: OK, my pronunciation is 'ba-z&l, but using the "\&\ as e in kitten," not "\&\ as a and u in abut" (the one given in the dictionary entry). "\&\ as a and u in abut" is a little mystifying to me because I don't pronounce the "a" and "u" in "abut" the same way at all. So that probably clarified nothing...

What kind of casing are they using, Fat Guy?

Perhaps this thread will help: Non-Alcoholic Mixed Drinks And what the heck, this is a shorter thread, but: Non alcoholic drink Good luck.

Halvah, no doubt. Thanks for the report.

Golden Unicorn is sizeable but more intimate than Jing Fong. Jing Fong is pretty loud (just conversation) if you go at peak times. Try to get a table near the exit from the kitchen if possible, so you can snare things like the Kaya Buns for dessert (kaya is a delicious and very rich coconut custard jamlike thing from Malaysia, and if I remember correctly, some Malaysian friends told me that Jing Fong is owned by a Chinese Malaysian [or more than one?] from Ipoh). Harmony Palace can also be good. I like all of those places, though of course they are nothing compared to what you can get all over the place in Malaysian cities, for example. But we're not in Malaysia, Virginia (or Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Singapore, Penang, etc.). But your best bet at any of these places is: Arrive early. If Jing Fong has reopened (they were closed for renovations for a while), I believe they open at 10 A.M. I'm pretty sure Golden Unicorn does, too. Harmony Palace opens at 9 A.M. or earlier, I believe. In any case, try to arrive before 11 A.M. Every place will be quieter, the food will be fresher, and you will have your pick of whatever you want and get more personal service more easily if you want to request items.

You have a lot of guts, Lesley!

I thought it was...

Heirloom Recipes Reveal Kosher Roots (Joan Nathan) (this and the articles below are from Wednesday's NYTimes DIGEST update. Scroll down for the appropriate links.) I found that article beautiful! Thanks as always for the NY Times update, Soba.

My father's cousin does an ovo-lacto vegetarian seder every year, and he makes an excellent homemade egg salad. It's always the best thing at their seder (ugh, protose steaks for main dishes!), but they never make enough of it.

You're an intrepid traveller! I have no advice for you, but I hope you post about your experiences, and I wish you a safe and fun trip!

That was a terrific article! I feel an impulsion to go to this restaurant now, but heck if I know the next time I'll be in Astoria. For an East Villager, it's sort of like going to Ohio. (To put things in perspective: I take a much, much longer trip to and from Bayside twice a week, though that's for work.)

I didn't know daikon leaves were edible! How do they taste?

I somewhat dimly remember the Frugal Gourmet, and what I mainly remember about him is that he talked a lot and spoke quickly. I also remember that he seemed enthusiastic about food. I also remember him doing brief reports from places like Bangkok, where if I remember correctly, he would briefly introduce in some measure the diversity of food on offer. To the extent I watched him, I liked him. The Galloping Gourmet was on around noon or so in the early 70s, when I was in 1st and 2nd grade. I used to enjoy watching his show when I was eating my lunchbox lunches in the lunchroom at elementary school (and I believe some of my schoolmates also liked his show). I don't remember much about what he cooked, but I was particularly impressed whenever he flambeed things.

Jensen, does MSG give you headaches?

I wish you the best of luck, robert40! According to the first diagnoses by a neurologist, my mother should have died in 1992. She's very much alive, kicking, and working today. Doctors can be wrong. And I hope that when Per Se reopens, you'll be able to fully enjoy it.

Another beautiful article, Marc!

Lesley, did you read Burros' review of Casa Mono? She disclosed her relationship with the chef. I thought that increased her credibility, though many eGulleteers quite reasonably objected to Burros' stated dislike of anchovies and the fact that she declined to eat cockscomb (and probably some other thing, I forget). Is it possible for a restaurant reviewer to recuse himself/herself? By the way, I also disagree that a New Yorker couldn't be a good reviewer. It's possible for someone who knows and even likes a person to determine that that person sucks as a baseball player, driver, or cook, isn't it?

Takeout today, for me and my parents (a taste of Flushing on the Upper West Side!). When I arrived, a photographer was there. I struck up a conversation with him, and it turns out he works the Queens/Brooklyn/sometimes Manhattan beat for New York Newsday, and was photographing food and the chef for an upcoming positive review next Friday. (He said that when reviews are negative, they don't bother taking photos.) I gave him some other recommendations of places to eat in the neighborhood and mentioned eGullet to him. He wasn't familiar with this site. Anyway, I ordered three cold dishes and two hot ones. Cold dishes: Cucumber in Minced Garlic (excellent), Chinese Eggplant w. Garlic Sauce (reviewed above), Bamboo in Hot Spicy Sauce (reviewed above - all of these cold dishes $3.95 apiece). Hot dishes: Diced Chicken & Peanuts in Hot Pepper (also included green mildly hot peppers, some ginger, Sichuan pepper, and some other things I forget - tasty but a bit sweet and buttery - $7.95), Shrimp w. Yellow Leek (mild, with excellent leeks and no problem with the shrimps this time - $10.95). Total bill: $30.75. My parents and I enjoyed all the dishes. My father chomped on a dark dried red pepper in the chicken dish and my mother found the bamboo tasty but too hot, but my parents appreciated that I had ordered a mix of spicy and mild dishes. Did I mention that I'd like to organize a banquet here? I said half-jokingly to the proprietress that after the review comes out, it'll be too crowded for me to eat there. Anyone free on a Thursday night around 7:30 P.M.? Let me know. We'd need reservations for sure at that hour.

What a great post! Let's hear it for some investigative food reporting!