Pan

Sue-On, that rendang looks excellent! One suggestion: Consider making a side of Sayur or some kind of vegetable cooked in belacan (e.g., kangkung belacan).

They did the same thing in rural Malaysia, except that they slit the throat (halal slaughtering). I don't think it's a bad thing at all! (OK, they did let it bleed for a little while, but it was boiled that evening if needed for the next day -- no refrigeration in the village in those days.)

Yes, that's right. It's not spicy, so I don't think it has an appreciable amount of hot pepper in it, but I'm not sure about the bits of tomato. I think the fish skin is slightly caramelized, too?

tomatoes aren't traditionally used in korean cooking. If you were to give a tomato to my grandmother, she would sprinkle sugar on it and eat it like an apple maybe the tomatos were chilis? salted fish with watercress sounds like it would be in a soup to me, cause watercress and fish are traditionally served in hotpots/stews. ← Not a soup, a cold banchan.

When I used to frequent Woo Chon in Flushing a few years ago, I was frequently served a delicious dish of roughly smashed yellow sweet potato with golden raisins, an almost-dessert to my taste. There's also that sliced salted fish in a sauce with tomatoes in it (I think?) that comes with watercress. That's one I've had at Han Bat and some other places in Koreatown in Manhattan.

Warehouse is actually closer to Waverly, but that's really nitpicky of me to say.

I'm SO looking forward to this blog! Did I ever mention to you that my whole family visited Changchun in the summer of 2004? My mother, an anthropologist, was participating at a conference on shamanism at this big, Communist hotel on the outskirts of the city -- a huge estate with real bureaucratic functionary officials (OK, some of the younger ones were nice, but there were some really soulless individuals there). As soon as my brother and I walked out of their grounds, we left that oppressive atmosphere and got into what almost felt like a different world -- a bustling but comparatively relaxed city (compared to places like Beijing and Shanghai, of course). We really enjoyed the park around the lake, and the people were so friendly and nice! The food we liked best in Changchun was the flatbreads. Similar flatbreads were on sale in Beijing, but the ones we got in Changchun, for example at a market a few blocks west of the big square near a junior high school and across the street from the administrative offices of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo, were better. The city struck us as pretty poor but also as a place where people enjoyed life however they could. Lots of families and pairs of lovers were making an afternoon of it in the park on weekends (and of course, there was food involved a lot of the time), and there was kite-flying and traditional music-playing (just for fun -- applause was gratefully accepted, but not money, and most people just ignored them) on the big square at lunchtime. Which part of Jilin province does your family come from?

Believe it's on Broadway. ← Nope. 4th and Lafayette.

I agree 100%. I remember years ago, while on jury duty in Chinatown, I went into a restaurant on Canal St. that was absolutely mobbed with Chinese people. My lunch was terrible! The selling point of the place seemed to be that it was unusually cheap.

Rob, I really enjoyed reading your review and interview. I'm curious what Maryland strudel is, though. What are its contents? (I also wonder how Ms. Amernick manages to say slim! )

How recently have you been to Angon? I used to like it, but the last time I went (which I think was February 2, 2006), I had a terrible meal. Everything was way oversalted. Has it gotten better since then?

This has been a great blog, David! One question: Is it unusual for a high-end restaurant like Guy Savoy to put 4 strangers together at a table? That struck me as very unusual.

That's such an insightful point and so well stated, Fat Guy. I had a great meal at a place called Restoran Oversea in a shopping mall in Petaling Jaya, the most populous (I believe) suburb of Kuala Lumpur. I think that, if anything, pains may be taken with interior decoration, but exterior decoration is quite a bit less likely.

I'm loving this great report, Nishla! I noticed that you're really enjoying Pecorino Toscano. I love it, too, and whatever I've gotten here hasn't had the taste I remember from Siena, where I could get it in a little convenience store down the street, along with excellent quality fruit and good, cheap Chianti wine. One question: How many people went on the trip with you?

I love garlic, so that might be just the ticket for me. Thanks, bloviatrix. zEli, where's Ashkara, and what style is the establishment?

The cold jellyfish dishes I get also have another crucially important ingredient: sesame oil. Did this one lack the sesame oil?

Time to revive this thread. After playing piccolo on a Brooklyn Youth Chorus concert at Long Island University tonight, I crossed Flatbush and had dinner at Junior’s, for the first time in many years. Afterwards, I could only wonder why I had waited so long. For a cup of comforting split pea soup, a delicious tongue sandwich, and two iced teas, plus a side of gracious service and an atmosphere of celebration that left a smile on my face, I paid $21 including tip. It’s no wonder that this establishment is a landmark and still a favorite with people out for a good time.

The food is inconsistent, but I find the Bastille Day street festival put on by the Alliance Francaise, on 60th St. between 5th and Park or Lexington to be fun.

I don't see why you'd need treyf ingredients for felafel. In any case, the kosher-observant man wrenched his back, so he couldn't come, and we ended up going to a perfectly acceptable Indian restaurant with cafeteria-style service on 31 St. a bit west of 5th Av. Later, others went to the Irish bar on 31st between Broadway and 6th.

Ah Leung, I have such admiration for your fantastic work on the pictorials, and also your foodblog, which was one of the best among a large number of great ones. I wish you luck and success in all that you do! You deserve it!

Thanks for the warning on Kosher Delight. I hope that's not where we end up. Is Jerusalem II bad?

Thanks, raji. I just checked menupages.com, and neither are listed as kosher, for whatever that's worth. Someone on Chowhound recommended Jerusalem II on 38th St. In any case, I appreciate your recommendations for whenever I'm not with folks who keep kosher.

Have you ever been there the day before Thanksgiving or Christmas? Didn't think so. But yeah, we both agree it's well worth going to.

Well, growing up on the Upper West Side, I enjoyed my local Jewish kosher (I think?) deli, Gitlitz. It's been gone since the 70s. And there are a lot of non-Jewish places I miss. There's a thread on "Favorite Defunct Restaurants." I'll search for it and post a link later if no-one beats me to it.

Thanks for the recommendation. I've seen this book recommended before. I think I'll get it. Good luck to you and your wife!