Pan

No, you're right. And I won't start shooting anyone who decides to set the bar at $50, but I think that ought to include tax and tip even though it makes sense to exclude wine.

Courtesy of www.superpages.com: H S F Restaurant Inc 46 Bowery, New York, NY 10013 (212) 374-1319 I don't remember what H S F stands for or stood for.

Under $30 for 3 courses that serve "great" food? That's really hard. Can you suggest any?

(1) It's non-fancy. (2) You can order half a sandwich, but you didn't know that. (3) I haven't perceived any bad attitude. This is a real New York place. My take on this, and I may be exaggerating, is if you don't like New York mannerisms, don't go to a non-fancy real deli with great pastrami; go to a haute cuisine place. As I recall, it's come in for mixed reactions at best on these boards, including some pretty sharp words about attitude from the staff. I went there years ago and found it fun but wasn't in a rush to go back. Sure, huge sundaes are fun for kids. Typical tourists will stay away from the Outer Boroughs and probably will hang out in the Times Square District except for trips to the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty. eGulleteers, on the other hand, are at least somewhat more likely to take a 20-to-40-minute trip for some great food.

Welcome, Amuse Bouche! Yeah, Mamoun's is a worthwhile place for felafel and shawarma. Wow, Boca Chica, that's a name from the past for me! I haven't been there since they canned some musician friends of mine a long time ago. I always thought it was a bit upscale for the style of food they served, but I always enjoyed the food. But not everyone agreed, and a lot of people felt that it was overrated and overpriced. I remember a dessert of flambeed platanos maduros with chocolate sauce that was delicious and slightly decadent. So, the place is still worthwhile in your opinion? A place that used to be near there that I miss is Louisiana...

um, no. that is why i started this thread. Whoops! That's what I get for not scrolling up to see the rest of the thread before posting a reply.

I haven't been to Nam Wah since the 70s, I think. It's still open, but I never seem to see anyone there. I really don't know what's up there. I've been tempted to go back, but no-one ever has any recent information to share with me. Maybe I could tempt some person or persons to meet me there? It would make for a good post or three if nothing else. HSF hasn't come in for any praise on these boards previously, from what I can remember. My attitude is nix on all Shun Lee branches. Expensive and inferior to good food in Chinatown. And by the way, the last time I went to one - Shun Lee Palace - we got bad service with an attitude. My advice is spend your money elsewhere.

More or less, but not in Chinese restaurants, for example. And Katz's is basically just a pastrami sandwich with a soft drink and cole slaw, though I've had cake there once and liked it. You'd be hard pressed to name more than five or six that fit that description? You mean exactly that description, with the three courses? And are you including Outer Boroughs or not? Katz's Grand Sichuan Congee Village Kangsuh Cho Dang Gol Madras Cafe DiFara's Sripraphai Restaurant Malaysia Woo Chon's Kissena Blvd. location Sichuan Dynasty That's 11, with one in Brooklyn and 4 in Queens. Let's argue about these suggestions.

Have you been there for a meal?

Of course! My favorite is taro green milk tea - hot in cold weather, iced in hot weather.

I meant would you like the recipe.. to prepare it I knew you meant that. Sure, feel free to post or PM the recipe.

Which is possible at Il Bagatto, which is surely not a fancy restaurant, and Lavagna, which arguably is a bit fancy. It's possible to pay up to around $120 for two at Lavagna and probably a bit less at Il Bagatto, depending on how many cocktails you had before dinner, etc. But it's also possible to pay around $30/person without wine. To be honest, though, it's easier to break $100 at those two places if you're sharing a whole bottle of wine, not buying wines by the glass. I proposed the limit of the $30s without wine with the idea that everything above that is too high to be the same category. A "non-fancy" restaurant that costs $90 a head is just an expensive place that doesn't require jackets. I don't object to a lower limit, but I'd make two observations: (1) If you figure wine in, problems occur immediately because wines can cost more than the total cost of the food. (2) If we set the limit at $25 including wine, tax, and tip, we're discussing decidedly cheap restaurants, not just "non-fancy" ones.

I could probably meet up with you next Saturday, baw, but let's be in touch that week to discuss it. Sam, I've never had artichokes on the square pizza, but I suppose it could be done. If we both arrive early, we may be able to ask Dominic what he thinks. Yes, the calzone is a must, no matter what. So maybe one plain round one, three squares (one plain, one with some kind of meat, one with artichokes) and two calzoni including one with porcini, if available. Folks, just FYI, this isn't a cheap pizzeria. Don't be surprised if your meal costs around $20, but it will be worth it.

I wonder if they serve the Northern-style crullers with soy milk? Congee is also a good Chinese breakfast.

Honored by your comment, O Great Flutist. (Why can I not get the immortal Zamfir out of my mind when I see "Pan" and "flute" in the same posting? ) Oy, vey!

I don't know how I missed the earlier post. I'll merge the two threads. [Edit: Done] Anyone else have any opinions about the place?

Interesting posts. Suzanne, where is 27 Sunrise? I'd add Il Bagatto as a place that serves up a delicious whole fish.

Thanks for the fun onigiri site, Anko.

Agreed. And other "usual suspects" for dim sum with carts include Golden Unicorn (East Broadway and Catherine St.), Jing Fong (20 Elizabeth St.), and Grand Harmony (Mott St. just north of Canal St.).

I feel that New York Noodletown slipped some time ago and is still good but questionable for this list. I want Yeah Shanghai Deluxe on it though. I agree on Kang Suh. If we're including Flushing, a bunch of other places would get included, such as the Kissena Blvd. branch of Woo Chon, Restaurant Malaysia, and Sichuan Dynasty, but honestly, how many visitors are going to go to Flushing? Jackson Diner should be considered, too, in my opinion, and we could also discuss Madras Cafe, a longtime favorite of mine. I frankly am surprised to see over-$50 restaurants being proposed for this list. I'd propose a $30s for dinner without wine as an upper limit. If we are considering restaurants in the "moderate" price range, though, let's discuss Il Bagatto. Yes, no?

Of course. Next time I'm down your way, I'll contact you.

Please give us a few examples of Texas Rangers dishes and the players credited with or blamed for them. Inquiring minds want to know. Funny title for the Elvis cookbook.

I'll give you some more recommendations, JJ: Sichuan shrimp dumplings with sesame sauce (small dish; you'll have to get something else with them, like the Dan Dan Noodles or a cold dish). The cold cucumber and the cold jellyfish dishes. Aui Zhou Chicken. If you like bitter melon, the Duck and Bitter Melon is great. Spicy and Sour Squid (in the Mao's Cooking section). Squid with Kung Bao Sauce. Any of the whole fish dishes are great if you build up a big appetite, have someone to share them with, or can just put the leftovers in the refrigerator and have more for dinner. And of course, I recommend the special New Year's chicken dish I had at my last visit.

In northern China, it's very common to drink beer with the meal. During my trip to China in 1987, I found that in the Beijing area, I was often presented with a bowl of beer and not a few places didn't have tea (a problem for someone who's essentially non-beer-drinking like me). But what about rice wine? What other alcoholic drinks are traditional with meals in China? And isn't there some tradition of making wine or liqueur from grapes in China? Craig, please feel free to spin off any of these topics and move this post as you consider appropriate.

bloviatrix, one of the things that's wonderful about Budapest is that there are a whole bunch of cafes that fit your description! Glad you enjoyed my post, ludja, and do visit Budapest some time.