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Dunno about that. I happen to love the ambiance there, but it's not for everyone. Some people would find it "grungy."

If you'd like a snapshot of how eGullet members (mostly but certainly not exclusively American) are cooking "Jewish food," check out the What We're Cooking for Shabbos thread. I think you'll find it bears out what Sam and others have been saying.

Back in the mid 70s, I used to go to an upscale Chinese banquet restaurant in Kuala Lumpur called the Imperial Room, which was in the Hotel Malaysia on Jalan Bukit Bintang. (I don't recall if it was a Hokkien or Cantonese-style restaurant, but I'm guessing Cantonese.) The first dish we usually got at each meal was Pigeon with Peanuts. It was a very rich and delicious dish. I do not know how they made it, but it clearly had a lot of delicious fat in it. Very heavy eating. [Edit: Looking at the topic, this dish was definitely not roasted.]

It looks like one question mark to me, not one star. Did I read it wrong?

Just for yourself? I usually spend around $25 all told (including a tip to at least one counterman).

Much as I enjoy Katz's pastrami and my cousin Tamar's brisket, I think we should avoid the mistake of equating "Jewish food" with Eastern European Jewish food. Copeland Marks' The Varied Kitchens of India : Cuisines of the Anglo-Indians of Calcutta, Kashmiris, Parsis, and Tibetans of Darjeeling also includes a chapter of delicious recipes from the Jewish community of Calcutta. One really interesting thing is that because using yogurt to thicken sauces of meat and poultry (=also meat under Kashrut) dishes was out, the Jews thickened things with eggs. If you want to make some really wonderful Jewish food, check out that cookbook!

I just realized that no-one has yet mentioned lotus seed paste as a dessert item, nor have such candied vegetables as sweetened preserved lotus root, lotus seed, carrots, or water chestnuts been mentioned.

Lots of Indian sweets are made with besan (chickpea) flour, and I daresay, they tend to be pretty oily and super-sugary and of doubtful healthiness, but I still can like a besan burfi.

I had dinner here with a friend tonight. The food was uniformly good, and I found it an excellent value. We started by sharing two empanadas - a corn one and a spinach and cheese one. Both were delicious. We also shared camarones al ajillo, which I suppose one could argue might have had more garlic, but then again, I ate up a bunch of little bits of browned garlic to help fill my garlic quota. Overall, I thought that little dish was fine. We ordered separate mains, because my friend unfortunately wanted her shell steak well-done. I ordered entrana (skirt steak) medium rare. Both of us had garlic/parsley fries as sides. The fries came on the plate, in great quantity. I thought they could have had much more garlic on them, but they were fine and I added chimichurri to both the fries and the steak, which was very good -- one could make the high-level criticism that it could have been a bit more tender, but it was a damn good steak for $19. The quantity of meat is substantial but not absurd for a hearty eater. I regret that I was too full to have dessert, as the dessert menu looked good and I hope to have the panqueques de dulce de leche some time and compare them to my memory of the same dessert uptown at Pampa. I also hope to try some of the other grilled items and salads like the Enselada de Calamaris that the tables to our left and right were having. The bill came to just over $60 plus tax and tip, which I think is great for an Argentinian steakhouse of this quality. The room was pleasant and the service was friendly, to boot. From their business card: Buenos Aires Argentinian Restaurant 513 East 6th Street (between Avs. A and B) New York, NY 10009 Phone: (212) 228-2775 Fax: (212) 228-5281 Email: info@buenosairesnyc.com Website: www.buenosairesnyc.com The staff recommend reservations if you plan on coming on a weekend.

Mitch, I've gone there twice in the last few months for dim sum. The first time was Christmas day and the second time was a couple of weeks ago. On Christmas, I thought it was generally very worthwhile and a level or two up from standard big-eating-hall stuff (Jing Fong, Golden Unicorn, Harmony Palace). The second time, I thought it was on about the same level as the big eating halls. So I think they may be inconsistent. I think dim sum at Dim Sum Go Go is much better, though - thinner wrappers, less doughy, cooked to order, and less fatty. For the record, I've been to DSGG twice for dim sum, too (both times within the past month or so).

Bean pie, as developed or at least popularized by the Nation of Islam, is traditionally made with navy beans, I believe. It's possible to make all kinds of desserts with vegetable matter, but I'm not convinced that makes them healthier.

Looks good to me! Becca, what happened to your avatar?

Me neither, which must mean that I, too, have been having a great time reading it. You and your family seem to have a very enjoyable life. And, therefore, I probably can give you no better wish than to just keep living and enjoying!

No, I don't really know, because I don't buy them to take home. I walked through the really big market recently and looked at their selection, though. The place is called Deluxe, and it spans the block between Mott and Elizabeth in between Hester and Grand.

If we're going to continue to have tangents about crime and safety in Naples, my take on it is that as a New Yorker who grew up in the rough 1970s and '80s, I had no trouble in Naples in 1991 and 1998. No doubt, part of that was luck of the draw, and perhaps crime is up since then, but there's a lot to be said for having your wits about yourself. So my advice to anyone is: Go, be watchful, and have great food, savory and pastries alike!

Kris, I'm sorry we can't see this here in the U.S. Best wishes to you on a speedy and complete recovery from your surgery!

Wow! I wonder whether it's the same fish that's called "ayam laut" ("chicken of the sea") in Malay!

Carrot Top, I'm glad you mentioned and linked to The Symposium. I admit I forgot about that forum. There was indeed a lot of high-quality discussion there. Robert, I think you should be the last person to even consider apologizing about not doing more work here, in any respect. You did so much great work, and of course you were paid in nothing but gratitude and satisfaction for your generous volunteering.

This is one of the best threads ever! Your generosity in spending all the time it took to compose and post all that is truly impressive! I'm very grateful.

Coffee ice cream, wasn't it? Was the Thai curry your recipe? I don't think I've ever had celery in any Thai dish. I'm sure I would have happily eaten the dish, though.

Which store do you all like best for Chinese sausages?

Peter, the pictures of your kid eating the pasta are so adorable!

Peter, I noticed that prices are given by the pound, not the kilogram(me) in the supermarket. Is that a regional thing? I seem to remember that in Quebec and points west, the metric system is used pretty much exclusively.

Was any settlement reached with the residential tenants upstairs and so forth?

Mimi Sheraton is a member of the eGullet Society. I hope she comments.