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Thanks for posting your review, Robert. Sounds like a real winner!

I and a friend went to Uncle Nick's on 9th Av. between 50th and 51st Sts. this evening. We got the mixed cold dips, which consisted of superior melitzanosalata, very garlicky mashed potatoes, pleasant tzatziki, and taramosalata (which isn't my favorite thing), each separated from the other with an average-quality tomato slice and topped by a good olive. For mains, we both got specials. He got broiled Chilean sea bass and I got broiled calamari. The sea bass was good but we both agreed that the calamari was better. I find that calamari is usually mostly a texture and doesn't usually have much taste, but this calamari was delicious! The bodies had a type of natural sweetness inside and the tentacles were tender. And of course it was completely fresh, and perfectly broiled. It came with a side of pleasant garlic potatoes, and my friend got a substitution of a mixed vegetables side that he liked very much (I didn't try it). So why don't I plan to return for more good food? Because the wait staff were unwilling to wait until we were finished eating before trying repeatedly to take our food away. The first time, our waiter began to say something and then said "excuse me" when my friend continued eating his vegetables. (My friend's comment, from previous experience: Now is when they start trying to pressure us to leave.) Within then next 5 minutes or less, he came back and asked whether we were done or "still working on that," and I told him in a scolding tone to give us time to eat. It couldn't have been two minutes later that a busboy asked whether we were still eating, in a posture of getting ready to pounce. At that point, my mild-mannered Minnesotan friend told him off in no uncertain terms. The manager, who overheard that conversation, apologized to us. We left a tip of less than 7% and I told the manager essentially what I'm telling you: That the food is very good but I'm reluctant to return because they badger their customers to leave and that this will eventually cost them business. He claimed he agreed with me and had already talked to "the guys," but my friend said it had been the same the last time he was there, so as far as I'm concerned, they can go screw themselves.

When I go to bars, I often have mixed drinks with rum. I tend to favor Bacardi and have it with orange juice and a twist of lime most often, but sometimes, I go for cranberry juice, just for variety. I tried Captain Morgan Spiced with cranberry and found it interesting and not a failure as a drink. I don't make a habit of it, but I could imagine getting it again some time if the mood struck me.

Thanks, Dave. That was interesting.

If you wrote more eloquently, you'd probably be a famous writer. Great writing!

I know mata-mata are police, but I've never heard "makanmata" as a policeman who eats or something. This reminds me of the time when my mother told the proprietress in what became our favorite restaurant in Kuala Terengganu: "Saya tak suka makan hati." (Literally "I don't like to eat liver"; idiomatically: "I don't like to eat [someone's - my] heart out.") Her sympathetic response: "Siapa suka makan hati?" ("Who likes to eat one's heart out?") Once my mother realized what she had said, we all had a good laugh about it, and she clarified that she meant chicken liver.

Yes, spare ribs. It may have had carrot or some other kind of root vegetable in it, too.

I don't know about formal banquets, Jon, but I found that in Chinese restaurants in Malaysia, soup came with the other dishes, and much of the time, the dishes were simply brought out when they were ready. Soup was never first, before the main dishes.

What Steve said. I love roast goose and would definitely order it at Bo Ky if I saw it on the menu. Say, Makanmata, what a name. Whose eyes are you eating? Selamat datang ke eGullet.

Jon: Does the pork with star anise dish that I got in Wuxi qualify for a sweet and salty meat? I think that star anise gives a sweetness to a dish. Yes, it was a great meal.

Well, I don't have much to contribute here. I don't remember my parents forbidding foods.

What about seafood?

Thanks for the recommendations, Anil. I haven't been to Fuleen's yet, nor Congee. Is Wei Mei the place with the "rice and 3 sides" sign (for what, $2.50 or something)?

Fascinating thread. Nosferatu: Most of the people there are of Manchu rather than Han descent? Just for the information of all the people who think China's area is so much larger than the U.S.'s: From China: Everything that you need to know about the Middle Kingdom: China "covers an area of about 3,696,100 square miles (9,572,900 square kilometers)" And from EnchantedLearning.com's US States (plus Washington D.C.): Area and Ranking: "United States total area: 3,537,441 square miles." It's my opinion that the reason many of you think that China is so much larger than the U.S. is that we're accustomed to fly cross-country in the U.S. and (correct me if I'm wrong) it's still much more common to take the train for long distances in China than to fly. But come on, flying for almost 6 hours from New York to LA, is that a short hop? Only if New York-London is! The U.S. and China are both very big countries. Now Canada, that's a REALLY BIG COUNTRY! (3,849,674 square miles [9,970,610 square km] according to http://www.worldsurface.com/browse/locatio...?locationid=53)

I'm eating Ginger Candy (aka Ting Ting Jahe) imported from Indonesia. Previously, I had some Haagen Dazs Dulce de Leche frozen yogurt.

Are you including noodle soups, Nosferatu? I had an excellent, tasty noodle soup in a little eatery in Suzhou that specialized in noodles. Far more than "water with something dead in it."

I obviously don't, based on my lunch! You could have, but the counterpoint with my report and others' comments is interesting. While I was reading your report, I had an increasing sensation of having been cheated, until I got to your remarks about the ice creams that came with your chocolate souffle'. Realizing that you hadn't raved about the prune-armagnac ice cream caused me to understand that there are matters of taste that we simply differ in. Unless they decreased the amount of armagnac in the ice cream since I was there. Our waiter told us that the kitchen prefers to use more armagnac but shies away because customers had complained about that!!!!

I join Kris in welcoming you! Well, I've never made congee, but I've eaten a fair number of bowls of it. My favorite congees? Here's a list of things I've had within the past few years and favored: Sliced fish with ginger Sliced chicken with black mushrooms Shredded crab Sliced beef and fish Essentially, ginger is always a good ingredient to add; cilantro on top adds a lot, garlic is always good (use to taste), you need some kind of broth, and you might consider putting some fried shallots on top. I think that what you use is all up to you. But I have never had congee as good as the first times I had it, on the Hai Xing Shipping Lines Hong Kong-to-Shanghai cruise (kind of a 2 1/2-day ferry). I don't know why it was so much better than any other congee I've ever had since, but I remember that the ingredients other than rice and liquid were a lot of custardy egg, and small, very flavorful scraps of fried (somewhat blackened) onions, somewhat bacony roast pork, and scallions. I'm not sure what else went into it - probably chicken stock. Boy, was that a good breakfast!!!!

Kurl: Canton was a fine restaurant once, but that's a moot point now. Feel free to choose to start a new thread if you like, but I hope you don't stop posting about Chinese restaurants in New York. I eat Chinese food more than any other type of food, even if it's more local delivery places than anything else.

Kurl, that's a good post and a nice way to say "Hello" to eGullet. Welcome, and I hope you stick around and report to us on your future experiences. FWIW, I'm a regular at Grand Sichuan, more often the Chelsea branch but also the Hell's Kitchen branch. More recommendations? Well, first of all, use the "Search" button to get previous threads, but I'm happy to point you in a direction you might like. First of all, Flushing is chock-full of good Chinese restaurants of various kinds. I've spent a few years working at Queensborough Community College now (I probably should be grading papers as I write this, or already in bed), and I've hardly come close to scratching the surface - partly because there are some restaurants that serve various kinds of comfort food to my stomach or/and soul, so I go to them repeatedly. But if you're interested, I'll post some recommendations in Flushing. One I haven't posted about yet (I'd like to go there again to have more to post) is: Sichuan Dynasty Restaurant 135-32 40 Road, Flushing, NY 11354 (718) 539-0002 I've been there twice by myself, and preliminary indications are that it's great and comparable in quality to Grand Sichuan but with some different dishes. Last time, I had Chonqing Spicy Chicken, which was crispy-fried with lots of Sichuan pepper, pieces of little green hot pepper, scallions, very good celery tops used as an herb, and a fair amount of salt. It was really good. On a previous trip, I had had the cold cucumber dish and I think I liked it better than a standby of mine at Grand Sichuan - the cucumber slices were smaller, so the sauce, so to speak (which may have also been better) could get distributed on more of the surface. I followed that up with Dan Dan Noodles, which again was an excellent rendition and perhaps better than my standby at the Chelsea Grand Sichuan. Sichuan Dynasty's clientele is very largely Chinese, and their regular menu is all in Chinese - they give me their takeout menu, which is in both Chinese and English. I'm really looking forward to meeting up with a friend or two there some time and ordering more stuff. Warning to single diners: You won't get in at peak hours on weekends. People in Flushing know a good thing, so it's packed. Anyway, back to Manhattan. Joe's Shanghai? (This is the Manhattan Chinatown one; I haven't been to the one in Flushing.) Yes, I like it, but I go there only at odd hours because I don't think it merits standing on line to get into. But since you like Shanghainese, consider my rotation of Yeah Shanghai Deluxe, Moon House, and New Green Bo, all on Bayard St. between Mott and the southern terminus of Elizabeth. Shun Lee Palace? I vote no. My last meal there sucked and upset my stomach - old lobster! Bad enough to nauseate from a bite! Overpriced b.s. It's a shame; Shun Lee Palace used to be a great restaurant. (If you search under the name, you'll find a thread which I started with a review of the place.) Canton? It steadily deteriorated and closed a few months ago. But if you like Cantonese, sample some Hong Kong-style banquet food at Congee Village or - and here's another place I haven't posted about yet: Super Taste House (from their card - open 7 days a week 10:00 A.M.-2:00 A.M.) 49 Division St. (212) 965-1926 They do not speak much English. I think it's a very good alternative to Congee Village, which at peak times seems too small despite its size! I've had two meals at Super Taste House. The first was wonderful, but if you go by yourself, do not let a waitress or waiter convince you to get anything other than one main dish! No appetizers or cold dishes, at least not if you're getting something in a casserole! I was unable to eat more than a little of my white chicken feet, which came with a wonderful hot sauce (so much better than the ones I got once in Wonderful Chef on Kissena in Flushing, which I ultimately concluded is really not very wonderful), but the lamb in casserole with bean curd skin and black mushrooms was exquisite and redolent of the whole roasted garlic cloves they put in it, fermented bean curd, and black pepper! The second time I went, I got only one dish, also in a casserole: Sliced fish with bean curd and various other stuff. The bean curd had an excellent texture: It seemed to have been flash-fried and the inside was spongy. The dish was satisfying and well-executed, but to my taste, the dish was not as spectacular as the lamb in casserole. I definitely like this place and would like to go back, preferably with at least one other person, so as to sample more food. Regardless, I plan on exploring that long menu in many future visits.

Maggie: I found that the weirdest food article I've ever read. But seriously, babies have more taste buds than adults and I think it may be uncontroversial to state that they would taste almost anything differently. I'm sure most of you remember that your taste was different when you were small children, and that has a lot to do with the presence of more taste buds that die as we grow older. So I'm not sure what it proves for an adult to taste milk formula and other things specifically intended for infants only.

Right now, as symptomatic relief for horrible allergies, I'm having roast chicken curry noodle soup, with coconut milk in it. There you go: A mixture of spicy, sweet, and salty. I love tagines, I love Chinese red pork, I love having sweet potatoes with roast chicken, and I also often enjoy sauces that are sweet by virtue of the sugar in the wine. I also love chicken with mole sauce, and tomato sauce is frequently sweet from the tomatoes, so bistecca alla pizzaiola is essentially steak with a moderately sweet sauce. Sweetness can be done to excess and frequently is, but no way would I throw the baby out with the bathwater. There used to be a Thai restaurant in my neighborhood that wasn't a great restaurant but made one great dish: Whole red snapper with a sauce that included slices of ripe mango, lime juice, fish sauce, hot pepper, and whole cashew nuts. I miss it.

Madras Cafe is on 2 Av. between 4th and 5th Sts.: Courtesy of www.superpages.com Madras Cafe 79 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10003 (212) 254-8002 I have no idea whether it would meet your high standards, but I can't recall getting anything there I didn't like, except perhaps a pickle. There are some Indian pickles that, please forgive me, remind me of turpentine.

I find beer too bitter in general, so cider is one of my favorite bar drinks and the thing I most commonly get when not having a mixed drink in a bar. I like the granny smith varietal very much. It's interesting to me that cider can range from very apple-y or even excessively sweet (fortified with lots of sugar) to really dry, like a dry wine. One time, I got some cider from a farm in Vermont that I got to by going up a dirt road somewhere, and it turned out to be very dry and not apple-y. It was good for what it was trying to be, but I prefer to taste the apple when I drink cider.

Louisa: That was a great report! I felt almost like I was there, too. You're right: If I had gone there, it would have been a very different experience. I'm sure that the chefs at any fine restaurant that know Cordon Bleu students are coming would "get up" for that, like great athletes who love the playoffs and so forth. I notice you say you used bread discreetly for the sauce. I do that all the time, and not apologetically. Is it considered really declasse' to do that in fancy places?