Pan

I don't think that's the point, Fat Guy. Management has the right not to accept credit cards. Servers have no such right. Therefore, it is manifestly unfair to penalize them for serving customers who pay with credit cards. And considering how low their pay is in the first place, it doesn't seem fair to further lower their hourly rates globally in order to absorb the credit-card-related costs that management decided to incur.

Jennifer, I have a question about the canneles: When you eat one, you're eating some bees' wax, right? Does that have a taste?

This will clearly be another interesting blog. One remark about the palm sugar: When I was in Malaysia, the palm sugar we got was darker because it was smoked and had a wonderful smoky flavor. And in answer to Smithy, I find the taste of palm sugar more similar to that of maple sugar than to cane sugar, but it's not quite as -- I don't know, perfumy? Maple sugar is the best kind of sugar I've ever had, but palm sugar is close.

That was ayam laut? I still remember having ayam laut in the kampung where I lived in Terengganu in the mid 70s. I loved it! It actually did taste somewhat like chicken! Splendid pictorial by you! Thank you!

Not to ignore the obvious: Do you have enough space to simply keep the matzot and sell them next year?

It made me smile to read this. I have friends who are planning a trip to China soon (May, I think they said), and were really interested when I told them about my family's meal at the Li Family Restaurant, so I sent them a link to the thread I started about my dinner there. They're not eGullet members but I'm pretty sure they'll report back to me on their experience, eventually.

Peter, I'm not sure if you're trying to upload photos from your hotel, but if it helps, there are some "Internet Centres" in Shanghai. I recall there was one near a post office on the street a block north of Nanjing Lu in the old center of town near the Peace Hotel, for example. I really liked Shanghai. If you haven't already, go to Yuyuan Gardens, which are lovely. And eat well! I'm sure you will, as I found that from the cheapest to the upscale (upscale Shanghainese -- in our cases, Shanghai Moon in the Jinjiang Hotel; we weren't the slightest bit interested in trying Jean-George's restaurant while in Shanghai), food in Shanghai was almost always good.

They enlarged it? How? It's taking up more of their house now?

Well, every restaurant has its detractors. I think I'm the only eGullet member who's a detractor of 11 Madison Park under Chef Humm in Manhattan, because of one annoying meal that ensures I will never pay for another meal there as long as Humm is there, and that my parents and brother will never go back under any circumstances. Am I wrong? Definitely not! I experienced what I experienced.

Grand Sichuan's website seems to be hung, but according to menupages.com, the Chelsea location closes at 11, which is what I'd figure. You can call for reservations, which may not ensure that you get seated at the exact time you specify, but they do help.

Elie's great posts on the regional Italian threads should also be noted. Elie, I hope you continue to have the time and inclination to post those great photos!

Kathryn, when did you see a Fresh Chicken Menu at Grand Sichuan St. Marks? I've never seen one there.

When I had dinner at the Li Family Restaurant, we didn't get lots of greasy entrees at all; as a matter of fact, you can see from my photos that several of the dishes were notably ungreasy. But it's quite possible that that restaurant is the exception that proves the rule, and also, my meal there was in 2004, so it's possible things have changed.

I love all the pictures of the Carnaval costumes! What's manjar blanco, with which the churros were filled? About family trips, my brother and parents and I have done one to Italy, one to France, one to Malaysia (we were partly together and partly on our own on that trip), and one to China in the last 9 years, while all of us were adults and done with our education, so it IS possible.

Very interesting thoughts, Bryan. Maybe if there's no thread on food that "fits the space," we should have one. I'm sure architect "foodies" like Henry Lo (hhlodesign) would have plenty of thoughts on the topic, one which not all of us think about a great deal.

What cute pictures of your kids! I'm glad you all enjoyed Katz's and Grimaldi's. For those of you reading this thread who aren't in the New York area, today really sucked! Much of the day, New York was drenched by a downpour of truly monsoon-like proportions, and as someone who lived through two monsoon seasons in a part of Malaysia that gets an average of 180 inches of rain a year, I know what I'm talking about here. So what's on tap tomorrow, Dean?

Yeah, Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. What time of day did you hit Grimaldi's?

I'll bet you could find them in your local supermarket, and particularly but not only if there's a Trader Joe's in your area.

Yes, IR Chef, this is a tall order, but we can all break it down. I have no doubt others will be able to answer your various questions, and I'll do my part. NO. Go to Chinatown. Try Mott St. first and then if you strike out, go to Canal. Check the bags carefully for workmanship and bargain the price down. Some non-Sichuan places make halfway decent Jajang Mian (or however it's spelled). If you want Sichuan style, go to Grand Sichuan (such as the one on St. Marks between 2nd and 3rd, which might work well with the shopping you mention in your opening post, or the Chelsea branch at 24th and 9th). And if you do go there, the Smoked Tea Duck is not bad at all. If you do want to stick to Chinatown, you can get jajang mian in Shanghainese restaurants such as New Yeah Shanghai Deluxe, on Bayard between Bowery/Elizabeth and Mott. I like it, but it may not be quite what you most prefer. You can get a Korean meal 24 hours, day or night at any of a whole bunch of places in Little Korea (which centers especially around 32nd and 35th Sts. between Broadway/6th and 5th, with some other places on 33rd and 36th and further east). In terms of deli, Katz's is actually open quite late on some nights, but you have that covered. Cafe Mogador, 101 St. Marks Place (between 1st and A) is open until 1:30 Sun-Thurs and until 12:30 Fri and Sat, and it's quite a nice Moroccan/French/Middle Eastern place. I would have to guess that people will direct you to Momofuku Ssam Bar, but I haven't been there. I'll read replies from others with interest.

Si, if you do go to Katz's when the line is long, it helps to know that each counterman has his own line.

Si: Stomach the tourists at Katz's! I do, and I'm a New Yorker! That said, I prefer to go on a weekday or late night on a weekend. But still! And remember that there are other good locations of Grand Sichuan. I can personally vouch for the St. Marks and Chelsea branches.

Rick, look through these search results for Beijing Xian Chengdu.

Malayu = Melayu = Malay. Just FYI. So it's not just southern Thai but actually Malay from the south of Thailand. I have to say that it impresses me when people who have access to time-saving measures volunteer to pound things out with mortar and pestle, as untold generations of peasant housewives have (or at least did until recently, if not still) every day. It's hard labor!

Because no prices were listed on it and because it was printed on an ordinary sheet of white paper, I believe we were given a special prix fixe menu that had been worked out by the organizer of the party. It was a 4-course menu: Appetizers: Crab cakes with mustard sauce Salmon River Chowder ----- Green Salad ----- Mains: Salmon with roasted red pepper sauce Roast chicken breast with risotto Filet mignon with mashed potatoes and asparagus ----- Dessert: New York Cheesecake Cappuccino cake Berries I ordered the chowder, which was creamy. Otherwise, there was nothing notable about it, other than that it was good. I had a bite of a crab cake, which tasted good. The salad was simply an ordinary, good mixed salad with vinaigrette. For the main, I avoided the salmon because bell peppers are no good for my stomach, but I was told it was good. The filet mignon was good, and they cooked mine medium-rare, as I requested. The mashed potatoes were tasty and the asparagus was good steamed asparagus. I tried the risotto that came with the chicken breast, and it was a tasty pea risotto with parmigiano. I'm sometimes reluctant to order cheesecake, because so often, gummy cream cheese ruins the texture. But I needn't have worried. This was classic New York cheesecake, totally ungummy. I didn't try the other desserts, but the cappuccino cake was actually tiramisu', and friends said it was very good. I don't know what the actual cost of the prix fixe would have been. We paid $55/person including tax and tip plus $6/person for the wine, but that included subsidizing the cost of the meals of the two birthday people. (There were 19 of us, so someone who feels like doing the math can.) The restaurant is perhaps a bit pricey, but not as bad as I thought it would be, and while there was nothing unusual about the conceptions of the dishes we were offered, the execution was good, everything was tasty, and everyone was happy. I think that Salmon River would be a good choice for any similar kind of party, where there's a mix of "foodies" and unadventurous eaters, and everyone could come away satisfied. It might be a good place for business meetings, too. Salmon River 3 E. 40 St. (just east of 5th Av., north side of the street) Phone: 212-481-7887 Fax: 212-481-4510

I found the food uniformly good and also enjoyed a Pinot Noir from the coast of Chile. I'll post in more detail later.