ErinB

Anything new in the Berkshires this summer? I'm planning on going in a few weeks, and debating between going to Verdura or Spigalina (leaning towards Verdura though ...)

Had a light dinner at Paragon (Thayer St) the other night. Normally, I don't venture there, but I have a friend who works at the bar, so I thought I would give it a try. We stuck to the tapas/appetizer type menu and it was pretty decent. Scallops with bacon in a wine sauce, shrimp with feta, tomatoes and crostini (although the bread they served was horrible), lamb (which was a little more well done than I like). It was a monday night so it was empty .... The food overall was good, if you're looking for that kind of meal and you're on Thayer st, I would go, but I wouldn't go out my way to go there. Oh, and the desserts were average, and the portion sizes were too big. (I know, strange.)

Had dinner at Blaze on Hope St the other night. I was actually surprised by how good it was. The menu is very eclectic, with an american focus but adding in elements of international cuisine. For example, I had a boneless pork chop with a coconut raita and a red pepper hash with some a tamarind bbq sauce. It was very good. The menu is very heavy on meat, and my dining partner got a tederloin steak that was excellent. Also, the prices are pretty reasonable, $18.95 for the steak and $16.95 for the pork. The dessert menu was interesting enough, with a number of cakes and other dessert items, I opted for a "blueberry trifle cake" which was not very much like a trifle and more like a cake. I was dissapointed in it, my partner got a chocolate bread pudding that was really good but with a small portion. They also have a pretty good selection of wines, I had a Louis Latour pinot noir that they have by the glass that was excellent. I would definitely go back, but probably skip desserts next time, it's a great neighborhood restaurant.

I hear there are some good places in Central Falls, RI and North Attleboro, MA, but I haven't been to any of them.

This thing is so cool. I'd be interested in hearing from someone who has actually used the thing. Main limitation to me seems to be limited counterspace in one area.

Chris, i can't believe you even went there. :razz: Don't you know, there's supposed to be an egullet boycott of that place.

Thanks for the great post. That's a lot of food you ate! I'm impressed.

I definitely had some type type of shrimp and pea or shrimp and pea shoot dumpling. It looked like this. (not my picture, I stole it from someone else.)

Day 1 Sea Harbour - Dim Sum Amazing meal at Sea Harbour This was my second time here, although the first time I went I was a dim sum novice, so I had a totally different experience. So many interesting and unique things here compared to what's available at my small, but good dim sum place I go to in Providence, RI. We had a beef meatball and dried scallop congee that was great. Shrimp and pea shoot dumplings and juicy pork dumplings. The shrimp and pea shoot dumpling was amazing, great flavors. Sticky rice and chicken ball, water spinach?, taro and coconut pudding. The highlight was the bitter melon ball with black sesame paste, it was something I had last time and is possibly one of my all time favorite dishes I've had in my life. For dinner we had In-and-Out burger, always a pleasure, I really wish we had these on the east coast as well. Now we're at Coachella for the weekend, so no real food experiences, although we did go to a little tiny mexican place in Cathedral City for breakfast that was pretty good.

menton1, when's the last time you've gone to the Brickway? I'm only asking because someone recommended I go there, raving about how great it was, and I was completely underwhelmed. Maybe it used to be better, but at this point in Providence, there are definitely places that are WAY better. At this point, it's basically just an average breakfast place in Providence.

Thanks, I've heard about Loteria and think I will definitely stop by there. I've narrowed sushi down to two places, Kiriko and Sushi Gen. Although Kiriko is in West LA, so it may end up being Sushi Gen just because of location.

Also, if you want to go all out (very very expensive) go to The Spiced Pear in Newport. Also, for Korean, go to Sun and Moon in East Providence, on Warren Ave.

In terms of Providence: The best breakfast in Providence is at Nick's on Broadway. And they have really good coffee there. If you can go during the week, that is your best bet. It's gourmet diner type food. For ethnic, Mexico is good authentic Mexican hole in the wall. It is a little out of the way, you have to travel down atwell's ave past the italian neighborhood. The only high end places of been in Providence are Chez Pascal and New Rivers. Both really great, but two different experiences.

Re: Sushi. After some thought, I've realized I want the best sushi experience I can get in terms of the food, that's not going to break the bank. I would say $65 pp for omakase (which I will probably do) would be as high as I want to go. Also. going to sushi for lunch may be an option for me as well.

Regarding Brunch in Providence, IMHO, the best brunch in the whole city is at Nick's on Broadway. It's pretty small and there's usually a line, esp on Sunday, but it is great.

Yes, just went to Lucky Garden today. It's really good. I'm practically a regular there now. Chris, maybe i've already asked you this, I can't remember, what are your favorite dishes at Lucky Garden? I went to dinner at Chez Pascal a few nights ago. It was great. The service was excellent. The dining room is beautiful and I love the atmosphere. Their spring menu is out now, I had a tasting of lamb prepared four ways with some type of beans with ricotta and swiss chard. It was excellent. One of the preparations of lamb was a slow roasted shoulder .... it was amazing. My companion got the steak they had on the menu, and we thought it was good, but not spectacular. We thought it was your pretty standard steak and potatoes on a menu. It was served with grilled endive which she thought didn't complement it that well. For appetizers, we had a special of squab which was great, and an asparagus salad with watercress and hazelnuts which was amazing. For dessert, I had one of the best desserts of my life, an upside down pear cake with bleu cheese, creme fraiche and a little bit of a caramel topping. The whole salty/sweet combinations of the flavors were perfectly balanced. I would go back just for that dessert alone.

Some semi-finalized plans: Friday: Dim Sum, Sea Harbour Monday: Lunch in San Gabriel Valley Dinner: Guelaguetza? Tuesday: AOC Wednesday: Jitlada or Sushi Thursday: Udupi Palace I'm not planning to eat huge or fancy lunches -- in and out is definitely on the list. Farmers market is on the list ... Some sushi places i'm keeping as options are Sushi Mori, Sushi Nozawa, and Sushi Gen. Let me know any thoughts on that.

Yes, I'm planning on going to the Getty, I didn't get to go the last time I was in LA. MOCA is a possiblity, but mostly we're planning on going to smaller galleries after the Getty. We'll probably make a trip to the In-and-Out ... I'm very familiar from my last visit. I worked almost right across the street from the one in Westwood. I wish they would come to the east coast.

Oh also, if anyone has any suggestions for food carts or food at farmers markets that are open during the week, I might be into that as well.

Thanks for the responses. I'm living in RI right now, but eat a lot in the new york metro area. Japanese is definitely possibility. Another possibility that I haven't mentioned is Mexican. I do realize how spread out LA is, and have my itinerary planned out, mostly. We're going to be spending most of the week going to galleries in various areas, so we may adjust our meals accordingly depending upon where we are. Let me know of any Latin American suggestions. I've been to A.O.C. three times, and it's one of my all time faves -- so I'm definitely going back. (I need to edit my previous post, Jitlada and Sanam Luang are Thai restaurants)

Coming to LA for a week. I was here before for 3 months a few years ago. I'll be in town for a week, but in Palm Springs area for Coachella for the weekend. I wanted to focus mainly on the ethnic food of LA, but with one or two high end restaurants. Here's my plan so far: Dim Sum - San Gabriel Valley - Mission 261 or Sea Harbour Thai - Jitlada or Sanam Luang? Korean - Yong Susan Indian - Udupi Palace or Woodlands. AOC - my one fancy meal I've posted a bit in a thread in the china forums, and I'm still figuring out some other places to go, maybe a seafood house, maybe a place for hot pot ... Let me know any thoughts? anything I'm missing? any new places of interest?

I will definitely be going to dim sum during the week , not on the weekend. Is the selection as good? I want to go to a place that doesn't have carts, where you order off of the menu. I may try a hot pot place. Too many choices.

Thanks for the recs. I think that the difference between NY and LA is the diversity of chinese cuisine and the much larger chinese population, there's a lot more to choose from. I think that there are a handful of really good chinese restaurants (Grand Sichuan and China 46) but nothing compared to the LA experience. Thanks for the recs. I'm still deciding ...

My standard is 20%, if service is really good and also if it is at a place with really cheap food, I usually tip higher, not more than 25%. The only time I tip less is if I have a bad experience that is directly a result of bad waitstaff. If there is a problem with the food, I will still tip the same amount.

I'm going to be in LA for a week in May. I've been before (to Dim Sum in Montery Park) and want to experience a larger variety of the Chinese offerings. I've had Sichuan chinese in New York, Dim Sum a number of times in various places, and chinese at a few places in Vancouver. I just bought Carl Chu's book, and probably am going to try to have about 2-3 meals in the San Gabriel valley. I'd appreciate any suggestions anyone has. Right now I am thinking about: dim sum, a seafood house, and maybe one other meal. I was thinking about trying islamic chinese or Shanghainese ... I would like to try something unique that I am unable to be able to get of good quality in the ny metro area.