DVSDave

I'm glad institutions across the nation are revamping their programs and offering more variety. Much better than thrice-recycled "soup." Bloody cryovac pouches reading "Meat fit for human consumption." Staffs of bread with a ripe. gooey bluey interior. And let's not forget the eternal "ross bif" on the steamtable. That mean bastard had the powers of regeneration! But most of all I apologize to my parents for paying my way into an institution of higher learning. And that learning what place had the best pizza was more important than learning the significance of Fibonacci numbers or some other stuff dealing with numbers. Love Chicago!

Maybe it's my background (Korean-American raised in an Italian-American deli...) but I love the idea multiple small plates of assorted salads and/or pickles served along with a meal, along with a big bowl salad that is served family style. Small plates are anything from radish and carrots, cucumber in rice wine vinegar, cold tofu in a spicy soy/sesame paste dressing, various seaweeds, fish cakes in oyster sauce, poached spinach, hell I could go on forever. If you're interested, Copeland Marks wrote a book called The Korean Kitchen that has some good recipe for these various dishes. Big bowl is either the ubiquitous (in Korean households) romaine and scallion salad with soy and toasted sesame oil dressing (great with grilled beef or pork), or a mean authentic Ceasar (Caesar?) salad that my mom mixes up in this old school wooden bowl -- truly great, despite the fact she hates Parmesan and anchovies and can't even stomach her expert creation! And since it's summertime, I'm a big fan of fruit salads with lunch. Healthier than the usual pretzels or chips, plus you can play around with seasonal farmer market produce.

I'm assuming you're looking for more of a mid-range meal so I took that into consideration for my recommendations. Water Grill: never had a bad meal here, tends to be business casual but I've seen people there in jeans and tshirts, great wine list Vert, at Hollywood and Highland: relaxed, good "bistro style comfort food" to stretch a cliche, could be busy on Saturday so might try it with a reservation I also find myself at Antonio's alot on Saturdays, good daily specials and some of the friendliest servers in the city. Two fairly new Korean barbecue places, Surabul (Western & 1st) and Cho Sun (Olympic, one block west of Western) are good. Both are of comparable quality, but service at Surabul is more relaxed (Cho Sun can get noisy and rushed), plus they have an "off-menu" special for 50 bucks (assorted beef preparations, pork belly, shrimp and a big bottle of beer) that's a very good value. Get that with some "mul nengmyun", perfect combo for a hot summer night.

This thread intrigued me, mainly because I did a blind tasting of several popular (and unpopular) waters with unwitting friends. Would it be okay if I dig up my notes and publish my findings? Or will I face the wrath of the dreaded "sparkling, still, or, ahem, tap" water dilemma forever?

Great selections by everyone, I feel like I left the gate a bit late... Try Water Grill in downtown. I personally like dining at the bar on a weekday, great selections from the raw bar. I did the tasting menu there recently, and I confirmed that this is one of the best places for seafood in LA. More casual, try Ita-cho on Beverly for Japanese vittles, Ubon for Nobu at a fraction of the price or even Canters -- after all, it's an LA institution.

I can't really comment on the tap water on NYC since it has been ages since I've been there. But I hope to sample some Sassy Sliders, with a side of tap when I get there in November. On a sidenote, one thing that pisses me off are these articles in the trades that highlight the medicinal qualities of certain bottled waters. Ie. Pelligrino says a 1L bottle supplies a daily supply of calcium. Um, that's a lotta water. Btw, I thought the tap water in NYC was fine. Mucho better than LA. Or Chicago even, gah!

way early childhood fave: peanut butter and clover honey on good old white bread later childhood fave: crushed meatball sandwich with melted provolone, enough marinara, crunchy white roll. avoided sandwiches for several years, sick of the fact I lived in a deli... now: cuban "medianoche": ham, lechon asado (roasted pork), swiss cheese, pickles, "sweet" roll; toasted HOT fresh off a sandwich press hot pastrami on rye, dry (yep, no mustard). my bro likes pastrami with mayo, but I bet he'd get his ass kicked in NY for that one.

Jason, I cannot answer your initial question, but I must ask you (and everybody else).... Remember "KFC"'s Chicken Littles? (or what the f they were called?) Those were the fried chicken patty, served on a spongy bun with a dollop of rancid mayo that haunted my childhood years (Mom would buy them because they were cheap, I would eat one and ask myself if I did anything that pissed off Mom that day). That said, Castles were a regular in my college diet. Regular sliders, maybe a sack of chicken rings or mozz sticks if I felt up to it. Never had a WC hamburger frozen, w/cheese, or sober for that matter.

Well put, b/r, Even though I grew up in SoCal, I'm a fairly late convert to the In-N-Out chain. Never had a double-double until about two years ago and now I'm hooked. Shakes are fine, fries are fine, long waits need improvement.

Tabasco indeed makes a chipotle hot sauce, it's my current favorite in their lineup. They also make a garlic hot sauce and a habanero hot sauce, along with their usual green or red varieties. But the chipotle is great, has a rich complex flavor, and has more of a steak sauce-like consistency than most vinegar-based hot sauces. It also isn't insanely hot, just the right amount of heat. If you can buy it at the store, I think you can order it thru their website.

Oh, and I'm not adverse to the Sweet n Sour Sauce they give away at the Arches.

Me too!

A few of my favorite things... Store-bought condiments: Tabasco chipotle. Furikake (mixed in with white rice and some sesame oil, my idea of "comfort food"). Assorted vinegars, mainly rice wine or red wine. Shichimi with a bowl of hot udon noodles. Crema, or creme fraiche. Heinz ketchup. Homemade: chimichurri, aji "hot sauce" from Peru (great with potatoes or ceviche), salsa verde.

Trick or treat-sized Mike and Ike Original Fruit Candies -- leftover from last Halloween handouts.

I wouldn't mind trying durian, but I could never find it. Is there a certain season it's available, and is it grown domestically? I might try the Thai grocer later today, but I appreciate any info.