Casual restaurants for food that is not convenient to make at home

[Franci]

I prefer to go out to eat for things that are time consuming and/or difficult to make at home. For me, BBQ as an example, because I'm not into it, sometimes Peking duck or dim sum. But also good tapas/middle eastern/turkish restaurants where you have a lot of appetizers, which are very time consuming.

I'm looking for casual places because we have children and places where I'm not walking out of the door thinking I can do a better job at home.

Do you have suggestions for Manhattan and Brooklyn? What are your favorite places in this category?

Edited March 5, 2014 by Franci (log)

[patrickamory]

Kang Suh on 32nd and Broadway for Korean barbecue.

[dcarch]

I will be visiting Brooklyn Museum tomorrow. May be my friends will take me to a place.

 

dcarch

[liuzhou]

There are things I tend only to eat in restaurants. Not necessarily because they are time consuming or difficult to make. I am happy to spend lots of time cooking and I like a challenge sometimes.

 

The thing is I live alone and some things are impractical to make for one person. Scaling down recipes doesn't always really work and I get tired of sticking leftovers in the freezer to be thrown away three months later when the labels have fallen off and the contents unrecognisable. Also it's sometimes difficult to buy things in appropriately smaller quantities.

 

For example, I love many fish, especially larger fish such as mackerel. I can only buy a whole fresh mackerel which is a bit too much for me. I don't really want to freeze half of it, so I tend to eat that in restaurants, unless entertaining, then I'll happily cook the lot.

 

With you on BBQ, too. Just not worth the trouble when there are so many fine BBQ places across town.

 

Sorry. No suggestions. I'm not in your part of the world.

[weinoo]

My favorite bbq restaurant is Mighty Quinn's, especially for their brisket.  Very casual, and gets pretty darn busy at prime times and there will often be a line, but it moves quickly.  And there's a Dinosaur BBQ as well - perfect for kids and huge.

 

In Brooklyn, Tanoreen is high on everyone's list for Middle Eastern.

[Franci]

Liuzhou, I don't mind cooking, actually, I really enjoy it. And let's say also most menus don't impress me that such. The other day we were forced to eat out because we were with friends and ended up eating at Le Pain Quotidian. Wow, a 15$ salad was so mediocre, actually all the food was pretty bad.

 

There are times that I feel I just want to get out. When living in France we used to get out to a brasserie for fruit de mer every week almost.

 

Weino, I have a Dinosaur BBQ very close by. That I thought is good for the money. I'll check Tanoreen.

Edited March 5, 2014 by Franci (log)

[weinoo]

Yeah, I didn't know if you were close to that Dino.  I like Mighty Quinn's more, but you'd have to schlep into Manhattan.

[Steve R.]

I agree on Tanoreen…. been going for many years.  I'd also recommend La Vara for excellent innovative tapas, although I'm not too sure about their approach to having children there.  Stay away from the "tapas" place on Montegue St.  Although I haven't been there in quite awhile (& there have been several reports of it declining), Waterfalls on Atlantic Ave was always good for small plate Mid-Eastern food, especially vegetables.  I also haven't been to the new Dosa place on Court St, but it may be worth a visit.

[Franci]

Great, thanks to you too, Steve. I'll start with these places.

[Pan]

If you are interested in Korean barbecue, I haven't been to Kang Suh in years, but my favorite places - and many other connoiseurs' - if you're staying in Manhattan and not going to Northern Boulevard or elsewhere in Queens - are Madangsui and Don's Bogam. I'm not knowledgeable about the places in Queens, Nassau County, and Northern New Jersey, but if you want to save money and have what people I very much respect say is equally good if not better Korean food, including barbecue, check around.