if you don't mind getting to College Point, Queens - you will be thrilled by the version at Little Pepper. excellent. and for Manhattan - you might give a go to Szechuan Gourmet on 39th btwn fifth/sixth av. both are beautifully spiced and nothing related to peanut butter.

the market is on today by madison sq prk and according to some of the farmers, they may be here for another week or two. the stalls look especially nice scattered arnd the trees and the meridian.

on the chance that mid june means June 9 & 10 - the Big Apple BBQ Festival is in full swing in madison sq park, home of the Shake Shack. lines and all that but you'd get to sample bbq from all over the south.

re japanese, i'm a big fan of Ushiwakamaru but also the kaiseki food at Kyo Ya on east 7th st. it's a very special place tho with sake you might go over the 80pp.

chelsea market baskets does great mixed baskets with a lot of artisanal foods from nyc (like mast brothers, mcclures pickles, ruth's rugelach etc etc). go to their website to see. i just got one and it's really nice.

older thread but in case someone is looking, duane st patisserie do fantastic old fashioned sugar cookies in baby shower forms - like a rattle, carriage, rocking horse etc. they're all iced in pale green, blue, yellow or pink.

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Duane Park Patisserie
179 Duane St, New York, NY 10013

Many years ago i wrote a long post about where to shop on arthur av and it's actually still valid! see if u can find it - i'm link challenged. the indoor mrkt has some good stuff and i love having lunch at the cafeteria in the mrkt. if u want paprikas or balsamics, the indoor mrkt has a great stall for those. and go to casa di mozzarella for the obvious, biancardis for steaks and all meat, the sausage store next to the outdoor market for prosciutto, sausage, (many choices) and fresh ricotta, arnd the corner on 187th is a great pasta store but i'm blanking on the name...actually check out my website, click on my blog and i have the info posted there! ha. just remembered. www.eatquestnyc.com

you can likely park across the street from mrkt in a municipal lot, bring quarters. for dinner go to Robert's (Roberto's) or his pizza place if it's too crowded Zero Otto Nove. the zoo isn't far, probably about 10-15 minutes with parking etc.

have fun.

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Biancardi Meats
2350 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458

Borgatti's
632 E 187th St, Bronx, NY 10458

Calabria Pork Store
2338 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458

Roberto
603 Crescent Ave, Bronx, NY 10458

Casa Della Mozzarella
604 E 187th St, Bronx, NY 10458

Zero Otto Nove
2357 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458

it was def vegetarian and it's #54 - listed as an appetizer. the mung bean noodles were vege as well and were pretty good. i'll go back, it was my third time there and it just seemed to flip flop a lot so i lost interest.

as for whether or not an all asian clientele means good food - i get that it doesn't! hardly my first time at the rodeo. but as i've only been on weeknights and the ground floor has been fairly empty with the downstairs crowded - i found it interesting.

haven't been there since last fall but also didn't feel the need to return. i think there are some really good dishes - like the chicken, shrimp wonton in red sesame oil, bean curd with chopped greens, double cooked bacon w/ spicy bean sauce but there were a lot of misfires too and i'd rather just go to szech gourmet or lan sheng. it seems to be hit or miss. maybe it's worth a try again - due for a hit.

but we were really fascinated by being seated on the ground floor with barely another table or two filled and never finding any waitstaff only to discover where the real scene was by looking for a restroom. downstairs was packed and with all chinese patrons. and all the waiters/waitresses too!

wow. can't believe it finally happened! look fwd to checking out new space but will def miss the old one.

this is potentially exciting. thanks!

i kno they had some architect problem many moons ago but yes - we'll see. i'm happy with it just exactly where it's at so....

when i was there last - maybe a month ago? the owner held up 3 fingers when i asked about moving.- charades style. somehow this seemed to translate to about 3 months for all of us at the table. stay tuned.

little pepper is better than spicy and tasty (to me) and would def be fine for a large group as i have done that often. they move to a new and bigger space sometime this summer fyi. but SG is a great manhattan substitute as is lan sheng!

i've been to bohemian and am in fact going again this week. it's definitely cool and tasty and fairly serene - they had great jazz music playing the night i was there, coltrane and monk. depends what OP likes in a celebration factor but as for the restaurant.....some dishes were absolutely great and some tho beautifully presented, fresh and quite good, were missing something to brighten them up a bit, bring them to that apex that makes you crave returning asap just to have that again. that being said - the roasted branzino with beautiful, tiny vegetables was fabulous. served in a big cast iron pan with sugar snaps over a little bed of anchovies, asparagus, morels and after all that sake, not sure what else. the oysters were a mix of west and east coast and briny, sparkling, perfect. the vege fondue which one could assume to be less than interesting was delightful. gorgeous purple carrots, lotus root, etc etc all presented like a piece of edible art with an anchovy dipping sauce - each flavor popped. a friend said his soba noodles were just so so but the grilled fois gras served on top was stellar (i don't eat that)......the rice with uni and salmon roe was very comforting but really could have used some spice - some yuzu really.

it's all mid century danish modern - one piece of art on one wall, a tiny zen garden at the end of the room, about six tables i think and a few seats along a small bar. so simple, so spare, very comfortable. the service was impeccable, the lavatory is a trip, it's all incredibly pleasant and fun. add to this an insane and interesting sake list. they offer a tasting menu and probably if you get that plus maybe an addtl appetizer or two it might be less pricey than a la carte. for three people with a la carte choices and two bottles of sake it came to 130$ pp with tip.

it's just so nice to be there, tucked away behind that butcher shop, feels like you're on a fun little adventure out of nyc with people who are incredibly nice and feed you very well.

agreed. congee at 98 bowery is way better than the other two. and yes - i think about that salt baked squid dish often. seriously. maybe it's the cashews and the shredded jalapeno that puts it over the top. it's just simple and really addicitive.

for the future - as a vegetarian who dines with carnivores, there are literally hundreds of places in between way downtown and way uptown of either italian or asian cuisine that could make everyone happy. it's one of the least tough situations with those generous parameters. try any of your go to places and check out their menus online. i never have a problem with choices.

they move in about 3 1/2 - 4 months. kept getting delayed.

what you both said! that was exhilarating. can't wait to try what i haven't experienced.

tho little pepper is tattooed on my heart forever. just saying.

wow - i've heard so many good things from various friends. been looking forward to going. and what about the touted fried chicken? perhaps that was just a bad day....?

should this come up again - consider kyo ya on 7th st and av A i think. it's so lovely, fabulous food, not just sushi (it's a kaiseki place) and beautiful atmosphere.

why don't you go to a less in spot and try cannonau (formerly assenzio) on east 4th between A and B? lots of meat but as a pescatarian - there is a nice branzino with artichokes and plenty of non meat options. very cozy in winter, a full bar and i bet you can get in.

it all worked out - there was an english menu and two of the waitstaff/cooks spoke some english. it was excellent! from the seafood pajun to the pork with octopus, to the huge platter of clams, mussels, crab legs, shrimp and sauces. fine, fine soju to wash it down with and a lovely vibe - what with the korean pop and great decor. wouldn't mind if there were chairs instead of low plastic stool tho! paying for that today.

on the off chance that any of the regular diners see this before tmrw nite (2/5) - i eat seafood but no meat. and none of us speak japanese or korean.....any chance i will be able to make this clear to our waiter? everyone else going eats meat. thx!

glaser's definitely. excellent.

oddly enough in terms of a local grocery - jubilee market on john street is a way better than average korean market. they have really good bread, often very good mussels and shrimp. it's pleasantly surprising!

and try the pizza at il brigante on front street.

honestly? anything. so good.

great post from kathryn but yes.....little pepper. and 10 is crowded but i've done it a number of times. food to good to care.

thanks so much. i'm mainly talking about juice as a food supplement for a quasi liquid fast etc. i just thought LA would have a lot of options. these are helpful tho - thanks.

i'm looking for a juice delivery service a la jill pettijohn in nyc and have had trouble finding anything - surprisingly! any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. tia.

i am a pescaterian and love hangawi as well as szechuan gourmet on 39th between fifth/sixth. if you can't get to flushing.....this is pretty great.