indiefoodie's Profile
Babbo dish recommendations please (researched)!!
Thanks! I already have 4 portions of ravioli (the beef cheek and the goose liver) so I thought another ravioli dish would be a little too much. Also, when I read about the lamb's brain francobolli, it seemed like the brain was more for the texture and the ricotta in the filling was what you tasted. If the brain was a little more assertive in the dish, I would definitely have had it on my list.
Babbo dish recommendations please (researched)!!
Hello, 6 of us are planning to go to Babbo for dinner. Based on the enormous amount of information that was available here, I've narrowed it down and was hoping to get some advice on the same. From what I've read the general advice seems to be 6 apps, 6 pastas, 3 entrees and desserts. We'd like to share and try multiple things but some dishes seem to be extremely popular so for those I have doubled the portions. Are there any others where the tiny portion sizes would warrant additional portions? I was not able to figure out 6 apps that I liked so I have 4 portions of apps and 8 portions of pasta. Is that OK?
Thanks a lot everyone!
Pig's foot milanese (Is this the same as crispy pig's foot?) - 2 portions
Lamb's tongue vinaigrette with three minute egg - Very vinegary (Even though the reviews were mixed)
Grilled octopus (Even though the reviews were mixed)
Beef cheek ravioli - 2 portions
Goose liver ravioli - Rich, bold, sweet (Reduced balsamic) - 2 portions
Squid ink pasta with rock shrimp and calabrese
Chianti stained pappardelle with wild boar ragu pasta
Papperdelle bolognese
Goat cheese tortellini
Pork chop
Fennel Dusted Sweetbreads
Duck
Seasonal fruit Crostata
Maple mascarpone cheesecake
Gelato and sorbet assortment
Chocolate hazelnut cake
Pistachio and chocolate semi freddo
ADDITIONAL DISHES THAT I CONSIDERED
Mint Love Letters
Lamb's brain francobolli
Gnocchi with oxtail
Pumpkin lune with sage and amarettis pasta
Fettucine with pancetta pasta
Garganelli with funghi trifolati
Branzino
Saffron panna cotta
Veal
Soft shell crabs (Special)
Lamb chops
Kyo Ya...in need of a la carte suggestions!
Hi, 5 of us with be having dinner at Kyo Ya (A la carte) soon and I just wanted to check if there were any additional dish recommendations other than the ones that have already been discussed in the thread. Out of the ones that have been discussed, I'm leaning towards the box-pressed sushi (mackerel), uni with yuba, the lamb chops (if we decide to get a big plate entree), Shio Kara, Chawanmushi (one for each of us), clay pot rice, sashimi and some stuff from the specials. It seems like they're not big on desserts which is a bit of a disappointment since I have quite a few sweet tooths in my group :)
Portland restaurant and bar recommendations please (researched)!!
Thanks! I'm trying to find a backup for Toro Bravo in case it's too crowded and some of the places that I read about were Le Pigeon, St. Jack and Aviary. Out of these, I found the menu at Le Pigeon to be interesting but since I'll probably be going to Little Bird anyways, does Le Pigeon make sense? If not, any suggestions between Aviary and St. Jack or some other place close to Toro Bravo? For the carts, are there any "must do's" that I might be missing from the 3 pods?
Also, do the places in my original list look OK? Dinners: Ned Ludd, Little Bird/Gruner, Toro Bravo. Lunches: Pod on 10th and Alder & Clyde Commons, Pods@Cartopia & Good food here and Tasty N Sons. I will try to make it to the PSU farmers market on Saturday!
For the bars - I don't think old town is what we are looking for so I'll probably skip that :) For beer, I don't really care if it's a brewhouse or a taproom as long as it has excellent beer in a fun and lively atmosphere. Taking that into consideration can I please get some help in narrowing down my list on both the east and the west side to about 4-5 places each? 2-3 beer+1-2 cocktail places. I'm open to places that I may have missed of course. Since, I'll try to do a crawl, if the places are close to each other, that'll be awesome!
Lastly, are there any late night dining options close to my hotel? I read that the pods on the east side remain open late but not sure about options close to where I'll be staying.
Thanks!
Portland restaurant and bar recommendations please (researched)!!
Hello everyone,
8 of us are planning to visit Portland over the July 4th weekend. We'll be staying at The Inn@Park Lane Suites in downtown. Most of us are traveling from NYC and SF. Based on what I've read, I've narrowed it down to a few restaurants and bars and was hoping to get some advice on the same - if I am missing a gem or have a dud in my list! One important thing is that one of us is a VEGETARIAN. I also have a couple of questions and I'll appreciate if someone could help me with those as well!
GRUB (A quick note, I deliberately did not include Pok Pok because of its branches in NYC. I understand that the Portland one is probably better but I'd rather try the other things that Portland excels in)
Friday lunch:
- Food carts@10th and Alder (Nong, Zibar's, Ate Oh Ate which is at SW 9th), Clyde Common (We'll be arriving at different times so I wanted to keep something relatively close to our hotel but if there is a stellar lunch place that I should absolutely have in place of these, I can look into it)
Friday Dinner:
- Ned Ludd
- Also considered Olympic Provisions and St. Jack
Saturday brunch/lunch:
- Carts@Cartopia and Good Food Here (I read about the Saturday Farmers Market but I'm not sure as to how many in my group will be willing to brave the long lines that seem to be the norm at the good eateries there, plus these 2 pods seem to have some pretty decent carts - Whiffies, Pyro, Eurotrash, Sugar Cube, Lardo, Kitchen Dances). I know that there are some benches that one can sit on in the pods on the east side. Can we also get some beer there?
Saturday Dinner:
- Little Bird or Gruner - will getting anything vegetarian be a problem here?
Sunday brunch/lunch:
- Tasty N Sons
Sunday Dinner:
- Toro Bravo (I know that this is managed by the same people as Tasty N Sons but the menu looks very interesting). Since this does not accept reservations, I would like to have a backup, maybe the one that we do not go to for dinner on Saturday (Little Bird and Gruner).
I'm not sure when/how but I'll see if I can fit in some places for coffee and some bakeries as well,
Coffee - Barista, Risteretto, Spielmen, Heart, Stumptown, (Considered Public Domain, Water Avenue, Oblique and Sterling)
Bakeries - Nuvrei, Ken's Artisan Bakery, Little T Bakery, Lovejoy Bakery (Considered Pearl Bakery, Bakery bar, Baker and spice, Pix Patisserie)
Chocolates - Cocoa and Alma
DRINK
We are planning 2 crawls, one on the east side and the other on the west side. Casual, fun, lively, maybe with live music, quintessentially Portland kind of places. The places that I found are,
WEST - Deschutes, Bailey's taproom, Oregon wines, Gilt Club, Teardrop Lounge and Clyde Common
EAST - Apex, Horse Brass, Coalition, Breakside, Upright, Migration, Bazi Bier, Cascade barrel room, Burnside, , Belomont station, East Burn, Green Dragon, Roscoes, Hophouse, Beaker & Flask and Thatch Tiki Bar
Here are the problems,
- All the places on the West seem to be pretty close to each other but are in downtown. From what I understand Old Town is a fun, casual, Bourbon Street-esque neighborhood which would be awesome. Not sure if we should stick to the well known places in Downtown or go to unheard of places in Old Town which might be a more fun/lively experience
- On the east, the places seem to be pretty spread out. Cascade and Green Dragon are close, Horse Brass and Belmont are close but it's hard to plan a crawl with 4-5 places here
Any suggestion on the above? Based on that, I'll try and narrow this down.
Thanks a lot!!
Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Seville recommendations please (researched)!!
Bumping. Anyone please??
Dish recommendations at Tanoreen!!
Thanks everyone. As suggested, we ended up ordering a bunch of apps and splitting some entrees. We too found the apps to be very good and the entrees just fair. The standouts for me were,
1. Raw Kibbe
2. Brussel sprouts
3. Eggplant Napolean
4. The flatbread with chicken
The lamb fetti was good too but the chicken fetti was very dry and no good at all. The Knafeh was funky, more suited to breakfast than an after dinner dessert for me. A few dishes that I did not particularly care for were - the fried halloumi and the ice cream. I would most definitely go back for the apps anytime! Thanks once again!
Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Seville recommendations please (researched)!!
Hello,
I've done some research on places to eat at all of the locations mentioned in the title and I would appreciate some advice on the same. This is for a group of 3 people, visiting Spain for the first time. Nothing too expensive so anything in excess of a 50-60 euros pp is out. I may have some of such places on my list so please help me ID those. Here goes,
Barcelona:
1. Quimet Quimet
2. Paco Meralojo
3. Euskal Etxea
4. Sant Joan
5. Botafumeiro
6. Takita Berri
7. Sant Pau
8. Gaig
9. Alkima
10. Quim in Boqueria
11. Kaiku
Madrid:
1. Astrid & Gaston
2. Juana La Loca
3. La Barraca
4. La Terraza
5. Casa Lucas
Seville:
1. Vineria San Telmo
2. Puracepa
3. Enrique Beccera
Valencia:
1. Casa Jomi
2. Ca'Sento
3. Restaurante Levante
4. Casa Roberto
5. Lloc de Tapes
Anything that I should remove or add?
Thanks a lot!!
Best location for endless chowing and drinking!
Thanks a lot guys! Unfortunately, we couldn't do Ace but we made reservations at Park Lane suites and Inn which is in downtown but not exactly as centrally located as Ace. I'll finish my research and seek your advice soon :)
Dish recommendations at Tanoreen!!
Hello,
4-5 of us are planning to check out Tanoreen for dinner one of these days. I tried to research a little on what to have and would appreciate some advice,
1. Eggplant Napolean
2. Kibbeh Naya
3. Brussel Sprouts
4. Hummus
5. Fatoush
6. Lamb Fetti
7. Knafeh
It seems like some of the dishes mentioned in blogs, forums, etc. are not on the menu on their website. Do they have a specials menu or are these just dishes that were there a while ago and are no longer available?
Thanks!
Best location for endless chowing and drinking!
Thanks guys. I'm still not quite done with my research but based on the stuff that I've read so far, I'm kind of leaning towards the south east.
The places that interest me are Barista, Heart, Pok Pok, Salt & Straw, Alma/ Cacao, Gruner, Toro Bravo, Nedd Ludd, Tasy N Sons, Little Bird, PSU farmers market, Olympic provisions, Cartopia/Good Food Here/10th and Adler pods, Nuvrei, Ken's artisan bakery, Little T bakery, Bailey's taproom, Oregan wines, Teardrop and Gilt (There are other bars, I just haven't been able to shortlist them yet).
It seems like a very large majority of these are on the east side (a lot of the bakeries unfortunately seem to be on the west) and we could just go to the downtown area during the day to do some touristy stuff and then come back to the east side in the evening. Taking this into consideration, I'd appreciate if I could get your final verdict on the ideal location - objective is to minimize transport, eat a lot, drink even more, preferably in a casual, fun, hipstery sort of atmosphere - more bourbon street (NOLA) than Meatpacking (NYC)!
Both Jupiter and Ace are available right now so once I'm done with this, I'll start picking the local's brains on my dining/drinking choices :) Thank you very much!
Best location for endless chowing and drinking!
Thanks guys! Wow, I just tried to map some of the bars and restaurants that I had mentioned and a majority seem to be located in the "close-in east side part" of the city (maybe it's just a coincidence that the ones that I looked up were there). If we do end up staying downtown, what are our options wrt getting to the east side as quickly and painlessly as possible, esp late nights :) Trying to decide if we should live in downtown and go to the east side often or the other way around! Thanks!
Best location for endless chowing and drinking!
Thanks! I was referring to http://www.urbandrinks.com/happyhour/usa/or/portland
Does the close-in east side refer to what is called the southeast in the map? And the downtown that you referred to, does it match with what is indicated in the map?
Best location for endless chowing and drinking!
Hello, 7 of us are planning to visit Portland over the independence day weekend. All of us went to school together and this is a sort of an annual trip that we take where we have awesome food and drink ourselves silly while catching up! Most of us live in NYC and SFO so ideally we like to experience stuff that's not available to us. Portland being the microbrewery capital of the country will fit nicely :) I am still in the process of reading up on old posts and have a ton of stuff, from bars (Teardrop, Apex, Coalition, Clyde Common's, etc), restaurants (Pok Pok, Le Pigeon, Tasty N Sons, Castagana, etc.), coffee and food trucks to narrow down but I wanted to get some advice on what would be the ideal location for us to stay? Given a choice, we'd like to stay as close to everything as possible, esp. the bars and what we're looking for is more Pat O'Briens that say a Death and Co. so more lively, casual, crazy than mellow, grown up places that most of us go to usually. I was thinking Pearl or Downtown but wanted to get some expert local advice. Also, I did not really come across this while reading old posts but what is the live music scene like in the good bars and pubs?And, once I'm done with my narrowing down of places, I'll seek some help with my dining itinerary! Thanks a lot!
Di Fara recommendations please!!
Thanks a lot everyone. We made it here around 11:45. There were a bunch of people in line already. The place did not open until around 12:15-12:20 by when a pretty decent line had formed. For future reference, the store across from Di Fara has pretty decent beers. Ordered a couple of slices of the round (artichoke and pepperoni) and a square (1/2 plain and 1/2 with semi dried cherry tomatoes - this was recommended by the person who took our order). The slices came first after about 2-25 minutes and surprise - they were nothing special. The pepperoni was actually bad - very salty. We finished those and waited for the square pie which came out sizzling from the oven. This was excellent. The ingredients, top notch. We felt that the 1/2 with the tomatoes was better than the plain. And although it was too much food and we had planned to take the leftovers back with us, it was so good that we ended up stuffing ourselves and finishing everything :) I would definitely go back for the square pie, the round, not so much. Are there any places in Manhattan that do a comparable square?
Di Fara recommendations please!!
Thanks guys! I just called them and they are open on April 6th :)
I'll probably get the Sicilian, 1/2 regular and 1/2 with one topping (sundried tomatoes, artichokes,...) and maybe a couple of slices with pepperoni and maybe something else.
Quick question - any stores around that are from where I could buy some Beer? Taking some from home will probably not work since it'll take me about 50 min to get there!
Thanks!
Di Fara recommendations please!!
Umm.. so what exactly does a "straight-up square pie" have? Cheese, tomato sauce, olive oil and basil? Also, any specific slices that you would recommend trying?
Thanks!
Di Fara recommendations please!!
Thanks Mike! Is the "whole straight-up Square pie" the same as a Sicilian? From what I've read, the square pie is pretty big. Won't that and a few slices be too much for 3 people? Also, the regular slices are the round and not the square ones, right? Thanks!
Di Fara recommendations please!!
Hello,
3 of us are planning to check out Di Fara on a Friday (actually, Good Friday). After reading some posts about the wait times, etc. I plan to get there around 11:30-12:00 to hopefully not have a crazy long wait. A lot of people recommended bringing beer so I'll do that (is there a place close to Di Fara where I could buy a 6 pack?). I was looking for some advice on what to order. Seems like the square pie is the way to go. A few posts seemed to suggest that you could just get a half square and that you could also do a half n half with 2 different toppings. I was thinking of doing the half n half with the Sicilian and something else. Any recommendations for this? Di Fara Special on their FB page looked interesting ( sausage, peppers, mushrooms, onions with fresh basil and buffalo mozzarella). Also, is the Sicilian on one half something that is recommended?
Lastly, is there something else in that area that I should check out?
Thanks a lot!
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Di Fara Pizza
1424 Avenue J, Brooklyn, NY 11230
Visiting Plano (from NYC), recommendations please (Researched)!!
Thank you very much! A few follow up questions,
1. Out of these, if you had to pick one (esp. for someone travelling from NYC), you would pick Mesa?
2. Are these places close to each other? I was wondering if a 'mexican grub hop' would be feasible and advisable? Have one dish (whatever the restaurant does best) at each of the three :)
3. Are all of these Mexican, Tex-Mex or a hybrid?
4. Any dish recommendations at Mesa (since you gave some at the other places)? Also, El Ranchito seems to have 2 Cabrito dishes - Cabrito a al Parrilla and Cabrito en Salsa. Is one better than the other or are they just different?
5. I would love to know some stellar 'Taco Joints'. Is there something close to where I would be staying (in case you're familiar with the area)?
Thank you!
Visiting Plano (from NYC), recommendations please (Researched)!!
Hi, thanks for your help!
1. I do hit Flushing (Queens) occasionally for Chinese, Romanian, Thai, Filipino (m probably missing some others) food. Not so much the other boroughs. In Manhattan, I travel to pretty much any part for good ethnic food as well.
2. Unfortunately, I do not know anything about regional mexican cuisine. The only mexican that I've had (rather sadly) is the regular stuff you get everywhere and my fav. so far has been the tacos and burritos in the Mission district in SF. I'm open to trying anything delicious :)
3. I'm absolutely fine eating anything. Out of the stuff that you mentioned, I've not tried cactus. But, my first preference is deliciousness. I do offal once in a while anyways so I'd rather not do something just because it's a little out of the ordinary.
4. No specific dishes that I have in mind. Actually, i don't even know what are the well know dishes in Tex-Mex cuisine. As long as it's good, I'll try it :)
As I had mentioned, the 2 factors that'll influence the places that I'll end up going to will be proximity to where I'll be staying (intersection of Parker and Preston) and time (which unfortunately, I'll be very short on).
Thanks again!
Visiting Plano (from NYC), recommendations please (Researched)!!
Hello, I'll be traveling to Plano for 3 days later this month. I live in NYC, so ideally, I would have liked to try all of the awesome stuff that Dallas does better but I have a time constraint so I'm looking for a BBQ place, a Mexican place and a Tex-Mex place. Based on what I've read, I've listed a few places. I was hoping to get some help narrowing these down to one in each category. Also, I would be staying at the intersection of Parker and Preston. I will have access to a car but the closer the place, the better :) Here goes,
BBQ:
- Smoke (Big rib, lemon pie)
Mex:
- El Tizoncito
- Restaurant Gonzalez (ask for the salsa fresco)
- Taqueria El Fuego
- El Ranchito (ask for the salsa fresca, also try Paletas Frutitas)
- El Si Hay (am not sure if this is Mex or Tex-Mex)
Tex-Mex
- Casa Milagrano
- Uncle Julios
Thanks!
Recommendations during UMF 2012 please (Researched!!)
Thanks everyone! I've made a few reservations and have tried to research a little into dishes that these places do well. Could I please get some advice on specific dishes from people who've been to these restaurants. Something that may be missing from my list or something that I should avoid for sure :) Here goes,
1. Sugarcane: Thursday (rather late) dinner - Spice of Love (drink), Duck Waffles, Goat cheese croquettes, Bacon wrapped dates, Octopus and Short Rib robata, Torrejas, Brussel sprouts (Seen some reviews about this containing too much sauce)
2. Sakaya Kitchen: Friday lunch - Spicy tator tots, Honey orange ribs, coconut rice, magic hats
3. Sra Martinez: Saturday brunch - Crispy artichokes, bacon wrapped dates, Pan Con tomato, Garbanzo stew, Egg yolk carpaccio, Churros with chocolate
4. Michael's Genuine: Sunday brunch - Kimchi benidict, Wood oven baked double yolk egg, Burrata salad, Breakfast pizza, Cauliflower, Pot de creme
5. Yardbird: Monday lunch - Chicken biscuits, Fried green tomato BLT, Mac and cheese, Shrimp and grits, Blackberry bourbon lemonade (drink)
Thanks again!
Dish recommendations at Takashi!!
My friend's were like, "we absolutely have to have one of the stomachs", hence the Mino :) I'm glad that they pressured me to try it. I wasn't able to convince them to try the testicargot though so I'll give that and the tongue experience a shot the next time! The portions though are pretty small, I thought we ordered a pretty decent amount of food for 4 people but almost all of us were a little hungry at the end.
Txikito - dish recommendations please!!
Hello, 6 of us are planning to check out Txikito for dinner. After having read through some posts on the different dishes there, I've narrowed down a few things that I think they do well (in order of preference). I'd appreciate some advice on the same - if I'm missing a must have or have a colossal dud in there :) Also, would it be possible to get some idea of the portion sizes? If 6 of us wanted to taste all of these, how many of each should we be ordering, 1,3,6?? And, approximately, how many dishes per person? I guess there'll always be exceptions, some small dishes and some larger that the others but on average....
Here goes,
1. Arraultza (Sofrito, Chorizo and quail egg)
2. Pulop (Octopus carpaccio)
3. Patatak (Fries with cod roe mayo) - Just curious, is it the mayo that make it different from regular fries?
4. Morcilla (Blood sausage bundles)
5. Piperrak (Gernika pepers)
6. Gambas (Shrimp)
7. Albondigas: (Lamb meatballs)
8. Txipiron (Squid ribbons)
In addition to these, I guess I should keep an eye out for their specials. Anything in particular that is really good?
Thanks!
Dish recommendations at Takashi!!
Thanks! A quick dining report:
1. Calf's Brain Cream with Blinis and Caviar: As the name suggests, this was very creamy (unlike the grilled brains that are more common), it pairs extremely well with the caviar. We just had to make sure that we do not go overboard with it otherwise the caviar could potentially overpower everything else in the dish.
2. Yooke: Probably one of my favorites of the night. Extremely high quality beef, well seasoned and a pretty decent portion for a raw meat dish.
3. Niku Uni: The uni itself was awesome. The dish, as some of the others have suggested was dominated by the Shiso. If you're a fan of Shiso, this is perfect for you. Maybe if they use a little less Shiso, the beef wouldn't get lost in it.
4. Oxtail and Potato Curry Pie: This was fine. It was more like a Samosa (albeit with Oxtail) gone wrong and instead of being crispy, was soft!
5. Kobe burger with chocolate BBQ sauce: Pretty expensive because of the Kobe I guess. Tiny burger absolutely drenched in chocolate sauce. It was not bad but seemed more like a dessert than anything else. Just too much chocolate.
6. Kalbi: Excellent
7. Beef Belly: Excellent
8. Rib Eye: Excellent
9. Mino: This was chewy as expected but if that isn't a turn off for someone then it's pretty decent. Was flavorful and seemed to pick up the char from the grill very well. I actually was a little surprised that I liked this.
10. Shibire: This was a little disappointing. The sweetbreads that I've had in the past have been very soft and silky in texture (although, I don't think I've ever had them grilled) but at Takashi, they seemed a little too hard. The flavors too did not pop like some of the other dishes.
11. Softserve with everything: It was a nice ending to the meal, nothing spectacular about the dish. Just good ice-cream.
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Takashi
456 Hudson St, New York, NY 10011
Dish recommendations at Takashi!!
Thanks Kathryn! I did make reservations. Judging by the times that were available, this palce is crazy busy!!
- Since the 'U.S. Kobe Marbled Chuck-flat Steak' is more like a regular steak (even though an excellent one), I'll keep it as a backup for now
- What is the seasoning in the Yooke like? The few times that I've tried regular steak tartare, I've just found it to be too bland. I love Kibbeh Naya though.
- Would you happen to have a recommendation for how long should be the sweetbreads be grilled? I like sweetbreads and it would be a shame if I'm not able to cook them properly!
- I was thinking about the Tongue experience but a lot of reviews seem to indicate that except the tip, everything is a little too chewy (the exact reason I don't have any of the stomachs in there)
- Finally, the heart. Have you tried this in the past? I've had beef heart Anticuchos once in the past and absolutely loved them. Are these anything like that?
Thank you once again!!
Dish recommendations at Takashi!!
I'm planning to check out Takashi for dinner. We'll be a total of 4 people. I'm looking for some advice on what to try. We're fine with eating anything so nothing is off limits but we definitely do not want to try something adventurous just for the heck of it. The first preference is deliciousness :) Based on what I've read,
1. Calf's Brain Cream (in a tube) with Blinis and Caviar
2. U.S. Kobe Marbled Chuck-flat Steak
3. Niku-Uni ( or Yooke?)
4.. Beef Belly
5. Shibire
6. Kalbi
7. Tsurami
8. Rosu
How big are the portions here? Is one dish from the raw section and another from the grilled section per person going to be enough (maybe with a couple of specials thrown in)?
Thanks!
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Takashi
456 Hudson St, New York, NY 10011
Food shopping for a long flight!
I think I could do that. Unfortunately, I do not have a lot of weight to spare and since liquids can be pretty heavy, can't do a lot of them.
Food shopping for a long flight!
New Delhi. Even though you can pretty much get anything you want here, the quality is not the same or even in the same league in my opinion, esp., as you said, in the case of baked goods. I think I've taken so much peanut butter (and things containing peanut butter) over the years, that they've grown tired of it :)
