silverlainy's Profile
Savannah - Which of these are best?
Hello! I've been researching places to eat in Savannah for our road trip and was hoping for some insight for weekday dining. We will have a car and will be staying at the Baymont Inn but plan to visit historic downtown during the day. We only have time for 1 lunch and 1 dinner.
For BBQ: Angel's, Wiley's, Sandfly BBQ, or Rib Hut?
It seems like for ribs, Rib hut would be best. I wanted to try Wall's but it looks like they're only open Fri/Sat?
For soul food
Sisters of the New South (leaning towards this place)
Miss Wilkes - saw a lot of comments on this but we probably wont have time to wait
Masada Cafe (United House of Prayer)
Thanks!
Studio City/NoHo on a budget
Mofongos was good although I dont think I would trek back. It was my first time eating mofongo so I dont really have a comparison. We ordered the mofongo with shrimp and one with beef stew. The shrimp tasted fresh, and the beef stew was good although a bit salty. Perhaps because it is to be paired with the mofongo. Their tostones and maduros were very good.
Right now they are undergoing some construction so they do not have a working restroom for customers and food is served to go style. Service was very friendly though.
Studio City/NoHo on a budget
Thanks for all of the recs. I will have to visit this area more often! I suggested them to my friend and she was most interested in mofongos (which i found randomly). Any thoughts on this place?
Studio City/NoHo on a budget
I'm coming from the westside and trying to find a delicious place for a midweek dinner for 2. I'm on a budget so preferably entrees under $20 a person. Any recs in the Studio City/NoHo area?
Personally I like Japanese food but other suggestions (except american) are welcome.
I saw a few places that sounded good, including Daichan, Krua siri, Sri Siam, and Cedar House - any thoughts on those?
Thanks!
Returning visit to SF - Food itinerary suggestions!
thanks sugartoof- Do you think mr pollo is a good value? LA has plenty of South american food, but generally not both refined and cheap. I did eat a lot in South america so if it is delicious id be interested
What is your favorite from the Ferry Building Farmer's market? I mainly wanted to try Roli Roti. I also like the normal vendors like delica and miette.
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Roli Roti
, Hayward, CA
Returning visit to SF - Food itinerary suggestions!
Thanks guys for comparison! I think KT sounds like what I'm craving - I hope the crab is still good despite the season!
Returning visit to SF - Food itinerary suggestions!
Thanks - I really wanted to try Cotogna but it doenst look like any reservations are available for the weekend...even at 5:30! Do you know whether they save tables for walk-ins? Or should a group of 4-6 not even bother? I have been curious about flour+water as well - is that a good substitute?
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Cotogna
490 Pacific Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133
Returning visit to SF - Food itinerary suggestions!
Both of the Vietnamese restaurants sound great - do you have a preference? Is it pretty much the same price? My friend highly recommended the squab at BB but the seafood at KT sounds delicious.
Returning visit to SF - Food itinerary suggestions!
Hello Chowhounders!
I'd appreciate some help planning a weekend itinerary for a trip in 2 weeks. I lived in east bay and SF for 6 years but I moved to NY and now LA . So I've tried quite a few places in SF but I'm less familiar with the dining scene in the last 4 years.
Two things to note:
1. I and half of my friends (all local and foodies) are now on grad student budgets so entrees should be under $30, ideally closer to $20. could splurge if something is truly fantastic
2. I'll probably be staying in nob hill. I don't mind traveling a little via bart but I'd prefer to stick to SF for such a short trip.
3. I've looked at quite a few chowhound and yelp posts. One problem is a lot of places in SF are small and already full for reservations so places that can accommodate more on shorter notice would be good. I also dont know how many people will be in the party yet (my guess is 4-6)
4. Asian food must be authentic
5. some of my favorites when I lived in the Bay Area were: Ad Hoc, Chez Panisse, Delfina, Range, Tartine, farmerbrown. Other than Tartine I prefer to try new places. Some places I found overrated: Gary Danko, Town Hall, One Market, R&G, La Mar
Here is a tentative itinerary. would really appreciate thoughts on this :)
Friday dinner: Cotogna or other suggestion
Saturday lunch: Ferry Building farmers market for Roli Roti or 4505 Meats
Saturday dinner: Range, Baker and Banker, or other. My friend really wanted to try Frances but its too late to get a reservation. Other thoughts would be great (party of 4-6) Initially wanted this to be a semi-splurge meal but cheaper suggestions appreciated
Sun lunch: Little Saigon - I always had pho when i went to Little Saigon but this time I want family style so thoughts on this would be great. Bodega Bistro, Pagolac, or other. Especially interested in the 7 courses of beef or crab dishes
Sun dinner: early bird menu at Chapeau! before I catch my flight is 9pm.
Some other places that sound good from reviews:
Benu (tiny portions?) same with sons and daughters
mr pollo
Bar Crudo (happy hour)
Commonwealth
Heirloom cafe
Maverick
flour+water
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Bodega Bistro
607 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94109
Bar Crudo
655 Divisadero Street, San Francisco, CA 94117
Pagolac
655 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94109
Roli Roti
, Hayward, CA
4505 Meats
1 Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA 94111, CA
Benu
22 Hawthorne St, San Francisco, CA 94103
Cotogna
490 Pacific Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133
SHO or Gotham?
I had the SHO lunch prix fixe and we were really impressed with the quality for a mere $30. Would definitely recommend their food as dinner should be even better. My one experience at Gotham was pretty disappointing - extremely dry fish. (Two people ordered it and had it dry) The appetizers were fine but no one in our group of 4 was impressed with the meal.
Israeli couscous...I bought it, now how do I cook it?
hmm I guess she must have improvised more than I thought. Thanks for sharing :)
2010 Dine In Recommendations
In case anyone is interested I much preferred Aurora to applewood because they actually put out interesting options. applewood's 3 courses were pretty disappointing. First course salad or potato soup. We opted for potato soup expecting something creamy and got unseasoned broth with a few chunks of boiled potato. My friends ended up asking for salt because it was so bland. (even for my low sodium tastes).
The entrees were somewhat better - a pork dish that was kind of dry and a striped bass. The bass was made well, not dry luckily, but there was nothing about the flavors that would make me order it again. Desserts were ok - I had an apple crepe.
I'd heard so much about applewood I was really looking forward to trying it. Unfortunately this meal gave me no desire to return. I know its only $25 for 3 courses but I can easily make a much better pot of potato soup for cheap.
Israeli couscous...I bought it, now how do I cook it?
On the back of the Osem brand bag of isreali couscous there was a good basic recipe that my friend had me follow when we made dinner one night. I have been unable to find this though, and she does not remember the recipe. Does anyone happen to know the recipe?
I think it included chicken broth, onions, turmeric, cumin, and bell pepper, as well as additional spices and vegetables. (She may have improvised a little). We used the toasting method and slowly added stock. I have searched online but no luck. I would love to re-create this dish if anyone happens to have the recipe! Thanks!!
Looking for authentic Japanese restaurant to take visiting Japanese ex-pat
I would recommend Yasuda if they can take the larger group and you can afford it. Otherwise as mentioned, Kanoyama downtown is a little cheaper but the seating is cramped. Sakagura and Aburiya are supposed to be very good, as is Yakatori Totto/Soba Totto but all of these are more limited in sushi options. Sakagura does have some raw plates though.
I did not know Aoki closed but I'm pretty sure it was Chinese-run...decent for rolls but nothing special.
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Sakagura
211 East 43rd Street, New York, NY 10017
Kanoyama
175 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003
Aoki
234 W 48th St, New York, NY 10036
Thinking of Koi; looking for your thoughts
I think EN Japanese is better and cheaper than Koi but I haven't been to either recently...great cocktails at EN. I found Koi really disappointing actually, would much prefer Nobu, EN, or even Budakkan for upscale asian fusion although if you want more Japanese style then not Budakkan. The sampling I had at an event at Megu was pretty good but I've heard the portions are tiny. They all can handle large groups
where should an uni "virgin" try uni?
I don't think Kanoyama is that much cheaper anymore but its my favorite in the east village. You wont break the bank at Yasuda if you order the set menu and an order of uni a la carte ($5). But if you do omakase or a la carte it will be very pricey.
Kanoyama - in season you can get fresh uni in a half shell but it is from Maine. (not my personal favorite, I like the sweetness of SB uni) I assume after the season, like now, they would serve SB uni though I have not tried either at kanoyama
Cookbook gift - Ad Hoc or Momo?
Thanks everyone for the input. I bought the Momofuku cookbook for her since I thought it would be fun to pick up some treats from Milk Bar too. Depending on what I get her for the wedding, I might also get the ad hoc book so she gets both :)
Leanneabe, try a Chinese or "general" Asian market or bakery for the buns. The buns are just peking duck buns. If you dont see them you could buy regular man tao and slice them, it is the same thing but roll shaped
where should an uni "virgin" try uni?
Personally I disagree with the need to "ease into" uni unless you can't take the texture. I think you'll either like it or not...I've taken friends to Yasuda to try uni for the first time and most of them have loved it - its just one little bite and the quality is top notch. I like their santa barbara uni best.
My first time trying it was not good because I ate it on a dare at a so-so sushi restaurant. Waited until we were in Japan to try it with friends and we all instantly loved it. I was hesitant to get it in the US but ordered it at yasuda and was hooked. I've heard great things about Soto too, you may want to try it elsewhere first in case you dislike it.
If you get it in pasta you probably won't notice it, the flavor easily gets lost. None of my uni-loving friends liked the uni panini at El Quinto so I havent tried it. I will say that I had an amazing uni dish at Ssam Bar but they are always changing the preparation style.
Cookbook gift - Ad Hoc or Momo?
Thank you leanneabe, your cooking sounds very impressive! Reminds me of the blog http://momofukufor2.com/
Just wondering - did you think the ad hoc cookbook recipes were more or less difficult?
Btw if you don't want to handmake the buns, you can pick up a frozen pack from a chinese market and steam them :)
Santa Monica on a budget?
Thanks again everyone for the suggestions. I'll definitely have to try these the next time I go to LA cause this trip was a fail. I met up with a (different) friend who shot down Monte Alban for Don Antonio's because it was on the Hills or some crap like that. Really mediocre food, at least what I ordered...the fajitas looked better. Super long wait for a table, then menus, food, etc.
At least my other friend took me to some late night tacos (el Taurino's) that was decent. I tried the al pastor, barbacoa, lengua, and cabeza, and I think the cabeza was my favorite but it was hard to identify some of them.
Cookbook gift - Ad Hoc or Momo?
Hello,
I am trying to think of a slightly more personalized bridal shower gift and thought I'd give my friend a cookbook (and maybe throw in a kitchen item from her registry) since she and her fiance are cooking at home more. My friend is always saying she likes my restaurant recommendations and we first bonded over food so a food gift seems appropriate. They are probably average skill home cooks so I was wondering which cookbooks you might recommend in that light, as I heard ad hoc at home is still a bit difficult in technique.
The two I thought of are restaurants I know they like, but if you have other suggestions I would appreciate them. I thought Mark Bittman's book would be good but I don't know if she reads his blog.
1. Ad Hoc at Home - I recommended ad hoc to them and they both loved it. She said it was their favorite restaurant on their CA trip
2. Momofuku - we both really like the infamous pork buns and she and her fiance loved dining at Ko. (Bonus-If I get this I could stop at Momofuku Milk Bar before the bridal shower and pick up some cookies/pie too.)
thanks!
Santa Monica on a budget?
Thanks for all of the suggestions, I can't wait for some good tacos :)
Santa Monica on a budget?
Hello,
I'm going to be in Santa Monica for a day and I was wondering if anyone had any recs nearby so my friend doesn't have to trek. I am visiting a friend who is not a foodie (but down to eat) and he'll be on a poor grad student budget
Since I'm coming from Manhattan I would love some good Mexican. (Last time in LA I got taken to a really disappointing Americanized place)
I'm open to any other cuisines too - esp anything that's not as good in NY.
(would love affordable sushi if its yasuda-quality, otherwise I'll pass)
In past visits I've had Roscoe's, Kogi, k-town, lots of chinese food in SGV so these I can skip on these.
Thanks!
2 Bros Pizza Plus: Best Manhattan $4 Lunch in Decades
I've tried the pizza at the st marks location and found it ok, good for the price but I wouldn't pay more for it.
I saw this thread and finally tried the fried chicken on 6th ave after always wondering if it was any good. The skin wasn't perfectly crispy since its pre-made but the drumstick was extremely tender. I would go back if I had a fried chicken craving and just wanted one piece. (Of course I still prefer popeye's but hey this is $1)
I was pretty impressed since I've tried the popular $1 fried chicken at Piece of chicken and found it pretty gross - I think the chicken meat was spoiled or something as it tasted sour.
2010 Dine In Recommendations
Aurora in williamsburg was good. The portions were plenty and we shared everything, which was a good balance. We started with the arugula salad and squid appetizers. The squid was a bit too salty but balanced with the arugula salad it was great. Then we had the pork shoulder and the ravioli. The pork shoulder was pretty tender but the homemade ravioli was better - very light and fresh. I think it was The other entree option was the skate wing. They had 2-3 options plus 1 vegetarian option for each course. Dessert was pretty good too, not to sweet which I like.
Scottsdale for a large group
Just wanted to update on our trip before I forgot. We had a lot of fun, thanks again for all of the suggestions!
Luckily our hotel was very close to a lot of restaurants. We ended up going to Olive & Ivy, Cowboy Ciao, and the Mission. We ran out of time and just grabbed quick food for the other meals, and also went to Chocolatree in Sedona (had a few veg/pescetarians in the group and we needed something light)
Firesky, our hotel, had great cocktails. We ordered some snacks as room service and it was just ok but we didn't try the entrees.
Olive and Ivy - everyone enjoyed brunch, prices were reasonable, portions generous, and the ingredients were fresh. They made my ahi tuna rare as requested, which was great.
Cowboy Ciao - a bit disappointing. Large portions (would have preferred smaller portions and lower prices since people didn't want to share, a lot of food was wasted) but items were hit or miss. Weak on the veggie options but that was to be expected. The Stetson salad was good, I liked the pesto dressing. The pork shank was very tender but I didn't really like the sides. Lamb loin was dry. Overall things tended to be oversauced and too salty. They have quotes on the menu about how delicious the mushroom entree was - no one really liked it and it was drowning in a thick salty sauce.
Service was bad. We had to wait awhile for our table, then we were seated at a a huge table so no one could hear each other in the deafeningly loud room. We were charged 20% gratuity for a group of 7. (Standard for groups is 18% even in NY.) I normally tip 18-20% anyway but here it was not deserved. He was ok but messed up twice sending us items we didn't order.This other woman came by with the wrong order, we told her it was a mistake and she left the dish on our table and went to check. Then she came back and said quite rudely, well there's nothing I can do it about it and left it on our table. Our server came by later and said sorry wrong table and took it away, then gave it to the table next to us.
I saw this place recommended many times in forums but I think there are better options.
Mission - pretty good, though a bit pricey for the portions. The guacamole was ok but the avocado was very underripe. I liked the fish tacos and my friend like her steak tacos, although I wasn't crazy about the smokey flavor. We had a socially awkward waiter which was amusing until he lost my credit card and tried to play it off as a joke when he ran away to look for it. "do you guys like how I played a joke and pretended to lose your credit card?" Umm no
Chocolatree - although I would recommend it, it was a bit hit or miss. They often added a lot of salt to balance the lightness of the veggies. This was fine in general except my potato soup was so salty I couldn't finish. (I have a light palate but everyone tried it and agreed) They also had some gluten-free wrap that tasted like salty fruit leather so avoid that. I liked the hummus and the Fiesta Feast was delicious - I love quinoa and the flavors were great for this. My veggie sandwich was fine but boring. Portions are quite large and prices are decent. Despite it being vegetarian a few of us felt pretty bloated afterwards.
Scottsdale for a large group
Thanks everyone for all of the recs and the cab advice! Elote sounds awesome but they aren't open on sundays :(
We made reservations for Cowboy Ciao and Olive & Ivy. We are looking into restaurants nearby like Scratch and Mission.
we're also looking into NOCA (when we have the car) for their sunday supper.
Scottsdale for a large group
Thanks for the tip, one of the girls wants to go to Heirloom which is half an hour away! I'll look into Cowboy Ciao it sounds pretty good!
Scottsdale for a large group
Hello,
I am helping to plan a 3 day bachelorette party in Scottsdale and I was wondering if anyone had any food recs for a group of 7 girls, mid-late 20s. We would like to do one nicer dinner (though not outrageous, under ~$70pp) and the rest of the time eat more casual. We've never been to Scottsdale before, should we make reservations everywhere since we have a large group? (Also, we eat pretty much everything but we are coming from NYC and Houston, so we'd like to include food more unique to the area if possible)
I noticed the Le Cordon Bleu restaurant is near our hotel but I saw mixed reviews. Any thoughts on that?
Also, logistically we will be staying at the FireSky Resort and we will have a car one day for Sedona, otherwise we will be relying on cabs and the hotel shuttle (3mi radius) so places near the hotel are preferable.
Thanks so much!
I want to learn to cook Argentine food in Argentina
do you think with so-so Spanish the classes would be too difficult? I'd really like to find some serious cooking classes in south America but nothing seems to fit the bill since my Spanish is quite rusty.
