I don't have a bias, in that I live in San Francisco and don't have a sentimental attachment to what I grew up with. San Francisco has always been a mediocre deli town until recently, when Wise Sons opened and changed things completely. They do a great rye and make their own pastrami.

As far as New York delis, the bread is the weak link in otherwise great sandwiches. I slightly prefer Second Avenue over Katz's but they both do great pastrami with so-so bread.

Langer's in LA is head and shoulders above everyone else when it comes to the bread. No one is even close, and the New York places should study what they do. You could make a really good sandwich great.

Whenever I'm in Los Angeles I stop at Shaherzad on Westwood for Tah-chin with chicken. It's an amazing rice casserole but I've had trouble finding it in the Bay Area.

Does anyone know of a good place for it locally?

My parents actually met on a blind date at Bastien's. In 1961!

Thanks for the long list. Alas, we have plenty of good Mexican and Vietnamese in SF. Less so Southwestern, so I may search that out.

I'm a native of Denver but I've lost touch with what's on the ground after being away so long.

I like unusual ethnic restaurants and interesting local places. I don't need haute cuisine as we get plenty of that.

I know there's a lot of Korean places, Ethiopian, etc. Anything else that I might not know about that comes highly rated?

Help is greatly appreciated.

I'm from San Francisco and would love to find regional specialties, the best lobster and lobster roll, etc. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks, sounds like a good list to start.

Lots' of Ethiopian in SF but little other Sub-Saharan African.

I like trying new cuisines and since Chicago is so diverse I thought I'd ask for suggestions on interesting local ethnic places that are not on the radar in SF. So, I know Chicago has great Mexican but we have lots of it, as well as Thai, Chinese, etc.

I'm thinking more along the lines of Polish, Eastern European, obscure European, African and South American.

Any help will be appreciated!

We are two fairly adventurous eaters from San Francisco who know that Los Angeles is a wonderland of great ethnic food and American classics. We are fairly familiar with the area but haven't been down in awhile.

Past favorites we are planning to hit include:

Langer's Deli for the pastrami.
El Abajeno in Culver City for the taquitos.
Sheharazad in Westwood for the tachin and other Persian food.
Maybe the Central Market
Maybe Sushi in West LA
Maybe Peruvian. Would love to find a place that does the Chupe de Camarones.

Would love recommendations for great places to try, especially unusual ethnic cuisines. We are staying near LAX but can drive for something interesting.

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El Abajeno
4513 Inglewood Blvd, Culver City, CA 90230

I'm an adventurous eater with a week on my hands in October, and I'm looking for interesting ethnic and otherwise eats in Manhattan and the boroughs. I get plenty of Mexican, Thai and Cantonese in SF. I'm looking for things that are really hard to find out West. This includes oddities such as Montreal Smoked Meat, A real Pastrami Sandwich, obscure great bagels and things like Albanian, African and other far-flung spots on the globe. Not to mention that perfect NYC pizza slice that hasn't been overrun yet.

Thanks for your help.

Thanks Melanie for organizing this.

I was surprised that of all the dishes, I enjoyed the Fish stir-fry special from the steam table most of all. That may be a first, as usually the quality of steam table fare pales compared to individually ordered dishes.

I concur that some of the dishes were a bit too close in flavor for us to get a full sense of the Goan palate but it was very tasty. The shrimp appetizer was excellent as well, full of flavor without being too spicy.

The beef dish was an unusual spin on an almost British roast beef and potatoes with steamed mushy vegetables. More lively, thanks to the Portuguese influence.

I work in the neighborhood and I'm eager to try the buffet and will report on that when I get a chance.

My brother and I are going to be in Fort Lauderdale for dinner and then lunch the next day, then in Miami for a full 2 days. We are fairly adventurous eaters and would like suggestions in both towns. Thoughts include Cuban (he's in Chicago, I'm in San Francisco and we don't get much of that) and Caribbean, High Jewish Deli (we are members of the tribe), seafood, and other interesting ethnic cuisines. Less concerned with splashy South Beach Overpriced, though we both appreciate great food and might splurge one night.

Any help would be appreciated.

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South Beach Cafe
121 5th St, Miami Beach, FL 33139