david sprague's Profile
Bare Burger (Astoria)
the lettuce wrap sounds like a really good idea...i never noticed that as an option. gotta love the nod t in n out
i actually like this place a lot and appreciate the fact that they can cook a burger rare -- hey, you only live once :) -- and still have it come out with some flavor. it's a nice place and i hope they can make a go of it.
Chinese in Theatre District? Pl. help
i love wu liang ye on 48th between 5th and 6th. imo, one of the better sichuan places in manhattan and not dumbed down for theater district dining. decor is nice as well. spare, but nice.
Del Posto. Ouch!
i still think babbo and lupa are worth the trouble and the trip. del posto has always struck me as an afterthought to all concerned -- on the basis of two disappointing visits and a couple of underwhelming reports. not sure what the disconnect is, but there definitely seems to be one.
$5-$6 spanish lunch in queens like the bronx
very little.
in order to have really good dominican/puerto rican food, you need to have a puerto rican/dominican population -- and that's not the makeup of this area. you can approximate at el sitio in woodside, which has good cuban sandwiches and good pork, but not sure about the prices these days.
New Restaurants Section has Launched
that's the litmus test, for sure.
if someone registers an account to say "restaurant x serves the best meatballs within 300 miles," and it's a brand new place, i'll ask 'so where did you get amazing meatballs before this manna fell from heaven?'
anyone sincere will have a reply. a shill will walk away having done his or her duty.
New Restaurants Section has Launched
as a writer with many years of magazine and newspaper experience, i always appreciate someone who's well-spoken and articulate.
i am suspicious of someone who registers an account simply to say that a newly opened restaurant is the best of its kind anywhere in the world, hands down. or, conversely, that a well-regarded place is guaranteed to give visitors food poisoning because large rodents are not only in the kitchen, but actually involved in preparing the chow.
they're easy to spot, and sometimes quite amusing. but more often, they're just plain tiresome.
New Restaurants Section has Launched
thank you for the reply Jim, and i didn't mean to use a broad brush -- but i clearly did -- in my complaint. i have had a few experiences lately -- not going to rehash them here, that'd be petty -- that prompted me to toss off that comment.
i obviously still value the forum, but find myself vexed by elements of its evolution -- not growth qua growth, and not "newbies" (passing info to someone who genuinely shares a passion is a true joy). i do note a drastic uptick in, to be polite, "practitioners of stealth advertising," and an occasionally lax attutide towards said practice.
apologies to anyone i offended.
Mickey D banner top of screen.
nah, skipping right to a genetically modified, calorie free one pound patty, daikon pickle optional.
Do I dare ask? What happened to the "Food Waste" thread?
i maintain my position. been here for more than ten years and seen dissent crushed more and more. not so on sites involving my professional life (entertainment, fwiw). on those, obscenity is grounds for removal, as are really gratuitous personal attacks -- both reasonable grounds to axe. the schoolmarm scolding here seems to have devolved radically in recent years. oh well, we get what we accept.
Do I dare ask? What happened to the "Food Waste" thread?
at the risk of being deleted here, i really have to wonder why this is the only board i've ever been part of -- out of 35 or 40 -- that thinks robust discussion is a mortal sin.
oh, and just to be safe....food is good!
New Restaurants Section has Launched
thanks melanie
i hadn't even bothered mentioning the shills because that concern has become ...what's below tertiary?....to the folks in charge. oh well. what hl mencken said.
Celiac Dining
from what i recall, slice on 2nd avenue offers wheat-free pizza (a rice crust, i think?) that was darn good....one of my best friends has celiac, so i am aware of the maneuvering that needs to take place.
i hope it's there and acceptable, 'cause [most] kids love their pizza!
What brought you to Chowhound?
it's been so long -- well over ten years -- but i still recall being tipped off to the site by a friend who was a fellow chowhound (in those days, the site had a home page explaining how chowhounds differed from foodies, who were thought to be silly sheeplike creatures). it was small and intimate, not snobby at all, and the focus was purely on food, not ambience and *especially* not notions of "what's hot."
times change. that's life.
A few underreported cheap thrills in Manhattan's Chinatown
thanks again cimui...that big steamed bun with the chinese sausage and egg and such was a staple of my diet many many years ago at a bakery at the fringe of k-town (on 35th street, closed for probably 15 years). will have to try!
In the old Ecuamex spot in Woodside
agreed, too bad and not surprising. the place was good enough that, if i were within walking distance, i probably would've hit it up fairly often. but coming from jackson hts, not so much.
Best bite on the run in the theater district?
if you're able to do japanese, try natsumi on 50th between bway and 8th. needn't be sushi. go to the bar side and order from there. my favorite cooked items are the rock shrimp tempura (a really generous portion) and the crab dumplings. good sushi as well. and very speedy if you make that request.
cool special drinks and a nice sake list fwiw
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Natsumi
226 West 50th Street, New York, NY 10019
Anniversary Dinner: Rustic Italian?
definitely apizz on all fronts. the oven is such a great presence as the weather turns and the items turned out from therein are swell. love the meatballs and lasagna.
New Restaurants Section has Launched
i have been part of the chowhound community for well over a decade, and while i cannot say i was one of the very first folks here, i remember when it was actually a *community*, one where someone could suggest a get together and be able to meet up with just about every person whose name was really recognizable from their posts.
as such, i am still willing to post and share, even given the big sprawling nature of the current site. what i am NOT willing to do is provide "content" that CBS can repackage and sell at a profit to other outlets, and that's exactly what this twittery, dumbed down feature seems to be.
as a reviewer of a different medium, i have to agree with jim. there's a huge difference between really examining a restaurant or movie or piece of music and putting together a well reasoned critique and simply logging on to say "the clams sucked but the waiter was cute....so i give it a B-plus.' maybe that makes me an old fogey who actually respects the thought process but that's life.
Astoria Greek questions
i adore philoxenia and wish it wouldve been there when i lived at 33rd and 34th. surprisingly enough, uncle george's serves up a decent kokoretsi. overall, the place is ok at best, but they do a more than serviceable version of that dish.
New Restaurants Section has Launched
will this be used as a profit model? sold to other outlets? if so, i am done here. i am a professional writer, and i do not donate my services -- even to non profits like CBS. will miss posting but i draw the line when it comes to making donations to multi billion dollar corps. that's why i am not a scientologist!
Afghan Kebab #4 Jackson Heights
dinner there is actually quite good, but i share your antipathy towards the lunch. i don't know if there's a "beggars can't be choosers" attitude towards the special -- which ain't all that cheap -- but there's really no care whatsoever put into it. the rice was the clincher for me as well. made fresh, it's very good (not amazing, but tasty). but at lunch, it's so obviously left over that it's ridiculous.
i know that suggesting a dinner visit - at higher prices - after that is kinda silly, but the chapli kabob is mighty good.
Sushi in Midtown
there are quite a few recent threads on this topic, but to start, what price range -- roughly -- are you looking at per person? you could go as high as $250 for a great meal at yasuda, or spend $50-$60 for a really good meal at shimizu. there are plenty of good, serviceable places at lower price points as well.
also, are you a fan of fancy american-style rolls, simple nigiri or sashimi?
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Shimizu
318 W 51st St, New York, NY 10019
Food and ambiance at Blue Note Jazz?
and, at the risk of ticking off the mods by straying from food talk -- please don't be mad :) -- i agree totally about the endorsement of mr. brubeck's performances right now. incredible for a man half his age, but when you factor his "experience" into the mix.....wow.
and a lovely man, too!
JH's Chow Bargain
had a rare work-from-home day today and gave the place a shot. would give an A-plus for quantity/value and a B for quality.
three large scoops of food plus a good portion of rice for $4.50. had the chili chicken (not bad, but kind of bland), a portion of bok choy simply stir fried and a shrimp dish that tasted of coconut milk. the flavors kind of blended together in a takeout container, but it was a whole lot of food for the money. the other choices -- there were six in all -- included a tofu thing that looked like, well, tofu and what the server called spaghetti (which looked to be a veggie lo mein).
not the most spectacular food in the area but i'd certainly return to try more offerings.
JH Needs a Great Bagel Shop
wow, i'd use the 'wonder' comparison for brooklyn bagel. don't adore M & V, but find them much preferable to BBC....different strokes, i guess. i recall liking a place in the high 80s and northern -- near the KFC (sorry for all the acronyms) but that is a hike.
Auto-link glitches
"chinese food"
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/659082
seriously, this 'feature' is way way more problematic than it is helpful.
Food and ambiance at Blue Note Jazz?
food is not only secondary, but tertiary here...and while the mgmt tends to cram people in a little too close for comfort, they do book some of the best acts around and the sound is good. arrive early and you'll have a good choice of seats. and go to the early set. they sometimes give the option to stay for the late set -- meaning that people already there can stake out prime places.
above all, enjoy!
Tamales
the heuejotzingo cart on the corner of 75th and roosevelt is serving tamales once again, and they have oaxacan ones on saturday. they're great as are the guajillos. not a huge fan of their verde...the pork is always a little chewy for me. but the others are pretty doggone good!
CHINESE -HUNAN OR SICHUAN no Americanized Chinese... In New York and no good Chinese?
there are a HUGE number of excellent, thoroughly authentic chinese restaurants covering myroad regional cuisines, but not many in the very small part of the city you are talking about.
that said, for szechuan, i'd highly recommend either szechuan gourmet on 39th and 6th (many many posts offering tips for specific dishes) or wu liang ye on 48th and 5th (ditto). i love the dan dan noodles and cold meats at the latter.
Best sushi near W. 44th St.
if it's not too late, i really really recommend Sushi Zen, which is right on the block where you are staying. they do some really unusual preparations and have a goodly number of seasonal dishes -- and a lovely setting. i love shimizu, but it's a little stark and cold for me in terms of atmosphere. one caveat is that Sushi Zen has only a smidgen of its menu online....maybe a call would reveal more
