ninnikuramen's Profile
Top Gaijin eats or Non-Japanese foods in Tokyo
Libre in Aoyama is awesome - way better than Frijoles as the super burrito is actually substantial. The karaage next door was also pretty good.
Flying Solo In Tokyo?
If you end up needing to stay close to Shinagawa station, check out the shinatatsu ramen street, a collection of seven or so ramen shops. Here's their site:
http://www.shinatatsu.com/raumen/index.html
And here's a good write up of one of them, tonkotsu based:
http://www.ramenate.com/2009/07/beyond-baba-31-higo-monzu-shinagawa.html
Top Gaijin eats or Non-Japanese foods in Tokyo
Thanks for the recommendation, will search the board for burgers as well, and continue looking around. You're right, the BBQ sauce did overshadow the beef taste. And if you go with the default lettuce, tomatoes, etc., that kind of minimizes the burger itself as well.
Top Gaijin eats or Non-Japanese foods in Tokyo
Still on the lookout, however the best burgers I've had are at Brozer's in Njngyocho and on the more upscale side, the burger at Union Square Cafe. Brozer's really reminded me interior wise of this place called Burger, Shakes, and Fries in Westchester, NY (albeit with a brioche kind of bin instead of Texas toast). Definitely forgot I was in Tokyo for a minute or two.
Hot peppers in Tokyo?
Thai chilis and/or dried jalapeños may do the trick, thank you for the leads. Will post back if I do find something fresh...
Hot peppers in Tokyo?
Has anyone come across a store that sells fresh jalapeños, habaneros, or other hot peppers? Or alternatively does anyone know where one could purchase seeds for growing these types of peppers?
In the four months we've been living in Tokyo, I've yet to come across a fresh jalapeño. Have checked out Nissin, as well as our local grocery stores. This weekend, we ate at a "Mexican" place called La Casita near Ebisu and for four hundred yen, we ordered a tiny habanero in oil to add spice to our otherwise bland dishes, which makes me think habs are hard to come by...
Little Budda in Stamford??
Thanks everyone, OP, for this post - went to Little Buddha last night and loved it. The interior was very nicely done, modern and clean. Had the hot oil dumplings and the chili chicken, both of which were great. My wife had the laksa shrimp rice noodle dish, which ended up being too spicy for her to finish. I thought she was being overly picky, but after rereading some of these posts it may have really been spicy. It will take a few more dishes to confirm, but I think this could be as good if not better than Kits, Ocha, and Galangal.
Pepe's Pizza Yonkers Location
Yea, this doesn't sound typical. Hope you give it another shot. My wife and I have been here 5-6 times so far, and while it has varied a little between trips (we've gotten one that was pretty close to burnt), overall it's been a shining gem for us in an otherwise barren city.
A few weeks ago, we called ahead and ordered a large pie. When I got there, they apologized to me, saying they had actually made my pizza too large and were going to have to cut it into two and put them into two mediums size boxes. The large is already on the big side, this extra large was incredible. And, because of the egregious screw up on their part... they gave us another free large pie! It sounds like it might be a company policy to go overboard on these kinds of things.
Great Burgers Lower Westchester?
We had the sliders at Taphouse, which were pretty good. The wings though, were great - really large, nicely coated in buffalo sauce. I definitely think it'd be worth a visit for the burger, let us know how it goes.
Nancy Lee's Pig Heaven - Upper East side
Agreed with the comments that it's nothing special. We were actually pretty disappointed when we got into the restaurant the first time, as we thought from the name it was going to be a BBQ joint - I think we missed the 'Lee', and were misled by the hand scrawled sign out from.
Any Banh Mi or Ramen Places in Westchester
Thanks for these recommendations pabboy, I will have to check them out.
I've been driving down to Mitsuwa in Edgewater, NJ, from Yonkers, and taking the train down to the city for ramen - usually Menkui-Tei on 56th, or Ippudo in the East Village. Still looking for a killer bowl of garlic ramen though !
Best Burger
I'm surprised that Lazy Boy in WP was only mentioned once in passing - while it is not the best burger I've ever had, it was really good, and the variety of burgers they offer is great.
The best burger I've had was from Rare in the city (I think it was a $30 burger though) - Shake Shack, Burger Joint, Five Guys, and Good Burger are all good for a fix, not sure if any of them have tristate outposts ?
Good Hot Buffalo Wings in Westchester or Putnam?
The wings at the Tap House in Tuckahoe were great - two or three times the size of something you'd find at BW3s or Candlelight. Great sauce, and the blue cheese was fresh and clean. Definitely recommend checking it out - only complaint is that there weren't different levels of heat, could have gone with something slightly hotter.
Gas Light Ale House in Yonkers
Anyone have the scoop on this place, opening next to X2O in Yonkers, where the Pier View restaurant used to be ?
In our nearby apartment complex' newsletter, they released a letter saying it would have a wide selection of craft American beers, and contemporary American menu and that it would be opened in the next few months. Staying hopeful that this will be nothing like Pier View !
Food Scandal
Did the NY Times article above link to Madoff's full business Amex statement ?
http://www.scribd.com/doc/15027931/Bernies-Credit-Card-Statements
Per Se, Tal Bagels ($400!), Maz Mezcal, La Tre Venezie, Balthazar, along with Outback, Maggianos, TGI Fridays. Granted this is across 15 different people.
An interesting, voyeuristic read!
Mexican in NYC?
Another one for Taco Taco - my wife and I lived on the UES for a year, and this was our go to place for Mexican, we loved it.
Paquitos was the spot if we were anywhere near Curry Hill.
Best Pizza in Westchester (again)
A&V Pizza on Morsemere Ave and Sal's Pizzeria on Yonkers Ave, both in Yonkers, have my votes.
Singa's pizza
Singa's was the first meal my wife and I had when moving into Yonkers - it was ok, the pizzas felt a little too much like the homemade pies someone would make at a sleep over party, with thick, short strands of mozzarella that don't melt all the way after cooking and a personal pie that each kid could customize.
Our favorites are A&V Pizza tucked away in a residential neighborhood on Morsemere Ave, and Sal's Pizzeria on Yonkers Ave by the race track - I think either of these places could hang with what can be found in NYC. Tottono's was incredibly disappointing - we used to live by the UES location, and this was a far cry from that - the setting is terrible, and the pizza tasted like cardboard.
Aqui Es Santa Fe Cafe, new Colombian place in Port Chester
Went back again today for an early dinner - had the special, steak with tomato and onions and an egg, with rice and a salad. The food was good, my wife's arepas were great. My steak was well done instead of medium, though.
Any chance adam you stopped by here today, around 5pm or so? We were the only ones in there, and a guy walked in that seemed to know everything that was happening with every port chester food joint, speaking with the owner's son who was manning the register.
Best Mexican food in NYC
I can't believe that none of my top picks for Mexican in the city are noted here. In order of high to low brow: Crema in Chelsea, Taco Taco on the UES, and Paquitos by Curry Hill.
We had our first meal at Crema tonight, and it was absolutely incredible. From the warm habanero salsa and freshly fried chips, to the incredibly seasoned and artistically plated pork tacos, to the chocolate flan that tasted almost like cheesecake, it was amazing. Centrico has nothing compared to this, and I imagine Rosa Mexicano is leagues behind as well. The main chef, Julieta was in the kitchen - we had seen her on the Ramsey Kitchen Nightmare episode filmed in West Nyack.
For a little more affordable Mexican, Taco Taco in the 90s is great and was our go-to place for about a year when we lived in the area. The tacos al pastor are tender, juicy, flavorful, and are served with a plateful of beans, guacamole, salad. A friend had a not too great experience with the hanger steak there, though, so I'd recommend staying with the dishes that the restaurant is named after.
Paquitos is quick, cheap, filling, and fulfilling. If you have a craving for a messy, huge burrito, this is the place to go.
Hottest dishes in Manhattan
Thanks for the quick response! It looks like my cursory search on the forums wasn't very good. All the recommendations here look great, I will definitely be making a trip out to Szechuan Gourmet. Out of curiosity, are you aware of any non-Asian places that serve spicy hot dishes?
I'd imagine there have to be Latin American, Cajun style places out there.
Hottest dishes in Manhattan
After watching the Man vs. Food episode on New York, we went this Saturday to Bricklane, a curry house on the LES, to try the phaal. Supposedly, from what was on the show, the chef has to wear a gas mask while sauteing the 12 chiles that go into the phaal.
It was hot, no doubt about it - a slow burning heat that amplified with each bite, lingering even when switching over to something as innocuous as the butter masala. As clearly written on the menu, there was little flavor beyond the taste of chiles and heat. I don't think, though, that it was hot enough to warrant being on TV, or to be advertised as the hottest curry available in the US.
My next stop may be to a Thai place called Rhong-Tiam, where I hear the Pork on Fire stands as the dish to be reckoned with.
Are there any other places that serve spicy food on this level in Manhattan or the surrounding area?
What's your favorite hot sauce?
I usually have four or five active bottles, and at least a couple more in reserve. Just like wine, you can have good and bad pairings. Right now, I have open Nando's Peri Peri for things like pizza, Da Bomb for spaghetti or chili as it adds pure heat and not too much of a strong flavor, Sriracha for dishes that involve or could use a garlicky taste, Blair's Q Chipotle Slam as a salsa substitute for tacos, Morton's Hot Salt as a salt substitute with a kick. I'd use Tabasco, Texas Pete, generic store hot sauces when I want to dilute something like chili with a vinegar taste, or to douse pizza with. http://hotsauceblog.com is a great source of hot sauce reviews, new breaking products, festivals, etc.
Aqui Es Santa Fe Cafe, new Colombian place in Port Chester
Once again, thank you Adam for bringing this place to light - and Unda for your review. We went to Aqui last night for dinner, it was around 8pm and we were literally the only customers there. The place was, as you've all noted, very clean, very bright - all the colorful hand drawings on the menu and wall plaques, came across as happy and cheery.
I had the Bethania, which was excellent - the steak was flavorful, tender, cooked medium as I'd requested, the guacamole was great alongside the arepa which I was trying for the first time. My wife had the Lot - grilled chicken, a salad, guacamole, and fried plantains with queso sprinkled on top, and loved it as well.
To answer Mrs. Sean, I didn't see any alcohol on the menu - and judging by the bible verses written in Spanish all over the place, it's probably not because they are waiting on a license. The fruit drinks, though, made up entirely for the beer I'd normally accompany such a meal with. We had the papaya and mango "juice", which were prepared with milk and tasted just like milkshakes.
So, definitely recommend the place, we can't wait to try it out for breakfast or lunch!
Rangoli Indian in Lower Westchester, NY
We just had dinner at Spice Village last night, actually as a result of seeing that Man vs Food episode on Brick Lane. I ended up having the chicken vindaloo instead of the phaal, because my wife got a different lamb curry. It tasted great, but was not nearly as hot as I was hoping!
Anyone know of curry places in Westchester that push the envelope on heat?
Chicago Deep Dish Pizza near White Plains?
I recently started working in White Plains, and have been to the Unos there a couple of times. It was pretty bad! The lunch specials taste like microwaved plastic dishes, and the deep dish pizza had way too much rubbery cheese on top. No where near a Giordanos, IMHO.
Doesn't Stew Leonard's sell bake yourself pizzas with thick crusts?
Naruto Ramen?
I realize it doesn't count as lately, but for what it's worth we were there in September or so last year and the place had really settled down into its groove. They were having specials, like a few dollars off ramen on Mondays, half price gyoza, and seemed to have gotten down the miso and shoyu ramen pretty well.
Still not a Rai Rai or Ippudo though.
Serbian Food?
I realize this is a really old thread, but just in case anyone is searching for Serbian cuisine: a restaurant opened up this past year called Kafana, on Ave C between 8th and 7th St. I think it was touted as the first Serbian restaurant in Manhattan. The food was great and the atmosphere really takes you back to Belgrade with all the photos on the wall. The pljeskavica, cevapi, sopsa, Nikshicko pivo, and jafa cakes that came with our bill were all just like you might get in a cafe in Serbia, albeit in a fancier atmosphere. We went a few nights after it opened, and ran into a famous Serbian actor named Zarko Lausevic eating with his family there.
Anyone know of any other new Serbian places that might have opened up recently?
Casa Villa in Stamford - an update
Just tried out Cancun Delights in WP today, and after overcoming some language difficulties, had a great carnitas taco. Four bucks for three tortillas, rice, beans, and a heaping mound of shredded pork. It tasted really good, although not as spicy as I'd like and pretty fatty.
They have an interesting menu in that they have a different menu for each day of the week. Adam, is there anything you'd recommend from their line up?
Casa Villa in Stamford - an update
Glad to see that Casa Villa is coming up on Chow - when I worked in Stamford we would go there at least once a week for about a year. My favorite were the al pastor and chorizo tacos. The office also loved a burrito truck that was parked out by Softball fields in Shippan, for a stint we were eating burritos three times a week until the owner moved back to California, and after the management change I found a rock in my steak burrito. It cooled off a little after that.
I'm working in White Plains now, and am excited to try out the places recommended here!
