Andrew P.'s Profile
Okonomiyaki
I've had it at Yakitori Taisho on St. Mark's, and at Otafuku on 9th. Otafuku's is much better.
Non-NOBU sushi?
I tend to sound like a broken record on requests like this, but here goes:
Ushiwaka Maru - sit at the sushi bar in front of Hideo-san (the owner) and do Omakase. It's a serious place. No spicy tuna rolls. I think it's half as good as Masa at 1/5th the price.
www.ushiwakamaruny.com
where to get cold ramen?
a big tangle of noodles. linguine-like in shape with a delicious chewy texture. mmm. i wasn't expecting it to be a very filling dish, but it really was. i just popped the poached egg all over the noodles, tossed it all together, and used the soup spoon provided to dunk bites in the separate bowl of broth-like dipping sauce.
where to get cold ramen?
It's not in your neighborhood, but Momofuku has a tsukemen dish with peas, pork, nori, scallions and dipping sauce, with a poached egg on top. I had it the other night and it was delicious, excellent summer food.
Where would you eat if $ is no object?
Masa, but only if you're really (not just casually) into Japanese food and a certain kind of carefully controlled vibe. If you're not, it'll still be good, but won't be worth the $500 to $600 per person tab. I'd also say you should sit at the sushi bar. Some people (many people, actually) think that sitting at a sushi bar is unromantic, but I think it's very romantic at Masa. There's such an intimacy to it, sitting side-by-side, and you can converse between you without the itamae hearing you.
I'd also suggest Le Bernardin, where I've only ever had fantastic food and service. Their two current tasting menus look pretty delicious. http://www.le-bernardin.com/menu_tasting.html
Sushi Between 14th & Houston East of 7th and West of 2nd
Ushiwaka Maru. For me, no contest.
east village bar, friday (6/22) afternoon?
DBA opens at 1pm, has a big garden, and features lots of Belgian beers among its many offerings. it's also on 1st Avenue between 2nd and 3rd Streets, making it very convenient to the LES.
www.drinkgoodstuff.com
Mangosteen?
Thanks for the tip, zEli.
I walked down there yesterday evening and picked up a bag. At first, I couldn't find them, but then I saw the foam cooler labeled "MANGOSTEEN". These were definitely frozen (mine were still quite cold, some nearer the bottom of the cooler had frost all over them). Still, it's the genuine article (grown in Thailand) in NYC! The sight of them made me very happy, and transported me back to the first time I ever had one -- standing on the street in Hong Kong several years ago.
Now that they've thawed, I'm looking forward to trying them today.
Belgian Beer & More?
The Belgian Room has food, as it's connected to Hop Devil Grill through a door in the back (currently staff only). It's your best bet in Manhattan for Belgian beers, and they have some Belgian food (frites, moules, etc) along with Hop Devil's menu of reasonably tasty bar food.
Tap and bottle selection: http://www.belgianroom.com/
Great 21st Birthday restaurant for son in wheelchair, group, in midtown?
At the end of every New York Times restaurant review, at least in the last few years, there is a comment on the the restaurant's wheelchair accessibility. Might be a good place to look.
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/dining/index.html
Edited to add: strangely, it appears that many of the archived ones (even newer ones) don't have the accessibility comment. They really ought to fix that.
Double Date Downtown
The Stanton Social may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I had an incredibly fun double date there several months ago. It's expensive-ish, but small, sharable food is inherently fun.
Favorite seafood restaurants?
Tides - if you have a group of about 4, you may be able to get one of the cool booths
www.tidesseafood.com
hardest reservations to get?
Yup, that's how it works.
Another tactic:
A good friend of mine ate at Babbo, and was sufficiently impressed that, on the way out, he asked the hostess if there were any cancellations coming up. She looked, and lo and behold, a table for four at 9pm in two weeks' time.
hardest reservations to get?
Try calling Rao's, Waverly Inn, or Per Se (or probably Masa) 30 days in advance. If you get through, you'll have to hold the phone away from your ear so as not to be deafened by the reservationist laughing at you.
And Rao's is not a private club. Last I heard, you can still go in for a drink at the bar and casually inquire as to the next available table (which may be in 6 months). Still, it's worth a shot (so to speak).
Krystle, I'm sure lots of chowhounds would volunteer to accompany you to Babbo!
Mangosteen?
Excellent!
Once mangosteens are available in NYC, how long do you think it will take for them to be the new "it" ingredient in Manhattan restaurants?
Short ribs --> blood orange --> mangosteen?
Really, I'm just looking forward to someone creating mangosteen ice cream, cocktails with mangosteen sections floating in them, maybe some kind of tasty salad with mangosteen. . .
In NYC, which bar/pub has the biggest selection of imported beers?
Right on, Chinon. As of the last website update, only 2 of Blind Tiger's taps (Aventinus and Schenkerla Helles -- both German) were imports. They focus almost exclusively on American craft beers.
Still, they serve food til 2am, and have real cask beer. . . worth checking out. . .
In NYC, which bar/pub has the biggest selection of imported beers?
Oh yeah, and DBA has free cheese (good stuff) at the bar on Mondays.
In NYC, which bar/pub has the biggest selection of imported beers?
Spuyten Duyvil has a great selection of Belgian bottles, but their taps are extremely limited.
For Belgian beers on tap (in Manhattan):
Burp Castle (7th street btwn 2nd Ave and Cooper Square)
the Belgian Room (St. Marks near Avenue A)
DBA often has a Belgian or two on tap (1st Ave btwn 2nd and 3rd streets)
All of the above also have fantastic selections of bottled Belgian beer. DBA has a very well curated bottle selection from all over the place.
In NYC, which bar/pub has the biggest selection of imported beers?
What kind of imported beers do you have in mind?
Bottles? Taps? Belgian? German? Wide international selection or more focused on fewer specific types?
Underrated Restaurants
Thank you, RGR! As always, you are a great and helpful resource.
Underrated Restaurants
here's a link. granted, it was restaurant week, but still.
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/230687#1225159
Underrated Restaurants
I had a laughably terrible meal at Montrachet a couple of years ago. The food was good, but the service was preposterously bad. I will never willingly go back.
Ultra Cheap LES for kids who want McDonalds
Exactly. But I also doubt (as indicated above) that the kids would go for it.
I think Two Boots might do it for un-adventurous kids, and they can do reasonable volume, and it's not entirely boring. I mean, they have a pizza named after The Dude!
Ultra Cheap LES for kids who want McDonalds
How big a group are we talking about?
Initial suggestions, all very doable for $10 all-in:
Two Boots Pizza (probably the best bet -- on 3rd and A) has pizzas and slices with funky toppings, as well as standard pizza slices.
San Loco (not great but cheap tex-mex -- Avenue A between 9th and 10th, or 2nd Ave between 7th and St. Mark's Place)
Would they eat banh mi? Probably not, but Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches is right there (on 2nd Street just off A)
Underrated Restaurants
Try the brunch. It's a totally different menu, and is all very tasty and affordable. Also, the coffee is outstanding.
