karenitasf's Profile
The Red Hat by the River in Irvington, NY
Wow I'm surprised to hear you say that! I loved the new Red Hat even more than the old one... beautiful space, great service and food each time I go. Hopefully that was just the growing pains? The owners are always there and making sure everyone is taken care of, it's one of my favorite spots.
recs in Scottsdale- staying at the Mondrian
Thank you SO MUCH to everyone- I promise to report back on the current state of all of the places I try!
Karen
recs in Scottsdale- staying at the Mondrian
Wow, rlm, after your first paragraph my mouth was seriously watering. Sounds amazing!! I am looking forward to trying it...
As for the Mondrian our room is only $120/night which is why we went for it... but maybe I will look into it. Its not set in stone yet so perhaps I will do a bit more digging. Thanks very much for the tips! Much appreciated.
What's Chow-ish in Palm Springs?
Reporting back after a november trip to PS... we had a great meal at Zin, but I will agree that some of the food was amazing while other dishes were just, pretty good. Still for PS I would recommend it. We had fantastic service there.
Norma's brunch was tasty, a little pricey, but can't beat the setting and the people-watching- I think it's a must.
And one of our favorite spots was the 29 Palms Inn in Twentynine Palms- just outside the entrance to Joshua Tree. After a long day of hiking, it was so fantastic. It's very funky and retro - we enjoyed sitting outside (around the swimming pool) because the stars are so pretty and there was a loungey singing duet out there- in spot-on Palm Springs throwback style. But, even though much of the food sounds like old Palm Springs standard fare, it's very well-executed and more up to date. Great small wine list and mojitos there too! Incredibly friendly and knowledgable service by guys who have clearly worked there happily for many years. If you are planning a day at Joshua Tree I would definitely make a reservation there for, oh, just after the sun sets!
recs in Scottsdale- staying at the Mondrian
Thanks everyone- awesome! Looking forward to a super tasty first time in Scottsdale! My girlfriends will be so excited for all of the great tips.
recs in Scottsdale- staying at the Mondrian
Thanks Hunt,
I did that for about an hour before starting this new topic- and the reason I did so was that I noticed a lot of the replies mentioned that some of the recs would be too far away/spread out because of the way Scottsdale is oriented- and that it would be helpful to have a starting point (eg the Mondrian.) I didn't mean to duplicate a topic so hopefully I didn't! I will go back to the existing boards. Thanks for the advice.
Karen
recs in Scottsdale- staying at the Mondrian
Thanks Barry- and it was super helpful and kind of you to add the links and addresses! Will definitely go for your recommendations and report back.
Karen
recs in Scottsdale- staying at the Mondrian
Hi, me and a couple female friends are doing a celebratory weekend at the Mondrian in Scottsdale in a couple months, and wanted some restaurant recs for dinner/brunch. We are looking for great food in fun places- doesn't need to be tragically hip but a lively atmosphere is a plus! Thanks!
Best Beijing Duck in Beijing
Made in China was good! But we actually liked this crispy lamb pancake thing the best of all there... I was more into it than the duck. Go figure. Some Beijinger friends took us to a place they translated as "Daily Food and Beijing Duck Restaurant" that had slammin' good duck and was definitely not touristy or expensive. Apologies if that's been mentioned here in pinyin/Chinese and I didn't know...
I have some more info/pics on this blog post if interested!
http://offthemeathook.com/2007/12/31/an-extremely-quick-and-incomplete-guide-to-beijing-eats.aspx
Beijing & Chengdu recs for adventurous family
Yo, thanks pepper_mil, that Xinjiang place ROCKED. Thanks so much for the recommendation!!! I just got back from Chengdu and somehow arrived there without a useful guidebook- logged on to CH, got your rec, and it was the first place we went- we thought it was super fun and tasty and cheap and the neighborhood was loads of fun as well. Love the Chowhound.
It's amazing to me how hardly anyone mentions the awesome street food in Chengdu! It was the BEST. I used some recs from people there, other sites, this site, etc. but often found that places were hard to find if you didn't have concrete information. (including Pepper_mil's suggestion, but it's not his/her fault, the map we had of that area was screwy and we know no Chinese.)
I felt compelled to do 2 much lengthier blog posts on Chengdu food, with street names and directions and photos and tips and such- in hopes it will help others navigate more easily!
http://offthemeathook.com/2008/01/02/chengdu-is-for-lovers-of-food.aspx
http://offthemeathook.com/2008/01/10/chengdu-eats-part-2-sichuan-street-food.aspx
Chengdu Recs
I just got back to Chengdu and LOVED the food. It's amazing to me how hardly anyone mentions the awesome street food! It was the BEST. I used some recs from people there, other sites, this site, etc. but often found that places were hard to find if you didn't have concrete information. I felt compelled to do 2 much lengthier blog posts on Chengdu food, with street names and directions and tips and such- in hopes it will help others navigate more easily!
http://offthemeathook.com/2008/01/02/chengdu-is-for-lovers-of-food.aspx
http://offthemeathook.com/2008/01/10/chengdu-eats-part-2-sichuan-street-food.aspx
What's Chow-ish in Palm Springs?
I am in SF but heading to Palm Springs this weekend... I have to say Zin's website is really cheezy but based on the recommendations I'm going to hit Zin on Friday, Norma's for brunch at some point, and the Oasis in 29 Palms after a day of Joshua Tree hiking. Sound good?
Gary Dankos or French Laundry
TFL! Much more consistent and much more of an experience. I don't even think GD is very good. Not in the same league as TFL. It's so hit and miss there, if you get an off night you might as well have stayed home.
Tasting Menu Crawl - Gary Danko no!
I don't think you had an off night, Krys. I had a totally lame-o meal at GD on my birthday. We spent almost $400 for 2 people and I was really disappointed in EVERYTHING. It was basically just oversized portions of mediocre food. Of the 10 things we tried not one was memorable or exciting or even very tasty. What is up with that? It drives me crazy when people say GD is so great- for the money, I feel the decor and the food are dated and boring and not up to snuff.
