Seattle Since 2006

HI everybody,

I lived in Seattle from 2001 to 2006, loving Salumi, Seven Stars Pepper, Malay Satay Hut, the Lighthouse, Dahlia Bakery, the Dish, Ray's, Cafe Besalu, and much, much more, but that should give you some sense of my (fairly run-of-the-mill) Chowhound tastes. Can you tell me what you think the best stuff to open since my time might be? I have happily been to Molly Moon's and Tilth, but not a whole lot more. Would like to not only haunt my past!

Thanks for any advice you can give,

Eric

EricW in Greater Seattle

Oklahoma City on a Sunday night

No hope? Just two days away!

EricW in Great Plains

Oklahoma City on a Sunday night

Hi, will be in Oklahoma City on a road trip for just Sunday night, things like Cheever's and Ann's Fry House look to be closed, things like Iron Starr BBQ and Deep Fork Grille seem less than distinctive. Any suggestions? Don't care if high end or low end, coming from LA and heading to Alabama, so probably no need for Asian or pork ribs! Thanks, Eric

EricW in Great Plains

Tuscaloosa Alabama Chow

Must apologize for spreading bad info, got told Nick's was closed by a friend I trust and confused Kozy's with an upscale place in a mall that has indeed closed. But no good excuses. Have already been to Nick's in penance (decent, not more), and am looking forward to Kozy's, about which I now hear great things.

EricW in Central South

Tuscaloosa Alabama Chow

Nick's in the Sticks and Kozy's are both gone. The Globe has been replaced by Melina's: have not yet tried it. 15th Street Diner is okay. I should have mentioned the lunches at Manna, on McFarland: good organic produce used for relatively creative full meals.

I am eager to try Maggie's now, hope it is still around!

EricW in Central South

Tuscaloosa Alabama Chow

Archibald's remains the best thing in town, followed I would argue by the antojitos and specials at the taqueria Jaripeo on University Blvd, and in a distant third the German lunch place Edelweiss.The rest is eh, though I have yet to try newish upscale lunch and dinner spot Melina's in Northport. Have never had more than okay meals at City Diner, the Waysider, or other meat 'n' threes: perhaps I am ordering wrong?

EricW in Central South

12th and K/9th and NY area help!

Hi good people,

Am coming in for the American Studies Association conference, staying on 12th and K, conference is at the Renaissance on 9th and New York, and I know I will be at Halo bar on 14th and P this evening. So: recommendations for a good latte near my hotel or the conference? Lunch place near the Renaissance? Dinner place near any of these three addresses?

Thanks so much for any help you can offer.

EricW in Washington DC & Baltimore Area

Louisiana and Mississippi recs by I-20

I will be driving from Dallas to Birmingham this coming Sunday or Monday via I-20 and was wondering about distinctive or, you know, satisfying lunch and dinner places to stop not far off the road and eat along the way: Shreveport, Monroe, Vicksburg, Meridian, etc. My first time through the region!

Thanks for your help with what I realize is a somewhat broad question.

EricW in Central South

PLEASE POST YOUR VOTES HERE: Ultimate Los Angeles Restaurants 2008

LA $25 and Under: Jitlada, Noodle House, My Taco, Pollos a la Brasa, Europane

But really, Elite, Oinkster, Langer's, 101 Noodle Express, Renu Nakorn, Huarache Azteca, Shamshiri Grill, Red Top Burgers, Father's Office, Casa Bianca, Din Tai Fung, Golden Deli, Banh Mi Che Cali, Barrio Fiesta/Fiesta sa Barrio, Skafs, Loteria, El Parian, Porto's, Zankou, Carnitas Michoacan, Pie 'n' Burger, Phillippe's, Mei Long Village, Tacos Baja Ensenada, Primo's Doughnuts, La Cabanita, Susina Bakery, Tender Greens, Puro Sabor, Tamales Liliana, and Krua Thai all have a case to make, and I still need to try Pann's, Bay Cities, Pho Minh, Izakaya Bincho, Spicy BBQ, Porky's, Santouka, Cassell's, Robata Yakitori, and Phillips BBQ!

What a city for eating reasonably.

EricW in Los Angeles Area

Best restaurants in Eagle Rock?

In Eagle Rock proper, heading from west to east: Filipino fast food under Target in the mall, Spitz for the doner kebab, Dave's Chillin and Grillin for the sausage and meatball or french dip sandwiches, Brownstone Pizza for cheese pizza with a bit of an NYC flave (actually closest to Benny Tudino's in Hoboken, but I know that's a hopelessly obscure reference!) Oinkster for pulled pork and pastrami and Ube shakes, skip Blue Hen and the taco joint, sandwiches at the Italian bakery (though I'm mad they won't give you fresh mozza with your meat anymore), Casa Bianca for eggplant and sausage pie that doesn't taste anything like NYC (hence, original!), skip the nasty people at the veggie place Fatty's, fried chicken and the fruit juice at Larkin's. I'm on the fence about the two Boulangerie places, good vibe and decent but inherently bland food.

Head south on Eagle Rock blvd or on Figueroa or take in York and your options expand, but this post is probably long enough. My Taco (for the lamb special), Huarache Azteca (for huarache adobado), Auntie Em's (for yuppie breakfast and lunch eating), and SenorFish (for scallop burritos) are pretty mandatory, and the hamburger at the York ain't nothing to sniff at. Dollar pupusa nights early in the week at La Arca on Fig are a good deal, too.

EricW in Los Angeles Area

Bagels in LA?

I dunno, bagel bagels: garlic, poppy, salt. The onions do kinda shed. And I get them in the morning, usually on the same Saturday or Sunday run that I get my week's beans from Intelligentsia, a 90 degree twist up Sunset and then down Alvarado!

EricW in Los Angeles Area

Bagels in LA?

As this thread lives on, it seems like a democratic obligation to just repeat what was said way higher up. Brooklyn Bagels, hands down, problem solved for all in the high density Chow zones of LA. No frills, no fuss, reminds me exactly of the places in Queens where I grew up, of which only Bagel Oasis on the L.I.E. still remains.

EricW in Los Angeles Area

Noodles in the SGV

I have what may be a humble request for the sophisticated Chinese food eaters on this board. Where can I go in the San Gabriel Valley (prefer as far west as possible, but recommend away!) to bring home some cool noodle dishes? Not soup dumplings, not noodle soup: chow fun, rice cakes, handshaven noodles, e-fu with crab, that sort of thing. I honestly can't tell from reading earlier postings: even a place with Noodle in its name is mostly known for beef roll!

Along similar humble lines, if it is possible for your recommendations to offer something close to the name as I might encounter it, in Engish, on the menu, I would have a much easier time.

Thanks!

EricW in Los Angeles Area

Intelligentsia Coffee...boring, sanitized & oh so precious

I don't see how ordering a latte counts as snobbery or hipsterdom! It's a basic espresso drink. But in virtually every LA coffee place, all of which serve 'em, you have no idea whether the person behind the counter will make you a good one or dump it into the cup. So I end up defensively ordering a lot of iced coffees and just not bothering. At Intelligentsia, like Luxxe, you know the baristas will know what they are doing. As for attitude, it didn't seem hard when my wife, three year old (trust me, Rebecca is not yet world weary), and I walked into the place to approach the counter and request a latte! Perhaps you are projecting a bit?

EricW in Chains

Intelligentsia Coffee...boring, sanitized & oh so precious

I am a bit amazed that people can act so reserved about what, at least from this NW latte land perspective, counts as only the SECOND working espresso joint in one of the biggest metropolitan regions in the world! (Counting Luxxe, that is.) Given that folks on this list have spent time in the past chasing individual baristas across town, basic pulling skills being apparently so rare here, to have a reliable place with clear standards in this part of town seems like a mighty fine thing to me. Sheesh!

EricW in Chains

Saladang Song (Pasadena) -- Avoid this place!

In other cities I have lived in (NY, Seattle, Bay Area), you had pretty good Americanized Thai pretty much everywhere and had to work hard to find the more Thai focused spots. In LA, it seems just the opposite: incredible stuff like Jitlada, the Sherman Way gaggle, Wat Thai, all aimed at Thai residents while the Americanized stuff is usually just hideous. So Song stands out for what it is, a place to take people who really just want Pad Thai and good ingredients in a nice outdoor setting, not a culinary adventure of any sort. Like my parents. That said, the heat with which Pasadenans defend their bourgie comfort food, while just about failing to mention a single dish, is really remarkable!

EricW in Los Angeles Area

BEST FILIPINO RESTAURANT - BARRIO FIESTA NOW OPEN IN EAGLE ROCK!!!!!!!!

I know it's all new, but does anybody understand why there is a Barrio Fiesta at 4420 Eagle Rock, but also a Fiesta Sa Barrio across the street more or less at 4411 Eagle Rock, which also has the two dishes mentioned by the O.P.?

EricW in Los Angeles Area

ZONA ROSA CAFFE, pasadena - so disappointing!

On the East Side, the only latte that resembles a real latte that I have found is at the Alcove Cafe on Hillhurst in Los Feliz. Not quite Luxxe caliber, just the actual generic thing. There is obviously an expectations gap between those converted to Vivace-style Seattle lattes and those (most) not. (The latte leaf on the door of Luxxe is like a talisman in that regard.) But places like Buster's and Kaldi (styrofoam to go cups both!) or Swork just don't try for the experience that the original poster was looking for.

EricW in Los Angeles Area