bookmonger's Profile
Best Restaurants Under $30 pp (not including drinks)
If you want high end on a budget, ABC Kitchen does a 3 course prix fixe lunch on weekdays for $28 pp -- I would highly recommend making a reservation. One of my favorite meals ever and the price for the quality of food can't be beat.
Liquor stores - Manhattan delivery area
PJ Wine delivers (over $150) and they're pretty reasonable! I used to live up there and go in person (they are in Inwood), but I know they deliver to the UWS.
http://www.pjwine.com/store/content/16/Shipping/
Kalustyan's - How is the 2d floor prepared food?
The mujadarra (pardon the spelling) sandwich is truly glorious. With a small side it will last you two days unless you have a massive stomach. The cauliflower sandwich is also great. Be sure to ask for extra hot sauce, they will not give it up willingly. Almost all of it is vegetarian (if not all?).
Most of the places around there are vegetarian. Tiffin Wallah and Chennai Garden both do flat rate takeout boxes from their buffets that are affordable ($7-8) and pretty good. if you want Japanese, I believe Chef 28 has some vegetarian options.
If you can walk a few minutes, no. 7 sub in the Ace Hotel has some vegetarian subs that are amazing (they rotate menus, but always have at least one or two unique veggie options).
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Tiffin Wallah
127 E 28th St, New York, NY 10016
Chennai Garden
129 E 27th St, New York, NY 10016
Chef 28
29 E 28th St, New York, NY 10016
Asking for vegetarian in Flushing Chinese Food Courts/restaurants
I've only been to Manhattan Bodai, but there is an eggplant and soft tofu dish (alas can't remember the name) that was out of this world when I went. And I love my meat, so it's harder for me to get on board with a veggie-only asian place.
That said, your kids might have trouble finding something made without fish sauce (even many vegetarian dishes have it, so they might want to be careful since the cooks might not consider it meat).
European vegetable and fruit purveyor coming to NYC. Where to eat?
If you're already in Brooklyn, there are some options there to check out. Roberta's grows much of their own produce on their rooftop. And I believe Northeast Kingdom grows much of their own produce and has some foraging going on as well. Both are in Bushwick, a short ride on the L train from Williamsburg.
And if you're willing to go further afield, The Farm on Adderley might also be of interest. The area also has some very beautiful homes if you like architecture.
Mable's smokehouse and banquet hall
I've tried them all, and having lived and eaten BBQ in Kansas City, North Carolina (rural and urban -- lots of pig pullings as a kid), Colorado, and Tennessee, and having lived in NYC for 4 years, this is the only place that feels right and makes me happy. It's the only consistently good brisket from a BBQ place in Williamsburg. Fette Sau is too fancy tasting without letting the meat just shine through, it's not the same.
Plus Mable's is the only place where they are actually happy to have you there, which also adds to the real BBQ experience you want.
I've had good ribs (little dry but for ny it's better than most) and good fried chicken at Rack N' Soul, but when I want brisket with good sides that aren't a total rip off, it's Mable's for me.
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Fette Sau
354 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Brighton Beach restaurants and groceries
Kebeer restaurant for a big beer and the chicken tabaka.
M&I International for goodies. The sausages, livers and other delicacies at the meat counter are all pretty reasonable and pretty good. Be careful though, the lady at the counter will try hard to sell you everything. I would avoid most pre-packaged stuff unless you have a reasonable idea what it's going to be like.
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Kebeer
1003 Brighton Beach Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11235
obscure picks for West Coast hound
For Jewish, do a bagel sandwich at Russ and Daughters and be sure to get at least some smoked fish salad if not something more elaborate. Or the lunch special at B&H (Stick to borscht and challah, the latke is nothing to write home about). Mile End is also awesome, but be prepared for a wait. If you like Jew-eseque food with a European bent, I have always had lovely and filling meals at an Austrian place on the LES called Cafe Katja (the liver is very good and very generous, and their pickled fish salad is a favorite of a lot of folks I know).
For true Eastern European, Veselka's dinner combos are a good deal. If you can get out to Brighton Beach, the chicken tabaka at Kebeer is a religious experience.
The decent Caribbean and West Indies is almost all in the Bronx or Brooklyn as far as I've eaten, but perhaps someone else can help you there. That said, El Malecon is UWS Dominican that makes some tasty soups and stews.
Definitely swap out Gazala Place for Azuri Cafe (as long as it is not the Jewish sabbath). They will trash talk in hebrew the whole time, but I've eaten at both multiple times and Azuri wins it all. Taim is also much better than Gazala. If you're on the UES, the meze at Beyoglu would also replace this experience.
Don't skip Luke's Lobster.
For Greek, Pylos is a great place to unwind, they have a wrap around bar that's great for walk-in solo dining.
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Beyoglu
200 E 81st St, New York, NY 10028
Taim
222 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10014
El Malecon
4141 Broadway, New York, NY 10033
Veselka
144 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003
Gazala Place
709 9th Ave, New York, NY 10019
Cafe Katja
79 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002
Pylos
128 E 7th St, New York, NY 10009
Azuri Cafe
465 W 51st St, New York, NY 10019
B&H
127 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003
Luke's Lobster
93 E 7th St, New York, NY 10009
Looking for a good lunch spot in Upper West Side... Tacos??
Taqueria y Fonda on Amsterdam between 107 and 108 is the best for eat-in or take out. Definitely get the chorizo.
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Taqueria y Fonda La Mexicana
968 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10025
Cake decorating classes?
The baking store on 22nd and 6th ave (believe it's called NY Cake and Baking Supply) does a lot of classes on weekends, and it's probably much cheaper than ICE. Also check out Brooklyn Kitchen, as their classes swap in and out. I think Butterlane might also offer classes.
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New York Cake and Baking
56 W 22nd St, New York, NY 10010
Hot & Spicy
Szechuan Gourmet's tofu with minced pork is a must-have for spice lovers. If the OP's buddy can go to Queens, Little Pepper's braised fish in chili oil is one of the best values and most tasty examples of the cuisine in NYC.
Grand Sichuan's double cooked pork is also very spicy, and very delicious.
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Szechuan Gourmet
21 W 39th St, New York, NY 10018
Organic Raw Almonds in New York City
I would give Sahadi's in Brooklyn a call....I know they do a variety of raw nuts, but I am not sure about the organic status. WF union square might have them in bulk bins? Trader Joe's Chelsea? Integral Foods in the west village?
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Trader Joe's
675 6th Ave, New York, NY 10011
Shisito Peppers (restaurants or markets)
The greenmarket usually has them on Mondays and Fridays, last I checked. There is a stand that grows them in a hothouse year round, but they change locations and I can't remember the name.
If you want someone else to do the grunt work, jimmy's no. 43 does them the best (IMHO).
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Union Square Greenmarket
Broadway and E 17th St, New York, NY 10003
Jimmy's No. 43
43 E 7th St, New York, NY 10003
help!!! - can i store boozy eggnog in plastic tupperware (BPA-free) overnight or will it taste weird?
So this might be a stupid question, but I have to make eggnog today to bring to a get together tomorrow. The theme of it is making something you've never made before / a new cuisine to you (raised Jewish = do not know what I'm doing with this).
I want to make the batch and leave it in the fridge overnight to pick up the boozy flavors. I will need to transport it on the subway, and the only sealed containers I have are plastic. Can I store the nog in these without risking exposing my friends to something gross (flavor or chemical-wise)? I can't really cover a pyrex in saran wrap (spills) and I'd rather not go out and buy something new that we won't have room for.
Help!
(sorry for the double post -- meant this to go to homecooking)
What is an "overpriced" cocktail?
The best value/price cocktails are in Brooklyn. Dram (not to be confused with Dram shop), Huckleberry Bar, Clover Club, The Richardson, James and tons more all have equally good if not better drinks than their Manhattan counterparts much closer to the $9 or $10 range than the $15 range.
baking a cake with egg substitute
There are a few threads on this topic you might want to check out:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/278365
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/506749
This website, along with others of the vegan variety also has a lot of ideas for how to eliminate eggs: http://www.theppk.com/veganbaking.html
Healthy Recession Meals?
I made this soup tonight. Based on Manhattan grocery and utility costs (2-3 times everywhere else in the US), it comes out to about 85 cents a serving. YMMV:
¾ cup brown rice (w/ 1 1/2 cups water)
1 cup lentils
1 cup split peas
1 1/3 cup chick peas (pre-cooked or canned)
2 or 3ish carrots
½ a big onion or 1 small one
5 vegetarian bouillion cubes
11 or so cups of water
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp chili powder
a few shakes of garlic powder
1 ½ tbsp olive oil
Set rice to cook in water in its own small pot. Dice veggies. Place spices consolidated in a bowl. In a large stockpot, pour olive oil. Smear little on sides of pot. Heat oil in pot and add onions and carrots. Let veggies cook for about 10 minutes until onions are more translucent and carrots are softer. Add water and bouillion cubes. Cover and bring to a boil. Add lentils, split peas and spices. Once heat is back up, let simmer for 15 minutes. Add rice with any remaining liquid (it should be at least 70% of the way done). Let simmer about 30 minutes. Add chick peas. Dilute flour in water and add to pot. Stir vigorously and let simmer for 15 more minutes. Turn off heat, uncover and let stand for at least 15 minutes before serving.
It freezes just fine, so you can make it whenever you have time around the house and use it throughout the week. Soup is the cheapest way to eat well.
ottomanelli's cafe
The Ottomanelli's on York (I think they are related??) let's you bring wine or beer with no fee.
Top 10 Bars for Beer Snobs
For food and beer together, Blind Tiger wins no contest. Weekend nights after 9:30 or 10 should be avoided if possible because it fills with loud B & T frat boys. The prices for food are great for the area as well.
I also get burgers with my beer at David Copperfield's, but that's mostly because I'm lazy and live off York. They have a happy hour on weekdays that is a good deal for Manhattan, as well as some Mon-Wed specials, I believe.
For beer crawl only, Jimmy's no. 43 has an interesting tap list as well as an extensive list of properly cellared beers. I've never had the food.
If you're into Belgians and willing to pay for a nicely crafted beer list and peace and quiet, Burp Castle is a unique option (I've never been anywhere else like it in the city or otherwise). Burp Castle and Jimmy's are also literally next door to each other, making a crawl easy.
I like East Village Tavern, but I haven't been there fairly recently. Good craft brews and good mac n' cheese. I definitely prefer the after work scene there (a bit more sane than many of the other options in the neighborhood) to the late night Saturday crowd (is it the same bar on Saturday???).
I'm not sure what you're looking for or when you plan on visiting, but that's my list.
OMG! $65.00 for a Thanksgiving pie [moved from Manhattan board]
I'm a Manhattanite (former Coloradan) who bakes and cooks almost every night (bread included). But many of us have kitchens in old prewar, walk-up construction without full sized ovens (as in most long cookie sheets don't fit in it and a 9 x 13 pan is the cut off--forget a large turkey and roasting pan). My kitchen is about 3.5 x 6 (railroad corridor style so walls/bar on 3 sides), if I were overweight, I could not open the oven and stand in it at the same time. It's easy for me to go to mom's suburban house and make multiple pies, sides and turkey in the course of a couple days because she has two full-sized ovens, a 8 burner stove and a full size freezer--that Thanksgiving is impossible in my kitchen. I also live a few blocks from Two Little Red Hens and if I were having Thanksgiving at my place I would probably get pies from them too. Have you had their pumpkin or Brooklyn blackout cupcakes?! The OP might not be lazy, they might have some very difficult kitchen choreography and might not want their shaky steam radiator to dry their pies out prematurely.
Cheap Eats near Theater District / Times Square?
Pam Real Thai on 49th near 9th. I almost never eat out in Manhattan because I am not financially able, but this place I can afford every now and then (many entrees under $10).
If Thai isn't what you're looking for, I would suggest checking out that stretch of 9th or 10th, as hell's kitchen is full of restaurants much cheaper and better than those 2 avenues away in Times Square.
where to find pretzel bread/pretzel rolls?
I second Glendale's. I haven't had trouble getting them (though there are few left it seems) at 6 or so when I get off the train, but maybe I've just had dumb luck the few times I've stopped in. Wish I could say the same for the brownies at Glasser's down the street--those are hard to get in the evening. The good UES/Yorkville bakeries are a competitive sport after 5.
Company Party--lower budget, east village area, help!
Thanks for the responses everyone, I'll definitely look into these options. I think Loreley might be really well-suited to my group.
Company Party--lower budget, east village area, help!
Somehow, I'm involved in helping find a place for the company Christmas party. Basically, we need to find a place in the east village or south of the 14th street area downtown. It has to be able to accommodate 45 people, preferably with some kind of space separate from other guests (doesn't have to be a whole room). The budget for a couple hours of open bar and passed light food, with tax and tip is $90/person. Does a place with decent food, booze and space exist for this price in the downtown area? The budget is not negotiable, so I'm having a hard time finding anything for that price in December. HELP!
Looking for kid-friendly fish, tofu and vegetarian recipes
I don’t have kids, but I do have a live-in boyfriend raised in a household without a lot of real cooking or things I’d consider real food. Here’s a few things I can think of that might be tricky enough to get passed the “yucky” sensor, but not hidden enough that the kids and dad won’t learn to like it:
-BBQ tofu: For this one, you can take out tofu, slice up a block or two into ½ thick slabs, and put them on a plate sandwiched between paper towels with a heavy pot on top. this will get out extra water so you can make it more meaty. Meanwhile heat up the oven to 375. After 15 minutes of pressing time, you can remove the pot from the plate of tofu. Cut shallow diagonal slits into the tofu for extra sauce absorption. Grab a 9 x 13 pan and a bottle (or pre-homemade) of your favorite healthier bbq sauce. Pour some sauce into the pan and dredge your tofu slabs through it until all sides have a thin layer of sauce on them. Cover pan filled with tofu with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Sides we enjoy: Twice-baked potatoes (can be made ¾ of the way the night before), steamed carrots with dill, sweet corn, peas. If the grown-ups want something extra, sautee some diced mushrooms to put on top of the tofu.
-Anything called pizza. If Domino’s accidentally got swapped for individual whole wheat pitas or pre-made whole wheat crust with a little sauce, lower fat cheeses and very tiny diced vegetables, they would probably still love it.
-Chickpea or black bean “burgers.” You can use canned or pre-boiled dried, of either or both. You can mash by hand or use a food processor if you don’t live in a tiny Manhattan apartment. There are a lot of exact recipes out there, but essentially it a matter of throwing together mashed ingredients with veggies and spices, possibly some kind of citrus juice and maybe some breadcrumbs or flour. If you really want to wow them, slice up a sweet potato, toss in a tablespoon or two of oil and bake for oven fries. You can serve them like regular hamburgers and fries and the kids will think they won the jackpot with fast food. Mini burgers for the kids, big ones for the adults.
-Easy, plated “bento boxes.” You could cook/broil your choice of a basic white fish in basics like lemon and margarine. Meanwhile, make a pot of rice. Slice up small (or use the food processor) carrots, cucumbers, green peppers, whatever else you might like. Organize everything on the plates into sections (ala bento boxes) and let the kids build their own little meals. The grown-ups can add ginger or wasabi or soy sauce.
Need suggestions for mail ordering Hatch chiles
My frozen chiles and my chile accesories (hatch powder, habenero powder and a couple jars of double fire-roasted hatches) are all here! The frozen peppers were packed in plastic bags, surrounded by styrofoam. The packages were starting to defrost a bit by the time they got to New York, but they were still very cold and partially frozen. Overall, I had a pleasant experience with new mexican connection and would order from them again. Since I live in a small Manhattan apartment, it was worth it to get the pre-roasted.
Warning on the habanero powder, if you choose to toss that into your cart as well--it is really, really hot.
Need suggestions for mail ordering Hatch chiles
I ordered 10 pounds of Big Jims from newmexicanconnection.com on Saturday, they will arrive tomorrow. I'll post back when they're here! So far so good, their website accidentally added shipping charges even though I qualified for free, and they sent me an email within 24 hours (on a Sunday) saying it was a mistake and they would deduct the extra charges right away. I also ordered some other goodies from their site (chili powders, ancho pods). I paid way more than I would have when I lived in CO, but they just don't have the good stuff in NYC.
Tiffin Wallah - Rich or did I order wrong?
Saravanaas (sp?) and Chennai Garden are my favorites.
Cooking for One
If you have a freezer, you don't have to eat the same thing all week. Invest in some plastic containers, foil and butcher paper.
You can make lasagna, chili, quiche, soups, veggie kugel, casseroles, etc. If you freeze them all in single portions, you can easily take one out at a time--so you might have lasagna once a week for 6-8 weeks instead of for 6-8 days in a row. I live in a Manhattan rental so my freezer is not huge and I can't keep many large containers in it anyways. I save money by getting big batches of veggies from the farmers market, blanching them and then freezing small amounts in individual ziploc bags. That way, I can throw a few things over rice or pasta or into an omelet for a quick cheap dinner. This method also works with things like beans or chick peas. If you eat meat, you can buy a chicken or even a pack of breasts/thighs/whatever and portion those the same way (uncooked), so you can throw them into stir fry or over rice or into pasta. It's much cheaper and more time efficient to buy a larger amount and freeze it in small portions. You feel like you're eating different things, but it's also nice because a couple hours of prep work on the weekend keep you from reaching for the takeout menu after work. A good meal formula is protein item + whole grain item + at least one vegetable item.
As for things that keep in the fridge, here's a few I have: soy milk, eggs, yogurt, cheese (not sliced), carrots, chipotles in adobo (in a glass jar, they will last a year), grapefruits. There are these tablets on amazon some people have mentioned on chow somewhere that you can throw in your veggie bin and they are supposed to slow the aging process of produce. I've never used them, so you might have to search around.
Pantry items: quinoa, rice, pasta, beans (canned or dried), lentils, flour, olive oil, soy sauce, sriracha, vinegar, sherry. You can make the base for a lot of meals with these items.
