Mike in Rhinebeck

Upcoming Eastern Finger Lakes / Catskills Road Trip: “Diners, Drive Ins and Dives” recs sought!

looks like you are ice cream heavy in Ithaca; I can vouch for both Purity and the Cornell Dairy Bar but have not been to the Creamery.

I suggest adding to your list The Glenwood Pines on Rt. 89 just north of Ithaca (www.glenwoodpines.com) for either the Pines Burger or the fish fry.

if you wind up on a more westward journey and are heading down the east side of Keuka Lake south of Penn Yan on a nice day, then you cannot beat the view from the outside deck of The Switzerland Inn (www.theswitz.com), especially with a beer and a sandwich.

The Roscoe Diner (in Roscoe, just off Rt. 17) has been there forever, but I would not recommend it unless a crowd is there . . . otherwise service is slow and the place seems like a morgue.

on Jun 07, 2009

Poughkeepsie/Dutchess County Delis

Joes is certainly very good, but meatball subs are not on their regular sandwich/sub menu that is on the wall above the counter area. occasionally they have meatballs in the deli case and you can get a sub on those days. Rossi's is the same way - if they have meatballs on the day you go in, you can get a meatball sub. I prefer the bread at Rossi's (although Joe's is not bad at all).

on May 08, 2009

recs near Sheraton Seattle

sure - I am a regular reader and poster on the "Tri-State Region" Chowhound Board, which includes the mid-Hudson Valley where I live and work.

on Jan 26, 2009

recs near Sheraton Seattle

thanks again for all the suggestions. I wound up dining at the following places:

Brooklyn Seafood, Oyster & Steak House on 2nd Ave - was there one day for happy hour and thus partook of locally brewed beers (a Leavenworth Wheat and some type of Amber) and 99 cent raw oysters. very friendly staff at the bar who were willing to explain the virtues of various oyster species. oysters served with cocktail sauce, freshly grated (actually tiny julienne strips) horseradish and a wine-based vinagrette. I prefer oysters without anything to impede their fresh briny taste.

I returned a few nights later with a friend and sat at the chef's counter, which was basically a very upscale diner counter along the open kitchen. We had more raw oysters as well as Oysters Brroklyn (the house version of Oysters Rockefeller), and both chose Chilean Sea bass as entrees. The fish had a light crust of Yukon Gold potatoes and was accompanied by whipped potatoes and some greens - all was outstanding. was not impressed by the pomegranate sorbet (I swear it was red raspberry and not pomegranate.

Tom Jackson's Palace Kitchen - I ate dinner at the bar. started with wonderful Piedmontese-style ravioli filled with roast pork and chard. they were very delicate in a nice butter sauce and very plentiful for an appetizer. main course was sauteed Alaskan black cod on rusticella d'abruzzo spaghetti, pine nuts, and black olive (along with radichhio and baby bok choy). this was outstanding - very flavorful and a notch or two above the Brooklyn's sea bass.

Tulio - an Italian restaurant near my hotel. five of us arrived with reservations for 7:30 and were not seated until about 8:15, and we suffered from relatively slow and inattentive service all evening. nevertheless, the food was very good. we shared two orders of sweet potato gnocchi, which apparently are one of their signature dishes. these were like small 'tater tots of semi-crispy sweet potato surrounding mascarpone cheese and swathed in sage butter. we each chose a different dish. My grilled lamb was cooked perfectly medium as ordered but accompanied by slightly cool veggies. Others had the huge veal chop stuufed with mozzarella, spinach, leeks, and truffle oil topped by a large piece of cripsy prosciutto; linguini with local clams; ravioli with salmon, asparagus, and and lemon cream (this looked and smelled heavenly); and orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe. we all were more than satisfied with the food, but felt that the waiter was inexperienced.

on Jan 25, 2009

Need help with Utica dining....

a reasonably priced pastry shop that bakes traditional Italian pastries is La Florentine - which is on Bleecker St just a few blocks north of Joeys

on Jan 20, 2009

recs near Sheraton Seattle

thanks, everybody, for replying so quickly. I will try to check out these recommendations as time allows, and report back.

on Jan 19, 2009

Need help with Utica dining....

having eaten once at Perugia (which my family and I felt was pretentious and overpriced), I understand your search for other options. our favorite Utica restaurant is Joeys Restaurant on Mohawk Street, a small, family-run, neighborhood red-sauce Italian place open for lunch and dinner. Portions are large (but not overly so) and prices are very reasonable (see their web site at www.joeysrestaurant.com). they serve both home-made pasta ( we tend to favor the "hats", which are a orecchiette-like pasta), but also have enjoyed all their dishes - especially the chicken riggies, Italian greens, and the seafood) and usually they offer several specials (including tripe on Saturdays).

on Jan 19, 2009

recs near Sheraton Seattle

Hi - I will be in Seattle starting Jan. 20 for 5 days for a conference and will be staying at the Sheraton Seattle (1400 Sixth Ave). I am looking for restaurant recommendations for dinner that are within a reasonable and safe (15-20 min max) walking distance of the hotel. I enjoy all types of cuisine - especially Thai and Vietnamese but would like to try any Seattle or Pacific Northwest specialties, including seafood or other foods that have been locally sourced. Most likely I will be with a party of 4-6 most nights. Most any price range except the ridiculously high (e.g., dinner entrees over $35-40) is acceptable. Thanks!

on Jan 18, 2009

good pizza outside Yankee Stadium?

are there any good places to score a slice prior to an afternoon game within easy walking distance outside Yankee Stadium? thanks!

on Aug 14, 2008

ISO Good Beef Chow Fun .... Dutchess/Ulster/Orange Counties?

I am pretty sure that China Rose does NOT have any chow fun on their menu.

I've sampled chow fun at many of the ubiquitous take-out joints in Dutchess, and not yet found one with a sufficient quantity of brown sauce (good or not). most of the time, there are so many noodles and insufficient sauce so that the noodles stick together. have not tried it yet at my favorite Golden Wok on Rt. 9 in Red Hook half a block south of the traffic light at the main intersection in town.

on Jul 28, 2008

what to order at Sripraphai (no meat)???

I'd have to agree with Janie (below). Having been to Sri almost exclusively during "off" times, I/we have never felt rushed or been treated rudely. having said that, however, a few of the servers tend to be a bot less patient (and less copnversant in English) than the others, and I can see how they might appear to be rude. Our latest visit was this past Thursday, when my wife and son arrived at about 3;20 pm and asked if we could sit, have drinks and appetizers, while waiting for my daughter, who showed up at about 4:00 pm. We were treated graciously and were allowed to proceed at our own pace, even after my daughter arrived. when my daughter ordered a dish with catfish, the server patiently explained that if she wanted to avoid bones, that she should substitute a different fish (I believe it was sea trout) instead. I am pretty fussy and always ask for clean plates and extra forks, etc., and the servers accommodated me without any problems.

regarding the food, I agree with bkeater that the chive dumplings are nothing to write home about (the one time I had them, they were greasy and far inferior to any I have had in dim sum places). My daughter also eats no red meat, and was quite pleased with her seat trout in Thai spicy sauce, as well as the Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce (not the same salty oyster sauce from Chinese cuisine). while I frequently order the green curry with roasted duck at medium spicy-ness, I can see how this dish without any meat would be superb. yes - the watercress is quite fried, but this salad (IMHO) is best when the fluid 'softens' the fried part of the greens.

I suggest that you take janie's advice about going at an "off time", and taking your time with the picture book and ask a lot of questions. that's what I did my first few times going there.

good luck.

on Jul 27, 2008

pizza near Shea?

Thanks for the Amore recommendation. We stopped by at about 5:10-5:15 pm on the way to Shea . . had no trouble finding it, getting a parking spot, and before we were there early (compared to the dinner hour) it was not crowded. My son had two Sicilian slices and I had a regular slice and a Sicilian. Both slices were outstanding and only $2.25 apiece. small fountain sodas were $1.00 each. our entire pre-Shea supper was only $11.00 but that's not the point. The pizza was among the best we have ever had both types of slices had just the right proportion of sauce to cheese, not too oily, and with a crust balanced between chewy and crispy. we plan to return - even if we are not headed to Shea. thanks again!

on Jul 09, 2008

pizza near Shea?

will be headed to Shea for Tues evening Mets game and would like to stop for a few slices prior to the game. any suggestions? (we'll be coming from Bronx-Whitestone bridge, but are willing to drive along Roosevelt Ave or other streets if necessary). I figure we will arrive in Queens at about 5 PM for a 7 PM game. thanks.

on Jul 07, 2008

I NEED A GOOD BURGER (Kingston)

I've said it here before, and although some disagree with me, I will say it again: The Raccoon Saloon in Marlboro has a consistently good burger. can't comment about martinis, though.

on May 24, 2008

good eats near Port St. Lucie

thanks for all the replies; here is where we wound up eating dinners:

Archies's Seabreeze in Ft. Pierce i\on A1A. great atmosphere, as we sat outside during happy hour and drank beer (soda for son), ate burgers and hot wings, and watched the locals and not-so-locals enjoy Fri evening.

New England Seafood Market in Jensen Beach. as others have posted, this was very fresh and very nicely done at moderate-to-slightly high prices. son had fried clams (his standard seafood fare), wife had a hot lobster roll (lobster was hot and dipped in melted butter as opposed to being mixed with celery and mayo and served cold), and I had Florida grouper steamed in parchment paper with veggies. Excellent and delicious hush puppies with pieces of corn in 'em. a little tight on the seating but comfortable nonetheless.

Bare Bones Brewery and Grill in Stuart on Dixie Highway. apparently this is the second outpost of a brewpub that started in Maryland; unfortunately, beer is not brewed at this location. had a great Belgian wheat beer, however, so all was not lost. Son has a humongous rack of baby back ribs, wife had a large salad with grilled chicken, and I had tempura-battered dolphin fish. service was outstanding, as were the coconut cream pie and snickers cheesecake desserts.

Duffy's Sports Bar & Grill in West Palm Beach - we hit this on the way back to our hotel in Stuart from the Mets-Orioles game in Ft. Lauderdale. standard sports bar fare, although with several seafood items. son had a BBQ bacon cheeseburger, while wife and I had specials" she got the skewers of 20 grilled shrimp while I got grilled ahi tuna with grilled zucchini and slaw. not bad for a chain and we got to watch NCAA women's tourney as well.

ball game fare was OK - the best variety was at Tradition Field (Mets), whereas Ft. Lauderdale Stadium (Orioles) was fairly standard. Roger Dean Stadium (Cardinals) has good variety but also is adjacent to several restaurants if you want to chow down prior to the game.

on Mar 26, 2008

Mike in Rhinebeck in Florida

good eats near Port St. Lucie

my wife, 16 year old son, and I are heading down to see the Mets play several spring training games in Port St. Lucie over Easter Weekend. We will be staying in Stuart, FL, near Port St. Lucie and Jensen beach. We would appreciate recommendations for informal, inexpensive to moderately priced, dining options, primarily for dinners, as we will likely eat most lunches at the park. Because my son is a picky eater, exotic ethnic choices are out of the question. He/we like seafood, sandwiches, pizza, barbeque, brewpubs, and/or burger joints. We are willing to drive up to 30 minutes in any direction from Port St. Lucie, and we recognize that because of the Easter holiday, we may face some crowds. Thanks!

on Mar 18, 2008

Mike in Rhinebeck in Florida

Brickhouse, Marlboro, NY

I had heard several good things about the Brickhouse Restaurant in Marlboro, NY from friends, and the Best of the Hudson Valley had chosen it as "Best Mediterranean" recently, so we were eager to try it out. My wife and daughter and I arrived at about 6:30-6:45 pm on a recent Friday evening, and were surprised to find only one table occupied, by a party of 4. We were greeted warmly (by a person we assumed was the manager and/or owner) and seated near the back. A young woman came to take our drink order fairly quickly, letting us know that it was her first night when we asked her to recite the list of beers on tap.

To make a long story short, while the food was very good and reasonably priced, the kitchen was extraordinarily slow in preparing it. We ordered one of their appetizer combo plates for the table, and it took well over 45 minutes to arrive. The inexperienced server brought our dinner salads before the appetizers; this was a "lucky' mistake because it helped quell our appetite during the long wait for the appetizers. The appetizers were good (cheese pies and spinach pies) to very good (lamb meatballs, grilled marinated portobellos, and pita bread with yogurt dip).

It took nearly an hour after getting the appetizers to get our main courses. at one point, I asked how much longer and was told 1 minute. About 5-7 minutes later, my wife's meal (a large Greek Salad) arrived and we were told that the other two meals would be out "in a second". We waited almost 10 minutes for the other two meals, which did arrive piping hot (daughter had moussaka and I had tilapia francese, one of the specials. Despite the high quality of the food, the long wait ruined the experience for us.

During these long waits, two other parties of 2 came in, and in fact, by 8:40 when we left, the dining room had only experienced 5 parties (three of which were parties of 2, one of which came in as we received our check). So, the kitchen could not have used the excuse of being too busy to prepare our food in a timely way. It is difficult to understand why they could not have prepared our food more quickly, especially when one of the couples seated near us came in, ordered, and got the same appetizer combo as we did within 15 minutes. It is not like we were the first people in the door at opening tiome.

So . . . we do not plan to go back.

on Jan 20, 2008