Bergen, Norway

There is seriously good food to be had in Bergen. I was taken by Norwegian hosts a couple of years ago to Hanna Pa Hoyden, a slow food/locavore restaurant that provided a memorable dinner. The chef only uses ingredients from Norway (foreswearing, e.g., the use of garlic as it is not native to the country). Whatever one thinks of such purism, it is in this instance the basis for creative, ambitious and--the key thing--delicious cooking, especially notable for seafood. "Wines" are, as I recall, made from fruits other than grapes (see garlic, above). Didn't try them, as Pa Hoyden also has a very strong beer list, thanks to the presence in Norway of the quite excellent Nøgne craft brewery. Sorry to be too late for the OP, but if you're serious about food (and why else would you be on Chowhound?), Pa Hoyden is worth a visit. I have seen it compared to Denmark's Noma, for instance, though not having been to the latter, I can't say how accurately:
http://hannepaahoeyden.wordpress.com/meny/

Also, if you are a beer geek, Henrik's is an excellent bar for atmosphere, knowledgeable staff, and quality selection, including, again, a strong list of Norwegian beers. (This is the kind of place that takes its staff to California craft breweries on an "educational development" trip. You have to love social democracy.): http://www.ve.no/Index_henrik.html

professor chow in Europe

Dinner for 7 in Center City next Saturday--Help!

As it turned out, our group reduced to 6 people and there was some interest in going to Chifa, which could accommodate a group of that size. Thanks to all 3 of you, though, both for the tip on calling places that appear booked on Open Table (I hadn't thought of that) and for the names of some more places that sound very worth trying in the future.

professor chow in Philadelphia

Dinner for 7 in Center City next Saturday--Help!

We're New Englanders visiting our son at college the weekend of Nov. 4 who have begun explore Philadelphia's great restaurants (much more exciting than what's around us). Were going to go to Kanella, but some other family members are coming into town and our party is now too big (6 or maybe 7) to get a reservation Saturday night. Am sending my son out with my parents to Bistrot la Minette on Friday but am striking out for our big Saturday meal. Have tried for a table at, e.g., Osteria, Zahav, Amada, Tinto (among about 10 other places), to give you a sense of the various kinds of places that would work for our group of somewhat different tastes (different enough that neither, e.g., a seafood-only place or a steakhouse would work). Chifa can take 6 of us, but can't give us a table after 5:45 (too early) if the 7th is coming, so I am looking for a place that will comfortably hold all of us at something like 7:30. We're commuting in from Ardmore, but my parents are staying in Center City, and we're looking for places in that area. Any suggestions much appreciated!

professor chow in Philadelphia

best dim sum items at oriental garden?

I have to say that these items all sound very much like our kind of thing. Will try to eat as many of them as possible on Saturday. So thank you. And to the other respondents, too.

professor chow in Manhattan

best dim sum items at oriental garden?

I'm meeting my sons in New York and going out for brunch this Sunday. We love dim sum. Have read numerous threads on this board about where to go. Settled on Oriental Garden simply because of those dim sum places given decent reports, OG opens the earliest (9 a.m.). We have to start early so my son can catch his bus back to his college (so alternative restaurant suggestions aren't helpful unless they're for places that open just as early). We're adventurous eaters and will order whatever OG does well. Recommendations?

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Oriental Garden
14 Elizabeth St, New York, NY 10013

professor chow in Manhattan

Two Brother's or County Line if Have No Car in San Antonio?

Thanks all. It'll probably be County Line. @Passadum keg: you are entirely right both about the importance of overcoming New England frugality and the desirability of making it out to Lockhart. If the friends with whom I'm dining were willing, I'd be there. I get to be Restaurant Dicatator at these events because I am way more obsessed, but I will lose my position if I abuse my power and, sadly, a car ride of that distance would be interpreted as abuse. Next time. Contemplating a later trip to Austin and hoping to be able to take better advantage of the opportunities. WIll report on County Line afterward if it seems worth it.

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County Line
111 W Crockett St Ste 104, San Antonio, TX 78205

professor chow in Texas

Two Brother's or County Line if Have No Car in San Antonio?

Coming in to San Antonio for a couple of days for a conference down by the Riverwalk and will go out for BBQ with a friend on a Friday night. I've read the threads, I know that the good stuff for BBQ is over an hour away. If I had a car and/or friends with my level of food obsessiveness, I'd make the drive. Won't happen this trip. And I'm from New England, have spent no time in Texas, so I want BBQ as part of the eating experience, even if San Antonio isn't the best spot for it. So my question: we could walk from out hotel to County Line or take a cab to Two Brothers. I assume the latter wold be somewhat expensive for 2 people. My question: is the difference worth it? I'll do it, if so.

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County Line
111 W Crockett St Ste 104, San Antonio, TX 78205

professor chow in Texas

Adventerous, affordable, celebratory dinner in D.C. (Palena? Corduroy? Or...?)

Based on the recommendations I sent several menus to the honoree and we chose Palena. Our group, however, grew too large to make a reservation for the back room, and so I instead booked a table at Proof. Had the dinner last night. Dinner was fabulous. The atmosphere and service were excellent. (The so dark you need a flashlight to read your menu gimmick is sort of silly, but kind fo amusing, too, and we certainly had a festive time.) Everyone seemed to like their food very much. I split a butter crunch lettuce salad with avocado, valencia oranges, grapefruit, and toasted quinoa, and had for myself the tuna tartare and the honey and spice glazed duck breast. All were superb. I would gladly work my way through many other items on the menu. The wine list is a little thin for choices in the mid two digits, which is definitely where our group wanted to be. (Perhaps it's odd to go for reasons other than the wine, which is essentially what we did.) But that all worked out fine. So I thank you for the recommendations and hope to try several others on my next visit.

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Palena
3529 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008

professor chow in Washington DC & Baltimore Area

Adventerous, affordable, celebratory dinner in D.C. (Palena? Corduroy? Or...?)

Thanks to all of you for helpful replies. I am pretty tempted by several and will have to ponder--will also probably get to more than one of these places, since I'll be out for other dinners at this conference. I'll post a report when it's all over.

professor chow in Washington DC & Baltimore Area

Adventerous, affordable, celebratory dinner in D.C. (Palena? Corduroy? Or...?)

I'm a MA hound and I'll be in D.C. for a conference at end of August/beginning of September. I'm charged with organizing a dinner for 6-8 people in honor of a good friend and colleague who will be winning an award that day and who has learned to let me pick the restaurants in unfamiliar cities. I don't know D.C. well at all, though I've spent some time searching the board to refine my question to you. Please help. Here are the needs/constraints/ideas:

The honoree says I can choose anything but Indian/Pakistani food. I want (above all) the food to be exciting but also for the place to feel in some way (choose one) inviting, hip, fun or somehow special but not (this is important, too) overly formal or stuffy (no jacket and tie only places). Some of my colleagues are (alas!) less willing than I am to shell out for a meal (Citronelle is out of reach, e.g., and, as a rough target, anything that required each colleague to spend over, say $60 plus tip might start getting me in trouble). Some of these folks, including the honoree, may also be less willing to travel for food than I am, so I've ruled out, say, Southeast Asian food (a love of mine) in the burbs. We'll all be staying at or right by the Omni Shoreham, and the further beyond 15 or 20 minutes we go from there, the less popular I'll be. My search of the board has given me the following list. My question to you is both what you'd recommend from this or alternatives in the same spirit.

Jaleo (I've been, loved it, and Zaytiniya, too) but my one visit was with the colleague in question, so I hesitate to do a repeat for him)
Palena (some colleagues might blanch at the price on the 3 or 4 course menus, but should be ok with the $56 for two)
Sonoma
Corduroy
PS7's: (I personally don't care about cocktails though perhaps some in the group might, but I'm more interested in opinions on the food)
Blue Duck Tavern

Any advice from local hounds would be much appreciated.

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PS7 Restaurant
777 I Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001

Palena
3529 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008

Sonoma Restaurant
223 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20003

Blue Duck Tavern
1201 24th Street NW, Washington, DC 20037

professor chow in Washington DC & Baltimore Area

Large Group Korean in Queens?

Any hounds have recommendations for really good Korean food in Queens that would take a group as large as 18, or is this an ill-advised idea? Why I ask:
I'm taking a group of urban studies students from rural New England to New York for a weekend in November to do some field work assignments. We're working and staying in Manhattan, but (a) I would love to get them to another part of the city; (b) I love Korean food (all varieties); and (c) I have always heard that Queens and particularly Flushing have better options than in Manhattan but, as a non New Yorker, I've never tried them. So I would take my class out to Queens if someone on the board can recommend a place that would take a reservation, have room for our group, and serve us something worth the journey. (I did this field trip once before and had a pretty good meal on 34th st. in Manhattan, which is obviously easier. But I've yet to eat Korean food in Manhattan that matches my favorites in L.A. (e.g. Sa Rit Gol), and I'd gladly schlep to Queens if there was a place that, under these unusual circumstances, still offered something better than Koreatown in Manhattan.) Thanks for any suggestions on this odd request.

professor chow in Outer Boroughs

Stand out dishes at Cava?

I went last night. My first and only time--I'm not from here--but going in a large group allowed me to sample a lot of the menu. Among the many excellent choices, I particularly liked the cuttlefish (served with the ink), the jamon tortillita with octopus and romesco sauce, the quail with pork belly, and the heirloom bean dish. The only totally underwhelming dish was the chard with pine nuts and currants (a variation on a catalan standard, but Cava's was underseasoned, undersalted, and overcooked); the foie gras dish, though considerably better than that, nonetheless struck me as easy to skip, both because it's one of the more expensive items on the menu and because foie gras can be done much better. But the overall quality of food was first-rate and its very much a fun place to go--seems like a great birthday spot..

professor chow in Ontario (including Toronto)

interesting, mid-priced dining downtown?

Thanks again for all who sent tips. I wish I'd had the opportunity to follow up on more of them. I ended up going with a group of grad students to Take Sushi (good place, though a bit expensive for students), and having dinners at Nota Bene and Side Car. We thought Nota Bene was great (fine atmosphere and every dish other than an over-battered soft shell crab appetizer was terrific), and Side Car was a pleasant, appropriate choice for a friend who wanted a place with moderate prices. One night I also went farther afield with a group that didn't mind taking a cab ride out to Cava. Had another fun and excellent dinner there. Before going, I read a fair amount of criticism of Cava on this board. I find it not very justified. and it is true that the prices are not a bargain (especially for drinks), but most of the 15 or so tapas I sampled were really good (particularly liked the cuttlefish, the jamon tortilla with octopus and romesco sauce, and the quail with pork belly) there's a great diversity of choices.

professor chow in Ontario (including Toronto)

interesting, mid-priced dining downtown?

Thank you all for your suggestions, and for useful links to other threads. I will definitely check out Takesushi for my group lunch. For dinner, one follow up. From the suggestions here, I am particular drawn to Nota Bene and Tutti Matti. One thing I did not make clear,though, is that we can go by cab for 10 or 12 minutes, so my range is perhaps larger than people thought. I have also had recommendations for Zucca, and have read enthusiastic postings on it. Given the need to choose, what do you think of Nota Bene vs. Tutti Matti vs. Zucca?

professor chow in Ontario (including Toronto)

interesting, mid-priced dining downtown?

ONE MORE THING: I also need to pick a place within a short walk of the convention center for a midweek lunch. The group may be as big as 10 people (we could sit at 2 tables), and it includes grad students, so it needs to be moderately priced. Anything that fits that and also would be enjoyable? (Asian? Anything?)

professor chow in Ontario (including Toronto)

interesting, mid-priced dining downtown?

I don't know Toronto at all but will be visiting for a conference for several nights at the beginning of September. I'm hoping fellow hounds can help me find several good dinner spots, particularly reasonably near the Metro Convention Center. I'm looking for whatever any serious food nuts think of as really worthwhile eating, in pretty much any cuisine--all varieties of Asian, European, anything distinctively Toronto, etc. I have no animus against elegant places but care far more about exciting food than service, decor, etc. My big constraint is that I'll be dining out with assorted friends from the conference, none of whom is nearly as obsessed with restaurants as I am. That means they probably will be grumpy about going far outside the zone of the Convention Center (a few minutes or miles, but not, more, I suspect), and they'd probably be more so if it were to be to spend an extravagent amoung of money . So mains under $30 is probably a must, $25 even better. Despite what I've just said, though, all do like food and are pretty adventurous in what they'll eat. I don't need save and boring, just reasonably near and not outrageous prices. I've searched the board a bit already, but Toronto's huge, I have no sense of its geography, and it's been a bit bewildering. I happily post to assist hounds in the cities I know and love, and am hoping some of you can do the same for me: tell me what's impressive and exciting! Thanks a ton.
P.S. If there is something in this area that you think might just blow me away but is more expensive, I guess you should let me know--maybe on one night I'll have a willing dining partner.

professor chow in Ontario (including Toronto)

Dinner in Barcelona - Sunday

You could tell your group this, as it ponders: Senyor Parellada has a beautiful space--it is a truly charming spot--and offers a good selection of standard Catalan and Spanish dishes, but in terms of quality it is mediocre, and caters overwhelmingly to tourists. (It's talked up a lot in guidebooks and on boards like this, but when I lived in the city I never heard anyone mention it as a place to seek out.) In pure food terms, there's simply no comparison. (IMHO, at least: I still pine for Paco, which was a regular haunt; after one meal at Senyor Parellada, it never occured to me to go back.) So it's a matter of what one is looking for. Good luck.

professor chow in Spain/Portugal

Dinner in Barcelona - Sunday

We lived in the Eixample for a year, across the street from Paco Meralgo and walking distance from Cerveceria Catalana. I think the latter is pretty good, but the former is among the best places in the city. Neither is much like Abac or Cinc Sentis, but if you're inclined in that direction, I think you'd prefer Paco Meralgo, which is only, as I recall, slightly more expensive. Also--and the more times fans like me pitch it on Chowhound the less this will be true--but when I left Barcelona roughly a year ago, most dinners on any given night at Paco Meralgo were Catalans, whereas the crowd at Cerveceria is much more dominated by an international cast of travelers.

professor chow in Spain/Portugal

Barcelona for finicky kids?

I lived in the Eixample for a year, with kids, through last summer. PBSF (in my experience, one of the most discerning posters on Barcelona on this site) is right: good tapas and burgers isn't an easy combination to find in Barcelona. You *can* get burgers at (the pretty good, but I think overrated) Tapaç 24, but they're with foie, and I don't think it's an optimal environment for kids. If you've got only a week in the city, doing a meal at Hard Rock seems like a sacrifice worth weeping over, though, so here are a couple of ideas on alternatives:
Txakolin (the upstairs bar, not the sit down restaurant downstairs) is to my mind the best place for pinxtos (Basque tapas served on toothpicks). It has so much variety that there are some pinxtos that ought to appeal to kids (there are fried things, meat things, little sausages, cheesy things, veggie things, fish, etc), and since each item is bite-sized, the investment (under 2 euros per, as I recall) in any one experiment is small. Plus, the waiters are both theatrical and very warm, so the whole scene can appeal to kids. Mine liked it, just as my wife and I did. With kids, this is a better spot in the afternoon or midweek than on a Saturday night, as it can be a total zoo at peak hours (fun then, to be sure, but overwhelming to those not taller than the bar counter). Txakolin is near Ciutadella park and an easy enough walk from the Barcelonetta metro stop.

Another possibility is Cuines Santa Caterina at the Santa Caterina market. Here is where you can get food for all palates. Owned by the Tragaluz group, this place is, I think, pretty good rather than great, but the key thing is that it serves multiple cuisines: you can eat Catalan food, but your kids can choose from assorted Asian foods, Italian pasta, etc. If I were not with kids or vegetarians (it's one of the better options for vegetarians in a city that's pretty dismal in that regard), I'd not make this restaurant a priority, but it's a hell of a step up from a burger joint.

Any kids over, say, 5, should like the Chocolate museum. My 9 year old loved it. I'd skip it from an adult point of view, though, if your kids are too young to appreciate it. There are certainly more stimulating museums in the city. Also, and I am a dissenter on this board, I think, but Barcelona chocolate just isn't that great. I'll defend the restaurants to the hilt (and I'm a Cinc Sentis fan, for instance), but I can get better high end chocolate within driving distance of my rural New England home. (*Hot* chocolate beverages at Cacao Sampaka are pretty damn good (especially the "Aztec"), but the chocolate itself, though good, isn't really special.

Oh, one last thing: my kids LOVE patatas bravas, little cubes of fried potatoes served, in Catalunya at least, with both a garlicky white sauce and a (mildly) spicy red sauce. And who wouldn't? The most locally famous are at Bar Tomas, out in the lovely suburb of Sarriá. We never found a better source, despite some industriousness in this regard. The place is otherwise nothing to write home about, but going takes you out to another nice part of the city (a few stops on the FGC line from the Eixample), and the potatoes are addictive. Also, you can wander a block down the same street to one of the best patisseries in the city, Foix de Sarria. (A more satisfying and sumptuous stop, in my book, than Cacao Sampaka, despite the Adria name on the latter.)

Good luck.

professor chow in Spain/Portugal

Amazing Thai (Thai Orchid Cafe) in Buffalo

Visiting family in Buffalo, I just had the best Thai food I've ever had in a restaurant, anywhere. I've not been to Thailand, and am no expert, but I can cook assorted Thai dishes and have eaten at plenty of Thai restaurants in L.A., New York, Boston, etc. The recently opened THAI ORCHID CAFE (416 Evans St., in Williamsville, NY) would stand out anywhere. If you live in or are passing through the Buffalo area, and you like Thai food, you should get there ASAP.

The menu is very large and has many dishes that I have not seen in other Thai restaurants. Our large group ate a vast quantity of food and the quality was uniformly outstanding. We had the advantage of dining with a Thai family who took care of the ordering, and they made it clear that it is worth venturing beyond the typical dishes served at American Thai restaurants. Fortunately, the house specialties, many of which are more unusual dishes, are marked on the menu with an orchid. My recommendation is to order lots of these. Among the things our large group had and loved:

APPETIZERS:
. Thai Orchid Cups: crispy pastry cups w/ 3 different fillings: minced chicken and potatoes, minced pork & pineapple, and courn & green peas, each with different seasonings.
. Kanom Krok: coconut Taro cups (a kind of street food rarely found in restaurants)
. Satay. (Hardly non-standard, but especially good here).

OTHER DISHES
. Papaya Salad. Shredded green papaya w/tomatoes in a chili-lime-peanut dressing. A northern Thai speciality.

.Spicy Grilled Pork Salad (listed on the menu under beef, but you can have either beef or pork): one of the few that not everyone in our party loved, but I thought it was superb.
. Pad Cha--cat fish with Thai herbs (one of the very favorites of our group, though saying what was best is very, very hard)

.Crispy Catfish Sald: dep fried shredded catfhish with mangoes, cashews, and spicy dressing.

.Thai Orchid Eggplant: w/ Thai basil, a delicious vegetarian dish

.Thai Orchid Green beans in curry sauce: again excellent and vegetarian.

Such familiar dishes as Pad Thai are excellent, too--but I'd recommend the above. This place is really a gem.

professor chow in General Tristate Archive

Sunday Brunch in Schenectady

For a family visit, we need to have a meal in Schenectady around 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. Looking for a good place that is open on Sundays, serving either brunch or lunch. Any recommendations much appreciated.

professor chow in General Tristate Archive

Barcelona: unique, game, goat/lamb and seafood

Here's something for the "you need to know to ask" category: eat some calcots. These are something you can't get elsewhere. They are green onions that are like super sweet scallions but are closer to the size (but nothing like) leeks. They are seasonal and, lucky you, it is now season. They are grilled and brought to the table in huge quantities. You peel the blackened outer layer off and then dangle the rest of the calcot above your mouth and drop it in. First, though, you dip it in a paritcular variation on romesco sauce, one of the great sauces (garlic, nuts, etc.) of Catalan cuisine. The whole thing is a specialty of Tarragona, but they do it here in Barcelona. I literally can't give directions to the obscurely located country place where I just ate some, but I am pretty sure that if you hit the main Catalan places you can have some. Season ends, I think, by January. Don't miss it.

For lamb, I have been told (though I've not yet confirmed) that El Asador de Aranda (31 Ave Tibidabo, way out at the end of the L7 FGC line) is really, really great.

professor chow in Spain/Portugal

Can Ros or Can Majo for paella in Barcelona?

I don't know the answer to this query, but my family going out for a weekend arroz negro in about 10 days, probably to one or the other of these places. So I've put this back up the board in hopes that someone who has been to both will comment on them.

professor chow in Spain/Portugal

barcelona - good food/good air?

If you go to almost any newstand, you can for one euro buy a copy of the weekly local entertainment guide, The Guia del Ocio. It has restaurant listings that tend to include most of the high end places. Among the symbols in each brief listing is one indicating whether or not they permit smoking. There's some variation among the top places. I am not sure how accurate the listing is as a guide to what you'll actually encounter, but you can be sure that the places that say they permit smoking will indeed do so!

professor chow in Spain/Portugal

Mid-Priced Fab Meals in Madrid, Barcelona and Seville

Here's one tip for dinner in Barcelona more or less in your price range. (My wife and I had diner for two for about 90 euros if I remember right, and that included a beer and 3 glasses of wine). Restaurant Me, on c/Paris at the corner with c/ Muntaner in the Eixample. The owner is from Barcelona but lived in New Orleans for many years, where he met his partner, who is of Vietnamese heritage (Vietnamese American, I believe). The restaurant bills itself--accurately--as the food of Barcelona-Saigon-New Orleans. All the food is delicious . Owner, who sort of doubles as waiter, is very chatty and will schmooze with you at your table. The space is great.

If you want one "only in Barcelona" meal, this would't be my tip, as the cooking is neither traditional Catalan nor this region's version of "molecular gastronomy." In lots of other food capitals can find fusion cooking that has some similarity to Restaurant Me (say, the original Slanted Door in San Francisco, if that means anything to you.) And for a good bit more money, it seems that you can eat really spectacular food at all the celebrated places most often posted about on this board. (I say it seems because I'm just gearing up to sample them myself, so I go on reports of everybody with whom I've talked.) On the other hand, the vibe in this restaurant is very much of this city. The restaurant is too new to be in the guidebooks and there wasn't a tourist in sight when I was there a couple of weeks ago. I don't recall seeing it discussed on this board either and, since I live in this neighborhood, I frankly hesitated a bit before deciding to post this: I like the place the way it is. But I've benefitted enough from other Hounds over the years, that holding back seemed wrong.

This city is so full of great places to eat that you may well get a better tip. I'm not sure you can't do better. I am sure that if you go, you'll get quite a good meal in a fun setting.

Also, if you're looking for (notably) cheaper still, I recently had a made a wonderful dinner stuffing myself on wonderful Basque tapas at Txakolin on c/ Argentera, across from the Station (short walk from the Barcelonetta metro stop). I had two glasses of wine with this meal. My share of the bill was 22 euros. If sitting or standing on a stool at a bar and grabbing whatever good comes by is your idea of a decent meal, then Txakolin is a great value. If you're there midweek, it's not even crowded.

professor chow in Spain/Portugal

Denia restaurants for this weekend?

Going with my family down to Denia, about an hour below Valencia, for the weekend. Since there are two kids in our party, I'm looking for recommendations beyond the famous/controversial El Poblet. Not sure we'll go, given that there are two kids in our party. In either case, we're hoping to eat some of the local rice specialities. El Pegoli has been recommended on this board, and we'll go for lunch once. Anything else? (I know of the highly-regarded places that in Alicante and Valencia, but am looking for places specifically in Denia itself, as I am probably the only member of the party who would organize the day around long drives in search of restaurants.)

professor chow in Spain/Portugal

Lunch in Barcelona for 30-35 Euros or under

I know there are plenty of other great choices, and perhaps some that I've not yet sampled are even better but I really like Paco Meralgo for lunch. I live nearby and can testify that the restaurant is nearly always hopping, with a largely local crow. The range of dishes is great and prices are, by Barcelona standards, quite reasonable. I particularly like the fried spring onions with a spicy sauce and the anchovies and garlic. The restaurant the corner of Muntaner and Corsega in the Eixample. Like many places here, they do allow smoking, so you have to be able to deal with that. If you can, though, it's a great bet.

professor chow in Spain/Portugal

Secret De Iberico????

Do you have any recommendations on places--and they don't need to be temples of gastronomy, either--for ordering this in Barcelona? I'd be much obliged: I will have plenty of time there to seek this out, and, after reading all this, I intend to do it!

professor chow in Spain/Portugal

Please help a foodie visiting Paris with kids

Thank you, all. This is helpful. I'll probably post some more narrow questions shortly before the trip, after I've learned more, but this gets me going.

professor chow in France