scscr's Profile
Where is the center of the NYC food universe?
I meant to keep this to Manhattan only, but will eventually venture off the Island for "the best". The initial response that I intended to provoke was location soley based on food, so your answers are perfect when considering the boroughs. I will keep in mind access to the 7 line for easy access to this area.
Where is the center of the LA food universe?
Thanks for the reply on my NYC thread. I did not move to LA, but hopefully NYC will lead to my return to LA. We would move to Larchmont or Hancock Park if we returned, very close to your suggestion of Melrose and Highland (I think the "food center of LA is closer to downtown given the great food east of downtown, but would not want to live there!)
Where is the center of the NYC food universe?
See my response on the LA thread and thanks for your NYC input.
Where is the center of the NYC food universe?
Will do and I appreciate the responses so far. I did this on the Los Angeles board when I was moving to LA and they came up with the intersection of Melrose and Highland. I like Cortez's response as he was able to identify a specific building (10 Columbus w/ Per Se et al, Whole Foods, subway access etc...) and thanks for all of the other detailed responses.
I didn't really mean for this to be a thread about where I should live, but since that is the way it is being interpreted, I will try to be more specific....
I'm looking at two jobs...one at 555 5th and the other at Ave of the Americas and 42nd. I may also be able to work from home, which would not make commute an issue.
Favs for delivery....
Chinese, Thai, Indian, Mexican, Italian, Sushi. Really anything if it is good. I would be upset if I could not get decent chinese delivered (I'm from LA and Seattle and am not expecting much from Manhattan Chinese, but ANYTHING would be an improvement on my current local in Miami!!!)
I don't drink, but we go to bars socially. My wife drinks wine daily so a good selection of wine bars would be ideal for my wife. Places with a good happy hour would also be welcomed.
Walking distance to Sushi, Bistros/cafes and Mexican are at the top of my priority list.
A more quiet residential location is ideal for me but there needs to be at least a few places open late in the area.
My wife and I are both home cooks. The food in Miami is terrible so we make it at home instead. We make pizza, chinese, sushi, indian, thai and italian along with standard french and american classics. A good day would be to pick up some baked goods, a fresh protein, some veggies and cook a great meal later that night.
I would like to live close to a good market (or block with good butcher, baker, produce etc...) I'm guessing that we can hop on a train and pick up specialty items throughout the city so the shopping portion is not really an issue,or is it?
-----
Per Se
10 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10019
Where is the center of the NYC food universe?
I may be accepting a job in midtown and it got me thinking as to where the best neighborhood to live would be, if I only considered access to good and diverse food. What residential neighborhood in the city has the best access to:
immediate food (good restaurants in the building and on the block)
walking distance/delivery food (10 minute walking radius or delivery)
food via subway (is there a close subway line that takes you to a stop that may have something unique or vibrant)
something special to be proud of that is on your block (ie: the best fish market, supermarket, butcher, bakery etc....)
Please help by being as specific as possible like a specific building, subway stop or intersection that you believe to be the center of the NYC food universe. Also, where are the NYC food wastelands?
Thanks!
Miami Spice
Just got back from Scarpetta....very good Spice menu. It is interesting to see the progression of Spice. A few years ago it seemed the choices were limited to ceviche app and choice of salmon, churrasco or chicken. Some restaurants hid menus and treated Spice customers as second class citizens. The Spice menu was on the front page and the service was great. Tonight our party of four all had something unique. I had spaghetti, burrata and cheesecake. I think the winning order was short rib, branzino, chocolate cake. Everything we had was great and the restaurant was packed. Next on the list is Meat Market. I think its going to be a good month!
-----
Meat Market
915 Lincoln road, Miami Beach, FL 33139
Burgers and Shakes - NoBe - 74th and Collins
Today was opening day for Burgers and Shakes at the former "Rocky's Burgers" location at the intersection of Collins and 74th street. I was never a fan of Rocky's and this is a huge improvement. The burger was big, juicy and really tasty. The bun was one of the best so far in Miami and all around, it is my new favorite burger close to home. They have a limited menu with a few burgers, a chicken, swiss bacon and avacado and a mahi sandwich. You can add toppings like grilled onions and mushrooms, jalapenos and a few other choices for free and then they have 4 premium toppings like bacon and avacado that cost $.75 extra. My wife had the basic burger with cheese, lettuce, pickle and tomato (add bacon) and I tried the chicken sandwich....both were really good and we will be back. Our sandwiches with fries came to $18. The also serve fancy belgium waffles and are planning on adding wings and doughnuts. For the first day, they are off to a great start!
Szcheuwan/Cantonese chinese restaurant 'near' Aventura
The closest is either in New York or Houston....I not sure which. You will not find good chinese in Miami if you are used to good chinese from somewhere else, especially if it is authentic. Try cuban or latin food.
Best Restaurant in South Beach for a Group Dinner
DRod's Ocean was a bit of a disaster last night. The food was really good, but it is new and they weren't really ready for our large group. 4/9 people got wrong dishes and service was slow. The waiter was actually pretty good, they just should have done a better job overall. I will go back as we all loved the food and everything I tried was good. The smoked marlin tacos are something that I will try to recreate at home. Tasty!
Best Restaurant in South Beach for a Group Dinner
I'm taking a group tomorrow to De Rodriguez Ocean. They have something for everyone, but is mostly great seafood with latin influence. De Rodriguez's Cuba is another option that out of towners like and is reasonably priced with good atmosphere. They have been my go to Sobe places recently for my out of town guests and they have been a hit so far.
looking for Naples recommendations
Head to Mercato (retail center) for the younger night life scene. There are four bars there where most of the young people in town head after dark and they even maintain crowds after midnight. Blue Martini is a chain, but seems to be the focus of the action. There is an Irish pub around back that had a good mix of people when we were there a few weeks ago. Keep an open mind and understand that the town is not focused toward the party crowd. At most no chain restaurants, you will be the youngest in the room by at least 10 years.
-----
Blue Martini
550 S Rosemary Ave Ste 244, West Palm Beach, FL 33401
Where is the center of the LA food universe?
My wife and I are considering a move back to LA and it got me thinking.....if you could live anywhere in the city only based on access to good and diverse food both walking, driving and metro distance, where would you live? I was thinking somewhere a little west of downtown, like K-town. Any thoughts?
Restaurants near the Fountainbleu
Website says they were closed for the summer. Will be open again in October. I guess it doesn't help the OP, but it still exists.
Restaurants near the Fountainbleu
Creek 28 is about 15 blocks South and nothing is more than $25. Indomania has Indonesia family style meals (rijsttafel) for $24 or $28 per person and is also about 15 blocks south.
Gardens of Taxico - Worst Mexican in LA
Strongly disagree!!!!! Do not go to this place even if they pay you. The info card is like getting unwanted e-mail spam at the end of your meal and if you want kitschy or character...go to the theater! Why would you tell anyone to go to a place on your B-day or anniversery that sucks this bad?....Denny's gives free meals on your b-day, but you don't see anyone recommending that option. IMO, this board is about food and the food is terrible.
Gardens of Taxico - Worst Mexican in LA
Wow.....what a terrible restaurant. I can't believe anyone on this board would ever recommend this dump. The food is factory food and the experience is just plain bad. Where to begin......let's start with no menus. WTF is up with that? Pick your meat, chicken, shrimp or fish and then he rambles off a few choices of each....what was the last one? Chicken Mole, ok I'll try that. The food is five courses (four of which everyone gets) and the entree is your choice. The first dish comes out and it is a triangle of rubbery quesadilla with some guac from a jar. Bad start. The next dish is a flavorless meatball soup with veggies so overcooked you can tell it had been stewing for a few days. Campbells version is much better. The next dish was some sort of taquito which again had the crappy guac and featured a mystery meat. The mole chicken was the worst mole I've ever had. The mole was thick as bad gravy and had a mysterious dull appearence and my guess is that it comes from a can. Last course was a banana cream something that had mushy over-ripe bananas and was not edible. To top off the worst mexican meal I have ever had in LA, we found out when we got the check that the dinner price was $30. We were told by others it would be $15 and since there were no menu prices, we found this out at the end. They gave us a paper and pen at the end of the meal to give them our personal information (I have NEVER seen this at any restaurant) so I used the paper and pen to write a more brief version of this review. Short and sweet, it read.....your food is bad! Really, really bad. Bad, Bad, Bad...worst mexican I have ever tried!!!!! I think my friend summed it up best when he compared the meal to the Mexican version of Spaghetti Factory. I beg of those who read this....DO NOT EAT AT GARDENS OF TAXICO and be leary of those who recommend this place!!!!!!
Phoenix Chinese
A client from southern China said this restaurant in SGV is his favorite Chinese restaurant. Has anyone tried it?.....I googled it and found a chain with some bakeries and restaurants. Which spot should I try and which dishes are good?
Thanks.
-----
Phoenix Chinese Restaurant
21680 Bear Valley Rd, Apple Valley, CA 92308
Going back to Cali - USC and Downtown
OK. I went to Elite. It was great, but wasn't this place called New Concept a few years ago?
-----
New Concept
700 S Atlantic Blvd, Monterey Park, CA 91754
Going back to Cali - USC and Downtown
Yes. Please give me a pass on the Del Taco/Wahoos. I only used it as a reference to how terrible the Mexican is in Miami (ie Del Taco WOULD be the best my town has to offer.) I only went because it had a drive through and I didn't want to get out of my car to go to La Taquiza. Please don't hold it against me fellow chows.....sometimes you have to break the rules!!!!
As for my last great meal on the Westside, I'm thinking of less than $60 pp so no Cut, Bazaar or Providence. Any good sushi in that range? What is the latest best for Dim Sum....Elite?
-----
La Taquiza
3009 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Going back to Cali - USC and Downtown
My trip so far has been going well and I've hit a few of the old familiar places as well as some new spots. So far, I've tried....
Langers X 2 - Been here so many times and still is the best sandwich in LA. If you have never been, run....don't walk to Langers. The bread is perfect. I'm not sure how you get such a soft rye bread, inside the most crusty yet light crust and still be able to handle what is really a sloppy sandwich. The pastrami is melt in your mouth tender and may be the best brisket beef I've had (including Texas and KC bbq). The fries are still as good as I remember. If you have never been, run....don't walk to Langers.
Animal - Best restaurant that I have eaten at in a while based strictly on food and flavors. I really enjoyed this place and appreciated the value provided with such quality food. I thought the short rib sliders may have topped Langers as the best sandwich in LA...a large portion of short rib on a perfect bun with a fantistic mustard slaw that really complemented the bbq sauce. The short rib itself was really good with a crunchy outside and soft middle. The best of the rest were the catfish and the hamachi tostada (which I will try to recreate at home). I liked, but did not love the flat iron steak (although the truffle sauce was really good) and the poutine was a little on the rich side. The foie gras with biscuit and maple gravy was one of the dishes I was looking forward to the most and it did not disappoint. I wanted to lick the plate, but held back only because we were in public.
Parks BBQ - What a welcome back to LA and K-town with this new find. I had my BBQ places when I was here before, but this really took the quality to the next level. I loved the beef, but the sides were just so-so.
Soot Bull Jeep - Went back to this place with a friend and appreciated the value, wood BBQ, and generally great food. The beef was better at Parks, but we liked the sides here better.
Don Dae Gam - The Parks of Pork. I did not try it, but my wife did and wants us to go back again. She is in love with the scallion salad.
Golden State - Tried the burger and fries. Not that impressed. We have better burgers in Miami, and that is not saying much as the food in Miami is generally horrible. In fact, LA has plenty of better burger spots and I thought of this place as a bit of an 8oz burger knock off. I'm not sure the rage over these burger....they were just ok to me.
Dino's Burgers (and chicken) - Had the chicken which was really moist with an unusual flavoring. It was pretty spicy, but not over the top and I loved the fries. This may be my new favorite $5 meal. Anyone know what the sauce is (my guess is Sazon, chili flakes and vinegar)?
Vitos Pizza - This was good, with the potential to be great. It would instantly be the best pizza in Miami (again this is not a hard feat). The meatballs were incredible and the pizza sauce had great flavor. My only complaint was that the crust got a little stale on a few of the slices. I think this was because they were a little old. The whole pizza that we saw looked much better than the slices with a bubbly crust that I really like.
Various Mexican including....Loteria at the Farmers Market, La Taquiza near USC, Chanos near USC, King Taco, El Cholo on Western, Wahoos at the new USC student union and Del Taco (I wanted drive through and trust me when I say that Del Taco and/or Wahoos would be the best in Miami as well). La Taquiza was a real winner, but the quality of Loteria really shines. El Cholo was not as good as we remembered. It has really gone downhill.
Ocean Seafood - This was pretty good for a quick stop in Chinatown and we were happy with the meal although the place was empty. The food was fresh and the quality of the fish was good. I had never been here before (I usually go to the SGV) but thought this was decent for being so close. Again, my taste buds for Chinese may be off as there is NOTHING in Florida of any quality, but I thought it was a good meal and I would return.
So far, we have had a pretty good stay, but there are still a few things that I need to try. We are going back to Animal to try as much of the rest of the menu as we can. Where should we go on the Westside for our last fine spectacular meal and what am I missing as far as "how could you go to LA and not have......?" In n out and a trip to the SGV for dim sum are on the list for sure, but what else is can't miss?
Thanks.
.
-----
Soot Bull Jeep
3136 W 8th St, Los Angeles, CA 90005
Chano's
3000 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90007
La Taquiza
3009 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90007
The Golden State
426 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90036
Ocean Seafood Restaurant
747 N Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Sazon
12424 Montague St, Pacoima, CA 91331
Chowdown Grill Surfside
I'm glad that you had a better experience than I did as I really want this guy and this place to succeed. How was the portion size of the shrimp dish?
Chowdown Grill Surfside
I really hate to do this, because I want this place to succeed, the waitstaff was nice and the owner was enthusiastic as well, but this just was not that great of an experience.
The space is tiny, with about 5 tables and open kitchen/counter seating for about another 6-8 people. Like I said, the waitress was nice, but tried to "upsell" us a few times and I find that a little annoying (I ordered water as I do not drink alchohol or anything with bubbles) and she came by twice to offer me a beer, wine, soda or anything else that she could charge me for. It seemed like an obvious attempt to bring the price of the bill up. Ice in water would have been nice, but was served room temp with no ice....I don't think they really like people drinking tap as they sure don't make it easy.
The menu looked pretty good. They offer three types of dumplings, egg rolls, crab rangoon, a salad, two soups, sandwiches, mains and two sides. The sandwiches are a take on bahn mi but I did not try or see those. For the mains and the sides (fried rice or noodles) you can chose to add a protien of either chicken, shrimp or beef. The mains include 6-8 various sauces and veggies and you add a protien. No tofu or pork as an addition which seems a little limiting. We ordered the Basil Chicken Dumplings, Chicken with Orange Chili Sauce, the Shrimp fried rice and the Steak with Mongolian BBQ Sauce.
The dumplings came four to an order and were big and plump. The owner came over and told us he was a pasta chef at Timos and makes his own dough. He uses basil in the dough and the dumplings are steamed. This was by far the best part of our meal and were generally pretty good. I did not get a lot of basil flavor, but the overall dumpling was good, although the wrapper was a little thick and got hard in places where the pleets overlapped.
The Orange Chili Chicken included a single chicken breast with skin on with a rather odd assortment of veggies including brussel sprouts. The chicken was cooked nicely, but the skin which was intended to be crispy, was a little rubbery and undercooked in places. The brussel sprouts were undercooked. Overall the flavors were pretty good, but the sauce was a little too suttle and for something called a "Chili" sauce, there was no spice or heat to the dish at all. The steak dish was served with broccolini and chopped veggies that were diced so small, they could not be picked up with a fork or easily identified. I think they were peppers. The steak was bland and again the sauce lacked flavor. The shrimp fried rice was ok. They subbed summer corn for english peas (I think peas add a lot to fried rice) and the shrimp was lost under a pile of rice. My wife thought the best part of the meal was the white rice.
Overall, the portions were small and the flavors were lacking, although the dishes looked pretty and offered fresh seasonal ingredients. Our bill for two including a glass of wine was $65 and I'm still checking to see how the bill got above $50 based on what we ordered. I think one of the problems with flavors is that the sauces on both dishes were a little thin and pooled at the bottom of the serving dish. Since we were not provided a serving spoon, most of the sauce remained in the dish and not with the food. I'm not sure that it would matter given the mild flavors, but it couldn't have hurt.
I was really hoping for something better from this new spot and will have to wait for the next attempt at fresh asian by someone else to get what I am looking for. I recognize that I am an asian food snob (drop the asian if you want)and others will probably like this place based on location and originality. It has only been open for a week or two and there were plenty of other preperations on the menu that we did not try. We will give it a month and try again, but my guess is that this will not fill the void of asian food in Miami.
-----
Timo
Collins Ave, FL, USA, Collins Ave, FL
Downtown's Best Happy Hour
Who's got the best right now? Best food? Best drink deals? Longest Hours? It seems like there is a lot of competition in and around downtown, but what are the hot spots?
Going back to Cali - USC and Downtown
This sausage place looks really good. Please keep these great suggestiongs coming!
Going back to Cali - USC and Downtown
Been to and will go back to El Tepeyac. If Teresitas is better, we will give that a shot this time. We are seriously craving Mexican here in Miami.
-----
El Tepeyac Restaurant
385 E Mill St Ste 4, San Bernardino, CA 92408
Going back to Cali - USC and Downtown
Being that I live in Miami, I understand and appreciate the Cali reference. Unless I get homesick, I doubt that I will try the brazillian place unless it is unreal. I think we will focus on Asian, Mexican and California Cuisine (whatever that is these days). Is there anything worthwhile in Chinatown, or will I have to go to the SGV for my noodle and dumpling fix?
Going back to Cali - USC and Downtown
I will expose my ignorance and ask....what is a "Fancy Truck"? A glorified roach coach? When and where is the Art Walk?
Going back to Cali - USC and Downtown
I'm heading back to LA for a month, staying in downtown for two nights and then near USC for a month. I've lived and worked in downtown and near USC before, but have not been back in about 4 years since moving to Miami. What are the best of the new places in town? What's good that is local to the USC area? I used to enjoy Sushi Gen, Pappa Christos, Phillips BBQ, El Taurino, Langers, La Taquiza and a few other spots that were close. Are these places still open and chow worthy? What else is good within a 10 minute drive? Thanks. I can't wait to come back to a town with such great food!
-----
El Taurino
2306 W 11th St, Los Angeles, CA 90006
La Taquiza Restaurant
4149 Tweedy Blvd Ste C, South Gate, CA 90280
Senor Crickets - North Miami
No, but they do have a logo of a cute cricket with a poncho and sombrero.
Senor Crickets - North Miami
Bad name or not, it is close and I will try it. They open next week, but I got a look at the menu. It is standard Tex Mex fare with a big assortment of Nachos, Fajitas, Tacos, Burritos etc.... The prices are really low (average entree around $10) and I'm sure that you will get a lot of food for your money. I'm just not sure how the quality will be. I will hope for the best.
