let's talk about franny's appetizers

let's agree to disagree about the pizza, but what about the appetizers? in my half a dozen visits to franny's i've never had the same appetizer twice and each and every time (i know this sounds like an exaggeration) they were mind-blowing. what have you had as an appetizer at franny's? do i just have extraordinarily good luck? can anyone help me re-create the fresh shaved asparagus, lemon, egg and parmesan dish i had last year around this time?

did anyone else have the beet + walnut + pecorino + pepper flakes? how incredible was that?!

andreacecile in Outer Boroughs

shake shack help

fyi, we ending up just braving the cold. it actually (i feel like i can say this now that we've hit spring) ending up being the actual coldest day of the winter. it was pretty funny- we were the only ones there and ending up spending a good deal of time standing on the chairs and holding our hands up to the heating lamp. granted, my toes almost froze off, but it was a damn good burger. and one of my braver friends even got a concrete. i think she should get an award or something.

andreacecile in Manhattan

Hakata Ippudo NY- 1 thumb up, 1 thumb down

i'll agree with everyone that the add-ins were minimal, much less than i've seen at other ramen places. and, my god, if they're going to serve us that heavenly pork, please, please put in a few more slices! fwiw, my table had both the garlic presses and the sesame grinders

however, i'll go out on a limb here and say that i think the concept works for nyc. most people associate ramen with those awful rock hard noodles and the gussied up interior, along with serving some good sides, i think brings a needed perspective for ramen newbies. there's room enough for a place like this.

and i don't know about you, but the $13 can feed me for two meals, so it's not too expensive. some of the sides i got were really very good, including some fattier (is that even possible?) and more luscious slices of the pork along with some daikon. i think for an introduction to ramen for typically unadventurous eaters, this is a great place to go. and i don't think the wait is as long anymore...

andreacecile in Manhattan

Hakata Ippudo

there's a thread already here: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/506901

i went last night, and i thought it was fantastic. i've been to minca, momofuku, and mitsuwa enough to know good ramen, and i really think this was it. i had the more flavorful akamaru special ramen and was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't too salty- just rich, porky and very very flavorful. the noodles were perfectly cooked and very thin, and you had the option to add fresh garlic and ground sesame seeds to your bowl. the downside is that there is only one lone slice of pork in the bowl, and tasting how tender it was, i really wished there was more. there were less add-ins than other ramen places i've been though, but i wonder if that is b/c the broth is so good?

the apps. were good too- i think we had the garlic shrimp, pickled veggies, some VERY VERY good + fatty pork with daikon, and a crunchy chicken dish, which was the weakest link.

as far as "traditional" ramen places go, this wasn't it. it wasn't a hole in the wall, it wasn't cheap, and it had a lot of frills, so my guess it that it will get panned a bit on account of that. it had a very upscale NYC vibe. but for a huge bowl of amazing ramen that can feed you for two meals at $13, i would definitely make a return visit. for first time ramen-ers too, i think it would make a good introduction.

andreacecile in Manhattan

i finally made it to Angel's Share

yes, it is amazing. here's to hoping it stays that way...

andreacecile in Manhattan

When is Yogurtland opening?

this may be the best news i've heard all year. i was in the west coast recently and i LOVED yogurtland. the self-serve makes it--- as much mochi as you want! does anyone have any more news about this?

andreacecile in Manhattan

good ethnic food from LAX to Orange County

hey there LA chowhounders
i'm flying into LAX this Sat. at lunchtime and driving from there to Orange County. i'd love to find a good place to stop on the way for a delicious lunch/brunch. i'm open to everything as long as it's not extremely expensive. last time i was in LA i went to din tai fung and loved it, fyi. extra points if it's a unique to LA- i'm from SF, so no need to go to in-and-out.

andreacecile in Los Angeles Area

A Good Ol' Soda Fountain for a Good Ol' Banana Split

not in manhattan, but in the BK they just opened up a new soda shop called old brooklyn parlor in the old style of ice cream parlors. it's on vanderbilt between bergen and dean in prospect heights.

andreacecile in The Best

shake shack help

i'm going to dinner at the shack tonight and because the tempuratures keep dropping i'm a little worried about getting cold. i'm still going to brave it, because i really love those burgers, but does anyone know of a public atrium or space where i can eat my burger indoors without being hassled? i'm ideally thinking of the deutsch bank atrium, but nearer to madison square park. and it doesn't have to have the mirrored tiles either.

andreacecile in Manhattan

oysters for valentine's day?

where can i find good quality oysters to serve for my valentine's day dinner? i heard whole food doesn't have the best quality; are there other places that are better?

on a related note, for those oyster novices out there like me:

1. how can i tell if an oyster is fresh before i buy it?

2. what varieties of oyster should i be looking for? i'm the type of person who just orders whatever kind they have at the restaurant and am usually happy with what i get.

andreacecile in Manhattan

Restaurant Week - never again.

i've been going to resturant week for a while now, and i've had some serious misses- like you described above.

BUT- for the past two years i've been going to the Modern's Bar Room and been AMAZED at the options, service, etc. i wrote extensively about it on my blog:
http://cake-time.blogspot.com/2008/01/modern-beat.html, but i'll copy it here:

it is restaurant week here in nyc and that can mean one of two things:

1. delicious, quality, fancy food at a fraction of the cost

2. bad, boring, overpriced food that still isn’t worth it

blue ribbon brasserie is a great example of the second; only three options on a three course menu, so i had no choice but to get the exact same meal as my dining partner- which, all those serious eaters out there know, is a cardinal sin of eating out. furthermore, the three options were about the most boring and bland things i've had in a while- caesar salad, roast chicken and chocolate cake. i know, i know, it is my fault for going to a place that prides itself on "home-cooking" for restaurant week when i could have made a better version of that meal at home.

well, i learned my lesson because after that fiasco my taste in restaurant week has improved. now the first restaurant on my list is always the modern, which is the apex of restaurant week hospitality. first of all, there are at least six (SIX!) choices for each of the courses. second, they are taken from the regular menu, not created cheaply to serve the hungry hoi polloi that only eat out at fancy places during restaurant week. and third, they don't give you the regular menu and force you to offer the inevitability embarrassing "ummm, excuse me, i'm here for restaurant week" request- no they just hand you one menu- the ultimate in restaurant democratization.

if all that weren't enough, the food is good. really good. like seriously-i-would-actually pay-the-regular-prices-if-i-could-afford-them good. i had sweetbreads, which is the culinary euphemism for the thymus gland of a calf and something that would usually totally gross me out (i'm not that squeamish, but anything that needs repeated soakings to drain the blood out of it, i'm not totally stoked about). however, paired with my mushroom gnocchi, they were the perfect (albeit spongy) complement to the rich pillowy gnocchi. the artic char tartare was a nice departure from the requisite tuna tartare, and although it could have used one more squeeze of lemon, was very fresh, light and satisfying. the desserts were even better. grace had the weirdly incongruous sounding salted caramel parfait with coconut tapioca and mango sorbet, which was the surprise winner of the night, and i had what was essentially a nutella napoleon, but was called a "hazelnut dacquoise", which obviously made it taste better. it was a lovely, luxurious meal all for under $40- always a winner in my book.

andreacecile in Manhattan

Good Italian Food In Seattle

i'm not from seattle, but my bro lives there and says salumi's is great for casual sandwiches- the meatball sub is amazing.

incidentally, it's owned by Armandino Batali, Mario's dad, who makes a lot of the cured meats himself.

andreacecile in Pacific Northwest

Am I crazy for thinking that Magnolia cupcakes suck?

i totally agree about magnolia's cupcakes; i always laugh at the line outside the bleeker st. location and think: tourist suckers!

and i second the two little red hens- if you live in the BK they are now called ladybird. the brooklyn blackout cupcake with chocolate pudding/frosting in the middle is the opposite of those dry, tasteless, overly sugary magnolia ones.

i like billy's okay- more for the cakes than the cupcakes, and i LOVE SSS- but only for the so-addicting-its-basically-crack banana pudding.

andreacecile in Manhattan