Pepe's is not the best example of New Haven pizza. Their white clam pizza is still top notch on good days, but consistency has declined and the pizza has become more doughy and noticeably thicker since the establishment turned into a chain 5-10 years ago.

In my opinion Sally's, on the other hand, is still a notch above any of the "famous" pizzerias I have tried in NYC, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Boston, Naples, Rome or any other city for that matter.

I still enjoy Pepe's, I'm just saying it's probably not the best pizza on the planet anymore.

I definitely agree, Keith 2000. I've tried all the other places mentioned on this thread.

In the past I have enjoyed the Rib House on Route 1 in East Haven. Both the St. Louis and Baby Backs are popular.

Caseus seems to be doing very well. Last few times I've gone at both lunch and dinner, it was either completely booked or a very long wait. The cheese plate is very expensive for what it is, but many of the other menu items are not particularly overpriced.

I'll be visiting Philadelphia too. This thread has been very helpful.

Are there any good ethnic restaurants that one should be sure not to miss during a weekend in Center City?

Thanks for all the suggestions -- keep them coming!

The dining room looks great (and yes, is very original), but it just did not live up to the overwhelming hype. I think that Wallpaper listed it as the best new restaurant in the world. The ceilings are lower than I thought they would be. What bothered me more was how crowded it was - the table next to mine was about two feet away and I had to listen to their conversation all night. It's usually empty in the photographs, so you don't realize that it isn't really that large. To add to that, the acoustics are poor. The guy next to me was shouting the whole time since he had a large table of guests.

Food and presentation was good, but nothing particularly memorable, when compared to Tabla, etc., and quite pricey. Excellent wine list, though.

Overall, I would recommend trying the place if it is within your budget, but it wouldn't be on my top 10 of places to go in Boston. Make reservations in advance.

Mezcal in New Haven is a very good bet for virtually anything on the menu. I've enjoyed almost everything there, especially the stuffed peppers, but I'm sure other Chowhounds can post their favorites. If you can't handle extremely spicy food, watch what you order. Some of it is para chuparse los dedos. Guadalupe La Poblanita has a very good mole. I'm not quite sure if either of them have horchata, but you can make that at home.

I found that Banq was quite a bit overrated both in terms of food and (especially) decor. It is also very crowded. It was listed as the best new restaurant in several prominent magazines, primarily due to the decor, so I suppose that I had gone in with high expectations. Anyhow, I would give it a B+ for food quality, C+ for food value, A- for decor, A- for service, and B- for overall ambiance.

The wood tunnel effect is cool, but it looks better in the photographs - when you get up close you can see the seams.

Bentara's "Special Noodles" (hot peanut-based) soup is really special, too. That's definitely my favorite, though I like the items on your list too.

Bentara and Thali are both great choices. Lalibela (Ethiopian) is also an interesting option if you like spicy food, though much less upscale. Some of my other favorite standby options for lunch or dinner in the area include Ibiza, Union League, Le Petit Cafe, and Sally's Apizza, among many others.

Lalibela is fantastic.

Point taken, but it really depends which random corner place you are talking about. I guess you still need to know where to go, but I found many of run of the mill corner pizza places to be superior to most of the "reviewed" pizzerias like Patsy's, Una Pizza Napoletana, or Lombardi's. I used to really like Mario's in Fort Greene. If you make it to New Haven, head directly to Sally's.

I tried every Zagat rated pizzeria in NYC when I lived there for a few years. Unfortunately, none of them come even remotely close to Sally's in New Haven in terms of dough consistency, flavor or overall style.

That said, there is good pizza to be had in many parts of NYC (though I would strongly recommend avoiding the "popular" or "famous" ones in the Zagat/online guides and just going for a good slice at one of the take out places) - just don't expect anything approaching New Haven pizza.

It's worth driving at least an hour to New Haven for the brunch options there.

Roomba was incorporated into Sabor (long story), located right around the corner. It is called Bespoke/Sabor and is on 4 levels including a rooftop terrace. Same owner, chef, team, excellent food and seviche as always. NY Times gave it 5 stars.

It's called Soho Korean. Not sure if it is open yet - looks brand new. The Oriental Pantry, up a little farther on Orange (486 Orange), is worth checking out if you haven't yet. It looks like a small grocery from the outside, but they make wonderful, very cheap Korean lunches. Try the brown rice bi-bim-bap.

I'm not a regular, but I think the place is very good. Better than Bella's (which is consistently rated the best in the state) for the home fries and other items, but not for pancakes. Maybe it was just a bad day when you went. Avocado can be hit or miss no matter where you go, especially since people have different preferences for how ripe it should be.

Has anyone tried brunch at 116 Crown?

Candidates include:
Ashley's
Wentworth's

Does anyone feel like suggesting other great ones? A bunch of us go to a different ice cream place every week, so I need suggestions.

The taco trucks on Long Wharf in New Haven can be excellent. Tacos are $1 each, served on a fresh corn tortilla, perhaps the best deal in the Northeast. There is one in particular with a "Frank Street" address to look out for. They will top them with a generous handful of cilantro, and be sure to add the fresh green salsa on top.

Union League is easily one of the best restaurants in the Northeast. The desserts are top notch as well.

Another great French restaurant is Le Petit Cafe in Branford. At $45 for a 4 course home-cooked meal, with impeccable service, it's possibly the best value anywhere. The pastries are better than anything I've found in France, a place I've spent some time.