Chowhound returns - reviews and request for help

Thanks all. Super excited to be back. Ashamed to admit that I haven't visited Olecan despite sending six whole years in Boston; will correct this mistake next week. Biryani Park seems interesting; am very familiar with Southern Indian, especially Kerelan, Tamil, etc but will probably be unable to resist.

keep the suggestions coming!

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Biryani Park
105 Broadway (Route 99), Malden, MA 02148

newerjazz in Greater Boston Area

Chowhound returns - reviews and request for help

left Boston 2005 and was back for the weekend. Visited some old favourites.

1. muqueca for lunch. Has moved to new bigger location. Fried plantain is good as always. Fish muqueca is delicious but quite heavy on salt. Seafood casserole is good too but much greasier than I remembered. Prices have gone up quite a bit.

2. Infusion tea spa. Bubble tea still great.

3. Bakery next to infusion. Yam cake dessert. Good stuff.

4. Shanghai gate. Chef is still the same! Ordered triple delight appetiser, lion meatball, golden ribs, and bear curd wrap meat soup. Everything is tasty. Ribs are a tad dry, there's msg in everything but not too heavy. Appetiser is too salty. Meatball is really tender. Prices are, gulp, the same as in 2005!

5. Flour cafe for breakfast. New mass ave location! They don't have twice baked brioche. Sob. Their Croissants are still probably the only ones that taste like, ..., croissants in France. scones are great.

6. Shangri-la for brunch. Salty soy milk has not phase separated enough. I added more vinegar to no avail. Soft tofu curd is lukewarm... Other dishes, steamed intestines, are full of msg so much so that I can't eat it. I reviewed this place many years ago. Still think it's the top three Taiwanese brunch in Boston but my tolerance for msg must have gone down.

7. Jo jo Taipei for dinner. Stinky tofu hotpot and the special squash with fungus. Both were pretty good. Almost all tables have a stinky tofu hotpot. Pretty authentic rendition.

All in all, a good trip. However, I am a bit underwhelmed and hope to get suggestions from you for my trip back again next week (6 days) My expectations have changed too since I have lived in Seattle, ny, and Taiwan in the past few years. Will be living in Asia (china, korea, singapore) the next few years so am not looking for Asian recommendations. Am very partial to ethnic food so south American (not Mexican) eastern/western European (not French or Italian), middle eastern are all good. Will for example, plan to visit Manchu picchu, sultan kitchen, etc.

Thanks a lot in advance fir your help!

newerjazz in Greater Boston Area

Looking for a critique of my Philly food itinerary

1) if you are visiting Seattle or LA (or taipei, singpore, japan, etc) in the near future., skip Dim Sum Garden and make reservations for Din Tai Fung.

2) in general chinese restaurants in US: NY=SF>Boston>Seattle>Philadelphia. Forget about nation wide reviews that NORMALIZED by states thereby leading to crazy results. philly chinese eq to ny or sf??!! what a joke!

3) Sichuan is pretty good in Philly. Han Dynasty has great dishes. Ermei in chinatown has more authentic appetizers.

4) morimoto is good bur expensive. fuji or oh yoko! is better banf for buck. But sagami chirashi is the ultimate.

5) hope u have a great time her

newerjazz in Philadelphia

Dinner friday night near Hoboken (within 20 min drive)

Hi Chowhounds,

will be around Hoboken on Friday night. Am willing to drive about 15~20min to a restaurant (but not NYC). Looking for authentic cheap ethnic food ($10~40 per person). Am excluding Shanghainese, Sichuanese, North Indian cuisine)

Thanks a lot!!!

newerjazz in New Jersey

cheap ethnic eats

ok. this is what my wife and I had yesterday.

lunch. share a pork chop rice 190 hesters. then a lamb burger and a liangpi at the new xian takeout in chinatown. got a brioche at dulca. total $16. $8 per person.

dinner. Caracas Arepa Bar. la popular combo plus empanada. damage < $30 (before tax and tip).

plan to hit Kafana today.

any more suggestions?

newerjazz in Manhattan

cheap ethnic eats

travelling to manhattan for 2 days. used to live here. looking for very cheap (

what i used to like.
pork chop rice. 190 Hester in chinatown
Menachnko-tei
Wu liang ye (not looking for sichuan on this trip)

actually not limited to asian. would like suggestions for south american, middle eastern etc.

newerjazz in Manhattan

Favorite Philly Lunch Trucks?

don memo on 38th walnut & market is truly a hidden gem. even better than some of the best mexican restaurants in s philly/italian market.

newerjazz in Pennsylvania

Xiao long bao-soup dumplings-fanatic inquiry

just went to sakura couple of days ago; xlb was much soupier than usual. although it was a little too peppery. the xlbs from the same basket were also quite obviously uneven in sizes.

haven't been to dsg for a long time.

newerjazz in Pennsylvania

Xiao long bao-soup dumplings-fanatic inquiry

Sakura and Dim Sum Garden are the only 2 options as far as I know. fivefive is right about the flavor and amount of soup. Sakura has more variety of other Shanghai food so that should be your first stop. Also, I find Sakura's XLB dough to be slightly better, One critical component is thickness of dough; both are quite thick (which IMHO is not good). Sakura's version, though, did have the wrinkly top part where the dough closed somewhat thinner and thus cooked more evenly as the rest of the dough. DSG's version usually has the top half cooked because it's too thick.

The pork (Nanxiang flavor) and pork/crab roe version are, IMHO, the only authentic versions; try those first. Sakura also offer the pork/shrimp version.

newerjazz in Pennsylvania

Eats near Durham, NC golf club

Thanks. I was given instructions to take a cab; it appears I won't be refunded for car rental.

I assume I don't need a Duke id to get on the campus bus?

Thanks again.

newerjazz in General South Archive

Eats near Durham, NC golf club

Hi All,

I will be at the Duke University Golf Club for 2 days next week for an interview. What are the good eats ($10-25) nearby (less than 30 min walk)? Alternatively, willing to catch a bus/train to explore nearby.

Looking for NC or southern food but authentic ethnic is great too.

Thanks a lot!

newerjazz

newerjazz in General South Archive

Taiwanese food at Empress Garden

hey fellow bostonian
mulan's pork chop rice is indeed good; perhaps her best dish.

will try empress garden given you review

newerjazz in Pennsylvania

New taco truck on 38th, West Philly

was there yesterday; its the 2nd truck from sansom street. the tacos al pastor is quite good; definitely better than any i have had in boston. and it looks extrememly clean too

newerjazz in Pennsylvania

morimoto

sorry to cause so much trouble...i just move from seattle to philly. shiro's at seattle is a serious traidtional old-schooled sushi bar and I have enjoyed many omasake there. shiro truly love shis fish and his eyes just sparkles when he serves unusal fish imported from japan. i am just hoping to find something similiar here. please email me a goddoesnotplaydice atatatat gmail.com any "secret" restaurants you may have found.

newerjazz in Pennsylvania

morimoto

Is there a "traditoinal" old school sushi bar in Philly? I am looking for a sushi chef that has trained with a well-known chef in Tokyo and knows his fish well. One that would raise a disapproving eyebrow if I try to order uni when it's slightly off-season. One that would serve Ankimo instead of rolls (don't really care for those)...

newerjazz in Pennsylvania

Most seattlest restuarant?!

Thanks you for your enthusiatc replies. Went to Salumi on Friday. Had the hot meat plate; it's truly wonderful.

Then hit Sitka in the evening. had the salad trio, salted pork belly duck egg, little streets with hanger beef, monkfish in saffron sauce and an olive oil gelatino. The first three dishes were a touch too salty but otherwise cooked competently. I am quite taken by the understated monkfish dish which comes with a mild sauce, accented with grapefuit slices; it brngs out the delicate flavor of the fish while emphaszing its texture. truly a masterpiece that flows with the ingedient in hand. The gelatino is another muted dish that showcases the exquisite flavor of the Trampetti olive oil; it has a light touch of sweetness and a leafy tea-like aftertaste; I am talking about a $300/lb silver needle white tea taste not Lipton tea). The sugar content is controlled perfectly so it doesn't overpower the olive oil. All in all, I am quite impressed by these last 2 dishes.

Will be going back to Salumi on Friday for lunch and getting takeout for lunch on the plane on Saturday. Any suggestions of what to get? Probably will get some cold cured meat for the takeout. Is there anything special that I should ask for? ( know about the pork cheek and oxtail but may not be lucky enough to get those specials)

newerjazz in Pacific Northwest

Looking for great sushi in downtown Seattle

if you choose Shiro, arrive at the restaurant at 5:20 pm to ensure you get seated at the bar. best to let Shiro know that you are adventurous and don't just want the ordinary salmon or tuna sushi.

btw barleywino, is o-toro in season?

newerjazz in Pacific Northwest

Doong Kong Lau Hakka Restaurant

agreed. Chiang's gourmet focuses on northen china style dimsum. the salty soybean milk is good and any of the biscuit/pastry on the brunch menu that requires 20~30 minute wait is good (they make it from scratch!)

sidetrack: hakka people may be treated as 2nd class citizens in canton or fujian but there's a great lineage of hakka people. the famous general yuefei is hakka and the fathers of taiwan (lee teng-hui) and singapore (lee kuan yew) are hakka. btw, one signature hakka dish is stuffed tofu, though variations of stuffed eggplant, stuffed bitter melon are also popular. usually the stuffing is pork or fish. haven't seen this dish in seattle.

newerjazz in Pacific Northwest

Most seattlest restuarant?!

Thanks for all the recs; had preety bad luck this weekend.

went to Sitka on Sat at 5:20 pm; they have a sign - private dinner party till 8 pm . Instead we went to Haenam Korean on Highway 99 and ordered bbq 2 (pork belly & squid) and bbq 7 (beef rib). A satisfying meal that goes well with beer.

hit Pike this morning, the lamb pelmenis from Cafe Yarmaka is out of this world. The dumpling skin is tender yet toothsome and the lamb filling is delicate and flavorful. Simply the best outside of russia. Went to Salumi and guess what? it's closed from Friday till Sat.

next week is my last week; am determined to conquer Sitka, Salum and a couple more places. Will report back.

newerjazz in Pacific Northwest

Moving to Philly. Favorite value-conscious places

Thanks for the replies. I would certainly try the Reading Terminal. Also woudn't mind going to further places by SEPTA so let me know of other interesting eats further away.

Here's a list of other places I have compiled (other than the fine suggestons here) Taqueria Veracruzana, Kibitz, Royal Tavern, Cafe De Laos, McGillin's Old Ale House

newerjazz in Pennsylvania

Expense Account in Seattle

Consder Shiro's too; it's about 1 mile away so about a 20~30 min walk or a 3 min cab ride.
It's a sushi place. go early 5:20pm, wait for them to open at 5:30pm and sit at the bar. Ask for omakase using local fish and ask Shiro what's fresh/good that day. He can take you right from a fresh salad to amain course of all sorts of exotic fish to a sweet plum dessert roll.

newerjazz in Pacific Northwest

Seattle, one weekend, on a budget

vktp
seven stars can be very spicy but maybe you like it that way. famous non-spicy szechuan food would be smoked duck (don't know if they have it). imho, for asian food, vietnamese would be the safer bet. leper's recommendation Taramind Tree is good, as is Green Leaf (more homely).

Elemental is great too but some think that the owner/waiter/sommelier has an attitude (I personally like it) so research more. Frankly, the food isn't exceptional (some good dishes, some average) but I enjoyed the atmostphere and the sommelier's fussy, uptight sort of attitude.

newerjazz in Pacific Northwest

Most seattlest restuarant?!

actually just hoping to find a restaurant that refuses to destroy an exquisitely marbled Kobe/Wagyu steak by cooking it to medium-rare or more. any place that does so is either not serving truly marbled Wagyu or the chef has absolutely no clue.

newerjazz in Pacific Northwest

Moving to Philly. Favorite value-conscious places

Hi All,

I am moving to Philly (Rittenhouse area) in a couple of weeks from Seattle. Lived in NYC, Boston before and have been to Vancouver numerous times so have had accessed to pretty good food. Hear that Philly is also a foodie's city.

What are your favorite places for typical lunch and dinner for under $20 per person (no wine)? Looking for places that use local produce or ingedients. Ethnic food is great too. Maybe places that are not so well-known but that you frequent a lot.

Thanks a lot!

newerjazz in Pennsylvania

Most seattlest restuarant?!

sophie, thx for the recommendation. wouldn't mind driving to neah bay but almost certain there won't be a potlatch waiting for me. do you know a chief?

Stumbling Goat seems interesting; do they serve the Wagyu rare/medium-rare so it's stll a little cold in the interior with the strands of white fat melting in your mouth? may also try flyng fish.

newerjazz in Pacific Northwest

Most seattlest restuarant?!

thnx ccqueen. sitka is perfect; it will definitely be on "the" list

I just had a thought; I have never had real american food as in American Indian (AI) food. Are there any AI restaurants around? Willing to drive 2~3 hours to Indian reserves. Cascadia's chef uses some AI technique but it seems quite european.

newerjazz in Pacific Northwest

Most seattlest restuarant?!

Thanks a lot for the replies. My inclination now is to try Salumi, Maximilien, Etta's Seafood, Matt's in the market. These restaurants probably have local seafood (salmon, dungeness crab, geoduck) that will be fresher than Philly or NYC or have special expertise (Salumi.) Any other suggestions along these lines would be great. Not too into ethnic food (Italian, French, Chinese , Korean, etc) unless they use local ingredients.

The Herb Farm sounds good but I am trying to keep to a budget of $30-50 per person (no wine.) Are there any signature Northwestern vegetable produce? I wouldn't mind Carmelita or other vegetarian restaurants but am looking for restaurants using special local produce.

newerjazz in Pacific Northwest

Most seattlest restuarant?!

i am laeving seattle for philadelphia after about 13 months and have enjoyed every singel moment here. For the next two weeks, I want to chow the most Seattlest possible restaurants/cafes. Places I have enjoyed are elemental gasworks, shiro's, etc. Since I travel quite a bit, am looking for places that cannot be found in new york, san francisco, paris, tokyo, beijing, singpore, etc. in other words, places that use local ingedients heavily (salmon, corn, pears, etc)

thanks a lot in advance!

newerjazz in Pacific Northwest

boston must haves ('hound from Seattle/Vancouver)

Thanks a lot people! this list brings back fond memories of good times in boston and reminds me that there's there a good number of places I haven't tried.

I will surely try the following
Volle Nolle
Orinoco
Rincon Limeno
Oleana (can't believe i haven't been there)

and may go back to old haunts at
Chez Henri
Flour bakery

and some of the others listed in original post.

i think i will mainly will focus on south american, portugese cuisine which is not as well represented in seattle/vancouver. i am not adverse to walking half an hour (from train or bus stop) to a good restaurant so
more exotic located restaurants are ok too.

newerjazz in Greater Boston Area