You have described what I considered his pre-mellowing demeanor. Perhaps you just have to catch him on the right day. I haven't tried Gazala recently but I'll give it a whirl.

Thanks. Boo.

Did Wes Genovart leave Degustation? That's a serious bummer. Any idea where he went?

I agree it's woefully underrated. I think serious eaters have trouble getting past ilili's big-box, Meatpacking-style name, look, feel, and sound. Overall, the atmosphere belies some serious cooking.

I third Azuri. The proprietor has mellowed in recent years.

Casual.

This is my favorite publicly-accessible indoor space on the campus. Great coffee and beautiful room.

Check out Stanton Social and Beauty & Essex.

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Stanton Social
99 Stanton Street, New York, NY 10002

Beauty & Essex
146 Essex St, New York, NY 10002

http://shop.russanddaughters.com/stor...

Thanks, Lau. I'll give it a whirl.

I have a friend going to an Eddie Huang dinner at LTO. Sounds potentially fun. http://ny.eater.com/archives/2012/01/...

Lau, could you tell us a little more about Ipoh-style white coffee? Is it sweet? Roasted in margarine (according to Wikipedia) ?! I saw a few bags of white coffee at Hong Kong Supermarket recently -- not sure if it was this brand or even Malaysian -- and now I'm very curious. Thanks.

Hi, Jim. Yes, it's open until 10 pm daily.

By the way, for everyone's searching purposes, it's actually "Cheung Wong Kitchen."

Check out Rockmeisha.

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Rockmeisha
11 Barrow St, New York, NY 10014

Stage or B&H Dairy on 2nd Avenue in the East Village. Classic Coffee Shop on Hester deep in the LES.

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Stage Restaurant
128 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

B&H
127 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

Classic Coffee Shop
56 Hester St, New York, NY 10002

Has anyone tried Family Recipe yet? Looks promising.

http://www.thrillist.com/food/new-yor...

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Family Recipe
231 Eldridge St, New York, NY 10002

Pork belly appetizer (teensy, dry), a couple of really sad ceviches, and a cooked fish about which I remember nothing. Did not try the duck rice.

Rayuela has very good food and an even better atmosphere. Both Yerba Buena locations are also good.

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Rayuela
165 Allen Street, New York, NY 10002

I wanted to like it, but Nuela was fairly horrendous and very overpriced. The service was clueless to boot.

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Nuela
43 W 24th St, New York, NY 10010

Azul was never my favorite spot for Argentine, but I'm wondering if anyone's been since the chef shuffles and menu changes documented here: http://www.nydailynews.com/latino/201....

I'm thinking about building an itinerary loosely based on yours. Could you please report back? Thanks!

Thanks for the rec. This is an incredibly gorgeous setting with food and service to match. A very memorable experience. I recommend a table down by the brook.

I think Otto's gelato beats L'arte. I would ask if they have the summer cart set up outside yet; this would save you time. Or just get gelato at the bar. The coppettas are generally amazing.

I haven't been yet but Coppelia could be perfect. http://coppelianyc.com/coppelia.html

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Coppelia
207 W 14th St, New York, NY 10011

All great ideas. You can typically find a seat at 88 Orchard. I also did a fair amount of Bar studying at Doma in the West Village.

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Doma Cafe
17 Perry St, New York, NY 10014

88 Orchard
88 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002

I just sent a Texan friend for lunch and she raved. They are open daily from 11-7. A manager said they will aim to stay open later this summer. I'm really excited to try for myself.

Bumping because I just went here for the first time. It was decently packed during a dreary lunch hour, so I think they're probably doing well. I had a very delicious $4 Cuban sandwich. What should I get next?

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La Nueva Flor de Broadway
3395 Broadway, New York, NY 10031

I'm going with a group tonight. Any additional must-haves? Thanks.

I second Bacaro, although they don't accept reservations and tend to have a wait at prime dinnertime. The Fat Radish could work too, but it's also pretty tough to get into at peak hours.

Lower key options are Brown Cafe and Cafe Petisco, which are less upscale than the previous two recommendations but still very nice for the neighborhood.

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Bacaro
136 Division St, New York, NY 10002

Cafe Petisco
189 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002

Fat Radish
17 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002

Second Spot. Pretty good atmosphere, too.