Hi everyone,

I am a recently relocated, recently impoverished 'hound. I am living in Morningside Heights; you guessed it: 'hound on a graduate student stipend. I am a Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato sandwich fanatic, and searches on the Manhattan board have turned up mostly old, short threads on this subject. I thought I would start a new one to see if I could rekindle interest in this subject.

I am searching for two kinds of BLTs for my daily delectation, and here is what I have discerned so far.

1) The Value BLT. This BLT costs less than $5 (maybe less than $4?!) but places a value on freshness of the vegetables and can serve as a decent lunch. So far, I have been surprised and happy to find that both Nussbaum & Wu (http://www.nussbaumwu.com/) and m2m Asian Convenience Store (http://www.yelp.com/biz/m2m-new-york-2) serve a decent Value BLT. Nussbaum & Wu have two advantages: they sneak in under $4 ($3.95!), and they have good wheat bread. The guys at the m2m sandwich counter make a slightly bigger sandwich, and they will add avocado for an extra 50 cents, but the bread is not as good. Still, though, a good Value BLT, and they craft it with care.

2) The Really Good BLT. I went up to Dinosaur BBQ last night and had their "Ultimate BLT," which comes with fried green tomatoes. Um, wow. Served on a homely sesame seed bun--proper for BBQ, just okay for a BLT--but really good bacon and the tomatoes were terrific. $8.50, but a much more special sandwich than the Value BLT. This is a BLT that you would get dressed up for and have dinner with. I had another Really Good BLT at Friedman's Lunch in Chelsea Market (even I sometimes go downtown; http://chelseamarket.com/friedmansdel...); this one had avocado and came on very good bread, but it cost $10. Value-for-money-wise, I give the edge to Dinosaur.

There is, of course, the Value BLT masquerading as the Really Good BLT. This can be found, in my neighborhood, at the Deluxe Diner. It's fine, but it has an identity crisis: it should cost $5, but it costs, like, $9.

I am always searching for the next BLT. The closer to Morningside Heights, the better, but as you can see I am willing to travel. Extra points for sandwiches on the 1 train. I would really appreciate any knowledge you longtime 'hounds can offer.

Brian S-
I appreciate your comments, and I see the reason in them. Let me respond with two thoughts. First, my ideas about the kind of experience I think my friends will enjoy are based on years of living and eating in China. I have also done my share of hosting Chinese friends on visits to the States. I am not Chinese, but I like to think there is more to my notion than hearsay--it is based on actual experience and observation and a decent-sized sample. Your hypothetical example of hosts in Beijing seems a poor analogy, because it sounds like it would be based on cultural stereotypes, rather than observation.

Second, I do not plan to take these folks to second-rate places. I want rather to take them to wonderful places that have an even pacing of food spaced throughout the meal. By way of example, I plan to take them to Oleana (oleanarestaurant.com) for the tasting menu when we return to Boston. I'm trying to strike a balance of eating great things and maximizing our chances for a mutually gratifying experience.

My thanks to all for the detailed and helpful posts. This gives me a great start as I begin to plan my trip. I will keep notes and post a summary-type report on restaurants tried and enjoyed during our trip, which should be up by about October 25th or so.

Thanks for the suggestions. I think tasting menus will be absolutely on the right track, so I will check these out.

(By way of clarification, I wasn't citing a nervousness about conversational or social awkwardness that lies between moments of food service; this of course is situational and not something I am concerned about. The complaint that I am citing is based more on the kind of experience one expects when going to a restaurant to dine. In my experience, a good percentage of my Chinese friends (from China) find the custom of being served a small appetizer followed by a long period of waiting around for a large entree to be a lousy way to eat out. Also, this can be mistaken for bad service by folks unaccustomed to the rhythm of American dining, which can put the host in an awkward situation.)

Yes, our location is 32nd St. and 5th Avenue, so midtown.

My Chinese friends are coming from China, and though the dining scene in Beijing is increasingly cosmopolitan, it is quite different from the scene in a city like New York. They are not particularly familiar with American food.

Hi friends. Boston hound here. I am hoping to get some recommendations for an upcoming visit to New York.

I will be the primary guide around Manhattan for two Chinese friends--major foodies--for about four days. Our activity will center around the lower East side (32 and 5) and the upper East (the Met, vaguely).

I am loathe to take these folks for Chinese food, as good as it may be, because they have access to such wonderful things of this type at home. Also, I think the American "fine dining" experience would turn them off, even if the food is wonderful.

One other criterion: my Chinese foodie friends seem turned off by the custom of waiting for any amount of time without real food on the table (bread and rolls don't really count for them). They appreciate the constant barrage of small dishes that typify the Chinese dining experience, so I am seeking non-Chinese restaurants that also value this kind of constant service approach--lots of courses, lots of small dishes. I imagine a good tapas place could fit the bill, but I am wondering if there are other types of cuisine/restaurants of this type within the orbits of the areas I have described that I haven't thought of. I imagine Korean food will be involved, but I am particularly interested to look beyond East Asian. I am looking for lunch places as well as dinner places. As far as price goes, moderate would be best with a couple of upper moderate to low expensive meals thrown in.

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

The grape nut ice cream at Toscanini's on Main Street on the MIT side of Central Square in Cambridge is a winner. Sometimes it has raisins in it.

Toscanini's (somewhat) new "breakfast at the big table" at the Main St. branch. Atmosphere is very casual but the food is all prepared with a lot of care and quite delicious. Wonderful fruit salad (even in winter), terrific homemade sausage, fancy breakfast sandwiches, cornmeal crusted pancakes etc. Plus some of Cambridge's best coffee and then ice cream for dessert. Open Sat and Sun at 10 am.

The vegetarian tasting menu at Oleana is great value, in my opinion. $40 gets you five mezze + a dessert of their choosing (no baked Alaska, I'm afraid).

This is way downmarket from the others you mention, but I wanted to put in a plug for Toscanini's (Main St. branch) excellent new brunch, which they call "Breakfast at the Big Table". It's Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am. They have a small continental breakfast table out with Petsi Pies pastries and amazing (even in the winter!) fruit salad, which appears to be tossed with a little bit of mint and perhaps honey. Delicious. They also have food to order, terrific breakfast sandwiches and eggs as well as pancakes etc. Add some of the best coffee in town and ice cream after brunch and it's a big winner. Again, the ambiance is downmarket, but the chow is on point.

Royal East (Wuyuehua) on Main St. in Cambridge may do the trick. It's a nice room, fairly elegant, and I hear they take care of banquet-type parties very well.

As someone who works around here, I am sad to report that the chow is fairly limited in the immediate vicinity of the MFA. El Pelon and Rod Dee Thai food are good, but I am not a fan of Brown Sugar. I have had too many uninspiring, uninspired lunches there. The ingredients don't seem particularly fresh and the ambience is kind of a bummer. The Squealing Pig is a pleasant spot. A burger at Brasserie Jo could fit the bill; I haven't had it but my wife says it's very tasty. I second the idea of Woody's for a pizza, but yes indeed--make sure our beloved Sox are not in town the night you come. This probably goes without saying, but for the love of you-know-who do not eat at the fancy restaurant inside the museum; they will take your money and your time from you and offer you only bad service and lame food in exchange.

1. Though Frank is gone, I will still suggest Anise in Kendall Square. Nice set up with big monitors and the food continues to be some of the most exceptional--and authentic--Sichuan in the Boston area (second to my peoples up at Sichuan Gourmet in Billerica). You still couldn't pay me to sit in the drab dining room at Anise, but it's a perfect set up for Sox at the bar.

2. I'm not a huge Cambridge 1 guy, but if you like the pizza there, it's an excellent baseball-watching setup.

3. The Upper Crust branch on Newbury St. (Is pizza pub food?) Anyway, three big hi-def TVs, beer on tap, good pizza, and it's easy to get a seat because most are having take-out.

The food at Anise has really been quite good the times I've been there, and I have been a tough customer for Sichuan food since living in Chengdu for a year. That said, the atmosphere is just such a bummer in there. It's funny-I don't mind going into a crappy, corporate feeling space to get a great drink, but I'd rather not eat my dinner in there. Maybe others feel that way, too, which would explain why Frank was such a big draw and good business move for the place. Too bad, if he's really gone.

I would recommend a night of Brazilian and Portuguese food in the East Cambridge environs. Start with appetizers (fava beans and cod cakes would be delicious) and a bottle of wine early at O Cantinho (http://www.atasca.com/ocantinho/index...) then move across the street to Mu Que Ca for delicious Brazilian fish stew. O Cantinho costs about what you'd expect but Mu Que Ca feels crazy inexpensive for the lovely feel and great food. Portions are big at Mu Que Ca.

I also like the idea of non-Irish dinner paired with proper pints. The Plough and Stars might be a good combo--excellent little pub atmosphere with upscale food all under one roof. Another possibility is an "appetizer crawl" in Inman Square: Fried Yucca and Dried Beef at Mu Que Ca; Fava Beans at O Cantinho; Fried Green Tomatoes at Magnolia's; Oysters at ECG and then end up at the Druid for a decent pint of Guinness and a very full belly. Or maybe the pints first and the apps second?

For me, it would definitely be:

East Coast Grill, Cambridge. (does that make me lame and predictable? Love the place.)

Sichuan Gourmet, Billerica. Hands down the best way to get close to Sichuan food in the area. I finally tried all the comparable dishes at Mary Chung's last night and while they were serviceable in a pinch, Sichuan Gourmet is really in an entirely different league, in my opinion).

Mu Que Ca, Cambridge. Very fresh, made with care, incredibly homey, and right in my neighborhood. If they closed, I would be horribly depressed. If they got a beer license, on the other hand, I would probably throw a party.

In my opinion, Casa Portugal is the Portugese equivalent to a red sauce Italian joint. Comfort-food, but not particularly finely crafted. The ingredients at O Cantinho are fresher and the recipes, execution, creativity, and taste have it all over Casa. They fill different needs entirely, only one of which I have.

Two people splitting one order of fish stew at Mu Que Ca (Cambridge St., Cambridge). Comes with rice on the side, plenty of food, and clocks in just over $6 each. Add an order of dried beef with yucca and you're close to $10.

I would suggest O Cantinho on Cambridge St. in East Cambridge. The food is really good and made with great care. The atmosphere is quiet and reasonably romantic, but not creepy-romantic for a first date. Nice short list of Portuguese wines. One big advantage: you won't spend an awkward half-hour trying to get acquainted while waiting in a crowded lobby/bar trying to stay out of the way of waiters and waitresses as they whiz by you with plates of food. There are always people eating there (it won't be EMPTY) but you won't have to wait. Your date may also think you know special secrets about out-of-the-way restaurants...

I may have to return to Ken Ramen and try it once again. I tried it a couple of months ago on the basis of good reports on this board and found it to be surprisingly lackluster. Many of the ingredients tasted obviously canned/jarred, and the broth didn't taste quite right. Even the noodles themselves seemed off. Perhaps I visited on the wrong day. I love a good bowl of ramen so I may have to give it a second try.

I work right near the Brown Sugar in the Fenway and I have had consistently mediocre experiences there. I suppose one or two of the dishes I have had was fine, but I wouldn't really go there if it wasn't right near the office. Maybe the other branch is a cut above?

I will second Flour. Their sandwiches are wonderful. Also, and I apologize if this is not the type of sandwich you're looking for, but Dom's on Main St. in Waltham (http://www.getdoms.com/about.html) has quite simply the greatest eggplant parm around. I have been eating that sandwich since I was a kid and I still drive to Waltham for it.

Please forgive what will sound like hyperbole, but I am totally committed to the supremacy of Sichuan Gourmet (I've only been the Billerica branch). I lived in Chengdu for a year and I am flabbergasted at how close they come to recreating some of my best Sichuan food experiences right here in Boston (Billerica!) I've mentioned these in previous posts, but the hong you chao shou, the fu xi fei pian, and the shui zhu anything are just superb. The ma po dou fu is as authentic as I've had. The cold spicy bamboo shoots are FRESH--not from a can--and worth WALKING to Billerica for. The la zi ji ding are spicy but complex. Really great Sichuan food.

The Miracle has been my favorite breakfast/brunch spot for a couple of years for several reasons:

1) The room is open, bright, and pleasantly quiet in the morning. Perfect for reading the paper and enjoying a breakfast.

2) The portions are deliberately small. In my view, they're just right for breakfast. I think the breakfast sandwich is a star, especially with the home fries.

3) SATURDAY brunch. I'm not sure when they open--maybe 9?--but Saturday brunch is a rare and special thing, and I take advantage of it often.

The coffee is Illy, which I don't love, but it's serviceable. The service is really friendly.

Downstairs at The Good Life you will find the largest frozen vodka bar in this part of the country. I'm not even a vodka drinker but I tried some things there that opened my eyes. Ask for the vodka with the "bison grass" in it. Wild. The atmosphere is very nice. http://www.goodlifebar.com/

I moved to East Cambridge in the post-Overdraught/pre-Atwood's era. During those lean years, I often dreamed that a new neighborhood pub would open in the space previously occupied by Overdraught, and that they would have a proper beer list and take their pub food seriously. After a few months of going to Atwood's 1-3 times per week, I can say that my dreams have been more or less answered.

Atwood's has a really friendly atmosphere. Sometimes, it feels a little bit more like a living room than a dining establishment (occasionally, the staff blend into the crowd for a little while--it's part of the charm, I think.) The decor is Overdraught-ish: dark wood, tables on barrels and the like. Very pubby.

The beer list is quite strong. Lots of local favorites on tap (three Harpoons, Allagash White on tap, BBC Steel Rail Pale, a couple of Wachusetts, a CBC) plus the standards from the Isles (Guinness, Bass). I think there are seventeen beers on tap.

The menu is, as dreamed, pub food taken seriously. The burger is very good. It doesn't merit inclusion in the perrenial "Boston's Best Burger" discussion, but it is quite a bit better than your average neighborhood pub burger. Very juicy and quite thick. The fries are quite good: hand-cut (no skin, sadly) and thick. Served with tasty little gerkins and always very fresh tomato slices and lettuce.

There are some surprises on the menu: a huge quesadilla with chicken and DUCK along with lots of fresh vegetables. This is on the appetizer menu but constitutes a very good-sized meal. There is also a hanger steak served with mashed potatoes that I haven't personally eaten but have heard good reports about. The salads are also quite fresh and satisfying.

All in all, Atwood's is a great neighborhood joint. I don't suppose it's destination dining for those in the 'burbs, but it's certainly worth crossing over Prospect for those of you in Inman/Harvard/Mid-Cambridge/Harvard. The laid-back atmosphere and friendly staff make it a treat to have in the neighborhood.

Thanks for being my neighborhood bar, Atwoods.