tdonline's Profile
Thursday dinner
I'll be in town for a meeting--staying near the UN with the meeting at the Paley Center on 52nd. Please provide recommendations for a affordable eats (no more than $50-70 for two) in and near those areas. I'm willing to travel a bit but it has to be reasonable.
I'm a very adventurous eater, my friend less so. I'm not interested in Italian, Chinese or Mexican.
Previous visits have usually resulted in ramen which I'm not opposed to doing again but I thought I would open up for some alternatives. Thanks.
Chinese Deli near Valley & San Gabriel
I'm going to Van's Bakery to pick up some snacks later today. I'd like to pick up some Chinese roast meats while I'm in the area. Suggestions for this area? I know of a decent place in Chinatown that I usually go to, but I'd prefer to not have to make a stop there as my dinner meeting will be in the Westside. Thanks.
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Van's Bakery
860 E Valley Blvd, San Gabriel, CA
Best Cantonese dinner
Ray, I've eaten at the other places you mentioned. Too many years ago to remember if the meals were good or not. I had read that Elite or SH were the top choices mentioned in passing...thought I'd post my question for confirmation and also if there were any other that warranted serious consideration.
Best Cantonese dinner
Ray, I'm assuming your post was directed towards me. I no longer live in LA and Elite/Sea Harbor have hit their stride during my absence--as far as I can remember. So when I do come back to LA, my meals out are limited especially as I try to hit all the stuff i miss, Chinese, Vietnamese, Mexican, Korean, etc. All the stuff that I think is much better in LA than DC. And since I have friends and family in LA, I also have to save some meals for home cooking. So if I'm in LA for 5-10 days, I may only have one or two full on Cantonese dinners out. If we've already hit Elite and Sea Harbor for dim sum plus another visit for cart style dim sum...it's hard to get back around to them for dinner.
In addition, I have to acommodate my friends. Not all of them want to eat Cantonese food nor do they want to drive out to SGV. So sometimes, I end up eating so-so Mexican or Thai food in Laguna Beach, but hey I get to hang out with my childhood friend for a day.
As mentioned before, my mom also likes to try out new restaurants and is a sucker for all ads. And as you know, there are so many restaurants in SGV...it's hard to hit the same ones over and over again especially if you're only around for a week or two twice a year. But yes, next week, I'm going to insist that we hit Elite or Sea Harbor for dinner.
Best Cantonese dinner
Thanks Hugh, but like I said I'm looking for something more than decent. Would you say Paul's is great? I'm not familiar with Paul's but from what I read it's seems to be a popular place for old school Chinese-American...which I'm not a big fan of.
World cup locations
Anyone know of places where I can get a Chinese breakfast (soymilk/donut, congee, dim sum) or Mexican and watch the games? I'm more interested in the low down places where I can nurse a glass of soymilk or horchata and watch the games with some cranky locals.
Best Cantonese dinner
Brief background: raised in LA but have lived in DC for the past 6 years.
The Cantonese food here is dreadful in DC. I always go out for Cantonese food when I'm back in town. I've had great dim sum and like many chowhounds, I love Elite and Seafood Harbor on Rosemead.
But I've been bitterly disappointed when it comes to Cantonese food for dinner. So what's the word? I need to have a great dinner when I get back next week. In December, I went to Top Island and that was pretty good, obviously much better than anything I'd get in DC but still it wasn't great.
My mom, who should know better, is forever recommending places from ads in the Chinese newspapers. She loves checking out new places, and she's always a sucker for any special deal and/or specialty dish. Problem is that these places have been crap!
Finally, I wish I could say money is no object.... it is. I'm not looking for two buck chuck, but it shouldn't be in the triple digits for a couple of people. I know ordering lots of seafood would be tough.
I hate to say it -- LoS a tad bit underwhelming...
Put me down for underwhelmed. Granted I am but a lowly visitor and only had dinner there a couple of nights ago. The food was just okay. None of the 3 dishes and bowl of soup were outstanding. The best dish was a rice noodle dish that was very flavorful but fell short of excellent because the chicken was so tough and dry. With that dryness, it would have been better served if the chicken was cut up in smaller pieces. I looked forward to trying a northern thai dish and ordered the jack fruit curry which was nothing like curry at all. Granted this was explained to us while ordering. Still the dish itself wasn't particularly memorable.
Around the Convention Center
Thanks all. Will be making reservations for Lotus of Siam.
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Lotus of Siam
953 E Sahara Ave Ste A5, Las Vegas, NV 89104
Around the Convention Center
I'll be attending the CTIA conference at the Convention Center next week. Will be around for 5 days and though I'll be busy during the day, I'm looking forward to some good dinners. I'm also staying nearby at the Hilton Vacations Suites and will not be driving so I'm looking for places I can walk to. I'll probably take one day/night and go to Chinatown, but do not want to pay for a cab for every meal. Plus, I'm on a per diem so nothing extravagant though I'm willing to chip in a few dollars out of pocket if needed.
Lastly, any suggestions to pick up a quick bite for lunch? I'm assuming the CC will have plenty of fast food and lunch options. Any favorites? I'm usually allergic to hamburger chains...unless it's In n' out. Thanks!
Ren's Ramen, Bethesda
Steve, I was referring to the noodles as possibly from a package rather than made in house. I have no doubt the broth is made in house.
Ren's Ramen, Bethesda
Technically it's in Daruma as the restaurant uses the same doorway as the market. I was there last month and the food is pretty good but definitely not great. But when you're in the land of the blind, the one eyed is king. I live in the neighborhood and would love to come in for a weekly fix but the high prices for a so-so bowl of noodles doesn’t call for that kind of devotion. The broth is fine, the pork is very bland and the noodles are just okay. It tasted like it comes in a package rather than made in-house. Correct me if I’m wrong here as I’m not an expert in this area.
Shrimp paste in North Bethesda/Rockville area
Plenty of shrimp paste at KK so it worked out well and I did all my shopping there. Didn't carry the brand I usually use, but there was a good selection. Next zipcar rental will involve a trip to the Great Wall Supermarket for some hardcore Chinese stuff but KK is a good "local" place for produce.
Great Chinese food in Bethesda or D.C. area?
Not answering the OP question directly...I think non-Cantonese Chinese food in DC is pretty decent. And they're places already mentioned here plus Hong Kong Palace in VA. Dim sum is dismal here though. Really bad and haven't had a great or even good meal yet. I pretty much just wait until I go to LA for great dim sum.
And to be honest, I can't think of a great Chinese meal in NYC either. But I've only visited NYC and not lived there so my sample size is tiny. I have eaten in all three "chinatowns" in NYC. I'm trying to round up friends for a culinary trip to NYC and spend more time in the Queens Chinatown.
Shrimp paste in North Bethesda/Rockville area
Oops, not clear about "general area", I'm in downtown Bethesda and planning to drive up Rockville Pike for Korean Korner, Target and Kam Sen.
There is a thai market in Silver Spring and I'm sure they would carry shrimp paste. But I'm hoping to find it in KK or KS and cut down on the driving. I'm looking for cheap produce (KK) and Chinese ingredients and goods (KS) and Vietnamese...
Shrimp paste in North Bethesda/Rockville area
Making bun rieu tomorrow and just checked the fridge and I'm clear out of shrimp paste. I'm shopping tomorrow at Korean Korner and Kam Sen in Rockville. Due to limited driving hours (i'm using zipcar) I won't be able to make it out to VA for Great Wall or Eden Center. I can't remember if I've ever seen shrimp paste at KK or KS. Anyone know? If not at those places, any recommendations for a grocery in the general area that would carry the paste? Thanks!
Dry Salting a brined turkey?
Okay, thanks, makes sense. Just worried that the turkey's brine ain't that good...but it's a done deal so I'll now have to decide to whether go with the low or high heat method.
Dry Salting a brined turkey?
Couldn't splash out the money nor have the transportation to buy a fresh turkey, so I bought a frozen turkey which has been brined at 8% solution (Shady Brook).
I've used the dry salting method for roast chicken with excellent results. I'd like to do this for turkey but am I courting disaster if I use the brined turkey?
Here's the link from the LA Times for the technique.
http://www.latimes.com/theguide/holiday-guide/la-fo-turkey19-2008nov19,0,4277234.story
Camden, ME
I will be attending a conference in town this week. I'll have breakfast at a BB and lunches will be covered by the conference. Dinners are on my own. What are the recommended places? I'll have access to a rental car so if needed, we can drive outside of town. My per diem will be about $30 but I'm willing to pay the difference for an exceptional meal. Having said that I'm generally into good values and hole in the wall places. Aside from avoiding dairy products, I'm an adenturous chowhound.
Thanks.
SOS london cheap eats
Home now, but wanted to say thanks once again. I was on a Blackberry with a incredibly slow connection so Chowhound was a lifesaver since surfing was such a pain.
I did go to Chowki on Saturday for a very late lunch. What a wonderful meal! I had the aubergine main dish under the Madras heading and the chicken tikka salad. It was a bit too much food and the downside was that I was too stuffed to to RSJ for dinner. I hope to make a return visit and hit up RSJ.
One question regarding Chowki. On my way out, I took a spoonful of red-gold threads for an after-meal chew. What was it? I'm used to seeing fennel seeds offered in India restaurants but never these threads.
SOS london cheap eats
Excellent. I just had dinner at the Golden Hind. | will try to make it to Chowki as I met someone last night who also recommended it. It sounded a bit of a novelty but apparently it has good food. She did say that main courses were about £20-25 which I wouldn't consider cheap eats.
Well today went well, so i welcome more recommendations for tomorrow. I will most likely hit Westminister Abbey, Buckingham Palace, St Paul's Cathedrel, possibly Tower of London and will go to Tate Modern in the evening. Good spots for those areas? If not, I may try to make it to Chowki for lunch. What's good for dinner around Tate as I will spend the evening in the area?
Thanks!
SOS london cheap eats
First time visitor and here for this weekend. Will be the typical tourist and go see the sights. Would appreciate tips for good value. Will eat anything as along as it is yummy. Would like in particular to have great fish and chips and indian. But again all cuisines welcomed as along as it is reachable by the big touristy spots. I am staying out west on the picadelly line. Thanks!
MSG at Bob's 66
Ordered the vegetable and tofu soup tonight and it was fine. Healthy and tasty. Driving away, I came down with my usual reaction to an overabundance of MSG, sinus headache, stuffed up ears etc. I'm convinced that there was MSG in the soup. My friend said that she had heard that Bob's had a no MSG policy.
What's the story? My symptoms were spot on for when I take in too much MSG....
Persimmon's 3 Course Special for $30
Sorry if this is old news for hounds, but just in case you haven't heard about this deal...
Persimmon in Bethesda has a $30 dinner special from Sunday-Wednesday. Your order must get in before 6pm. Your 3 courses can come from appetizer/salads, entrees and desserts. Everything on the menu is available, the portions are just smaller. I appreciate this approach as it allows people to sample the regular menu. I was stuffed by finishing my 3 courses. One of my friends couldn't finish her entree. I think these were "normal" portions 20 years ago in America and they pass for regular servings in other countries! But I digress. In short, the "smaller" portion was very satisfying
I had the braised shortrib for the appetizer, followed by the rockfish with lemon gnocchi and warm almond cake. The shortrib was very tender if a little bland. The rockfish was fantastic and I loved the almond cake as it wasn't too rich (I'm not big on rich desserts).
I asked if the special was only for the summer, our waitress said that they didn't know as they had only started it a couple of months back. So get it while you can!
Breakfast in Flushing
I'm coming up from DC and after that terrific article on Chinese food in Flushing, I'll be meeting up with a friend for lunch. We are looking at stopping by at #3 and 4 for lunch (Nan Shian Dumpling and Happy Beef Noodle House) and then for dessert, getting shaved ice.
I'm looking to get up there early in the morning and would like to grab some breakfast. Any suggestions? I'm up for Taiwanese style breakfast or grabbing a little bit of dim sum. Just like they do in HK or Guangzhou where it's not uncommon for an individual to eat a couple of dishes...I'm so used to going out to dim sum in the US with big groups of people or at least with my mom or a friend, never alone. Or perhaps there's a great place for some rice porridge? Or perhaps a bakery where I can pick up some items and go out and have breakfast outdoors?
Decent Dim Sum in DC?
Agree on China Garden, cruddy service and food. Used to to live in the neighborhood, imagine how disappointed I was to find out the nearby dim sum place wasn't so good...I don't drive so I've kinda given up on dim sum in DC area. I feast when I visit Los Angeles.
Soho Cafe & Market
I tried the one on M, Good Thyme Food Court. I went in a little late in the afternoon so maybe this was a factor but I found the variety and quality of the food to be below those of Soho's. On the other it did have some Asian fare so it wasn't a total loss. I'll check out the the one L soon!
Pho Hiep Hoa -- New Vietnamese in Silver Spring
May be in the area this weekend for shoes (dsw!), has Pho Hiep Hoa improved? I'm really picky about my pho...If not, any recommendations for the area? Please keep in mind I'm car-less.
Soho Cafe & Market
I wasn't able to find the Sizzle Express, but did find Sizzling Express. Same place? Do they the same type of buffet that Soho offers? That's really what I'm after, especially with the Korean dishes.
