Kassava by the Beverly Center has roti.

http://www.kassava.com/

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Kassava
8600 W 3rd St Ste 2, Los Angeles, CA 90048

Thanks for the Pollard's recommendation - decent fried chicken and sides... and like you said, the price was right. Only downside were the creepy biscuits served with "honey sauce" (HFCS plus a dash of honey) and "52% whipped spread". I guess that's how they keep the costs down?

The patties are pretty good, and the shell is the typical dark yellowish color. Try it out! They have weekly specials as well - Caribbean pot roast and shepherd's pie on Thursdays and conch on Saturdays, I think.

I don’t see any mention of Papa Willy's in this thread. Great Caribbean food (Jamaican patties, Trinidadian roti, curry goat, oxtail, etc.). Skip the jerk chicken, though. Last time I was there I tried the Irish Moss: a shake-like drink made from a type of red algae... sort of tastes like eggnog. Excellent.

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Papa Willy's Caribbean Kitchen
6220 Indian River Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23464

The discussion of rotten shark reminds me of a comic titled "Nordics like Fish":

http://humoncomics.com/nordics-like-fish

How are the lahmajunes served at Sasoun Bakery?

In the Netherlands I’ve had "Turkse Pizza" - which is a flatbread with a thin layer of minced meat, topped with lettuce / cucumber / tomato, squirted with garlic sauce and hot sauce (sambal), and then rolled up. Fantastic. The "Turkish Pizza" I've had in Istanbul didn't have any of the toppings / sauces and was also quite delicious.

I’ve heard that Taron Bakery at Hollywood and Kenmore has lahmajunes as well. Any idea how the two places compare?

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Sasoun Bakery
5114 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA

I’ve been trying to find Surinamese roti (i.e. with chicken/beef/lamb curry, potatoes, hard boiled egg, green beans – is that similar to Trinidadian roti?), and I came across the suggestions in this thread: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/337801

If driving (100+ miles) outside of LA isn’t a problem, then perhaps make the trip up to Solvang for some Danish restaurants. I haven’t been to any before, but a quick search turned up this place: www.theredvikingrestaurant.com

Shifting to the Benelux (slightly on topic with this thread) are there any Dutch restaurants in Los Angeles? I understand you can find Dutch cheeses at the European Deli on Main Street in Santa Monica, and I’ve seen Dutch foods at some Indonesian markets, but I have no idea where to find stamppot, snert, hutspot, rookworst, etc.

Found it! Thanks

The Thirsty Camel Restaurant
394 West Ocean View Avenue
Norfolk, VA 23503
(757) 588-9877

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The Thirsty Camel
394 W Ocean View Ave, Norfolk, VA 23503

In another thread I saw a recommendation for Whitner's BBQ (www.whitnersbbq.com). Any idea how they compare to Malbon's (www.malbonbrothersbbq.com)?

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Whitner's BBQ
869 Lynnhaven Pkwy, Virginia Beach, VA 23452

Where is the Camel?

I’ll be in Düsseldorf and Cologne next weekend, and I’m looking for some German restaurants where I can get some great sausage.

All varieties welcome! I'm a fan of bratwurst, Nürnberger rostbratwurst, bockwurst, knackwurst, landjäger, and sorta weisswurst – although I’m also happy to try new varieties I’ve never heard of before.

We’ll have an infant with us, so an added perk would be if the places are baby-friendly.

Thanks!

Welcome! It may be a challenge to find vegetarian options, but it certainly can be done. Here are a few options that come to mind:

De Witte Uyl (they always have a few nice veggie options)
http://www.witteuyl.com/

Sherpa (Nepalese and Tibetan food – worth trying if you haven’t had it before
)http://www.sherpa-restaurant.nl/

Bazar (North African-ish? They have a few veggie options
)http://www.bazaramsterdam.nl/

Eat at Jo’s (haven’t been here yet, but have heard that they have veggie options as well
)http://eatatjos.com

…and of course there are Italian options, and if you want to check “pannenkoeken” and “rijsttaffel” off of your to-do list, the pancake places and Indonesian restaurants are generally veggie-friendly as well.

Re: De Kas (http://www.restaurantdekas.nl/), I would argue that it is both exquisite AND over-hyped. I’m most impressed with how vegetable-intensive the food is, but least impressed with how overpriced it also is. Note that the menu changes everyday, so you also need to keep your fingers crossed that you’ll be excited enough about the food to drop at least €50 per person. If you aren’t concerned about taking the chance, then you may also want to finish your evening here: http://www.hollandcasino.nl/

Succes, and please let us know how it goes!!

I wonder if the limited options at De Kas might be influencing the mixed responses. Since they serve only one daily menu at a time, I imagine that someone could be disappointed if whatever was being served was not to his liking.

For example, I’ve been there when the menu was fish-intensive. Perhaps if a carnivore chowhound went on that day, she could have been quite disappointed. But as a fan of fish, I was quite impressed.

I’ve certainly been disappointed by other single menu restaurants before (e.g. Chez Panisse in Berkeley, CA). Not because the food was bad, but because they weren’t serving something that I was excited about.

You can’t please everyone – and that may be one of the risks of serving a single daily menu. Is de Kas overhyped? I don’t know - maybe, it depends on the day. It certainly is overpriced, but that is another issue entirely.

Wow, what a disappointment. Sorry to hear that the weather kept you from being able to make it to de Kas. I'd imagine the rain beating against the glass walls and ceiling of the greenhouse could actually add to the atmosphere.

Interesting that you went to d'Vijff Vlieghen - I think I read another post here saying to be suspect of anyone who recommends that place. Seems like good advice, although I still haven't made it there myself.

What was the name of the inconsistent Italian place near the Pulitzer? And where did you get the frites with oorlog saus that you liked?

If you make it back to Amsterdam again, hopefully you have better luck!

I made it to Greenwoods this past weekend. While it is a friendly little spot on the Singel canal, I'd call the food just okay. Basic offerings, small portions, kinda high prices (considering).

I also had breakfast recently at a place that was pretty impressive. Not within your timeframe (they don't open until 11h) or location (Amsterdam West), but they serve a mean Turkish breakfast. Hearty omelets for around 6 EUR or you can go all out and get the full breakfast meal with tea, bread, eggs, and a dozen or so plates of cheeses, spreads, sausages, etc. Way more food than you can probably eat for 13,50 EUR per person.

Podium Mozaïek
Bos en Lommerweg 191
1055 DT Amsterdam, Netherlands
+31 20 3309400

...also, I believe that Singel 404 opens at 10:30.

-----
Eetcafe Singel 404
Singel 404 Amsterdam

Incredibly, this is a difficult question to answer.

From my experience, there just isn’t much of a breakfast culture in the Netherlands. Most people just eat a simple meal of bread and possibly cheese, maybe getting as fancy as an uitsmijter (fried egg on bread with cheese/ham). The majority of the time, this meal is eaten at home.

So, that means that breakfast and brunch can be very difficult to find. In the center of Amsterdam, you will likely see some places with big signs advertising “English Breakfast”… but I have yet to find an option that comes close to satisfactory. However, I have yet to try Greenwoods (Singel 103) – which is supposed to have a good English breakfast. I believe that they open at 9:30, so that may work with your timeframe.

Some people come here and get excited about pannenkoeken, but then they are sad to discover that most of the pancake houses don’t even open until noon. Or later. Then, many people may be disappointed when they actually EAT a pannenkoeken. I agree that you can go very wrong with these, but I would argue that the “slavisch” pannenkoeken at the Upstairs Pannenkoekenhuis is about as close to perfect as I can imagine. Sadly, they won’t be open until after you need to leave. But – there is another place (unfortunately, I haven’t tried this place either) that is supposed to be good enough… and they should be open at 10:00. The name is Pancakes! (http://www.pancakesamsterdam.com/), and they are located between Prinsengracht and Keizersgracht… between the Anne Frank House and Leidseplein.

I hope this helps! Good luck!

I believe it means that they open at 5pm on Sundays.

I would suggest you try Vleminckx on Voetboogstraat (alley near the Kalverstraat shopping street). They have great fries that many claim to be the best in town. Unfortunately, you can only go there during the day. Like most of the Kalverstraat area, I believe they close around 6pm.

All types of food? No problem, I’ll take a first crack at giving you some suggestions...

--Dutch--
Hap Hmm: Solid Dutch home cooking. Not open late or on weekends.
Café Loetje: Buttery steaks, and that's pretty much it. Expect a long wait
De Blauwe Hollander: Touristy, but I like their stamppot (boerenkool and rookworst is my fave)
Struisvogel: Pretty good 3 course meal. The price is right

--Indonesian--
Tempo Doeloe: If you must have rijsttafel, this is a popular choice.
Blauw: Haven't been yet, but it has been suggested by others (dutchgrub)
Bojo: More bang for your buck. Good place to try Indo food without making a big deal out of it

--Pannenkoeken--
Upstairs Pannenkoekenhuis: Tiny place that may only be open 8 hours or so a week. Try the slavisch.
Pancake Bakery: Touristy and not as good, but more reliable hours and a wider selection
Pancakes!: Another place I haven't been to yet, but has been recommended by dutchgrub
[Note: There isn't a strong breakfast culture in the NL, so these are often served during lunch and dinner times. Also, you can go REALLY wrong with these - so I wouldn't advise just dropping in anywhere that serves pannenkoeken. Gross.]

--Gourmet / Upscale--
De Kas: Fresh, fantastic food served in a converted greenhouse. Vegetable intensive. Set menu changes daily, and they will happily make adjustments for dietary needs.
De Witte Uyl: Menu changes seasonally. You get two main courses in lieu of a starter. Great vegetarian options.

--Argentine Steakhouses--
Yeah, right. Do not seek the treasure! If you must, 8 (ocho) is less bad than the other places. But still.

--Other--
Sherpa: Tibetan / Nepalese. Tasty, and the owners are friendly
Los Pilones: Good (for Europe) Mexican food. Two locations
Wagamama: Chain restaurant serving different variations of asian noodle/soup/rice dishes.
Thai Bird Snackbar: Most people prefer the (crowded) snackbar, not to be confused with the restaurant across the street with the same name

--TakeAway / TakeOut / ToGo--
Uliveto: Fantastic Italian food (great selection of olive oil), options change frequently. You can eat there as well, and if you do - the best deal is to go with 4+ people and ask to try a little of everything.
Peperwortel: Wide variety, perhaps mainly Mediterranean?
[Note: Walk to Wok and Maoz Vegetarian are both very popular and economical choices, but they gross me out]

--Street Food--
Herring: Served raw with or without onions or pickles, whole or cut up into pieces. Fantastic! But, not for everyone.
French fries: Available everywhere, but I prefer Vleminckx.
FEBO: Best visited late at night when it is super crowded. I think everyone should try it once, but beware that it may be the worst food you've ever had. Kaas souffles are okay.
Poffertjes: Lil puffed pancakes with a mushroom cloud of powdered sugar.
Oliebollen: Deep fried, child's-fist-sized balls of dough. Can be addictive.

--Other foods to try--
Roti: Surinamese. Curry with potatoes, your choice of protein, and an indian-style flatbread
Turkish pizza: tasty toppings on flatbread, typically rolled up

--Bars / Cafes--
't Ij Brewery: Drink beer under a windmill! Open around 15h-20h daily.
Gollum: Gargantuan selection of beers, including belgians. Two locations.
[Note: Many many more recommended places, but I'm running out of steam and stopping here]

There are other places I'm missing (Morrocan, Turkish, etc.), but hopefully this is good enough to start with!

An excellent summary on Amsterdam street food! I’d like to add a few comments and add a few things that were probably not an option back in June, but will become increasingly available as winter approaches…

French fries:
I’ll second Vleminckx. A few notes about eating frites in the NL. First, they are practically unsalted compared to how they are prepared in the US (which may be disappointing to the American palette). Second, frites saus is much better than most US mayonnaise in the US, and the ketchup available at most places can be pretty gross compared to US ketchup / Heinz.

Bitterballen:
I see that in a later post, GG referred to these as “deep fried meat balls”. For clarification, Dutch meatballs (gehaktballen) are something else entirely. Bitterballen could be better described as “deep fried balls filled with meat glue”. Correction: *delicious* meat glue.

FEBO:
If you must, your safest best may be the kaassoufflé. It very vaguely resembles a toasted raviolo.

Stroopwafels:
Thick syrup sandwiched between two thin waffles. There is a guy at Albert Cuyp market who makes these fresh. Strangely enough, I prefer the (cheaper) varieties available at Albert Heijn. Keep an eye out for stroopkoeken as well – different from the waffles, but equally good.

Poffertjes:
Little pancakes served with a slab of butter and a blizzard of powdered sugar. When eating, keep a safe distance between yourself and the poffertjes, be aware of changes in wind direction, and don’t make any sudden movements. It is very easy to commit sugarcide and walk away covered in clouds of white.

Oliebollen:
Often called “Dutch donuts”, but they are more like donut holes on steroids. Available in different varieties such as plain, raisin, with powdered sugar. If you choose powdered sugar (which you should), follow the same eating warnings as with the poffertjes.

Whoa, hey – put your brakes on there. I would heavily caveat Los Pilones as “Great (for Amsterdam) Mexican”. It sounds like you are coming from the US, so while Los Pilones is good (and I like eating there)… it is still not likely to be significantly better that what is probably available to you back home.

Here are some other suggestions in your price range:

Traditional Dutch: Hap Hmm
Bang-for-your-buck Steak: Café Loetje
Tibetan / Nepalese: Sherpa
Chain Asian / Noodles: Wagamama

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Restaurant Sherpa
Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 58 Amsterdam

Wijn- en Spijslokaal "De Witte Uyl"
Frans Halsstraat 26 Amsterdam

Do you have any favorite restaurants that you have ordered from using Just-Eat?

I agree that it is very convenient (and sometimes even a good deal), but I have yet to find a restaurant through them that qualifies as “excellent”, as mentioned above.

However, this reminds me that I still have to try Mother India, as recommended by DG.

Surprisingly, Febo almost meets some of your criteria (“something that might inspire me to write about it”, “truly interesting”, “inspires a memory”, “is...well...an adventure”)

…but of course you are probably looking for something different!

Sounds to me like De Kas (http://www.restaurantdekas.nl) may be the place for you. Excellent, fresh food, and you can also opt for the chef’s tasting menu. Also, I think that a converted greenhouse in a park qualifies as “a room with character”.

Other resources you might check include Dutch Grub’s list of top Amsterdam restaurants (http://www.dutchgrub.com/2009/01/20/b...), which includes De Witte Uyl – a restaurant that from my experience had even better food than De Kas, plus a more intimate and friendly environment… but probably not as epic as what you seem to be looking for.

-----
Kas Restaurant De
Kamerlingh Onneslaan 3 Amsterdam

Wijn- en Spijslokaal "De Witte Uyl"
Frans Halsstraat 26 Amsterdam

I’ve been craving Korean BBQ lately, and I’m wondering whether any good options exist in Amsterdam.

A colleague suggested that I try Hwa Won (info below). If anyone has been there and can share his/her experience, I’d greatly appreciate it!

Hwa Won
Nederhoven 13-15
1083 AM Amsterdam
(020) 642 31 42

I believe it. I saw a few different images of white asparagus in Schwetzingen, plus in front of the Brauhaus there is a statue of a woman gathering asparagus. In the Netherlands, it’s also pretty popular in the springtime.

Personally, I think the “white gold” is far inferior to green asparagus. It reminds me of the children’s book Bunnicula, with a vampire rabbit that fed by sucking the juices out of vegetables. Yep, white asparagus tastes like it has had the life sucked out of it. Still, I guess it’s okay in soup.

I was in Heidelberg this past weekend, and I had a pretty decent lunch at Vetter (www.brauhaus-vetter.de). I think they are better known for their beer, and that was certainly the most memorable part of the meal. Also, they serve a beer that is apparently in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the highest alcohol percentage: 33%. Didn’t get a chance to try it.

Another place that was recommended (but I wasn’t able to make it to) was Zum Roten Ochsen (The Red Ox Inn: www.roterochsen.de).

You may also want to try the nearby town of Schwetzingen. There are a few restaurants near the entrance to the palace gardens. I tried the Brauhaus (www.brauhaus-zum-ritter.de), and it was also pretty good – although the beer wasn’t that memorable.

In both Heidelberg and Schwetzingen , beyond the expected sausages (bratwurst, etc.) and schnitzel, I saw a fair amount of “liver balls” (leberknodel) and, um… stomach sausage (saumagen)?

Yes, De Kas is excellent, if also a bit overpriced.

Unfortunately, I can’t share any experiences with the other places you mentioned. However, Bordewijk has some cuisine information available on its website: http://www.bordewijk.nl/ (Click on "de kaart", then on "the menu" to see a menu in English). Blauw aan de wal is supposed to be quite nice (despite its location in the heart of the Red Light District) but I haven’t made it there yet either.

How about De Witte Uyl? They are open again after a few weeks of holiday, and the new menu is up on the website (http://www.witteuyl.com/). It may still be in effect come October. However, they are not open on Sundays…

I’ll second the recommendation for U Rudolfina. Great pub.

I also wholeheartedly agree that the Pork Knee/Knuckle/Joint is worth trying. It’s sort of like the pork shank in German cuisine (eisbein), but still pretty distinctive. I had one last weekend at Mlejnice (on Kožná), and it was fantastic. A full kilo of deliciousness.

I’ve heard others recommend Kolkovna as well, but personally I was unimpressed. It’s a chain owned by Pilsner Urquell, and in my experience the quality of food just doesn’t live up to other (often less expensive) places I’ve been to in Prague.

Plus (and this is a small point), one thing that I like about Czech service is that they often pour you a new beer when they see that you are almost finished (before you can ask them). Sort of like with fountain sodas in American restaurants. However, this didn’t happen for me at Kolkovna; the waiters never brought a second round of drinks (even after we asked them). Sort of like with drinks in Dutch restaurants, haha…

Back on topic, there is some more information available here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/642855

I’ve been to Prague a few times, most recently this past weekend, and here is what I can recommend:

Czech
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U Sádlů: Interesting restaurant with lots of cheesy medieval decorations – armor and swords on the wall, that kind of stuff. The food was very good: boar goulash, various dumplings, etc... (Klimentská 2; www.usadlu.cz

Mlejnice: Nice little place on an alley (Kožná) near the astronomical clock. If you haven’t had a Czech pork knuckle (aka pork knee) before, why not try one here?

Street Stands: decent variety of tasty street sausages (along Wenceslas square)

American
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Jama: Great (for Europe) burgers and decent Mexican food near wenceslas square. (V jame 7; www.jamapub.cz

Pub / Beer
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U Rudolfina: I’ve heard claims that this place serves what is arguably the best Pilsner Urquell in Praha 1. I don’t know if that’s true, but it certainly is good. They serve food too, but I have never eaten here before. (Křižovnická 10)

Letna Park: Head east from the metronome and you will find a beer garden with picnic tables. Grab a beer (in a plastic cup) from the little stand and enjoy the view.

Avoid
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By all means, do not eat a Crocodille (sp?) sandwich. Ever. I mistakenly ate one back in 2001, and I was later told that it was voted “Worst sandwich in the Czech republic”. I believe it.