abr269's Profile
October weekend in the Hudson Valley
The Bear Cafe is excellent and right near Levon Helm's. You will need reservations.
I am looking for recommendations for a similar meal in Kingston, Beacon, Rhinebeck, and/or New Paltz for that weekend.
Brooklyn Shave Ice?
I really like Eton's in Carroll Gardens! His store is on Sackett and Smith, though I think he is now at the Flea too. Its the only shave ice I know of in brownstone brooklyn.
downtown brooklyn lunchtime burger round-up
I went to JB's burger about 2 weeks ago and actually had a very solid burger there - cooked perfectly medium rare. I got bleu cheese, if it matters. Though, it was nearly empty and I don't think they will last! I could certainly see them being inconsistent. But for what its worth: when they are on, its definitely one of the better burgers in the area.
Birthday dinner recs in Bklyn?
I second Saul.
For amazing italian I highly recommend noodle pudding in bk heights!
Pork Sandwiches at Eton
i have a small appetite, admittedly (i cannot finish 5 dumplings from eton) but even i thought the pork buns were too small. you would need at least 3 to feel "full to very full" because for a normal person 2 is definitely not enough.
i love LOVE eton but i do think the sauce on the buns was too sweet and the pickles contributed nothing positive to the dish. they did have a very generous heaping of shredded pork.
final verdict: good addition to the menu but needs improvement.
brunch for group of 12: any neighborhood!
looking for a good brunch place to bring a group of my friends and my family in late march. prices should be in the $8-12pp range before drinks.
my parents are not very familiar with brooklyn so i am looking for a place that will be a good introduction to the borough so i am completely flexible on neighborhood !
in the past my parents have enjoyed:
pastis
stanton social
jane
my dad and sister are picky (pancake sort of people!) so dim sum is unfortunately not an option.
i was thinking maybe: buttermilk channel, general greene, or prime meats but i'm willing to go in a completely different direction!
best argentine restaurant on melrose, carlitos gardel or lalas?
have never been to lalas, but i love gardels and have only had awesome meals there.
ISO: korean bbq for a group
its my boyfriend's birthday and i'd like to take a group of our friends (about 10 people including us) for korean bbq. usually i'd go to soot bull jeep but i doubt 10 of us will fit.
looking to spend about $25pp (not including drinks) and its for a sunday night. location is flexible (around LA or the SFvalley preferred).
Vegan engagement cake.
i dated a vegan for 1 year and let me tell you: there are some REALLY good vegan cakes out there in the world (granted we lived in NYC so i'm a bit out of touch with the LA vegan cake scene). plus vegan baked goods are not hard to make at all. RFD is way past its prime and i've never had anything there in the past few years so i'm not surprised about the cakes!
while hounds hate it, Sweet Lady Jane made Ellen's wedding cake - a vegan red velvet. It may be worth sampling plus SLJ does make really beautiful wedding cakes. so it would certainly be elegant - though sometimes the actual cake can be hit or miss & Jane is pretty sassy/surly.
I'd also try to get in touch with the people that ran Doomie's vegan cafe in downtown L.A. (they relocated to Canoga Park, i think?) -- they had wonderful desserts.
also while kind of annoying i'd try to get in touch with the girls who run Vegan Treats in Philly. They make THE best vegan baked goods i've ever had, and they may know some solid vegan places out here or bakers. Vegan Treats pretty much rules the east coast - and almost single handed-ly provides all of NYC with its delicious vegan cakes/cookies/cupcakes/brownies/DONUTS.
Taco Truck Crawl Suggestions
did you have any luck finding the churro truck in echo park? i went a few weeks back and it was not there. :(
engine co. no 28: crab cakes?
my parents decided to go to engine co 28 pre-theater on friday night. they really like it - its not my choice especially with all the mixed reviews on this board!
how is the crab cakes entree?? i've been craving some for quite some time. i'm hoping these will hit the spot. it comes with cucumber slaw and sweet potato fries.
aside from the chili or crabcakes is there another dish i should get? i'm not a fan of meatloaf which seems recommended on this board often. maybe the cheeseburger? or is the meatloaf really worth it?
thanks!
Just got a Frida Bev. Hills dinner as a KCRW Premium. Is it good?
i went to Frida's in september and found the food to be very good. had the tortilla soup and i believe a chicken entree (can't remember which, but it came with cactus) my dad had something with steak and a salad. both of us found the food to be excellent, with good portions (not huge but not too small). the guac and the 2 salsas are very yummy - after a while we had to tell them not to bring more chips! always a good sign.
not my favorite mexican in L.A. but a very satisfying meal all around. i would definitely return and recommend it to friends.
Square One- Short Review
they are open 8am - 3pm and serve breakfast all day every day.
CH sent me there about 2 or 3 weeks ago with a friend and i was not disappointed.
i love the portabella mushroom benedict but now i am going to have to try the salmon! i had the bacon/spinach/mozz omelette and it was good - very fluffy eggs etc. but after the delicious benedict and bites of my friends french toast i know square one is special enough to skip the omelettes and move onto better things - like the amazing grits and devastatingly sinful bacon (perfectly made too - not greasy at all)
this was the first place in L.A. i've found that hasn't made me miss my weekly brunches in NY.
Need takeout help-Highland and Melrose
larchmont is always a good option. most of the restaurants do take out but two that come to mind from my own babysitting days are:
- avacado grill which has good mexican food (think lots of clean flavors: chargrilled meats, fresh crisp veggies and not a lot of grease. i call it "california" mexican).
- la bottega is an italian bistro with pastas, sandwiches and salads. not the best italian in the world, but it definitely helps out in a pinch for basics like eggplant parms and chicken piccata.
there are quite a few other resturants on larchmont such as a louises, a chan dara (thai), village pizzeria (always crowded, over rated in my opinion) and z pizza which deliver to the hancock park area (and i think without charging).
Hollywood Help........Loteria and 25 Degrees conundrum....
the shredded beef burrito! i don't think a week goes by where i do not crave it.
weekday breakfast - hollywood / los feliz / silverlake
looking for a yummy and cheap place for my girlfriend and i to have breakfast on friday! thanks!
ISO: best guacamole before moving to thailand!
my best friend is moving to thailand this sunday and her only food request is to have lots and lots of amazing guacamole before she goes.
so hounds i put it to you: where should we go for lunch tomorrow?
we usually go to loteria but is there somewhere else we should check out? we're flexible on price and location - they just need to be open for lunch.
Any one check out Eton for dumplings yet?
the dumplings were much larger than your average 5-for-1 in chinatown, rickshaw dumpling etc. they were more on par with dumpling man in the east village - which i think are much larger than a regular pot sticker/dumpling.
Any one check out Eton for dumplings yet?
went to eton TWICE over the weekend (once by myself to scope it out, once with a friend who was DYING to go and wanted to split all the different kinds).
the dumplings were always made fresh right after we ordered. the meat in both the pork/beef and chicken was juicy, flavorful and extremely fresh. i wish there had been more mushrooms in the chicken ones but the owner said they were still working on how much of each ingredient to order. overall 9.5/10. as was said before the dough was not too thick and not to thin, and complimented the generous portions. they were perfectly seared / steamed, nice and warm, and GIGANTIC.
an order of five was definitely enough to leave me full and happy. oh don't forget to try the plum sauce!
eton is sure to make lots of CG/CH residents happy (and full) for a very long time. it was lovely to see so many smiling faces coming in and out. people even thums up-ed on their way by. great experience over all.
Good places to eat near Marriott Marquis in TS
my dad was in town for a confrence for the past five days and staying there. beware of the crowds outside of the hotel!!
we walked over to daisy may's his first night for some bbq. not as good as dinosaur but it hit the spot and was definitely off the beaten path. its about a 10 - 15 minute walk but its on uncrowded streets.
another nice option is to get some dean and deluca take out or head to 'witchcraft and sit in bryant park.
Lunch Below 14th St. for $65 or Less
is it $65 for the whole week or per meal?
i'm also assuming since it's on your office you won't be ordering too many drinks!
i tried to cover some price ranges, types of food, regions, etc. also there are only so many 3 course meals you can have so some are simple but good eats.
i'd recommend off the top of my head: noodle bar, gotham bar and grill, caracas, barrio chino, katz, balthazar, clinton street baking co., la esquina, ruby's, cafe habana, grey dog, 'ino, westville, e.u., public, pylos, cornelia street cafe, artichoke pizza (nowhere to sit though!), cafecito, blue ribbon bakery and taim.
for a group otto would be fun with all of the small plates you could try.
anthos vs. bar room - restaurant week
looking to take a group of girlfriends to dinner for our bi-annual RW excursion.
in the past we've done: bread bar, eleven madison park, nobu, craftbar, perry st., blue smoke, asia de cuba etc.
so we're really just trying to decide between these two. thanks!
Smith Street Restaurants
i agree with the_state and jmh - savoia is not particularly representative of the quality of food to be found on smith st.
i would recommend saul, jake walk, lunetta or chestnut. on court i would also recommend osaka, frankies and fragole. if you're willing to walk a bit further, Lucali is wonderful (henry) as is bachuus (atlantic).
i am curious: did you have any other poor experiences on smith?
Best unhealthy meal?
not only not in manhattan, but imo the worst bbq i've had in the city. absolutely over-hyped, and just disastrous.
way uptown but well worth the trek: dinosaur bbq
quiet/relaxing/moderate sunday dinner in PS/carroll gardns/downtn bklyn/dumbo
i think the backyard at frankies is absolutely gorgeous. you can spot the F/G trains though, but i have found it exceptionally tranquil.
for a Vegetarian - Momofuku Ssam or Noodle?
both menus actually caution that there are only 1 or 2 options for vegetarians, but they are well noted.
its definitely not a place known for its 'vegetarian' or 'non pork items' or friendliness generally.
david chang is the king of pork fat.
Cheap and Chic NYC
i second caracas.
plus speaking for the broke student chowhound population: go to their "take out" store front, closer to first ave, and sit at one of the few tables. same great food - but you don't have to pay for table service. a buck or two in the can, and you're done. it can get a bit crowded, but they have about six tables and a few stools.
Tamales in Murray Hill -quick report
do you know if she is out in the rain? and how long she is there? or approximate wait times?
i've been aching to go now that i have a job a few blocks away, but i have a super fast lunch hour.
thanks!
