yep, sorry...that's too vague. We have been to NY a few times and have been to places like Otto, BLT Fish, Les Halles, Babbo, Shake Shack, etc. I'd say the group i'm with, as a whole, is not the most adventurous, but a couple of us are into trying new foods/cuisines/etc. Mostly casual places would be appreciated, although one night we are going to a Broadway show, so something a little more upscale wouldn't be out of the question. I'd say less than $20/person for lunches and less than $60/person for dinners (although I know that could go higher because of wine, drinks, etc.) Most of the activities will be going to museums (MoMA, Whitney, Met) and hanging out at Central Park and Bryant Park, and also the High Line. We are coming from Kansas City, but BBQ would not be on our list (we've got some of the best in KC, and NY does so many things so well that we'd like to try foods we don't normally get here). I've always been curious about the food cart/street foods in NY, but am not clear on the best areas of Manhattan for street food. Oh, and there are 5 of us in the group.

Some of the places I've been looking at have been Red Rooster in Harlem, Co. and Sullivan Street Bakery, Epicurie Boulud, Spotted Pig (have been once and thought it was great). I know there 1000's and it's too hard to pick, so thought some local knowledge might help us out. I would say we are not against 'holes-in-the-wall', since we have some of our best meals in such places (see BBQ above).

Thanks for the suggestions.

could use some recommendations when I visit in mid May. We are staying around 3rd Ave and 50th St (Garden Marriott) and have one person in our group that has gluten allergies. We'll probably stay in Manhattan (I'm not likely to convince anyone else to venture Brooklyn or Queens, etc. That will be a separate trip when its just my wife and I). Could use some good lunch and dinner places. Thanks in advance!

There is a place called Moxie Catering, located near the screenland theater in the Crossroads, as well as The Filling Station. There's also Good Eats Catering, located in Brookside.

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Brookside Cafe
15668 W Center Rd, Omaha, NE 68130

My wife and I will be in the DC area at the end of September for a friend's wedding. We already have reservations at Farmers and Fishers, Founding Farmers, and Sou'wester. Are there any other places we should hit while we're there? Most interested in the really local places where you can get food that you don't normally see in the Midwest (we're from KC). We're staying in Arlington, and the wedding is in Georgetown. I think we mostly need breakfast and lunch spots, and nothing too expensive.

thanks for the help!

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Founding Farmers
1924 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20006

Can't believe no one has mentioned Pizza 51, at 51st and Oak, UMKC Campus. I think it deserves to be in the discussion

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Pizza 51
5060 Oak St, Kansas City, MO 64112

Has anyone had the softshell crab sandwich at Oklahoma Joe's? I had heard they were serving them for Lent?

Is there a good source for Japanese/Asian ingredients in KC? Specifically i'm looking for udon noodles, dashi, mirin for an udon noodle dish for an upcoming dinner party. I usually shop at Brookside Market, but haven't shopped or cooked a lot with these ingredients. Any suggestions?

Anyone been to Celina Tio's new place, Julian, in Brookside yet? Would love to hear about it.

My wife and I are having an Italian dinner party and are in charge of the antipasto. are there some good, local places in KC for salami, coppa, proscuitto, soppresata, etc?

unfortunately, i've only been to one of those mentioned, but i would put pizzeria bianco up against any of the others.

the places that re mentioned are pretty good, but i don't think i've seen anyone mention Latte Land, of which there are 2 on the plaza, and a newer one at 79th and State Line. I've heard many say that their espressos and cappucinos are the closest to Italy as anyone else in town.

i disagree that it's not noticeable since it has an orange and brown "awning" on the front, but it is in a part of the Crossroads (18th and McGee) that is not as vibrant yet as the area west of Main. His chocolates are amazing and beautiful and his new space is very modern and cool. I can't wait for the colder weather to try his "drinking chocolate".

this is the source of flour for the Bread of Life Bakery, which is really good bread:

Soaring Eagle Farms
Acme Grain

Lee & Cindy Quaintance
20900 Edgerton Rd.
Edgerton, KS 66021
913-893-6797 (KC metro number)

email: soaringeaglefarms + @ + juno.com

Certified organic RED WHEAT-BERRIES and WHITE WHEAT-BERRIES, SPELT and BARLEY.

Certified organic FLOURS (all flours are whole grain): white wheat, red wheat, buckwheat, spelt, barley and sorghum (milo).

Natural range BEEF and CHICKENS.

Custom ORGANIC CATTLE FEED and CHICKEN FEED available year-round.

I just walked by the new pizzeria, Pizza Bella, on 18th and Baltimore, next to Habitat. The hostess said they opened on Wednesday. Being an architect i'm pretty excited to see a modern design for a new restaurant in an existing building. The menu looked pretty good, and not too expensive. Has anyone been yet? Please report back. I think i'll try to go next Friday for first Friday.

i would suggest North and Zinc Bistro, both i believe are at Kierland Commons, up in North Scottsdale. I would also strongly encourage Pizzeria Bianco, Bar Bianco, and Pane Bianco. Cibo Pizzeria is also pretty good, and for a great italian beef sandwich go to Lukes, at 16th street and Indian School.

my wife and i made small cookbooks as our christmas letter one year, and included appetizers, italian, seafood, vegetarian, and desserts. we're both designers so maybe it wasn't as daunting a task as others might view it. we just used a desktop publisher, like Adobe Indesign and Photoshop, and created/printed the books, and then had them silver wire bound at kindo's. it worked out very well, and every now and then friends or family will tell us "we tried that pasta dish from the little blue book, ...it was great". Most of the people that got the book have had the food before, so hopefully it brings memories of times we spent together. I would stick with the cookbook idea, especially if you have the time.

wow! talk about diversifying! i feel pretty confident that a pizza place run by the 1924 folks would be pretty good. when you say a version of spin pizza, do you mean "thin, crispy, pizza? or do you mean another Spin Pizza opening downtown? either way that would be good...thanks for the info.

Does anyone know about a couple new pizza places moving in at about 18th and baltimore, in the crossroads? one i think is on the southeast corner, and there is a sign announcing the coming of "The Art of Pizza". the other is down the street from Habitat, in the space that used to be Pigeon Boutique (i think also In a Forest). it's going to be called "Pizza Bella" woodfired pizzas. does anyone have any background info on these?

i would try the Loft and Cellar in Brookside (63rd street, near Pickerman's and the Barkery). it's an antique-y type furniture store upstairs, and downstairs that have a huge selection of wine, and supposedly, the largest selection of beer in town (i think 174 beers, or so). they also have a lot of specialty spreads, mustards, etc (stuff that would go good with your wine/beer)

we tend to go to westport flea market for burgers...if it's a bbq night we'll go to oklahoma joe's, and if we need pizza, we go to pizza 51

kettle chips - salt and pepper
snyder's ranch nibblers
saltines spread with real butter

Has anyone been to Souperman in the Crossroads yet? it's located on Main Street, in the Crossroads, in the new parking garage for the Barkley offices (old TWA building)? is it even open?

i would say a great sandwich is all about balance and the bread quality. in my opinion, if you don't have the bread, it's not a sandwich, so it makes sense to me that the bread is most important. beyond that, the sandwich filling is crucial. i think the sandwich should be more than just the sum of it's parts. a good sandwich would be represented by the sandwich that loses quality if you were to minimize one ingredient, or put too much of another in.

BBQ-Oklahoma Joe's is the winner for now (haven't been to a lot of places yet)

burger-if i can't grill it, i'll take westport flea market over anything

italian - cupini's

pizza-pizza 51

shakes/ice cream - murray's, in westport

if you are in the Kansas City area then there is not a lot you can do to go wrong, but i will warn you that a lot of the replies you get will be very passionate about BBQ, and everyone has their favorite.

for my wife and i, we really like Gates, Jack Stack, Smokin' Guns, and, our favorite right now, is Oklahoma Joe's. the most famous may be Arthur Bryant's, but we've found we like other places better. for ribs, i like Smokin' Guns the best, followed by Oklahoma Joe's. i'm not as big a fan as brisket, so i'll let others give you scoop on that.

enjoy.

i feel the best bakery in KC is Fevere, on 17th and summit, right next to the blue bird bistro. it's only open thurs-sat, and they stay open until the bread is gone. it goes fast.

Mike, i have a couple of places for you to try in Ames. if you two like The Cafe, i believe the owners of that are also the owners of Aunt Maude's or Lucillan's, both down on Main Street, and both worth a try. There is also The Broiler, out on west Lincoln Way, but i'm not sure it's there anymore. it has typical midwest fare, meat and potatoes, but really good if you're craving a meal that would make grandma proud. The Grove Cafe on Main street has great breakfast (especially pancakes) but i'm not sure how early they are open, but would be good for a saturday morning breakfast. Also on Main, there is the Downtown Deli, which is a sub sandwich place, very good, as well as Great Plains Sauce and Dough Co., which makes pizza by the slice. And, maybe you just didn't mention it, but Hickory Park, on South Duff, is a great BBQ/Burger place that has been around since i was a little kid. Get the cheeseballs appetizer and the Hickory Burger.

Enjoy

my guess is that the liqueur is not essential, especially since it does not specify what type of liqueur. if you want to try it, you could get one of those small novelty bottles, which is only about a shot's worth, but otherwise, if you haven't had it with the liqueur, then you probably won't miss it. it is not essential like the eggs are essential.

there are some great places for lunch on 39th street and also in brookside. if you want good pizza, Mi Mama Cucina is right next to Bella Napoli in brookside. for that matter, bella napoli has great sandwiches, too. on westport road there is pot pie. i've not been there for lunch, but they have the best pan roasted chicken in town. Another great place on westport road is the westport flea market, which has great hamburgers and kind of a funky atmosphere. it actually does operate as a flea market during the week.

there are plenty more ideas, these are the first things to pop into my head.

i know the copa room is sicilian food and i've heard very good. i would second cupini's and il centro, although the former does not have wine. i've also heard great things about anthony's and accurso's, but think garozzo's may be a little over hyped. it's not bad by any means, but i would try the other places first.