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daniellaczar's Profile

Coming to terms w/ the loss of Spicy Mina's

and the chana dal is good, but it's not her dal fry!

Coming to terms w/ the loss of Spicy Mina's

it's not mina's, but neerob in the bronx offers good bangladeshi food---it's more bangladeshi than mina's mix of indian and bangladeshi --neerob is lots of veggies and fish. it's a small take-out type place w/ only a few tables. not mina's home-like atmosphere and service, but the food is good. still miss mina's though!

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Neerob
2109 Starling Ave, Bronx, NY 10462

Hamtramck Bangladeshi food

Thanks, I will check out both places and let you know what I think!

Ann Arbor - An Updated Survey of the best it has to offer

Thanks Shana, I'll give them a try. From my job in NY, I used to walk to Murray's Bagels every morning....never realized how good I had it:)

Hamtramck Bangladeshi food

Thanks a lot. I will check out PVC. I edited my post b/c I see there is a lot written about Polish food on the boards, but I can't find much on Bangladeshi food.

Hamtramck Bangladeshi food

does anyone have recommendations for authentic Bangladeshi in Hamtramck?
Thanks!

Ann Arbor - An Updated Survey of the best it has to offer

Foog,
How are the portion sizes for off the menu items? I usually stick to the buffets at most Indian places because the menu items are small portions for the price.
It's the only Indian place I've tried beside the Earthen Jar, which I had high hopes for but didn't think was very good.
I agree that the service is great. They're very friendly and attentive and I never feel rushed or anything if I happen to do some reading after I eat.
I'm happy that Ann Arbor has a place like this...and it's very conveniently located for students.

Ann Arbor - An Updated Survey of the best it has to offer

I've tried the zingermans bagels, but they are so hard! i found them tough to eat! I'll try the sesame and everything though.
I'll also check out sparrow since i'm often looking for reasonably priced tomatoes after they stop selling them at the farmers market.
I usually go to Bombay Grocers on Packard for Indian...is Shakti better?
Yes, I've definitely found Kroger produce to be bad!

Ann Arbor - An Updated Survey of the best it has to offer

Lemonfaire and Jim M-thanks so much for your suggestions! Looking forward to trying them out. I'm sure I'll start liking the place more after I get over not being in NY anymore:)
Thanks again.

Ann Arbor - An Updated Survey of the best it has to offer

also- for cooking ingredients. again, not a great place unless you're well off. i pay more for many items in the grocery stores here than i did in manhattan. I went to a few groceries and they didn't even have bunches of dill! hard to find fresh basil that is not ridiculously over-priced. ppl here rave about the farmers market. also nothing outstanding there and again over-priced. if someone can rec'd a place w/ good produce for a decent price please post! indian grocery--i often go there but once again double, often triple what i paid in ny.
zingermans, plum market, whole foods--in general. all very expensive ($7+ for a loaf of bread at whole foods or plum market!).

Ann Arbor - An Updated Survey of the best it has to offer

I have to say the food scene in Ann Arbor is quite lame, esp. if you're coming from someplace that is a food mecca like queens etc.
I'm on a tight student budget so I have not been going to restaurants much...and most that i've been to left me thinking my own cooking is better!
Great Lakes chinese on carpenter rd is one of the only interesting places i've found. I think it's called the tofu, vegetable soup w/ shrimp. the broth is sublime, it's a light and very tasty soup (although it doesn't sound it i know). i highly rec this. their hong kong tea (hot/cold) is also good and reminds me a little of the burmese tea at the now sadly closed burmese cafe (jackson hts, queens). so this place has some stuff worth trying.
madras masala near the university has a pretty good indian buffet (nice dal selection if you're a vegetarian). they change up their items, but i'm usually happy w/ this place.
zingermans has enough written about it so i won't go there. it's ann arbor in a nutshell--very yuppy and way overpriced, but the sandwiches are good (just not worth the price). the servers are very nice.
bagels- coming from ny, i realize i completely took good bagels for granted. lenders frozen beat ann arbor's bagels.
za's custom pastas near campus- i tried this for a quick lunch and suprisingly it was pretty good. i got pesto, penne and artichoke pasta. nice for a quick lunch, but i can only speak for the pesto since that's all i've eaten there so far.
in all, it's a very sad town for food:( i'm looking to explore the detroit area for better eats and possibly moving there to get out of this town!
still have not found great brkfst (sorry angelo's and and northside grill, while cute, are not great for breakfast. decent, but nothing to rave about at all!)
i've visited madison, wi recently and it puts ann arbor to shame! some fantastic restaurants. so make sure to eat out if you're ever there!
ann arbor is such a sad place to live for a food lover.

Best Cheap Coffee in NYC

Porto Rico is usually pretty good. I like Grey Dog's coffee on Carmine St.(very good decaf as well). For more expensive coffee--Ninth Street Espresso

chiyono: most satisfying nyc Japanese?

went there for the first time...WOW, it was delicious! I was nervous about what it would be like ...i'm not familiar w/ "homestyle" japanese, but it was great and I wish i had stumbled upon it sooner. atmosphere is very nice, artsy(someone pays a lot of attention to detail) and relaxing. the service was excellent. the green/rice tea was delicious and the waitress kept refilling my cup as i greedily drank it.
we got the vegetable gyoza appetizer and the egg omelet. both were excellent, very fresh, delicate and satisfying.
i got the sautéed cod w/ egg and potato salad. that was really delicious, watch out for some of the bones in the fish, which is dipped in egg and then cooked, the fish is soft, melts in your mouth and the egg coating goes perfectly with it. the potato salad is excellent too. i got a side of plum rice with it, also amazing.
i would highly recommend these dishes if you go there. i will definitely be bk soon to try more, now that japanese homestyle is becoming one of my favorite foods!

Best flan in NYC?

coconut flan at demole in sunnyside queens

Murray's Bagels/Cream Cheese alternate

because they're not always freshly baked. some mornings they're hard as a rock and obviously not fresh.

Life-changing Indian food

red beans and rice and west side coffee shop on church st. those are my favorite so far.

Sangam (New G. Village Indian)- Review

i think it's a very welcome addition to the neighborhood and is a much better value (and taste) than the indian bread co. next door!
i got the veg. biryani and the veg samosas and tea. the veg biryani is a good size, nicely spiced and fresh tasting....i think it's a great deal for this neighborhood and i like the simple menu. too many places have so much stuff and can't get anything right.
the samosa filling was excellent (better than mina's i think), a little greasy on the outside but they're samosas and that's kind of expected.
for the price the biryani was very good. the staff was very friendly as well. i was in a rush and ordered, got my food and ate in about 10 minutes.
i work in the area and it's perfect for a tasty, well-priced lunch that fixes my indian cravings that really cannot be met in this neighborhood as far as i've seen.
the tea wasn't so great, whenever they make it w/ those machines it has a weird taste, like the milk gets too hot...khushie does that too and it's simlarly bad. it would be great if they had better spiced tea b/c it's soooo good.
btw, i like this better than khushie, which unfortunately has really gone down hill in my opinion.

Chavella's, DeMole -- anyone know this region of Mexico?

i can't answer your question, but i love demole (just went there recently and love that it's light and fresh). i will probably be moving to austin in a few months, do you know any places like demole there? or good places in general to eat? i will REALLY miss the food in queens.
thank you!

Ghoroa- vegetarian friendly

hi,
i've read good reviews on this site for bangladeshi food at Ghoroa, i looked at their menu and see they have the usual vegetable entrees....does anyone know if they do vegetables well or is it more of a biryani, meat place?
it's a long trip out there, so just wanted some of your opinions. i usually stick to the vegetarian stuff at mina's, but if there's other good bangladeshi food around, i'd like to eat it:)

Lupa: Good but a Little Awkward

I've been to Lupa twice and was underwhelmed both times. Tonight I had the bavette pasta cacio e pepe , which was ok but nothing outstanding and i felt a little strange eating it for some reason..like it's something i would make at home if i had nothing in the fridge, but i'm paying 13 bucks for a small bowl. two of our pasta dishes were definitely overly salted. the mixed olive appetizer that i remember liking the first time was pretty bad,i guess they picked all the kinds of olives i don't like.
2 of the 4 people i was with got meat dishes and that seems to be the way to go. it looked much better than our pasta!
the one thing that i REALLY don't like about this place though is the attitude. very arrogant and stuffy. the hostesses were obnoxious the 2 times i went there and the few other times it was too busy to get a table.
if i want good italian, good value and good service, i'll stick with pepe rosso on sullivan.

Murray's Bagels/Cream Cheese alternate

went for the 1st time today. staff was pretty rude, place is very unorganzied, everyone was leaving w/ someone else' s bagel. the chive cream cheese is good, but i probably won't be going bk b/c of the attitude and annoying ppl who go there. bagels are good, nothing spectacular. i agree about the toasting, seems nuts to me but not that surprising given how unfriendly they are (not that i would be smiling if i was serving the same ppl!).

best ice cream?

yes!!!!!! that is the best!! the dulce and the dark chocolate. normally, i don't even like dulce de leche, but tried it b/c it looked so good. it was amazing!
the rasberry sorbet is excellent too, very refreshing on a hot summer day. don't bother w/the sorbet or gelato from those places on the street (rocco's, bruno's?)- you'll be disappointed.
i just wish cones was cheaper.
and Il Laboratorio de Gelato black mission fig is the best gelato ever.
chinatown ic factory and sundaes and cones (these places taste very similary, maybe the same owners) have a lot of interesting flavors, but their ice cream is too sweet and gooey for me.

Seeking best eggplant parmigiana in NYC- preferably on the Upper East Side

i guess it won't help you much since it's in brooklyn, but the best eggplant parm i've ever had was at Difara's. It was amazing, I don't think the eggplant was breaded...it definitely wasn't soggy (i hate that!), it was slightly charred. absolutely divine, but i hear the pasta dishes depend on who (which on of his kids) is cooking them. When i got this his daughter was there and I think there was maybe another one in the back.
Really great though, sorry can't help you better in your neighborhood.

Best 5 restaurants in Jackson Heights?

i second Zabb for Thai.
and Alo sweets for bengali sweets
also Mina's
unfortunately, Burmese Cafe is no longer....that would have been on the list.
i'd live in jackson heights over any neighborhood.....the best food and an exciting place.

Help me understand New Haven Pizza!!

i grew up near the recovery room and always stop by there when i'm driving thru ct (i live in nyc now). i still have to try the new haven places, so i can't really compare. recovery room seems very decently priced to me (i only order pizza)...maybe that's b/c i live in the city and everything outside of it seems like a great deal! i love difara's here, which is completely different than recovery room style. recovery room has a thin, non-greasy crust. i haven't tried too many different types on the menu b/ci tend to stick w/ what i like. the pesto pizza is really delicious, it's subtle and not that gross aflredo-type pesto way too many ppl serve. just basil, garlic olive oil, some romano cheese and sauteed mushrooms on top...very very good.
the focaccia(sp?) is awesome, 99 cents for basically a pizza pie of focaccia...crispy, slightly drizzled with olive oil, parm and romano cheese and some rosemary. i love it!
basically, recovery room--from the pizza's i've tried--, is really delicious NOT ny style pizza and i think it's reasonably priced. if you're in the area, it's definitely one of the only good places around there to eat!

breakfast on the way up to NH

Yesterday's in Jackson is AWESOME!! unfortunately, i only get up there every few years, but it's the only place i like to eat in that area and wish they served breakfast for dinner(or dinner at all) b/c i'd go there for all 3 meals.
the french toast is delicious!

Kabab Cafe downhill alertl!!!

part of the shock of the bill was not being served a regular menu or having a specials menu/board with the PRICES. i was expecting the lamb shank to be expensive(read my original post), but i also expect it to be good. i think it's pretty standard protocol for a restaurant to make prices clear from the beginning.
close to 20 for roast chicken that is not much better than uncle georges (which goes for about 6) is really just gouging the customer.
Ali may be a fine chef and I'm sure sometimes he is really on, but if inconsistency is the norm...you really shouldn't charge as if you're a 5 star chef, who can repeatedly turn out exquisite meals.
i work hard for my money and inconsistency at 20 a plate is not worth it for me.

i'm curious(JFores), where do you get meals of the same quality as Mina's in JH? i've tried many places and they don't compare, just wondering where you go.

Kabab Cafe downhill alertl!!!

i should mention that i REALLY loved the feeling of the place...it's very beautiful and unique. and Ali's helpers were very sweet--although Ali seemed in a sour mood, which unfortunately is hard to escape in such a small place.

Kabab Cafe downhill alertl!!!

Yes, the appetizers were great and I'll happily pay $10 for a great appetizer. The issue is with an over-priced entree... it is overpriced because it was not cooked properly (in fact my stomach is still upset from it). Close to $20 is not reasonable for a dish that is not cooked properly. Just b/c it is "lamb shank" does not mean you charge that much for it...sorry. If the cooking is mediocre--ppl will say it is not worth the price and go somewhere they can pay 20 for lamb that is cooked well. If you can't cook it well, don't charge the same price as those who can.
The other dish was the roasted chicken, basically a similar problem and another upset stomach..although she thought it still tasted good, but again around 20 for over spiced roast chicken and rice that is barely lukewarm is overpriced for sure.
A small cup of mint tea for $3...again, come on. In Soho this would be considered acceptable, on Steinway street it's ridiculous.
For lunch that day 3 of us had 2 apps, 4 entrees, 2 pots of tea and 3 desserts for a sublime $55 lunch at Mina's. If Ali had cooked that, based on his pricing scheme, we'd probably be paying much much more and probably most of it wouldn't be cooked well. If the food at KC was very good, I'd have no problem paying 20 an entree...but it wasn't.
When I leave a restaurant I want to feel like I got what I paid for... at KC I certainly did not. At Mina's, I somehow always feel I've gotten much more.

Kabab Cafe downhill alertl!!!

My girlfriend and I just got back from dinner there. It was my second trip to KC and on both occasions I've been disappointed. The meal began promisingly enough. We ordered sweet breads and beet salad as appetizers and they were quite good. But it went downhill after that. The lamb shank I got as a main course was overcooked and the rice accompanying it not very warm. When the bill arrived for more than 60 dollars we were appalled. The lamb shank alone had cost 18. Now you expect lamb shanks to be expensive, but they must be cooked well and this one wasn't.

Ali seemed to be in low spirits. True, it was nearing the end of the night, but for the prices that he's charging, one expects a more pleasant experience.