Update: Today, I went to Sophie's (Cuban) with a few coworkers. I had the roast pork sandwich, and a beef patty. Both were fantastic, and everyone else's plates looked full and delicious.

Thanks!

Hey everyone, I just started work last week in a law office right near the Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall 4/5 subway stop. It's actually on Duane St. between Broadway & Lafayette. Anyway, I am looking for a variety of options for lunch (and a good place for breakfast sandwiches and coffee too). The area I'm talking about is right in the middle of all of the courts and City Hall.

I would particularly like recommendations on:
- Pizza
- Mexican
- Chinese/Thai (although I'm sure I'll dig a ton up with a chinatown search)
- Middle Eastern

I'm also a bit of a Rafiqi's junky, but they're only in midtown to my knowledge - I would love any suggestions for a good cart for a lamb on pita or lamb platter.

I'm sure there are good threads on this already, but I honestly couldn't dig anything up that looked good from the last year or two.

Thanks in advance!
- Steve

I just made this using Soy Vey's Island Teriyaki sauce - it was fantastic.

Thanks - I followed your advice, and they turned out pretty good!

Hi everyone - I am attempting to make veggie burgers from scratch using Mark Bittman's 101 Summer Recipes article from the NY Times a month or so ago.

He writes:
Drain and pour a 14-ounce can of beans into a food processor with an onion, half a cup rolled oats, a tablespoon chili powder or other spice mix, an egg, salt and pepper. Process until mushy, then shape into burgers, adding a little liquid or oats as necessary. Cook in oil about three minutes a side and serve.

Do I cook the oats before adding them, or do I add them dry (i.e., straight from the package)?

Thanks!
Steve

I'll try that method - thanks!

Thanks for the good luck wish - the bar is over now, and I've finally got time to try all of these ideas!

Has anyone tried Snapple's new line of "authentic" black iced teas? They have Orange Pekoe, Earl Grey, and English Breakfast. I tend to drink my tea (iced or hot) unsweetened, and bottled iced tea is often so sweet that I find it undrinkable. According to the labels, this line is "lightly sweetened."

If there are any other Tea Hounds out there who have already given these a try, please let me know what you think - I'm studying for the bar exam right now, so I could use the break from brewing my own!

Thanks,
Steve

Good to know, thanks - I looked at the St. Bart's website, and it seems kind of pricey. And that's a great question, if it turns out the church can run a tax-exempt restaurant...

I am wondering if anyone knows anything about the outdoor cafe at St. Vartan's Armenian Church (on the corner of 35th and 2nd, I believe)...it's the massive church right outside of the Midtown Tunnel that looks like a fortress.

For the past few weeks, every time I have walked by there have been tables stacked up in the courtyard that were not being used...but tonight there was a full outdoor restaurant set up. I wasn't able to stop, but we saw a sign that said "St. Vartan Cafe."

If anyone has any info about what this is, how the food is, etc., please let me know.

Thanks,
Steve

I bookmarked Adagio.com for next time (I just ordered from Upton Tea yesterday). And I'm definitely going to give the Red Rose teabags a shot - I start a new job in August, and I'll need something that I can make in an office without a stove.

Thanks for the suggestions!

Ito En is great for high-end teas (I think), but right now I was just looking for something to buy in bulk that would be a bit less expensive. I haven't tried Matcha yet, but I'm going to give it a shot eventually - how was the one you bought?

Thanks! I placed an order with Upton Tea for a variety of different teas - I liked their selection and price. I've had pu-erh before, and I'm not a big fan...for now I'm sticking to Darjeeling as my regular tea, but I also bought some Assams and Ceylons to try out your iced tea recommendations!

I have been drinking tea for a few years now, but only started brewing from loose leaves about a year ago. A few months ago, I picked up a few ounces of "Upper Namring Vintage Estate Darjeeling" from Ito En, which I am sipping my last cup of as I write this. The price of this particular tea is a bit expensive by my standards, and I'd like to find something that has a similar taste that I can buy in greater bulk. I understand that Darjeeling is typically an expensive tea, so I'm open to other kinds (although a cheaper-but-still-tasty Darjeeling would also be great).

I believe the quality of this Darjeeling that I enjoyed was its light astringency, so anything with that characteristic would be a good start. My other preference is that I like a decent amount of caffeine in my tea - I drink it in place of coffee, so I need something that will give me that boost. I also love putting the leftovers from my pot in the fridge and having it as iced tea the next day, so my ideal tea would taste good iced (with no sweetener). The Darjeeling is excellent iced, although that might be a waste, I guess...

Does anyone have any ideas? I live pretty close to Ito En in NYC, so I can take a walk down there and pick up a bunch of sample-sizes of whatever anyone suggests. I'm also open to mail-order, since I'm sure Ito En isn't the most economical place to buy tea (it's a few blocks from Central Park on Madison Ave...)

Thanks in advance!

Thanks for the suggestions - I am a big fan of Chick Pea, but we were looking for more of a relaxing sit-down environment last night. Too bad.

I guess it wasn't just an off-night then!

I want to start off by saying that I have never refrained from tipping at a restaurant before tonight. I normally tip 20% for above average service, and about 18% for anything decent. When the food is slow, or the staff disinterested, I'll dip to 15%, which I believe is fairly generous.

With that said, I want to describe my dining experience at Virage (in the East Village) earlier tonight. My girlfriend and I were wandering the neighborhood looking for somewhere to eat, and we were both pretty hungry. We picked Virage based on the interesting menu, and the lack of a wait. We were seated immediately, and our order was taken fairly quickly.

After that, it was downhill. It took about 5-10 minutes before our bread came, and about 15 minutes for our drinks to come (a bottled beer and a glass of wine, nothing requiring mixing).

At the 35 minute mark (after ordering), I asked the waitress to check on our food, and she said "we're really busy." This was an interesting reply, because there were still empty tables. At about 45 minutes, I discreetly approached the manager and explained that we had been waiting 45 minutes for our food, and we had already finished the 1-drink each that we had planned on having. Without apologizing, he said he would check on it. About five minutes later, our food came out.

The quality of the food was below average, but not awful. I had a crab & shrimp burger (the bun was soggy and there were 2 bits of shell in the burger that I had to pull out, but otherwise decent) and my girlfriend had a pasta dish with seafood - she said it was okay, but nothing special. The waitress asked if we wanted another round of drinks...instead, I asked for the check. While we were eating, another man approached the manager and said that he had been waiting 2 hours for his food (I doubt that time frame, but still...) The manager simply told him that the restaurant was busy, and refused to apologize.

At no point in the night did our waitress or the manager warn us that there might be a delay, or apologize after we brought it up. We were not offered anything to make up for the obvious problems. We paid the bill with exact change, and left. The people at the table next to us agreed with this decision (it was that kind of experience...we were conversing with the neighboring tables about how bad the service was).

I strongly recommend passing on this restaurant if you are considering it. I am not very familiar with the area, so I cannot make a recommendation in its place, but I am sure there are many Chowhounders who can.

Update: Last night I cooked up some tilapia fillets by giving them a light coat of olive oil and a bottled lemon-ginger sauce (Olde Cape Cod brand, which I will not be using again), then I put them in a pre-heated cast-iron skillet and broiled for about 10 minutes. They were excellent, although we didn't like the lemon-ginger sauce at all. Thankfully, it didn't ruin the meal.

I like the idea of a cajun rub for next time - my girlfriend doesn't care for anything too spicy, so I'll try to avoid chili powder.

Yeah, that's a no-go - my girlfriend and I are in a pretty small apartment that lacks good ventilation in the kitchen. There is a window next to the stove, but I want to avoid smoke when possible.

I live in NYC, so I don't have a bbq. I have a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, well-seasoned, and I'm looking for some good, simple recipes for making fish under the broiler. I'm new to both cast-iron and broiling, so I'd like to keep it pretty basic for now.

The other night I tried out my (gas, under oven) broiler for the first time - I preheated my skillet in the oven at 500, then turned on the broiler, dropped 2 marinated chicken breasts into the skillet, and put them under the broiler for about 5-6 minutes. They came out amazing. The bottom had a great charring, and the breasts were moist.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

- SJAuletta