uneventfulijk's Profile
Ideas for an 'interesting' birthday dinner...
I would like to take my girlfriend out for an interesting birthday dinner tomorrow, but I'm all out of ideas. We like 'exploring' and as such have already organized a trip with some friends this weekend to the outer boroughs for dosa, hummus, maybe some Bukharian... That said, I'm so used to eating at dumpy hole-in-the-wall places that I can't really decide where to take her for a proper birthday dinner but still maintain some 'flare' in my selection.
She has a very diverse palate. Her favorite thing to eat is Japanese food, and she will eat almost anything but Chinese, really (that's my one specialty, and the one thing she truly despises).
Any and all suggestions to this run of the mill thread would be much appreciated! Cost is not really an issue.
Dosas near Grand Central!!
I, too, just discovered the dosas at Grill44. I worked in midtown several years ago and go schwarma from there maybe once in 2 years, but I've recently begun work in the neighborhood and after spending my summer eating Subway, I decided to explore and was pleasantly surprised. Masala dosa was $6.50, which is not too pricey for a take-out dinner in midtown -- especially considering that you get a DOSA!
Where to find Fernet Branca in Montreal?
Thanks! Any leads on bars where I can drink this?
Where to find Fernet Branca in Montreal?
At a bar or liquor store, no matter to me. I need some amaro goodness in my life and apparently they don't sell it at the Champlain/Lacolle border duty free.
Any tips?
Where do I buy French Fried Onion Rings
I had an emergency during American Thanksgiving 2007, where I could not find them anywhere and absolutely needed them for my green bean casserole. I dug up this recipe for homemade ones, and they're really easy to make/quite good:
Ingredients
* 3 large onions, sliced into thin rings
* 2 cups milk
* 2 cups all-purpose flour (I use gluten-free)
* oil (for frying)
* salt
Directions
1) Soak the onions in the milk for 5 minutes.
2) Heat the oil in a large skillet or deep fryer.
3) Take a handful of onions and run them through the flour with a fork to coat.
4) Fry in batches in the oil, stirring as needed to brown evenly.
5) Drain on paper towels and season to taste.
Where can I find New York style Pizza
I generally concur with the sentiments already expressed in this thread, but I've actually found a couple of places that have something similar to NYC-style slices (i.e., thin crust, grab-and-go style -- and I'm a native New Yorker who is used to eating slices at least 3-4 days a week).
Conveniently, they're both on the same block: the first is Pizzeria Van Horne, on the corner of Van Horne and Dollard (across from Outremont metro); and the second is Pendelis, on Van Horne between Dollar and McEachran. The former has larger slices with crispier crust, and are a bit more expensive; the latter has smaller slices, less like NYC style, but still pretty good. The only thing is that you can only get slices Monday thru Friday between 11h00 and 17h00. Otherwise, you have to order a whole pie, which can be tricky; I find the slices to be better because the toppings are proportionate to the slice; I've ordered 'all-dressed' pizzas from both places, and there's so much topping that you can barely tell you're eating pizza.
Anyway, hope this is helpful.
Pied Au Cochon Caveat
Agreed. I was there a couple of weeks ago for a reservation at the bar. After sitting there with a drink for about 55 minutes, the hostess informed us that someone messed up and that they'd be by shortly to take our order. While we were waiting, we asked one of the prep guys behind the counter for a recommendation of what to order, which the waiter did not inform us of even when I asked what the specials were -- and which he was not about to volunteer! After the meal, I complained to our server that 1) they left us waiting an hour, without so much as comping us a drink and 2) that when asked of the specials, there's no reason for the server not to explain in full what is on offer. Needless to say, they comped us our meal, as I think the server was wholly unable to deal with any kind of confrontation. The food was excellent, however.
$7 or less in East 50s?
I second Pampano. It's in the basement of an office building @ 805 3rd Ave (49th & 50th). Take the escalator to the basement. It is like eating in the food court of a shopping mall c. 1987 and they have a blind piano player for your entertainment.
Where vietnamese sandwiches? Uptown?
There is a vietnamese sandwich shop on East 2nd Street, at the corner of Avenue A. They are delicious and they offer several varieties. That said, you can access it pretty easily by taking the F train to the 2nd Ave. stop. It's only a 2-3 block walk from there.
Coffee with Salt
I lived in Chinatown in NYC for a year and all of the Chinese-run coffee shops do this. That said, Chinatown coffee is some of my favorite!
Ode to Jade Mountain
I walked by last night to find Jade Mountain's facade covered by its graffitied roll-down gate. I am really sad to see this place go and sad I never got a chance to go in to share my sympathies with Reggie's wife following his death. I'd gone to Jade Mountain for the past 8-some-odd years and was at one point a regular when I lived in the hood. Needless to say, this restaurant and the lovely people who ran it will be sorely missed.
