davidm1108's Profile
Best bone-in ribeye in Manhattan
Minetta Tavern's rib eye for two is spectacular.
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Minetta Tavern
113 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012
Guys Dinner Labor Day weekend
Try Hill Country for BBQ. You won't do much better for meat than you've already done--save for the justly mentioned (and impossible to get into) Minetta Tavern.
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Hill Country
30 W 26th St, New York, NY 10010
Minetta Tavern
113 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012
great Thai midtown or downtown for a first date tonight
Hate to be a downer, but there really aren't any 'great', or even 'good' thai restaurants in Manhattan-- especially with the ambience prerequisite you've given. I'm loathe to suggest it, but maybe Spice Market? the food isn't great (but not awful), but it's a 'scene' more friendly to romance than other Thai restaurants in the City. (Then again, I've had incredibly romantic dinners at Wonton Garden in C-town, under florescents).
FWIW, Talent Thai on east 34th is surprisingly good, and a step above the bare-bones aesthetic you are trying to avoid.
Still, you'd be better off splurging for a car-service and going to Queens for the real thing, if thai is really what you want. Part dinner, part adventure, and even with care fare, you're still getting off cheaper than apps and drinks at Spice Market.
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Spice Market
403 West 13th Street, New York, NY 10014
Talent Thai
210 E 34th St, New York, NY 10016
Lan Sheng – First Rate Szechuan in Midtown
Just had dinner there last night. LS truly gives SG a run for the money, if one orders correctly. First, you must ask the waiters to translate the specials for you (if necessary). My server did so, shaking his head at the more exotic fare as he ticked off the items, as if to say, 'there's no way you'd be interested in this.' One of the specials he listed was pig's kidney w/chili peppers--GET IT. He stopped himself when I ordered it and actually said, 'not many of you--'
before stopping himself. We laughed, and from then on, he was all for helping us pick some authentic, non-westernized (to my palate, anyway) dishes. The kidneys were smoky and slightly tangy, braced with pickled chilis, fungus mushrooms, and scallions. One of the best szechuan dishes I've ever had. Also good were the string beans sauteed with (yibin?) and ground pork; the conch w/chili vinaigrette--fantastic, deceptively mild, with a real edge of on the finish; and the catfish with tofu hotpot. The catfish was so bony as to make the dish perhaps more work than it was worth. All in all, I'll be two-timing around on my mainstay, GS for the foreseeable future.
Next time, we'll try the duck ton
Good Sushi Downtown with Full Bar?
En Japanese restaurant has a fantastic sushi selection, as well as a pretty innovative cocktail menu. The space is gorgeous as well. Place is totally underrated.
Restaurants everyone loves--except you
a few I just don't get:
Corner Bistro--mealy, dried burgers.
Magnolia-- mealy, saccharine, cupcakes
Some personal Chinatown Faves
Very late chime-in... I think NY Noodeltown's soups are several notches above Wonton Gardens, mainly down to the broth, which is much richer and more complex. I've never had a bad meal at noodletown, except, oddly, the 'famous' salt-baked soft-shell crabs, which were soggy, oily, and tasted like they'd been fried in last week's oil. there were even specks of black on the crabs, a sure sign (along with their limp texture) that the oil was past its usable point. The dumplings at WG, imho, do not compare to Noodletown's either. NT's fillings taste fresher, and the skins are translucent and delicate, with just enough body to keep the filling in line. Dying to try the roast baby pig , but it's always sold out whenever I get there.
The science of Ice Cream??
question for any bored food geeks out there: i live in an apt w/a fridge, but no freezer, one of those small dorm-room jobbies. it's also a penthouse apt with a massive terrace. seeing as how it's been in the low teens, and hasn't gotten above the mid twenties the last few days, i figured i could buy some ice cream and keep it on the terrace. my thermometer outside says 19 degrees, and yet my ice cream has remained in a constant soup-like consistency since i brought it home.
is there something i'm missing? i thought freezing was 30 degrees...
Best Wings In NYC?
Atomic Wings, east village location has always done me right. They are textbook, hot and pungent with vinegar-based hot sauces of the Frank's or Texas Pete variety.
Butternut Squash Ravioli
I've made this dozens of times-- my advice-- do not use ricotta. it renders the filling too thick, and sacrifices the velvety texture of the ravioli. here's what you use: roasted butternut squash,
egg yolk, parmigiano regg, and the secret ingredient: crushed amaretti cookies. this is a traditional recipe, and is usually paired with a butter and sage sauce. i recommend a few slivers of ricotta salata (salted ricotta) over the top just before serving.
The Number One BEST Thai Restaurant in NYC
Sripraphai-- i'm all for healthy debate and differing opinions, but in this case it's moot. Best by far. Zabb in the east village will do in a pinch, as will Rhong in the village, but they're still miles away from Sripraphai.
