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HAND PULLED NOODLE SHOP 东方兰州拉面 (SHENG WANG) YET ANOTHER TO HIGHLY CONSIDER IN YOUR QUEST FOR GOOD CHINESE NOODLES

Are those balls made from potato or are they made from some other sort of starch? I could not tell. The ones we had there had fish in them and were quite good.

Don Antonio - New Neapolitan Pizzeria in Midtown

Okay -- I'm going to try this place out. I lived in Naples for a month in 2006. My recollection of pizza is of puffy smaller pies with a charred crust and very fresh romas, buffalo cheese and basil smeared across the top. Slight taste of yeast in the crust, too.

Distinguishing Factors in Determining Good (authentic) Mexican Cuisine in Manhattan: Kahlua's Cafes and other venues in El Berrio

Tulcingo del Valle on 10th Ave. in the 40s is very authentic, quite good and extremely easy on the wallet. I usually get tacos there, but a friend once ordered one of their southern Mexican specialties in a pumpkin-seed sauce and the reports were very good.

Caveat emptor - Hostaria Nerone

You should be sure, since the topic of this post is the Hostaria Nerone.

Look, there are several classes of dining for a tourist in Rome. Some people are here for the food -- well, good luck to you, since other regions of Italy are much more famous for cuisine. Sure, there is classic Roman food, but you have to pay for it, or go a bit further out of town. The city center caters to tourists, bureaucrats and the working classes. You get what you can take.

For me -- and I would wager, many Hounds who end up in Rome -- you have a few meals you can splurge on, but also many meals where you just need to eat something, for example, en route from the Coliseum to S. Pietro in Vincoli, where Da Nerone is located.

The restaurant is fine for what it is -- not a destination meal, but simply a better than average place at the right spot at decent prices.

I feel compelled to give notice here: Attention, tourists in Rome! Yes -- you can have a totally respectable meal here that you will not regret with a minimum of fuss and damage to your wallet.

Caveat emptor - Hostaria Nerone

I ate here yesterday for lunch. The food was fine -- yes, there were canned mushrooms, but so what? The location is VERY convenient and the menu is a few euros cheaper than the real tourist options, for example, at the Pantheon or Piazza Navona. From my experience, this place will satisfy the needs of most travelers in Rome who are looking for decent food at a decent price a short walk from major attractions.

Lunch at Felidia or JoJo or other? Suggestions welcome.

Great review, thanks!

Lunch at Felidia or JoJo or other? Suggestions welcome.

Thanks for the info. I was just surprised, looking at the menu, not to see a single item -- no fusi, no palacinke, no Istrian wedding cakes.

Lunch at Felidia or JoJo or other? Suggestions welcome.

Thanks for the recommend!

Lunch at Felidia or JoJo or other? Suggestions welcome.

I had a wonderful meal at Felidia a few years ago when Lidia was still in control of the menu and was offering regional dishes from regions in the northeast of Italy and from Istria, in Croatia, where she is from. Looking at the menu on the website now, it looks like it is nearly all Southern Italian and Sicilian fare. Is there anywhere in New York where you can get Istrian or Friulian food anymore, outside of the soccer clubs in Queens?

Famous Sichuan is the Real Deal

We're going back tonight with an out-of-town guest. On our previous visit, a friend from China did the ordering. Any suggestions for folks? Hints on how to get them to serve it with enough hot peppers and Sichuan peppercorn?

I ate at Southern Hospitality (I know!)

Some friends from the UK also wanted to be taken there -- to the one in Hell's Kitchen. They loved it. I ordered them tater tots. The REALLY loved those. I can't remember anything about it, except that it seemed a fair representation of Heartland America chain restaurant food.

Where art thou, really good hummus and baba to go? (OR: A Sahadi's in Manhattan?)

The folks at Alfanoose downtown will gladly serve you hummus and baba ganoush to go.

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Alfanoose
8 Maiden Ln, New York, NY 10038

Etcetera Etcetera

We went here last night as a party of four. This is an occasional dining spot for us as we live in the neighborhood. I had the pappardelle with duck. Others at the table had assorted pastas and warm/cold appetizers.

Food is pretty much exactly as you would get it if ordered in Rome, right down to the baked artichokes. I wasn't wowed by the food -- but I appreciated that everything was exactly as it represented itself on the menu.

The pappardelle is dish that is relatively common in Italy, but somehow never gets done right in the states, where it's usually swimming in tomato sauce.

This is a place that I would and do recommend to friends for somewhat-smarter-than-casual theater district dining. Prices are just a bit higher than the Crispo (for example) level, with pastas in the $22 range. But with the good service and convenient location, I think it is worth it.

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Etcetera Etcetera
352 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036

Good place to dine after the theater, solo

We live in the neighborhood. I think that Marseille is pretty much as close as you get to distinctive dining on the row. (Though of course Chez Napoleon is also worth mention.) But for moderately priced food with a lot of diversity, it is hard to imagine a better place for that kind of stroll. This being said, not all of it is good.

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Marseille
630 Ninth Avenue, New York, NY 10036

Chez Napoleon
365 W 50th St, New York, NY 10019

Good place to dine after the theater, solo

Ninth Ave. has everything from pricey to oh-my-god-how-does-the-health-department-let-this-place-stay-open. You can walk over after any show. At the higher end is Marseille, which serves aspirational Mediterranean food with a French twist. I like to sit at the bar at Riposo 46 and have a glass of wine and a flatbread. Medi, the newer wine bar at the top end of Ninth has a lot of interesting wines and a good menu (as well as plenty of seats for one at the bar). At the lower end are eight or ten "Thai" glop-houses, which will serve you sticky-sweet Asian-ish goo to your heart's content. I really don't mind Yum Yum Bangkok.

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Marseille
630 Ninth Avenue, New York, NY 10036

Riposo 46
667 9th Ave, New York, NY 10036

Yum Yum Bangkok
650 9th Ave, New York, NY 10036

Medi Wine Bar
811 9th Ave, New York, NY 10019

Best Almond Croissant in Manhattan?

I agree that the ones at Bergamote are quite good. There are two locations: On 9th Ave. at 20th and on 52nd St. at 10th.

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La Bergamote
169 9th Ave, New York, NY 10011

La Bergamote
515 W 52nd St, New York, NY 10019

Irish Bars and Dive Bars

Well, I'm a little late in updating this, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to chime in. Druids is a great place to go if you are looking for decent food at an Irish bar. The main bar has an attractive section for dining with linen table cloths, etc. The bar itself can get a bit boisterous, but I've never seen it loud enough to bother diners.

A real treat in summer is the backyard garden.

Landmark Tavern on 11th Ave. just a few blocks south has the same owner as Druid and is supposed to also be quite good -- I've never been there, but it is well-reviewed, so that is also an option.

Someone mentioned Brickyard, but that can get quite lively (rowdy, even), so I'm not sure I would go there for the food alone.

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Landmark Tavern
626 11th Ave, New York, NY 10036

Druids
736 10th Ave, New York, NY 10019

Brickyard
785 9th Ave, New York, NY 10019

Crispo?

Thought I would update this post with a more recent review. We went to Crispo last night and were very pleased. The four of us had pastas and appetizers and a few glasses of wine. I had the anchovies cooked in "citrus" juices -- sort of an Italian ceviche, I guess. I was really thrilled with the crisp slices of super-hot/sweet red peppers on top. For my main course, I had the pasta all'Amatriciana, which was a very authentic dish with crackly guanciale in the sauce.

Crispo remains a favorite of mine. There are few surprises on the menu. But If they are striving to deliver the standards well, they are doing a good job.

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Crispo
240 W 14th St, New York, NY 10011

edgey NY restaurant for mom and 21 yr old daughter

I think that Sushi Samba would be a good choice for a 21-year old. We were there a couple of weekends ago. It was full of 20-somethings, the music was throbbing and there was a "vibe" of sorts that I think would appeal to a younger diner. We went later on a Saturday night.

any seafood markets left in manhattan?

You mention that the fish isn't fresh in Chelsea Market, so I just want to offer a counter-opinion. I have always found the fish at Lobster Place to be fresh, beautiful and of good quality. It is a bit more expensive, but leaps and bounds better than what you will find under plastic at your local supermarket.

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The Lobster Place
75 9th Ave, New York, NY 10011

URGENT! Where to watch the Super Bowl in Midtown?

Glad to hear it!

URGENT! Where to watch the Super Bowl in Midtown?

At the bar of any big hotel in the Times Square area. For example, Shula's at the Westin.

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Shula's
270 W. 43rd St., New York, NY 10036

Where to buy uncooked corned beef brisket?

Er, if you mean by "unprepared" corn beef -- that is just a brisket. Re-reading your comment, I'm wonder if you would have better luck with sliced corn beef just at the neighborhood Gristedes or D'Agostino at the deli counter.

Financial District Blues

Alfanoose is a great lunch pit-stop with good Middle Eastern food. It is very popular and affordable. I like Sophie's Cuban for the same reason. Neither of these places has a Michelin star, but just pretty good stuff.

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Sophie's Cuban Cuisine
73 New St, New York, NY 10004

Alfanoose
8 Maiden Ln, New York, NY 10038

Where to buy uncooked corned beef brisket?

Maybe provide a little bit more information? The regular corned beef you buy at the grocery store is not cooked or heat-treated. You might find it steamed at a deli on its way to the table, or steamed and smoked to make pastrami. But the "uncooked" version of corned beef is just a brisket.

New Malaysia Review with Question

Thanks for the recommendation!

Classic New York Dishes [moved from Manhattan]

Lower East Side kosher pickles. Italian-American meatballs. The Hudson Valley is famous for its ducks -- is that venturing too far from the city? Cold smoked duck breast can be sliced and used in a variety of appetizers/snacks.

Fresh (fish but spoiled veggies) Direct - Why?

Maybe we've just been lucky? Some of these other complaints sound pretty extreme. As far as another comment about meat being too fatty and gristly -- that really depends on the cut rather than the quality of the meat.

Best Lebanese NYC

Yes ... and it's owned and operated by a very nice family.

Fresh (fish but spoiled veggies) Direct - Why?

I have been a customer for four or five years and have maybe had a problem with fruits and vegetables once. I was hesitant about getting fish the first time, but it's all been really great.