Honestly, I prefer Motorino to both Roberta's and Paulie G. They re-opening in Williamsburgh soon.

I certainly think Juliana's beats Grimaldi's. The overal taste of the ingredients is more profound, bright and flavorful, especially the cheeses. The toppings also are more robust, and the sausage Grimaldi's uses is especially easy to beat.

Aah, the Shah Bagh days. Thanks for reminding me of my mis-spent youth.

I second Roberta's above all.

Southern Spice was great at times, but was inconsistent. When the owner was not there at times it was quite mediocre.

Vegan73 I loved that

The Meatball shop is a rancid ridiculous hipster nightmare, however their meatballs can be (and I hesitate to use this word) spectacular.

I shall try both recs. Thanks folks.

H.E.'s can be sublime on the right day. At their best, the elk chop is mind blowing.

They do not know how to trim their meats. It is greasy, fatty, and rather disgusting. They also need more smoke and spice. All in all, I hate it, and I am a pathological BBQ lover.

Like many all over, I like well tempered well trimmed manicured BBQ, not the sloppy fatty greasy faux cue that they sell at Fette Sau. This is 'irony cue' based on a caricature of what southern cue would be in the mind of a Willieburgh hipster. I find it rather disgusting, and a disappointment, because good cue is purely sublime. Where of where can it be found in this here concrete jungle? Trim, spice, smoke, and maybe sauce (but not in Texas). All of the above predicated on a good trim. Anyone agree?

The real issue is the bread. Packaged pita is inferior. Fresh pita cannot be too thick, and certainly NOT undercooked either.

Skip Katz's, a pale shadow of something that might have been. Babbo for sure, maybe twice!

I thought Barbone was ok, if not mediocre. The food just didn't seem to come together. Noble efforts thwarted by lack of depth and insight into ingredients and flavor harmonies. I would not go back.

I don't know about 10, but I love Motorino. If you want to call Roberta's "neopolitan' that's fine. Those are my favorites hands down.

Oh please porker. We are not barbarians.

The best is to get one live and slaughter it yourself. You can get them cheap upstate. If you put down plastic, you can even do it in your bathroom. We do it about 4 times a year. A word of advice: careful when they squirm. They are nasty little suckers.

Wow barberinibee, that was great! Way more info than any comment I have read in months! Is there anywhere in the US that you have had the rabbit/chicken version with the proper rices?

I have only heard negative reviews that articulate how various establishments fail to rise to the occasion. I must have missed something. Where is the great paella?

Further downtown in the WV on Jane and Hudson is DelAnima. The food can be sublime. A wee bit more expensive, but at its best it can blow these two contenders out of the water.

Or Saravannas, which I prefer: http://www.saravanabhavan.com

Yes! The sukka varuval is an absolute highlight there. Also there is an all garlic curry with whole garlics that is out of this world. Highly recommended.

Yes. At Rao's any desire to eat surrounded by sociopaths will be satisfied. However the food is just ok, not bad, just ok.

Always nice to get the sociopath stamp of approval

Despite the actual food selection, the phrase "fatty pastrami sammich" is an undeniable bright moment in this discussion.

Believe it or not, Noodle Pudding in Brooklyn Heights makes a wonderful perfect risotto.

What is your favorite?

I disagree. I never understood what was so special about Katz's, its seems like hype to me. The pastrami is very average, as are the hot dogs, and overpriced for the tourist trade. At least at 2d Ave Deli the quality seems a bit better for the money.

I never thought Katz's had anything unusual. All hype. I much prefer the Second Ave Deli.

Either mushy/overcooked or near crunchy/stiff undercooked. They just can't seem to get it right. The flavors have good intentions, but never really come together. More careful preparation and better ingredients are needed (and maybe someone who knows how to actually cook risotto would help).