cgarden

I'm convinced that the kamemeshi set (including a bowl of miso, a generous portion of sashimi, and various tasty pickled sides and salads) represents one of the best values around to ward off the bone-chilling cold.

If you can get there at lunch, the kamemeshi is even cheaper.

When the yellowtail at Kotobuki is at its best, it is like no yellowtail I've ever had before. Sounds like there's a good batch in now - I'll have to make a trip.

Any other casual/moderate choices below 34th street we should be thinking about?

I like Max, at 51 Avenue B (at the corner of E. 4th)

At this point, I couldn't really care about RR either way.

An amusing ironic tidbit I heard from someone who once worked on $40 a day that shouldn't come as a surprise. Evidentally, once the cameras turn off RR is a champion shopper and also spends much more than $40 on food.

FWIW, Peanut's an Alton Brown fan.

Along those lines - on the 'Savannah' episode of $40/day, RR eats the free breakfast that the hotel provides and says something about how taking advantage of the included breakfast is a great money-saving tip. A friend thought the hotel looked like a nice place to stay, and called them up - it turned out a standard room cost $350/night.

but you could argue that she is advocating tipping poorly.

one of the things i don't like about RR is that she tucks in her shirts when it is clearly not flattering to her body type (at least imo).

But at least she never reduces the tip to stay within budget and she never talks about a tip as a reward for good service. Does anyone know whether Food Network gets paid by restaurants to appear on $40/day? Otherwise, some of her choices are truly indefensible.

I agree she needs a new stylist - in addition to the tucking, RR should stay away from the ruched shirts that she seems to favor.

I was just there for lunch as well (in fact, I think you were at the table in front of mine) - I had the salad (trying to be healthy) and then the pizza (giving up on being healthy). It had a nice cracker-y crust and was topped with tomatoes and lots of black olive slices. It was surprisingly non-salty (not underseasoned, just I usually think of olive pizzas as having a pronounced salty taste) - very good, though I'm now too full to accomplish anything at work this afternoon.

Anybody know a decent place to grab a beer near 11th and 51 st.? My wife and I are going to a Daily Show taping and wouldn't mind stepping into some place for a good beer before or after the show. As a native NYer who spends most of his time below 34th st., that part of Manhattan is completely foreign to me.

When I lived on 9th and 51st (disclaimer-this was 4 years ago), there was nice beer garden called Druids on 10th Ave between 50th and 51st, on the east side of 10th.

Question: Are there any squirrels in Argentina? I don't think I've seen any.

I think the lack of squirrels may be related to the abundance of cats. I think the most surprising moment of our first trip was when we walked by a park at night and suddenly realized there was an army of cats looking out at us.

When we went to Nemo, we had the ocean tapas for 2 - it wasn't bad by any means, but we weren't blown away as we were at Olsen. Also, we were the only people in the restaurant for dinner (I think we went for a late-ish dinner on a weeknight), so the staff seemed eager to get rid of us.

Upthread, somebody asked about carpaccio - Bella Italia Cafe does a very good version (at least according to Owen, who went back for it two days in a row).

One recommendation that I haven't seen mentioned here yet - Juana M., on Carlos Pellegrini in Retiro. It is an enormous, cavernous space that seemed to be crowded every night of the week (but no need for reservations, at least in our experience) - over 2 visits, Owen tried various cuts of steak and seemed to like the ojo de bife best, and I tried the gnocci in a spinach alfredo sauce (very, very rich - not like that's a bad thing) and the "fish in a shirt," which was grilled brotolo in pastry. A word to the wise - their rendition of blood sausage is not for the faint of heart. The wine list was relatively short, but we enjoyed our Dona Paula malbec. The bill was laughably small, even by Argentine standards (undoubtedly one reason for the restaurant's popularity), maybe $60 pesos between us.

Olsen, a popular spot in Buenos Aires, which followed up by opening a second Olsen in Madrid.

I have more to say about our recent trip to Buenos Aires, but this post reminded me of how much we liked Olsen during our recent visit. First, I thought the place was beautiful - the outside seating is completely surrounded by foliage, so you feel completely removed from the rest of the block (which, IIRC, was not one of the neighborhood's most beautiful). For appetizers I had fried oysters with an apple/dill/fennel/walnut/lemon salad - I thought the oysters were good and the salad was delicious, very crisp in both texture and flavor, and Owen had salmon rillettes, also very good. For dinner, I had flash fried tuna with smoked yogurt and some sort of mango salad - the combination of the tropical mango with the otherwise scandinavian flavors worked better than I thought it would, though the tuna was a bit more dry than I had expected. Owen had cubed tenderloin with shoestring potatoes, which he liked, although I think he ultimately decided that he would just as soon have another steak. For me though (as a non-meat-eater), I loved that the fish dishes were so thoughtfully prepared. I would unhesitatingly recommend Olson over both Spirit and Nemo (both of which we tried on our first visit), which both specialize in seafood.

The food network website is now selling, I kid you not, Rachel Ray-brand "EVOO."

Hmmm...that brought me right back to third grade, where the lunchroom sport was to watch the boys compete to see who could consume an entire large candy bar in a single bite. Not exactly the kind of nostalgia I'd imagine advertisers are going for.

PSA: As of last night, there was chocolate mint chocolate chip ice cream on the menu. Also lobster sauce-scallop-lardo pizza, for those who like such things.

I just wanted to add my thanks for a really delicious dinner last night!

I'll add my two cents. I have a subscription (a Christmas gift from friends). I actually appreciate the "I tried this and I tried that" comments, if and when they back it up with the science. I enjoy knowing not only how to make good food, but what kinds of things screw it up. I think it helps me be a better home cook, especially when I'm coming with up stuff of my own and not following someone else's recipe.

On the other side of the coin, magazines like Saveur and Gourmet have wonderfully detailed and challenging recipes but I doubt I can remember the last time I tried anything from either magazine (I subscribe to both). They're both fun reading but it stops there. I don't think I actually learn much (in terms of cooking technique) from them.

My take on the difference between Cooks Illustrated and Gourmet is that if I'm looking for a nice-ish meal to make in my little apartment in DC, then I'll go to CI and know that I'll be able to find something to make with ingredients that I can get at either Trader Joe's or the Capitol Hill Safeway ( ), and cooking implements that I can pack into a couple of cabinets. But, if I'm visiting my parents and have the run of the cuisinart, kitchenaid mixer, extra-large oven, fresh herb garden, and Mom's cooking expertise, then I'll go to Gourmet. Otherwise, it's just an exercise in frustration.

In Salon today (you have to watch a commercial to get to the article): link

Have you ever heard of Monsanto?

Yes, but I imagine that Monsanto (or ADM, etc.) impacts "real" meat as well as fake meat (for example, through animal feed). I'm not suggesting that fake meat is ideal, but was wondering why it was considered less healthy than real meat. Of course, my premise (and I think others' as well) is that I'm thinking about industrially produced non-meat products with industrially produced meat products (tofu hot dogs to meat hot dogs), and not taking into account either meat or veggies that are produced on small, local farms.

Anyone who thinks they are eating healthier food when they eat tofu-dogs or to-furky is deluding themselves.

How so? The ingredients in, for example, tofu pups, seem relatively innocuous. Are pesticides the problem? (Now, I suppose I could get the answer to this question by reading the book you suggested...)

I was driving around Rockville this afternoon, and noticed that Paisano’s, on North Washington Street, has been converted into “Bob’s 88 Shabu-Shabu,” by the owner of Bob’s Noodle 66 across the street. The Shabu-Shabu menu is thirty-eight items long, and he is also serving sushi, Tariyaki and a number of familiar dishes from the original Bob’s. Judging from the large number of customers happily “shabuing” at 2:30 PM, it appears as though this will be a most welcome addition to the dining options there, especially in light of the chain restaurants leasing space in the new Town Center.

I've been meaning to ask about this place - it was hopping at about 6:00 last Saturday night (we passed by on the way back from having dumplings down the street). Has anyone tried it?

I'm going to be in Tribeca this weekend and am looking for Chinese, dumpling, and Japanese suggestions. We be going back and forth between Tribeca and Park Slope so anything in between would be great, although I will be looking for late night sushi in Tribeca tomorrow. If there any other can't be missed shops, eateries, bars, etc. around Tribeca that would be helpful as well.

For dumplings, I like New Green Bo in Chinatown (on Bayard between Elizabeth and Mott). For sushi, I'd go with Tomoe (on Thompson between Bleeker and Houston), but there's nearly always a line out the door - whenever I go back to New York, I wait though the line, but others may be less enthusiastic about that proposition. To the best of my knowledge, it's open for lunch and dinner on Saturday, but closed all day on Sunday.

I just wish someone who actually likes this stuff would explain the attractiveness of the concept.

Also, its a quick and easy way to get some protein. I'm not defending the flavor of tofu-meat (and when I'm looking for a patty-shaped vegetarian item, I usually go for a garden burger rather than an imitation hamburger), but a fake hot dog or sausage will suffice as a 3-minute meal when put on a piece of bread with some ketchup and mustard.

How big are the dumplings here? Maybe it's just me, but 12 dumplings for $7.50 seems a tad expensive. There are places in Manhattan that sell 5 dumplings for a buck. Granted, the "Special Dumplings" contain much more in the filling than the pork/chive ones at Tasty Dumpling, but the price disparity is still pretty huge IMO. Same goes for the ginormous pot-stickers at A&J that appear to be a much better deal.

Like BLB, I ate about half an order (maybe a little more) at one sitting, and Mr. Gus (who was very hungry) had closer to a whole order. I thought the price was more or less comparable to my favorite dumpling place in NYC (but I wouldn't swear to it).

However, I'll probably stick to the (excellent, but more expensive) shrimp shumai at Kotobuki.

Do they serve alcohol at brunch?

I thought I remembered seeing mimosas on the menu, but I wouldn't swear to it.

I remember someone coming to my door trying to get me to sign a petition to keep them from getting a liquor license, which I refused to do

Not to mention, I don't think there's anything that Park Cafe could possibly do that would expand its clientele to beyond the neighborhood.

I think if they turned it into an all day coffee/cafe/wine bar they would make a fortune. It is just what Lincoln Park needs.

If they did this, I'd probably go at least once a week, and never set foot in Tunnicliff's again.

I went some time ago for Sunday brunch because they opened earlier than Montmartre or Belga Cafe, and my parents were trying to get on the road at a reasonable hour. We walked in at 10:00 on the nose, and found a three-year-old hanging out in his pj's - he immediately came up to us, and very convincingly said "we're closed." His mom, who doubled as our server (and possibly also the kitchen staff), eventually called him off. Anyway, the food was standard brunch fare, with the addition of some Mexican-influenced type dishes (my mother really enjoyed something that appeared to be a crispy tortilla with beans, cheese, and other accoutrements). However, three out of four dishes were stone cold. Strange, since we were the first customers of the day.

We ended up going for an early dinner on Saturday, and shared Mama's special soup (which was just cut up veggies in a light broth, but perfectly fine) and shrimp/chive dumplings, and my fiance also ordered Mama's special dumplings (in which I did not partake, due to their porkiness). Everything was pretty good - I liked the filling of the shrimp/chive, but thought the dumpling skins were a little too thick. My fiance thought the shrimp tasted a bit tired (which, I gather from reading up-thread, has been an occasional issue here). All in all, a fun excursion, although I doubt we'll be making the drive from Capitol Hill to Rockville on a regular basis.

Afterwards, we got frozen custard from the place next door - for better or worse, it was eggy in the extreme (we were amazed that even after our 45-minute drive back home, the uneaten portion was still in its original shape).

I go almost every week - I love this place!

The dumplings are first rate, steamed or fried, and all of the cold dishes in the front case are fabulous. Soups are also good, but ignore the rest of the menu. My kids absolutely love it. The family that runs it is very friendly.

Thanks! I think I'll try it out this weekend. I've been looking for steamed seafood dumplings for quite a while (and even resorted, on a couple of ill-fated occasions, to trying to make them myself - a sure sign of desperation).

Does anyone know anything (good, bad, or indifferent) about China Bistro/Mama's Dumplings? It was positively reviewed in the Post city guide last year here