Jimmy Chandler

I was scheduled to meet with a friend who's a foodie and wine enthusiast Monday for drinks; he lives on the Lower East Side so when I saw weinoo's post, we changed our plans and decided to try Wassail. Between us we ordered 5 ciders and can recommend this spot to anyone who likes or wants to try out some good ciders.

The fundamental problem facing every remaining deli, Katz's included, is that the gargantuan sandwiches for which they are known aren't very profitable. Rather, they're a legacy of the early 20th century, when brisket (used in corned beef) and navel plate (the fattier, bovine belly meat Katz's uses for pastrami) were considered cheap trash cuts and hundreds of Jewish restaurants could compete for immigrant clientele with rock-bottom prices. But the days of inexpensive navel and brisket are long gone"”thanks in part to the national love affair with Texas-style barbecue"”and delis can only raise their prices so high before turning off customers. As a result, the margins on a pastrami or corned beef on rye are perilously thin. In his 2009 book Save the Deli (an indispensible read for lovers of Jewish comfort food), David Sax writes that "most New York delis are breaking even or losing money on their namesake item." Profitable sandwiches, he reports, make margins somewhere between 5 and 15 percent. The reason Katz's was able to live on while its competitors disappeared largely boils down to real estate. As Sax writes in Save the Deli, New York's delicatessens can basically be divided into two groups: those that rent their buildings and those that own....If Katz's had to deal with a landlord, it would likely have disappeared or moved long ago.

The reason Katz's was able to live on while its competitors disappeared largely boils down to real estate. As Sax writes in Save the Deli, New York's delicatessens can basically be divided into two groups: those that rent their buildings and those that own....If Katz's had to deal with a landlord, it would likely have disappeared or moved long ago.

Note: not good for large groups - they have no tables larger than 6. Weird, considering the size of the restaurant.

This is true I believe with all GAR restaurants. Their philosophy, as I understand it, is that people prefer booths, so they max out the amount of booths they can place within each location.

Plus I have a hunch that big parties are more hassle than they're worth for many restaurants. I don't have data to back that up, and I'd love to hear restauranteurs on the subject.

And as I've written about before, I love the sushi bar at 15 East. If you want a combination of sushi and fresh soba noodles, you can eat in the dining room there and not break the bank. They have also a price fixe lunch for $32. It's off of Union Square, but that's only 20 minutes from Midtown East, a little longer from the UES.

I haven't been, but from many reports I trust your best bet for sushi Midtown East is Sushi Ann:

To quote New York Magazine "Sushi-Ann, an East Side Notre Dame of raw fish." Menu looks reasonable: dinner chef's selection sushi, 10 pieces + 1 roll = $55-$65. Other options aplenty, including a-la-carte. In NYC that's reasonable pricing. http://www.sushiann.net/ 

There are of course many other sushi options in NYC if you're willing to travel outside that area. On the Upper West Side is Sushi Yasaka. I went there once for dinner before a show at the Beacon Theater, was impressed with the quality and service, prices very reasonable.

Also on the Upper East Side, for Japanese but not sushi, and recommended by Cizuka Seki of DC's Izakaya Seki, is Torishin. That is at the very top of my list of NYC restaurants to try that I haven't gotten to yet.

I know the link looks the same, but this should work (the trailing slash is visible, but not in the actual link):

http://menus.nypl.org/

When I was in my early teens I went to Manhattan on a trip from NoVa and we ate at the Carnegie Deli. At the time it may have been my favorite meal of my life -- a revelatory hot pastrami on rye. And I was a huge Woody Allen fan so eating at a spot immortalized in one of his films was thrilling.

When The Tysons Carnegie opened my parents took me there for a birthday dinner. As far as I can recall the quality of the pastrami was equal to that of the NY original. At some point we stopped going, presumably due to the quality falling. I haven't been back to the original since the 80s, and based on reports, I have no desire to.

Once when I ordered tongue, the waitress said "are you sure you want that" - with the same disbelieving look I get from the Chinese waitress when I order jelly fish salad.

You know I got this reaction at 2nd Ave on my last visit there -- several years ago but after they moved to the new location. I ordered a pound of tongue to go and the guy behind the counter tried to talk me into ordering pastrami instead, as if I didn't know what I was doing. I guess he didn't know I had been eating tongue since I was a kid and still love it for an occasional indulgence.

Other than 2nd Ave, any opinions on where to get tongue? It's been a few years since I've had any.

BTW on Twitter I'm @uxprinciples. 

(*) I also want to remind everyone that Little Serow is a *great* restaurant. Certain individual items may be better at Bangkok Golden, but don't make the mistake of thinking that Bangkok Golden is a better restaurant because it isn't - there is a lot of "good but not great" at Bangkok Golden and don't think otherwise (it may not be found in Chef Seng's Laotian dishes, but it's there, I assure you - I've eaten here no less than 10 times, and I promise you that it's true).

I haven't eaten at Little Serow and don't have plans to -- The Wife and I tend not to eat tasting menus due to certain dietary restrictions.

Are there *any* suburban strip mall restaurants at BG's price point that can do better than "good but not great" with such a setup?

It would be interesting to see what Chef Seng could do in a tasting-menu only environment. But again that wouldn't be for me or The Wife.

Here's the story (there's play button, kinda hidden, above the photo of the shrimp salad):

"Laotian Chef Helps Diners Feel The Burn Of Her Native Cuisine" by Emily Berman on wamu.org

And here's the transcript.

The interview indirectly answers Don's question about the split -- Chef Seng bought the Seven Corners restaurant in 2010, which I assume is when the split happened.

I realize now I've never posted about this restaurant, which is a grave error on my behalf. From last July until this June, I was splitting my time about 50-50 between Arlington and Brooklyn NY. When in Arlington and eating out during that period, I easily ate at BG more than any other establishment. I think it is the best value restaurant in NoVA right now. The staff is always friendly and generous. I've chatted with Chef Seng twice and she was quite gracious and enlightening -- she wants me to try the one Laotian restaurant in NY -- Khe Yo (website) -- and compare for her (she notes that her cooking is more home style than Khe Yo).

I love visiting here with friends, especially people who've never been there before. One problem I have with BG is I always want the crispy rice salad, so if I'm dining alone I will only order one other item. When dining with a group of four or more I love to order a whole variety of dishes. Like Zora I love the crispy watercress salad. Other favorites include the fried chicken wings, larb duck, tomp pho soup, grilled chicken, grilled pork, pork sausage, and the lemonade (which is a little effervescent to me, different from other lemonades I've had).

I almost never order Thai here, but when I have I think it does rate as some of the better Thai food in the area. But I like the Lao better.

I do wonder, however, if this new "Bangkok Golden" is the same thing as Thip Khao which was reported on earlier this month, and I don't see how the answer can be anything else but "yes."

From Chef Seng's website:

Our new Laotian restaurant will be in DC and can hold more guests as well as have outdoor seating. The grand opening will also be an opportunity for patrons to see the new menu items, and taste more of my original creations.

There will be a soft opening prior to the grand opening for a limited number of guests. The restaurant will feature mostly Laotian Food at this event. We are working diligently to get everything in order and share the restaurant location and the grand opening date. Until then, we greatly appreciate your patience and your interest in our new restaurant.

Great meal at Ray's the Steaks over the weekend, but so sad to end the meal with a little piece of fudge instead of the usual hot chocolate. I loved that hot chocolate!

It's been a while since I've been there...could have been the norm for a while.

It has been a long while, maybe 3-4 years? I'm not even sure they ever served the hot chocolate at the current location.

One thing about Ray's is that almost every time I go there the past few years -- and I go only occasionally -- is that something has usually changed each time. Since Mark left the wine list has shrunk, for example. And the bistro special doesn't include dessert any longer. etc etc.

Change is good, unless something that you like changes, then it's bad

Last night was speaking with our waitress at Al Di La -- best Italian in Park Slope. She used to work at Lupa and recommended it highly, so it's on our list to try soon.

Spices serves the old Yanyu Big Duck for $34. Last time I had it -- maybe last winter? - it was very good.

I'm not qualified to opine on what the best sushi restaurants in New York are. I am qualified to state that 15 East is my current favorite.

Note to sushi lovers: the best way to experience sushi at 15 East is at the sushi bar, where the menu does not include the cooked items from the dining room menu. If you are willing to eat most anything, go with the chef's tasting menu or one of the sushi omakases. Be prepared for some unusual items, such as shrimp that was alive moments before it hit your plate, followed later by the fried heads. Chef Masato Shimizu is the most engaging, friendly sushi chef I've ever encountered. In fact the entire staff of the restaurant is wonderful, never batting an eye at one of my stupid questions or requests. I find the service formal but engaging and friendly, similar to European-style fine dining. Chef Masato is known to explain what's special about the fish your eating, famous for taking one of his books from behind him to explain something to you. 

And the quality of the fish, rice, and accompaniments are superb. Often I find the flavors subtle, such as in the sashimi and tartare of tuna, but in a way that lets the fish shine.

So last night my wife and I ate there for the 5th time, but this was the first where we ate in the dining room instead of the sushi bar. We just showed up a little before 6:30 PM without a reservation, on a whim. We asked if they had a table for two -- they offered a seat at the sushi bar, but we turned it down because I wanted to try their soba -- and they seated us promptly. The restaurant was empty, but filled up quickly as our meal wore on.

Our meal consisted of:

• Degustation of 11 varieties of sea lettuces -- for me this was something different to try. Presentation was lovely (I forgot to take a pic), some were pickled, others we were told to dip in the provided soy sauce. I quite liked this healthy, light starter. 
• Sashimi & Tartare of Bluefin Tuna
• Risotto with uni, matsutake mushrooms, cabbage and chives. Balanced flavors, again not bold but very creamy. As good as most Italian restaurants produce.
• Hot soba noodles with matsutake -- most expensive soba ($30) I've ever eaten, worth it if you love matsutake.

Total including a bottle of sparkling wine, tax and tip about $140, which is about as cheap as I can imagine a dinner for two there.

I suggest Don add this one to his dining guide. http://15eastrestaurant.com/ 

I would always assume it doesn't include tax, and I wouldn't expect the restaurant or any other business to include tax in an advertised price.

I think this latest yelp review provided me a great tip: I now know not to breathe hot air over my raw fish.

Think about it like this with idiotic yelp reviews: the only morons who could take such a review seriously probably wouldn't like Seki either.

Tip for those who wish to try the Morimoto omakase: they will allow more than one person to share (we've done this with both two and three diners). Using this, we have picked the $120 omakase, and then added a few extra dishes not on it (we asked so as not to double any course). Fabulous way to enjoy Morimoto. In past years they have had a truffle Omakase in the fall/winter.

I agree with those who think Morimoto's sushi is no better than DC's best, but it is very good, and some of the other dishes (toro tartare, spiced lobster, rock shrimp tempura) are to me even better than the sushi.

 That place would be packed, if it was in L.A.

We may have to give this place time. It's still very new, and it's tucked away where no one will happen upon it by accident. I agree it's easily the best tacos I've had in the DC area, nothing else is really even close.

I've tried: tongue (least favorite, but still pretty good), barbacoa, spicy shrimp, spicy shrooms and sweetbreads. My two favorites are the barbacoa and sweetbreads.

Also, I found the staff to be very friendly and wiling to talk about the food and the business. I think they'd be quite accommodating to any reasonable requests.

Yes I understand the author was using hyperbole, but it was unnecessary hyperbole. His entire thesis is silly...if he wants to avoid small plates restaurants, his options are many.

Honestly, I find your comparison of small plates to fondue to be equally silly. The small plates trend has already spread much further and lasted longer than fondue or smorgasbord ever did, and I'm pretty confident it will last for quite a long time.

Is this really worth ranting about? He sounds like the dude who went on Tom's chat to complain about small plates.

I found this to be one of the stupidest food columns I've read in a long time. If people don't want to eat small plates, fine. But I'm not sure makes even one legitimate argument in the entire article -- it's basically a rant filled with one red herring after another. Personally, I love small plates. Often in restaurants that are more traditional, I'll order 2-3 appetizers instead of an entree. But to claim, for example, that the author "can't get a decent meal" in all of DC is silly and unnecessary hyperbole.