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Simul Parikh

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Everything posted by Simul Parikh

  1. Ha! I own that book, but it is super basic and what I used to start cooking. I don't think the goal is to make authentic or excellent versions of anything. He is the Minimalist - I think it's to make cooking easy/less intimidating for people. I mean, the average suburban American person may not have ever used saffron before or even heard of ghee, ya know? If you want challenge and authenticity, then try Food Lab and make that Meatloaf or Ragu, or the Rasika cook book, or one of Fuchsia Dunlap books .. those are legit! Agree that adobo chicken sounds atrocious, though.
  2. Few things first - 1) Safety - Mexico as a country is very, very unsafe .. for Mexicans. Americans do run into some crime there, specifically pickpocketing. However, murders of Americans are rare. Mexico city, however, is a pocket of 'relative' safety with murder rates somewhat higher than NYC (which has become quite a safe city), but lower than St. Louis, New Orleans, Atlanta, Baltimore, or Detroit (to name some comparatively unsafe cities). I think you take similar precautions as you do anywhere - don't search for drugs or prostitution, try to take registered cabs or Uber, don't get inebriated far from your hotel, avoid areas that are known to be unsafe, and don't talk to unsavory people that may come up to you. 2) Transportation - this is a BEAR. Traffic is like large Asian cities - relentless and non-stop unless early morning or late night. We did not even try the public transportation, because it's relatively inexpensive to take certified taxis - the pink and white ones or Uber. Most rides within the city cost between $30 and $60 pesos, which is $1.70 to $3.25 USD. In high traffic areas, they come relatively quickly but may not be able to reach you because of all the one way streets, and they can't call you because you have an international number. So, we got 'dropped' several times. 3) Location - because of transportation, this is crucial. Central locations include La Condesa, Roma, and Polanco. You're 1 to 5 miles from everywhere... but 5 miles can take 40 minutes, easy. So, when you are trying to go to further out locations, you may have long journeys mid day (like the Coyacoan Market, which we didn't get to b/c it was going to take so long). 4) Street food - is so omnipresent from 7am til after midnight. You can have be full for somewhere around $1 to $3 - like stuffed. It's safe, people don't really get sick like in other countries, and it's very high quality. I think you can eat at these stands the entire trip and not go wrong - for savories, sweets, fruit juices/shakes, and desserts. But, it's probably nice to mix in some fine dining, too. Landed mid day, and took a taxi to the city at 1.15pm and it took 45-50 minutes to get to our hotel (Hotel Marquis Reforma). The same trip took us 15 minutes yesterday early AM. We dropped our bags and took an Uber to fancy restaurant number one - Fonda Mayora, and we didn't have a reservation. It was Thursday, so no issue - we sat at the bar and ordered. We got some ceviche, soft shell crab tacos, and roasted pork with a yellow mole. Not conventional/tipico, but very beautifully plated and delicious. With a few drinks, the whole meal was around $30-40 (I think, because she would not let me pay for anything). After, we walked around the neighborhood and though stuffed, we ran into a street stand serving birria (roasted goat or sheep), and I crushed one of those. 40 cents USD!! Amazing. In the evening, we went to downtown/Centro to the Torre Latinoamerica. To go to the top and avoid paying the fee, just ask to go to the restaurant instead of the observation deck. You get a beautiful panoramic view of the city, but have to buy a drink, of course. The food actually didn't look bad, but we were stuffed. We finished there and walked over to a craft beer bar/gastropub called La Hilaria and had a drink there. Then, I really wanted to try pulque - a fermented agave drink that has become quite popular with the hipsters, though older folks have drank it forever. We went to La Cueva to try it, a neat bar in an alley downtown. It's milky but not dairy, thick, viscous, and lightly alcoholic (I think around 3-4%). You buy it by the half liter or higher increments (some people had 2 liter mammoths on their tables). I liked it, sister did not. We were pretty exhausted and decided to go home, and while walking to the main street, we ran into a lady selling 'esquites' which is like elote, but it's off of the cob. It's served with cheese, crema (mayo), chili powder, lime. Very creamy, and very good. $1 USD. And because I'm a glutton, when the tamale guy passed on his bike, I got one of those and ate that at the hotel - 80 cents USD! Not a big tamale guy - I mean they are pretty good, but nothing I needed to have another one of. The next morning, we planned to go to the pyramids at Teotihuacan. We had breakfast at a local spot in La Condesa that had a sign that said "Tacos Guisados" on it, but I don't think that was the name. We had chilequiles and coffee. The traditional morning coffee in DF is cafe de olla, which is coffee with cinammon. It's pretty tasty. The chilequiles were different than I expected, b/c the tortilla chips are in liquid and softened already, so there isn't that crispiness that I expected, but it was still fantastic. On the walk back to the hotel, there was a taco stand that was quite popular, and I couldn't help but get some al pastor. It was delicious - and the salsas can be very spicy. There was one that I pointed at, and the guy just said "no, muy pica" and pointed to a different one that burned my mouth. To get to the pyramids, you can take a public bus and I talked to some Americans that did that with no issue. This costs around $5. My sister decided we would get a tour guide/private driver and that was substantially more, and with our limited time I think it was a good call. Just ask your hotel the morning of, and they should be able to figure something out. I'm not sure if you could Uber there and back, because it's a bit remote. It took 45 minutes to get there, and wow! These are beautiful and interesting, with so much history. They were built pre-Christ and weren't in the greatest shape or much of a tourist site, until probably the '60s - '70s. They did substantial renovation and are continuing to do so. On a Friday morning, it was quite busy, and I heard on the weekends it's a zoo. We spent a few hours there, and then went to the Basilica de Guadalupe in the north end of DF, the site of the miracle of Juan Diego. Very neat, though the modern basilica next to the original one leaves a bit to be desired in terms of architecture. After this, sis had found this seafood joint - El K-Guamo - which has various locations in the Centro. This place blew my mind - fresh, fresh seafood and a fun atmosphere. We a had a mixed seafood tostada and a mixed seafood quesadilla (which is not our version of a quesadilla - this is called a 'gringo'; this is a folded over tortilla stuffed with good things - but does not always include cheese, interestingly). Both were incredibly tasty. They offered a cracker with ceviche as a starter, gratis, and that was awesome, too. Per usual, after this meal, we walked around and were seduced by another taco stand. This was a carnitas joint, and they chopped up tasty pig parts. We LOVED this - it was crispy and tender, fatty and meaty, and just perfect. And, then of course, we had to get dessert, so we went to the churro place that my sister had wanted to try - El Moro. It's freshly made and with a chocolate sauce, and is good as you think it will be. We had to go back and lay down, haha. The evening plan was to go to a Lucha Libre show (Mexican wrestling with those crazy masks!!), and prior to that we stopped by a very happening place called La 20. It's a chain, huge mezcal / tequila list, and is very scene-y. Not what we had in mind, but it was recommended by a family friend and our concierge, so we checked it out. It's fine - you felt like you were at a snazzy tequileria in Chicago or something. Nothing I'd go back to, but you if you are of gentle stomach and not quite so adventurous, it's still fairly legit and many locals go there. We didn't have tickets to the show, so we took an Uber there hoping to get them at the box office, as was recommended on many blogs. Scalpers typically sucker me, and it happened here - a friendly canelo haired gentleman had 2 tickets in the 10th row for $250 peso ($13 USD) each, and we were a bit concerned about them being fake. He actually walked us over to the ticket guy who scanned them as real, and we paid the man. What a scene inside! Groups of friends, many tourists, people on dates, and many, many families were there. it's a spectacle - people yelling PUTO and CULERO!! when the wrestlers come out, choregraphed fights and jumps and violence ensued, with the good guys winning some times, but the bad guys winning, as well. The beers flow freely and cheaply, and they have many people selling different snacks (American style nacho and cheese, Doritos, tortas). We stayed for a bit over half (1.5 hour) and then tried to get home. We had a lot of trouble getting a car/taxi - so ended up walking for a bit, found a cantina with live music. It was a hoot, but we were exhausted and finally got a taxi home. The next day was to be our big meal, so we had a light breakfast at a famous bakery - Panaderia Rosetta - we went to the Roma Norte location and had a few different pastries - one figure 8 with cheesy filling and and a guava roll. Both were flaky and perfect. We took a long stroll in this area, stopping at some galleries, and being teased by incredible street food - it was barbacoa day (Saturday) and so many people were serving it with that fantastic consomme, but we held firm until our big lunch which was at Pujol in the Polanco area. Note that there is a new location, but the Uber app seems to take you to the old one (happened to another couple we met), and so if you try to go then just put in the address, not the name. This meal was an absolute pleasure. It's a 6 course feast - 4 you choose, and 2 are chosen for you. The first course was 'street food' and was a mini gordita plus baby corn roasted with a tasty sauce (should not have asked what was in the sauce, because there were definitely ants). The next four dishes were yoooge! This was not 6 small plates. Any 2-3 would have been fine for lunch, so by the time we got to the lamb chops and the duck (that was probably the best course) we could not imagine having any more. And then, yet, there was more. They had this great mole - two concentric circles of it - one was in the middle and made fresh that day, and the circle around it was the same mole, but cooked every day for the last 5 years! It was much darker and earthy but not very 'bright' or spicy. Separately, the fresh mole tasted brighter and spicier, but they tell you to try both and then to mix them up. Mixed, it was fabulous - it mellows the newer one and infuses the older one. Loved it, but were so stuffed. And, yet, there was still another course. They asked us to go outside and enjoy dessert on the terrace, and though it was a way for them to increase turnover, it turns out to be some 'forced socialization' with guests, as they seat you with others. There is a pre-dessert (pulque ice cream palate cleanser), whatever you chose (I got roasted pineapple), and post-dessert (churros!). This was not an inexpensive meal - without drinks the pre-fixe menu is a little over $100 USD, and drinks are not cheap. But, well worth it, up there with Gaggan in terms of international tasting menus. Tragically, we could not make it for barbacoa, as she was just too full. We planned on just hanging at hotel and "Knocked Up" was on, so that was no problem for me. But, the cable went out, and we add a little bit of energy so we walked over to a cocktail bar that everyone on the internet talks about - La Clandestina. It was too crowded, so we were taken to the bar next door which had similar drinks and the same kitchen. We both had tasty Mezcal cocktails, and they gave us some Oaxacan cheese gratis, b/c the drinks took forever. It's just string cheese, never order it. And that was all, folks! What an incredible send-off by my sister - celebrating the end of my long and illustrious bachelorhood. She is the sweetest, kindest, and most thoughtful person I know. I couldn't be blessed more. She is one of my best friends, my most enthusiastic fan, and supportive of me always. She thinks about me all the time, about me being happy and healthy, and worries about me like a mom would, and yet she's 8 years younger than me. I had to hide tears as I left the taxi in the morning on Sunday, and I just hope that we can still keep taking these trips until we are two old fogies... Love you, Sheena!
  3. Dom's definitely open. Too large a following and I bet they make coin - seem to be higher priced than others and pretty remote location. Another "off the beaten path" seafood and seafood po-boy shop is Crabby Jack's by Ochsner Hospital. Closes early, though, like 3pm most days. I think if you have an olive tapenade and cured pork, it's gonna be a bit salty, but man, the one at Central's just left me parched.
  4. Central’s is very salty. And a lot of people like that. But, even compared to NJ/Philly Italian style sandwiches, this will taste very salty. Irene’s was so old school! I’m going to try Mosca’s next time I go down, subject of an old Trillin New Yorker article. Sounds super fun but it’s on the West Bank which makes it tough for tourists.
  5. Is a hamburger place really a must visit anywhere? Like you travel to DC, and though there is so much SE Asian, Ethiopian, Indian, as well as new American, Ray’s is a must? 100% disagree. Unless a guest has been to this city 20 times, and has tried .. well just start with a bunch of the Eater 38... and doesn’t want anything original, interesting, or challenging... yes, would consider a burger place. I can just imagine a friend coming from LA or Portland or Chicago ... “You’re taking me to a burger place???” Probably would hit me in the gnards and then get on their phone and find a decent place to go. Guys... it’s a hamburger. It’s a hamburger. (And... wonder what it’s like being a woman working in his joints ... love supporting that)
  6. Bindaas basically means cool or hip in Hindi. I don’t think naming it Sababa was a whimsical or out of the blue choice... I imagine someone saying “sababa” and then pulling a ‘Salt bae’ type flourish ...
  7. Nice! Hopefully some of these recs still hold up. Going tomorrow. Sis wants to take me on a pre wedding siblings trip. She is a nut about Mexican food and is planning it all. I have no idea about anything we are doing, but plan on reporting back, because I absolutely loved it the last time I went, but sort of went blind that trip and focused on street food. This time will be different ....
  8. In this era of #metoo, very careful in who you send your 'aspics' to... (Not Don level bad, but I'm trying....)
  9. Couple less talked about, but as good as those mentioned Gautreau's - cute old house, amazing food and service Clancy's - neighborhood, elevated, great service, as well Brigsten's - pretty much epitome of classic upscale NOLA
  10. Nice! I tried to make mozzarella. It looked awesome. But, it didn't stretch or melt well. Lemme know how it works - the 100% homemade pizza sounds great!
  11. The ear cleaning in the park is really weird, but feels kind of good. I'd recommend
  12. Came to suburban Detroit to plan wedding stuff with my family, and after gorging ourselves at Loui’s Pizza (Detroit Pizza is real, people! Give it a shake), we got home and while eating sis’ delicious pecan bars for dessert, we threw on episode 1 of “Ugly Delicious” which focused on pizza. It’s Chang, a food writer, and the chef at Lucali’s looking at pizza in America and abroad. Very cool show, thoughtful, the pace is not frenetic and jokey like Bourdain or the new Rosenthal show (which is awesome, too). Chang comes of very “real” and instead of a “too cool for school” vibe, he’s more like me - he’s a “liker”, not very arrogant, and open minded. The chef plays the foil, trying to define things that don’t need defining, and the writer is the go between. Chang created Lucky Peach, and it was a publication for true food nerds. This show has the same elements. It’s not brash. It’s filmed “soft”. It’s very enjoyable. Starting episode 2... he likes quesadillas more than tacos. WTF?? I need to hear more...
  13. In Chengdu, there is a food tour put on by a Canadian kid named Jordan. The places his lead tour guide Anita took us to were invariably the places that local people told us were "must try". His company is Chengdu Food Tours. Absolutely worth every penny.
  14. Did the "Balkan Experience" last night, as we wanted to eat outside and be in a lively area and Clarendon**, for all it's warts, is still pretty great for people watching. The food is slightly better than what you'd expect for AYCE. It's all pretty much pre-made, and comes at you quick. The service is okay - fits and starts - sometimes waitress has time, and sometimes you don't see her for a while. The dips are good - eggplant, lamb pate were both tasty. The bread that comes with the dips are pretty tasty, as well. Lamb prosciutto was eh, but the cheese that came with it was not bad at all. Quinoa salad was meh. Grilled asparagus was pretty good, they were fat spears. Quail egg was a nice touch, and cooked to runny, which I like. Marinated three peppers - the spicy was a little spicy, the mild was kind of boring, and the cheesy one was great. Fiance liked the tartare steak, the lamb skewer (misnomer, as it was not on a skewer) was tasty, and the grilled pork neck on mashed potatoes was tasty, if a bit salty. Crispy smelt was probably my favorite thing. I love fried small fishies! Shrimp was over this polenta-ish corn mash, and I liked that. Balkan food is best if prepped simply, and uses fresh vegetables and simple grilled meats. Order those, and you'll eat fairly well. The other more complicated things aren't that great. If you get 4 dishes per person, it's worth it. We were probably overly full and if chose a little bit more carefully, could skip the AYCE and just do a la carte. I wish I tried the rotisserie lamb, homemade pork sausage, and maybe one of the slow cooked items. ** Washington, D.C. is such a cosmopolitan and diverse area with so many types of people and languages being spoken, while just 3 miles away in Clarendon, it completely changes to an Abercrombie commercial. So young, blonde, and bro-ey. Darkest people there were me and the servers. Nevertheless, I love the energy here, and wish the restaurants were better. Two fairly new places in this storefront - Wilson Hardware and Alto Fumo (replaces Faccia Luna, I think). Both were hopping.
  15. Skipped the cauli rice, made a mash and then did a shephard's pie. Turned our really good! That mash with cream/butter tastes very close to actual potatoes...
  16. Quinoa last night with the curry. Was not unreasonable. Will try the cauli rice with a chicken dish tonight.
  17. My fiancee is going the weekend before for her stag, too. I don't know what they have planned, I think her Maid of Honor is like "Simul, shut up already, I got this". But, if you've read the thread - I'll again recommend Friday Galatoire's lunch. So so so fun. Bayou Beer Garden is awesome when the weather is nice, it has an adjoining wine garden, and crawfish in the parking lot. That would be so fun for a group! Coquette is awesome. Mahoney's Po Boy's are still great. So are the po boys at Domilise's, that's one of my favorites. The line can be long but it's super social, and you can have one of you run in and get drinks while you wait. If you like oysters, Luke's has a great happy hour in the CBD. The Columns Hotel on St. Charles is still really fun in the early evening/happy hour. It's takes up a lot of real estate of your time, but a swamp tour about 40 minutes away is pretty fun, usually you get some Boudreaux or Thibodeux telling great stories and the boat ride is a hoot. For partying, maybe you gals will want to carouse and dance? Cat's Meow for ridiculous karaoke, Pat O's for .. I mean you have to go there, the Gold Mine for dancing, Bourbon Pub for dancing, Blue Nile for live music and dancing (or anywhere on Frenchman St). Now I'm second guessing my choice ...
  18. Any suggestions on what to pair with a chicken/lamb curry if you're trying to go low carb (in lieu of basmati or naan)? Texture of brown rice sort of bugs me - maybe just cook it longer? Cous cous? Never tried that. What else?
  19. Last time I flew (prior to their direct to India from Dulles), it was pretty good. In the ancient past (1980s-early 1990s) my parents said "no way" but I've flown them a few times as a grown up and found them to be pretty good. Let us know, b/c I want to try that flight next time I go. Paratha alley! That's somewhere you definitely should go in Delhi. Tourists and locals have been going for years. Don't think you'll get sick. But, all small restaurant/street food is a a little risky there. Traffic there is so miserable. So so so miserable. There is a ton of stuff where you are near - high end hotel restaurants and fancy non-hotel restaurants, too, just ask the concierge and they will lead you to clean/safe places. It's a terrible walking city. Uber was pretty good in Bombay and Gujarat, not sure about Delhi. The navigation / app based payment makes it superior to taxis there, in my experience. Way less shenanigans.
  20. Gaudi? Gawdy! There is a free Gaudi architectural tour in BCN that I've taken twice, and I'll probably take the next time I go, because I always learn a lot (it's free, but give them money, it's usually art history and architecture students giving it). Eat so much great food, drink Cava, and fall in love with one of the greatest cities in the world. People generally spend the most time in Barri Gotic, El Born (get the churros!), and Eixample, but if you finish all the great tourist stuff, spend some time in Gracia and El Raval. I would move there in a heartbeat and never look back if I could find work there.
  21. Alright fine. It’s basically Brussels sprouts now.
  22. Indigo is so good, but it’s dhaba food and over spiced. Not like overly spicy hot, but not subtle- like a dhaba. Still think it’s different genre than Rasika. But glad there is room and interest in both! Definitely try Rasa Grill! It’s also in a different space. Is anyone else in the DC area using jackfruit yet??? --- Jackfruit (DonRocks)
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