My first conversation on xiaolongbao was one-way. As I recall, it consisted of Boykji explaining to me: “You’ve never had xiaolongbao? They’re the bomb.” Typically, when “the bomb” is used is a predicate, I expect disproportionate amounts of irony or gravity. Not so in this instance: When Boykji drops “the bomb,” the delivery mechanism tends [...]
Pure Thai Shophouse has changed its name at Chipotle’s behest, but superior cooking – not to mention a fiercer chili – continues unabated at what is one of New York’s best thai restaurants. Pure Thai’s menu, especially its lunch menu, offers a variety of “snacks” that blend street food and home cooking under a chef’s [...]
I’ve been too beleaguered by a nasty cold to spread the word properly over the past week, but in case you haven’t heard from the rest of the city: Real Cheap Eats NYC now has 22 more recommendations under $10. This season we’re keeping things relatively lean, with one recommendation per blogger (except for newcomer [...]
Indian food enthusiasts in Berkeley, Albany and El Cerrito have a new go-to in Hamro Aangan, a relatively new Indo-Nepalese restaurant separated from the U.C. campus by several miles of the actual city of Berkeley. A meal here is worth the trip, by bus or by car, for pretty much anyone interested in serious flavor. [...]
Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe that this blog has been alive for four years. It’s even harder to believe that in 2010 and 2009 I was able to bring on contributors from dining destinations are far-flung as Shanghai, Tokyo, Bonn, Majorca and even the American midwest. 2011 wasn’t quite as robust, since The [...]
I have never seen a Michoacan ice cream parlor off of Interstate 5. Now that I know of one that sits in the shadow of US-101, I see little reason to drive along the 5 again. There are, of course, other reasons for choosing US-101 over I-5 if a trip calls for traversing the 400 [...]
First tastes are special. But the first taste of a favorite food – the first taste of a dish that gets everything right, lighting up an appetite unknown until that bite – is irreplaceable. It’s like watching the first scene of The Wire. The experience will always be enjoyable, but the thrill of being thrown [...]
After a recent trip to the Socrates sculpture garden, Girlfriend and I struck out for Arepas Cafe on the south side of Astoria. While we were there to enjoy the restaurant’s tasty Venezuelan arepas, Latin American drink menus are always eye-catching, and we couldn’t slip away without ordering cold glasses of chica and toddy ($4.75 [...]
Plenty of people move to New York with the full intent of conquering the big city. Whatever they believe happens next, conquest is not it. Agreement on this sentiment is a bond I share with Mike, the daytime cook at Kuti’s Place. As he carves slices of fatty lamb from the glistening, heavily stacked spit [...]
Rice is rarely this audacious. Jinro is rarely the right choice. At a modest Korean restaurant in the far reaches of Queens, the rare thrill dormant in both staples springs to life in one sizzling sitting. Containing white rice soaked in a spicy marinade, a portentous mixing bowl greets the happy diners at Flushing’s Tong [...]
