I am planning to visit Chinatown in Manhattan with my family (none younger
than teen). We like all varieties of Asian food (that we have tried so far)
from Chinese to Thai to Vietnamese. We would like to visit an area that
would provide a cultural experience and dine (lunch, dinner or snack) at on
some inexpensive but tasty Asian food.
Any suggestions for an area to visit and a place or two for food?
Thank you very much for any thoughts!

Neal Scott wrote:

> I am planning to visit Chinatown in Manhattan with my family (none younger
> than teen). We like all varieties of Asian food (that we have tried so far)
> from Chinese to Thai to Vietnamese. We would like to visit an area that
> would provide a cultural experience and dine (lunch, dinner or snack) at on
> some inexpensive but tasty Asian food.
> Any suggestions for an area to visit and a place or two for food?
> Thank you very much for any thoughts!

I was told the best Dim Sum place in Manhattan's Chinatown was something
like "Golden Unicorn" or something with a Unicorn in the name. I never
had the chance to try it though..

--
Dan

Neal Scott wrote:

> I am planning to visit Chinatown in Manhattan with my family (none younger
> than teen). We like all varieties of Asian food (that we have tried so far)
> from Chinese to Thai to Vietnamese. We would like to visit an area that
> would provide a cultural experience and dine (lunch, dinner or snack) at on
> some inexpensive but tasty Asian food.
> Any suggestions for an area to visit and a place or two for food?
> Thank you very much for any thoughts!

I amost always eat at one of the Empire Sechuan restaurants when I am in
NYC. They are not exactly a chain, but more like a 'keretsu', a loose
association. On the Upr. West Side, there's one at 97th St and Broadway,
and another at about 67th St and Columbus Avenue. There's also one at
26th St and 3rd Avenue, and another one off 6th Ave on Greenwich St (or
Ave - its the continuation of 8th St), though the Village one always
seemed to me to be the least of them.

Just verify they are still there before travelling to any of them, since
its been a little while now since I last visited.

NYC has such a huge variety of good restaurants that its unlikey you
will run out of places to eat.

Ian

"Neal Scott" > wrote in message
hlink.net...
> I am planning to visit Chinatown in Manhattan with my family (none younger
> than teen). We like all varieties of Asian food (that we have tried so
far)
> from Chinese to Thai to Vietnamese. We would like to visit an area that
> would provide a cultural experience and dine (lunch, dinner or snack) at
on
> some inexpensive but tasty Asian food.
> Any suggestions for an area to visit and a place or two for food?
> Thank you very much for any thoughts!


Here's an NYC Report I posted here last August. Not all of the entries deal
with Asian food, but I'm to tired at the moment to clip things... I'd
highly recommend Nobu, Nonya (Malaysian restaurant in Chinatown; wrote the
name incorrectly in the report; they do not take credit cards!!!), and the
Queens Chinatown.

Peter



----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------
Just got back from a great food week in NYC. Here's the highlights:

1. Nobu (Next Door):
I'm rather shocked that this restaurant has so many fans, including the
likes of Cindy Crawford and Leonardo DeCaprio, since it is so seafood strong
in a country with no real fish/seafood culture. Our first cold dish was
monkfish liver surrounded by a wonderful sauce that had the bitter taste of
the meat around the pectoral fins. Never experienced that taste at other
American seafood restaurants, like Aqua in SF, for instance. The second
cold dish was Tiradito, thin slices of raw red snapper (?) in a bright
ponzu-based sauce. Tiradito is apparently a Peruvian dish. The first hot
dish was Creamy Spicy Crab. Huge, luscious pieces of crab mixed with tobiko
and coated in a spicy mayonnaise sauce. As we ate, I kept thinking, "no way
are there more crab pieces," but it seemed never ending! Second hot dish
was Nobu's trademark Black Cod in Miso Paste. It too was great and is
highly recommended. Though, truth be told, the one I make at home is a lot
better, but it's based on the Nobu recipe that appeared in Saveur a few
years back. Horribly easy to make. My sister has the Nobu Cookbook, and
many of the recipes seem rather simple and yet they are so yummy. I think
I'll get a copy of that book for myself as well.

2.Golden Monkey Restaurant (Flushing)
There are no real Sichuan restaurants in this country except for this one
and one in Chicago. This one has a real PRC atmosphere to it as well. An
amazing dish poached fish slices covered in a classic spicy Sichuan sauce
(Shui Zhu Yu Pian). The fish slices are thick and have no seasoning at all,
so it contrasts well with the spicy sauce. This place used a good amount of
Sichuan peppercorns too, only they weren't exactly numbing, but one can't
expect too much. We had a very nicely done dish of Fish-Flavored Eggplants.
Oh, and as an appetizer, Husband and Wife Lung Slices! Not displayed so
nicely, but the taste was classic. Yumm.... This was all accompanied with
a plate of Sichuan pickles.

3. Chinatown in Flushing.
My first time there. I like the Manhatten Chinatown, but this one is in
Mandarin! Great little food stalls filled with non-Cantonese dishes. And
on one street corner, a Xinjiang mutton stick vendor! He grilled them just
like in the PRC, it was amazing. Wonderful juicy pieces of meat too. $1
per stick. Please let's support him; too bad he isn't based at Times
Square, where he'd blow everyone else out of the water.

4. Nyanya (?) Malaysian Restaurant
Deep-fried squid legs coated in sweet soy sauce -- I've never had crunchy
squid before; seems like a great beer snack. Roti Canai. Jie Lan (Chinese
brocolli) stir-fried with dried fish.
And my favorite, stingray coated with chili paste and steamed in a lotus
leaf.

5. Jackson Heights, Queens
Great Indian neighborhood (though I like Chicago's Devon Avenue better).
And then there are the South American and Mexican joints. Wow! Had some
great Columbian dishes, snacks, and drinks. Even got to speak Spanish,
which is always nice. Had a nice time at this Colombian place that has
stools surrounding the counter as well as tables out on the main floor for
larger meals. Wonderful-looking breads and pastries; nice exotic fruit
juices (I had "lulo" whipped up with water); tasty deep-fried corn empanadas
filled with meat and potatoes. The place is appropriately called Cositas
Ricas, though it may refer to the waitresses... Ay...

Peter

"Peter Dy" > wrote in message
om...
>
> "Neal Scott" > wrote in message
> hlink.net...
> > I am planning to visit Chinatown in Manhattan with my family (none
younger
> > than teen). We like all varieties of Asian food (that we have tried so
> far)
> > from Chinese to Thai to Vietnamese. We would like to visit an area that
> > would provide a cultural experience and dine (lunch, dinner or snack) at
> on
> > some inexpensive but tasty Asian food.
> > Any suggestions for an area to visit and a place or two for food?
> > Thank you very much for any thoughts!
>
>
> Here's an NYC Report I posted here last August. Not all of the entries
deal
> with Asian food, but I'm to tired at the moment to clip things... I'd
> highly recommend Nobu, Nonya (Malaysian restaurant in Chinatown; wrote the
> name incorrectly in the report; they do not take credit cards!!!), and the
> Queens Chinatown.


Ooops, I meant the Flushing Chinatown. But you were interested in Manhattan
only, so forget about that.

Peter

"Peter Dy" > wrote in message and the
> > Queens Chinatown.
>
>
> Ooops, I meant the Flushing Chinatown. But you were interested in
Manhattan
> only, so forget about that.
>
> Peter
>
>
Is there another Chinatown in Queens other then Flushing?
John

"John Droge" > wrote in message
link.net...
>
> "Peter Dy" > wrote in message and the
> > > Queens Chinatown.
> >
> >
> > Ooops, I meant the Flushing Chinatown. But you were interested in
> Manhattan
> > only, so forget about that.
> >
> > Peter
> >
> >
> Is there another Chinatown in Queens other then Flushing?


Doh! I've been exhusted all week. The week started with a high fever--the
flu? Haven't gotten the flu in years, but I think that's what it was.

Anyway. Flushing is in Queens. Right? So, my correction was screwed up.
I meant: The Chinatown in Flushing, Queens is very unique for the US, so
you might want to check it out. I don't think there is another Chinatown in
Queens, I screwed up.

I need another Grolsch and then off to bed.....

Peter


Wie oh wie, geeft er nog een laatste rondje,
Voor mij zo'n schuimend blondje,
Doe me 'n plezier en breng wat bier, hier!

--Paul de Leeuw

"Peter Dy" > wrote in message
.. .
> Wie oh wie, geeft er nog een laatste rondje,
> Voor mij zo'n schuimend blondje,
> Doe me 'n plezier en breng wat bier, hier!
>
> --Paul de Leeuw


And Paulina Rubio's Spanish version. Do popular American musicians write
drinking songs at all? Or are we too Puritan for that?

"Dame otro tequila
Para olvidarme de tu amor,
Tu nombre esposado,
Mi camisa grande te quedó.
Dame otro tequila,
Este te lo pago yo
Es para que entiendas
Que ahora estoy mucho mejor"

--Paulina Rubio, "Dame otro tequila"

On Sat, 29 May 2004 06:38:00 GMT, "Peter Dy" >
wrote:

There's also a small Chinatown in Elmshurst (Broadway north of Queens
Bl.) that features three pretty impressive asian grocery
"superstores".
Also, a lot of Flushing has become more of a Korea Town than a
Chinatown over the past few years, which only adds to the experience.

>Anyway. Flushing is in Queens. Right? So, my correction was screwed up.
>I meant: The Chinatown in Flushing, Queens is very unique for the US, so
>you might want to check it out. I don't think there is another Chinatown in
>Queens, I screwed up.
>
>I need another Grolsch and then off to bed.....
>
>Peter
>
>
>Wie oh wie, geeft er nog een laatste rondje,
>Voor mij zo'n schuimend blondje,
>Doe me 'n plezier en breng wat bier, hier!
>
>--Paul de Leeuw
>

"John Droge" > wrote in message
link.net...
> Is there another Chinatown in Queens other then Flushing?
> John

Elmhurst, near the intersection of Queens Blvd. and Broadway, is a heavily
Asian neighborhood with a number of very good Chinese (Ping's and Harbor
Seafood Restaurant are diagnoally across the street from each on Queens
Blvd. just West of Broadway) and at least one Vietnamese restaurants within
a few blocks of each other, as well as a very large Asian grocery store.

But the size and selection are not nearly as large as Flushing, which rivals
Manhattan's Chinatown nowadays.

Warren

"John Droge" > wrote in message news:<V2Wtc.14587


> Is there another Chinatown in Queens other then Flushing?
> John

Sure , Elmhurst - Queens is also considered by many a Chinatown as
Flushing is now mostly Korean.

Elmhurst also hosts a large Thai population.

Some really good Thai places in Elmhurst.

Peter Dy wrote:
>
[snip]
> 2.Golden Monkey Restaurant (Flushing)
> There are no real Sichuan restaurants in this country except for this one
> and one in Chicago. This one has a real PRC atmosphere to it as well. An
> amazing dish poached fish slices covered in a classic spicy Sichuan sauce
> (Shui Zhu Yu Pian). The fish slices are thick and have no seasoning at all,
> so it contrasts well with the spicy sauce. This place used a good amount of
> Sichuan peppercorns too, only they weren't exactly numbing, but one can't
> expect too much. We had a very nicely done dish of Fish-Flavored Eggplants.
> Oh, and as an appetizer, Husband and Wife Lung Slices! Not displayed so
> nicely, but the taste was classic. Yumm.... This was all accompanied with
> a plate of Sichuan pickles.
>
[snip]

We have a few Sichuan restaurants in the Boston area. Yummmmmm.

--
Jean B.

"Jean B." > wrote in message ...
> Peter Dy wrote:
> >
> [snip]
> > 2.Golden Monkey Restaurant (Flushing)
> > There are no real Sichuan restaurants in this country except for this
one
> > and one in Chicago. This one has a real PRC atmosphere to it as well.
An
> > amazing dish poached fish slices covered in a classic spicy Sichuan
sauce
> > (Shui Zhu Yu Pian). The fish slices are thick and have no seasoning at
all,
> > so it contrasts well with the spicy sauce. This place used a good
amount of
> > Sichuan peppercorns too, only they weren't exactly numbing, but one
can't
> > expect too much. We had a very nicely done dish of Fish-Flavored
Eggplants.
> > Oh, and as an appetizer, Husband and Wife Lung Slices! Not displayed so
> > nicely, but the taste was classic. Yumm.... This was all accompanied
with
> > a plate of Sichuan pickles.
> >
> [snip]
>
> We have a few Sichuan restaurants in the Boston area. Yummmmmm.


Oops! That came up when I first posted that report. All right. No more
recycling posts! Fresh posts from now on!

Peter

"Neal Scott" > wrote in message
hlink.net...
> I am planning to visit Chinatown in Manhattan with my family (none younger
> than teen). We like all varieties of Asian food (that we have tried so
far)
> from Chinese to Thai to Vietnamese. We would like to visit an area that
> would provide a cultural experience and dine (lunch, dinner or snack) at
on
> some inexpensive but tasty Asian food.
> Any suggestions for an area to visit and a place or two for food?
> Thank you very much for any thoughts!


OK. I'm still up. That one Grolsch didn't do it for me, even though I was
under the weather the whole week. Here's another great place in Manhattan
you might want to check out. Recycled post, I know. It will be the last, I
promise.

Peter

-------------------------------------------
Yakitori Taisho (East Village)

Small, little yakitori place with a cozy-hip atmosphere in a part of town
with lots of cool youngsters around, including plenty of hip Japanese. Like
a sushi joint, the cooking area dominates the space -- grab a seat at the
counter and you can sit back and watch them prepare everything all with an
intense concentration. The menu has quite a few dishes, but the main thing
is the grilled stuff, obviously. You can order skewers individually or as
part of a mixed plate of skewers. As "yakitori" implies, chicken is best
represented (but no chicken ass!!). We ordered a plate with grilled
shirmps, mushrooms, scallions, and some other stuff. We also ordered some
Aji skewers and a beef one. All tasted yummy and fresh, and it was nice to
see "Taisho" (the guy with the beard?) taking such care to make everything.
(I wouldn't recommend the beef, though.) But for me one reason for
returning stands out loud and clear -- the grilled chicken skin. Plump,
juicy pieces of succelent chicken skin, marinated in an alchohol-strong
sauce (mirin? sake?), with no or little soy sauce. There were small patches
of the skin that got crispy and a little charred, but over all the skin was
more juicy-chewy. We ordered several rounds. Maybe that is one good thing
about American chickens -- nice and fat skin. Easily the best chicken skin
I've ever had.

Some pics here, including one of the bearded Yakitorimeister in the pic on
the left:
http://www.netherlogic.com/gullet/archive/000222.html

You can't beat Tasty Dumpling (Mulberry below Bayard across from
Columbus Park) for a quick cheap snack. They sell various types of
fried dumplings that are really good. You can't beat the price the
price of five decent size dumplings for a dollar. They also sell
soups and other light fare. For a more gritty dumpling experience try
Fried Dumplings (yep that's all they sell) on Mosco. They don't have
the variety of Tasty Dumpling, but their store seems have a whole
different "funky" NYC vibe. for those not familiar with NYC's
Chinatown, Mosco Street is little more than an alley running from Mott
to Mulberry. This lends a sort of clandestine aura to the whole in
the wall storefront, which seems to really impress out of towners. My
friends always say, "Wow! How did you ever find this place?". They
act as if I've personally found someplace in the heart of one of the
most denesly populated places in the US.
Another guilty pleasure to indulge in Chinatown is a big hunk of
chinese "beef jerky" (dried beef in four or five varieties) from House
of Beef on Bayard at Mulberry. If you are a fan of beef jerky be
forewarned though, this is the "Heroin" of dried beef and the store
bought varieties will never be the same. This jerky actually tastes
like thin cut dried rast beef and not like stick of salted suet.

On Wed, 26 May 2004 13:17:28 GMT, "Neal Scott" >
wrote:

>I am planning to visit Chinatown in Manhattan with my family (none younger
>than teen). We like all varieties of Asian food (that we have tried so far)
>from Chinese to Thai to Vietnamese. We would like to visit an area that
>would provide a cultural experience and dine (lunch, dinner or snack) at on
>some inexpensive but tasty Asian food.
>Any suggestions for an area to visit and a place or two for food?
>Thank you very much for any thoughts!
>