Any tidbits on NYC? 4 day trip or so.

TAK Room is at Hudson Yard which was started by Thomas Keller. I’m a little curious how that place tastes as they supposedly do a more refined continental style. But yeah, I walked the highline before and enjoyed it so probably will do what you suggested or maybe the other way around.

Thanks for the rec! I’ll most likely be in the Manhattan Chinatown. I just saw this: https://food52.com/blog/23874-best-steamed-rice-rolls-new-york-city-dim-sum-cheong-fun and I’m a little curious about how it compares to SF/HK. I also enjoyed having my macaroni and ham in soup at Cha Chan Tang when I was there and I’m hoping they’re still around. Not exactly the most sought after thing most people recommend in NY but I had a good time there. I’m just bemused that Mott 32 isn’t actually even in New York but in Las Vegas.

Murray’s Cheese and Di Palo’s ?

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Ah if you’re going to LA there may be some Shaanxi restaurants there as well. I don’t know much about that area though. I remember my favorite dish at XFF was the lamb noodles which weren’t super gamey. I also liked their liang pi noodles a lot.

Anything in particular there?

Oh that seems fair. Is there a particular location that is better? I’m looking online and they seem to have a good number of stores

Skip Cantonese here, on such a short trip there’s only so many meals…!
Roberta’s is definitely a “worth it” to go to. When is your trip? Try to do roberta’s on a weekday early evening to save yourself a potentially epic wait time (ie two hours in a friday night)
Russ and Daughters cafe is great for classic nyc jewish deli menu, they’re open from breakfast thru dinner and have good nyc style bagels(will be epic wait for breakfast/brunch on a weekend). Kossar’s is right by russ and daughters, so be sure to stop and grab a bialy for a snack for later- but be sure to eat the same day, like bagels they fade quickly (do not get a bagel at Kossar’s somehow they’re terrible!)

There’s great israeli and middle eastern food here, Balaboosta is great for a more modern polished meal

For a quick casual lunch there’s Taim in Nolita (eastern edge of Soho) and I love Nish Nush in tribeca. If you’re going to the museum of natural history on the UWS Gazala’s is nearby
http://taimfalafel.com


http://gazalasrestaurant.com

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My feeling is that NYC Chinatown has much better Chinese food than SF Chinatown, and man, I love SF, so it pains me to say that. However, you and I both know the best Chinese food in SF is not in SF Chinatown anyway.

If you are to swing by NYC Chinatown, then my recommend a small bowl of wonton from Noodle Village. It won’t take up much of your stomach space. :grinning:

I love the vegetables and fruits stands around Mott Street and other streets. They have very fresh vegetables and fruits. Some very good Lychees and (Chinese Wampi) 黃皮 can be found there – when in season. Just walking through (not buying) is a good experience for me.

There are a couple of good Dim Sum restaurants, but they are not high end Dim Sum like Koi Palace. They are very solid though. There are a couple nice Shanghai Soup Dumpling shops.

I went to Cha Chan Tang a few times. I like it, but I don’t love it.

I forgot if you love steam fish. If you do, you should try some steam fish in NYC which are difficult to find in the West Coast. The West and East Coast Chinese restaurants offer different fishes.

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I’m going to be around towards the end of May. Is there anything particular that should be ordered at Roberta’s? Though I just found out that they opened in LA as well ~_~; Hrm…

I will admit, I tend to shy away from brunch places since I find variations on traditional brunch foods somewhat boring (waffles, pancakes etc.) but definitely do want a nice bagel.

Any recommendations for Balaboosta? I will say I’m not that familiar with israeli/middle eastern foods (unless you’re talking about kabobs… lol).

Still trying to figure out what I want to do, I might skip natural history museum since I was there before but will add those two restaurants to the map!

Haha… sadly SF’s main Chinatown… can be rough. Still think their Golden Gate Bakery’s egg custards are fantastic though. And huh, I’m surprised they have the Chinese Wampi, I can’t quite recall if I see it in SF though you’d think we’d have it. Not sure what’s exactly in season end of May in NYC.

I’ll skip dim sum this time around as I’m the only one wandering around. I recall eating dim sum in NY though I can’t recall the name right now but wasn’t too impressed. Any thoughts on Joe’s Shanghai? I recall my aunt raved about it but I’m a little hesitant from her past recommendations… haha.

Yeah definitely love steamed fish though a bit hard to eat it all myself though I guess a bowl of rice, some veggies and a relatively small fish would be fine. I’ll keep it in the back of my mind but any place you would recommend. A little bit off topic, but Maple Yip in Toronto did a fantastic job in steamed fish.

Absolutely. One of the very best things in SF Chinatown. Yes, I have so many unusual and great fruits in NYC Chinatown.

Yes, the two best known and better quality of Shanghai Soup Dumplings are: Joe’s Shanghai and Shanghai Cafe Deluxe. Joe’s Shanghai’s soup dumplings have a nice, deep and gelatin mouth feel. Shanghai Cafe Deluxe’s soup dumplings have good intact warping (but not thick), and have crab meat dumplings which you actually can taste the crab meat.

Yeah. When I go out on my own, I order a fish and just eat the fish -2-2.5 pound. There are a few good restaurants, but I would really focus on the fish. If you go by and see they offer the same fish as i the West Coast, then don’t brother. However, if they offer unique fish, then definitely give it a try.

To me, good fishes are like good Lychee. You don’t dictate to have good fish meal. The good fish dictates your meal.

This is a cool thread. I’m interested to see what you choose. Have you made any decisions yet? In my eyes NYC and Sf have amazing food. I think you are comparing two of the best food cities in the world :slight_smile:

Have you thought about a helicopter tour?

In most people eye, NYC and SF have amazing food.

Yes! Two of the best!

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Haven’t you heard? We have the right water ;)) joking aside I think visiting the original is the way to go. They also offer take away and delivery if you happen to be staying in their delivery zone or you want a night to stay in for dinner and just pick up and go. The Bee Sting is really well known, includes hot honey, also listed as The Famous Original is another, well, famous original combo
http://www.robertaspizza.com/menus/take-out-and-delivery

King fu kitchen is known for great XLB, they’re not far from times square area and could be a good option for pre or post broadway show
http://www.kfdelicacy.com

The menu at Balaboosta changes a lot, a few of the small plates or apps would be the best strategy i think

If you’re unable to get a reservation at EMP you can go no reservation to the bar (I’m sure bar area reservations are also booked, and only available for parties of two, not clear if you’re traveling solo?) anyways, i would go right when they open for service and try for a seat at the bar or at least put down your name. This article is a a year old but potentially helpful
https://www.google.com/amp/s/ny.eater.com/platform/amp/2018/6/21/17489686/eleven-madison-park-bar-menu-review

Note if you’re here over memorial day weekend that monday a lot of places may be closed (higher end restaurants anyhow) so be sure to double check before heading off with a destination in mind

Nice post. Any fans? https://plataformaonline.com/

Shanghai Cafe Deluxe was closed for a year or so, and has now reopened as Shanghai Dumpling.

I totally agree about the High Line. And if you do venture into Chelsea Market … Los Tacos No. 1 is great as is Mok Bar, which is right across from it. I favor Mok Bar, actually… both are great and you could actually sample both together

Thanks. I was wondering that because I couldn’t find it on Yelp. So how is Shanghai Dumpling?

Are there any particular restaurant you would name for the fish? I’d like to walk around the tanks to look.

I’m still compiling information together and going what do you mean you need reservations for half the places!? But currently I am thinking of going to Eleven Madison Park for lunch and just get there early for the bar seating. I want to check out Existing Conditions for a cocktail or so since I’m a big fan of cooking issues. A bagel for breakfast at one of the aforementioned places. And a trip to MOFAD to see their CHOW exhibit. A steakhouse somewhere, though I realized there are too many choices haha. I probably will wander around Manhattan Chinatown as well for some HK breakfast and fruits.

And… probably no to the helicopter tour haha. That seems a little bit more pricey than I care for.

:stuck_out_tongue: That CA aqueduct water? I’m going to be around what I presume downtown Brooklyn so I should be within a relative easy access. So I’ll go and eat dinner there, never quite cared for delivery as the food just isn’t that fresh.

Thanks for the tidbit on KungFu Kitchen. A little curious about all these XLB places, but how do they compare to Din Tai Fung? Also regarding dim sum, might just grab some BBQ Pork Buns from Tim Ho Wan to go as well. I want to compare them to the HK one.

Gotcha!

Yeah everything’s fully booked. But at least the response is better than whatever I got from Peter Luger’s haha…

Nice! Though I’ll be in LA the week before, would these tacos be worthwhile?

If we are talking about Manhattan Chinatown (not Flushing Chinatown), then I like to recommend either Bite of Hong Kong (Chrystie St) and Wu Wonton King (E Broadway).
Bite of Hong Kong is easier to find seat. They have reasonably price seafood in my opinion
Wu Wonton King is more popular and crowded, and I feel you have a better chance to find more unique seafood there.
Both places have fish tanks.

As for Chelsea Market and Los Tacos… I have to say that even through I like Chelsea Market, I don’t find Los Taco to be that awesome. I think if you happen to be there, you should try it (the taco is very small, so it will be a taste-bite). I never understand why people love Los Taco this much, but it is the most popular stand in Chelsea Market.

I have no issues heading towards Flushing Chinatown just last time I was there it didn’t seem too interesting to wander around. I can’t recall that many notable interest points and I didn’t want to buy groceries as I had not kitchen haha. But I have no problems if you want to give any recs around that area. I know Xi’an Famous Foods has lots of branches so I might just take a bite from there before heading off. Still compiling things haha.

Edit: Oh random note. Any thoughts on Manhattan Clam Chowder places? I do enjoy tomato broths