We could use more activity on this board. I’m hoping to get some good recommendations here, so I don’t have to go back to Chowhound. Please chime in with comments on others faves & post your own.
I’m currently infatuated with Thai cuisine. Favorite restaurants are:
Zaab Elee (Queens)
Ayada
Som Tum Der
Pok Pok
Chiang Mai
Kitchen 79
Do you like Larb Ubol? Since I’m on a low-salt diet, I can’t eat at any of these restaurants now, but that one was my favorite in Manhattan.
When visiting, I usually stay in lower Manhattan. The place everyone wants to return to is Les Halles on John Street. That includes foreign visitors. Plus it’s always within walking distance. What else is recommended in the financial district?
Larb Ubol is good too. For the sake of brevity, I imposed an arbitrary limit of 6.
Sripraphai in Woodside, Queens is my favorite, although our last visit there was a bit disappointing. Hopefully just an off night, because their food is normally excellent. I’d like to try Ayada and Zaab Elee as well.
In Manhattan, I order Thai for lunch frequently from places in midtown (my office is on 6th Ave in the 50s, so I can go east or west) - most of these places are fine but nothing special. I’d love to find a real standout! Pam Real Thai is probably the best of the bunch but their food isn’t what it once was.
I all in on the three Thai places plus if I may add in Aurnee on 37th avenue and 79th Street in Jackson Heights
Me, I’d love to hear any input on Filipino places. That’s the thing I’d like to try out the next time I can get to NYC, so if there are any faves out there for that I’d love to hear it.
I’m no connoisseur of Filipino cooking, being limited to 1 dinner at Purple Yam and a kamayan dinner at The Ugly Kitchen. I’ve listed a sampling below which you may want to explore. Perhaps others would like to relate their dining experiences on Filipino food. Some on the list are specifically Filipino and some incorporate Filipino dishes along with a wider scope of Asian food. Below the list are links to some media coverage of some of those mentioned.
Maharlika
Ugly Kitchen 103 1st Avenue
Jeepney 201 1st Avenue
Pig and Khao
Purple Yam
Tito Rad’s
Engeline’s
Papa’s Kitchen
Kuma Inn
House of Inasal
Maharlika
House of Inasal
Where to eat Filipino food in New York City
I went to Tito Rad’s a few years ago and had a good meal. I wasn’t very impressed with Maharlika. I did have a good meal at Jeepney, but unless things have changed, they are a bar with a limited food menu. Bago, 229 1st Ave, is an inexpensive place where you order at the counter. My girlfriend and I enjoyed a meal there a few months ago but decided that if we went back, we’d make sure to order some vegetables to counterbalance the oily protein-based dishes.
thanks to you both. I’ll add this info to my list found in scouring Chopsticks and Marrow. House of Inasal sounds really promising, there was a good writeup of that place over there. When I get down there, I’ll report back.
Before and after photos of yu sheng, a festive dish enjoyed with friends at Malaysian restaurant Rasa, in Greenwich Village, for a lunar new year celebration.
Yusheng is often served as part of a multi-dish dinner, usually as the appetizer due to its symbolism of “good luck” for the new year.
The base ingredients are first served. The leader amongst the diners or the restaurant server proceeds to add ingredients such as the fish, the crackers and the sauces while saying “auspicious wishes” (吉祥话 jíxiáng huà) as each ingredient is added, typically related to the specific ingredient being added. The Chinese word for “surplus” or “abundance” (余 yú) sounds the same as the Chinese word for “fish” (鱼 yú).
All diners at the table then stand up and proceed to toss the shredded ingredients into the air with chopsticks while saying various “auspicious wishes” out loud, or simply “lo hei, lo hei” (撈起, 撈起, in Mandarin lāoqǐ, lāoqǐ, meaning “scoop it up, scoop it up”). It is believed that the height of the toss reflects the height of the diners’ growth in fortunes, thus diners are expected to toss enthusiastically.
Interesting tradition. I never heard of it so I looked it up. its a tradition imported from China into Malaysia. Malaysia improved the tradition and made it ‘bigger and better’. Singapore tried to steal its thunder by lobbying for Unesco Heritage status, causing a bit of controversy.
Does it mean then, that there are a lot of noodles everywhere after the toss?
Yes, I’ve heard it was originated by the Chinese, but it is not practiced in China. It has become customary in both Malaysia & Singapore. I don’t read or speak Chinese, so your link didn’t help me.
Being inexperienced at this, we kept the altitude to a manageable level, so the noodles were reasonably contained.
Re: Unesco heritage. I came across this tidbit:
_The Malaysian government took what it considered the innocent step in 2009 of adding yee sang to its list of national dishes. _
Then one man decided it was time for a dispute. Singaporean professor Tan Wee Cheng set up a special Facebook page in 2010 dedicated to the inclusion of yusheng as Singapore’s national dish in the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage.
“We cannot continue to let other countries hijack our food,” responded Malaysian Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen.
Malaysians even called Singapore’s attempt to patent yee sang as a local delicacy a “deliberate violation of rights.”
Financial district doesn’t have the best selection for dinner restaurants… Not far closer to tribeca North end grill is a good one. The location of Terri in financial district is good for lunch salads and such.
In tribeca Terroir is hands down my favorite wine bar in the city (they also have a great selection of beers and hard cider), with excellent food too. Bubby’s is a great casual spot, retro homestyle meals- make sure to order pie, theirs are really excellent. Wolfgang’s in tribeca is popular for a steakhouse option. EN brassierie for japanese (a la carte sushi and cooked dishes), their housemade tofu is my must order. Nish nush is really casual yet my destination for their hummus and falafel.
Inside of brookfield place blue ribbon sushi bar is a good spot, i’ve heard poor feedback about le district there.
Well, Thai isn’t my favorite cuisine. But there are some good ones in my Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood: Pure Thai and Wondee Siam, both on the stretch between 50th and 53rd.
Other than that, any food I like is my favorite while I’m eating it, so here are a few I go back to.
For authentic Mexican, try Tehuitzingo. Simple decor. The more comfortable of their two locations is on 9th avenue south of 42nd street. For dessert, cross the street and walk down a block and try the Cupcake Cafe, under the overpass. I’m not fond of cupcakes (anyone’s!), but they make great espresso and I love their apple pie.
Totto Ramen on 52nd between 8th and 9th is one of the best ramen restaurants around. There are long lines around standard meal times; usually you can get in without a wait around 2 or 3 pm.
Lately I’ve gone twice to Tio Pol, 10th Avenue between 22nd and 23rd. Excellent tapas and about 20 sherries by the glass. Start with a fino or a manzanilla. Only downside is uncomfortable chairs.
My favorite Lebanese in Manhattan is Naya, 2nd Ave between 55 and 56. The kibbe balls and the kibbe naya are especially good. I generally get a large mezze and skip the mishwe, though that’s good, too. Closer to (my) home, there’s a simple Israeli middle-eastern, Azuri, on 51st between 9th and 10th. It’s good, though the owner is rather, what the French would call, dur. He’s not really ignoring you. 
And for the friendly competition, try the Palestinian-owned Tanoreen. It’s a schelp out to Bay Ridge, but it is truly excellent. They make some things (like the tabouli) in a Lebanese style, which is a Good Thing. On a good night, their kibbe balls are the best I’ve had anywhere, and the kibbe naya and other dishes are very good, too.
