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vsoy
May 8th, 2006, 10:21 PM
Went back for a brief trip to NY to take care of some family business and to take a chang sen xue class my mom has been bugging me to take. It was basically eat out, sleep, go to class and take care of family stuff. I would have loved to meet up with some NYC 44s but there was no time.


Mom took me and my sisters to a bunch of restaurants. Iím listing a couple of places for those visiting the Flushing area. Perhaps we all can add restaurants in our hometown that are recommended for out of towners?

One of my favorites: xiao long bao (little dragon buns) from
Joeís Shanghai restaurant.
(718) 539-3838
13621 37th Ave
Flushing, NY 11354
http://tinyurl.com/n82be
Well, duh, if you go on the weekend, of course it is going to be busy and a long wait for a table. Order a pan or two right when the waiter seats you because it takes a while to make. When you eat these little steamed dumplings for the first time, a rite of passage includes burning your tongue or the roof of your mouth when you slurp up the copious amounts of soupy juice in these little dumplings. The trick, take a small bite off the top or side of the dumpling, cautiously slurp up the juices, add some dipping sauce and chomp away. Donít get the regular pan fried dumplings if you get xiao long bao, it was such a downer after eating something so juicy and tasty.

This website claims Gum Fung has best dim sum.
http://queens.about.com/od/allrestaurantreviews/gr/rr_gum_fung.htm
136-28 39th Ave, Flushing, Queens, NY, 11354
718-762-8821
It is pretty darn good, but I want to say I might have had better but I canít remember where. My mom and her friends were like, ìThat place is expensiveî but my sister and I discovered if you go M-F between 9am-4pm all dishes (small, med and large) were $1.50. Thatís right $1.50, which is insane. We stuffed our faces at 9am for $12 and didnít need to eat til 6pm that night. We both hate crowds and going during the week was a double bonus.

The 900 pound gorilla in the Asian bakery biz in Flushing- Taipan. At least 3 locations in Flushing, pretty hard not to miss:
http://www.taipan-bakery.com/index_e.html
They even had dan tat or egg custard tart made with egg whites. I didnít try it because I was convinced it wasnít going to be very good. I need that beautiful golden color in my egg custard tart, not some fucked up healthy shit. My cholesterol is probably through the roof but amazingly I didnít gain any weight after eating out for a week. Must be all the walking we did.

Ma xin is another Asian bakery which seems to be giving Taipan a run for the money. Theyíre a little bit cheaper plus they have a hot food section where you can order scallion pancake (mine was cold though), noodles and soups for breakfast. Itís like a greasy spoon diner, Chinese style, complete with old men yelling at the blaring TV broadcasting Chinese TV. Weirdly, I canít find any internet mentions of this chain except this one:
http://www.cbwchc.org/project/eatwell/nutrition_maxin.html
135-24 40 Rd., Flushing, NY 11354
But thereís at least 3 locations in Flushing, so itís not that hard to find one. Personally, I kind of liked Ma xin better.

For those that want their soy milk,yo tiao and rice congee fix,
Nan Bei (South North) rocks the house.
Unfortunately, I donít have a business card or address but itís on 40th Rd, right across the street from a Ma xin bakery. We went on the weekend with 5 people in our party and it was stupid busy and it is incredibly cramped but the food is to die for. We didnít have to wait *that* long, but we would have been seated sooner if our group was either 2 or 4 people.

There was a Sago CafÈ on Main street that looked like the place to see and be seen but I was so stuffed after every meal, I couldnít think about ordering some bubble tea. My mom would ìscoldî me for not eating as much at meals- she knows how much I can put away. There were more places, but canít remember the names or locations and I regret not taking any food porn pics except this Beijing Duck we had at a restaurant I can't remember:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v734/vsoy/beijing_duck.jpg

vsoy
Jun 26th, 2006, 08:26 PM
A couple of weeks ago, I was visiting relatives in St. Louis and they took me to a Asian fusion restaurant called "Nippon Tei". It's 14025 Manchester, St. Louis, MO 63011. 636-386-8999, www.nippontei-stl.com

The relative said that a Japanese classmate went to this place and said it had the best sushi he ever had. I had my doubts but kept an open mind despite a) I often find fusion cuisine=doing a lot of different cuisines, but none of them very well; b) it was in a strip mall in a sea of strip malls next to a Gold's Gym; and c) the sushi chef was not Japanese.

We just cut to the chase and order only sashimi and rolls. I used to be not such a big fan of rolls when California rolls were new, but these new rolls are unbelieveably good and a completely different animal from boring California rolls. I can't comment on the fusion dishes since we didn't order any.

Caterpillar roll- looks like one, no?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v734/vsoy/caterpillar_roll_NT.jpg
It's got eel, avocado, cucumber, roe

Sumo roll- huge roll. It's got everything in it like tuna sashimi and the kitchen sink
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v734/vsoy/sumoroll_NT.jpg

Shakira roll- this is a pic they took when they went back a week later so I have no idea what's in it but it was good according to my relatives:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v734/vsoy/shakira_rll_NT.jpg

Turns out the chef is a Thai and she is a really talented chef. Who would of thought one would find sushi nirvana in a strip mall? The decor is modern and polished with lots of soft lighting. Our gweipo waitress working the emo glasses has worked with the chef since the restaurant opened and she was very knowledgeable and professional. Overall, an excellent sushi experience.

vsoy
Aug 24th, 2006, 08:02 PM
Driving back to Kansas City on I-70, we past through Columbia, MO which is right in the middle of the state. We happened upon this Mexican restaurant which I think is one of the best Mexican restaurants I've ever eaten in and I've eaten quite a few while in CA. Maybe it was white line fever and we were ravenous, but man oh man, it was exactly what we needed.

The place: El Maguey (a type of agave plant that lives 25 years)
Location: 3 in the collegetown of Columbia, MO, the one we went to was in the business loop of I-70, I think it was exit 126. (504 Business Loop 70 W, Columbia, MO)
Phone: (573) 449-6558
http://www.google.com/maps?hl=en&hs=r9h&lr=&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official_s&q=el+maguey&near=Columbia,+MO&sa=X&oi=local&ct=title

Prices were very low and you got an insane amount of food. Dinner for two with one beer was under $20 bucks. I got a tamale special which had a beef tamale hidden underneath a bed of beans, guacamole, sour cream, Spanish rice, 2 flautas, and a bed of nachos. The hubby got a shrimp dish for like $9 that came with 18 medium sized shrimps (not the little ones) that were cooked just right with Spanish rice.

This is in stark contrast to a chain called Coco Bolo's which is overpriced Mexican food I went to a few weeks ago. Something's amiss when a Mexican place doesn't offer tamales. While I don't mind being charged for salsa if it's good, but when they charge $3.50 for mediocre salsa that comes in a tiny fruit cup bowl, that's not right. Grrr. The pecan-crusted rainbow trout was done well, but not exactly Mexican fare.

ellencho
Sep 14th, 2006, 10:13 AM
For dessert in Philly:

Naked Chocolate Cafe (http://www.nakedchocolatecafe.com)
1317 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 735-7310
Very reasonably priced and good selection. They have different chocolates, pastries and warm chocolate drinks, including chocolate teas, but i haven't tried those yet.

For those of you who don't mind splurging a bit, Capogiro Gelato (http://capogirogelato.com).
119 S. 13th Street (and there's another one on 19th)
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 351-0900
It's more expensive than regular gelato, but this place has both seasonal and unusual flavors. I've seen everything from hot pepper gelato, mojito, butternut sqush to regular stuff like bourbon vanilla and chocolate. My personal favorite flavors are any berry flavor (especially grape, yes, grapes are berries) during the summer time, and during the winter I like nuttier flavors like macadamia, pistachio or almond.

deyegoroe
Oct 11th, 2006, 04:33 PM
LA's fairly under-rated when discussions of food take place. there are world class restaurants for the jet set, but my proclivities always tend toward the down home soulful stuff and good prices.

here's a sushi recommendation: california roll factory. http://www.calrollfactory.com

the site just has contact info for the locations in west la and beverly hills.

this place is so reasonable. shrimp tempura rolls for $5.50, unheard of - and they're good. the owner's japanese and a good guy.

i can only speak for the west la location; weekends it's really crowded.

oh, and beware: it attracts a lot of twinkies (af/wm couples).

vsoy
Nov 8th, 2006, 05:40 PM
Damn good dumplings and dofu hua (tofu jello in sweet syrup)

It's the establishment with the red awning.
41st Ave east of Main st (part of that weird building with the huge bowl with chopsticks on the roof and catty corner to the Starbucks)
Flushing, NY
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v734/vsoy/10-30-06_0828.jpg

I just love places like this, no nonsense, cheap, high throughput. They also sell zhong zhi (sticky rice with meat wrapped in banana leaf), fried noodles and hardboiled eggs marinated in soy sauce or maybe it was tea? You place your order outside through the window and if you wanted to, eat on the long, narrow counter inside. They also sell frozen dumplings for a pretty good price too.

Couldn't figure out what the "Monster"place next was. Part of me wanted to guess it was a gay-friendly karoaoke bar but never saw anyone in the windows or go inside.

vsoy
Nov 8th, 2006, 05:57 PM
Dos De Oros
13029 Holmes Rd
Kansas City, MO 64145
(816) 942-0020

You know when you're tired, hungry, coming home from work, don't feel like cooking but don't want to spend a lot of money but want something good...you want to go to "The Place" and Dos De Oros fits the bill. Though El Maguey in Columbia, MO seemed a little bit better, this little place in south Kansas City/Martin City earns the rep in my book as "The Place" Plus they haven't been grumpy when we show up at 8:40pm and they close at 9pm.

Caveat: they don't have a liquor license. The 2 times I went, they say they're going to get one next week. While I don't need to have a beer everytime I eat out, it would be nice to have the option. I've crossed off a few places that didn't serve alcohol. This place is that good. :)