238885 Wed Oct 23 10:35:48 -0700 2002 28 19 Outer Boroughs 0 1266903 hi all, i just moved from prospect heights to the south slope, and am looking for all your recommendations--particularly for good cheap chow! so far, i am familiar with olive vine (great lentil soup), red hot, and the thai place (rice, i think?). i know minnow and luce are supposed to be good, but i haven't been yet. i'm particularly looking for sushi recs (i miss geido!), fave mexican joints, and any other hidden gems. i've tried doing a search, but most of the postings are either dead or very old... so let's start up a new discussion! thanks. Wed Oct 23 10:35:48 -0700 2002 0 pineapple 1 1266905 Mexican and rotisserie chicken: Los Pollitos Sushi: Tamari, Geido and Gingko Leaf South Slope is the area below 9th Street. Luce is good...I haven't been to Magnolia. Max & Moritz is good but I'm not crazy about their Cafe Steinhof. Wed Oct 23 10:38:32 -0700 2002 1266903 0 Kerry 2 1266916 I second the vote for Tamari on 5th Av. - I've been to a couple of Japanese places on 7th and found the food to be generic and lackluster. The chef at Tamari seems to have a creative touch without going too far... A nice place to share a number of dishes with friends, and decent prices. Wed Oct 23 12:27:19 -0700 2002 1266905 0 bookistan 3 1266990 I think that there are a lot of interesting places in the South Slope that no one has mentioned. It's been five years since I've eaten at Laila's (7th Ave & about 17th St.), but it was interesting and pretty good Mediterranean and very cheap. It certainly has been around for a long time. Java on 20th St and 7th Ave is probably the most authentic Indonesian Risjafftel restaurant in NY, although it is more authentic than good. Then, for a little more money there is the 12th St. Bar & Grill at 8th Avenue and 12th St. And for retail stores, Two Little Red Hens on 8th Ave is one of the best bakeries in the City and you can't beat Eagle on 5th Ave and 18th St for regular meats and specialty foods(was mentioned before). As they said in their window today: "Family owned since 1979--and we've never had a fight" Fri Oct 25 22:51:52 -0700 2002 1266916 0 bobjbkln 3 1266994 Yamato, on 7th Avenue, has very fresh sashimi. I've been reluctant to try Tamari even though I live on 5th Avenue because it's always empty. I'm fearful that the fish won't have enough turnover to be fresh. Is there anything in particular that you'd recommend? Sat Oct 26 14:47:57 -0700 2002 1266916 0 Penelope 4 1267018 Tamari isn't a sushi place really--it's a sake bar. Your best bet is to get lots of the little appetizers (or "tapas"). I've enjoyed everything I've ever had there. Sun Oct 27 15:36:46 -0800 2002 1266994 0 Stephanie L. 2 1266938 Yah, Los Pollitos is good. I've tried nearly every Latin place down to 23rd street, and that's one of the best. Torres Bakery has some decent food, although their pastries look kind of scary. Tacos Nuevo Mexico is good but used to be better. When Cafe Steinhof first opened, I panned it, but then I realized that it's a great lunch spot. Not that the food is GREAT, but it's a nice space to hang out and read and eat a pretty good meatloaf sandwich. It has a nice vibe on a weekday when not many people are there. I was wondering if anyone had tried El Continental, the Salvadorean place on 21st (i think) and 5th. Wed Oct 23 23:23:51 -0700 2002 1266905 0 Peter Cuce 3 1266939 I've walked by El Continental and been curious! I second the request for info! Wed Oct 23 23:31:50 -0700 2002 1266938 0 Kerry 4 1266955 Let's face it, the restaurants in the South Slope overall are mediocre at best. The upside is that C-Town is a good store, and Russo's is fun, if a bit overpriced. I agree with everyone who has posted that Los Pollitos is outstanding, but it's hardly in the South Slope. Tacos Nuevo Mexico is OK, Tacos DF on 5th Avenue and 22nd Street used to be better, but seems to have fallen on harder times. I haven't been to the Continental on 21st Street in three years, but I have good memories. I do enjoy the Chip Shop; yes it's English, yes it's fried, and yes it's junk food, but still damn good. Bonnie's on 5th between Garfield and 1st Street makes an outstanding hamburger. For those who feel like travelling a bit more, I recommend City Sub on Bergen between 5th and Flatbush. Some also enjoy the Paris bakery on 9th Street, although it's not really a spot for dinner. I recommend with no qualifications the Great Western butcher shop on 5th Avenue around 7th Street and also the butcher section of the Eagle Supermarket on 5th Avenue and 18th Street where you can also get a wide array of Polish sodas, if that's your thing. Otherwise, you're looking at one South Sloper who usually travels outside the neighborhood when eating out. Thu Oct 24 12:32:29 -0700 2002 1266939 0 Isaac Esterman 2 1266949 I beg to differ regarding Cafe Steinhoff...they have an amazing, delicious hot tomato soup on the menu that is worth the trip for that item alone. I must admit I haven't eaten much else at Cafe Steinhoff, but this soup is always on my mind. Thu Oct 24 11:18:49 -0700 2002 1266905 0 Rory Kerber-Bernstein 1 1266909 Jack's on Fifth Avenue (near corner of 13th St.): very friendly, reasonably priced, decent home-cooking-ish food, and also not only open late all the time but served us after 11 p.m. one Wednesday night when nobody else was there at all. Luce: nice but pretty expensive. If I were spending that much on Italian food I think I'd rather go to Al di Là. Cocotte: new French bistro-y place, corner Fifth and Fourth St. Very nice service, rather dark and gloomy, pretty good food--I had bouillabaisse which seemed too bisque-like but fresh and lots of it. Chip Shop (Fifth and Sixth St.): really cheap and friendly, great if you love fish and chips (I'm English and do), terribly loud punk playing constantly. Coco Roco (across street from Chip Shop): Peruvian, used to be great and the only thing in the nabe. Gone off a bit I think. Tacos Nuevo Mexico (Fifth between 11th and 12th): fantastic, cheap tacos and a lot of other filling, reasonable food. REALLY love the tacos. there's more but these are the ones I know best Wed Oct 23 10:49:35 -0700 2002 1266903 0 tamara 2 1266910 For the first time, I had a lackluster meal at Luce a couple of weeks ago. My fried calamari appetizer was dull (needed more salt & pepper or SOMETHING) and the monkfish had an odd texture. My friend said that her ravioli was bland. The chocolate souffle would have been stellar had not rosemary been added, which gave it a somewhat off-putting herbal note. Wed Oct 23 11:00:49 -0700 2002 1266909 0 Stephanie L. 3 1266928 Funny, I also had the calamari and the monkfish at Luce about two weeks ago, and I wasn't too happy with them either. Calamari was cold, monkfish was overcooked and bland. Skipped dessert. I also agree with another post that said that Coco Roco had gone off a bit. I had some not very fresh ceviche there lately, which used to be their strong point. But they still make a good Pisco Sour. Wed Oct 23 16:29:13 -0700 2002 1266910 0 penguinboy 4 1266975 Just my humble opinion, but I think Coco Roco has gone way downhill, both the service and the food. After recently waiting two hours for a dried-out sandwich while they filled out take-out orders, I will *never* go back. Fri Oct 25 11:18:34 -0700 2002 1266928 0 Kerry 2 1266915 >Chip Shop (Fifth and Sixth St.): really cheap and >friendly, great if you love fish and chips And soon to be joined by Curry Shop, right next door! Mostly Balti, I believe, and opening in mid-November. Dare I hope for decent Indian in the Slope? Dare I? I've been burned on this so many times, and sadly, not by decent spices. Wed Oct 23 12:16:46 -0700 2002 1266909 0 Kat Kinsman 3 1266918 Hey, I'm hoping that this'll turn out good as well... I spent 4 years living in Birmingham (the home of the Balti!), and developed a great taste for them. I now live in Park Slope, and would love to have a good balti house in walking distance... Wed Oct 23 13:09:31 -0700 2002 1266915 0 Jason 4 1266932 Balti is brutal, phony Indian food. Why wish it upon poor Slopers? Chip Shop is utter shite also. English food is English food. Fried, overcooked and tasteless. Wed Oct 23 18:28:02 -0700 2002 1266918 0 Sean 5 1266944 Ah, at last, someone who understands the fine cuisine of Great Britain! Now if only someone could explain this to the food editor of the New York Times 'Dining In Dining Out'section so they stop highlighting those dreadful articles by Nigella Lawson. JMHO, of course. Thu Oct 24 09:19:42 -0700 2002 1266932 0 micki 6 1267036 I love English food, especially its high points (puddings!). Nigella Lawson is a better writer than most in the New York Times, whether they write about politics, entertainment or food. If for nothing else, at least for their style her writings are worth printing, and nobody is forcing you to cook (or eat) toad-in-the-hole anyway. I also admire her courage in bringing English food to these shores. English food also has the best dish names in the world, toad-in-the-hole and spotted dick being just two examples. JMHO as well, of course. Mon Oct 28 08:03:19 -0800 2002 1266944 0 Katerina 7 1267088 With all due respect, how do you write a lengthy front page article for the New York Times on the delights of eating in Tuscany--pastoral reveries and all--and then print a recipe for something as prosaic as spaghetti and clams???????? Tue Oct 29 13:48:06 -0800 2002 1267036 0 micki 8 1267091 Sorry, but I don't see what's wrong with that. There are many readers out there who are not proficient cooks (I'm a decent baker, but my cooking skills are barely basic, and additionally I *hate* fussy recipes - unless they are baking recipes) and recipes like these are a godsend to us. The thing is, you don't have to be a great cook to want to eat well and enjoy good food prose. The whole point NG is making is that even people with extremely limited skills, zero ambition to get serious about cooking, and little time CAN whip up delicious meals in their small, underequipped kitchens, and she uses her prose to seduce these people into giving it a try. A worthy cause, I'd say. Tue Oct 29 14:06:50 -0800 2002 1267088 0 Katerina 9 1267094 Don't get me wrong. I love spaghetti and clams--it's one of my personal favorites. I just think that if you are writing an article about Tuscany you might want to offer a recipe for a dish associated with that region of Italy. A ribollita, perhaps? Panzanella, maybe. Roast rabbit? Or some more exotic Tuscan fare. That's what I would want to see in a piece extolling the pleasures of Tuscan food. Hey, JMHO. Tue Oct 29 14:59:03 -0800 2002 1267091 0 micki 5 1266956 Would you like a side of troll with your meal? (and for those of you who wonder what I'm talking about, check out the link below) Link: http://www.hyphenologist.co.uk/killfile/anti_troll_faq.htm Thu Oct 24 12:59:52 -0700 2002 1266932 0 Jason 6 1266970 Jason: Well said! That previous posting was rude, crude, hostile, and incorrect (English food can be the world's worst, but my old mum's English cooking was superb, and I've had many "traditional" English Sunday pub dinners that were excellent ... you don't ALWAYS want your veggies al dente, mushy peas have many devotees, English roast beef is super etc. etc. ...) Fri Oct 25 09:23:36 -0700 2002 1266956 0 PhilipJ 1 1266911 Coco Roco does vary, but it's still my favorite local standby. It has a great atmosphere, has decently priced bottles of Malbec, sometimes has great food, and has a few items that are great deals (the roast chicken, and my current favorite: the pork sandwich). On the other hand we had burnt rice and beans the last time we got takeout from them. I second Tacos Nuevo Mexico. Someone raved about El Conquistador a few months ago (an inexpensive Ecuadoran/Italian(!?) place on 5th Avenue near 7th Street. I keep meaning to try it. Anybody have any comments? Wed Oct 23 11:14:43 -0700 2002 1266903 0 richardb 2 1266929 I'm not sure, but I think El Conquistador may have closed. The few times I've passed by there in the last couple of weeks the gate's been down. Wed Oct 23 16:30:11 -0700 2002 1266911 0 Nina 1 1266920 You could just take the B67 bus to the Q train on 7th/Flatbush and then go to Difara's. The B67 runs along 7th Avenue.   Or you could walk it. South Slope isn't *that* far from the Q train. Wed Oct 23 15:01:14 -0700 2002 1266903 0 Pru 2 1266921 good point. i was just wondering if there was a more direct route.   thx. Wed Oct 23 15:01:34 -0700 2002 1266920 0 pineapple 1 1266989 the best mexican - el rincon familiar on 5th avenue and 19th or 20th. the shrimp nachos and the mushroom burrito are the best we've found. Fri Oct 25 18:30:20 -0700 2002 1266903 0 deb