243647 Wed Aug 04 18:31:47 -0700 2004 9 19 Outer Boroughs 0 1293940 My friend JGS, a regular contributor to the Manhattan Board, is celebrating his birthday this evening at Mina, exactly one night after dining at Per Se. (He had not previously been to either.) From the ridiculous to the sublime? I'm starting this thread not only to wish him a happy and healthy birthday, and to congratulate him on his good taste in choosing such contrasting celebration locales, but also so that he can jump in and describe the dual experiences, and because I figured that, while there have been gazillions of posts on both restaurants, I'll bet this particular comparison is one topic that's never been discussed on either board! Other than deliciousness and cooking with love -- as if anything else mattered -- do Per Se and Mina share anything in common worth discussing? Where would you rather celebrate your birthday? Most importantly, for those of you who read this in the next hour, are there any recent must-have recommendations for Mina? JGS will be calling me for tips very soon. Thanks in advance. (If anyone thinks it's worthwhile, please feel free to cross-post, or at least to cross-link, on the Manhattan Board.) Wed Aug 04 18:31:47 -0700 2004 0 Marty L. 1 1293943 Well, JGS arrived at Mina this evening only to find that it's closed! (No sign explaning why.) Anyone know what's up? And this being Wednesday, Sriprathai is closed, too, alas. I suggested he try La Flor (to which neither of us has been). Was that the proper recommendation? Perhaps JGS will post soemtime tonight or tomorrow with reports of his adventures of the past two evenings. Is Mina kaput? On vacation? Emulating Sriprathai? Wed Aug 04 20:26:55 -0700 2004 1293940 0 Marty L. 2 1293944 i was just at mina a few days ago -- was it monday? or friday? and they were open. la flor is quite a good recommendation for that neighborhood, given that it's wednesday -- you did him a service, yes. Wed Aug 04 20:51:21 -0700 2004 1293943 0 babar ganesh 3 1293952 I'm alas a bit crunched and can't spend the time now to write a review that will do both Per Se and La Flor justice. I will try to post later. Suffice it to say that Per Se was an incredible experience and La Flor an incredible "find." I'm a lover of great food and drink in all price ranges, but as the past two days have confirmed, the best part of any great meal is the company, and I was fortunate to share my two "birthday dinners" with people I love. If Marty L. had been there either night, the evenings would have been perfect, but he guided us from afar when we were standing, half lost, in the middle of Sunnyside, gazing mouth-agape at the sight of Mina's closed up storefront. Thu Aug 05 09:52:31 -0700 2004 1293944 0 JGS 3 1293955 there have been a few times that i remember where we've called/stopepd by to find mina closed, but there didn't seem to be a pattern to it. Thu Aug 05 11:13:21 -0700 2004 1293944 0 alice1derland 2 1293982 I walked by Mina this afternoon at around 3 o'clock and it was closed up tight. VERY unusual. No sign indicating if they're on vacation. We'll have to see... Thu Aug 05 20:23:46 -0700 2004 1293943 0 Cara (Queens) 3 1294031 Closed today too. Hopefully they're just on vacation given that it's a family business. If so, I'd expect to be closed for about a month. I didn't try to call, maybe there's a message on their answering machine? Sat Aug 07 01:20:48 -0700 2004 1293982 0 mickyme 4 1294058 Today there were a bunch of papers taped to the gate - a notice of overdue rent going back 6 months or more. This looks like bad news. Sun Aug 08 00:36:46 -0700 2004 1294031 0 mickyme 2 1294033 From a Sunnyside resident. Just last week I was in Mina for some take-out. It was early and nobody was in there. I asked the man, who seems to be the "manager," if Mina, herself, was ever coming back. He said NO. He had told me previously that she had been ill and returned to Bangladesh. I loved Mina's cooking when she was there and have been less enchanted with her sister's kitchen results, who is a decent cook but, for me, lacks the culinary inspiration that Mina had. Nevertheless, it would be a shame if this restaurant did close as I believe it was a great find in the somewhat limited superior restaurants of Sunnyside and Woodside. I will continue to walk by there and check its existence out. Sat Aug 07 09:28:55 -0700 2004 1293943 0 Mike 1 1293959 Well, yes, it's been a couple of very interesting days of eating -- quite a contrast between Per Se and La Flor. Or is there? Both places truly care about food, and it shows, and the service at both is upbeat, friendly and helpful, without being too "in your face." The folks at both places either really enjoy what they do, or it’s a darn good act. Per Se was, in fact, incredible. The whole thing is a bit of a blur, since we opted for the 17 course, off-the-menu extravaganza with wine pairings. I was there with a friend, and for most of the courses we were given different dishes, although often they were different presentations of the same core ingredient. Too much food, and arguably too much drink, and by the time we rolled and stumbled out of there I was crying "no mas!" My thinking was that it's so difficult to get a table, and so expensive, that I may never return (not for a long time, anyway), so we wanted to sample as many dishes as possible. Highlights included: culotte de boeuf (simple, tender, delicious); lobster (melt in your mouth); foie gras (melt in your mouth); sole; truffle in an egg shell (I can't even begin to explain this one, but it was both unusual and fantastic); quail stuffed with spinach; melon soup; caviar (mine was with a cauliflower puree; my friend had the signature oysters and pearls -- both excellent). There was much, much more, but you get the idea. The salmon cone amuse, a cheese plate, three deserts, etc., etc., etc. An embarrassment of riches for one meal, but the experience has lingered and I'm still glowing from it a couple of days later. The only problem -- I want to go back. I’m able to list the wines with more precision since they were kind enough to write them out for us: G.H. Mumm, "Grand Cru," Cramant MV; Clelia Romano, Fiano di Avellino, "Colli di Lapio" 2002; Brundlmayer, "Heiligenstein," Alte Reben, Kamptal 2001; Colin-Deleger, Chassagne-Montrachet, Burgundy 2002; Deux C, Viognier, Santa Barbara/Condrieu 2002; François Villard, Condrieu, "Quintessence," Northern Rhone 2000; Fallia, "Keefer Ranch," Pinot Noir 2002; Tommaso Bussola, Valpolicella, "TB," Veneto 2000; and Forteto della Luja, Moscato Passito, Loazzolo 1999. Ranged from very good to exceptional (my friend, more the wine lover than I, was particularly blown away by the Pinot Noir -- I liked them all, with the exception of what I believe was the Quintessence, which was a bit of a strange blend and too apricot-y for me.). Generally speaking, the sommelier, Paul, was extremely helpful and gracious throughout. He praised 2002 as an exceptional vintage, and the 2002s did not disappoint. I also should say that I gave them a budget for the wines that was pretty restrained, comparatively speaking, and as you can see we sampled a lot of high quality alcohol for that price. As another poster on the Manhattan Board recently noted, the wine prices at Per Se are surprisingly reasonable (although, not surprisingly, it is possible to spend several thousand dollars per bottle if one is so inclined).. Ok, on to La Flor. I was extremely disappointed that Mina was closed, and then also Sripraphai, but La Flor was terrific. A small, cramped space, and a tad too warm on a humid August evening, but our server was a riot and the food was very good. I had the fried calamari to start, which was good but nothing special, and the sirloin steak as an entree, which was perfectly cooked and exploding with southwestern flavors. Others had some sort of seafood concoction and a salmon sandwich, neither of which I sampled, but both of which got high marks from my friends. Generous portions and extremely reasonable prices. I still prefer Itzocan Bistro in Manhattan -- the food is a tad better and certainly more inventive, and it’s closer to home for me, but I would go back to La Flor in a New York minute. So, would I rather have 15 very good meals at the La Flors of the world, or one blow out meal at Per Se? Don’t know – but I’m glad I live in a city where both are an option. Thu Aug 05 12:38:41 -0700 2004 1293940 0 JGS