517122 Thu May 08 09:46:18 -0700 2008 8 18 Manhattan 0 3668452 Sooo, coming from D.C., I know for example the mexican food isnt the best in D.C. (like the kind I'm used to growing up in LA anyways...) but they do have lots of varieties of middle eastern, lebanese and especially Ethiopian food which you cant find such an abundance of in Southern Cal. I was wondering, which cuisines are particularly strong in Manhattan and unique to the city...like Miami has wonderful cuban food...what are some different ethnic regional foods that you would recommend to try during my stay in NYC? List of restaurants/dishes to order there would be much much appreciated!!! Thanks :) Thu May 08 09:46:18 -0700 2008 64868 coweepooh 1 3668659 This thread has some great suggestions: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/382942 In NYC, I'd say we are not that strong in pho, Mexican, Thai (although you can find good stuff in Queens, just not in Manhattan) and certain regional Chinese (although you can find pretty great Sichuan and Fujianese). Thu May 08 10:34:07 -0700 2008 3668452 10936 kathryn 2 3668670 ohh, just to clarify, did you mean NYC is NOT STRONG in mexican, thai, pho and regional chinese? (since I thought the Chinese population in Chinatown/Manhattan would say otherwise? sorry if i got confused...or which regional chinese would you say is NOT AS strong as others?) thanks!!! :) Thu May 08 10:36:46 -0700 2008 3668659 64868 coweepooh 3 3668834 Correct. Not strong/missing. I'm from California originally and trek out to Queens to get stuff that's as good quality as what you can find in the LA area. I'm always looking for Taiwanese food and Chinese Islamic (which you can find more of in Flushing, Queens). Manhattan Chinatown does, however, have Shanghainese, Hunan, and Fujianese. Try here for Brian S' guide to Manhattan Chinatown: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/342344 For Sichuan, go to Szechuan Gourmet in midtown. Although I live right by a Grand Sichuan, I think SG is better. Thu May 08 11:13:47 -0700 2008 3668670 10936 kathryn 4 3840490 For the record - it's not necessary to go to queens to get excellent mexican food. If you journey to places in manhattan where the concentration of mexican residents is higher you'll find great stuff. There's a place on 183rd and St. Nicholas that has AMAZING mexican food and it's cheap too. They even make some harder to find stuff like Tlacoyos and Barbacoa de Chivo on weekends. All the tortillas are made fresh just before you get them out of a huge boowl of masa harina that they keep by the door. The chorizo is really flavorful and the tostadas excellent. Sat Jul 05 06:22:10 -0700 2008 3668834 109391 blm14 1 3668774 There is really good Sichuan food in NYC. Specifically, Grand Sichuan (multiple locations). Thu May 08 11:00:56 -0700 2008 3668452 133662 SamScaff 1 3669111 Fujian Cuisine. Not found elsewhere in the USA although, Chandavkl says there are some Fujian restaurants in Philadelphia. Here's an earlier review from me on two places in Chinatown: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/483902 Thu May 08 12:15:31 -0700 2008 3668452 148845 scoopG 1 3671400 For real adventurous dining, I think Queens and Brooklyn definitely beat Manhttan. You're not going to find Uighur, Kazakh, Taiwanese here. But you can find a good bit Puerto Rican/Dominican (pastelitos, pernil, mofongo), Korean (kalbi, dolsot bibimbap, pajun, japchae), Shanghainese (xiaolongbao, red-cooked pork), Australian fast food (mainly pies and Aussie burgers), and West African (mafe, thiéboudienne), all of which are worthy of exploration. Fri May 09 07:53:32 -0700 2008 3668452 68363 JungMann 1 3841668 "...which cuisines are particularly strong in Manhattan and unique to the city..." I would have to say Jewish deli and the many permutations of Italian food are the two most prominent cuisines found both in abundance and at their best in Manhattan. If you are looking for harder-to-find cuisines, however, NYC as a whole has great Dominican, South Indian (North Indian is just as good here, but also easy to find just about anywhere), Middle Eastern and even Scandinavian food. For these, you just have to know where to look, and often, it isn't in the lower half of Manhattan. Sat Jul 05 21:11:43 -0700 2008 3668452 102095 vvvindaloo