AGINY Good Value Archives
Beijing duck ... Erin-go-brah
Dear EL: Yes, definitely the NICE Restaurant in Chinatown for Beijing duck ... $36 for two courses ... get the 2nd stir-fried with the duck meat and green snow peas or Chinese celery ... a bottle of Cote du Rhone will do very nice or a 12 year old Irish whiskey "Old Bushmill" ... great appetite ...
other highly recommended dishes are the boneless squab served with green lettuce ... Beijing pork chops ... beef with scallions ... salt & pepper squid ... prawns with Chinese kai-lan (broccoli) ... bring along an ice-cream cake ... to clean the palate ... Erin-go-brah
Architects of the NYC Subway, Heins & LaFarge: The Tradition of the Great Public Works, Part I - 3/19/2007 - 7/8/2007
We do not normally reproduce press releases on AGINY, but the subway is so integral to NYC, and the design impacts so many people every day, that we are reproducing this press release, and encouraging our friends and readers to stop by the Transit Museum’s Gallery Annex in Grand Central Station and see these exhibitions, opening March 19, 2007.
Chandelier from City Hall Station Station opened 1904. Material: Bronze. Image credit: New York Transit Museum
Architects of the NYC Subway, Heins & LaFarge: The Tradition of Great Public Works, Part I (3/19/2007 - 7/8/2007) and Architects of the NYC Subway, Squire Vickers and the Subway’s Modern Age, Part II, (7/30/2007 – 10/28/2007)
Be sure not to miss two new exciting - consecutive - free exhibits at the New York Transit Museum entitled, Architects of the NYC Subway, Heins & LaFarge: The Tradition of Great Public Works, Part I (3/19/2007 - 7/8/2007) and Architects of the NYC Subway, Squire Vickers and the Subway’s Modern Age, Part II, (7/30/2007 – 10/28/2007). Culled from the extensive collections of the New York Transit Museum, The New York Historical Society, the Episcopal Diocese of New York, The Bronx Zoo / Wildlife Conservancy Center, and private collectors, more than sixty historic artifacts, architectural drawings, and photographs will display, the vision of the subway’s first architects, John L. Heins and Christopher G. LaFarge and the subsequent work of Squire J. Vickers at the Transit Museum’s Gallery Annex in mid-town Manhattan.
From 1901 to 1908, John L. Heins and Christopher G. LaFarge not only designed the first subway stations, but also the control houses, power substations and ornamental kiosks, in the popular Beaux-Arts style, evoking classical architecture using ceramics, metal, and wood. Because Heins & LaFarge began working more than a year after subway construction began, their primary duty was to decorate and make beautiful the stark utilitarian spaces built by engineers achieved by using ceramics, terra cotta relief’s and unique station plaques to identify and adorn each station. Says Roxanne Robertson, Director of Special Projects,“The crown jewel of the subway is the old City Hall Station which was designed by Heins and LaFarge. Visitors are still inspired by the arched tile ceilings, skylights, and brass chandeliers. This station still has the feeling of entering a grand cathedral and remains the NYC subway’s most spectacular space.”
Elements adorning the subway also included ceramic tiles, mosaics, terra cotta reliefs, sconces, iron railings and circular air vent covers. Examples of brass ticket booth grilles and metal exit signs in the exhibition are graceful, with their function masked by the beauty of design and materials. Design drawings of Manhattan’s control houses for 72nd, 103rd Streets and Brooklyn’s Atlantic Avenue show three similar structures with decorative arches, glass, metal, and terra cotta. Architects of the NYC Subway… also presents a dozen pieces of these original station ceramics. Because an immense amount of ceramics had to be designed, fabricated, and installed in less than three years, numerous companies were hired to produce these pieces. The work of the noted ceramics firms Grueby Faience Company of Boston, Atlantic Terra Cotta of Staten Island and New Jersey, and Rookwood Pottery Company of Cincinnati, are also represented in the exhibition.
Architects John L. Heins, Christopher Grant LaFarge, and Squire J. Vickers determined the aesthetics of New York’s subway system. These men created the decorative motifs that adorned the subways, allowing each station to be unique while contributing to its overall style. In 1907, Heins died of meningitis. Though he would work as an architect until his death in 1938, LaFarge worked on the subway only until 1908. Architect, Squire J. Vickers, was then hired and become the architect responsible for New York’s subway station’s design elements for the next four decades.
In addition to being business partners, John L. Heins and Christopher Grant LaFarge were friends, classmates, and brothers-in-law. The two met as architecture students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, studying a curriculum based on the French school of Beaux-Arts classical approach to architecture, but also stressing logical planning and design. They graduated in 1882, and in 1886, formed their own New York City firm. Heins & LaFarge specialized in ecclesiastical and residential buildings.
Today they are best remembered as the original architects for the Cathedral of Saint John theDivine. They began the cathedral project in the 1890s and would continue with it for two decades. During this time, Heins would also be appointed the State Architect of New York, responsible foroverseeing the design and construction of all state buildings.
In the first years of the new century, Heins & LaFarge continued with the Cathedral, but also designed the New York City subway stations and the Astor Court Buildings of the Bronx Zoo. Though these important civic projects might seem, at first, to be disparate, Heins & LaFarge used similar architectural elements and fabricators for each project. The Guastivino Fireproof Construction Company fabricated magnificent arches for the grand City Hall subway station, the Belmont Chapel of the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, and the Elephant House of the Bronx Zoo. The Atlantic Terra Cotta Company produced ceramics for numerous subway stations and the Lion House at the Zoo. Pieces of these Zoo and subway ceramics, including examples taken from the 33rd Street, 110th Street, and 116th Street subway stations, are featured in the exhibitions. An architectural drawing for the Zoo’s Monkey House shows a frieze with classical design elements that can also be seen in subway station ceramics.
Architects of the NYC Subway, Heins & LaFarge: The Tradition of the Great Public Works, Part I, at the New York Transit Museum, 212-878-0106, March 19, 2007 - July 8, 2007, at the New York Transit Museum’s Gallery Annex at Grand Central, Monday-Friday, 8 am - 8 pm, Saturday and Sunday 10 am - 6 pm. Admission is Free. These exhibitions are made possible, in part, with funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Additional support: Major sponsors: ARUP, Daniel Frankfurt, P.C., and Parsons Brinkerhoff. Supporting Sponsor: STV. Sponsors: FXFOWLE ARCHITECTS, PC, and Domingo Gonzalez Associates.
More
- City Hall Station - 1986 visit and 2006 visit - from forgotten NY. Many photos
- City Hall Subway Station - photos on Flickr from Triborough
- City Hall (IRT East Side Line) - from nycsubway.org. Many photos
- City Hall Station - from MIT.
- New York Transit Museum - Wikipedia
- Exploring the old City Hall station: new tours on tap - from Newyorkology
- Roger Shepherd has some good photographs and discussion of the ceramic tiles used in the subway
- The New York Subway: Its Construction And Equipment
Dao-miu and Chinese barbers
Last Tuesday afternoon, I was in Chinatown to visit my dentist for a "deep cleaning" procedure. While there, I purchased from the vegetable vendor on East Broadway and Catherine Street a pound of "dao-miu" (a leafy green vegetable) for home cooking for $2.50 ... I made a delcious risotto with jasmine brown rice and left-over Cantonese roast duck. A pound of "dao-miu" can make four portions of vegetable serving. A very good tasty and economic means to enjoy good food.
Also made a new discovery walking north on Eldridge Street - a brand new Chinatown of barber shops where you can get a hair-cut for $5-$6 ... a pastry shop for egg tarts, almond cookies, spoonge cakes, coffee and tea for $0.50 each ... numerous fresh noodle eateries from the province of Fukien ... very good Beijing fried dumplings, fried sesame bread, hot-sour soup, boiled pork-chive dumplings, etc. eatery. (Eldridge Street runs between Canal and Division Streets in Lower Manhattan. Eldridge is a one-way street that runs north. It is three blocks east of Bowery and one block west of Allen Street (First Avenue below Houston Street)
Also see The Eldridge Street Project
AGINY Good Value
Noon music at Rockefeller University
The Rockefeller University hosts a recital series called the Tri-Institutional Noon Recitals. Held on Fridays at noon from September through June, this series brings outstanding musical talent to NYC.
For example, on December 15, 2006, pianist Soyeon Lee gave a great perfomance. She played with much expression and enthusiasm. What a joy!
Tri-Institutional Noon Recitals, Caspary Auditorium, The Rockefeller University, 66th Street and York Avenue (#2 on this campus map - pdf), Recitals Hotline: 212-327-7007, ext. 1
Post by Peter
Delicious roast duck dinner for 2 for less than $20
Writing about my roast duck dinner made me hungry ... I rode the subway to Chinatown and walked to the AAA Meat Market, 288 Grand Street, for the $8 whole Cantonese roast duck ... I had to wait awhile because they were sold out ... no problem, I went next door to a Chinese coffee shop for a cup and pastry, $1.30 ...
Next, I went to the grocery store and bought a 5 lb. bag of Thai brown jasmine rice for $3.50. At 70 cents a pound, not a bad deal ... next, to the vegetable market for a pound of $1.20 bok choy ... and then bought the duck!!!!
Rode the bus home and made a delicious dinner.
Before I forget, I stopped at the Deluxe Food Market, 79 Elizabeth Street, for a pound of ready-made transparent noodles and vegetables, @ $2.99. I could only polish off half the duck, with some cooked brown rice and the vegetables. To-morrow, I will finish the rest of my purchase.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Post by Peter
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Peking Duck - roast duck for under $10
Frank Bruni reviewed Peking Duck House, and although he doesn't like the pancakes served,
I never stick with the pancakes for long. After making one or two proper Peking duck constructions, I just start eating the duck on its own. If the duck is prepared as well as it is at Peking Duck House, and you’ve got an appetite for undiluted richness, this is a great way to go.
"Out and About: The Peking Duck House," Diner's Journal, November 17, 2006
Peking Duck House, web site, 28 Mott Street, Chinatown, 212-227-1810. See other reviews - many folks don't like this place at all: [MenuPages | NY Mag | Citysearch]
Here is how to enjoy a delicious roast duck for less than $10:
The crispy skin and moist oily dark meat in a roast duck, marinade in hoi-sin sauce …the definition of a perfect Cantonese (or Peking) roast duck … can be purchased whole at AAA Meat Market, 288 Grand Street, the shop exactly at the north-west corner of Grand and Eldridge Streets in Chinatown for $8. The shop also sells whole roast pigs, chickens, etc., and immediately outside there are fruit and vegetable sellers for your salad.
At home, you can enjoy the whole duck by using a pair of poultry shears ... plus your own choice of red wine and a mixed salad of Chinese greens ... and no pancakes ... Payard ice-cream to finish the meal ... Ahhhhhhh, perfect.
Payard, web site, 1032 Lexington Avenue, 212-717-5252 [Yummy Baguette | MenuPages | NY Mag | Citysearch | Gayot]
It pays to stroll through the flea market and avoid the TV shows
A very good eye for Fine Art ... $50 makes $284,000 ...
A painting bought for less than $50 at a Manhattan flea market 23 years ago sold at auction in London this week for $284,000. The picture, an oil on canvas by the Indian artist Francis Newton Souza, is a portrait of a bald, frowning man in a black suit, his eyes obscured by wire-rimmed glasses, and is dated 1958.
"Bought for Less Than $50, Sold for $284,000," By Ben Shapiro, Arts, Briefly, The New York Times, September 16, 2006
Also, he enjoyed the painting for those many years ... It pays to stroll through the flea market and avoid the TV shows ...
Figaro Pizza for rice and beans
Saki Knafo has a short piece in the NYT about Figaro Pizza on 2nd Avenue at 77th Street ... my kind of place for a $5 lunch, inexpensive, no tipping, delicious ethnic food ... walking distance from my apartment, too! Care to join me for lunch?
[I]ts workers serve lots of pizza in the front of the tiny shop. But follow a Spanish-speaking customer to the back and you’ll find Hispanic servers dishing out heaps of rice, beans, plantains and pollo guisado (chicken stew).
“It’s very hard to find Spanish food around here,” said Wilson Casue, a 29-year-old construction worker from Ecuador. He sat before the last specks of a hearty meal of fried fish and rice and beans, which, at $5, had cost just a nickel more than the dainty goat-cheese-and-cucumber sandwich at a gourmet deli in the neighborhood.
"The Pizza Joint Con Carne (and Salsa)," by Saki Knafo, The New York Times, August 6, 2006
Figaro Pizza, 1469 2nd Avenue, between 76th and 77th Streets, 212-472-2220 [Menupages]
Post by Peter
Sweet Spring Restaurant
Recently discovered the Sweet Spring Restaurant ... very Chinese, fresh-off-the-boat cuisine ... pure Fuzhou, not yet diluted by the New World ... very inexpensive, and NO tipping ... several varities of steamed dumplings are 5 for $1 ... 25A Catherine Street, 7:30 am - 10 pm, 212-766-1777 ... [Yelp | Judy's Book]
AGINY Recommended
Post by Peter
Hampton Luxury Liner
Friday morning I rode the Hampton Luxury Liner to the Peconic Bay and enjoyed my very first swim, 2006 ... this bus service is very good and the price is very competive ... very spacious black leather lounge seat, cool air-con, personal music head-phones, free spring water and snacks, NYTimes, etc. ... very comfortable and a pleasure to ride the hi-tech Daimler-Benz bus ... new passengers can get a round-trip ticket for $31 ...
Tosca - Free, August 1, 2006
Uncle Paq & Blackberry Ellie: Please go to the New York Grand Opera website for information about a free opera at 7.30 pm this coming Tuesday, August 1, 2006 ... Tosca ... at the Naumburg Bandshell, Central Park, 72nd Street at Mid-Park ... let us all go bring a pinic buffet and sing-along in Italian ...
Also see Naumburg Orchestral Concerts
Update: Postponed due to the heat.
Spicy & Tasty - Flushing
Another great Sichuan restaurant in Flushing, strongly recommended by AGINY, is Spicy & Tasty ... there is a counter with plenty of ready-prepared cold appertizers, one can pick and choose ... I love to eat the hot and spicey "beef tongue and tripe" and cold tofu with slivers of Chinese stalks of celery ...
Moreover, along this stretch of Prince Street, there are numerous ethnic restaurants which I still must find the time to enjoy, especially the Malaysian restaurant ...
Spicy & Tasty, 39-07 Prince Street, Flushing, Queens, between 39th and Roosevelt Avenues, 718-359-1601 [Menu from Bridge and Tunnel | NYT | NY Mag | Village Voice | openlist | Yelp]
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Joe's Shanghai - Chatham - Amy Ruth's - Nice
Last Sunday, my old friend Mietta Buitoni arrived from Italy ... we ate at Joe's Shanghai in Flushing for delicious soupy pork and crab dumplings, clams with ginger and scallions, and "oon choy" green vegetables ... $45 for 3 persons ... 13621 37th Avenue, Flushing, Queens, 718-539-3838 [previous post on AGINY | NYT | NY Mag | Village Voice | openlist | Gayot | Yelp]
Monday morning, we rode the M1 bus downtown to Canal Street and enjoyed dim-sum at Chatham ... $13 for two ... 9 Chatham Square, 212-267-0220 [previous post on AGINY]
Tuesday morning, we rode the bus to Harlem for waffles at Amy Ruth's for $20 ...113 West 116th Street, between Lenox Avenue and Adam Clayton Powell Blvd., 212-280-8779 [NYC nosh | MenuPages | NY Mag | Citysearch | openlist | Savory NY | Yelp]
Tuesday evening, we ate at the Nice (with a compliementary wedding show) for $90 for 4 ... 35 East Broadway, 212-406-9510 [previous post on AGINY | NYT | Citysearch]
All excellent and all good value ...
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28th Annual Free Museum Mile - FREE
Mark your calendar for Tuesday, June 13, 2006, from 5:45 - 9:00 pm - the 28th Annual Museum Mile Festival ... FREE
all the museums along Fifth Avenue will throw open their doors to the public for free, the Avenue will be closed to vehicular traffic, there will be world music every few blocks, crayon drawing for children on the avenue, etc.
I will head to the Cooper-Hewitt for their show of Hudson River School paintings and the National Academy for the American Art contemporary show.
Participating Museums along Fifth Avenue
- 82nd Street: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- 83rd Street: Goethe-Institut New York/German Cultural Center
- 86th Street: Neue Galerie New York
- 89th Street: Guggenheim Museum
- 90th Street: National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts
- 91st Street: Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
- 92nd Street: The Jewish Museum
- 103rd Street: Museum of the City of New York
- 105th Street: El Museo del Barrio
Post by Peter
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Summer on the Hudson - lots of free fun
FREE
Summer on the Hudson is gearing up for its 6th season of free cultural and recreational events in Riverside Park South. This summer we have a great line-up of world class musicians for Acoustic Sundays, river themed movies for Movies Under the Stars, special all-day events, including the 1st Annual Main Squeeze Accordion Festival on July 8th, plenty of activities and events for kids, including Mamapalooza on May 21st, plus, yoga, pilates and kayaking.
- Calendar of upcoming events
- Riverside Park South is located on the Hudson River from 62nd to 72nd Street (enter park at 72nd or 68th Street)
Saturday, June 10, 2006, 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm: The Rail Yard History of Riverside Park South, Riverside Park South - Pier I @ 70th Street
Saturday, July 8, 2006, 2:00 pm - 9:00 pm: 1st Annual NYC Main Squeeze Accordion Festival
Sunday, July 9, 2006, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm: Acoustic Sundays - Metropolitan Klezmer
Wednesday, July 12, 2006, 8:30 pm - 11:00 pm: Movies Under the Stars - On the Waterfront
Wednesday, July 26, 2006, 8:30 pm - 11:00 pm: Movies Under the Stars - The African Queen
AGINY Recommended
Tony Dragonas - best grilled hamburger in NYC?
Tony Dragonas, street vendor who has been serving great hambburgers and souvlaki at the southwest corner of East 62nd Street and Madison Avenue for many years ... just one block from Central Park/5th Avenue ... weekdays only ...
Tony Dragonas grilling ...
may have the best grilled hamburger in NYC ...
try the outstanding chicken pita with lettuce and tomatoes - it is a large meal with a very generous portion of bite-sized grilled chicken ...
and if you like lamb get the gryos pita ... and make sure to get the secret tzatziki sauce (a yogurt sauce with cucumber and herbs) and on the pita offerings ... you can also get the pitas as plates (pictured above), with salad and rice, for an additonal $1 ...
Tony Dragonas was a finalist in the 2005 Vendy Awards
previous post: Tony and John Dragonas - street vendors
AGINY Good Value
Best Hot-Pot in Manhattan is at Grand Sichuan
The best hot-pot in Manhattan is at Grand Sichuan ... with a wonderful view of the Manhattan Bridge and points south ... sit by the window and order the hot pot ... be prepared for the very hot Sichuan peppers ... go with at least 4 people to enjoy the meal ... French champagne will be a good foil for the Sichuan heat ... since this is the holiday season ... drink and be merry ... 125 Canal Street, at Chrystie Street, 212-625-9212 [MenuPages | NYT | openlist | Citysearch]
Post by Peter
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Technorati Tags: New York, NYC, New York City, Manhattan, restaurants, restaurant reviews,
"Papering" and "Dressing the House"
For theater-lovers, learning some industry jargon couldn't hurt. "Papering the house," for example, is a common producers' practice to fill unsold seats. It's done during previews -- to start buzz about a new play, and assure a full house when critics are in attendance -- or when a show is past its prime and ticket sales dip. "We used to invite staff from fellow theater offices, sort of as a professional courtesy," says one theatrical company manager. "Now, no one wants to admit they're papering, so we're turning to sources outside the theatrical community."
Organizations such as Audience Extras (AE), Play by Play and Theatermania.com's Gold Club collect lists of interested theatergoers. In exchange for an annual fee of $85 to $99, those individuals receive offers to Broadway, Off- and off Off-Broadway shows (sometimes on opening night) costing just $3 to $4.50 a ticket. Seeing a play for such a ridiculously small amount of money, however, is viewed as a privilege; in return, producers expect proper business attire, etiquette (no skipping out at intermission), and discretion (don't brag at the box office about the great deal you got, while others pick up their full-price tickets). You are, in a sense, working the show, providing the actors with a full and attentive audience, often as they try to iron out kinks in a new production.
"Now That’s (Cheap) Entertainment," by Joseph V. Amodio, Newsday, January 15, 2004
Audience Extras distributes complimentary tickets to it's subscribers when a show is in previews, under publicized, expecting a reviewer or celebrity to attend, or would like the benefit of a full house.
As an Audience Extras subscriber you get to choose from over 1000 different events a year! You can attend as many shows as you like for only $3.00 reservation service charge per ticket! A portion of the service charge goes directly to The Memorial Foundation for the Arts to aid non-profit theaters.
. . .
Audience Extras (AE) is a "papering" system (i.e. provide additional audience to shows when needed) that was established by Mr. Peter Copani and his son John-Vincent to benefit the Performing Arts in three innovative ways. First, by screening for responsible, dependable and discreet people to put in an empty seat when a producer needs extra audience. Second, by distributing "paper" complimentary tickets in a way that could develop future audiences, that is, on a "free sample" introductory basis. The third benefit is to use the AE "papering" program as an ongoing funding source for non-profit theatre. The cost of the AE communication system is covered by the ticket recipients making it free for theatre companies and producers who use the service to "paper" or "Dress The House".
Audience Extras, 212-686-1966
Theater Extras is a “seat-filling audience development organization” only. We do not sell tickets. Theater Extras arranges COMPLIMENTARY tickets for its members when a performance or event is in previews, under publicized, expecting the attendance of reviewers or celebrities, or would like the benefits of a full house. Performances range from previews to opening nights to performances throughout a show’s run.
Theater Extras, 212-802-7277 or 914-304-4093
Play by Play, a unique organization called upon by theatre producers to fill unsold seats to their Broadway and Off Broadway shows.
Performances range from previews and opening nights to performances throughout a show's run. Corporate attire is required for Broadway shows.
Play by Play, 212-868-7052
TheaterMania [Gold Club] works directly with producers, theaters, and venues to make tickets available for our members who discreetly fill the house and help build buzz and word of mouth for shows.
Members log into the Gold Club, select shows and events from our exciting and diverse list of offerings, print a voucher, and present it to the box office. It's that simple! The membership pays for itself with one or two shows!
TheaterMania Gold Club, 212-352-0255
Book Review - "Help, It's Broken!"
"Help, It's Broken! A Fix-It Bible for the Repair-Impaired" is a must-have for every NYC apartment dweller ... written by Arianne Cohen "who has practiced her home-repair skills in apartments all over the world." ... lots of illustrations so you can call things by their correct name (especially important when describing parts to someone at a hardware store or repair shop) rather than by generic, and useless, names such as "dohickey," "thingamajig," or "gizmo" (which is a better name for a Yorkie, thank you very much) ...
Ms. Cohen has numerous tips, including what to do when an earring or ring goes down the drain, how to replace a broken tile, how to make your apartment more secure, what glues to use on which repairs, and much, much more ...
a perfect (and inexpensive) gift for a recent college grad moving into their first apartment ... or a friend who just bought their first condo ... or for anyone who lives in an apartment in New York ...
A colleague said that this book is great for "knowing when it is time to call for expert help, and teaches you how things work so you can figure out what needs to be done."
What others have said:
"If you buy just one basic home-repair book, get this one; I couldn't believe that it would actually come in handy, but when my college ring fell down the sink, 'Help! It's Broken' helped me save my jewelry and keep my sanity-- without calling a plumber. I would highly recommend this book for any new homeowner, renter, or college student; I'm planning on getting another for my friend's housewarming gift." --Amazon reader
"a fix it bible for the repair-impaired. Whether you live in a house or a 9x12 dorm room, everyone needs a book like this." --Josh Spear
"Each project guide begins with supplies required and walks painstakingly through each step in the process—even you home-repair idiots can follow these instructions, which include helpful definitions and diagrams where necessary. Remarkably, she keeps things interesting, employing a sense of humor throughout." -- Kirkus Reviews
Best value for Beijing "hot-and-sour" soup - Fried Dumpling
the best value for Beijing "hot-and-sour" soup ... I vote for the Fried Dumpling at Allen Street ... $1.50 for a full plastic container ... also, their fried sesame bread and fried spring rolls, 50 cents each ... one can never go hungry in the Big Apple ... lunch or dinner for under $5.00! ...
Fried Dumpling, 99 Allen Street, between Delancey and Broome Streets, 212-941-9975 [Citysearch]
AGINY Good Value
post by Peter
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Malaysian food - Sanur
Sanur Restaurant, 18 Doyers Street, 212-267-0088 ... best roti canai in NYC ... chicken rice ... curry noodles ... ice kachang (ABC) ... curry puffs ... lunch for two big eaters total was $12.80 ... excellent authentic Malaysian food ... we did not try the Kuih, but it looked good ...
Our previous post on Sanur ...
eGullet postings on Malaysian food, with pics
AGINY Good Value
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Best roti canai in NYC is at Sanur
The best roti canai is now at Sanur Restaurant ... there are two levels ...
At the street level, a glass window displays all the Nyonya "kueh" (also "kuih") which can be purchased for home consumption ... I like the curry puffs for 70 cents each ... fried pies stuffed with curried potatoes and onions ... a great bargain compared to empenadas or pizzas for $2 a slice ... three tables where you can order three dish-combinations over rice with soup for $3.00 and no tip!
From the ChennaiOnline web site, which has too many popups to provide a link:
Straits Chinese or Nonya Kueh (cakes) are made from a variety of fullsome and flavourful ingredients such as coconut milk, sweet potatoes, tapioca, palm sugar and pandan.When presented together, they make up a colourful, pleasing platter, and because of this, they are among the most popular items to be enjoyed during tea time, as a sweet dessert, and as part of the menu on festive occasions.
On the lower level ... is a serene restaurant for the best roti canai in NYC ... plus curry noodles, ABC, Mo-Mo Cha-Cha, Hainan chicken, lo-mein with chicken feet & mushrooms ... Yummy ...
Sanur is Peter's girlfriend's favorite Nyonya restaurant ... 18 Doyers Street, 212-267-0088
An AGINY Good Value
See Manhattan by Water - $20 for 2 days!
Want to see Manhattan and Brooklyn by water? ... Want an easy way to avoid the subway and traffic while doing so? Then take the water taxi!
New York Water Taxi offers a 2-day unlimited pass that is only $20 ... see New York from the East and Hudson Rivers ...
They have an excellent web site ... interactive map with links to nearby tourist sites, restaurants, NextBus ... and suggested walking tours ... printable schedule (pdf)
Unlimited hop-on hop-off stops
- Hunters Point, Long Island City Water Taxi Beach
- East 34th
- Fulton Ferry Landing (DUMBO in Brooklyn) Brooklyn Bridge Anchorage | St. Ann's Warehouse | d.u.m.b.o. arts center
- South Street Seaport
- Wall Street (Pier 11)
- Battery Park (Slip 6) Battery Park | Statute of Liberty | Staten Island Ferry
- World Financial Center (North End Avenue at Murray Street) Ground Zero
- Greenwich Village (Pier 45)
- West 23rd Street (Pier 63, Chelsea Piers) Christopher Street
- West 44th Street (Pier 84) Intrepid Sea and Space Museum | Times Square and Broadway | Jacob Javits Convention Center
NYWT offers other tours, but we recommend the $20 2-day pass or the two-hour $20 Sunset Cocktail Cruise.
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AGINY Good Value
Excellent Sichuan Food - Upper East Side
We have written about Wu Liang Ye before, the Lexington Ave. location.
Last Friday, we walked to the 86th Street & 3rd Avenue location for a meal at the Wu Liang Ye, 3rd ... it is up-town and I was fearful that the meal would not be as good as the mid-town location ...
Good news ... the dishes we ordered were very competently prepared in the Chinese manner ...
we started with three dishes ... Poached razor clams with Sichuan peppercorn and scallion vinaigrette ... Ox tongue and tripe with roasted chili and peanut vinaigrette .. Jelly fish julienne with scallion pesto ... yummy, yummy, yummy! ... the three dishes can be ordered as a combination for $20.95 ... worth every penny ... the sauces were delicious with the right strength of chili and green scallion ...
next ... we ate an order of Chengdu wonton with Sichuan peppercorn vinaigrette ... swallowing clouds! $4.95 ...
finally, we ate sauteed spinach with garlic $8.95 ... so very delicate ... with a bowl of steamed rice ...
a perfect meal ...
I had a glass of Wu-Liang-Ye, a colorless grain alcohol ... similar to vodka ... taste of lemon and lichi ... drink chilled ... can be considered as their house wine ... very smooth with the hot Sichuan peppercorns ... $6.00 with the meal ...
very good service, too ... I will be back to try other dishes.
And we got in some exercise ... walking twenty blocks each way on a Friday evening ...
215 East 86th Street, 212-534-6032
Other Reviews
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AGINY Good Value and Highly Recommended
Best dim-sum update
When eating dim sim at the Chatham Restaurant some prefer to go to "Dim-Sum-A-Go-Go" ... where you place the order on a piece of paper and the trays are delivered to you ... that is only good for customers who do not speak Cantonese and want to pay three times more ... as we advised in our previous post
... keep an eye out for the fresh dishes carting out from the kitchen ... pick your choice and enjoy ...
you can do this even if you don't speak Cantonese ...
More fun things for summer visitors to enjoy - with a three-course lunch for $20.12
"Summer Restaurant Week" isn't over yet ... extended through Labor Day, some of New York's finest restaurants will continue to offer three-course lunches for just $20.12 (beverages, tax and tip are extra).
For example:
On the Upper East Side, before or after visiting the Whitney Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, enjoy the fine French cuisine at Cafe Boulud, 20 East 76th Street, 212-772-2600 or at Dumonet at The Carlyle, 35 East 76th Street, 212-570-7192 ... classic French and delicious
On the Upper West Side, a visit to the New York Historical Society and the American Museum of Natural History must be combined with a lunch at Cafe des Artistes, 1 West 67 Street, 212-877-3500 ... Austrian-Hungarian and very cozy ...
On Columbus Circle, visit and shop at our own "Las Vegas" mall ... the new Time-Warner Center ... and lunch at Asiate in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 80 Columbus Circle at 60th Street, 212-805-8881 ... a very spectacular view of Central Park from the 35th floor!
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Great Sichuan cuisine - in mid-town
Wu Liang Ye Restaurant is a find for Sichuan cusine in mid-town.
The ma pao tofu (also called ma bo dofu, ma po dofu, etc. ... on the Wu Liang Ye menu as Chef's Ma Paul Tofu, which includes tofu, ground pork, green onion, green pepper, black bean sauce and spices) is the best we have had - anywhere ... spicy and served hot .. the tofu is fresh .. cooked just right ... try the razor clams cold appetizer ...
338 Lexington Avenue (between 39th St. and 40th St.), 212-370-9647.
 Razor Clams |
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 Razor Clams
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Chef's Ma Paul Tofu |
Other reviews
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AGINY Good Value and Highly Recommended
Best block in Chinatown to buy fresh green vegetables
The best block in Chinatown to buy fresh green vegetables is on Mott Street between Hester and Grand Streets ... the vegetable seller will call out his produce in sing-song Cantonese ... for good value, buy after 7pm when the produce will go on sale for $1 per package ...
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AGINY Good Value
Crab meat and ground pork soupy dumplings - Green Bo
Crab meat and ground pork soupy dumplings are a Shanghainese delicacy ... so one must patronise Shanghainese restaurants ... such as New Green Bo on Bayard Street, which is also famous for the scallion pancakes ... 66 Bayard St. (between Mott and Elizabeth St), 212-625-2359
To eat soupy dumplings - xiao long bao - ... carefully (you don't want to tear the skin just yet) lift one out of the steamer basket/off the plate with chopsticks and put it in a soup spoon ... pour a little vinegar (should be on the table) over the dumpling ... carefully bite off the top of the dumpling ... put a little more vinegar into the now open dumpling ... then slurp and eat the rest of the soup dumpling ... fantastic ... careful, soupy dumplings can be very hot when they first arrive at table ... and don't forget to eat the cabbage leaves ...
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Other reviews
- A Full Belly
- MenuPages - menu and reviews
- New York Times review
AGINY Good Value
MTA MetroCard - AGINY Good Value
The MetroCard has many great features ... such as: a free transfer between a bus and subway or vice versa within a 2 hour period ... ride costs 20% less when you buy a Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard worth $10, $20 or more ... $7 for the one day fun pass, $24 for seven days and $76 for 30 days ... if you're reading this as an archived article, check the MTA site for current pricing
AGINY Good Value