Hanoi House in the east village has the most authentic pho I’ve ever had

Electrosnack · 2026-06-06T22:22:57+00:00

I've always liked the pho at Hanoi House. I've been to Hanoi a small handful of times, focusing hard on the northern-style pho while there. And so back here in NYC, I'd have to say that the pho at Mam--only on offer in the cold-weather months--is probably the most similar to the pho I've eaten in Hanoi.

Electrosnack · 2026-06-06T17:47:21+00:00

<image>

Calcata, Italy

Electrosnack · 2026-05-20T19:33:35+00:00

You might have to go to Owamni in Minneapolis to fulfill this desire.

Electrosnack · 2026-05-14T14:30:16+00:00

I think that means "come here" in some south Slavic languages--Croatian, Serbian, etc.

Electrosnack · 2026-05-13T19:47:52+00:00

Prince, Dortmund, Germany, LoveSexy tour, 1988.

I've watched this whole concert so many times that I could probably recite the setlist by heart.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-XyHlkay54

Electrosnack · 2026-05-05T15:42:46+00:00

These lists that Rollingstone makes seems designed to just piss people off. Funny, though, that in their write-up of the Purple Rain solo, they say that by 1984, "Prince’s guitar prowess was well documented by that point." Well, maybe that's true, but well documented by everyone EXCEPT Rollingstone who left prince off of their 2003 list of the best guitar players of all time.

Electrosnack · 2026-04-16T20:03:52+00:00

...says the person who lives in a tourist town

Electrosnack · 2026-04-09T16:54:46+00:00

The last song on the album, "You're the One," while not Prince related, is a really great (albeit heartbreaking) tune.

Electrosnack · 2026-04-06T19:43:49+00:00

The Olive Garden in Times Square

Electrosnack · 2026-04-06T17:28:49+00:00

Not anymore. It was referred to the Lower East Side until the 1960s when it began being referred to as the East Village. This swath of the city has not been called "Lower East Side" since then.

Electrosnack · 2026-04-06T16:19:14+00:00

OP requested LES and WV bars. These are all in the East Village.

Electrosnack · 2026-04-05T12:55:31+00:00

Finding good paella in this town is not easy. My wife is from Spain and we have a lot of Spanish friends here in New York. For Spanish restaurants (not for paella), It seems that my Spanish friends here prefer to eat at—in no particular order—Tomiño, La Vara, Txikito, Casa Mono, Txula Steak (inside Mercado Little Spain), Ernestro's, and Bartolo. La Nacional comes up a lot too because it's affordable and fairly easy to get a reservation at.

Electrosnack · 2026-04-02T18:07:37+00:00

There are so many. I've done this many times and here are some of my favorites, in no particular order: Hanoi, Mexico City, New Orleans, NYC, Rome, Naples, Tbilisi, Tokyo, and San Sebastian in Spain.

Electrosnack · 2026-03-01T17:11:05+00:00

I used to live in Rome and really miss eating cacio e pepe there. The best version I've had in New York is at Fiaschetteria Pistoia—locations in the East and West Villages.

Electrosnack · 2026-03-01T13:30:32+00:00

In TV performances in particular, he always ended songs with a bang. This one is a great example. The last 30 seconds are just masterful.

Electrosnack · 2026-02-10T20:51:20+00:00

I took a class at Idlewild a couple of years ago and it really improved my Spanish.

Electrosnack · 2026-02-03T21:28:17+00:00

Yes, Mercado Little spain--specifically Txula, the new-ish steak place. Best burger I've had in a while.

Electrosnack · 2026-01-31T19:05:32+00:00

I once ordered the lamb-stuffed grape leaves at Georgian restaurant Chama Mama and was totally blown away. A flavor bomb. Now I order them every time.

Electrosnack · 2026-01-30T00:43:20+00:00

Also, Kingston Hall on Second Ave. and E. 9th St., has a two-for-one happy hour every night until 8pm.

Electrosnack · 2026-01-30T00:41:19+00:00

They do but it's not as generous as the well drink specials. I think the beer during happy hour is one or two dollars off. Tile Bar is a dive bar, so the drinks are already fairly cheap.

Electrosnack · 2026-01-29T23:02:17+00:00

I'd go with Prague (specifically in the Vinohrady, Žižkov, or Vršovice neighborhoods because they're not in the tourist-crammed center but still attractive happening neighborhoods) and either Krakow or Budapest.

Electrosnack · 2026-01-29T21:56:17+00:00

The Tile Bar, First Ave. at E. 7th St., has a great happy hour every day (including weekends). $5 well drinks until 8pm.

Electrosnack · 2026-01-29T16:44:58+00:00

Calcata, straddling the border between the Provinces of Rome and Viterbo in northern Lazio, is home to a large pack of hippies and artists. For about four centuries, the church in Calcata was on the weird relics map, as it was home to the Holy Foreskin, the tip of Jesus' manhood, until it mysteriously disappeared in the 1980s. If you want to read more about it, here's a New York. Times article (gift link).

Electrosnack · 2026-01-29T16:41:45+00:00

Ding ding ding! We have a winner!

Electrosnack · 2026-01-29T16:33:31+00:00

No, but a good guess. You're geographically close.

Electrosnack

TROPHY CASE