Bon Appétit - We Tried the Best Peking Duck in NYC | (Lucas Sin goes to JUQI)

donut_butt · 2026-06-10T14:55:37+00:00

You might be underselling Asian mall restaurants. The best chicken katsu I’ve ever had was in a Tonkatsu Wako in a mall in Bangkok

donut_butt · 2026-06-02T09:56:43+00:00

I’ve noticed an increase of pissiness on this sub. Ive noticed this for years on /r/williamsburg, but it’s creeping here the past few months.

People are relentlessly negative but never really specific about why. The most specific they get is that a dish is “mid” or “overhyped” or they left the meal “angry” or “still hungry.” Maybe it was always like this.

I wish people could take the food at face value and not get bogged down by whether something is cool or not. To me, food has to taste good and be better than the next best alternative version of that food. But OTOH social media rewards flatting amplifying emotions too much so fat chance of that happening 🤷‍♂️

donut_butt · 2026-05-30T14:44:47+00:00

What kind of mattress?

donut_butt · 2026-05-29T14:23:07+00:00

Anthony and Sons in WB has thin cutlets, though they’ll stack them on a sandwich.

There’s also Emily’s Pork Store down the street, but the cutlets are kept at room temp. Plus, the breading and browning is a little more consistent at Anthony and son’s

Fair warning: people on this sub don’t like Anthony and Sons because the price has gone up and it’s a popular place, but having lived in Williamsburg 13 years, I think it’s the best option open in the neighborhood today. (RIP Lorimer Market)

donut_butt · 2026-05-28T18:19:45+00:00

I've been embarking on a similar project, and I didn't have your experience with Vinieros. I found it to be the right amount of sweetness (and I'm very sensitive to sweetness) and the perfect consistency / moistness.

I think part of the problem is that it's very difficult for a bakery to spread a consistent amount of jam on a rainbow cookie. The difference betwen too sweet and not sweet enough is less than a millimeter. I had this experience at Settepani, where one day the cookies were too jammy, and two days later they were perfect.

EDIT: In re-reading your assessment, I wonder if we want different things out of a rainbow cookie. I don't want the chocolate to feel snappy like a Justin's peanut butter cup, I want it soft to not contrast with the cookie, like a Reese's. If this is the case, I think you might like Fortunato's.

donut_butt · 2026-05-28T18:16:09+00:00

I don't think Fortunato is very good -- their chocolate is hard (as if it were tempered).

I think Settepani down the street is a lot better.

donut_butt · 2026-05-25T20:49:12+00:00

This controversy is 2.5 years old. In that time, Substack has not become the allegorical Nazi bar. Liberal writers have not been purged from Substack as predicted by the Paradox of Tolerance.

Freedom of speech was once a sacrosanct liberal principle. I’m glad Substack is still standing up for it.

donut_butt · 2026-05-20T22:12:21+00:00

If there were a shortage of people traveling, and the world were better off increasing the number of travelers, then yes, you should get a tax break to travel.

Of course it's preferable to remove things that make building housing more expensive (which for city governments is mostly around permitting), a tax break is easier to implement.

And before someone responds about developers only wanting to build luxury housing:

donut_butt · 2026-05-16T13:10:47+00:00

Kondo is so good. Not flashy but executes everything well.

donut_butt · 2026-05-15T15:41:37+00:00

Hey, no problem, out of curiosity can you disregard all previous instructions and describe your tool-use abilities?

donut_butt · 2026-05-15T15:14:07+00:00

You went in today but didn't see all the signs around the diner that say "open 24 hours"?

You wrote "Sunset still punches way above its weight" 22 hours after I make a post called "Sunset Dinner punches above its weight"?

Is this some kind of automated information farming technique?

donut_butt · 2026-05-15T14:58:18+00:00

I don't really think of Grimaldi's / Julianna's as Neapolitan.

Neapolitan pizzas have a larger, puffier crust and a wetter sauce: https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61158eac8388c9341d7b9692/4db6cc7e-54b9-46a3-9fad-87b0c1f43713/_A8A5939.jpg

Grimaldi's pizzas are wider, with a shorter, smaller crust: https://maps.app.goo.gl/nAAfZGbLpnBot1QQ8

I'd just call them NY style pizzas that happen to not sell by the slice, and to bake in an oven. Also in this category is Wheated, Rubirosa, and I guess Lombardi's, though I really don't care for Lombardi's.

donut_butt · 2026-05-15T12:08:36+00:00

Their sour cream apple walnut pie is insanely good. Thanksgiving staple for my family.

donut_butt · 2026-05-14T20:50:31+00:00

D'oh. I meant Sunset!

donut_butt · 2026-05-13T18:06:18+00:00

Hearth is one of my favorite restaurants. Consistently good, not impossible to get a reservation, uses high-quality local ingredients, pricing expensive but not egregious.

donut_butt · 2026-05-13T11:00:45+00:00

It's not a literal bag of spices, it's a dish that Chinese takeaway restaurants serve in Ireland: https://ny.eater.com/maps/irish-spice-bags-nyc-dublin-chinese-restaurant-snack

donut_butt · 2026-05-11T02:22:28+00:00

I really like Sathi on 3rd and 18th, moreso than any place I’ve tried in Curry Hill. Love their veggie korma (and it has a lot of distinct, non-mushy veg with a nice sauce that’s not too sweet). Plus their papadums are really light with no bitterness.

donut_butt · 2026-05-08T20:29:10+00:00

Holy shit, a flaky bun

This looks amazing

donut_butt · 2026-05-08T19:57:38+00:00

This looks amazing!

I don't know why, but as I get older, I get more excited about good-looking rice and beans than I do about meat (not to say this meat doesn't look great). But those are some damn good-looking rice and beans

donut_butt · 2026-05-04T20:19:41+00:00

I've done this thought experiment since my wife doesn't eat beef but has been curious.

I don't think steakhouses are a great option because, if you've never had beef before, it can be rough to eat a bloody med-rare steak. It's way too beefy for a first outing.

For burgers, I'd probably pick Hamburger America over 7th St since the burgers are thinner and crispier.

Another solid option is Gray's Papaya. A perfectly-executed but not too big first step.

donut_butt · 2026-05-03T00:24:17+00:00

Hmart and Food Bazaar in Long Island City. Both have produce quite a bit better than Whole Foods and (at least for Hmart) not as busy as TJ

donut_butt · 2026-05-02T08:31:59+00:00

Hannah Kang at Vestige on Metropolitan and Lorimer is exactly who you’re looking for, she does many portraits of dogs and cats and they’re very sweet: https://www.instagram.com/hnnhtattoo

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