Coffee Shop

29 Union Sq West, New York, at 16th St. 212-243-7969

The waitresses here are referred to in the same hushed, obsessive tones as the women of Estonia.  It's generally staffed by a cabal of models and actresses, all desperate to be discovered, and aloof as all hell.  Now last night, for some terrible reason, most all the waitresses were men.

Sat at the bar.  Stuck with the standard cheeseburger and garlic fries.  Fine.  Whatever.  Service sucked.  After taking our drink order, of two beers, the waitress wandered off, talked to some friends, joked around with others behind the counter, played some grab-ass, took a couple of other orders, wandered around, disappeared, came back, joked some more, then poured our beers and brought them over.  It was representative of the rest of hte night.  Charles tipped 8%.  I thought he was far too kind.... I tipped half that.

Some balk at the idea of under-tipping -- but to not offer napkins with a burger and fries, and disappear before the question is halfway from my lips?  When we ask to split the bill on two credit cards, the waitress takes forever, then only brings back one credit card and receipt.  "I'll do the other one later," she said.  Huh???  "Can you just bring my card, I'll pay cash."  "Oh, I don't know how much it is -- I didn't split it very evenly."  Huh???

Minca Ramen Factory

536 E. 5th St., Aves. A / B, 212-505-8001


Wow. So the first few bites of this dinner were mind-blowingly good. Radish salad, doused in a peanutty sauce, followed by Char-shu Ramen with the Shoyu (Chichen/Soy) broth. The radish salad, actualy, was far too big and not so exciting, but the pork slices in the ramen were so tender and fatty and blasting with flavor. The broth was thick and gorgeous and loaded with salt. Those first few bites, I was in heaven.

But then you know that feeling when you have a wild rich desert, and no matter how good it is, at the 1/3 marker, you start to feel sick? This was far too rich. Far far too flavorful. And so salty. Focused on those first few bites, I kept eating, kept forcing my way through this insanely big bowl of ramen... and by then end, I was ready to have my stomach pumped. (Looking at the pictures, I start to feel a little nauseous.)

Never thought I'd say this, but if I go back, maybe I should try something a little more bland. ;)

** New Yeah Shanghai Deluxe

65 Bayard Street, at Mott St, 212-566-4884



Update - 9/31/06 - Returned with ten friends for my birthday dinner, and again they failed to do anything less than completely wow me. The scallion pancakes were pretty good, but the soup dumplings were again fantastic. I ordered the Mapo Dofu without pork, for the sake of a couple of vegetarians, and it suffered, but it was still very good. The deep-fried duck was heavenly, and a noodle soup (with large mushrooms?) was absolutely amazing. Some broccoli and other veggie dishes were okay - it's quickly obvious that the merits here lie in the meaty dishes. At the end of the 11-person meal, including a bunch of beer and a healthy tip, the bill was only $160. Loved it.

Forgot to mention the great decor last time. Amazing cheesy river that you pass over on a bridge, and fantastic faux-rock plastered on the walls and ceiling, to give you the impression of eating in a cave. Wonderful.



It's been too long since I've posted, and too long since I ate here, to do a detailed description, but suffice to say: fantastic, cheap, and fun.  Tacky water-themed decor.

Soup dumplings - wow.
Scallion pancake - wow.
Mapo Tofu - wow.  porkalicious.

Look at that!  Three wows and a porkalicious!  Can't beat that, really!