New Yeah Shanghai Deluxe 65 Bayard Street New York, NY 10013 212 566 4884 Luckily their cooking is a lot better than there spelling. New Yeah has the run of now ordinary Chinese food, but its specials are really special. Shanghai is famous for its soup dumplings. These are steamed dumplings the have soup sealed in them, an experience in eating itself. Chrysanthemum Fish, $ 16, a chef ‘s special, a filet of fish scored then deep fried, the white flesh blooms and the skin shrinks producing an entree, that looks very much like a flower. Another specialty is a whole pork shoulder, $14, in honey sauce, which is the classic Chinese answer to BBQ pulled pork in a sweet sauce, definitely worth trying. What your parents never told you to eat you Seaweed? Seasoned seaweed steamed and tossed with sesame oil and seasonings, is much better than Popeye’s spinach and probably more nutritious. Can’t make it to Shanghai, try New Yeah, forget the spelling eat the food. for more see www.ditmasestates.com

A Good Borek DJERDAN BOREK 2283 65 Street Brooklyn, NY 11204 (718) 484-3180 This Albanian dinner (Yes, I said Albanian) looks a luncheonette. It is almost as hard to find as the country, itself being on a side street and an incorrect address on the menu. There are no hamburgers here. Instead plan to have Boreks, (similar to middle eastern Borekas ), that is a pastry that is stuffed with spinach or meat or cheese. The pastry is light and close to a waffle batter. That’s it! Boreks make up almost the entire menu except for some wonderful desserts. A typical dessert is Baklava swimming in honey and/or Karo sauce or cake or pastry that flavored in the same way. Boreks cost about $4 each and two Boreks are more that you can eat for more see www.Ditmasestates.com

Noodletown 28 Bowery New York, NY 10013 212) 349-0923 After midnight and after a show or movie, when most if not all of the food places in Chinatown, NYC have closed down, there is Noodletown on the Corner of Bowery and Bayard Streets The atmosphere at noodletown is Chinese luncheonette when it was new and it is not new now. There is no maitre d’, cooked ducks and pigs hang in the window. Soup is scooped out unceremoniously in front everyone. The waiters are constantly busy and either do not have the time or the English to greet you and certainly not to hold your chair. What noodletown does have is good home-style Chinese food. They go through great quantities of duck and the duck comes cut up with crispy skin and most of the fat gone. The Chinese broccoli is very fresh and steaming hot and actually cut so that even a Westerner can eat it with chop sticks. All the other dishes seem to have the same attention to detail that makes a meal very welcomed. Like I said don’t take a date to Noodletown unless you want to impress them with your ability to find good simple Chinese food. for more see www.ditmasestates.com

Buckley’s Tavern 2926 Avenue S Brooklyn, NY 11228 718 998 4222 Not Fancy, but Good Buckley’s Tavern has grown up what started as a local bar with food is now a real restaurant and catering hall. Unlike some expansions Buckley’s has had the sense not to change what made them special. Their menu is limited with daily specials, but what they do they do well. There is a large local crowd and the waitress’s know most by name and are often invited to sit at the table to gossip. You can start off with Onion or Lentil Soup and an individually baked loaf of hot bread shows up. The meats are simple but always done perfectly and the Chicken Parmigana makes you wonder if Buckley’s is not really and Italian name in disguise. The portions are gigantic, doggy bags are the rule. Dinner for two is about fifty dollars without drinks for more www.ditmasestates.com

Buckley’s Tavern 2926 Avenue S Brooklyn, NY 11228 718 998 4222 Not Fancy, but Good Buckley’s Tavern has grown up what started as a local bar with food is now a real restaurant and catering hall. Unlike some expansions Buckley’s has had the sense not to change what made them special. Their menu is limited with daily specials, but what they do they do well. There is a large local crowd and the waitress’s know most by name and are often invited to sit at the table to gossip. You can start off with Onion or Lentil Soup and an individually baked loaf of hot bread shows up. The meats are simple but always done perfectly and the Chicken Parmigana makes you wonder if Buckley’s is not really and Italian name in disguise. The portions are gigantic, doggy bags are the rule. Dinner for two is about fifty dollars without drinks for more www.ditmasestates.com

Joe’s of Avenue U 287 Avenue U Brooklyn, NY 718 449 9285 I was 13 years old when I first went to Joe’s of Avenue U. Even after fifty years, Joe’s a Focacceria Palermitana has not lost its Sicilian roots. Initially Joes\’s was only open for lunch. When lunch or the mid day meal was the main meal as it was back in Sicily. Gradually even Joe’s has adapted but its menu harks back to an even ancient era. A time when tomato was unknown in Italy (pre Columbus) and fish or fish sauce was the main flavoring... You can still get Pasta cchi Sardi (pasta with sardine sauce). Please note the dialect difference between Sicilian and standard Italian. Slowly, very slowly times have changed even for Joe’s. It is now open for dinner, but credit cards are verboten. Joe’s still has the steam trays for take out for the harried Italian housewife. I can still remember the sharp yet loving ear slap I got for misbehaving I had the Tunnina all’Agro e Dulci, (sweet & sour Tuna) my favorite of decades, and it is still wonderful. It makes you wonder why anyone would put Tuna in a can. The Vrocculi ri Rapi (broccoli rabe) and the Capunata di Milinciani ( Eggplant garnish ) are in a class by itself. The food is still terrific, plentiful and inexpensive. A full dinner for two with house wine and dessert is about forty dollars. for more www.ditmasestates.com

Bice Ristorante 7 East 54 Street New York, NY 212 688 1999 Bice New York, is part of a chain of restaurants, but this is not your fathers McDonald’s There are several Bice restaurants around the world we were at the Manhattan branch. The first thing you notice that the décor is lively but dignified, in some ways similar to Kellari. The next thing to notice is that even though this is not an inexpensive restaurant (dinner can easily be $ 100/person) there are children at the table, albeit well dressed and at there best behavior. Indeed three generational tables are not uncommon. The most important thing about any restaurant is the food and Bice truly shines. A classic beet and spinach salad is upgraded by using goat cheese rather than the traditional blue cheese, add slivered baby white and green beans and you know you are at someplace special. Lobster bisque separates the cooks from the chefs. Most cooks add corn starch to try to thicken the broth the result is usually clumpy or cloying. If you try to reheat the bisque the cream will scald and the bisque will often smell and taste burnt. Bice’s bisque was hot, tangy with tomato, but smooth with cream. The Lobster medallions on top were proof of the bisque pedigree. There are many good dishes at Bice try the Veal Scaloppini. Normally this is made with lemon slices or juice and the result is a sour taste. But at Bice preserved lemon is used gone is the sour taste replaced by a wonderful lemon bouquet and taste. For more see www.ditmasestates.com

Would you like an Aria with that? Tomasso Restaurant 1464 86th St. (cor. Bay 8th St. ) Brooklyn, NY 11228 ph# 718-236-9883 Deep in the heart of Italian Brooklyn is Tomasso’s restaurant. The food is real Italian, not like the fake Australian Outback steak house across the street. The lasagna had sausage, pork, beef. This is the way it’s made in homes in Italy. Olive oil and basil is on the table to have with your crusty ethnic breads and the wine list is perhaps the best in Brooklyn. Special attention is paid to large groups. The prices go down with entrees in the 20’s, as easily as a good Priorat(ferrer/bobet)05. Most amazing is the wonderful singing voice of Tom Tomasso himself. He led us in a chorus of God Bless America that would make Kate Smith proud. On weekends he often performs with his staff. For real Italian food and a really good aria I recommend Tomasso’s for more see www.ditmasestates.com

There is somethimg delightful about Mimis Hummus. Although the food is good and there is enough variety among the middle eastern dishes for a vegetarian or a carnivore, There is something intangible, that shines through. The tangibles ( food) are good and inexpensive with main courses for under $ 15 and lots of salads and sides that can be upgraded to mains. Some of the combination salads are definitely worth tryiog for example I had a salad plate of roasted beets, white beans and hummus, which could have beeen a meal by itself It could be the intangibles (ambiance, helpful, friendly young ladfies eager to help or the new wave, music background, some of it original works), but there still something more In retrospect it was the combination of the food, ambiance and service --- that delightful balance and good karma, It rare when it come together, but when it does it can make your whole evening. Try Mimi’s and see if you can feel the specialness of the place for more see www.ditmasestates.com

Murano 207 West 36 Street New York, NY 10018 (212) 695-5220 I love Italian food and I love American food. Murano seems to have confused the best of both. Murano is quite clearly a business mans fancy lunch, a place were corporate high level gossip can be exchanged while the executives get thoroughly lubricated. Indeed Murano is not open on the weekends. Italian food has wonderful distinct courses with its antipasti, pasta and secondi all with different tastes and textures. The antipasti is made to be eaten with bread. The pasta’s shape is made to enhance the flavors of the sauce; for example Penne will always be linked with vodka sauce and fettuccini with creamy Alfredo sauce. The secondi’s sometimes meat, sometimes fish are separate and distinct. In American food, the courses are often combined, and the pasta or starch is served with the meat or fish, but they separate and usually un-sauced and easily identified. But Murano serves Italian American food probably because American businessmen don’t have the luxury of time their European counterparts have. Murano’s food has neither the grace of Italian food nor the straight forwardness of American food. Let me give you an example. I ordered fettuccini with salmon in vodka sauce. There was no Alfred available. I expected a filet of salmon with fettuccini on the side. Instead I got a mishmash of both; the filet of salmon was broken up and cooked with the pasta. The salmon was obviously the tasteless farm raised kind, and was made almost indistinct by the orange colored vodka sauce. I also ordered a cold mixed antipasti. Italian food has wonderful Capanata and Gardinera, but instead got olives and mushrooms straight out of a Costco giant jar. A dinner of a salad, antipasti, two pastas and a shared dessert is approximately $ 100 and hardly worth it. for more see www.ditmasestates.com

Padre Figlio 310 east 44 street NY, NY In the presence of professionals There is something about Padre Figlio, which just tells you they know what they are doing. It starts with the hostess, who greets you by name even though you have never been there before and have not announced yourself. The Maitre D’ proceeds to announce the voluminous specials of the day, including the ingredients and the method of preparation…just so. We were not interested in just beef, I wanted to see what the chef can do and even this jaded New Yorker was impressed. Some of us started with a wonderful tricolor salad topped with slivers of Romano cheese. I had a pickled eggplant and mushroom mélange wrapped in radicchio with gobs of freshly made buffalo milk mozzarella, still warm and silky smooth. Ah…yes Pasta is the reason for Italy’s existence and my judgment is strict and unforgiving. I am not sure what they called my dish. It was a variation of Spaghetti Matricana. Home made spaghetti perfectly al dente, with pancetta (unsmoked bacon), onion, and garlic with slices of filet mignon in an excellent tomato sauce topped with ricotta. The serving was so large, I cancelled my next course. Also at the table was home made lobster ravioli with large chucks of lobster and a perfectly grilled mediterrain sea bass. It’s a rough life, but someone has to do it and I am volunteering for your share at Padre Figlio. Dinner for four was $ 250 with a tip. But I noticed that they have a limited menu prix fixe dinner at $ 35. I am definitely going back to try it for more see www.ditmasesates.com

There are now several good restaurants on Cortelyou Road., but perhaps the most underrated is Cinco de Mayo. This Taqueria appears as a simple working mans formica counter top dinner, but some one in the kitchen knows what they are doing. Perhaps, the true test of a great cook is that they can produce a variety of dishes at the same time and have all of them taste very good and very distinctive. Mexican sauces are acknowledged to be among the most complex in the world. A mole sauce containing chocolate can have over thirty ingredients. Pepian is a green sauce made from the seeds of a Calabasa Squash, Green and Red Salsas can take all day to get right .Adobo sauces with a vinegar base can destroy a meal if not made right, but a Tingua with onions can bring even boiled till dead chicken back to life. I have many dishes at Cinco de Mayo and each sauce has been amazingly good, consistent and distinct. Open seven days from 9:00 a.m. to 10:p.m. Don’t expect great service, but with great food comes prices that are almost embarrassingly cheap. Two main courses with a Guacamole appetizer and beers cost less than $ 40.00 for more see www.ditmasestates.com

Arno Restaurant 141 West 38 Street New York, NY 212-944-7420 Arno Restaurant like the Arno River is classically Italian. The ambiance of dark wood and large mirrors reminds you of Tuscany. Interestingly enough Tuscany is famous for its beef and there is very little beef on Arno’s menu. What Arno does have is someone who knows fish and seafood. Its Calamari was freshly done, fried Calamari that sits becomes greasy and rubbery, and the sauce was nicely piccante, just a little heat. Avoid the Mozzarella and Basil it was very plain Jane. There are daily specials and we got Bass with a butter, cream and caper sauce that was truly good. Bass is not often found in NYC restaurants, being a inland fresh water fish and when done right is delicious and this was superb. If you have to die a martyr’s death consider Arno’s desserts as a reasonable reward their white chocolate cake with strawberries is to die for and their ordinary chocolate mouse is far from ordinary. The service is excellent, but the dinner can be pricey at $ 180 for two with tip. for more see www.ditmasestates.com

In a galaxy far away, a long, long time ago, you made reservations at IL Cortile and often you would drop someone’s name and then maybe, maybe you would get a table. Boy has times changed! The other day I was in little Italy, now a ghost town, I walked into IL Cortile and was seated immediately. The huge restaurant was so empty that some preschoolers were playing tag in a closed section that was bigger than most other restaurants. Il Cortile is over the top, there is a man sized floral display and some of the brick s have been imported from Italy The menu was presented as a folded parchment, cute, but confusing. However, the waiter was truly professional. I ordered the Scaloppine "Panettone", veal and mushrooms baked in bread. Very quickly the waiter came back and said. The panettone was not at its best and suggested something else. The Antipasto Caldo "Cortile", hot antipasti was small and some of the items burnt. not a good start. The Spaghettini Puttanesca Speciali, literally whore’s pasta, was only luke warm, but the pasta was al dente and the ingredients very fresh. It could have used a little more spice. The Mussels Marinara was very good, the sauce restaurant made and just so. My Veal dish had lots of Puccini mushrooms and the veal melted in my mouth. An old trick to determine the quality of the restaurant is to ask for a glass of the house wine, a good restaurant will not give you a bad wine. I did and got a Chianti Reserva that east very smooth and a beautiful bouquet. Dessert was Espresso and a chocolate mouse cake with crushed nuts that was worth the wait. IL Cortile still has it and I guess the emptiness can be blamed more on the economy than the restaurant. dinner for two $ 140 for more see www.ditmasestates.com

In almost the center of Little Odessa ( a.k.a. Brighton Beach ) is Primorski. A nightclub, known for its copious buffets and flowing Vodka, but they are also open for lunch—or are they??? There was a roof leak and most of the bathrooms were flooded. We were the only patrons and none of us spoke Russian and our waitress spoke no English! Primorski advertises a $6 dollar three course, sit down hot lunch, with soup, salad, main course and coffee it is a real bargain. However, trying to resolve the complexities of their menu without speaking fluent Russian is not easy. It turns out there is a second prix fixe lunch at $ 12 and it is a true banquet. There is hot Georgian Borscht and a Lamb and Potato soup, served with Afghan Bread, which is a meal in itself. Next comes both Shepard Salad and Cabbage Salad, the cabbage salad is just oozing olive oil. A platter of Cheese Borekas filled us up and the main course was yet to arrive. Be careful what you asked for !!! The main course finally arrived, an immense platter heaped with Sausage, Cornish Hens, Chicken Tabac, Chicken Sish kabob with a small mountain of potatoes done nicely with Rosemary. There was no way we were going to finish. Just in case, you would starve between the main course and dessert. Fruit Blintzes, roll your own crepes with fruit jam and sour cream were served. My favorites. The owner apologized to us a dessert was late, and still to come was chocolate layer cake, with extra chocolates, but having spent ninety minutes over the previous courses, we paid our bill and fled. for more see www.ditmasestates.com