ethnic restaurants

[Briar Rose 7457]

how many differnt types do you go to?

since I work in NYC I'm fortunate to have quite a variety available to me. today I had felafel for lunch. the other day I had pad thai. last week I went to an Indian place. I eat far too much Chinese food.

 

[marlasmom]

I'm so jealous. 15 years of living in white bread New Hampshire and only occasionally getting to Boston for something else and now living in soggy white bread Florida - the most exotic thing on the menu is barbecue. BUT my sister took me to an almost authentic Jewish deli (not kosher but very good) and I got to have a REAL corned beef sandwich and an EGG CREAM. BTW in NY do you ever get spiced beef at the Jewish deli? We used to love it and I never see it any more.

 

[mainewmn]

Does pizza qualify as ethnic food?

 

[katerkat]

The only good ethnic place here is a Thai restuarant. Not surprising, given that it's the middle of nowhere!

 

[TigerBear]

I have a thing for Indian food - maybe its because I have a thing for an Indian man.

 

[Beauty]

We do have an excellent original Chinese restuarant that is family owned and operated.

Humm lets see....we have an excellent Italian restaurant again that is family owned and opereated.

My favorite place has moved to Hattisburg but it was a Greek Restaurant and I could have eaten there every day. I loved the Gyros and oooo the Baklava!!!!!

We have a Southern Ethnic Place that specializes in Southern foods like turnip greens with pepper sauce, grits, chili and slaw burgers, pinto beans, cornbread etc.

 

[Talking Hands]

We have tons of different ethnic food here in Miami. Thai, Japanese, various different So Americian and Central American, Puerto Rican, Islands, German. Jewish and Southern. Just about anything you want. I really enjoy the variety.

 

[caitycaity]

we have pretty much everything here as well.

i went to a ethiopian place recently that was really good.

 

[Briar Rose 7457]

I've never had Ethiopian, Caity. what is it similar to?

marlasmom, I don't see spiced beef in the kosher delis around here, or in the kosher-style delis. they do have pastrami, corned beef or tongue, however.

 

[caitycaity]

it was very different than anything i have had before. some of the tastes were similar to morrocan, but textures and presentation were different.

the best part about it is they have no utensils, and everything is served on this sour spongy bread on a big platter. you just use the bread to scoop stuff up. one of the people i work with is ethiopian, so she just ordered everything and we happily ate.

 

[Briar Rose 7457]

that sounds so cool.

 

[Lisa F]

I've never had ethiopian but a friend of mine has it all the time and it always sounds good. I think it's sort of like middle eastern-ish?

My favorite hands down is Indian and we tend to have lunch at a great indian buffet once a week, but I love pretty much anything asian (though the last time I had Thai I didn't care for it, but I have since developed a love for peanuts that I didn't have then so I might have to try some again). Chinese and japanese are always favorites, though and there was a wondeful vietnamese place a block from my old job. I also love italian, anything hispanic (nowadays that's mostly mexican but growing up my best friend was puerto rican and I LOVED to eat at her house), middle eastern and greek. Basically anything with lots of spices and I am happy.

I think it's funny that jewish deli is considered "ethnic" food. I think it's only considered to be "ethnic" if it's not your ethnicity (though a friend of mine thought i was making up the word "knish" once, she had never heard of one!)

 

[caitycaity]

and this reminds me, my dinner club is going to a cuban place in a few weeks. i've never had cuban before. what's it like???

 

[Briar Rose 7457]

if you've eaten any other Carribean/hispanic cuisine, Cuban won't be unfamiliar to you. rice and beans are a staple.

Lisa, I've had to explain knishes, too, so I sympathize. I don't think of them as "ethnic" because every hot dog cart in NYC sells them, but the truth is, a knish is unique to Eastern European Jewish cooking. (I suppose it's similar to Russian and Polish foods, though.)

 

[TigerBear]

I find Cuban a little bland - many things are similar to South American (meat, beans, rice) but without the spice.

 

[eeyore74]

Back home in FL, my favorite is Cuban. Yummy!!! But also any real fried chicken. Up here it's just soggy and yucky.

But here we do have some middle eastern and greek places that are good. Plus some of my bellydance teachers dance there, so it's a lot of fun to go.

 

[stitch79]

My bf and I love going to different ethnic restaurants, we live north of Orlando and have plenty of choices. Mexican (good mexican, not just tacos!), Indian, Greek, Chinese, Moroccan, etc. My new favorite is Indian since I had just tried it last year, yum! The only drawback is that the tumeric turns my clear braces a yucky color.

 

[CyranoJones]

My favorites are Indian, Thai, Greek, and southwest, if that counts. My daughter's boyfriend is the southwestern cook for me, lol.

 

[AirForceRocks]

I love Greek, Italian and Thai. And I recently found a Vietnamese restaurant in Alexandria that is beyond excellent.

 

[Briar Rose 7457]

I heard that the Vietnamese food in the District is a lot better than the chinese food. can you verify that, Brenda, Caity? I haven't had Vietnamese in a long time.