The Pras List

There are two types of people in this world: those who eat to live and those who live to eat. I am the latter. These are my stories. Da dun!

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NYC Food Trip

I went on a weekend New York City food trip and hit up 17 different restaurants in those two days. I don't recommend doing exactly that but since a lot of people have asked me for NYC restaurant recommendations, I thought of sharing my adventures.

Katz's Deli -- awesome pastrami on rye, highly recommended

Peasant -- 194 Elizabeth St # A, New York, NY -- italian food, good ambiance

Balthazar -- if you want to do the brunch thing, not that awesome if you're not into the brunch thing

Yakitori Taisho -- 5 Saint Marks Pl # 1, New York, NY -- excellent yakitori, if you haven't done that before, I highly recommend it. Do not go to "Oh Taisho" which is their sister restaurant on the same street (2 doors down), it's newer and the older grill is better

Rice to Riches -- 37 Spring St, New York, NY -- it's a dessert place where everything is rice based

Angel Share -- 8 stuyvesant st, New York, NY -- amazingly secretive and great martinis and the "Perfect Mule" drink. It's hard to find, so go to the restaurant called "Village Yokocho" and climb the stairs. As soon as you reach the top, turn to your left and walk into an unmarked door, that's the place

New York Noodletown (Chinatown) -- if you want some authentic cantonese food, this is the place. my favorite "watana oroyo fan"

Morimoto (the famous Iron Chef's place) -- I was less than impressed with their entrees but I would highly recommend their appetizers (big enough to share). Get 3-4 of those and that's a good meal right there!

KyoChon -- 319 5th Ave, New York -- awesome korean friend chicken wings

53rd and 6th food cart -- amazing gyro platter, get chicken only or chicken and lamb mixed. Add a bit of hot sauce (it's very hot) and lots of white sauce. There will be 4 different carts on that corner but select the one nearest to the Hilton (the one with the longest line)

Biryani food cart (think it's called Kwik Meal) -- 45th and 6th -- winner of a Vendi award, it was pretty good biryani for a food cart

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Hanamaru: comfort cheap sushi

Hanamaru Restaurant 675 S Bernardo Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94087 Google, Yelp Pros: Comfortable atmosphere, friendly service, low price Cons: Not enough exotic fish on the menu

I used to be a big fan of Cherry Sushi until I found out about Hanamaru. This little nugget of a restaurant is unassuming located in the corner of a strip mall.

If you're ever been to Cherry Sushi, you'll be surprised to see almost all their signature rolls without the (somewhat) expensive prices. If you've never been, well, now you don't have a reason to (unless you *want* to spend more money).

Most of the rolls that I've tried are delicious. The highlights are the Harley Davidson, Victoria's Secret and the Lion King roll.

There's also the Spoonful(s) of Happiness - two soup spoons full of sea urchin sashimi, sliced green onions, ginger vinaigrette and soy sauce. They also give you a shot of sake to chase that up with. Just hold to the tip of your mouth and throw your head back.

If you're not into sushi, fear not. Their oyako don is very delicious - the chicken tender and the egg and rice cooked to perfection.

Overall, Hanamaru is a friendly comfortable place to enjoy some good sushi.

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Ever had chinese muslim food?

Darda Seafood Restaurant 296 Barber Court, Milpitas, CA 95035 Google, Yelp Pros: Blazingly fast service, big portions, low price Cons: Don't expect 5-star service It's only fitting that I start this blog with one of my comfort joints. I found out about this place almost 2 years back without much fanfare. I never knew chinese muslim food existed let alone try it. Don't expect five-star treatment here. In fact, it follows my rule of thumb exactly - "Places with bad service usually have amazing food." There is no ambiance here. But expect speedy service (I've timed it and the average time from order to first plate delivered is 6 mins). The main difference between Chinese Muslim food and normal Chinese food is that they substitute pork for lamb. Now this isn't an easy feat since pork is a staple meat of any self-respecting chinese restaurant. I highly recommend getting "Lamb with Leeks" -- a delicate balance between thin pan friend strips of lamb with lots of leeks. Another favorite is their "Egg Fried Rice". Their wok is special in that it imparts a very unique smoky flavor to the fried rice or "Chicken Chow Mein". Definitely order one of those. Their soups are delicious - either the wonton or chicken cream corn soup. Soup is served in a big community bowl, good for at least 5-6 small servings. Another good dish to try is the "Sliced Fish with Pepper and Salt". It's a spicy mix of batter-fried (white) fish pieces, garlic and green peppers. Toss slightly with your fried rice and enjoy. For the vegetarians, I recommend their "Ma Po Tofu" (spicy) but remind them to hold the meat. Also highly recommended is their "Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce".