motel de moka

NYC: For lunch, wander north into the perpetually shrinking Little Italy (which is surrounded by the perpetually growing Chinatown) for some real New York pizza. It’s best to avoid Little Italy’s restaurant-laden main drag, Mulberry Street—unless you like over-priced, unsatisfying Italian-American food. Instead, try Lombardi’s (on Spring Street between Mulberry and Mott Streets). The pizzas are cooked in an ancient coal oven and are arguably the city’s best. (gayot) Nola: Creole soul food is Praline’s much-applauded specialty, and it’s considered by many locals to be the best in the city. Originally a meal delivery service for working women who didn’t have time to cook, the business now invites people to enjoy its savory dishes in person. Popular items include jambalaya, fried chicken, and lima beans and rice. (10best) Berlin: To experience some authentic old-fashioned warm Berlin hospitality, not to mention some great rib-sticking traditional dishes, dive into the dark depths of the cellar restaurant Grossbeerenkeller. With dark oak furniture and antlers adorning the walls, the setting is original to complement wholesome meals of diced pork with fries and herb sauce, or boiled salt pork and green cabbage. Owner/bartender Ingebork Zinn-Baier’s fried potatoes are said to be the best in the city. The cellar is closed Sundays and does not accept credit cards. (worldTravel)

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“Nice Lunch, Beautiful weather and Mellow Music”

01. Jim Bianco - Handsome Devil (reprise) (web)
Handsome Devil (CDbabyInc, 2006)
02. Fionn Regan - Be Good or Be Gone (web)
End of History (Bella Union, 2006)
03. Laura Gibson - Hands in Pockets (web)
If You Come to Greet Me (Hush Records, 2006)
04. Danny Saul - History (web)
History’ & ‘I’m Ready (Piccadilly Records, 2006)
05. Cara Luft - Black Water Side (web)
The Light Fantastic (Black Hen Music, 2007)
06. Sally Timms - Dark Sun (web)
Twilight Laments for Lost Buckaroos (Bloodshot Records, 1999)
07. Kris Delmhorst - Light of the Light (web)
Strange Conversation (Signature Sounds Recordings, 2006)
08. Brett Dennen - Darlin Do Not Fear (web)
So Much More (Dualtone Music Group, 2006)

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Tokyo: Tonki. It is worth waiting in line to sample the fare at Tokyo’s most renowned tonkatsu (deep fried pork) outlet. Waiters take orders while patrons queue for a spot at the well-worn Formica-topped tables, watching the hustle and bustle of the dozens of busy cooks in action. The reward is delectable treats like hirekatsu (fillet of lean pork) reishoki, or rosukatsu (loin cut), crunchy on the outside and melt-in-the-mouth tender on the inside, or perhaps a tasty kushikatsu (skewered meat with onions). Tonki is closed Tuesdays and the third Monday of every month. (worldtravels) Hong Kong: Yung Kee. Dim Sum is a Chinese tradition: an array of steaming baskets of dumplings and other delicacies from which diners make a selection, usually for late breakfast or a light lunch. Dim Sum is one of the specialities for which the multi-award winning Yung Kee is famed, along with the restaurant’s renowned Cantonese roast goose served up with sweet, tasty stewed beans, nick-named the ‘flying goose’ because so many visitors have insisted on taking a sample of this delicious dish home with them. Open daily from 11am. (worldtravels)

Note: I am hungry. Can’t you tell?

see also: Acoustic Wednesday No. 51
image: arimoore, rena5, kunel, *SteveH