<p>wouldn't chinatown food be the only authentic chinese food pretty much anywhere in the us? most of us aren't from there, so we can probably make do with the neighborhood chinese restaurants. and i don't know what your experience at le monde was, 2002, but i've eaten there many many times and loved it. true, it's expensive, but deluxe and tom's are great as well. barnard food is amazing. oh and cafe swish isn't great but the bubble tea is the best i've had anywhere.</p>
<p>so if you're not incredibly picky, you should be just fine :)</p>
<p>There are numerous good and authentic chinese restaurants in NYC outside of chinatown. You just have to know where to go (or have Asian friends who know where to go and what to order). Actually, much of Manhattan chinatown isn't very authentic and is a bit "touristy" and Americanized.</p>
<p>You're in NYC, so why limit yourself to the terrible chinese places in Morningside? If you love Le Monde, Deluxe and Toms, you probably haven't done much eating outside of Morningside. Sure, those places may be better than Denny's (that is debatable, on a quality-per-dollar basis), but they're terrible by NYC standards.</p>
<p>all i meant was that most people don't know the difference between authentic chinese and not. and i'm actually originally from nyc, and i've eaten all over the city. i'm actually kind of picky, too, and i don't eat meat. but i still like all those places a lot -- maybe things have changed since you were at columbia, 2002.</p>
<p>Everyone says that John Jay food sucks, but it's quite amazing. Brunches have all you can eat yogurt bar, wilma's omlette (make your own custom omlette), fresh orange juice, everything you need. The dinners are not as good as the lunches (most of the time), but are still very good meals. There is fruit salad once in awhile (always a big deal), and the many cultural foods are good too.</p>
<p>People that say JJ food sucks are idiots because most of them don't know what to pick out, or gain weight more easily than others. JJ food is highly underrated, and delicious.</p>
<p>Emily, If you don't eat meat, then you're not fairly appraising most of the restaurants. If you aren't even considering 90% of what is on the menu, I don't think you have much basis for deeming a restaurant "good." Most people do eat meat and are likely order meat at a place like Le Monde or Deluxe or Toms, your evaluation of those places isn't exactly fair. By the way, if you like vegetarian Indian, try Madras Mahal on Lex/27th.</p>
<p>oops, sorry 2002, i shouldn't have said the thing about not eating meat, that was misleading. i only became a vegetarian earlier this year, and the only places i've eaten at since then are monde and swish. but i've eaten meat at every single one of those places.</p>
<p>No, The Kitchenette is on 125th and its not Deluxe or whatever.
And no, its not really popular among the "kiddies" as you say, a lot of people around the area goes there in the morning. They have the best breakfast, as well as other food.</p>
<p>About Bubble tea, what is it? And is it really that good? Also for all of the Veggie folk, I heard the JJ hall is in the top ten dining halls accomodating vegetarians, according to PETA...of course they are not the supreme authority...</p>
<p>It's very fashionable to complain about John Jay food. In truth it's improved tremendously over the three years I've been at Columbia (yes I still eat there, though not nearly as often as I did freshman year). Most of the other options on campus, with the exception of the Barnard dining hall (which Columbia students can eat at and which IMO is inferior to John Jay, though those who despise JJ disagree) are very "fast foody" by contrast. </p>
<p>While most of the Morningside restaurants are indeed bland, there are a few great new additions that Columbia2002 leaves out of his account. Most of them are on Amsterdam in the 120s...Kitchenette, Max Soha, Sezz Medi, and a couple others. In addition, Roti Roll (Indian snacks), Saki's (Japanese) and Rack & Soul (barbeque) have all opened up around 109th and have plenty of fans.</p>
<p>I forgot to mention Blue Angel up near 125th on Broadway: extraordinary Thai food, far better than the overrated Lime Leaf.</p>
<p>Try Hamilton Deli, Subsconscious, and Appletree on Amsterdam for awesome sandwiches. I LOVE HamDel. My boyfriend bequeathed to me his Hamilton Deli card with 4 holes punched already upon his graduation. I am going to get that 11th free sub in a matter of 3 days.</p>
<p>Max Soha is really cool. We went there for a friend's birthday last year. It's up on Amsterdam and 120th or 121st or something. It's paninis (is panini it's own plural, like moose? whatever), but it's very expensive; good though. It's all couches and easy chairs and stuff (like Central Perk from Friends only much much more crowded).</p>
<p>As for John Jay; I'd have to agree that the meals do get monotonous, and you can definitely tell the recycled items. For example, a beef dish will be served, then with some seasonings it will become taco meat, then it will be taco night at JJ's, then the dining hall will serve three-meat pizza (with one of those meats being taco beef which is not a tasty combo). I do have to give breakfasts a big thumbs-up though.</p>
<p>I have to say a big reason for John Jay's improvement is that it's introduced a lot of variation in the menu with various ethnic cuisines. Freshman year, you could count on "striped chicken" being served once a week; now one can grad Irish soda bread as a side to an Indian curry dish, some pasta and maybe a little couscous. This has, though, sent some of the more timid diners (especially the athletes) straight to the burger bar...</p>
<p>From what I understand there are plans to introduce more organic produce and local farm products to the menu next year in response to students learning of a similar change at one of the colleges at Yale, which had been very popular there.</p>
<p>To clarify: Max Soha is an Italian restaurant with excellent (and surprisingly cheap) homemade pasta, at the corner of (I think) 123rd. Max Cafe, a few doors down, is the place with the couches. I really want to love Max Cafe, but it always feels too dark and too empty. Saurin Parke Cafe, which opened on 110th down near Central Park, has become popular as an alternative to the Hungarian.</p>
<p>There are three "date-quality" restaurants in the columbia area by my estimation: Max Soha (123rd & Amst), Pisticci (great italian place on Bwy / LaSalle), and either Kitchenette (122nd/Amst) or Dinosaur BBQ (131st/riverside) depending on whether your date prefers good food or good atmosphere/service, respectively.</p>
<p>Other great options in the neighborhood include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Saji's (sushi, 109th just east of bwy). Above-average japanese food, rock bottom prices. An 18-pack of rolls is $7, which is hard to beat.</li>
<li>Rack & Soul (ribs/bbq, 109th & bwy). Absolutely the best ribs i've had on the UWS, and i'm a bit of a ribs snob. This place beats the hell out of the more heralded Dinosaur BBQ, at least in the ribs department (the pulled pork is a closer match).</li>
<li>Deluxe (diner, 112th/bwy) has the best burgers in the neighborhood, but they're pricey.</li>
<li>Che Bella (pizza, 119th/amst) has quality far superior to V&T and Koronet imho, and better variety than Famiglia. a very good option, and as otherwise mentioned, Subs Conscious is right next door.</li>
</ul>
<hr>
<p>The bottom line is that there are many area restaurants that beat the hell out of John Jay food. But most people at Columbia can't afford to eat out every night. I actually love John Jay, despite its claustrophobic dining hall, because i'd say as many as 30% of their entrees are very very tasty, and maybe only 10% of the time i go there do I end up getting pizza and a salad. And sometimes they have big cultural food festivals where outside vendors come in and cater john jay for a night. Those things will bring the upperclassmen in droves, because they know what they're getting.</p>
<p>The reason people hate on JJ is because it gets monotonous. Nobody wants to go to the same place for dinner every night unless it's their mom's table. If you mix it up a little more often out of the gate, maybe eating at Barnard one night a week, eating out one night a week, and cooking once every week or so, it'll get boring a lot less often. You can also see the nightly menu online on the Dining website.</p>
<p>I wouldn't take a date to Max Soha (at least when the patio is closed; it's far too cramped and noisy inside), Pisticci (you often have to share tables, and it's filled with senior citizens), or Dinosaur (which seems "fun" but not in a romantic/intimate way at all). </p>
<p>There are better restaurants for dating, in my opinion, a bit to the south- 1018, Meridiana, and newcomers Tokyo Pop and Indus Valley.</p>
<p>Anyone with an italian background will be impressed with the quality of the food at max soha and pisticci. i've never had to share tables. yes, it's loud at max soha but that's part of the atmosphere, it's like a bar except you're sitting down and having dinner... you get to lose yourself, just the two of you. I agree with you that Dinosaur isn't romantic or intimate, but the atmosphere and service are pretty good, and the food gets a good reputation from everyone but me.</p>
<p>yes, if you go farther south you can find plenty of great restaurants - but you're out of walking range pretty quickly. some of my favorite places in the world are in the west village, but for special occasions anyone can find a zagat guide and pick something out. In the columbia neighborhood though, i'd add Lime Leaf as a place with good seafood and a gentler, dressier clientele. Nothing spectacular but a solid B+.</p>
<p>Oh I agree the food at both Max Soha and Pisticci is excellent; it certainly beats the generic crap in the rest of the neighborhood. </p>
<p>Lime Leaf...oof. I've had bad experiences with the service and find the food too expensive given the quality. If dressier clientele is what matters, Sezz Medi and even Le Monde ought to be added to that list.</p>
<p>Is Sezz Medi the pizza place on the corner of 122 and amsterdam? If not, I don't think i've been there.</p>
<p>The best thing about Le Monde is that it has one of my favorite beers, Hoegaarden, on tap. can't beat that with a stick. their lamb is good. other than that, you can't help feeling pretentious there.</p>