Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

It's not a cheesesteak unless it's whiz-wit. I'm curious how you came to your list - granted, I agree with the decision to leave off Pat's & Geno's, but you're missing some really awesome places.
http://feistyfoodie.com/2010/05/10/cheesesteak-chowdown-philadelphia/

I actually just went back to Philly on Monday, but this time to do a roast pork throwdown. We wanted to stop at Chink's but they closed at 7 and we got there at 7:15 unfortunately.

Thanks Shell! I didn't mean to be super negative about your post, just that I was super excited when it opened and disappointed when the truth came to light. I'm sure I'll be back and the Laojie & Manji will be eaten. Oh, the lobster at the $12.50 lobster place was also only OK - I think a little too much cornstarch was used. But it's a decent amount of properly cooked lobster meat, at least!

@Robyn - they actually still have the same menu but different name - King Casserole whatever. It's actually gotten worse than it was when it was Lan Zhou on Division, sadly... but they have bubble tea and I think they now focus more on the casserole dishes (which I haven't tried). Thanks for the fix :) - didn't want to send people to the wrong place!

While different opinions make the world go 'round, I think you widely missed the mark here. I had a completely different experience at Tasty Hand Pulled Noodles; everything was super bland, and the noodles were overcooked, gummy messes. Sheng Wang, while good, you talk more about the stir fried knife-cut noodles... isn't this a hand pulled noodle round up? Having good knife cut noodles - stir fried, no less - should not raise a place's ranking for a hand pulled noodle list.

Also, I personally can't eat that many wasabi peas - I like the crunchy coated (no wasabi) ones, or mixing the two so I have some spicy and some not. I can eat one Sriracha pea before giving up (Sriracha and I don't get along; something about that chili they use just kills me). My favorite is actually what I call "crunchy coated peanuts" (no idea what an English name might be). A single peanut inside a nearly-perfectly-round coating that is slightly sticky, slightly sweet, and the good ones have the peanut rattle around a little inside, so you crunch into it and they're just... so... good.

Hmm, this is finals week, maybe I should go get myself a container...

Hong Kong Supermarket(s) will have those quail eggs and most Chinese supermarkets.

Having said that, holllllllly ... yummmmm. Want.

Yum, I like it in big chunks so I add the egg mixture more quickly. My dad (who made the best egg drop soup in the world- I mean the entire world, people) sometimes added frozen corn/peas to the soup for some texture... or cubed ham... ahhh we had fun coming up with new egg drop soup combos. Oh, and once he put chunks of krab in it, but I didn't like that one.

Chris - thanks for the suggestion, I will definitely put this on the list. Tonight is out as some are not quite this adventurous, but I will definitely be attempting this. Is there much of a language barrier for the non-Korean?

To the other commenters about Bo Shin Tang - I'm curious about this. I have always been under the impression that in the Asian countries that eat this, the animals are farmed/raised like so much cattle, the way they are here, and are more of a wild breed as opposed to the domesticated version to which we are accustomed here. That sits fine with me - it's a cultural difference that I liken to cows not being eaten in many parts of India (and I'm sure the people in those areas are horrified with Americans eating cow as a near-daily part of our diet). But if bo shin tang is being served here in the US, what are they using? Are they farming them somewhere too? Where are they getting the meat supplied from? I guess we DO have an overpopulation problem in shelters...

PS I love my dog so, so much, but if I were in an Asian country and at a place that served it, I think I would like to try it. I don't think I could, in good conscience, try it here in the US.

Bouchon Bakery in Napa. Walk in and you just feel like a kid in a candy store... of the grown up kind with rillettes and breads and pastries and just... smells... so... good...

Chichi: I want this so badly, you wrote about it so lovingly, and just,... that picture... and the imagery... and

Meet the Meats, beat the Meats, step right up and eat the Meats,
bring your kiddies, bring your wife
Guaranteed to have the time of your life!
Cuz the Meats are really socking the balls
hitting them right over the walls
East side, west side, everybody's comin' downnn
to eat the m-e-a-t-s of New York Townnnn

Oh, and it's upstairs at the bar, not downstairs - and takes 25 minutes because they 'make it to order' (I told someone this and they said "What, are they making the mac & cheese from scratch?!" - dunno). I can't wait for your report... and that cross section shot *drool :)