Liza

Aside from the 'articles', they've got quite comprehensive listings, actually.

I could so easily walk the three sunny blocks to his office from mine and give him copies of New York Magazine, or the New Yorker, if you'd prefer! EDIT: or the New York Press, or the Village Voice...

AH! GordonCooks - Manchego! That feels/sounds right to me.

Now I'm confused, Suvir: you've come down adamantly FOR canned beans and AGAINST them in this thread, as well as saying we should ask chefs what to do, AND writing "Chefs hardly know better than the rest of us".

Tommy, If you think you might have trouble locating whatever cheese you decide upon, I'll pick it up for you at Murray's and deliver it over lunch. Fair deal?

(Cheap shot, G, and inaccurate. )

Swervingly back on topic for a moment, restaurants aside, I'd venture it's easier to whip up a last minute dinner party in NYC than in London - especially after 7pm.

Re parks: Anyone else enjoy the free kayaking available all summer at Pier 26 on the Hudson River? Or the miniature golf; or the free movies at pier 14; or the fact that you can stroll/run/bike from lower Manhattan all the way up the George Washington Bridge uninterrupted?

Daintily as ever... I live in NYC though I used to live in London. My biggest problem with London, after the tubes closing, the pubs closing, the meagre whisky pours, and the food running out - the chilliness of most daily interactions. In New York, I have *my* newspaper guy, *my* breakfast guy, my health club 'buddies'. In any weather, I know conversations will be started, jokes exchanged, pleasantries passed on line at the supermarket, side by side on the subway, waiting for the 77th Street farmer's market to open at 10am on Sunday. I find people here more open to the humor of daily life and willing, some might say hoping, to share in it with others, even if they're strangers.

Welcome Ellen and your dinner posts! Last night: bison burgers, with melted farmhouse cheddar and raw red onions, on toasted rolls. Lashings of grainy mustard and ketchup.

I'm with Priscilla - canteloupe. Though I was nearly knocked off my conkers by a lovely pear last night.

Simon, The restaurant in "Moonstruck" was The Grand Ticino, on Thompson Street. It closed a few years ago. Cheers, Liza

Jaymes et al, One cannot purchase wine or liquor at supermarkets here in New York City. Roaming the enormous aisles of the local Alberston's or Whole Foods in Santa Fe, I was filled with joy and a twinge of sadness that this was but a temporary respite. Supermarkets, in general, outside of the NYC area are a revelation to this New Yorker.

We also heard the Brubeck Oratorio. OH. That's OT. Sorry! But it was RIGHT before we made dinner.

Let's see...if memory serves me correctly, we braised the short ribs in veal stock, mirepoix, after marinating in garlic, rosemary, honey and some kind of acid. Served with Thomas Keller's fancy-name-for-eggwhite and blanched garlic cakes. Yummy. Slow roasted the salmon. OH! Let me mid-face (somewhere after a preface, yes?) with this: we were cooking on an electric oven. Oh the humanity. Ostrich mignon, I believe. MANY roasted chickens, lovingly stuffed under the skin with butter and herbs and sprizted with lemon juice (per Jeremiah Tower). Served with many sides of roasted root vegetables. MANY brillaintly yellow brunches of scrambed eggs, sometimes with fried tortillas, sometimes with toast. A lovely visit to Kim Muller, proprietress of Cheesecraft - the only local cheese importer - yielded some lovely Point Reyes blue, the American Cheese Society best-in-show winning Capricious, and some amazing artisanal polenta. Did I mention that one can purchase wine at the supermarket? Outstanding.

'Fraid so. No coyotes roasted, nor nearly rousted. Must 'ave been 'ibernating. Or we're very, very quiet. The local Whole Foods ("Did you find everything you were looking for today?") did provide us with short ribs, wild salmon, local ostrich, local chickens and eggs, pigs trotters, and rabbits. (Note: no balls on offer). The local eggs have VERY yellow yolks. The local orange juice (Sunshine brand, made daily in Santa Fe) is easily the most delicious we've ever sampled. And the erotic chocolates, well...they do go down a treat.

It was one determined cat, Priscilla. For the feline-challenged visiting Santa Fe, I recommend a visit to Collected Works bookstore on San Francisco Street. Therein resides a lovely calico cat who enjoys under-the-chin rubs.

I suggest adding Gonzo, as well. (And maybe Grover and Big Bear, if they're interested).

(Sorry for any misleading writing, but we're actually back from our trip, our 4th in recent years). Through one of two free food-obsessed local magazines (La Cocinita and Local Flavor) we discovered Hayward F. Simoneaux's tiny chocolate shop, Todos Santos ("All Saints"). Voted one of the top ten chocolatiers in the country by Chocolatier magazine, Hayward's little shop in the Sena Plaza courtyard is filled to the ceiling with imported chocolates, and his own handmade renderings of saints, truffles, and assorted chocolate erotica. He also sells miniature Mexican wrestling action figures. Really, a one-stop shopping site for the discriminating wrestling slash erotica slash chocolate lover...but that about covers everyone, doesn't it?

I'll suggest careful ordering if you decide on Il Giglio. Apparently, the "For you, we make something special" ruse still works.

The soup does sound terrific from your description. I've yet, since last spring, to try white asparagus again. But I'll consider it once I check out the recipe on starchefs. Thanks for the reminder! EDIT: Here's the link to the recipe: http://starchefs.com/SoupSalad/sell_soup.html

And I'm willing to cross Accapella off your list. Used to live around the corner from there and went in a few occasions and was treatly shabbily, which is a rather polite word for it actually.

Miso soup with cabbage, scallops, shrimp, noodles. Finished with hot sesame oil, necessitating dainty sips and every so often declarations of "oohzathot".

First stop from the airport: San Marcos Cafe, slightly north of Cerrilos, on Route 14, the Turquose Trail. (505-471-9298, open 8a-2p only). A combination feed store, bird sanctuary and restaurant, San Marcos serves up hearty Southwestern food with little style, but much enthusiasm. We were greeted by a pea-hen and 3 barking puppies. A cat sitting in the driver's seat of a car next to ours, paws on the steering wheel, was attempting to either back up or run over the puppies. We proceeded inside. Sometimes the menus in this part of the world remind me of the Monty Python Spam sketch. Whatever we had - two combinations of eggs, chile, beans, cheese and tortillas - was lively and hot. A warning: if you are going to stop at San Marcos on your way to Santa Fe, be advised that you will be full on ready for a nap immediately upon reaching your destination. It is with great hesitation that I suggest dining at San Marcos if your final destination is further than ten miles beyond Santa Fe. You will be very, very drowsy, and even thoughts of what the heck the cat was doing at the steering wheel will not keep you from wishing to pull over and just grab a few. That said, I easily recommend San Marcos, especially for the discrimination diner who finds that watching guinea fowl, turkeys, and peacocks greatly enhances the dining experience. An added bonus if you're low on grain.

I know most of you believe this piece to be satirical. If only. Dear Ivan does of course have his own table at most of the world's best dining establishments. While I've enjoyed his posts on the late OTC board, I've been disappointed knowing that his advanced degree in culinaria has gone mostly unnoticed on the rest of Egullet. Hopefully, this piece will be the start of a copious outpouring of dining reviews.