nixienox

I haven't been there since last year, but if it's a pleasant evening, it's fun to sit by the big french doors at Marco and Pepe. It's a smallish sort of restaurant and I've been there when the bartending wasn't great, but you can move next door to the Merchant for drinks before or after dining. http://www.marcoandpepe.com/GenInfoPage.html

If you like diners, the Brownstone is a good choice for comfort, plus they have a parking lot. http://www.brownstonediner.com/ So far, the efforts from Zeppelin Hall's kitchen have been rather terrible, but it's early yet. Let's hope they work it out.

We ate there again last Friday and it was quite good. Each time they improve, and the service is getting better, too, with the staff becoming more familiar with the menu. They still need more experience with the cheese selections, but that will improve. The bar staff is quite friendly and the new bar menu looks delicious. I'd like to explore that in the future. "While the food is arguably the best that JC has to offer, I find it even more exciting that such a unique restaurant not only has the balls to open in JC, but to open on Newark Ave., a stretch filled with 99 cent stores. And from what I understand, it's doing a hefty business. Bravo." Actually the neighborhood reminds me more than a bit of the Lower East Side in the 80's or Greenpoint in the 90's. The only downside, for me, is that all the hard surfaces (so much concrete) makes it quite loud. And if you go when the weather is cold, try to sit on the banquette side of the restaurant, as the radiators run along the bottom of the wall on the opposite side. For me, it was too warm, seated there.

Looking for options for restaurants open later and a good 'round the clock choice. We arrive in Denver on a Friday evening, staying in Boulder near the 29th Street mall area. Then we head back to the airport early on Sunday. Seems we'll be up and out too early for any of the breakfast choices I've been able to track down. Since we have a long day of travel, I'd rather make some time for breakfast. We'll have a rental car, and we're normally quite adventurous. But I think time constraints will keep us from exploring too far away. Thanks!

There is a good Vietnamese restaurant easily accessible by PATH, near the Grove Street station Nha Trang Place 249 Newark Ave, Jersey City, New Jersey ( NJ ) 07302-2630 Google Map Mapquest Map Telephone - (201) 239-1988 (you can see a translated for the web version of their menu From AllMenus.com) In Cliffside Park there's the wonderful (see http://www.chowhound.com/topics/315124) Pettie Soo Chow.

Clearly it's a minority opinion, but I don't care for Five Points. Though I do like Bread Tribeca for brunch. http://www.breadtribeca.com/

Neither of these suggestions are in Teaneck, but if you'd like farmstand doughnuts two suggestions are; the farmstand in Closter on Piermont Road, or Demarest Farms

I can second the Simon Pearce recommendation. Plus, my husband and I loved http://www.woodstockfarmersmarket.com/ for carryout. Great coffee and sandwiches and baked goods. We ate the first evening in the tavern room at the Kedron Valley Inn. It was just fine to eat an unfussy meal by a fireplace. The rest of our Woodstock stay we didn't really find any good food, perhaps because we were avoiding like the plague anything that might be stuffy.

It made me smile when I bit into it, it was exactly like eating a moist bread version of a pretzel, as opposed to a big soft pretzel. It had a beautiful bi-colored top. I don't believe I've ever had pretzel bread before. I'm almost certain it was baked by Eli's Bread, I bought a few things, yesterday, and didn't pay close attention.

Just bought a roll (torpedo shaped) today, at Garden of Eden.

I read through the responses with some interest. I have 2 children 13 and 4, my 13 year old is wildly adventurous and the 4 year old, not so much. We have had good times in Landmarc, Balthazar and Bread Tribeca. I might also suggest choosing a favorite dish or ingredient and looking for variations arounf town, like a candy or chocolate tour--- Jacques Torres, Kees, Economy Candy, just for starters, downtown. Or a sandwich tour, banh mi, cubano, pulled pork, pastrami. Or compare ice cream and gelato. Children are often very discerning in surprising ways and mine love comparing subtle differences between, for instance, cucumber rolls or miso soup (which happened this evening). Looking for interesting storefronts in neighborhoods that change so drastically within a few block, that's what I remember from my first visit to NY.

Sugar Sweet Sunshine on the Lower East side. http://www.sugarsweetsunshine.com/index.html very neighborhoody, open late too.

Try Whole Foods or Trader Joe's or hop on the L to the Bedford stop Matamoros Puebla Grocery (718) 782-5044 193 Bedford Ave Brooklyn, NY you can also pick up some lunch at the counter

I can recommend these two Cinco de Mayo 401 Central Ave., Jersey City 201 795-1527 La Gloria de Mexico 602 Palisade Ave., Jersey City 201 239-0987

Nittaya is a very humble Thai restaurant in a location that's a lonely island. It's right near the entrance to Lincoln Tunnel on Willow Ave in Weehawken. I've been there once, and everything we ordered was good. I'd rank them with the best of the Thai I've had in Greenpoint (Brooklyn). Sorry I'm not familiar enough with the other NJ Thai restaurants, except for Hoboken, to compare. They will make it spicy, and not just use a heavier hand on the chili flakes. An added bonus was the eccentric clientele, and a cd of Thai music our server gave us when we left.

I've eaten there a couple of times for brunch. And I'd describe it as competent and pleasant, nothing to rave about. My 12 year-old did say she had one of the worst cheeseburgers ever, there for brunch. And as she's done quite a bit of cheeseburger research, I'd trust her on that opinion.

Every year my husband's birthday cake is yellow cake with chocolate frosting. The best recipe I have found comes from a back issue of Gourmet magazine in an article called "Great American Cakes" by Barbara Kafka. The recipe could also be in one of her cookbooks. She leads into the recipe by saying it's what the cake mix people try to imitate, but can't get right. 2 1/2 cups cake flour 2 1/2 tsp double acting baking powder 1/4 tsp coarse kosher salt 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 1/2 cups sugar 3 large eggs room temperature 3/4 cups milk 1 tsp vanilla makes 2-- 8 inch layers.

Sorry, here's the full post. Here are two related sandwiches, one Italian, One Mexican. A Cemita (Here's a link) My favorite is a Milanesa with chipotle, avocado, cheese, lettuce, tomato and sour cream. Another sandwich is one we used to get in Chicago--breaded steak. On an good italian roll fold up the steak (which like the milanesa has been pounded very thin, dipped in a seasoned flour and egg wash, then fried) cover with red gravy and optional cheese. It's similar to an eggplant parmesan.

Here are two related sandwiches, one Italian, One Mexican. A Cemita (Here's a link with a good description)

Oh, btw, no kid's menu at Bread Tribeca. No nuggets either.

We enjoy Bread Tribeca with our children. Although we haven't been there for dinner, they're so lovely and accommodating there, I'd recommend it. Sometimes I think the key to eating with children is to dine early. Then you can be walking through Chinatown to get ice cream, when couples are arriving in the restaurant for their dates.

I remember; warm apple crisp with vanilla ice cream, jello and whipped cream (or Dream Whip) layered in parfait glasses, prune whip with the egg whites whipped by hand by my grandfather, strawberry shortcake, and frozen layer cakes by Pepperidge Farm.

There's a Farmer's Market on Wednesdays in the Trader Joe's parking lot (at 20th and Camelback). Baked goods and produce, organic choices. It's small, but supports local farmers/artisans. Actually I hope it's still there, I haven't visited Phoenix for a year.

We're in Jersey City and can order from many (not all) Hoboken restaurants. In heavy rotation right now are Casual Thai for delivery and Fillipo's (pizza/pasta) for pick up. In Jersey City, Wild Fusion is good for when my eldest daughter wants sushi, and everyone else wants Chinese or Thai, and Cinco de Mayo for Mexican. For pick up in Jersey City we often get rice and beans and roast pork from a place on 384 Central, near Bowers. Hoboken Cottage (Chinese), Satay (Malaysian), and picking up Vietnamese in Jersey City (Newark Ave) have been popular with us in the recent past. I noticed the Whole Foods mention, my kids looove eating at Whole Foods, (and Wegmans when we make it there) but I don't/can't shop there regularly.

Reynoldsburg, Ohio claims to be the birthplace of the tomato.