daisy17

Justin Bogle - Gilt Website

This Mexico episode was one of my favorites ever - it really paid homage to the incredible food and vibrant soul of the country. And now I have an inextinguishable craving for tacos al pastor. I still have no idea what those doll heads were though.

They also start drinking first thing in the morning, and obviously drive drunk. It's the smoking that gets me though. I feel like I've smoked 2 packs of cigarettes by the end of every episode.

Haven't been to Devi but have heard good things. It seems more traditional Indian than Tabla/Bread Bar, but I'm sure someone else can share more details. For tapas I like Tia Pol (it's not convenient to anything - way the hell over on the west side - but is open for lunch except for Mondays - Tia Pol Website). I also really like Boqueria, which just opened a second spot in Soho. The one time I went to the 19th St. location for lunch it was empty. I would expect Soho to be much busier for lunch just given the location. Boqueria Website If you haven't been to Momofuku Ssam or Noodle Bar, I (and the rest of egullet NY'ers ) would highly recommend either them. The spicy rice cakes with sausage at Ssam is high on my list of things I'm craving right now. And the new Momofuku Milk Bar is behind/around the corner from Ssam - fantastic for dessert. Ippudo (ramen) is also in my rotation lately for lunch. I hope you're going to have time for cocktails!

I recommend the wine pairing too - it definitely enhanced the meal. I think splitting it is so smart. I was beyond full before the Tour was over and I attribute that somewhat to the wine. I'd take food over wine any day!

Canteen was on my list (and it's a short list)! Go there for lunch and not dinner? (Not sure when In N Out is happening. maybe breakfast?) I need to hit Alembic on the one night I have in town (Thurs) for cocktails. Any suggestions for dinner after cocktails?

It looks like I have one dinner and possibly (hopefully) one lunch in San Francisco next week. Coi sounds fantastic. Can I eat at the bar w/o a reservation? I'll be solo and bar dining is my preference. Is that the "lounge" menu? Just as good as the dining room or not? Any guidance would be very much appreciated. thanks. ETA: I just called the restaurant and its closed till Jan 13. i'm so sad.

I don't know if I'd consider Peasant less expensive food, but it is excellent. Different price level than Lupa, however, which I think can be considered quite reasonable in price for the food. ← Oh, I just meant that Peasant is less expensive than EMP, Gramercy, Robuchon, Cru, etc. I think that both Peasant and Lupa could get expensive, but don't have to be. Btw, I went to Curry-Ya for lunch yesterday - I think that was one of your recommendations on the 2008 thread. Delicious!!

Good ones. In just 4 replies almost all of my favorite restaurants in this city have been mentioned. I thought the food at Scarpetta was excellent, and the atmosphere is definitely lively. Robuchon and Le Bernardin are phenomenal. Blue Hill is always enjoyable. If you plan/call ahead, there are very few places that will tell you they can seat you only at 5:30 and 11. As long as Babbo isn't on your list you should be ok. I'm a fan of the food at both Insieme and Hearth, but atmosphere-wise Hearth wins for me. The dining room at Insieme is a bit too sedate for my taste. Gramercy Tavern has been at the top of my list for 10 years and remains there. I have to (again) recommend Cru. My meals there have been unbelievably amazing. If you're looking for less expensive but excellent food, I'd recommend Peasant, dell'anima/L'Artusi, Perilla, Lupa, Boqueria (no resys).

I'm not sure he was still in the kitchen by the time I went to Resto (and I didn't have the burger). This one is killer though.

L'Artusi opened a few weeks ago (by the chef/owners of dell'anima) in the old Maremma space. The space hasn't been changed too much, most notably the expansion of the bar area and the large open kitchen. There is plenty of bar dining space, which I take as an inviting sign. The dining room was pretty full when we got there at 8 and stayed that way for a while. I've seen a lot of empty restaurants lately, but this isn't one of them. I started with an amaro-based cocktail - I think it was Ramazzotti, Antica and sparkling wine. Very refreshing. The atmosphere is lively and loud, perhaps less neighborhoody and more destination than dell'anima, but welcoming nonetheless. Service was friendly and knowledgeable, and the food was excellent. Favorites among the apps I tried were the hamachi and the roasted cauliflower. The orecchiette with sausage and bitter greens was hearty and satisfying. Tasted some others (spaghetti and meatballs, pizzoccheri with sage, fontina and brussels sprouts) and they were delicious as well. They describe the menu as small plates intended for sharing, but I thought portions were generous, especially given the very reasonable prices (less than $20/dish).

The burger here is UNBELIEVABLE. Ribs were very good too (an app), and spinach salad was fine, but the burger seriously blew my mind. Got to be one of the best I've ever had.

Welcome to egullet and thanks for a great first post. I can't believe you're only 16. (I'm jealous - I didn't realize my love for food until considerably later.)

I know many of the talented bartenders and other staff at PDT and I've never remotely had or heard of an experience like the one that was reported here. Things like that simply should not happen, but they do at times - in every establishment. I feel strongly that it's an exception.

Heh. Watching a rerun now. Jeff reminds me of Brian from season 3 - he does way too much at once, there are a million things going on on his plates at once. Needs to edit his ideas. I was surprised at the quickfire tasting challenge. I agree with scubadoo97 - I can name multiple ingredients in a mole and a green curry without tasting them, and I don't cook very much at all. I'm not sure what that proves, but I didn't find it as interesting as the tasting challenges in the past.

Lupa is a few blocks north on Thompson between Bleecker and Houston. Awesome food. Aurora Soho is near there - I haven't been (the one in Williamburg I remember as being good though) Aurora Soho Website Chinatown is just a few blocks south of there - I'd check the Chinatown threads. Not Italian or Chinese but very close to where you're mentioning are Tailor, Papatzul (Mexican) and the new Boqueria Soho (Spanish tapas, no reservations).

Didn't she design the tomato/watermelon/feta salad that won? And I know it's not a totally original dish, but it won. I don't think she'll win the contest overall, but her philosophy of preparing simple ingredients well is a smart one. And her insistence that the lamb be cooked for 2 more minutes, over the objections of her teammates, was a smart one. It was an "executive" decision, one which a chef needs to make. ← Ariane's tomato/watermelon/feta consisted of slicing some ingredients that thousands of cooks have paired together before her. Twas bullshit. How did that possibly win?? I think Jamie is very talented, I hope she sticks around. I'm generally not as impressed by the contestants as I've been in seasons past.

I just bought the Capresso Infinity burr grinder for about $80. I use a French press, and I cannot believe the difference the burr grinder has made in the quality of my coffee. It astounded me - if I knew this would be the case I would have bought a burr grinder years ago. Worth every penny!

Was there both Friday and Monday during the day and it was not crowded at all, just a couple of people on line each time. However, as noted above, things take longer than it looks like they should - the people working behind the counter literally have no room to move. Bad design, amazing food. The cornflake/chocolate/marshmellow cookie was awesome - crunchy, sweet, a bit savory. The crack pie was even better.

Just saw it at Union Square Wine also.

So funny, I said pretty much the same thing about Don and Benton's last night!

I want to say Noilly Pratt, but I'm not positive.

Muddled and garnish. Phenomenal.

Had a few cocktails off the brilliant new winter menu last night. Didn't make it to the flip section yet, but I will soon. Still thinking about Alex's Sweet and Vicious (rye, amaro, dry vermouth, maple syrup, apple) in particular - complex and subtle and everything I ever wanted in a cocktail on a cold day in December.

NY Times article today tries to categorize "Bartending Philosophies" - Let 100 (O.K., 8) Bartending Philosophies Bloom I'm still trying to make sense of this. Most of the bartenders I know incorporate various of these approaches, perhaps leaning more towards one than another, but I'm not sure I see them each as distinct "philosophies." (Don't all good cocktail bartenders care about ice?) Your thoughts?