tupac17616

Good call on the pickled crosnes in the amuse bouche. I'd forgotten about that. And it sounds like your assessment of the souffle was much the same as mine. Phenomenal, indeed.

Couldn't agree more with the recs for La Bergamote (chocolate-almond croissant. mmm) for the Chelsea breakfast, or Momofuku Ssam for the dinner. Both spot on.

Degustation and Pegu should be nice. I'll be trying Degustation this Sunday for the first time, which I'm quite excited about. Pegu, I've still yet to try, but have heard great things. I'll have to go sometime soon. Re: food store. Chelsea Market has some nice places. I especially enjoy Buon Italia, the Italian grocery, but that's not surprising, given my love for all things Italian! Citarella is nice. I'd also suggest Dean and Deluca in SoHo, a very nice upscale (read: pricy) grocery with very nice stuff (and right around the corner from Balthazar, if you go there). If food shopping in Little Italy, be sure to check out DiPalo's. Ooh, and I'd also add Murray's Cheese to your food shopping list as well. Pommes Frites, is, to me, highly overrated. The fries are much too thick for my taste, and the interesting selection of sauces is not enough to save them, in my book. My friends and I jokingly refer to the place as the Baskin Robbins of french fries -- lots of different flavors, but the quality just isn't that great! Broadway Panhandler is fun to browse in, and as others have already pointed out, they have recently changed locations. I've not found the chocolates at La Maison du Chocolat to be anything spectacular. Those found at Kee's will be infinitely fresher, and in my opinion, more delicious. I would definitely recommend a stop at Kee's. Personally, I prefer breakfast at Balthazar to lunch, but it's a solid place regardless, and worth a stop for sure. Don't know anything about Teresa's, but my favorite breakfast in the city is probably at Clinton Street Baking Co. Mmm pancakes. Re: pizza...Arturo's and Sal and Carmine's are both nice. The former's location is convenient to SoHo shopping, etc. Sal and Carmine's is good for the UWS, but definitely not enough to warrant a special trip. Besides, if you're presented with only one opportunity to eat pizza in the city, there are much better options. Patsy's east harlem (1st ave/117th), Grimaldi's, Una Pizza Napoletana, or even Naples 45 (a short walk from your hotel) are all better, I think. Re: Chinese...I'm not the one to ask about Dim Sum. While it's not in Chinatown and certainly not cheap, Chinatown Brasserie is the dim sum place highest on my go-to list right now. For dumplings, I prefer Dumpling House to Fried Dumpling, but they are both filling and cheap. The scallion pancake at Dumpling House is also quite nice. Re: bakeries/pastries... Jacques Torres I'm kind of ambivalent about. Not bad. But not great. Just kind of....eh. Please, oh please, do not go to Cupcake Cafe. Their cupcakes are nice to look at, but taste absolutely horrid. Bouley Bakery is nice. The 110th street location of Make My Cake is no longer open, but the one further uptown is really good, if more than a little bit out of the way. Their red velvet cake is really nice. Sugar Sweet Sunshine's cupcakes are nice, and to me, better than Magnolia (ick!), Billy's, et al. Financier is solid. Payard I've found to be hit-or-miss, but they do have a beautiful looking selection of pastries that makes choosing difficult. Lady M Cake Boutique is tasty, if a bit stuffy. Perhaps combined with La Maison du Chocolat, as they are merely a block apart. Or even better yet, make it a trifecta with a cappuccino or gelato from Sant Ambroeus also on Madison. Patisserie Claude is great, but get there early! Two Little Red Hens is also a nice little bakery, with more traditional American items. Other suggestions: As others above have suggested La Bergamote is outstanding. I am a sucker for the chocolate-almond croissants. The regular almond or pain au chocolat versions aren't shabby either. Definitely recommended. Larry also mentioned Bouchon, which is a nice idea. Could make a nice light lunch one day as well. Given your hotel's location, I'd also add Fauchon (56th/Madison) to the bakery/patisserie list you've got going. Sounds to me like you've got a nice trip in store! Hope you enjoy it! P.S. Sorry for making you read so much! I didn't realize how much I'd typed until I stopped!

financier patisserie?

Funny. That makes three of us. Aside from the whole "subsequent visits" thing. There definitely won't be any of those for me.

Hmm. I can do the celebrity chef sighting and great food criteria: Momofuku Ssam Bar Go late. Chefs abound. Don't recall if the people have been beautiful each time I've visited, but the food damn sure has been.

I will be heading to Puerta Plata, DR for several days very soon, and I was wondering if there are any opportunites for great food/drink nearby that I should know about. Kind of a shot in the dark, but I figured if anyone would have a clue, it would be my fellow eGullet-ers! Thanks in advance for any and all help.

I used to be in the Peter Luger camp. But after an absolutely incredible burger on Valentine's Day, I now firmly side with The Spotted Pig.

I think he means "loafers" as in people sitting at their table too long after their meal lingering over coffee/conversation/etc.

I can't think of another restaurant in the city at which I'm more prone to have a second (or third, or...) dinner. Every time, just so solid. I now find myself craving this stuff while eating at other restaurants. Chang's cooking is like crack for me. I've got it bad. And yet I've still not been able to get a group together for that beautiful Bo Ssam. Tsk tsk.

Bruni's implication could not be further from the truth, as sneak and nathan have already suggested. Hell, last time I was there, it literally was about a 3 1/2 hour meal. And a damn good one, at that. ← Guess you can't believe everything you read in the papers these days. I gave up on the NYT in a lot of areas a long time ago - but if even the food reporting isn't credible - maybe I'll just save 400 bucks a year and use it to buy a swell pair of shoes. Robyn ← Sounds like a good plan to me.

Could've been the fact that neither of us ordered a secondo, but a meal last Sunday night at Falai was pretty phenomenal. We had: Bread -- Raisin, Onion-Rye, Baguette, Black Cabbage Amuse Bouche -- Sweet Potato Soup with Five Spice Creme Fraiche Buffalo Ricotta Flan -- pine nuts, wilted green salad, wild mushroom, smoked raisins Polenta Bianca -- chicken liver, dried dates and wild mushrooms 'vellutata' Fegato Grasso -- pan seared foie gras, braised lentils, marsala glazed chestnut, cauliflower mostarda Insalata di Funghi -- seared, pickled and pan fried wild mushrooms, morell dusted slow poached egg, sesame puff pastry, parmesan fonduta Tortelli -- 3 types, ricotta, butternut squash, pear tortelli, almond soup Passion Fruit Souffle -- with passion fruit reduction The items I ordered (the flan, the polenta, the tortelli and the souffle) were particularly good. The texture of the flan was flat out perfect, evidence of what was no doubt some very fresh ricotta. The flavors of the polenta dish worked remarkably well together, the rich chicken liver and the dried dates creating a very harmonious salty-sweet contrast, and the mushrooms adding an earthier element. The tortelli were clearly very fresh and cooked to a nice al dente. The almond soup provided an interesting "sauce" of sorts without at all masking or overwhelming the flavors of the three fillings. The souffle was wonderful, easily as good as the best I've ever had (at Alain Ducasse and Gordon Ramsay, fwiw). I will be back sometime, for sure.

Tartine Bakery. I think that may have been the single best food stop I made in SF.

Bruni's implication could not be further from the truth, as sneak and nathan have already suggested. Hell, last time I was there, it literally was about a 3 1/2 hour meal. And a damn good one, at that.

wow jordan kahn is one talented dude last night a friend and i tried every dessert currently on the menu nine for nine bravo here's hoping bruni likes the place frankly it would be a tragedy for such artistry to not be properly recognized

What about a quick ride on the 7 train out to Sripraphai in Queens for some Thai food. You'd be hard pressed to spend even close to $30-40 on a meal there. Stick to what they do best (see eGullet thread) and you'll have a great meal.

The tripe at Al Di La is damn good

I've gotta agree with you, U.E. The "value" is not quite as evident as it once was, but doesn't seem entirely gone. There is still Kobe beef, for example, which carrries a $90 price tag a la carte. It's too bad they took off L'Oursin. I've always enjoyed that dish. With Le Caviar Oscietre, you're not missing much. It's pretty to look at, but nothing special flavor-wise. The langostine on the tasting menu currently is not offered a la carte (although I'm sure they'd sub the one with pesto, if you wanted. The scallop in seaweed butter is weak, IMO. Le Riz is also not that great. For dessert, I'd definitely sub in Le Marron or Le Sucre, for the chocolate-lover or the non-chocolate-lover, respectively. Can you tell me a bit more about the amadai and the tuna tartare? I've not yet had the chance to try either.

Just let me know when! ← Me too ← Me, three (or four, or whatever). Assuming, of course that we can actually get in the door now, after the two-star review.

i agree

Thank you. I could not agree more.

L'Atelier: The chestnut soup (La Chataigne) I'd also call a "must". I think they may be giving it as an amuse bouche now, but ask for a bowl. Quite good. Bouley: Definitely have the kitchen cook for you. Both rooms are, in my opinion, gorgeous. I don't think you can go wrong, but if forced to choose, red. In fact, I think that's my favorite dining room in the city. Babbo: If solo, or with one other person, I really like the seats at the end of the bar (toward the front of the restaurant). Some room to spread out. Nobody reaching around you for glasses of wine, bumping into your back, etc. Personally I prefer these spots to sitting at a table. The pasta tasting menu is a good deal, but I personally don't think it is made of the things that are most representative of why Babbo is a great restaurant. For antipasti, the grilled octopus and the lamb's tongue are nice. The Modern: If eating in the bar room, it seems the tarte flambee is the most recommended item I usually see here on eG. I'll recommend against the arctic char tartare if it's still on the menu. Bland and boring.

Walked in to the Spotted Pig last night with three friends. No wait for a table. First came the gnudi. Eh, nothing special. Then came the burger. Spectacular. Damn near perfect, in fact. By far the best burger I've ever had, which is one hell of a compliment for a food so ubiquitous. In consistency an issue at the Spotted Pig? An overwhelmed kitchen with an occasional off night? Couldn't tell ya. First time I've walked in the door when the wait hasn't been obscenely long, and thus my first time eating here, period. All I know is on this night, they were most definitely on. Better than Luger, Corner Bistro, Burger Joint, Shake Shack, I could keep going... Happy Valentines Day to me.

A la carte dinner at L'Atelier. Just don't the cocktails somewhere else before or after...

haven't been to prime (don't really plan on it), but fwiw, the lamb chops at blt steak are really nice