Liz Johnson

I know what you want: Mitsuwa in Edgewater. About 15 minutes south of the NY/NJ line down the PIP. Get off at exit 1 and go south on River Road about 5 miles. Click on the Web site and you'll have to download a PDF. (When are people going to stop with the PDFs?) Also, for Korean, every time I have driven by Homung Nangmyom restaurant in Closter (570 Piermont Road, 201-750-1010) in Closter, there are tons of cars outside. I can't personally vouch for it though. Google results. I do quite like the food at Weg Jeon Garden restaurant. Pho around here stinks. If someone can help me on that I'd be thrilled. lj

The Olde Village Inne in Nyack. Great pub.

Do you mean Potato Republic? (28 N. Main St., New City. 845-634-8544).

Here's a couple of old threads: Up the Palisades Double dosage of Mongolian Quick, I need a restaurant near Bear Mountain

My cranberry sort of did the same thing, though I didn't add sugar, so it wasn't as thick as yours, Katie. The funniest thing happened when one guest refilled her own cocktail and put the champagne in first and then added the puree... it floated in the drink like a lava lamp! Delicious though! Thanks for the inspiration Sam. I enjoyed the whole diary and blog.

I thought they might work. I'll add a little orange zest to the cranberries to make up for it. Thanks! PS Loving the blog. More photos please!

Sam, Where did you get orange bitters? I see that I can order online, but then obvioulsy I won't have them for tomorrow. I happened to be in Fairway uptown yesterday but they didn't have any.....

OK ... after that photo, I have to steal your cranberry bellini idea. About how much simple syrup?

The report was my pleasure. I would be curious to know people's experiences at Chez Nous. We mentioned the problem about the cheese (perhaps I'm exaggerating about the freezer, but it was cold), and they said something like, "Oh, so sorry." They were gracious about taking something else off the check (they charged us for a full bottle of wine when we'd had 2 glasses at the bar), but even so, I didn't leave with a good feeling. I'm sorry I can't remember about the fish. I'm a newspaper food writer so it's nice to go out to eat and not take notes while I'm on vacation.

Anyone been here lately?

Thanks! I guess it'll have to be next time!

Well... as usual in Texas: we had tons of bbq and Mexican. Started in Austin with a dinner at Starlight. They are apparently opening a new one downtown, but they are keeping the northern location, too. Good microgreens salad, delicious sea scallops, amazing sea bass, very decent pork and steak. I like the cool old house vibe and the barkcloth on the walls. Then brunch at Fonda San Miguel. Never. Had. So. Much. Food. Before. Noon. A wonderful selection of regional dishes and standards like corn pudding, guac, etc. Chef stands among the tables teeming with food, and likes to answer questions about the styles of cooking. He told us one of the dishes, a room-temperature pickled fish (sorry... can't remember the name) is often spread with a spicy sauce and wrapped in tortillas on picnics. Lovely. In College Station we ate in a lot. Had some good barbecue at J. Cody's but it was more fun for the bluegrass jam. People just walk in with their instruments and start playing. Fun. We also hit Firebird's. A very decent burrito, I must say. Great college-town food: cheap and good. We went to Square One in Bryan for a nice dinner. The pastas — especially the poblano-beef tips with penne — were well made. I loved the atmopshere here: concete floors, odd-matched old tables and chairs, swinging screen door, Victorian dresser in the bathroom. We had a home-cooked Mexican meal in Victoria that BLEW MY MIND. The grandmother I went to visit there has nursing care and one of the staff made us enchiladas, rice and beans. No words to describe. Back in Austin we hit El Sol y Luna and Las Manitas for migas and discovered a wonderful Vietnamese restaurant on Research called Sunflower. I recommend pho, the crepe and the lemongrass beef. A passing dish of sizzling sea bass smelled divine. The biggest disappointment was at Chez Nous. The food was OK but nothing special. And their cheese course is an embarrassment. They brought my husband a big slab of brie straight from the freezer with a garnish of iceberg lettuce. Did we order wrong? This place has a lot of write-ups on the walls, but I'm wondering if they've been resting on laurels. One of my favorite spots was the Broken Spoke. My second time being there... lots of fun for people watching, tho we didn't eat a thing.

Hi y'all. We're going soon and just wondered if anyone else can comment?

I second Blue Hill and Chiboust in Tarrytown, and Freelance and Xaviars in Piermont — only a 10 minute drive. I haven't been to Equus at the Castle in a while but the setting is stunning, especially the view from the terrace. There are also a couple of good places in Hastings, also about 10 minutes away, including Harvest on Hudson and Buffet de la Gare.

Stunning. Simply stunning. Is that a sink on the far left under the mirror? And is there anywhere for ice or does it just reside in the ice buckets? Really -- it's just unbelieveable. I'm so envious.

My GOD, we MUST see photos! Puts my silly little rococo contraption to shame.

An old ditty my grandpa used to repeat — meaning, you can drive all g-dam day and still not leave the great state of Texas. And this is about what my husband and I will be doing when we make our semi-regular visit to family in November. We'll be hitting Austin, Victoria and Bryan-College Station, and everywhere inbetween (including, Lockhart, Luling, etc.). And I'm looking for help dining, shopping, foraging and otherwise discovering wondeful food! First we'll be in Austin. My sister has lived here many years, so I've been to many of the better known places: Fonda San Miguel, Hudsons, Kirbey Lane, Shady Grove, Threadgill's, etc. I've been to Central Market a hundred times. Last time we were there, our "fancy" meal was Wink. Anything new? Then we're heading to College Station. I've only been here once, and found a pretty decent Tex-Mex on the road between CS and Bryan. Don't remember the name, though. Victoria. I used to live here when I was tiny, and as far as I remember (and have seen from visits back) it's chain-restaurant hell. Any good news? Any and all suggestions are very welcome — including cool shops, farmers markets, homemade stuff, etc. Thanks!

Our own Monica Bhide has the lede story in the Washington Post food section this week. A big round of applause for The Curry Question: Ask an Indian cook how to make chicken curry. You won't get the same answer twice. Congrats!

Where are you going tonight, then?

Carolyn, Thank you for a lovely piece. My thoughts are with you and your family. Liz

I've seen Stone Church Farm's chicken on many menus in the lower Hudson Valley. Only recently have I seen its duck. I believe there was a story in Gourmet magazine on the farm and its ducks, maybe last year.

I know. My guest room is full of food and wine books, but I never thought of filling it with actual food and wine!

Did you lose the salt chest in the flood? (Which flood, by the way?)

Thanks so much! I'm lucky to have a nice grandmother!

OK. This is my first time trying to post photos, so we'll see how it goes. My bar: Inside: The drawer: The other matching piece: