Megan Blocker

Agreed! Any waiter (or anyone) who says that Riesling is only a dessert wine is grossly mistaken.

Ditto on cilantro. Blech!

People can never believe this, but I really don't like cheese. Over the years, I've come to appreciate it in certain forms (in most pasta dishes and salads, on pizza, melted brie on a baguette, cream cheese, a goat cheese tart), but, by and large, I don't like cheese. I'll eat literally anything else, but not cheese, especially at room temperature and on a cracker. I once had someone tell me it was like not liking bread.

I think Silver Moon is good...more for their brioche and bread than for their sweets, though. I used to go there most weekends when I lived on the Upper West Side. I would come out in strong favor of Payard and La Maison du Chocolat. I'm also a newly-created fan of Lady M, on 78th just west of Madison. Amanda Hesser wrote about their Mille Crepes cake a few weeks ago in the Times Magazine, and it is truly delicious. Their other pastries are quite good as well. You may have to wait a bit for a table, but the excellent capuccino is worth it.

I've been thinking recently, trying to come up with a list of the three or four basic recipes that every home cook should have in his or her repetoire. I think mayonnaise is definitely in there - but maybe that's just because I'm a mayonnaise addict. A good vinaigrette? A quick, simple pasta? Roast chicken? What do you think?

- fresh, homemade bread - home-baked chocolate chip cookies - rack of lamb - risotto - cucumbers Those have to be my top five.

In Portuguese, though, you have to order three. ← Is this because I need to be extra drunk? Or because you still have to know the gender of said item to correctly ask for two of them? ← Because you don't need to know the gender to order multiples of anything. Only "un" and "une" have a gender attached to them. For the record, it's "la biere" - biere is feminine. As in, la grande biere. Deux kilos.

I think the sundried tomatoes, at least, ended in the '90's. As for balsamic vinegar, I'm a huge fan, but only when used correctly. Smothering everything in it is just not the way to go. There's a gorgeous passage in Ruth Reichl's book "Comfort Me With Apples" where she discovers balsamic aceto. Of course, she's a fabulous writer, and the way she describes the viscosity and taste of truly excellent balsamic is almost sexual (she's dipping asparagus spears into it). I wish we could go back to a time when balsamic vinegar was so rare that only the good stuff was served, and every experience was like that one. As for my most-hated food trend: cilantro. On everything. And in places where cilantro had always been (most notably salsas), people just started adding MORE. I hate cilantro, and am SO glad this trend seems to be dissipating.

Ditto. I grew up in the US, but we never had grape-flavored anything in the house (except, of course, for Dimetapp!). The grape-flavored jams, jellies, popsicles, etc. - all absolutely, universally horrid.

That goes for more than Chinese food - I can't stand it when someone puts salt or pepper all over something without tasting it first. Give the chef a chance, for crying out loud! Hmmm, other pet peeves... - Starbucks coffee (burnt, burnt, burnt) - Whipped cream that's too sweet to do what it's meant to do (temper the sweetness of the dessert) - Too much cilantro - ick - Cooking wines (Does ANYONE buy these anymore? Why are they still on the shelves?) - Meat cooked beyond medium-rare (Why? WHY?) - Pasta sauce in a jar (Again, why? It's so easy to make a quick, delicious sauce - what's the point?)

Definitely arborio - keeps like a dream, doesn't get hard when it cools down...

Have you read Ruth Reichl's new memoir (Garlic and Sapphires)? There's a great account of a food tour of New York (I think she hits three boroughs - Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan). You might want to turn there for inspiration! For Queens, my recommendation would be Sripaphai, a Thai place in Woodside. It's excellent, you can sit outside in nice weather, and it's super-cheap. One of the great hidden treasures. It's also about two blocks from the 7 train and only 15 minutes from Midtown.

I think those of us who've migrated to diet sodas over the years feel like we've been deprived in some way. So, even though most of us have gotten used to -- and even come to enjoy -- the general-issue diet sodas, finding one that tastes more like "the real thing" makes us feel good I'll have to give this splenda version of diet coke a try. =R= ← Fair enough - I can see that. I suppose my dentist has my mother's own addiction to Diet Coke to thank for my pristine teeth.

I love Diet Coke, and hate regular Coke. I don't understand the constant quest to make what is an inherently drier drink into one that is so sweet it makes your teeth ache.

Love, love, LOVE Shake Shack. One of the worst parts about not working on Madison Square Park anymore (I now work in Midtown, which is awful for lunch - cheap, eat-at-your-desk lunch, anyway.) is not being near great food, and that includes Shake Shack. I used to eat there when it was just a dinky little hot dog cart in the southwest corner.

Cook's Illustrated is excellent - I love how they delve into methods and offer multiple recipes along the same lines - variations on a theme, if you will. I know this is probably going to provoke uproar from those of you who find Gourmet to be nothing more than an extended monthly product placement, but I really enjoy their recipes. I rarely follow a recipe to the letter more than once (if that), and I find theirs to be great jumping-off points. I haven't used recipes from Martha Stewart living that much, but the ones I've gotten from her website and cookbooks are excellent. I'm also a big fan of Mark Bittman - NYT isn't technically a magazine, but it's a periodical, so I think it counts!

Yeah, White Castle has a way of messing with the digestive system... A friend of mine from Australia says he thinks pickles are one of the weirder things he's eaten - he didn't even have a sour or dill pickle until he came to the States.

Fresh, unsalted butter, soft country bread, and a dish of sea salt.

Yes - SCRAPPLE! I went to college in PA (after growing up in CT and attending boarding school in NH), and I could not believe the first plate of scrapple I ever saw. It actually wasn't bad - it just looks horrible. In a blind taste test, it may not do too poorly!

Risotto with Chicken, Peas and Basil Serves 8 as Appetizeror 4 as Main Dish. Risotto is one of my all-time favorite foods. It has an undeserved reputation as being difficult to make - nothing could be further from the truth. It is time-consuming, however, as it requires the cook to remain at the stove for the entire process. However, the result is well worth the twenty minutes of stirring. There are quite a few ingredients in this dish, as in any stew, so I would recommend embracing the mis en place technique - prep everything before you begin and lay it out by the stove. The process will go much more smoothly! 5 T extra virgin olive oil 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch cubes 3 cloves fresh garlic, sliced 1 box frozen baby peas 1 medium onion, minced 1 medium leek, cleaned and chopped (white part only) 4 scallions, with the green and white parts chopped separately 2 c short-grain white rice (such as Arborio) 1/4 c dry white wine 2-1/2 c chicken stock, heated 3 T butter, cut into four pieces 1/3 c fresh grated Parmagiano Reggiano cheese 5 basil leaves, cut into a chiffonade (or roughly chopped) Salt and pepper Prepare the chicken: Heat 2 tbs. of the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Once the oil is hot (but not smoking), add the chicken to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is lightly browned on all sides (about 3 minutes). Add the garlic and cook until softened and slightly golden, about 3 minutes longer. Remove chicken from heat and set aside. Prepare the peas: Prepare the peas according to the package instructions. In a colander, rinse the peas in cool water to stop the cooking and set aside. Prepare the risotto: Place a large saucepan or stockpot (you'll want something that can hold at least four quarts) over medium heat. Add the remaining 3 tbs. of olive oil and heat until hot, but not smoking. Add the onion to the pan and cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add the leek and the white parts of the scallions and cook until the onion turns golden, about 5 minutes more. Add the rice to the pan, salt it lightly, and "toast" it - stir until the rice is completely coated in fat, and continue to cook it, stirring occasionally, until the edges become transluscent (about 1-2 minutes). Add the wine to the pan and allow to boil - the acidity of the wine will contrast nicely with the creamy starchiness of the rice, and will brighten the flavor of the dish. Once the wine is completely evaporated and absorbed, begin to add the warmed stock. Add only enough to moisten the rice mixture, and cook, stirring constantly, until that stock is absorbed before adding more. The mixture should be kept at a rapid simmer - you may need to adjust your heat to achieve this. Continue to add the stock in small batches and cook until it is absorbed. Continue this process until the risotto is cooked to al dente. (Some people prefer a tighter risotto and may use slightly less than the 2 1/2 cups of stock, while others prefer a looser, more porridge-like mixture, and may use more stock than indicated. This is entirely a matter of personal preference.) When the risotto is cooked to your liking, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the butter, half of the cheese, and the basil, until the butter is just melted. Add the peas and chicken, and mix until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings (you will probably need some pepper; you may not need salt). Serve hot, and pass the remaining cheese at the table. Leftovers can be gently re-heated in a 250 degree oven. Keywords: Rice, Chicken, Dinner, Appetizer, Main Dish, Italian, Lunch ( RG1274 )

Risotto with Chicken, Peas and Basil Serves 8 as Appetizeror 4 as Main Dish. Risotto is one of my all-time favorite foods. It has an undeserved reputation as being difficult to make - nothing could be further from the truth. It is time-consuming, however, as it requires the cook to remain at the stove for the entire process. However, the result is well worth the twenty minutes of stirring. There are quite a few ingredients in this dish, as in any stew, so I would recommend embracing the mis en place technique - prep everything before you begin and lay it out by the stove. The process will go much more smoothly! 5 T extra virgin olive oil 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch cubes 3 cloves fresh garlic, sliced 1 box frozen baby peas 1 medium onion, minced 1 medium leek, cleaned and chopped (white part only) 4 scallions, with the green and white parts chopped separately 2 c short-grain white rice (such as Arborio) 1/4 c dry white wine 2-1/2 c chicken stock, heated 3 T butter, cut into four pieces 1/3 c fresh grated Parmagiano Reggiano cheese 5 basil leaves, cut into a chiffonade (or roughly chopped) Salt and pepper Prepare the chicken: Heat 2 tbs. of the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Once the oil is hot (but not smoking), add the chicken to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is lightly browned on all sides (about 3 minutes). Add the garlic and cook until softened and slightly golden, about 3 minutes longer. Remove chicken from heat and set aside. Prepare the peas: Prepare the peas according to the package instructions. In a colander, rinse the peas in cool water to stop the cooking and set aside. Prepare the risotto: Place a large saucepan or stockpot (you'll want something that can hold at least four quarts) over medium heat. Add the remaining 3 tbs. of olive oil and heat until hot, but not smoking. Add the onion to the pan and cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add the leek and the white parts of the scallions and cook until the onion turns golden, about 5 minutes more. Add the rice to the pan, salt it lightly, and "toast" it - stir until the rice is completely coated in fat, and continue to cook it, stirring occasionally, until the edges become transluscent (about 1-2 minutes). Add the wine to the pan and allow to boil - the acidity of the wine will contrast nicely with the creamy starchiness of the rice, and will brighten the flavor of the dish. Once the wine is completely evaporated and absorbed, begin to add the warmed stock. Add only enough to moisten the rice mixture, and cook, stirring constantly, until that stock is absorbed before adding more. The mixture should be kept at a rapid simmer - you may need to adjust your heat to achieve this. Continue to add the stock in small batches and cook until it is absorbed. Continue this process until the risotto is cooked to al dente. (Some people prefer a tighter risotto and may use slightly less than the 2 1/2 cups of stock, while others prefer a looser, more porridge-like mixture, and may use more stock than indicated. This is entirely a matter of personal preference.) When the risotto is cooked to your liking, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the butter, half of the cheese, and the basil, until the butter is just melted. Add the peas and chicken, and mix until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings (you will probably need some pepper; you may not need salt). Serve hot, and pass the remaining cheese at the table. Leftovers can be gently re-heated in a 250 degree oven. Keywords: Rice, Chicken, Dinner, Appetizer, Main Dish, Italian, Lunch ( RG1274 )