Megan Blocker

Yesterday I had some Fage yogurt topped with homemade strawberry-rhubarb compote and sliced fresh strawberries. Yay summer!

YES! This is probably my biggest restaurant pet peeve. Drives me bonkers.

Thanks, Klary! It's good to be back. So, I've been on a bit of a pickled ramp kick, if that wasn't incredibly obvious. The other night I had a pork chop with a strawberry and pickled ramp sauce. Love ramps. Love strawberries. Nothing bad about it at all.

You forgot to mention the whole eating-them-under-a-napkin thing. It's so sinful that you have to hide your shame from God.

Last night I made a modified carbonara with whole wheat spaghetti, sugar snap peas, pickled ramps, bacon, egg and parmesan cheese. Tossed with lots of pepper and some chives.

I've been so busy with work the last few months that I've had to forgo checking out the Dinner! topic too often...then I come back and see that there are some truly amazing things happening here. I love looking at food from all over the world and seeing how other people feed themselves each day. I've been on a Greenmarket kick this spring...here are some meals from the last couple of weeks, made primarily with stuff I've picked up there. First up, chicken salad with homemade mayo, shallots, cucumbers and garlic chives. Served on top of a toasted crumpet - everything but the crumpet and the oil and mustard in the mayo came from Union Square! Last week, I skillet-roasted a pork chop and topped it with a relish made of nectarine, pickled ramps, and parsley. It's so nice to be able to take pictures of dinner, now that it's light in the evenings again. Almost makes up for 95-degree heat in early June.

Cafe D'Alsace a couple of times. Naruto Ramen satisfies my noodle cravings when I don't want to schlep downtown. There are a couple of Hungarian places in the lower 80s I've been meaning to go to. Is Etats-Unis still good? Otherwise I'm more of a south-of-23rd Street person. There may be a visit or two later in the week. ← I still love Etats-Unis, though, to be honest, I've been to the restaurant about twice in three years. The Bar I visit at least two or three times a month. It's a great local find, particularly in our area. All of the food is good, some of it surprisingly terrific, like the guacamole, the chilaquiles, and the date pudding. Keep blogging...am loving that I'm not the only one schlepping down to Union Square every weekend. Maybe I'll see you there Saturday morning! I'm planning to go wicked early to beat the crowds, and, more important, the heat.

Aaaah! Rick's Picks! My favorite. Soba, great blog so far. I didn't realize you were a fellow UES'er. Do you ever eat out in the 'hood?

Oh, wow. Those peas are SO green! Very interesting point, Peter - aside from the steak frites (which I think of more as bistro food than "diner" food), it's a very down-home array. And, frankly, even steak frites is comfort food, even if it is more classically French. Does anyone know if the re-design has helped with BA's sales numbers?

Oh, Susan, I will miss working with you! But I look forward to many more posts...

Yes! Exactly. I do that all the time and didn't realize it until you wrote that. ← I do that, too!

Excellent line. And the cheese and bread look so good...

Yes, another bonus, especially for the car-less - tote bags are so much more comfortable to carry than grocery bags, and I love being able to put my groceries over my shoulder. Makes lugging things up to my third-floor walk-up much easier. I've started saving most of my produce bags and re-using them - taking them with me to the store or Greenmarket when I know I'm going. Though I don't have to self-weigh or stick anything on them, so there's no chance of confusion.

I carry a couple of lightweight canvas bags in my purse at all times - they fold flat and take up very little room, and this way I always have a bag on hand in case I run an unexpected errand. I don't have a vehicle, so there's no chance of forgetting them in the car. I used to feel silly pulling one out at Dean & Deluca (or wherever else - I try to use them for all kinds of shopping, not just food shopping), but in the last year or so, I've stopped getting weird looks and started getting a lot of "Oh, that's so great"s, which makes me feel really good about myself. Added bonus. Ego-stoking can be really nice on a Saturday morning. ETA: LOVE this basket - it can go over your shoulder or attach to your bike.

I love your new kitchen, Klary! Especially the diagonal, wide floorboards. I am officially jealous of your new digs.

Ooooh, Prague! Yay! Erin, I'm curious - what are the major trends, restaurant-wise, in Prague these days?

Dona and Anthos both have $25 prix fixe lunch menus, I think. Anthos is technically in the West 50's, but just barely west of 5th. Both would be good for a ladies' lunch.

You are entirely correct. It is a well-done review. I am just saying that if your standards are that you pay multiple visits before writing a review, then you don't relax those standards for just one restaurant—especially one so important that you've given it four stars. I am also saying that the reason he gives for relaxing his standards (difficulty of getting in) is pretty lame, given that his review appeared faster than NYM's reviews usually do. Of course, if what you say is true, then he knows perfectly well that this wasn't the real reason for compromising his standards: "He wanted to be the first major-media critic to review the place." ← Agree, agree, agree.

Looks pretty authentic to me! The bratwaurst looks great, but I've never been able to resist schnitzel...do they have good schnitzel? Yum. That looks like some kind of nut-based cake, ja?

Given that you're living in a college town, I'm wondering if you have any other coffee options? Any cute coffeehouses that serve as hangouts for the students and serve good brew?

OK, I give! What is a grilled sticky? Is it a grilled sticky bun? I went to college in Pennsylvania and thought I knew all the local jargon...but apparently I still have lots to learn.

Oh, man, that sandwich is making me HUNGRY! Time for lunch...

The gougères from Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris book, which came out (I think) in 2006. They were super-easy and really impressive. They even held up to about six weeks in the freezer, at which point I thawed and re-heated the leftovers for dinner one night.

Of course!!!!!! I knew there was someone I was forgetting!!!!!! I'm so ashamed.... ← I thought of that - but will it be open on a Friday afternoon? Aaaah, it will! I checked their site, and they're open till 7:00, Monday-Friday. Nice!

Amazing. Sounds awesome. Is there anywhere in Chelsea Market that carries good caviar? How about Jefferson Market? ETA: Apparently The Lobster Place at Chelsea Market carries caviar - the fish I've bought there has always been top-notch. They carry beluga, sevruga, you name it. American, too.