Megan Blocker

If I could pick, I'd probably go with an assortment of signature bars from Chocolate Bar...but that's just me. I got a few boxes of Godiva at the holidays, and I have to agree - too sweet, though some of the fillings were quite good, particularly the raspberry.

Well, I'm no coffee geek, and I've felt that way for years. The marketing campaigns for Starbucks have been incredible, and I don't think it's an understatement to say that they have greatly influenced what Americans look for in "good" coffee. My mother, usually a woman of impeccable tastes, makes it everywhere; we stayed in a friend's loaned house over Christmas, and she and her husband managed to root out the tiny bag of Starbucks coffee hidden behind the sugar jar and used it every morning. Is it bad that I dumped it out and replaced it with the far-better suprmarket brand I found in the pantry? And even worse to admit to my own feeling of triumph when everyone remarked on how good the coffee was that morning? Interesting about Mickey D's...I will have to walk over for a cup tomorrow.

Good Morning Burger, courtesy of The Simpsons!!!

Absolutely agree. By the third or fourth trip, you can focus exclusively on food. But the first time around? Please don't forget you're in one of the most striking cities in the world.

Bryan, I am by no means a Paris expert, but the two dinners I had in October at Camille (on rue des Francs-Bourgeois in the Marais) were fantastic. Highly, highly recommended for wonderful bistro food. With wine and three courses, our bill for two came to about 80 euro both nights. Don't know if this is the quintessential Paris dining experience you're looking for, but it's where I'll be eating dinner when I go through on my way back from India in a few weeks...

I don't think it's unreasonable to order three dishes between two people and have them live up to expectation. Is there a "plate minimum" that would have changed my experience? ← I don't think so...I've never done more than two savory dishes in a meal, and had more than enough to eat (and enjoyed it).

I had the duck confit last week for lunch, and while I agree that it's not a revolutionary dish by any means, it is one of a few "classic" dishes on the menu (the tarte flambee also comes to mind here), and I don't think that's such a bad thing. I thought it was very well done, that the sweetness of the caramelized onions clustered under the potatoes contrasted nicely with the sharper, crunchy shallots garnishing the duck, and that the dressing on the frisee pulled the dish together. And, I would argue, for the neighborhood, the prices are extremely fair (I spend 10-11 bucks on a takeout salad at the deli around the corner; I'm ok with $50 for three strong courses). That said, it does stink to have high expectations dashed... P.S. - I also highly recommend the beignets - they are to-die-for, though I didn't care for the mango marmalade that came alongside the caramel and the maple ice cream.

Indeed. Warm atmosphere, comforting food, convivial conversation, people mingling on one level, etc. Definitely from Alsace...

Well, that's certainly true - the Alsatian and Mitteleuropean trends have never taken off in the way that Asian fusion (influenced so strongly by an Alsatian!) has...I would think that's partly because of the seemingly seasonal nature of the trend. I went to Cafe d'Alsace with my mother last July, and I couldn't stomach the choucroute - just too heavy for NYC summer. That said, the region has a strong fish culture, what with all the rivers and lakes...

True! But only round-about, since I knew Soltner was Alsatian, and that he was chef at Lutece...but, then, these are the sorts of problem-solving skills that serve me oh-so-well when playing Trivial Pursuit.

It's much bigger (and older) than that. It started with Danube (Bouley sussed that on out, like, EXACTLY). Then Walsee was warmly received, and Cafe Sebarsky was a tremendous hit right out of the box. Then, you started seeing Austrian inflections on more standard menus all over the place. And of course this trend hasn't abated: in the last year there's been Trestle on Tenth, Brasserie Klee, etc. The only misstep so far has been Scott Conant's Alto, which tried to capitalize on this trend in the Italian context by focusing on the cuisine of the Alto Adige, to mass incomprehension if not hostility (such that they had to modify their menu). ← Fair enough - I still haven't been to Alto, and obviously didn't make it before the menu changes. What sorts of Germanic flourishes (if that's what they were) were there before the modifications?

Something about tequila cactus sauce?

It really was a fabulous line...last night's show seemed to me to be a great return to some of the strong writing and plotlines we've seen in seasons past. On a food note, I particularly liked the idea of the coffee as a totem of Luke - coffee is so much a part of Lorelai that I can understand why drinking coffee from the diner takes on an almost adulterous overtone, though of course it shouldn't.

Hey, I'm a young 'un! Can't be expected to know it all...I was busy sneaking cucumbers from the salad bowl while you were enjoying the magic of Soltner.

Are you referring to Lutece? It's definitely true that Germanic food in general seems to be making a bit of a showing, what with Blaue Gans opening so strongly. Of course, living in Yorkville, it feels like there's German food everywhere, even though it's just three restaurants in the two blocks around my apartment. I did a quick MenuPages search, and it looks like the Cafe at Le Cirque serves choucroute royale...

Well, it's certainly New York-centric (or at least urban-centric), and their comment on the D&Co. thread is also indicative that they are evaluating eG as a resource for information on restaurant food and those who create it, not for a broader discussion of, as Chris says above, food and drink. The tenor of the site has definitely changed and broadened, and those changes will obviously be viewed differently by different people with differing interests and agendas.

I had two tartes flambees last week...one at Les Halles, and one at The Modern - both were good, though The Modern's was a bit more traditional and cracker/pizza-like...pics here!

Is it just me, or is Alsatian food suddenly everywhere? Maybe it's the concentration of Alsatian chefs in Manhattan, or maybe it's the cold weather (the cuisine of the region being particularly hearty and disposed to keep out the chill), but whatever it is, I just can't get away from it! Wednesday night, I attended a dinner at Les Halles' downtown location, celebrating the beginning of their annual choucroute month, which takes place in February. We feasted on tarte flambee (currently getting the royal treatment over on this eG topic), choucroute poisson, and the more traditional choucroute garnie. Phillippe, the proprietor, made a lovely speech, talking about the history of choucroute and its close relationship to the institution of the brasserie - warm, earthy food for a warm, earthy gathering place. Clockwise from top left: choucroute garnie, tarte flambee, pear strudel, and choucroute poisson at Les Halles. Of course, Les Halles is a brasserie firmly rooted in Manhattan, so their choucroute menu is appropriately reflective of our belief in variety, featuring not one, not two, but four kinds of choucroute. Choucroute garnie, the kind most people think of first, is simmered in pinot blanc and comes with smoked pork, pork and veal sausage, and mustard on the side. Next is the aforementioned choucroute poisson, with smoked herring, fish sausage, scallops, and salmon caviar. Of particular interest to many foie-loving eG'ers, no doubt, is the duck choucroute, with foie gras, duck breast, confit...and choucroute royale, with a little bit of everything, the choucroute itself simmered in champagne. But Les Halles is not the only high-profile restaurant jumping on the Alsatian bandwagon. Gabriel Kreuther, the chef at The Modern, is also Alsatian, and his Bar Room menu reflects his heritage, with comfort food items like tarte flambee (more traditional and cracker-like than Les Halles' tarte a l'oignon-esque preparation) and baekehoffe, a kind of baked meat and potato stew, traditionally made from beef, broth, potatoes and a pork knuckle. Finally, there's the latest addition to my neighborhood, Yorkville. Cafe d'Alsace has been open for about a year now and is packed to the gills almost every night. Like Les Halles, it's a brasserie, but one specifically devoted to Alsatian cuisine. A rich, herby baekehoffe makes an appearance, along with tarte flambee (not the best, frankly - they don't seem to be using the requisite pizza stone), sweet brioche pudding with cherries, a vast and impressive beer list, and, of course, choucroute garnie. Is there something about this Frenchified German food that's particularly appealing to New Yorkers? Maybe the combination of hearty food and refined techniques? After all, the dishes all have the hallmarks of foodie-approved comfort food: lots of pork, lots of history, and they come complete with traditional wine pairings. Besides these three, are there some other places in the city that are joining the choucroute-and-tarte-flambee party?

Ah, I should get a digital camera. I've been doing that one for years. (I prefer pancetta.) Lovely photos! I read somewhere that amatrciana is often eaten w/o cheese because it's already so rich with the pork fat. I'd already reached the same conclusion & stopped adding the parmigiano before I read that. Con aglio e olio (+ parsley & peperoncino, of course) is still the quickest. And it takes mass quantities of cheese very well! ← I've found that my version isn't too rich...though the one I have at my local Italian definitely is, and I usually forego cheese on theirs...

That is rude! Wowza. I want to know what line she used, though this may be a whole new hilarious topic...if it were me, I'd say something about the Secret Service. But, then, you couldn't really seat anyone there.

Yup, which is really too bad, because she'd been such a good sport through the whole thing. Ah well...she's a great cook...she'll live to smother many a chicken in butter.

Maybe I'm cynical, but I definitely agree with why Marcel has survived - it's partly to do with his cooking, and partly to do with his "personality," as edited together by the producers. I also think the Ilan/Sam/Elia decision came down (partly) to who would spar the most with Marcel in the finale. And is it just me, or did Ilan and Sam throw Elia under the bus on that whole Marcel cheating thing? They egged her on to get her to say something, and then didn't have a word of support or evidence themselves.

Degustation seems a good choice...French/Spanish influence, $50 tasting menu - I've actually never done the prix fixe and have still made it out at about $75/head. The Bar Room at The Modern is also an excellent option (French there - Alsatian chef, and I had the FANTASTIC tarte flambee just this past Thursday).

Thanks, Shaya! I'd bet a million that you could add some good ones to this thread...

I'm a huge pasta lover, and one of the things I love most about it is how many fabulous dishes can be made while the water boils and the pasta cooks. Over the last couple of weeks, I've made a couple super-quick dishes, all prepped and cooked in less than the time it takes to get your pot to boil and your pasta to reach al dente. First up, pasta with an improvised amatriciana sauce. Technically, this should be made with guanciale, but bacon or pancetta will certainly do. The traditional pasta in the recipe is bucatini, but I decided to use this unusual pasta, something I picked up a couple of weeks ago at Williams-Sonoma...it kinda looks like bucatini twisted in on itself, so maybe it still counts? First, I rendered the fat from the bacon and let it get a bit crispy. I poured off part of the bacon fat, added some olive oil, and tossed some roughly chopped red onion and garlic into the pan. Once that had become fragant and translucent, I added a chopped plum tomato and a healthy dose of crushed red pepper flakes to the mix. As the pasta cooked, I took a few spoonfuls of the cooking water and added it to the sauce, along with the reserved bacon. Once the pasta was done, I tossed everything together in the skillet for a bit, added some parmesan, and dished it out.