Megan Blocker

Don't know, newguy...but I promise to ask next time! I went to Degustation for the second time on Friday night, and my dinner was, again, very, very good. We had an 8:00 reservation for three people, and had requested a corner spot, so that talking would be easier. We arrived promptly at 8 and waited in the (very, very tiny) vestibule for half an hour to be seated. The maitre d' brought us little half-glasses of Champagne, which was a nice touch and definitely a good thing. When we were finally escorted to our seats, they tried to seat us on a straight-away, even though several seats had turned at once and a corner was available. We (again) asked to be seated on the corner and were accomodated with no issues. Once we sat down, dinner got better. I ordered dishes that I'd had before (I know, I know), since the people I was with were going for things I hadn't tried yet, and I wanted them to have some of the things I'd had on my last visit. As a trio, we had the following: - The croquetas, which were amazing. God forgive me, I cannot remember exactly what was in them, but I think they were corn and some kind of pork...served on top of a saffron aioli that made want to cry it was so good. - The tortilla with quail egg, shallot confit and pickled jalapenos, which was, as last time, absolutely delicious. - The slowly poached egg, which came with an asparagus spear coated in panko-like rice cracker crumbs and some serrano ham. I really enjoyed my taste of this, but Miles, who ordered it, said he wished it were saltier overall - it was almost like the ham just wasn't in small enough pieces to be well distributed throughout the egg. - The salad with lettuces, serrano ham and melon - Hall ordered this one and said it was very nice, but a tad oversalted. - The artichoke with oyster in mussel broth. Miles again on this one - he thought it was interesting, but that the artichoke was very tough. - The seared scallops with tomato and garlic puree. This was mine, and, once again, the two scallops were two of the most perfect I have ever tasted - sweet, just barely briny, and tender. So delicious - the Platonic ideal of scallops. - Hall ordered the kanpachi - I didn't get to taste it, as I was completely absorbed by my pork belly at the time, but he said it was quite good. It was definitely one of the prettiest, most colorful plates of the evening, with its elongated tadpole of mango puree, dried, stuffed tomatoes, minced chives and fresh lemon zest. Really lovely to look at. - The pork belly, the pork belly, the PORK BELLY! Miles and Hall are both a little "eh" about pork belly, but they liked this version almost as much as I did. The sour and spicy accompaniments really help cut through the fattiness and highlight the porkiness. - Miles and Hall both had the lamb loin for their third course - they said it was "just lamb," but incredibly well-prepared lamb. - I finished up with the foie gras, which was, again, delicious. It could have used a bit more fleur de sel, both for texture and flavor contrast, but it was perfect on my last visit. We finished up with one each of the strawberry and tarte tatin dessert courses - I mainly swiped tastes of the light-as-a-feather Greek yogurt and stole one of the strawberries...at that point, I was too full to do much else. Another great night, and at $240 (with tip and a bottle plus two extra glasses of wine), a really good deal. ETA: How could I forget?!?!?! Miles also had the roast beef sandwich, and he loved it - REALLY loved it.

Dunno...as a New Yorker, even I tend to think of the Times as a national publication with a local emphasis, rather than the other way around. Articles on food scenes in other parts of the country really interest me.

Maybe. I've also noticed that it's a bit cultural - Aussies, for instance, tend to abbreviate things that I never would have thought to shorten - afternoon becomes "arvo," breakfast becomes "breckie," and so on. I think some of it is personality, no doubt - but there's definitely a culturual element.

Hmmmm...what would you suggest as a replacement? Snack? Bite? Taste? Pre-meal degout? Mini-appetizer? Harbinger of things to come? I'm curious!!! I tend to use "lovely" too often when talking about food. I should stop doing that, but it's such a nice word.

I can't think of any major peeves off the top of my head, but my friend Miles hates (HATES) the word "garlicky." I actually kind of like it, though.

Indeed! So, I did get the chance to meet Mr. and Mrs. TarteTatin, and can report to the community at large that they are lovely people, and that they did their fair share to enrich the NYC economy today. I had dinner with my mother at Cafe d'Alsace tonight, and it was a very nice meal. The maitre d' was adorable when I came in: "Hi, I'm Megan Blocker, I have a reservation for 2 at 7:30, but I'm the only one here so far." "Wait, are you THE Megan Blocker?" "Um, I suppose so..." "There are some people here who really want to say hello to you!" And so I got to chat with the Tatin's for a few minutes before settling down at the bar with Sense and Sensibility and a glass of pinot gris to wait for Maman, who called to report that she was battling for a cab in Midtown. We finally sat down to dinner at about 8:00 (fine by me, bad because she was meeting my brother at 9:30 at 52nd and 10th). I ordered la moelle (the bone marrow) and a special scallops main, and my mom ordered a special tomato salad and the pork sausage. The tomato salad was delicious, but my mom started eating before I could get a pic! Living as she does in California, she's not used to my food photography quite yet. The moelle was lovely and over-generous as usual; they could do to serve it with a couple more slices of toast... My scallops were delicious - not quite as firm or as sweet as I would have wished for if I could have any scallops on earth, but good nonetheless. They came with a medley of veggies (haricots verts, asparagus, carrots) and some wild rice. Lovely, but not terribly photogenic. Mom's sausage was also really good, served with a sweet (with riesling, I assume) sauerkraut and two kinds of mustard. For dessert, we split the mandiant, a sweet brioche with fruit and a thick, creme anglaise-like sauce poured over it. I love that dessert... Yet again, the service was friendly and prompt, and the meal was highly enjoyable. It's pretty loud in there, something my mom really noticed - it wasn't as much of an issue with a 26 year old and a 34 year old, which was the demographic on my last visit. I left with the same conclusion I made in May - a great addition to the neighborhood, and even more so now that you can get a reservation even when you call only 24 hours ahead.

I could make spaghetti carbonara...I could make risotto. I could do a tossed salad; I could also make one of my favorite pasta salads, with tomato, corn, basil and red wine vinegar. I could make some refrigerator pickles! Most of the time, I could also do any number of chicken dishes or cook up a steak, but I perilously low on meat right now - I think the only things even vaguely meat-like in the freezer are chicken stock and some chicken carcasses that I'll be using to make chicken stock when I run out.

As someone who is VERY guilty of the close-up crop, I will say that for an amateur with rather unappealing (when photographed, though certainly not when lived-in), poorly-lit interior settings, the close-up is the only way to make the food attractive without using my flash, which just washes everything out. Professionals, however, are not subject to that limitation... I loved that photo, too, and the recipe looks quite delicious. And thought the exact same thing about the Spain ad - so weird. I did not understand what it wanted to tell me.

Made some peach sorbet last night...ate it tonight with some raspberries - really yummy combo!

Really? Do people actually pronounce those words with SWAH??? Epwah cheese? u.e. ← Which is actually ay-pwass, since it has two s's, not one. I love it when people try to pronounce French in the wrong way...I'd so much rather hear an Americanized brun-waz than something that makes you sound like you're trying to look like you know more than you do. Such a good deal, isn't it? Sounds like an awesome night!

I admire what they do and enjoy reading/watching how they get to their destination but I have to say none of the food looks all the great. I've only seen the show a handful of times but I wasn't moved to cook after viewing. Their chili looked like a leaden disaster to me. I think it's very Yankee-style cooking, which is interesting but it doesn't seem very passionate. ← Being a Yankee, I like understatement. I'll admit, I haven't made many of their recipes, but I like learning about things like the best way to make an apple pie - how to keep the crust flaky and not soggy, etc. Also, their little asides on things like which butter is the most flavorful or best for certain tasks is really useful. For me, they're more about technique or ideas than the recipe itself...

Exactly. I've actually always thought that the value, for a beginner, in watching RR is the techniques you learn along the way...salting the pasta water and why...how to make a basic pan sauce...why you might tear basil instead of slicing it (though she usually chiffonades, she talks about how her grandfather would be appalled)...and so on.

Yeah, Ina's never been big on techniques...her recipes are easy to follow, but her demos are best followed by experienced cooks who won't be afraid to do it their own way...that said, I love the look of her show, the emphasis on entertaining (typically) small groups, and the food, while calorific, is good, solid, and relatively simple. America's Test Kitchen is excellent on this front. I respect Alton Brown for his efforts in the kitchen science/what to do and why area, but I much prefer the ATK style (and lack of commercials). I'll also chime in on Rachael Ray here - though I don't love listening to her, she does a good job of explaining what she's doing and why, which is really important, especially for her demographic. And I always learn a new trick when I watch Jacques Pepin!

Andre's (already mentioned above) is Hungarian and is open...here's a link to the eG topic...click! OK, it's not so much a topic yet as it is one post (mine), but it has some photos of their food.

Too funny - I have a reservation here on Thursday night, too! Sorry I'm not going Wednesday - if I were, I could give a full report.

Yay, it's Kris! I was actually supposed to go to Cleveland to visit two of my closest friends (who are married to one another and have left me in New York for life on the frontier) a few weeks ago, but got stuck on the ground here in New York due to intense storms in Ohio...now, when I go, I'll be armed with Kris' recommendations!

Ann, is that a candied violet? It's beautiful... I also love how gorgeous your vegetables always are...I rarely make cooked veggies (beyond blanched or steamed beans or snow peas or asparagus), but your presentation is so elegant, it makes me crave them...

Evidently the sort of people who like to eat at the Cheesecake Factory. No doubt many of them would find throwing down $100 for dinner at Studiokitchen to be incomprehensible and ridiculous... ← Um....I totally waited for about two hours at Lupa the other night. Of course, we were told 40 minutes when the wait began. Oops.Not exactly a mall place, and the Village is DEFINITELY not the suburbs. So while I don't understand waiting for mediocre food, I do understand waiting for some things. Especially with a glass of wine. Yum!

Eh, I like the covers. They're restrained and actually pretty, rather than just eye-catching. Of course, I subscribe, so what it looks like on the newsstand means nothing to me.

There's a Starwich on Wall Street!

Yes, yes, YES!!!! I cannot wait to see what this week has in store. Ann, I love your food and your photos - please share lots of both.

Especially after all that 'spensive Ben and Jerry's! Actually, this makes me think...the only thing I regularly buy at the Korean, food-wise, is ice cream or sorbet. They have an awesome selection...otherwise, I tend to use them as a catch-all for one-off stuff. Hangover-cure Diet Coke here, emergency beer and chip supply there...

Steve, I have to tell you...I succumbed to the disgusting humidity this morning and took a cab to the office. As I was zooming (well, not so much, really) down Park Avenue, I passed a building at 57th and Park that has a small one-bedroom for sale. I'd been in to take a look (toying with notions of spending a ludicrous amount of $$ for a ridiculously small space), but decided against the neighborhood. Why? No little markets anywhere. Now, of course, a New York neighborhood is more than its bodegas or Korean markets. But, to me, it's not a neighborhood worth living in if there isn't a 24-hour market within a one-block (and I mean short, uptown/downtown blocks) radius. Why would you live in Manhattan and pay exorbitant rents if not, at heart, for the convenience of it all? My current Korean (at 84th and 2nd, northeast corner) is great...they do a fabulous business in greasy hangover cure sandwiches on weekend mornings, and served me well when I woke up with a mysterious cold/flu thing at 3:00 AM one February morning and needed immediate Kleenex and ginger ale supplies. I'm not sure what the name of the place is, though. I can see it from my "bedroom (area)" window, though, so I'll have a looksie this evening.

I love that dessert - very tasty, and just so pretty. Bryan, you managed to hit a few of my favorite spots...well done!

As I once remarked to my husband the morning after a long night of dancing on New Year's Eve, "Champagne is not an effective means of hydration." ← What about hair of the dog??? I love that Crystal Light is advertising their product in such a way that says "Buy me! I have so little to offer that I do nothing to affect that glass of water you were going to drink anyway!" Obviously that's not the actual goal, just what the marketing made me think of...