Megan Blocker

Oh, man...salsa as gazpacho!!! My friend Miles and I used to work within a few blocks of each other on Park Avenue South. Most weeks we had lunch together at least once, usually over on Third. One of our favorite spots for a salad or sandwich was the Sunflower Diner. One day we were eating there (along with Miles' significant other, Hall), and I ordered a hamburger and fries. It came, and I, of course, wanted some ketchup. I grabbed the bottle and shook it, since it was looking a little separated. Well, whoever had used it before hadn't so much screwed the top back on as placed it gingerly on the bottle's lip...the top went flying off, and ketchup went EVERYWHERE. Miraculously, I didn't get anyone else's clothes (though I managed to fling a few gobs on some of the surrounding booths), but I did get quite a good bit in my hair. Ew.

My college roommate was from Cincinnati...never heard much from her about native cuisine. What IS it?

Wow! My friend Miles and I sometimes make dinner together...you put us to shame. Amazing meal, guys.

Marlene, I can't believe I just found this topic! For the record, your RV has more counter space than my kitchen. Can't wait to see what this summer brings...

Seriously? She must have loved that!

OK, cucumbers definitely taste of something. I hate it when people say that! I'll take yours! You can have all my stinky cheeses.

At Cafe D'Alsace on the Upper East Side, the bar snack is hard-boiled eggs. With salt, of course. Ahem, mais oui.

But of course!!!!

@SQC is a good choice for a burger, definitely.

Or, bacon, peanut butter and mayonnaise. Seriously, it's really good.

Yup. Hells yeah. BLT's. Scallops wrapped in bacon and grilled or seared. Spinach salad with warm bacon dressing. Bacon dipped in maple syrup.

Adam Platt didn't much like the tarte flambe either! I have to admit, I thought I saw it at a next-door table, and that's what pushed me to order the bone marrow instead. Hopefully, though, they'll see Platt's review (and maybe yours!) and will work on it accordingly. Here's a link to Platt's review! He gave Cafe D'Alsace one star overall.

New York Media Digest - 5/15/06 Reviews Fench, Sans Connection Adam Platt reviews two new bistos, Cafe D'Alsace and Sascha. He likes the former, which merits one star; not so much the latter, which earns none. About Cafe D'Alsace: About Sascha: Features The Subtle Knife Masayoshi Takayama tries out some knives and ranks them for your purchasing pleasure. Just a Taste A list of the culinary fairs hitting town this weekend. Starving Art-Lovers Places to eat if you're heading over to the South of the Navy Yard Studio Stroll. Openings and Buzz Recent Openings Openings include Pies-N-Thighs, The Little Owl and the new Red Hook Fairway. Insatiable Critic Capital Grille Gael Greene visits Capital Grille - loves the steak, finds the potatoes lackluster.

Yes! This is how I am about movies, as well as restaurants. People think I'm odd for going by myself all the time...but if there's something I want to see, and a time when I want to see it, and no one to go with me, why wouldn't I? As for restaurants, I'm usually more likely to find people who might want to join me, but with my most frequent restaurant companions traveling abroad a lot lately, and the other two having moved to Ohio, I'm going it alone more and more...and loving it, though in a different way from the way I love a good meal and good conversation.

Since posting the above almost a year ago, I've been trying to make myself like cheese. My friends Miles and Hall had me over for a cheese tasting, and it was ok. I made it through, and I even liked some of the cheeses. I did discover that I really don't like fig bread. I still don't understand the almost sexual desire some people have for cheese, though. To each his own, I suppose!

New York can be a crazy place, but I also think it's filled with some amazing people. It's definitely exhausting, and with that many over-tired people crammed into a small space, things are bound to get tense from time to time. But I have to join my fellow New Yorkers in leaping to our defense - at heart, and if you give in anticipation of getting, New York is a wonderful place to be. When people step in front of me on the sidewalk, I just remind myself that I probably just stepped in front of someone else.

Catering job? Go Klary! Those cakes are gorgeous...really beautiful stuff. Today I had lunch at Andre's, a cafe just downstairs from my apartment. The desserts there are fabulous, though I'm still partial to the croissants. Today's dessert was chocolate mousse cake. Needless to say - I could only eat about half (after cherry soup and weiner schnitzel, I think half is respectable :laugh).

Had lunch at Andre's Cafe on Second Avenue today...it was lovely! Full report via the link...

OMG. You are living my fantasy - an Italian scooter, an orange kitchen...like a modern-day, Canadian Audrey Hepburn. All you need is a young Gregory Peck to hop on board. I LOVE it. That cup of coffee looks particularly tasty, as well.

Yeah, the asparagus is weird. I think the chicken just suffers by comparison to earlier versions...it's usually so gorgeous, and the other night it just did not photograph well. Part of it is that I was just ready to EAT - work has been insane, and I'm sick of eating dinner at 9:30. I'm just slapping things down.

So...everything I've made recently has tasted really good, but hasn't photographed well. Which is odd, because both of these have photographed well before. Sigh. First up, Susan in FL's Champagne vinegar chicken - fast becoming a favorite of mine. Usually very pretty. Not last night. Then, tonight, grilled asparagus topped with balsamic and parmesan. BUT, I put the parmesan on first, then the balsamic. Tastes the same, looks like baby poop. Sigh.

Love your orange kitchen, Deborah! Like bathrooms, kitchens are such great places to play with bold color...yay! This is going to be an excellent blog.

SERIOUSLY? OK, then I want to see all food with a certain fat content banned. Don't throw that reason in there, Mr. Kelly. It's not helping your case - if anything, it hurts you, because it opens up even more issues. If the true concern is that foie gras is fattening, then why are you targeting something that such a small percentage of the population eats? How about soda? Or beef? Or bacon? I understand people who think foie gras is cruel (though I disagree with them and think it's hilarious that they're going after foie and not, say, veal or factory chicken). But by bringing this point in, he has totally undermined his argument.

While popular in Cantonese cuisine, they're not often to be found in Washington, D.C.!!!! Sorry, sorry... That's nasty. What's that green stuff, Fi?

Yup, you'll almost definitely need a guarantor...probably within the tri-state area. Depending on where your work is, you'll probably want to go outer-borough. I've found the commute to and from Astoria and Woodside to be really midtown and uptown friendly. Plus, the apartments are pretty cheap.