Megan Blocker

We do go to a lot of the same places!!! I also love brunch at the Vinegar Factory - their pancakes are amazing - light and fluffy, but with those crispy edges...SWOON. Spigolo is also great...oh, I do love our 'hood!

You'd better let me know next time you're in town, sneaky miss! As for KA&L, me too - I really think the only thing keeping my from spending loads of cash in there was the thought of my pricey (for me, anyway) evening on the town. I realize I never told you all what I bought - it was a birthday gift for Miles, who told me a few months ago that he really wants to learn more about wine. I went back and forth on the kind of book to get him - he's traveling a lot these days, so I didn't think the Oxford companion series was the right choice - and finally found something at KA&L: Kermit Lynch's Inspiring Thirst. I think he'll enjoy it - plus, it has pictures, and who doesn't love pictures? I used to do this all the time when I worked on Madison Square Park!

Hey, Eilen! Actually this is not the coffee shop from You've Got Mail. However, I have been to that coffee shop, and even have a print from it hanging in my kitchen! It's called Cafe Lalo and is on the Upper West Side (83rd and Amsterdam). It's far more bustling, bright and loud than shown in the movie, but the pastries are pretty good. I used to go there a lot late at night (they're open till 2:00 AM) when I first moved to the city. You've Got Mail does an amazing job of showing you the beauty of the Upper West Side... ETA: Here's the pic of my kitchen showing the Cafe Lalo print, which hangs above my kitchen cart:

That's stinky, Pan! Since it's so close to the museum, late afternoons are awful, especially on weekends and holidays. The best time, I think, is breakfast. Weekday afternoons are probably ok, too, though I've never had the chance to try! Here's a link to their website, for those who are interested.

ooohhhhh - bacon, egg and cheese on a roll. one of my all time favorite things to eat. it's also great with salami instead of bacon. megan - want an unhealthy breakfast tomorrow??? ← You people are EVIL!!!! If I have to take one for the team...

Thanks, ludja! Yes, Cafe Sabarsky is wonderful...I actually thought about meeting my mom there for lunch on the first morning of the blog, but I felt so icky that I just wanted to go somewhere basic. Plus, it's a waste to go there when you can't have coffee! Yes, we can all get cocooned into our little eG cliques and worlds...just like the tables in the high school cafeteria! I did bring my camera to work to take pictures of my day-to-day adventures (mundanity, more like ), but I can't edit them till I get home tonight, so I'll be delivering a full report then. I really do hope that the blog as it is so far will convince people to make a trip to NYC...it doesn't have to be a ridiculously expensive venture, and there's so much more to our city than the traditionally touristy stuff.

It's worth noting to the many out-of-towners reading your blog that most New Yorkers do not have washer/dryers in their apartments or laundry rooms in their apartment buildings and must walk to the nearest laundromat ... just like they walk to the supermarket. Thus, shopping carts like this are a common sight along the streets of New York. Do you use one? ← Hey, Beanie! Yes. I have an old-lady cart, as I call it...however, I only use it for laundry, and not for shopping. It looks like this one, though I got mine for about half that price. For shopping, if I have a big load, I prefer to have it delivered. But, for laundry, alas, it's always a big load. There was a time (in my first NYC apartment) when I had laundry in the basement. Sigh. I miss that time, though I love my apartment now, especially the part about not having a roommate. I've decided that roommates are just a recipe for trouble, as well as for dirty dishes in the sink that I didn't put there.

Who said she was hungover? She may have taken this. ← No way, Doc - I'm telling you, Diet Coke - it's a girl's best friend. Sometimes I like it even more than diamonds. Very rarely, but sometimes.

Yes, I've discovered that the trick is to go into Pegu with only an hour or two left before your dinner reservation...it's the only way to make it out alive.

I'm with you on the sentiment, and I also understand your astonishment at running across a whole bunch o' ready-cut veggies. ← BTW, there is a certain portion of the population who, because of disability or illness, simply don't have the strength or dexterity or sense of balance to chop their own stuff, and for them, this stuff is a god-send. For me, I too find chopping therapeutic! Another vote for Starwich. Are you thinking off the menu or creat-your-own? ← That's a good point, Susan, and one I hadn't thought of. I also get Sandy's point about time being a factor - but I still find pre-chopped onions odd. Even carrot and celery sticks I can get behind, pre-shredded coleslaw, okay. Pre-cut onions? It just strikes me as so odd! At least, for people who are lucky enough to be able to chop their own onions. Sounds like Starwich is the clear winner...not sure yet on whether I'll do make my own or not. So far I've done one of each (had the pomegranate-juniper chicken sandwich and made my own BLT)...I may have to go for one of the "Signature" items!!! For those of you not familiar, here are some Starwich links!!! - Starwich's website - eG Spotlight Conversation with Spiro Baltas (Starwich's CEO) - eG Starwich thread

Aw, thanks, Bill - you're very welcome! You betcha, Kaneel - any time! I'd love to meet up with any eG'ers who are headed into town! You DEFINITELY should, monavano...NYC is such fun, especially when you don't have to work.

Hey, all...so I thought I'd take a little poll and let that decide what I have for lunch tomorrow! Here are the options...remember, I work in Midtown, so the food is kind of lackluster. - Pret-a-Manger - Tossed salad from Pax Whole Foods - Delivery from Starwich - Chicken salad sandwich from the dingy but surprisingly OK deli around the corner Any preferences on what you'd like to see? I realize it's not haute cuisine...

Thanks, Danielle! Awesome - you definitely should. Your little ones probably love it as much as I did! I'm also psyched because I have two leftover lamb chops from last night...I sense another leftover salad in my future.

And...dinner. I made a childhood favorite of mine tonight: leftover salad. We always took whatever was left in the fridge at the end of the week (meat, corn on the cob, salad veggies, etc.) and threw it into a huge salad bowl with some homemade dressing. Tonight I had the rest of that leftover steak from dinner with Mom, some tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and romaine lettuce, and tossed it all together with some of the leftover sherry-shallot dressing from last night. Added some black pepper and kosher salt. SO GOOD. When I make a tossed salad like this, I usually do it like a chopped salad - I cut everything up into bite-sized pieces, and even chop the lettuce instead of ripping it like I normally would. I just love being able to put a little of everything on my fork.

Thanks, John! I did see the Lobster Place - we actually flirted with the idea of getting chowder for lunch, but then decided on the head-clearing power of the Thai food instead. Oysters while shopping, though - that's an excellent idea for next time. I've never been to Kee's, but I'll definitely put it on my list of things to check out...

So, I went out and braved the very cold (25 degrees and blustery) weather to go have a coffee at Java Girl on 66th Street, one of my very favorite places. Unfortunately, they were very busy and I didn't get to hang out and read my book , but they were nice enough to let me take some pictures of the shop in any case! Here's what the shop looks like from the outside: In addition to their excellent prepared drinks, Java Girl sells tea and coffee by the pound (or ounce, if that's your pleasure). They also sell a variety of beautiful and/or cute coffee accessories, like the Yiddish-word mugs below. They had ones saying "mensch," "oy vey," and "Bubeleh." I got a decaf cafe au lait, and they put a little bit of cinnamon on top. I'm usually more of a full-caffeine kind of gal, but I tend to have trouble sleeping on Sunday nights (always too well-rested from being able to sleep for a decent number of hours), so Sunday afternoon caffeine is a no-no. If I'd been able to sit down, I would have been in here: But, instead, I was outside looking in : This place is positively steeped in its product - I spent less than fifteen minutes inside, and I can still smell the coffee on my clothes more than an hour later. A fellow patron saw me snapping the pictures, and asked me what I was working on...we had a quick chat about Java Girl and food on the UES in general. She said she loves Java Girl because it doesn't feel like a place that people would expect to find in our neighborhood - instead of being stodgy or a place for the upper crust, it's down-to-earth, warm, eclectic, and completely without pretense. More and more, I've found the UES is full of places like this - you just have to know where to look.

I'm very much a believer in butter. If you need to cut something out of your diet for health reasons, then do so - substitutes for the real thing (fake-tasting low-fat ice cream, artificial sweeteners in my coffee) do nothing for me but make me crave what they're replacing.

Are you kidding me, Klary? I'm impressed you're even able to type today after the huge, fantastic meal you made last night! Yes, most real New Yorkers are kinder to their feet than Carrie and Co. would have you believe...I wear heels every day at the office (5'3", remember ), but I wear trainers to and from work (a la Melanie Griffith in Working Girl, though minus the black stockings), mostly because it's easier than carrying them (I go to the gym on the way home, and trainers are HEAVY!). I went a few blocks uptown to do my laundry, and once everything was in the machines and safely on its way to the spin cycle, I took a quick walk to get some coffee. On my way to the shop where I like to buy my coffee on laundry day, I passed this landmark of New York's literary culture, though its culinary status is not quite as revered. Elaine's is famous as a gathering place and watering hole for the literati, and they host an annual Oscars party for New York-based celebs. I used to live in this block, and it was always great fun to walk to the bodega during a commercial break in the Oscars show and run smack into random celebrities out for a smoke or some fresh air. Especially when you run into Chris Noth (aka Mr. Big) in your pajamas, flip-flops and trench coat. Classy, Blocker. Real classy. I grabbed a cup of coffee at Martha Frances Mississippi Cheesecake, which is just a few storefronts north of Elaine's. When I lived in this block, I used to come here some weeknights to read a book over a cup of decaf and a slice of cheesecake...these days, I visit only on laundry days. As my rising hour has gotten earlier and earlier, I've spent less time here, because they open at 11:00. But, today I procrastinated about my laundry, so they were open! I'm almost positive that their prices have gone up in the last year, though I wouldn't stake my life on it. A (generous) slice of cheesecake will now set you back $5.75. I've had a lot of sweets in the past couple of days, and didn't feel like cheesecake today. Theirs is very good, but it's not New York-style. It's definitely a bit more Southern in feel - a bit sweeter and slightly lighter in texture, with a sour cream frosting on most varieties. I did, however, buy a slice of their apple cake. I'll probably eat it tonight after dinner, so stay tuned! I finally got home from doing laundry around 2:00, and I was starving. I didn't feel much like putting lunch together, so I ordered in from Saigon Grill, a Vietnamese place a few blocks away. I got my usual comfort food, the bun xao with chicken, which is a noodle dish with rice fettucine, veggies, and egg. Served with extra nuoc cham sauce and some chile paste. Yum. So, now I've folded and hung the laundry, made the bed...and am thinking I may spend a few hours in a favorite coffee shop of mine, once I digest my lunch. I only ate about half the noodles, but I'm plum stuffed.

Klary, that looks AMAZING. I am drooling over everything, and over the antipasti and the cake in particular. And the sage butter...wow. Good work, woman!

If you can get in, Per Se. If not...maybe Jean-Georges? Can I come?

Yay!!!! Alinka's back and better than ever!

Thanks, Smithy! I've really been blessed to be surrounded by friends who are either just as interested as I am in food (my friend Louisa called yesterday while I was de-membraning the sweetbreads to tell me about a new cupcake recipe she just tried) or very willing to indulge my obsession. Miles made a good point the other day - he said that food is the primary mode of socializing in New York, and is therefore of primary importance here. I don't know if that's so different from anywhere else, but it's definitely true here. You meet friends for dinner or a drink, you have people over for dinner or cocktails, both for small gatherings and large parties, people are always talking about the new "hot" (or not-so) restaurants...it's very central to our culture as a city. Part of it may be that so many of us are single, and eating is such a communal act...we are hungry not only for the food, but for the experience of eating with others, and so our minds automatically turn to it as a social activity when making plans. Sunday is...going. I've just sorted my laundry and am heading out the door. Back soon with full report on the coffee I consume during that trip. My stomach is growling, so there may be some food involved, too.

Hey, Marlene! I've been thinking about this, and I definitely agree with Pan's Grand Sichuan recommendation. If you need a good lunch place in a somewhat touristy region, I would also recommend Chelsea Thai, where Lisa and I went on Thursday - the food was awesome and cheap, and the portions were pretty big. Plus you've got all those bakeries and markets to fill the rest of his gapingly large teenage appetite. Of course, if you're going to be in Chinatown, I'm sure people have loads of suggestions...I have to admit that I haven't spent huge amounts of time there, so I'll let my fellow New Yorkers guide you... Another place that I love is Kasadela, which is a little Japanese izakaya in the East Village. It's sort of like Nobu-lite - the chef/owner used to work at Nobu, and the dishes reflect that. As for Ryan's appetite, this place serves small plates, which seems counter-intuitive, but you can just keep ordering until you're full! For the finer-dining experience, I might go for Hearth. I just love it there, and have never been disappointed in a meal. I also feel like it has a typical New York sensibility, sort of upscale, downtown casualness. Smithy, this would also be a place I would send you! And, of course, you should all check out Katz's for a sandwich and a pickle. ETA: Another more upscale option is Etats-Unis, which is in my neighborhood (on 81st just west of 2nd Avenue). It's very good - a tiny French place with a small, ever-changing menu. I love it there, and they also have a small wine bar across the street where you can get some of the same menu items in a more casual, boisterous atmosphere.

Wow - thanks, Susan! Yes, this was my first time making sweetbreads! I was really annoyed about the defrosting thing...especially given the microwave situation. In all honesty, unexpected defrosting is the only downside to not having a microwave - if I forget to take the meat out of the freezer in the morning, you know it's pasta with garlic and oil for dinner that night. The butter did start to burn a tiny bit, but not too excessively - if I were to make a larger crop next time, I would definitely need to clarify it first, or do the whole butter/oil thing. Yes, two Rieslings (though we only made it through half of the second bottle) and a Chianti. I think I had about three glasses total, so not too much. Those boys - what lushes! :laugh: Lori, this is too funny - on Friday when I left my apartment, there were literally four dog walkers outside my building, two walking uptown and two walking downtown, and each with at least four dogs. I tried to get my camera out, but by the time I turned it on, they were all too far to get a picture showing the hilarity of the situation. If I spot some later this week, I'll do my best! Thanks! I have to say, in the annals of my hangovers, that was really on the mild side...though I rarely cook that much even when barely hungover, so I suppose it was a new thing for me, along with the sweetbreads. We-ell, they're really only "gushy" until you soak them in the water and vinegar, then they firm up quite a bit. By the time you blanch them, they're pretty firm - sort of like little pillows of meatiness. I love them, because they have a really mild, sort of generic "meat" flavor that goes so well with all different kinds of sauces and preparations. The gushiness does make that membrane freaking hard to peel off, though. One of the cooler things about them was the way they smelled when I blanched them - they made my kitchen smell like...essence of meat. So good. As for pasta, when it comes to dried, which is what I used last night, I'm a fan of De Cecco. I find that they have the best taste and texture for a good, low price. After all, the beauty of pasta is that I can pull five meals from a $1.50 box.

Whew! Dinner is over, the boys have gone home, and the dishes are done. Yessss! So, here's how it went down. After I defrosted the sweetbreads under lukewarm water, I followed Julia Child's directions for soaking and blanching them. I soaked them for two hours in cold water, changing the water every fifteen minutes or so, and then peeled the outer membrane off of them. Once I had the membranes off, I separated the lobes of the sweetbreads and removed the fatty thing that joins them. Then I cut them into smaller, nugget-sized pieces and soaked them in more cold water, this time with a tablespoon of cider vinegar. THEN, I blanched them in salted water, simmering them for 15 minutes and plunging them into cold water for five. Then I drained them and set them aside. Meanwhile, I made a simple alfredo sauce (four cloves of garlic, cup of cream, two tablespoons of butter, black pepper, all cooked down until thick and creamy) and set that aside. Just before serving, I dredged the sweetbreads in a little flour seasoned with pepper, fried them in a little butter, and drained them on paper towels to get rid of any greasiness. I cooked some capellini, tossed that with the alfredo sauce and some grated parmaggiano, and plated everything with the sweetbreads on top. While I was soaking the sweetbreads, I made the madeleines and the creme brulee. Here's the mixer churning up the custard for the creme brulee: And here are the dishes... And the cooling cremes! The madeleines took no time at all to go from this... ...to this. I pop the madeleines out of the pan and cool them on a paper towel, not a wire rack, in order to prevent any denting of the sponge cake! Before Miles and Hall arrived, I set the table and chilled the white wine (an Australian Riesling) - the boys also brought a German Riesling, so we barely dipped into my white. We had a great time - I hadn't seen them for about six weeks, since they've been traveling abroad. I got to hear about all their adventures, and they were great sports about watching me put the finishing touches on all the dishes. Of course, they especially enjoyed watching me torch the creme brulees - everyone's a pyro at heart, after all. Dinner was great - we started with the sweetbreads: With these, per Susan's suggestion, we drank a dry Riesling, and the pairing worked well! Next up were the lamb chops, which I started on my grill pan and finished in the oven. They were cooked to medium rare, and served with potatoes roasted in some schmaltz. We totally forgot to photograph those, though! We had the lamb chops with a bottle of Chianti. Nothing like the hair of the dog. Third course was a spinach salad with a sherry vinaigrette and caramelized shallots. This was really good, and quite pretty! Finally, we had the madeleines and the creme brulee. Hall has a big soft spot for madeleines, which is something I didn't know until today. I will definitely be making these for him again - whenever he wants - because he is just so cool. (Can you tell he's reading this? ) Because I'd been doing dishes as I went along, I only spent twenty minutes or so cleaning up after the boys left. We talked for ages once we were done with eating... So, that's all, folks! Tomorrow and the other remaining days of my blog promise to be somewhat calmer. We're supposed to get a little snow, so I hope to get to show you how pretty New York is with a dusting of white. You'll also get to follow me to the laundromat tomorrow (there will be coffee involved - a carrot and a stick, my friends), and to work on Monday. Blech.