Megan Blocker

I made the toasted bread pudding from the Gourmet Cookbook the other night, but have been having trouble posting photos since then! I didn't have quite enough cream in the house, so it was a little dry, but I think I liked it better that way - more like bread soaked in goodness than goodness studded with bread. The first night (the half-recipe lasted me three days), when it came out of the oven all toasty and good, I topped it with a little creme fraiche.

New York Magazine Digest - 1/30/06 News flash! New York Magazine has a new website. The location is the same (www.NYMetro.com), but the look and feel have changed significantly. As a result, the new content was late in coming, but was finally posted yesterday! I will note, though, that the restaurant search functions still seem to be a little haywire... Reviews Adam Platt takes on Telepan, Bill Telepan's new venture on W. 69th Street. Like Tom Valenti before him, Telepan has ventured northward, striving to bring "downtown" cooking (which Platt notes as "preciously highbrow") to the UWS masses. Platt is a particular fan of the coddled eggs and the lobster-braised halibut, and says that though the "rustic theme feels a bit derivative," the food is still very good. And for that, he awarded it two stars.* For your further enjoyment, here's a link to the eGullet thread on Telepan. Openings and Buzz Openings for the Week of January 30, 2006 Included this week is the Philly to New York transplant Morimoto, along with Novo, Ssam Bar, Pala and the Hampton Chutney Co. Morimoto: Novo: Ssam Bar: Pala: Hampton Chutney Co.: Quick Bites The Sandwich Chronicle Jerry Seinfeld has finally fulfilled his ultimate dream and secured his legacy: a sandwich has been named after him by Peanut Butter & Co. in the Village. The ingredients? A toasted (H&H) bagel, peanut butter, honey and cinammon. Kraut Control Spots all over the city celebrate February by worshipping the Alsatian classic choucroute garni. Places to indulge include Les Halles, Jarnac and Brasserie Ruhlmann. Halftime Extravaganza Not surprisingly, restaurants all over the city are offering haute Superbowl catering. Hearth is offering a special menu, Blue Smoke is in on the game with mac and cheese and a selection of barbecue items, and 'wichcraft is doing platters. Recipes No doubt in anticipation of the football-related gorging anticipated this weekend, two recipes are on offer: one for the onion-y dip served with bread at Cookshop, and one for chili con carne by way of Maremma. Ask Gael We're Hungry for Comfort on the Upper East Side... Gael visits Francesco Antonucci’s new spot, Antonucci's, which features a more Americanized menu than his cooking at Remi might suggest. *Thanks to oakapple for the info!

Eat Drink Man Woman and Chocolat are my two favorites, and I've been meaning to rent Mostly Martha for ages!

An old GF worked at a resort on the Canadian border one summer. The owner's wife was a notoriously heavy smoker, and my GF claimed to have witnessed her keeping one arm outside the curtain with a lit cigarette while she showered. SB (never was that bad) ← Now, that's a character-defining moment for someone's next movie or novel.

Oh, wow, you guys. Good luck - this is fantastic. Group therapy to the nth degree. You can do it!

I love making salad, but HATE washing the lettuce. It's always the first job I give away to unsuspecting volunteers.

That is so true, though - I always find salad to be one of the weirder things to eat at someone else's house. Maybe because we always had a tossed salad with dinner growing up, but I have very particular expectations about what goes in (at least lettuce, some form of onion, and preferably cukes and tomatoes), what doesn't (carrots, celery, mushrooms), and how it should all be cut, that I sometimes get freaked out eating someone else's salad. I mean, it's not an issue, and I usually end up really enjoying it, but it's a lot stranger to me than, say, eating steak that someone else grilled.

I think you have me beat here, but I think we all have our "things." For instance, I'm more than happy to serve store-bought hummous (Eli's Garlic is one of my faves), but I would never buy pre-made guacamole or salsa. I'll serve bakery-bought bread to my guests, but never a dessert that isn't homemade. And so on. We all have our sticking points. If what you do brings you joy (rather than pain), then I say forget about therapy and bring on the artisanal goodness!

GORGEOUS, Patrick. Wow.

Oh, yeah, way longer than that - I've been buying it since before I moved to New York, which is coming up on 5 years ago...

Add one for me! Just got a belated Christmas present - the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.

Well, just got back from a brisk walk in the chilly weather (about time, too - it's the end of January, for Pete's sake!). My destination? Starwich, at 53rd and Lex (downstairs in the Citicorp Center). This outpost is pretty small, just the kitchen counter, one cashier, a high bar with stools, and a few ottomans and tables in the corner. It wasn't too busy, though, and my friend and I were one of only three groups who got their sandwiches to stay. There was even a group of (what looked like) businessmen having a meeting in the corner, true to Starwich's goal of providing a space that can serve as a professional meeting place. I had the pomegranate and juniper glazed chicken sandwich, which was served on semolina and raisin bread and garnished with a shallot confit mousse and an endive and frisee salad. It was really, really good. There was a bit too much of the shallot mousse for my taste, but other than that, I can't fault it. The bread was sliced thick enough to hold up to the sandwich, but thin enough to get nice and crispy when toasted. The overall taste of the sandwich was sort of sweet and oniony, no surprise what with the raisins, caramelized shallots and fruit-glazed chicken, I guess! My favorite part was that the sandwich was not overstuffed. I hate having to pull meat or veggies off of a sandwich because the thing is just too big to fit into my mouth. This sandwich managed to be really filling without being overwhelming - definitely worth the $8.95 I paid for it. Can't wait to see what their UES outpost looks like - I sense many a Saturday afternoon visit in my future!

Wow...homemade bagels...you rock, Darcie. Fabulous blog - it's great to see so much baking!!!

I'm with lia on this - the bun xao with chicken is a favorite comfort food of mine (though, I have to admit, it's one of the few things I think is better at L'Annam on Third Avenue in the 20's, but that's obviously too far for delivery ). I've lived within a few blocks (albeit in two different apartments) of the UES location for about three years now, and I'm completely addicted. I also enjoy number 12, the barbecued spare ribs with plum sauce. These come with some pickles, too, and are meaty and goooood. Another couple of favorites are the banh hoi (number 81), which is similar to the bun Steven describes upthread - except that the noodles are steamed. I get this one when I'm feeling guilty about the stir-friedness of the bun xao. I'm a sucker for Vietnamese food - you slap chilis and nuoc cham on anything, and I'll eat it up like it's manna from heaven. I just love the spicy, salty and sweet altogether. Mmm-mmmm good.

Did you attach a recipe? I didn't see it (of course I am sort of slow at all this internet stuff...) ← Sara, let me first say - thanks for joining us! To find the recipe Sandy refers to, just click on the words "this recipe that was posted on Epicurious.com." He's made them into a link to the recipe...

Thanks for the fabulous blog, Ellen - good luck in your new place!

Here's an item from an L.A. blog, instructing Manhattanites on how to maximize our Trader Joe's exposure... Click! Seems we should target party foods, frozen products and exotic produce...not sure how popular some of that will be with the eGulleteers. I suppose it depends on how good it all actually is!!! I'm very eager to decide for myself.

For details and pics, click here. My cousin lives next door, above Aldo - close call!

Thanks, Susan! I'm the same way...as a single gal, it's hard to go through a whole loaf of bread before it turns stale. I don't eat breakfast during the week, so toast is out - but if I do submit to the craving, I usually end up making either bread pudding or french toast before the week is out. And you bet I'd be up for showing you around! Starwich is only the beginning!

Can I ask what you're making for the men?

Isn't a sandwich elevated from the pedestrian by what you put on it? Seriously, though - sandwiches are really just an efficient delivery system for whatever you put between the bread (the bread, of course, is also important), and can be incredibly delicious. It's not formal, it's not fine dining, but that don't mean it ain't dang tasty. I spend so much on my Pax salad every day (about $8.50), that I don't have such a problem with the Starwich prices. Work this week was too insane to allow me to trot down to Lexington for lunch, but I'm definitely putting it on the agenda for next week!

Daniel, nobody really cares if you go to TJ's or not... ← I think Katie does... ETA: And I do, too!

Exactly! I mean, at least she's used to cooking under pressure...that should make her an asset. Unlike, say, chefs who've worked in restaurant kitchens.

Ditto! You could live in my old office building... click! Very convenient to many subway lines, good shopping, and great restaurants, high and low.