Megan Blocker

That project sounds amazing, Maggie! I am doing a gingerbread house this year, but only a very humble amateur one. My oldest friend, Caroline, and I have made gingerbread houses almost every year since we were about 5. We were going to do our first solo venture this year (sans Caroline's mom), but decided we weren't quite ready. She's trekking in from Connecticut to help us! Pics to come next weekend...

I sense a Daniel-style road trip in the offing!

Maybe follow the StudioKitchen model? Or, at least, what I understand that model to be...have seatings of five to ten people, a couple of nights a week...make it seem like dinner parties. I definitely think that if anyone can pull it off, it's the two of you. You'd keep the place booked via eGullet alone, dude. And sign me UP! I want the bacon bread pudding, stat!

Yes, I definitely get lots of support from my family. My mother and my aunt (my mother's sister-in-law), especially, are wonderful cooks, and are always up for a discussion about food. My brother works in theatre, and when my mom comes to town, he picks the shows, and I pick the restaurants. And we always have at least one night when it's all about the food, no show allowed. My friends are almost all as into food as I am - and the ones that aren't are a bit like SuzySushi's husband - they love to eat, I love to cook, so it all works out in the end!

Here's a link to the post Pontormo references above!

New York really is the smallest big city in the world! I think this was me... It can definitely be strange dining alone the first few times - it certainly was for me. I guess my point was more: don't worry that other people are finding it odd. If you don't like it for other reasons, that's one thing, but at least you don't have to be concerned about what the folks at the next table are thinking! Maybe that advice shows a bit of my own idiosyncrasies... Glad you had a good dinner!

It's been a long week of fussy holiday and wedding food, so I was ready for something pure and simple. Steak cooked to medium rare, tossed salad with a very simple vinaigrette, and broccolini with garlic, olive oil and red pepper flakes.

To address one small part of your post, jackal10, I've always thought Jello salad was a way to bring the idea of a traditional aspic to the less skilled or motivated among us. Problem is, it doesn't taste like a good aspic at all (obviously). That said, I actually like Jello, without gloppo in it.

Interesting to see the native perspective, Megan. I'm not exactly sure where this New England WASP affinity for convenience product comes from, but there has to be a reason for it. ← I'm tellin' ya - the less fuel it takes to cook, the more us cheap Yankee bastards like it. We LOVE canned foods. Thank goodness things have changed, though. And, to be fair, fresh local produce was always a focus at my grandparents' house - blueberries, corn, tomatoes, etc. in the summertime. But, again - this was abundantly available and, therefore, cheap. Oh, man, my mom is gonna read this and I'm gonna get in trouble for talking about her secret love of tuna casserole. Potato chips - not cornflakes - on the top.

I think you've found the lyrics for your own, personal theme song, Kathleen!

Ummmm...ok. How to begin. I am a WASP. Raised in Greenwich, CT, attended boarding school, the whole nine yards. Even had the same dog groomer as Bush Sr.'s mother for a while (she was really nice and told me all sorts of fun stories, all too political to relate here). A few weeks ago, I had the bittersweet task of helping to clean out my grandparents' house in Connecticut (bitter because they're leaving the Northeast; sweet because it was neat to see all the cool old stuff that's been in the backs of closets for 30-odd years) and decided to go through the cookbooks. I found a few gems (Craig Claiborne's The New York Times' Food Encyclopedia , Julia Child's Julia and Company), but the real treasure was my grandmother's recipe box. I did not see a single card in there that didn't call for at least one can of Campbell's. In my experience, it has really only been the baby-boomer generation of WASPy folk that has widely embraced good food (my mother among them). We Northeasterners (and, yes, the Bushes are from the Northeast, no matter what accents they've developed in recent years) were raised to save money, buy what lasts, and heat the house only as much as necessary. Yankees can be awful cheap in very odd ways (and, yes, I realize I'm stereotyping here). My grandparents certainly appreciate a good meal, but they would rather eat cheaply than well, no matter how well they've done for themselves over the years. I think it's generational, and this cookbook definitely seems to be put together by the chef to the older generation of Bushes... ETA: They may not eat like this one a regular basis, but it definitely strikes me as typically greatest-generation-WASPy. My grandparents have graduated to other kinds of food, certainly, but their cookbooks never did.

Where's Ling and her korova cookie dough? I will not be cooking ahead, only because I have too much going on...my only free nights are right before I need to bring cookies in to give them out. Oy. I'm psyched, though, because I'll be making Chufi's speculaas for the folks at the office!

Sit at the bar, sit at the bar! Places you can do this...Union Square Cafe, Eleven Madison Park, Craft, Hearth (at the kitchen pass), Gramercy Tavern, Ouest, Bar Etats-Unis (across 81st Street from the restaurant)... It's also totally normal to see someone sitting at a table by themselves, reading a book. You could do it in plenty of places and not feel weird at all. New York is full of single people flaunting their singledom (this one included), so it's hardly unusual to see someone seated alone, with reading material or without.

OMG...drool! Abra, this is amazing! I'm now ticked at myself for defrosting a steak for tonight. All I want is Thai! That "bland" soup sounds like just the thing for the colds going around NYC at the moment...

Wasn't butchering it part of the quest, though? However, I agree - you've done it once. Unless you really enjoyed the butchering part, no point in doing it over...

First, let me say how thrilled we all are to have you with us this week! I have been a huge fan of yours ever since first reading Tender at the Bone, and I am very excited about this spotlight conversation! Along lines similar to Vinfidel's question, I'd like to ask this one: Over the course of your whole career, what has been your favorite restaurant review to write, and why? Was it reviewing a restaurant you particularly loved, or one you particularly reviled? Maybe the opportunity to introduce people to a new cuisine? Or perhaps the character you had assumed for the job?

Thanks, guys! It's good to be back, Daniel - this ends a five-wedding streak (three in the last three months), and I could not be happier. Sweet relief! That cake looks excellent, PatrickS...yummmmm.

Like Kevin, I did not realize the difference between "Free Range" and "100% Organic." Grrr...so, not only do I now need to pay more, but I feel bad for eating the chickens I've been eating! Sigh. This was a good article - I'd never thought about the mad cow possibilities of ground beef before. I'm now going to be sure to follow their lead and just have my selected cut ground for me...

I always make some mulled cider - unless I want my brother to disown me, it's a requirement. I've never made mulled wine, though, and now I'm eager to try. I'll wait till Katie and Daniel weigh in on Chris' question above, though!

I'll add my voice to the chorus - thank you so much for this wonderful blog, Lucy! I'm already eager for the next...

Last night, wedding cake (my mom's - it was carrot)!

This morning, a plain croissant and a pain au chocolat...yum.

Alinka, those desserts were incredible! Wow.

Have fun, lostmyshape! It's a real good time... Made myself a Fitty-Fitty here in Florida (stuck here for Turkey Day and a wedding) - it was good, but not nearly as good as the one at Pegu!

Beautiful dinner, Chufi! I can smell the pasta all the way from here (which, this week, means Florida, which is even further than usual!).