Megan Blocker

I headed across town this afternoon to check out GROM...though the gelato is no longer free, the line was still pretty long... It only took about 15 minutes to get up to the counter, where I ordered a small, half tiramisu and half zabaione. The tiramisu was good, sort of a coffee gelato with chocolate chips and lady finger bits. The zabaione was fantastic - boozy and creamy.

Huge, one might say. For steak fries, theirs are, in fact, quite tasty (at least over here on 2nd).

Yup, they're on OpenTable!

Further to Sneak's March update, they have named a new chef at Alchemy...it's Paul Nanni, who arrives by way of Aquavit. They're also now serving brunch on Saturdays and Sundays (11-4), and have added frog's legs to the menu.

And Regional takes reservations, but Celeste doesn't...

Probably Alouette, I imagine. There's Regional, which is Italian, at 98th and Broadway (on the west side of the street). I've eaten there twice, though not terribly recently - it was solid both times. I'll second Pan's Pampa recommendation.

I was out of town during the blackout in 2003. I came home to a working air conditioner, but my power, according to my neighbors, had been out for almost 48 hours and had just come back on about an hour before my return. My fridge was still cold, and the stuff in the freezer had barely started to melt. Amazing.

They're not very big, though the butter has an extremely high fat content (which is why it's so delicious). Moreover, since it's Per Se, the rolls are brought to the table rather than left there in a basket, so you're unlikely to have more than one.

The Times has an article on GROM in the Dining section today... Click!

I had lunch on Monday, but the couple next to me had eggs Benedict...looked fabulous.

Carrot cake macarons?! I must try these. ← Yes, you must - you really, really must. Go soon - they're seasonal, I think!

Cuz it's purty? According to Wikipedia, it's lemonade with grenadine added... Click!

Entranced by the macarons I was given as a parting gift at Per Se the other night, I made my first (!) visit to Bouchon Bakery yesterday to buy some. I tried the carrot cake (lovely, and not too sweet), vanilla (oooh, the buttercream) and the chocolate. I found the chocolate delicious but a bit rich for me - the vanilla (for which there's a recipe in the Bouchon Cookbook) were divine, if a tad stale. Good stuff.

I made my first fritatta this week - how easy is that?!?! I just love the technique - like my trusty lefotver salad, it lends itself so well to just tossing in whatever's in the fridge. I had some leftover spaghetti, so I added that, some tomatoes, garlic, onion and basil, and a bit of parm. So easy, and so good.

I have a feeling Platt is referring to his own review of Momofuku Ssam, specifically this bit: So he says offal, but he really means pork, liver, headcheese - all things unapologetically MEATY.

I just hate cleaning mine.

That's too bad...as it becomes less and less about the food... served in a sugar-glass test-tube or not... ← But maybe that's what's happening - that it's becoming more about the food and less about the setting and trappings? Or is that too simplistic?

I think this really speaks to Platt's last comment about burning the brush to clear the way...it's almost certainly not the end of fine dining in New York, but it's probably the end of its current era/incarnation. How it will appear in its next form is an interesting topic for debate.

An interesting post on Grub Street yesterday aims to identify the reasons why the NYC dining scene seems a bit, well, dull these days, at least from a buzz perspective. Among other things, he notes "the end of haute cuisine," the fact that "the city costs too damn much," and "the Vegas effect." Have a read over here, and chime in with your thoughts on Platt's hypotheses...

Looks like this story is over, folks: A link to Eater's coverage, and one to Gawker's.

There's a story on this in the NY Times, as well:

Don't leave us hangin'! What did you pick?

I like them best crispy...made them during my first foodblog, and they weren't too hard to work with. The tricky part was getting the membrane off. Here's the post where I talk about making them: click! Up to the dredging and sauteeing, I took the method from Julia Child.

And just re-opened with new ownership (same folks who own Cookshop)...check it out!

How about the new Landmarc in the TWC? May not be quite as fancy as you're going for, but based on the photos, it probably has a great view... Again, perhaps too casual, but La Goulue (64th and Madison) is a natural choice for lunch. davidburke & donatella is open for lunch on Saturdays, as is Tocqueville down on 15th Street. Some of these aren't strictly midtown, but they're easily accessible...