Noodlebot

I like Zerza. I went a couple of times this summer, and food was consistently good, though a bit salty on some dishes.

Made it today around 11:30. My boyfriend and I were one of 3 tables when we arrived, one of 5-6 when we left. There were about 5-6 hovering wait staff as well. I loved my classic burger w/cheddar. It was cooked rare (no one asked how I wanted my burger) with a nice seared crust that added texture to the burger. My boyfriend had the blt burger w/fries. His patties were more medium; he liked it, but didn't think it was worth the price tag. He ordered his burger w/fries, which were of the shoe string variety, but meatier than fast food fries. While we ate, 3 people sent back their food, so perhaps the restaurant was having consistency issues.

Oh, that's annoying--I was hoping for a quick counter service type place. I guess I'll wait a few months to try this one.

This isn't a table service place, right? I couldn't tell from what I've read.

There are a lot of great chocolate shops in the city. I agree with the suggestions of Kee's and Pierre Marcolini. La Maison du Chocolat is great, and Jacques Torres is fun My parents once ordered the mille crepes cake from Lady M to be sent home for a holiday, and I thought it was fantastic. When I visited the store and tried a different cake, I wasn't as enthused. I think it can be hit or miss. I really like Payard, and there's lots of eye candy in the store. For Italian pastries, I'm a fan of Rocco on Bleecker St. The tasting menu at Danube is very good, although the atmosphere is a bit stuffy. For lower end Austrian food, I love Blaue Gans. I haven't made it to Wallse yet, but I've heard great things. Upstairs at Bouley I haven't been to in a while, but I'm a big fan. I haven't been to Jean Georges for lunch, but some other good picks are Bouely and Fleur de Sel Babbo is great. I haven't done the pasta tasting menu, and I'm not sure I would go that route. Although pasta is supposed to be some of the best food on the menu, I've heard that after a few plates of pasta after pasta it can get monotonous. If you're interested in more relaxed Italians, I recommend Peasant and Apizz (same owners), Crispo, and Cacio e Pepe. I think Blue Smoke is OK, but nothing I'd waste a trip to New York on. I've heard that RUB is better for BBQ (though inconsistent), but I haven't made it yet.

9th Ave around 22d St. You should find it on Google.

For basic cakes I like Billy's and Amy's. For French style pastries, Payard is great. For croissants, try Patisserie Claude or La Bergamote.

Right. I thought it was particularly unfair given that Bruni admitted that he'd heard the fan's comment through hearsay: "A recent comment that a reader posted raised the worthy subject of attention given big versus small restaurants, and said that the restaurant Uovo, on its website, partially blamed its closing on such a lack of attention. I hadn’t seen that website; I’ll take the reader’s word for it."

That's a perfectly reasonable explanation, but I thought that the pot-shots at the now-defunct Uovo were really unfair.

I haven't been to Paris Commune, but I have been to Blue Owl a few times. The place is pretty small, but I have never been when it was overly crowded or when I couldn't find a seat. There are comfy chairs in the lounge, and the drinks are good.

My boyfriend and I went to Lonesome Dove tonight and had a very good experience. We made reservations on Opentable this evening (around 7) for a table at 10, and were promptly seated when we arrived. The good service continued at our table. Our server was incredibly friendly and helpful throughout the meal. We ordered the prairie butter (bone marrow) w/camp bread (like a fluffy pita) and scallops with dutch oven corn sauce to start. I love bone marrow, and the prairie butter didn't disappoint. The scallops (my favorite food) were perfectly cooked, and we loved the corn sauce. The only downside to the appetizers was an excess of salt. Luckily, this didn't carry through to the entrees. My boyfriend ordered the pork tenderloin w/onion rings and spicy mashed potatoes. The tenderloin was cooked medium rare, as ordered. It was very tender, with a nice smoky flavor. The onion rings were great, but my boyfriend complained that the mashed potatoes were a bit spicy for his taste. I had the monkfish in posole stew with lobster bacon. Monkfish is easy to overcook, but the Lonesome Dove didn't make that mistake. My piece of fish was snow white and tender. I really liked the lobster bacon too (basically smoked lobster). Although our food at LD was well-portioned, and we were very full at this point, we decided to share a dessert. There was no dessert menu--our waitress read the options too us, including a spicy chocolate cake, an ice cream sandwich, a fruit plate, and a flan. We had the chocolate bread pudding, which had a taste of apple and cinnamon that made the dish surprisingly light for what it was. I'll definitely be back.

I like it--it's quick and interesting reading.

You need a # to get into Milk & Honey. The same owners also own Little Branch in the W Vill and East Side Company Bar on the LES.

This is sad news. I wish I'd been more often in recent months.

The Italian grocery store in Chelsea Market always has a selection in stock. I've never had them, so I can't vouch for freshness. I think Fauchon has them as well. I thought Elk Candy had closed?

gnocchi are excellent at Lupa

Lupa

I agree that the food quality is bolstered by atmosphere at USQ. I did a birthday dinner there too. When they put the wrong name in chocolate on the dessert plate, I complained after the fact and ended up getting a $100 gift certificate for our trouble.

Not all the bings are available all day. I tired to stop in around 1-ish for a banana bing one day last week and they didn't have it or the red bean bing--only savories. I wonder if the sweet ones are limited to earlier in the day.

I'm not sure about Murray's--I haven't been recently. Sneakeater's right about the place I was talking about.

There are a lot of potential stops on the strip of Bleecker between 6th and 7th, including Murray's Cheese, Rocco's, Cones, and Amy's. Patisserie Claude is also nearby. Some other random ideas: the new bing place on W 3d right off of 6th past the basketball courts. Peanut Butter Company can be sort of fun. Porto Rico for coffee. The Chocolate Bar....

Other difference being that you pay a lot less to be treated poorly.

"But that could just be the waiter, and not because you looked a certain way. I used to think staff were rude or nasty to me because I am young and therefore look like I'm not going to spend. I used to be really touchy about it. Then I started paying attention when shopping and eating out with my mom, who is older, successful, and looks it, and realized that it has nothing to do with it. Some people are just obnoxious." He definitely was rude in general, but the fact that he warmed up slightly after we ordered what we did led me to believe his initial rudeness was based on assumptions he'd made about us.

It's even worse when a restaurant looks down on you DESPITE your attire. I went to Danube for my last birthday with my boyfriend. We're both young and perhaps didn't look as monied as some of the other patrons there, but I wore a nice dress and expensive shoes, my boyfriend nice pants with an expensive dress shirt and nice shoes. Despite ordering the tasting menu w/wine pairings and spending over $400, our waiter was incredibly snooty and sarcastic throughout dinner. Luckily, after a few glasses of wine, we were able to ignore the attitude and have a good time, but the experience did leave me w/a sour taste in my mouth.

I tried to stop by to take a look today around 4:45. According to a sign in their window, the dining room is open at 5:30, but the chocolate shop is open starting at noon. It certainly wasn't open at 4:45, and there was a confused crowd outside wondering what was going on.