Jesikka

On second thought, they're goosefat potatoes. Regardless, they're delicious. Also, I know there are other people on here who love Strip House, but they're being awfully quiet.

If you're not concerned about the winelist, I'd definitely go to Striphouse over any of the places mentioned on your list. The bone-in rib is fantastic and their creamed spinach is just unlike anything else in the world. The duck fat potatoes are awesome as well. I know they have mashed potatoes as well, but I've never tried them. You'd be close to lots of great parts of NY if you want to walk around/ go out afterwards or beforehand. Their desserts don't seem to be listed anywhere online, but I have seen people ordering the chocolate cake, which is an ABSURDLY large piece of chocolate cake (maybe 1/6 of a 10 inch round).

Is that supposed to be macaroons or macarons? I am under the impression that they are entirely different items.

Not because it's free. But I have eaten in a few truly abysmal places that I went to because I cared deeply for or respected greatly the person or people who wanted to go there. ← Yeah, you make an excellent point, phaelon56. I bet that Dave H went to that law school prom MANY YEARS AGO for exactly that reason and not for the food (which I bet he didn't even eat).

I read the last sentence of MB Shapiro's review of Del Posto and thought "yeah, but where wouldn't I go back if someone else were paying?" and then immediately a number of places came to mind. I think it's an interesting thread topic. Which restaurants do or would you refuse to go to even if someone else were paying the bill? For me this happens in two circumstances, optional corporate meals which are scheduled to be held at expensive but terrible restaurants and second or third date spots that cause me to either reevaluate my desire to go out with the individual or to suggest an alternative (call me shallow- but if my date can't pick a decent restaurant in NYC, we're prob not meant to be, especially since there are plenty of inexpensive places I'd be thrilled to be taken). Would most of you take a free meal just about anywhere? Any notable free meals you've skipped for the reasons I gave or for other reasons?

Dave H and I had a really great meal at AOC about a month ago. I would highly recommend it. I had lunch at Lucques about 6 months ago and didn't find it special at all. I know they're both Goin- but AOC was far far better. Dave H had a great meal at Spago a couple months ago, but you should PM him for details because I wasn't there. This sounds weird, but we had a great breakfast at some restaurant called Doughboys in the Melrose district. If you're planning on going South to Orange County, we had some awesome Vietnamese.

I know I shouldn't beat a dead horse, but I'll just post what Dave H once wrote about Magnolia cupcakes. It pretty much sums it up. "Magnolia's cupcakes are disgusting. It's not that I hate cupcakes: the ones from Sugar Sweet Sunshine in the LES are kind of good, for instance. I mean, they're fine. They stand up to the memories of cupcakes from my early childhood, which is probably an indication they're actually considerably better. It's just the cupcakes from Magnolia. They're revolting. I finally relented and tried one last spring, having avoided them for years out of a sincerely felt cultural disdain, although I'd certainly always assumed they tasted alright. It was late on a cold weekday evening (we were coming back from dinner at Delicia, a great, homey Brazilian place on W. 12th, but if you've ever eaten there you know the pace of the service is such that you don't get out until late), so by the time we passed Magnolia there was just a short line of callow 20-year-old girls outside, and a scrum of them within, fogging up the windows, loitering disorganizedly and pouncing every time a new tray of cupcakes was brought out from the back. A fresh tray of purple-headed ones came out. We grabbed one and quickly paid. I stepped outside and took a bite... ...and I was floored. It was perhaps the single worst-tasting thing I had ever put in my mouth. The icing is a dead-ringer for a block of vegetable shortening whipped with food coloring and tremendous quantities of sugar. Except that it's actually much sweeter than a mouthful of plain cane sugar, plus there's a faint chemical tinge. So more like shortening and industrial sucralose. Also I remember a hint of vomit taste. I stumbled forward in a haze, so paralyzed by shock that my body failed to do the obvious thing (spit it out and toss the rest). It was sort of like that point in the movie where a character gets shot in the chest when they least expect it, and they look down at the bullet hole with an expression of wonder and surprise. I was so stunned I took another bite, at least avoiding most of the icing out of self-preservation and instead getting almost all cake. In an evenly mixed bite, the sweetener-powered icing is so overwhelming that you can't taste anything else. But if you actually eat just the cake part you discover that it is coarse and dry to the point of tasting stale, closely resembling bad two-day old cornbread minus the corn taste. This was astonishing because it certainly seemed like the tray of cupcakes had just been iced, presumably somewhat fresh from the oven. But then everything about the experience was astonishing. Reflecting on Magnolia and its role in igniting New York's (and apparently now America's) inane cupcake trend fills me alternately with contempt for the human race and despair for its future."

Il posto accanto doesn't have a website. I think I gave you my menu suggestions above- the salad with asparagus, the squid, the pastas- esp the tagliolini and the scialiateli, the meatballs, the fish (the fish one ranges in quality but I almost always get it anyway), the broccoli rape, the spinach with golden raisins and pine nuts. All of those menu items are excellent. For brunch the uova en trippa is unbeatable for me, and Dave H loves the amitriciana and the carbonara. If you go for brunch, skip the coffee (don't ask why a place that is a perfect Italian replica in all other ways cannot make a decent espresso). The fabulous lasagne is only available Sundays.

I love squid. One of my favorite italian dishes is seppie di inziamo. Can you give me a price range on things...also I assume they don't take reservations? Have you tried Le Zie? ← I've eaten at Le Zie two times, and I didn't find either to be at all impressive. It seems like a neighborhood restaurant that people who live near it like for the people more than the food. Il Posto Accanto doesn't take reservations, and the service is definitely Italian (very laid back, bordering inattentive but extremely friendly). The pastas at Il Posto Accanto are about $11-13 for small share portions. Other dishes are somewhere in that range. I'd say two people would share 4-5 dishes, but it depends how hungry you are. Otto is also good, although I find it a bit too sceney and crazy for my taste. Il Posto Accanto has more of a neighborhood feel (though Otto is in my actual neighborhood).

Go to Il Posto Accanto. It's techically a wine bar but the food is generally excellent and the people are really wonderful. It gets crowded and doesn't take reservations, but it's a staple for me. Try the polpettine, the scialliateli, the lasagne (if they have it or you can convince them to give it to you), the salad with asparagus that I forget the name of and the squid. All of the pastas are good and some are excellent. It's also my favorite spot for brunch. I've had bad experiences the last two times I was at Lupa, but they were long ago.

No, I can definitely see how going to dinner with *Frank Bruni* could get old. I mean, the guy is a pretty picky eater from what I can tell.

Maybe it's just that I have a pretty small appetite, so I'm accustomed to giving up my food after a few bites. I can only think of a few instances where I've really not wanted to share my food, but if I were getting it for free I doubt I'd be complaining. I'd assume that part of dining with a food critic is a willingness to eat anything, no? I can't really imagine Frank dines with a bunch of people who ask for dressing on the side and no bread. Maybe you guys see it, but I'm just not really feeling the pain of being a friend of the reviewer.

"As for the reviewer's dining companions, it's not quite the gravy train you might picture. I'm sure his companions appreciate being taken along, but everybody at the table gets drafted into helping the critic do his job. Eating with a critic isn't like eating with a civilian: you have to order whatever he wants to try, and if you happen to get an appetizer or entree you really like, too bad — after one or two bites you have to pass your plate over so the critic can have a taste. And then it gets passed to the next person, so that delicious lobster salad you loved so much will be gone before you know it. I've gone along with Frank Bruni on his rounds a few times and while he's as gracious as anyone could be, I still feel cheated about passing a good plate of food to somebody else. And if there's one dish on the table that absolutely everybody hates? That will be the one that I end up with when the passing stops. It's like musical chairs, but with overcooked lamb. " Gee, I really feel for the poor dining companions who are going out on the dime of the NY Times. They don't get to eat every bite of the food they order. It's almost like...dining with my friends. Are these answers for real? Also, shouldn't you want someone with the expertise of a NY Times food critic choosing the dishes?

There doesn't seem to be any real coverage of it yet, but Gothamist has an article about Goldfarb's new kiosk in Battery Park. Great quote from the article: "We wanted to create food that was healthy, but not overly healthy." http://gothamist.com/2007/07/24/picnic_at_batte.php There's no mention of whether Goldfarb will be doing dessert and little discussion of the food. Edited to show correct location.

You're not far from the Bryant Park 'wichcraft at the Waldorf. If you have time you could walk to Zibetto on 6th ave btw 56/57 for a good espresso drink (they have croissants and such but I haven't tasted them). There are also great breakfast items at Bouchon Bakery in Time Warner, but that depends on your definition of "near." Other than that it's all Cafe Europas and Au Bon Pains- yech.

There aren't many, but there are a few good options for fish entrees under $20. Craftbar has fish entrees right around that price range. I also love the fish moilee from Bricklane, but I'm not sure if that counts. Tides has entrees around $20 and just over. At Momofuku Ssam you should order the artichokes, the scallops and the hamachi. You can't really go wrong with anything, though. The Benton's ham is great, but I'm not sure if it's on the menu right now. And the chawanmushi. Ok, this is making me hungry. Just go- it may be the best meal you'll have in NY. Stopping into WD-50 for dessert is a great way to experience the restaurant without paying the full tab. Alex Stupak has been turning out some really excellent stuff since he's settled in at the restaurant.

I was at Yasuda for lunch on Friday (just a couple days after the steam pipe broke) and the place was jammed. I don't think Yasuda has anything to worry about at all. New Yorkers are pretty tough- we can walk around a giant steam pipe explosion to get to good sushi and big snowstorms/minor disasters are notoriously the best time to snag reservations at places we can't usually get into.

It seems to be here: http://www.winechateau.com/vsku1002713.html and here: http://www.shoppersvineyard.com/mariebriza...acao-32924.html I didn't try buying either of those, but they both appear to ship to NY. I'm sure you'll overpay, but that's entirely up to you. Shoppers vineyard also seems to be in NJ very close to the city. I know Pegu Club uses it, so maybe you could talk to them about where you might get it or if they'd let you buy a bottle or something.

Is there a reason you don't want to buy it online? A quick search showed a number of sites that sell it.

Is "Vanguardist" the new avant garde which was the new molecular gastronomy? Is the food getting so innovative that it can't be captured by a term that lasts for more than 3 months? I'm a big fan of the cooking, but the words are getting a little too post-modern for my taste.

I'd recommend Blue Hill (or even Blue Hill at Stonebarns); Momofuku Ssam; Il Posto Accanto (wonderful little wine bar that is great for Sunday brunch or weeknight dinner); Babbo (I mean, why not do the Batali thing as long as you're here); the Bar Room at the Modern; Per Se; Katz's; the union square greenmarket (our tiny little version of the markets all over Paris, but probably interesting for you); Strip House (my favorite for steak); Little Pepper (sichuan in Flushing, Queens); Sripraphai (Thai in Woodside, Queens) and Frannies (pizza in Brooklyn). If you have specific categories definitely ask. In Chicago Alinea is a can't miss. I found my dinner at Moto to be too sweet for my liking, but others disagree.

IMO none of these places are very good. Tartine is mostly known for being BYO. The food is not anything special at all (nor is it cheap for what it is). Westville is comfort food that is not that expensive, but you mostly get what you pay for. I think the standout places in that immediate area are Little Owl, Perry Street, Mas, Delicia Brazil (be prepared to wait while they go to the ocean and get your camarones) and some things at Spotted Pig. Little Branch has good but inconsistent drinks, and Pegu Club is not far. Sethro is at Perilla now- so go there to try his desserts. I'd love to hear another food report as well. I thought it had a lot of potential immediately after opening. Nathan covered your options quite well. If you're looking to walk a bit cross town, I recommend dim sum at Chinatown Brasserie, Il Posto Accanto (wine bar) and Blue Hill. There's also Soto for avant garde sushi (though I'd still spend my money at Ushi Wakamaru- and Sushi Yasuda would be even better). It all depends what you're looking for.

Does anyone have any inside info on this opening? Can it possibly be THAT quiet with NYMag covering Sam's every move?

Quality Meats serves a pretty delicious crabcake.

Dave H and I are taking a trip to California the first week of July. Although we haven't planned many details, here's what we know: We are flying into Orange County and spending two nights with my family there. We'll spend the next night (Monday) in LA with my cousin. After that, we were thinking maybe a night in either Santa Barbara or Pasa Robles and then a night in Monterey. We have to be in Los Gatos by Thursday for our reservation at Manresa, at which point we'll head to San Francisco. We have dinner reservations for Sunday at Chez Panisse. We may spend a night in Napa or Sonoma at some point. We'd like to get to Ad Hoc. We're leaving Monday. We'd like to go to as many wineries as makes sense along the way and during the week. Neither of us knows a ton about wine tourism in California, though Dave H knows a good amount about California wines. Can you make suggestions that fit within our parameters? We'd definitely like to know wineries with great value and less on the radar screen, as well as big name wineries that actually do tours/tastings (most don't seem to). I don't need to see a billion vineyards- I've seen a lot of vineyards already. We're also looking for great ethnic and cheap eats along the way. Have at it- thanks.