weinoo

This is exactly what I (would) do.

Can you buy me one?

Did some mega company buy Chobani?

You've got a slight variation on the Little Italy - it's actually a rye-based cocktail.

Well...almost a Little Italy, but probably still great.

What do you have already? What kind of cooking do you do? Before "gadgets," I'd invest in 2 good knives - a chef's knife (or something similar) and a paring knife. A few saucepans (say 1 & 3 quart), an 8" and 10" frying pan, maybe a larger (8 qt) soup/stock pot. When I first started cooking seriously, I bought a Chinese cleaver and a good wok, and cooked practically everything with those. It's the cook, not the kitchen, making the food.

It's a diner. Of course they're going to take care of their regulars - that's what keeps them in business.

The Ascaso is probably a good $40 - $50 higher than the high end of this. AS everyone else has mentioned, other than budget, what kind of coffee will you be brewing?

What's your budget?

I don't seem to run into this problem. When I buy a package of something that is pre-weighed and priced, I'll often throw it on a scale before I get to the checkout counter. Or if a bag of, say, baby red potatoes says 1.5 pounds, you can pretty much judge by holding the bag if one is larger than another, no? If I have been mischarged at the register, or if someone rings up an incorrect produce item, or if the produce price doesn't match what the sign on the produce says, I bring it up right then and there, and they correct the mistake. I remember when I lived in California and shopped at Safeway - it was kind of in the early days of scanners for checkout. They had a policy that if the scanned price didn't match the price marked in the aisle or on the item, you got it for free. I used to do pretty well back then!

I get my za'atar at Kalustyan's, which (I think) also sells all the individual ingredients if you want to make your own. I make these by brushing with olive oil, sprinkling with za'atar and salt, and toasting in the Steam Girl.

I'm always thinking fresh, but I realize how much of a pain in the ass they will be to transport. And actually, I can now get good quality frozen Hatch chiles - they sell 'em (Young Guns Produce) at Kalustyan's - which might not be a bad place to check out - they carry a dizzying array of spices, herbs, barks, roots, etc. Since you'll be staying in Astoria, and the event is in Brooklyn, you're going to be doing a fair amount of schlepping.

Egullet member docsconz has been cooking on coals for a while and writing about it too.

I think for Manhattan dim sum, it's all pretty average. Jing Fong. Oriental Garden. Maybe try some hand-pulled or peel noodles instead?

I'd certainly be more than willing to meet you at Mission Chinese. Fung-Tu might be another interesting choice. Booker & Dax is great, as is Dead Rabbit. By the time you get here, Kenta Goto's Goto should be open on Eldridge St., and that will be a good place, I'm predicting. There are so many serious cocktail places, that it's hard to pick one or two. From Pouring Ribbons, to mace, to my old favorite Pegu, you really can't go wrong. Semilla is taking a fair amount of flak from some knowledgeable food people. Dim Sum - Nom Wah, if you must in Manhattan. DS Go Go is as patrick said above. Contra's people have opened a new, a la carte place right next door...WildAir. Dined there Saturday night, and liked a lot of the food. Great wines. What about some classics, like Gramercy Tavern - the Tavern Room is awesome, with great cocktails? Or the NoMad Bar or EMP? Rebelle is one of my favorite openings of the year. Others say it's Chevalier. And Gabriel Kreuther's opened a new place, while his last place, The Modern, still gets lots of happy people. They're not new, but still good are Ssam Bar and Noodle Bar, and Ko, at a different level, is excellent. Roberta's (and Blanca) are great. Can you bring me some Hatch chiles? Eataly is a fun stop, early in the day.

pizza bianca

My point is that to disregard things like lavash, pide, focaccia, pizza, etc. is to disregard what millions of people eat as their daily bread.

Yep, good old lazy testing and reporting.

Why? In my opinion, pizza is a much a bread as Wonder Bread is. It's a yeast risen dough, correct? What about lavash? Pide? Pita? Focaccia? Are they not "commonly consumed as 'bread'?"

Watermelon, tomato, cucumber, parsley and feta salad. Served with: Za'atar and olive oil pita crisps. And - Watermleon Salad.

Pizza's not bread?

Ditto. This is pretty great too:

New Haven, Ct. - Pepe's Clam Pizza Isn't there a tomato pie from New Jersey as well?

New York City - as mentioned above, bagels. But also - Bialys. Real Jewish rye bread - back in the day - corn rye. And NY style pizza. San Francisco - sourdough made famous by Boudin Bakery.

Simo Kuusisto's Finnish Ruis Bread - Nordic Breads. Available at various locations around NYC and elsewhere. Photo from Nordic Breads website: