bergerka

Like hell you will. *sweet smile* Well, you know, y'all are always more than welcome to show up as lab rats...oops...volunteer judges! Bring the kids.

No no NO NO NO, damn it, I get to be Leia. Marlene can be Chewbacca if she wants, though. It could be worse. Sam could be an Ewok...or JAR JAR BINKS...ew... Lecter always cooked better than Clariiiiiiice, anyway. Who else would pair someone's liver with fava beans and a nice Chiaaaaaaaanti? Can Sam be Titus Andronicus? K

Spatula? I don't need no stinkin' spatula! I use my bare hands! How incredibly revolting. Kathleen, are you sure you want to eat his cooking? I find it sexy. Gets my juices flowin' as well as the meat's... *raising hand to volunteer to document the cursing, right up till the time I fall over sideways from trying to keep up with the heavy boozin'.* K Edited to add: HEY...isn't ANYONE on Sam's side but me (and the ferrets) ? *glaring around*

Oh! THAT'S why we're having steak on Sunday! I get it now! *buys several pairs of rubber gloves for the orgy of dishwashing to follow* The best part about this is that I get the benefit of everything slkinsey cooks for the blog...and lemme just tell you how much I LOOOOOOOVE everything on this list. K

Granted, I've only been twice (I know, a shande for the neighbors), but I liked the time we went midafternoon - kind of between the lunch and dinner rushes. Gave us a chance to talk to the pizza maestro and it wasn't sooooo crowded. K

This might sound weird, but those little individual packs of breakfast cereal make terrific midafternoon snacks, with or without milk - I'm especially fond of Cheerios, eaten dry, with my fingers (not unlike the way my best friend's toddler eats them). K, mainlining cappuccino 'cuz it's not even 8 am here yet. Edited to say that I am just so not goin' there on the nutella on one/in one debate (yes, please).

*starts to make really obnoxious comment about the idea of jsolomon in ice cream...* *thinks better of it* *slinks off to a corner with a midafternoon snack* K

1. fruit - oranges are good, because you have to work at them a little, or 2. yogurt, or 3. granola bar, or 4. celery sticks with a little hard cheese or peanut butter (mmm), or 5. in REAL emergencies, a piece of that amazing devil's food cake they've got on the other side of the floor. ...please disregard number 5, I don't know WHAT I was thinking. K, who is sticking with fruit these days, as slkinsey's cocktail obsession and a nine-month bout of utter laziness have brought 10 extra pounds onto this here body. Edited to add: oh, screw you, jsolomon, now I'm TOTALLY intimidated and I'm going to go eat a pint of ice cream or something.

I've always preferred the taste of diet sodas, which I find lighter and less sweet, to the taste of "regular" Coke, Pepsi (ok, I just hate pepsi in general, ew) and Dr. Pepper, all of which I find far too cloyingly sweet & syrupy to be thirst-quenching. The only "regular" soda I actually like to drink is root beer - and I'm picky about which one. All that said, I really like the Diet Coke with Splenda - it's got the taste of regular Coke without the oversyrupy mouthfeel, it's lighter and a little more refreshing without the slight aspartame aftertaste, and pretty much delicious. I hope they come out with caffeine free - it and Fresca will be sharing equal space in my fridge if that ever happens. K

6pm is apparently an AWESOME time to go to Shake Shack. No line whatsoever, brand new fresh fries right out of the fryer (in fact, they were getting rid of some fries that they thought had been out too long), and plenty of places to sit. YAY! Only problem is that it leaves me wanting more more more shake shack...more...maybe tomorrow. Maybe tonight! K

Fabulous. I'll be there around 6 tonight for MY first trip of the spring! K

Now that it's May 16, does anyone know how late in the evening they're open? Neither their phone message nor their website is updated and I want to eat dinner there after work tonight. K

Tartine Tartine TARTINE TARTINE. PERIOD. ...actually I like the steak frites at Landmarc and Pastis, too. K

Well, I stopped fretting long enough to call the restaurant (oh yeah...phones...duh). They're "closed for renovation" and will supposedly reopen next Monday! I'll sit here and bite my nails off till we see if it's true. Ok, I'll METAPHORICALLY bite my nails off. If I REALLY did it, I'd have ugly fingernails and we cannot have that, now can we? K

I've walked past Métisse after 6pm several times in the last week, and it hasn't been open - anyone know if it's still around? I'd be kind of sad to see it go. The escargots are good. K

I'm sorry, but for clever names, you cannot - CANNOT - beat "Cheesy Gordita Crunch." I wanted to name one of the ferrets that, but Sam wouldn't let me. K

Wait! Awash delivers? You do realize you've just killed my waistline for all time, right? OMG. I wish I'd never read that. I'm dead now. K

The only possible thing I can add to ewindels' dead-on review of our evening is a personal note - absolutely NOTHING to do with the dish itself - it was my choice that was at fault, but after my assertively flavored appetizer and pasta choices, I should've ordered a less delicate entrée than the guinea hen, because I was expecting another strongly-flavored dish and my palate took a little time to readjust. My bad. It was magically delicious, though. It was a wonderful evening - our cheerful waiter Peter and Eric the sommelier (and, indeed, the entire staff) made us feel at home, and I also appreciated that the restaurant remained quiet enough at 3/4 capacity to hold a low-level conversation without any problem. K

Slightly south of your chosen area: A, on Columbus between (I think) 106th and 107th. Teeny tiny itty bitty place with very good somewhat upscale (in style, not in price!) food and a bar right next door. You'll recognize it because it has a big blue circle with the letter A in the middle on the window. You know, like the train. Menupages listing here: A restaurant Also, Awash on Amsterdam between 106th and 107th for good Ethiopian. Not as good as our now-defunct fave, Ghion, which was at Amsterdam and 91st, but that's too far down for you anyway, right? Menupages listing: Awash don't listen to jogoode (well, listen to his recommendations, just not to the part about it being "rough up here"), he doesn't even like brunch! Besides, we're getting a Citarella on W. 125th Street soon. OH! And of course, it's way East, but Patsy's Pizza way the hell over on 1st Avenue is a must-eat. K

I like both the carnitas and the beef at 103rd & Bway. As for "more Mexicans lining up to eat," well, that depends on what time you go. I did notice that they seem to have lines at different times of day. mmm...tacos. K

Thank god I read this. I'm now off to line my stomach with carbs & protein in preparation. K

I would think caipirinhas, mojitos, margaritas - the rocks kind with salt - or almost any cocktail made with ginger beer would marry well with smoked meat. And beer, of course. Try Duvel with your BBQ sometime. Edited to add that I'm actually more of a sweet tea fan with bbq, myself. K

Ok, I cannot tell you how surprised I was to see this thread. You may not know that La Belle Epoque also offers opera nights - in fact, I just performed there, Sunday night, as Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte. Their brunch food appears to be, er, much better than their dinner theater food. K

Another week of pure, unadulterated food porn from bleudauvergne? THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU food gods...THANK YOU.. K, in ecstasies.

1. Sun-dried tomatoes. This is my MAJOR food pet peeve! What is it, some kind of a holdover from the 80's??? Sun-dried tomatoes must be used SPARINGLY (if at all), people, or the whole damn dish tastes like nothing but sun-dried sweet acidic tomatoey goodness (or ickiness. Full disclosure - if you can't already tell, I'm, well, less than fond of the little bastards). 2. Rosemary. This is one of my favorite herbs, but it DOES have the tendency to overwhelm a dish if one isn't careful. 3. Oh, garlic, I suppose, although I tend to fall in the "it isn't too much garlic till you're sweating it out...and maybe not even then" category. K