Life after Reviewing Restaurants

[snowangel]

Ironic that today, after I packed all of the kids off to school, I opened today's Star Tribune. There, on the front page of the Taste section, was an interview with you, done by Rick Nelson. The contuniton on the second page was "headlined" "Back To Life Without The Expense Account."

However, other than saying that you no longer ate out 360 days a year, and lost a lot of weight, you never talked about what you did eat post-reviewer. Did you cook? What did you cook? If you ate out, where did you eat?

Could you comment?

And, as a mother, I wonder, too, how hold your son was when you were reviewing and where he figured into your dining out habits while you were reviewing?

[Mimi Sheraton]

First, fortunately I did not become a reviewer until my son moved into a college dorm. As I say in my book, Eating My Words, I could not have done the job if it meant leaving a child alone for dinner every night.

I eat at home now about 2 1/2 dinners a week..generally something simple (but good) as we tend to save calories for restaurants. Perhaps tow or three nights a week I eat in modest but good and interesting neighborhood restaurant of which there are many in Greenwich Village..for the rest, I try to keep up on new restaurants with friends, or go to some of the intriguing ethnic ones. I love to cook for comnpany and do so a lot in fall-winter and in summer outdoors.

[Pan]

Mimi, if you feel like mentioning any of your favorite neighborhood or ethnic restaurants, I and no doubt other eGulleteers would be very interested. But if they're too small to handle more patrons, I'm sure we'd all understand if you'd rather not name names.

[Mimi Sheraton]

Here are a few..for the very casual, light meals very moderatelt priced, Elephant & Castle on Greenwich Ave. A step up for more complex choices still casual and reasonable, Good, also on Greenwich St. Other are Village and W. 9th Street, Tartine on W. 4th St., Pearl Oyser Bar, Da Silvano and Bar Pitti, Spotted Pig, Babbo (of course but no secret), Jarnac for really great interesting food, Cafe Loup, Otto for business lunches to nibble and talk, August - a new favorite - La Metairie for elegant, original French food in a lovely setting, Arturo's for pizza, Lupa for lunch, Artepasta for a lusty, inexpensive pasta fix where mussels are also good but not other cooked dishes, Taqueria for the tortilla soup,

and the new gavroche on 14th St. In Meatpacking District: Pastis, Vento and above all Spice Market which I am crazy about..I'm thinking of moving in. But I will not tell you my two favorite Greek coffee shops because then I would not be able to get a booth. And that's the short answer

[Pan]

Thanks a lot for sharing those recommendations, and enjoy your Greek coffee shops!