eG Foodblog: Megan Blocker - Food and the City

[Abra]

Holy smokes girl, that was an epic blogging odyssey! Were you on foot for all of that? What a lot of beautiful food you managed to see in just one day. And now please excuse me while I go see if we have anything chocolate in the house.

If you're not completely cured, try this garlic soup. I swear, it cures all ailments.

[mizducky]

Okay, now I'm getting hit with a king-hell wave of New York nostalgia too.

[Megan Blocker]

Thanks, Monavano!

You know, Miz Ducky, you can always come visit us!

Holy smokes girl, that was an epic blogging odyssey!  Were you on foot for all of that?  What a lot of beautiful food you managed to see in just one day.  And now please excuse me while I go see if we have anything chocolate in the house.

If you're not completely cured, try this garlic soup.  I swear, it cures all ailments.

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Yes, Abra - the whole thing was on foot! Except for the bus and the subway, of course...I tried to cab it from Jacques Torres to my hair appointment, but none came up Hudson, so I had to hoof it across Houston...I am tired, but it's probably a good thing, considering all the food I ate.

This is for all of you out there who are curious about Magnolia Bakery...Lisa and I passed it on our way from Chocolate Bar to Jacques Torres, and I took the opportunity to shoot a pic of the line for you. It was out the door and snaking back around the corner - at 3:00 on a Thursday afternoon. My guess? It was a Sex and the City tour group. They stop there and also visit the block used for Carrie's apartment, which is just two blocks from the bakery.

Also, for Sandy, who requested a view of my fridge. I haven't done a big produce shopping in over a week, since with my mom here I ate out for four days straight. The lower shelves are usually filled with lettuce and fresh herbs, and whatever meat I've bought or am defrosting for dinner. As you can see from the door and top shelf, I am a condiment fiend!!!

And now, it's off to bed. I'm going to try and get some actual work (yes, WORK ) done tomorrow morning, so I need some good, honest rest. Till tomorrow, then!

[Pam R]

Wow. You're day leaves me speechless! (well, not quite).

I'd like you to take me on that tour the next time I'm in NY

If you have the chance - I'd love to see a good NY Deli sandwich. Pastrami on rye - that kind of thing. If not, that's ok too. I'm enjoying what you're showing us anyway!

[Rebecca263]

Oh, Chocolate Bar! I love their Key Lime Bar, and a few months ago when I was there we had chocolates with port in them, heavenly! I wonder, is it OK if I DRINK chocolate... if I make my chocolate sans milk tonight? I better not tempt the fates. *sigh*

Edited February 24, 2006 by Rebecca263 (log)

[Ling]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! CHOCOLATE TOUR!!!!!!!!!! !! !!

Best. Post. EVER!!

Thanks for showing us around, Megan! All the places you went to today looked great. I've read about many of those places, but I'm so happy that I got to see the actual shops through your post! The shots of the raspberry fruit tart and the Balthazar bread are incredible. I'd be 50 pounds heavier if I lived in NY, no doubt!

[Chufi]

Oh my goodness. This must be the next best thing to shopping in New York.. have Megan take you on a virutal tour!! Thanks soooo much for walking all that way and showing us so much! We Want More!!

[FabulousFoodBabe]

Wow, Megan. What a great time you're showing us! Keep 'em coming -- and glad you're feeling better. Nicely done!

[Daniel]

You really are doing such a wonderful job.. Doing New York proud..

[Jake]

Fabulous blog, Megan! I, too, love SoHo and oh I want bread from Balthazar now!

[daniellewiley]

Megan, Do you get together with other eGulleters in NY? I'm so jealous of the number of eGulleters out there!

[Megan Blocker]

Megan, Do you get together with other eGulleters in NY? I'm so jealous of the number of eGulleters out there!

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Sometimes, yes! I've had drinks a few times with SLKinsey, M.X.Hassett and Johnder (at Pegu, mais oui )...I know there are a lot of people who see each other more often, and who either met via eGullet or know each other through different avenues and then happened to both join eG. It is nice to be surrounded by so many eG'ers.

This morning I woke up a bit later than intended...not till about 8:45 or so. I then leapt out of bed and turned on my work laptop (blech) and did some emailing and damage control on that end. Then I realized that today is the day I get to have COFFEE!!!! I threw on my overcoat, raced down the stairs, and sprinted to DTUT, a coffee bar on 2nd Avenue between 84th and 85th Streets. DTUT serves coffee all day and late into the night, and also serves wine and beer after five...a very popular spot for first dates, since you can get a coffee OR an alcoholic beverage. It's full of broken-in couches and armchairs...it has a sort of Central Perk-ish vibe.

Here's the outside, a view of the counter (blocked by a plant, sorry) from just inside the front door, and quick look at one of the seating areas.

I wasn't hungry this morning, so I just got a cafe au lait made with their house coffee, called "Broadway Blend."

I add a bit of raw sugar to this and slurp it all up - this is my usual weekend cup of coffee; since you now can't take coffee on the subways, I don't stop here on weekday mornings - there's no way I could choke down a whole one of these on the three-block walk to the subway.

The plan for this afternoon is still pretty open...my reservation at Babbo isn't till late, so I think we may try to sneak in a pre-dinner drink at Pegu. Grocery shopping should probably go on the menu...any other requests?

[I_call_the_duck]

Megan,

This is a great blog. I’m glad your sense of smell is returning.

A great chocolate tour. The hot chocolate at Chocolate Bar looks incredible, as does the rest of the merchandise there. I must go there the next time I'm in that neck of the woods.

And we're also just about due for a trip to Chelsea Market. The marzipan seafood platter was amazing. I love that store.

Thanks for making the carbonara. Oh, that bacon!! The salad looked good too.

Cool coffee cup. Do they actually enforce the no-coffee-on-subway rule?

[Megan Blocker]

Megan,

This is a great blog.  I’m glad your sense of smell is returning.

A great chocolate tour.  The hot chocolate at Chocolate Bar looks incredible, as does the rest of the merchandise there.  I must go there the next time I'm in that neck of the woods. 

And we're also just about due for a trip to Chelsea Market.  The marzipan seafood platter was amazing.  I love that store.

Thanks for making the carbonara.  Oh, that bacon!!  The salad looked good too.

Cool coffee cup.  Do they actually enforce the no-coffee-on-subway rule?

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Thanks, Karen! I'm glad you enjoyed the carbonara...I know I sure did. Wasn't that marzipan ridiculous? I wish I had some reason to buy it, but I really can't think of a good one.

As for the coffee/subway rule - I have to admit, I haven't seen it enforced. The stricter rule and harsher fine went into effect toward the end of last year, along with similar changes to the rules for taking more than one seat and walking between cars while the train is moving.

However, better safe than sorry, I guess, and I'd really rather use my free-not-hanging-onto-the-pole hand to read a book in any case. Most mornings, anyway.

[Susan in FL]

What a tour! I am so not-a-city-person. Your blog and others including the city sights are probably the closest I will ever get to experiencing such a world of food as you have... Truly awesome.

If I ever do make it to NYC, obviously I will have to limit what I do. I've always had Babbo on that wish list, and I recently added Starwich. You're right up my fantasy alley! I know you've posted about Starwich before, but if you just happen to stop in to one of them again while you're blogging, that would be very fine.

[Megan Blocker]

So, hunger reared its ugly head, and I defeated it by eating the FatWitch "Blonde Witch" I bought yesterday. It was goooooood. And, you know, made with just a touch of butter. Yeah, just a touch. There go all the benefits of that walking.

[Smithy]

Beautiful tour, Megan! This is why I don't have any particular requests: not sure what to ask for. Case in point: I have the Balthazar cookbook, I've enjoyed it, but it hadn't occurred to me for a nanosecond that you might be nearby. Oh, that bread looks divine. Have you ever eaten there? What did you think? (If you're running out of places to eat during this blog, I'd add that to your request list...but it's probably terribly pricey.)

I had to laugh at your refrigerator. Even when we haven't been shopping for a while, ours never looks that empty. It didn't even look that empty the first day we got it. You must be more disciplined than we are about not buying things in advance of needing them?

If it isn't too far OT: what's the derivation of SoHo? Why is there a capital letter in the middle of it? What's so special about SoHo? I've heard the name for years, almost always in conjunction with "fashionable", but never figured out the buzz.

[gini]

Beautiful tour, Megan!  This is why I don't have any particular requests: not sure what to ask for.  Case in point: I have the Balthazar cookbook, I've enjoyed it, but it hadn't occurred to me for a nanosecond that you might be nearby.  Oh, that bread looks divine.  Have you ever eaten there?  What did you think?  (If you're running out of places to eat during this blog, I'd add that to your request list...but it's probably terribly pricey.)

I had to laugh at your refrigerator.  Even when we haven't been shopping for a while, ours never looks that empty.  It didn't even look that empty the first day we got it.  You must be more disciplined than we are about not buying things in advance of needing them?

If it isn't too far OT: what's the derivation of SoHo?  Why is there a capital letter in the middle of it?  What's so special about SoHo?  I've heard the name for years, almost always in conjunction with "fashionable", but never figured out the buzz.

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SoHo - South of Houston Street. There's also TriBeCa - Triangle Below Canal Street. There are others too, but I won't go on. You get the idea.

[Megan Blocker]

Beautiful tour, Megan!  This is why I don't have any particular requests: not sure what to ask for.  Case in point: I have the Balthazar cookbook, I've enjoyed it, but it hadn't occurred to me for a nanosecond that you might be nearby.  Oh, that bread looks divine.  Have you ever eaten there?  What did you think?  (If you're running out of places to eat during this blog, I'd add that to your request list...but it's probably terribly pricey.)

I had to laugh at your refrigerator.  Even when we haven't been shopping for a while, ours never looks that empty.  It didn't even look that empty the first day we got it.  You must be more disciplined than we are about not buying things in advance of needing them?

If it isn't too far OT: what's the derivation of SoHo?  Why is there a capital letter in the middle of it?  What's so special about SoHo?  I've heard the name for years, almost always in conjunction with "fashionable", but never figured out the buzz.

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Hey, Smithy! Yes, I've eaten at Balthazar several times, though not in the past year or so. It's great fun - very active and bustling, true to its nature as a brasserie. The best meal I had there was Christmas Eve dinner back in 2002 - the cold seafood tower with cocktail sauce and mignonette, steak frites, and tarte tatin for dessert. To drink, Champagne and a Chateauneuf du Pape. Thanks, Mom!

It's known as a breakfast and lunch spot for the media folks in town, and is a good place to spot celebrities, from time to time.

WHICH REMINDS ME!!!! I completely forgot to include this yesterday...Lisa and I had a celebrity sighting (alert, alert!) at Chelsea Market yesterday! While we were eating lunch on folding metal chairs at Chelsea Thai, Sandra Bernhard walked past us. It was one of Lisa's first NYC celeb sightings. Yay!!!

Back to Smithy's questions!

SoHo stands for "South of Houston Street," and encompasses the neighborhood ranging from Houston Street on the north to Canal Street on the south, and from Lafayette Street on the east to the Hudson River on the west (Click here for a detailed map.). Historically, it's famous for its iron-fronted buildings, plethora of galleries, and, now, for its huge volume of shopping, from the high-end big-name designers (like Chanel and Cartier) and tiny boutiques to the lower-end mall places, like Old Navy and H&M. As a result, it has long been associated with glamour, first via its avant-garde arty types, and now via its stick-thin fashionistas.

On weekends, no matter what the weather, SoHo is pure hell to navigate. The sidewalks are ridiculously crowded, especially on Broadway, the main thoroughfare for the neighborhood. I have literally had to fight my way through crowds to get into stores at times, and try to avoid it on weekends at all costs. My hairdresser is in SoHo, though, so I find myself there pretty often. My favorite parts of the neighborhood are west of Broadway, where you can find tiny little sandwich shops (Olive's is one of my favorites) and a lot of small, boutique-y stores. I'm trying to stick to a budget (to fund a trip to France this fall), so I decided to steer clear of those spots yesterday!

As for my fridge, yes, it's usually that empty. To be fair, the drawer is currently full of onions (red and yellow), and the freezer is stocked with meat, ice cubes, butter and batches of puff pastry. But, yes, I tend to be pretty good about only buying what I need...it's a good way to stop myself from buying things that don't get used, and helps me stick to a relatively small food budget - I don't limit myself from buying what I want, but I don't buy it unless I know I'm going to use it in the next couple of days (things that freeze well being the exception!).

[Megan Blocker]

SoHo - South of Houston Street. There's also TriBeCa - Triangle Below Canal Street. There are others too, but I won't go on. You get the idea.

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Indeed - NoHo ("North of Houston"), NoLIta ("North of Little Italy"), and so on. You also often see acronyms used for other neighborhoods, though you would read these as the entire name, rather than pronounce the acronym: LES (Lower East Side), UES (Upper East Side), UWS (Upper West Side), and so on.

ETA: And how could I forget the (relatively) freshly-coined SoHa ("South of Harlem")?

Edited February 24, 2006 by Megan Blocker (log)

[Megan Blocker]

All righty-roo, folks. I'm off for a long walk around the 'hood, and will be back after lunch time. Clearly, based on the fact that I am now using phrases like "all righty-roo," it's time to get out of the apartment. Talk to you soon!

[racheld]

This is SUCH fun!!! I've wondered forever how city folks do their grocery shopping. Seems to be no room for a Safeway. And trudging up and down the aisles with a basket on your arm (and the required inconvenience of shopping as often as that small amount would require from day to day)---I'm so at home behind a humongous grocery cart, loading in the goodies from football-field stores. How DO you do it?

You're one of my favorite posters, and this is just an embarrassment of riches, all at once...Love this.

Off to Cincinnati for the weekend...can't wait to catch up on Sunday!!!

[I_call_the_duck]

SoHo - South of Houston Street. There's also TriBeCa - Triangle Below Canal Street. There are others too, but I won't go on. You get the idea.

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Indeed - NoHo ("North of Houston"), NoLIta ("North of Little Italy"), and so on. You also often see acronyms used for other neighborhoods, though you would read these as the entire name, rather than pronounce the acronym: LES (Lower East Side), UES (Upper East Side), UWS (Upper West Side), and so on.

ETA: And how could I forget the (relatively) freshly-coined SoHa ("South of Harlem")?

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And don't forget...Houston is pronounced HOUSE-ton.

My favorite new acronym is LES. Just a funny name for a neighborhood. Reminds me of an old man, or Les Nesman from WKRP in Cincinnati. On a somewhat unrelated note, they're trying to find a cutesy name for my neighborhood down here in Philly, which is currently called South of South. But somehow SoSo doesn't quite market well when it comes to real estate.

I'm so oblivious to celebrity sightings. Sandra Bernhard walked right by me at the Whole Foods in Chelsea, and I didn't notice her until my husband (who is oblivious to just about everything else) pokes me and says in a stage whisper, "there's Sandra Bernhard!"

[Curlz]

Megan, this is a REALLY fun read...great job!

On a somewhat unrelated note, they're trying to find a cutesy name for my neighborhood down  here in Philly, which is currently called South of South.  But somehow SoSo doesn't quite market well when it comes to real estate.

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How about BeSo or ABeSo (pronounced ahhbeesew)? That would be Below South or Area Below South...

Curlz

[lancastermike]

Enjoying your NYC blog, Megan. We only visit Manhatthan and I know I get sticker shock everytime we do. What do you really think of the prices of things in New York as opposed to other places you have lived. I would never be so crass as to inquire of your income. But do you consider your self to be an average sort of New Yorker in terms of income and lifestyle. In particular as to eating and drinking out?

Hope you don't find this question to be offensive, I do not intend it that way. Simply when we visit we always say how much we would like to live in the city, but that we just can't imagine affording it. That may be due to visitors not being hip to value that you folks who live in New York know of.