Kashkaval

Occasion: Last stop in the tapas crawl (after a visit to Tia Pol, an old favorite)
Location: Kashkaval on 9th Ave between 55th and 56th (kashkaval.com)
Edibles: cheddar and ale fondue; some cold salads; salmon wrapped in grape leaves, donated by friendly fellow diners

Musings: I've loved this place since the first time I came here, brought by a Hell's Kitchen resident in the know. From the street it looks like a Greek deli, but there are a number of tables in the back as well as a bar area. It's close quarters - most of the tables will seat a maximum of four. There is a long table with benches that will seat one party of six to eight, which you can reserve.

The dining area is dim and cozy and comes across as very European to me. Kashkaval is open late - until 12:30am Friday and Saturday, 11pm other days of the week - making it a great option for after theatre.

The cold salads (in the case at the front of the shop) are excellent. I like the eggplant, the elephant beans, the beets. The hummus is good, if somewhat more mundane choice. They usually have a few daily specials as well.

For the hot, I usually get fondue. The Kashkaval house blend is good, as is the cheddar and ale. It's a matter of personal taste of course, but I find Swiss fondue a bit plasticky and the gorgonzola, too strong.

Yining and I were eating at the bar. The couple next to us ordered these divine-smelling salmon dolmas. I asked them how they were, and they very kindly gave us one of them to taste. I'm happy to report that they're as yummy as they smelled. I'll definitely be getting some next time I come.

Terroir Murray Hill

Occasion: Spur-of-the-moment tapas crawl with my shenanigan buddy Yining
Location: Terroir on Third between 30th and 31st (wineisterroir.com)
Edibles: Breaded and deep-fried lamb sausage; beet salad

Musings: Hey! There's a Terroir three blocks from me! The original location is lovely, but too crowded on a regular basis and too far to be a regular hangout for me.

The new Murray Hill location has more seats and it's not too crazy yet - though it's only the opening weekend so who knows what it'll be like in a few months. (Since the meatheads found Hofbrau, it's been a complete madhouse.)

Food's good. Serving sizes aren't huge - they're really just to munch on while you drink. Be prepared to spend a lot if you're wanting the equivalent of a full dinner.

A note on the wine: They pour pretty generously on their tasting size. At half the price, Yining's tasting was just a splash less than my (supposedly) full pour. Happy hour prices are great - $6 for their wines by the glass ($3-4 less than regular prices) and free tastings of sherry. BUT... it's only until 6:00. I get out of work earlier than anyone else I know, and even I would be hard-pressed to make it there in time.

[Postscript 2/3/12: The friseé salad with duck confit, shallots and gorgonzola is AMAZING. They were warming up some duck and I literally smelled the delicious aroma from fifteen feet away. Of course, I had to have some.]

Markt

Occasion: Brunch with Abby, Elizabeth, Jill and Katie
Location: Markt on 6th and 21st (marktrestaurant.com)
Edibles: croque-monsieur with a side of bacon

Musing: Yeah, don't get the croque-monsieur here. Their version is thin, dry and Béchamel sauce-less. On the bright side, it was surprisingly uncrowded for a weekend and they made the best coffee I've had in ages. (French press, in case you're wondering. Only $3.) Also, they only charged a moderately exorbitant $4 for a side of bacon.

I'd try it again - I'm sure there's something on this menu I'd like, though it for sure wasn't what I ordered today. Maybe the Benedict. The pain perdu that Abby had looked promising as well.

Souvlaki GR

Location: Foodtruck on the corner of 21st and 6th (souvlakigr.com)

It's hard to see in my crappy bb picture, but the guy taking orders had a handlebar mustache, with the waxed curly ends and everything. Made me smile.

I ordered the chicken pita souvlaki, which is a chicken kebab (de-skewered) wrapped in a pita with some sliced tomato, onion, french fries (oddly enough), and tzatziki. It was okay, but not much food for $4. Really just a little snack. Even for lunch, you'd have to get two.

Alternatively, you can get 5 skewers for $7 (or one for $1.75). For a meat-tooth like me, that seems like the better bet.

Part II, 4/28 - I came back and got the mixed skewers. (The truck's really close to the Tribeca Film Festival Volunteer's Lounge.) MUCH better deal. They threw in an extra skewer, so I had six - three each of the pork and the chicken. Comes with little pita triangles and two containers of tzatziki. I was stuffed when I finished!

The pork is a wee bit dry. If you're getting the pita wrap, I'd definitely get the chicken. With the mixed skewers, one or two pork one at most.

Social Eatz

Occasion: Lunch with Meredith and Mike, with lots of ex-Death Star crew
Location: Social Eatz on 53rd between 2nd and 3rd (socialeatz.com)
Edibles: I had the bulgogi burger and fries, and a bite of Meredith's spring rolls and chop salad

Musings: Social Eatz is the new eatery of Top Chef Season 7 finalist Angelo Sosa. It's Asian fusion - not exactly a shocker for anyone who's seen Angelo cook on TV. But I actually like the concept here - Asian-inspired burgers, tacos, etc. Casual streetfood, in a yuppie diner setting. The menu's got some cheeky, fun items like the Imperialist Hot Dog, and some cringingly pretentious ones like the Chili-Kissed Tilapia Tacos.

The shrimp and chicken spring rolls were flavorful, but surprisingly heavy considering the ingredients. The chop salad not a hit with the table - it's a tiny little portion, and the so-called six minute egg was barely cooked long enough to hold together. Meredith rightly avoided the egg; the runny yolk would have completely drowned the small amount of lettuce.

I got the bulgogi burger with a side of fries. First of all, potatoes are dirt cheap, Angelo - your burgers should come with fries. Second, my burger was way underdone. I mean, it was literally half raw. Not rare. Raw. I practically like my steaks still mooing, but that burger was on the borderline of what I'd eat (v. what I'd send back and ask them to cook longer). Another person in our group left her burger patty half uneaten for the same reason. So please ask your diners how they like their burgers.

That said, I think the concepts of the bulgogi burger, bibimbap burger and Korean taco are genius. I love the salt-sweet flavor of the beef, accented by the tart bite of the pickles. I'd come back to try those latter two.

La Follia

Occasion: Drinks with Amy... that sort of slid into dinner.
Location: La Follia on Third between 19th and 20th
Edibles: prosciutto, caponata, and burrata crostini to start; then we shared an arugula salad and the pappardelle with braised pork ragu

Musings: La Follia has a good selection of wines by the glass, and the food is very cheap compared to the likes of Bar Jamón. The prosciutto, caponata, and burrata crostini (two pieces of it) were all $6 a plate. It's good, too. I particularly liked the caponata, which had a few more ingredients than the standard version, but tasted wonderfully bright and fruity.

The pappardelle is also worth a mention. A mere $15, the homemade pasta is great and they're generous to a fault ladling the sauce on.

The décor is understated but classy, and it looks like a place for adults. Hopefully, that will keep the NYU hooligans at bay. I did see a lot of banker-looking guys, but I guess that's not too surprising considering the proximity to Credit Suisse.

In general, a nice addition to the neighborhood. If only it was ten blocks further north....

Part II, 5/2: I came back here for dinner with Mamie after an anniversary showing of Top Gun at AMC Village 7. I ordered a bunch of the same stuff - can't resist caponata! - but Mamie got the salmon main. I can report that it was masterfully done - a gorgeous, tender piece of fish with a nice hard sear on the skin.

I'm really liking this place. Hope they can keep their quality up and their prices where they are.

BXL East

Occasion: Another Tax Day under our belts! This clearly calls for beer....
Location: BXL on 51st between 2nd and 3rd (bxlcafe.com) [Note: There's another one on the west side on 43rd]
Edibles: moules à la Grand Mère (mussels with cream, onions and bacon)

Musings: With our tax returns zipping their way to the guvmint electronically, and our third annual Tax Day an official success, Yining and I headed out for some celebratory beer. Sadly, as we feared, Hofbrau Bierhaus has been completely overrun by obnoxious frat boys. We slunk out to find quieter environs.

We found BXL pleasantly deserted. Because we're suckers for a cute logo, I started with a Delerium and Yining, with La Chouffe. Man, those Belgian beers are strong! Halfway through my second Delerium, I decided that we needed some food or I'd be asleep in an hour. And, of course, nothing goes better with Belgian beer than moules frites.

The mussels were fantastic. I don't think I've ever had a cream-based mussel broth before, but it's AWESOME. (The bacon probably helped.) I was flat-out drinking it with a spoon towards the end. It's also great to dip your bread into, if you're not as willing as I am to be uncouth in public. Yum!

Ember Room

Occasion: Pre-theatre (Importance of Being Earnest) dinner with Amy, Howard, Brigid, John and Josh
Location: Ember Room on 9th between 45th and 46th (emberroom.com)
Edibles: I had the miso eggplant and the oxtail; Josh had the shrimp satay and Korean BBQ fried rice; we also had the mushroom salad, chocolate baby back ribs and the slider trio on the table, among others (I don't remember precisely who ordered what)

Musings: Ember Room is a new Todd English restaurant in the Hell's Kitchen / theatre district area. Unsurprisingly, the service felt like it hadn't quite settled down into a comfortable routine yet. We were eating pretty early and the restaurant was half-empty, but they had a bit of a delay in seating us and then didn't have enough menus to go around once they did.

The waitress recommended that we order tapas-style and share, but the portions are so small that they're really only practical for two people to share, not a whole table. The only dish big enough for multiple people to try was Amy's mushroom salad.

I was not impressed by the food, as I'm generally not by fusion cuisine. I thought my two dishes tasted overly sweet, and flavors were heavy-handed and muddled. It's like the food that was all the rage twenty years ago when chefs though it would be rad to put soy sauce, miso and wasabi in everything. With all the delicious, authentic and cheap Asian food available in the city, why bother with this junk?

The hunt for a good theatre district restaurant continues....

Hofbrau Bierhaus

Occasion: Another random food shenanigan with Yining
Location: Hofbrau Bierhaus on 3rd Ave between 44th and 45th, above the OTB (that detail is particularly delightful) (bierhausnyc.com)
Edibles: beet salad; sauerbraten; schnitzel with mushroom sauce; apple struedel

Musings: I think this place really has Hall of Fame potential. From the random location to the massive communal benches, the uber-cheesy waitress uniforms, the fried foods, the beer boots - I'm tickled by it all.

As it was a school night, I restrained myself and just got a 1L stein. Yining, showing even more restraint (or what a less generous soul might call wimpiness), got the half stein. See below - the big and the little. (Sort of like Mike and Gerald. Hee!)

I was more than happy with the food. The schnitzel was outstanding. Don't know if you need the mushroom sauce. The sides were also excellent and noteworthy - purple cabbage with just enough bite, a nice mellow cucumber salad, and a scoop of German potato salad.

The beet salad was massive - more than enough to share - and very tasty. If there was a weak link, it was the sauerbraten. The meat was tender enough, but it needed a few fat pinches of salt for flavor.

And who would walk away without some strudel? Not us. It was decent, but too cinnamon-y for me to really get into.

The homemade pretzels also looked good. (They're why all the tables are covered with salt.)

I'm definitely going to be back - that 2L boot and I have a date with destiny.

Chai

Occasion: Pre-theatre (Arcadia) dinner with Winnie and Erin
Location: Chai on 55th and 8th (chai-restaurants.com)
Edibles: duck salad; beef stir-fry; cold glass noodles

Musings: We tried this place reluctantly, having not budgeted enough wait time to get seated at Yakitori Totto. The theatre district is infamous for having dismal dining options, and unfortunately Chai is a place that proves the rule.

It's a tiny space, and they really crammed the tables in. The table next to ours was pretty much inaccessible. The waitress had to reach over our heads to serve them, and couldn't even fill water glasses without the diners passing them to her. If the owners were really so desperate for extra seats, they should have foregone the large water fountain behind our table. Which is quite poorly situated anyway - I kept worrying I'd knock my purse or my coat into it accidentally.

When it came time to order, they didn't have any of the three dishes Erin wanted to try. I also heard them tell another table that they only had two of their desserts available, one of them being just ice-cream. My guess is that they were too ambitious with the menu when they started out, and have since trimmed it drastically to keep food waste down.

Of the dishes we ordered, the beef was the only decent one. The cubes of beef were surprisingly tender and the dish overall was pretty flavorful. The glass noodles were completely waterlogged, like they hadn't drained the noodles properly before dressing them. The duck salad the worst - the pieces of duck were totally dessicated and tasted like nothing so much as balsa wood.

In any other NYC neighborhood, this place wouldn't last three months. But with a steady stream of clueless theatre-going tourists, who knows? Do yourself a favor at least, and give Chai a wide berth.

Eataly

Occasion: Dinner with Josh
Location: Pasta / Pizza station at Eataly, on 5th between 23rd and 24th (newyork.eataly.it)
Edibles: Fettucine with oxtail ragu for me; pesto lasagna for Josh; tiramisu and gelato for dessert

Musings: After two failed visits (driven out by the crowds and long waits both times), I finally managed to eat here. The trick is clearly to come early - like, 5 or 6pm - and on a weekday.

As it was a cold and dreary walk over, my first thought was to get me some carbs. Off to the Pasta / Pizza station. We had a short wait for our table, and passed the time by wandering around. There's plenty to browse and drool over, so the wait is not a complete chore. And there are samples to be had! I nibbled on some celery root shavings with olive oil.

Our meal at Pasta / Pizza was pretty good overall. To start, I was pleased that they do a generous pour on the wine, and that there were lots of choices sub-$10.

A small step backward with the antipasto plate. It's not cheap at $13 and the portions of each are miniscule. I'd not get this again.

Really good, fresh, al dente noodles. My fettucine was crying out for some grated cheese, but it was never offered. I also stuck my fork in Josh's plate, and while I liked the flavor of the lasagna, it's pretty heavy with béchamel and a whole plate would have been too much for me.

We left Pasta / Pizza for dessert. I got a scoop of pear and vanilla at the gelato stand - $5 a pop for a small cup. It got a little cloying towards the end, but the flavor is really unique and memorable. Josh's chocolate was nice too, but you can get the same thing at any number of places.

I also got a divine tiramisu cup - just couldn't resist. $6.

Eataly has a casual, marketplace ambiance, but you'll probably end up spending as much as if you went to a proper restaurant. I'd definitely come back to try the seafood place, and the vegetable place. It'd also be good for dessert and coffee, maybe after a Shack burger.

OBao

Occasion: Lunch with my mom before some furniture shopping
Location: Obao on 53rd between 2nd and 3rd (obaonyc.com)
Edibles: fried tofu app to share; I had the pho and Mom had the Singapore-style laksa with spicy coconut broth

Musings: My mom loves Ariyoshi, and that's where we had planned to go, but it turns out they're not open for lunch on weekends. Boo. We walked in to OBao, a new place in the old work 'hood.

First thing I noticed was that the restaurant is very dim, so if your seat faces the windows, the light will hurt your eyes. You will not want to linger. (Which I guess works in the restaurant's favor.)

As for the food, the fried tofu app was a nice big portion, about 15 cubes piled into a little wok. Good to share. Unfortunately, both noodle dishes were mediocre at best. The broth on the pho tasted like it came from a can and was loaded with MSG. The noodles in my mom's laksa were mushy.

Finally, an Asian restaurant charging $4 for tea is nothing short of highway robbery. Just ridiculous.

If I still worked at the Death Star, I'd probably find myself eating lunch here occasionally, if only for variety's sake. But OBao is certainly nothing to go out of your way for.

Kang Suh

Occasion: Pre-Knicks dinner with Robert, Nimish and Jenny
Location: Kang Suh on 32nd and B'way (kangsuh32.com)
Edibles: japchae (stir-fried glass noodles); seafood scallion pancake; kalbi (bbq short rib); ddeokbokki (cylindrical rice cakes in spicy sauce); bibim bop (rice with fixins'); plus lots of little dishes (complimentary; chef's choice but always includes kimchi)

Musings: I've been coming to Kang Suh for over ten years now. To be brutally honest, the food is solid but the décor is perfunctory, the service is brusque at best, and it's not particularly easy on the wallet.

So what keeps bringing me back? First, consistency. The prices have inched up over the years, but the food still tastes exactly the same as it did when I first ate here. And they never waver - the food just *always* tastes that way, no better and no worse. Given all the staff and supplier changes they must go through, that's pretty amazing.

Its location also works in its favor - just off Herald Square, it's a block away from MSG and surrounded by karaoke places.

You never need reservations. They can get you in and out quickly. My mom loves their spicy tofu pot. And they're open 24 hours a day. That's right - you can get Korean bbq at Kang Suh at 4:00 a.m. if you want.

So while Kang Suh will never make any "best of" lists, I've eaten here an awful lot and will undoubtedly continue to do so as long as I'm in the city.

Oh, and Melo? Welcome home, dude!!

Hatsuhana Park

Occasion: Dinner with Jon
Location: Hatsuhana Park, in the little passageway between Park and Lex, 45th and 46th (hatsuhana.com)
Edibles: Jon got the sushi dinner; I got the Ladies' Set

Musings: It was pretty empty for dinner, but I bet this place is hopping at lunch. (Not that I'm complaining - it was nice to be able to chat without having to shout over ambient noise.)

I got the intriguingly named Ladies' Set. Upon seeing it, I was immediately curious if they would actually refuse to serve a man who ordered this, but Jon didn't put them to the test.

The first course was a trio of pickled okra, a bite of egg omelet and tempura salmon with pickled carrots and daikon. All very nice. Next, I got some broth noodles, and a little sushi plate with four pieces of nigiri and a roll (diner's choice). There was also a little scoop of vanilla ice-cream for dessert. Good value at $18.

While it's nothing spectacular, Hatsuhana serves a nice dinner set - for women, at least. The restaurant and sushi counter were scrupulously clean and the fish was of a decent quality. Our waiter was also funny and personable. All in all, a solid option for a quiet weekday dinner in midtown.

Café Sabarsky

Occasion: Pre-Met (the museum one) brunch
Location: Café Sabarsky, inside the Neue Gallery on 5th and 86th (kg-ny.com)
Edibles: weiner schnitzel, followed by lemon mousse cake for me; goulash and chocolate marzipan cake for Josh

Musings: A restaurant in an art gallery? Love it! How did I not hear about this place until now?!

As you might expect from a restaurant located in the former residence of Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt, it's a fancy, formal place with professional waiters in vests, ties and full-length white aprons. But the prices are not too crazy, considering. My dish was $20, and included a massive, perfectly golden weiner schnitzel, lingonberry preserve and a scoop of tangy German-style potato salad. Yum. I had a bite of the goulash and it was pretty tasty too - great depth of flavor.

By the way, I'd skip the wursts if you go - they come from Schaller & Weber (says so right there on the menu) and you can therefore get them yourself direct from the source.

The desserts, displayed pretty much everywhere you look, were too beautiful to pass up. Mine was inexplicably called a lemon biscuit but was really more of a mousse cake. What I liked about it was that they weren't afraid to let the mousse was be really tart and lemony. I think it's a European thing - their desserts generally aren't laden with sugar like American ones. Josh's cake was okay, if a touch dry. I think he liked it better than I did; I'm not a huge fan of marzipan in general.

Food get an A-; décor gets an A+. I'll be back for sure.

[Note: There was a whole episode of "How I Met Your Mother" about how hard it is for single hetero guys to do fun things like have brunch or go to a Broadway musical. One of the reasons it's nice to be a girl.]

Ben & Jack's Steakhouse

Occasion: Dinner with Josh, after a NYCB Gilbert and Sullivan recital
Location: Ben and Jack's Steakhouse on 44th between 2nd and 3rd (benandjackssteakhouse.com)
Edibles: steak (natch), a side of creamed spinach, and a hot fudge sundae for dessert

Musings: Doofus that I am, I invite a boy out for a casual night of Victorian-era operetta... and then realize after hitting 'send' that it's on Valentine's Day. Josh was a good sport about the awkward date and not only found a found a last-minute reservation, but one involving giant slabs of red meat! Yay! (Hey, I offered to foodcart it, but he insisted.)

As soon as I walked into the place, I knew I was in for a good meal. Ben and Jack's smells like a steakhouse should smell - liked seared cow and high cholesterol. The décor is pretty stodgy and Republican; if you like the look of Sparks or Ivy League alumni clubs, you'll be more than comfortable here.

The steak is presented starkly on a huge plate with no garnishes whatsoever. Doesn't need it, though. The chef got the doneness on mine - the rare side of medium rare - spot on. The beef was juicy and tender and robust. Pure heaven.

The creamed spinach was a nice side; a single order was plenty to share. I think they must make it with chicken broth or bacon or something - it tasted too savoury for a purely vegetarian dish.

The finale was a decadent hot fudge sundae. They'd run out of their famous schlag (whipped cream) by then, but I didn't think the sundae was in any way diminished.

What a meal! Thanks, Josh!

[Postscript: Just so you know, I picked up the check on the next dinner. I'm a modern girl and all.]

Le Grainne Cafe

Occasion: Brunch with Morgan (former Death Star co-worker)

Location: Le Grainne Cafe on 21st and 9th (legrainnecafe.com)
Edibles: I had the croque-madame; Morgan had some poached eggs with a side of fruit salad

Musings: I often find myself meeting people in Chelsea; for my UWS-dwelling friends, it's a nice locational compromise. (Just one direction of travel for each of us - south for them and west for me.) But I'm usually hard-pressed to suggest a place to eat, other than Tia Pol. So Le Grainne is a nice discovery. The brunch was casual and cosy, with solid, comforting food at a decent price. I'd guess they serve a decent dinner too.

Morgan, great catching up! Don't be a stranger.

[Postscript: Went to Billy's after for some yummy baked goods - it's conveniently right across the street.]

Pio Pio

Occasion: Strategy session at Kathy's, with special consultants Atticus and Yining
Location: takeout from Pio Pio on 34th between 2nd and 3rd (piopionyc.com)
Edibles: rotisserie chicken, avocado salad and saffron rice

Musings: Pio Pio roasts a kick-ass chicken, full stop. It's seriously some finger-lickin' good stuff. My brother gets takeout from them all the time, and I can always smell those spices as soon as I walk in the door. (Whereupon I follow my nose and confiscate a piece or two. Older sister's prerogative.)

An entire chicken will run you $10, just slightly more than a grocery store rotisserie chicken and leagues better. With two of their generously portioned sides, a meal for four comes in at around $5 a head - which is cheaper than McDonald's. Can't beat that.

Craftbar

Occasion: Dinner with Rachel W.
Location: Craftbar on Broadway at 20th (craftrestaurant.com)
Edibles: I had hanger steak and brown sugar cake for dessert; Rachel had the sweet potato agnolotti with brussels sprout leaves, bacon and hazelnut butter sauce, and the ricotta fritters for dessert; we also shared two cheeses

Musings: The wines by the glass are pretty expensive, and pretty crappy. I ordered one of the cheapest glasses of red ($11) and it was sour and puckery and awful. However, I will give major props to this place for service. A dude checked in on us about halfway into our meal, and I mentioned the crappy wine (which I had tasted before it was poured, and was fully prepared to finish). He was quick to swap out my wine for another and also silently took it off the bill. Unfortunately, the second wine was no better. Really smoky and charcoal-y, which was pretty much all I could taste. They really need to revisit their wine selections.

Long story short, get a cocktail and avoid the wine, unless you're getting a full bottle.

The food. My steak was a tad chewy, but the potato gratin and the caramelized onions on the side were perfect. Rachel's pasta dish was a work of art. Really luscious, pillowy pasta, perfectly balanced, and so appropriate for the season. (It was so good, in fact, that I had to talk her out of ordering a second one to take home. That kind of dish never travels well, so it's better not to ruin the memory of the original experience.)

Our desserts were both pretty average, lacking in creativity and delicacy. E.g. the poached pear that garnished my cake was still pretty hard and uncooked. I think a little cheese plate and a cup of coffee are the way to go here.

Thanks again for the birthday dinner, Rachel!

Resto, part II

Occasion: Procrastination / cabin fever brunch (the former being Yining's reason and the latter, mine)
Location: Resto on 29th between Park and Lex (restonyc.com)
Edibles: we split the gruyère frittata with argula and the eggs Benedict

Musings: Jinkies! We went to Penelope at 11:00, and there was already a 1-hour wait! Man, we seriously need more brunch options in the neighborhood. We bailed, and decided to see if Resto served brunch. And they do! (And may I say, the place looks really different in daytime.)

Unfortunately, the food could use some work. The foundation's there; it just needs fine-tuning. Take the frittata. Thin and rubbery, and really unevenly seasoned - I took a crazy-salty bite, just as Yining was complaining that it was too bland. This one's easily fixed by using more eggs (so the frittata doesn't get overcooked so quickly) and salting the eggs before beating them.

The Benedict dish was great in concept - I mean, a bacon waffle eggs Benedict!! - but the waffle was WAY too sweet. I frequently encountered giant clumps of undissolved brown sugar. The effect was like eggs and hollandaise on top of a doughnut. Which is gross. Had they cut the sugar in half, and mixed it into the waffle batter properly, it would have been a stunner.

You can do it, Resto!

[After brunch we stopped by Fishs Eddy, one of my New York happy places. Of course, I could not resist picking up a few things. How wonderful is this: a sauce dish set with a green one that says Great Lawn, a black one that says Livery Cab, and a grey one - Pigeon. Love it!]