i was at db bistro moderne yesterday for lunch. Actually had a great lunch. I was impressed by the restaurant week lunch menu (normally RW doesn't do much for me). Better than I've had at other locales in recent memory. Service was spot on and the pace of the meal was perfect. However I think much of that was due to the slightly late-ish rez time. When we arrived at 12:45 place was out-of-this world PACKED but the crowd was starting to thin.
Cafe Boulud: always great
Bar Boulud: also great.
DBGB: not to great.

Totally agree with City kid. I've been using fresh direct for 5 years now. The first 1 or 2 years..produce wasn't great. It was ok but I did my shopping for produce elsewhere and bought bulk and staples from FD.
Now, their produce is wonderful; it has really gotten exponentially better. I haven't had anything bad recently, except for a bunch of basil, of which a 1/4 was starting to wilt.
My general rule is this: if it is something you'd normally thoroughly inspect at the grocery store (pulling back the husk of corn, looking closely at bagged lettuce or herbs for signs of wilt or things that are really truly seasonal with short shelf lives,) I buy from Fairway, and not FD.
All other produce staples, (onions, apples, tomatoes, grapes, melon, citrus, most fruit, carrots, celery, etc) I get from FD. I got some of the best peaches I've had all season, the corn was 4 stars and was awesome and some jersey tomatoes better than Union Sq farmers market. The recent "4 stars" I've purchased have been great.
And I tell you what, if any of it is squished, brown, or just generally unappealing, they don't even hesitate to credit you if you shoot them an email.

Oh and Hungry: how long is the lapse from when you place your order and when your delivery is?

Oh and fyi. (Off topic, sorry) Try the korean stir fry kit. Holy crap that is some easy and tasty stuff. Last I checked it was 25% off.

I'd be careful about the toaster oven. Make sure not to get one with the "twist" dial timer/on function. It is really easy to quickly "twist" it off before the bell rings, and *yikes* you've set it to "stay on".
In my dorm toaster ovens were not allowed due that risk and, if not cleaned out regularly, they can start to smolder on the nasties lurking on the bottom.
You've got to be really honest with yourself: your kid might be clean and responsible, but if he has 3 other roommates, that's a 75% chance for disaster.
He's likely to be microwaving stuff, boiling water for pasta, nuking sauce.
Sounds cliche, but a george foreman grill is handy. Grilled cheese, burgers...it is quite versatile.
Hit up garage sales. Lots of plastic cups and dishes, big bowls for popcorn, cheap utensils and gadgets which will get lost eventually.
Oh and a 100 pack of cheap sponges. Someone has to clean all the dishes.

Family coming into town with 2 (young) boys ages 1-ish and 3-ish. Little guys.

Strollers and high chairs are foreign objects for us so I'm in need of some help from you fine folks:

We need dinner ideas for near the Waldorf Astoria Friday night and upper east side Saturday night.

I was thinking PJ clarkes for early friday (6 or 6:30?). Too crowded then?

UES: barking dog, big daddys, Two Boots? Any other ideas? Apparently the kids like Indian food.

They will eat anything, but of utmost importance is that the place is family friendly.

Cheers

Wallse. Been to both several times, at all times of year. The service at Wallse is consistently great. Seasonal has had some hits and misses for us (and don't sit in the back room).
Wallse is in a great 'hood, great food, great service.

I can't remember the names of them, but there are a handful of small cafes and restaurants between 103rd and 104th on lexington, just north of the subway stop. A mexican place with decent food, and a few slightly more upscale-ish cafes (but that is all relative to the rather downscale neighborhood they reside in)

Do you like Thai food? I know a few of these might be a stretch for the non-adventurous, but Land Thai is great. Great interior and awesome food. (81st and 2nd)

or Beyoglu for turkish (81 and 3rd)

Ithika for Greek (86th btw 1st and 2nd)

Tokubei 86 (next to Ithika) great japanese and sushi

Spigolo has good Italian if you want a crowd-pleaser. (81st and 2nd)

and follow up question...are you going to cab from the met or walk?
If you're going to cab, it's just as easy to cab across to the west side and a whole new pandora's box of eating opens up!

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Beyoglu
200 E 81st St, New York, NY 10028

Spigolo
1561 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10028

Ithaka
308 E 86th St, New York, NY 10028

Land Northeast Thai
1565 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10028

Tokubei 86
314 E 86th St, New York, NY 10028

Good suggestion re: Cafe Sarbarsky. I went there for breakfast/brunch this morning prior to seeing the McQueen exhibit at the Met as well.
Excellent, as always. I'd call ahead though and see if they can accommodate.

Square Meal is great, but they are notorious for not accommodating food sensitivities.

Cafe Boulud is a great choice.

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Cafe Boulud
20 East 76th St., New York, NY 10021

Square Meal
30 E 92nd St, New York, NY 10128

Just an FYI. Randomly stopped into SLT on the UES yesterday looking for another springform pan, and lo and behold, a sale.
On a TON of stuff. I know the sale is nationwide, but not sure if exactly the same things are available/on sale at every store, FWIW.

Ok, the deets: I scored an all clad stainless 3 qt saucier with lid for under $100. It was marked 139 on sale, and then randomly, when she rung it up, another discount occurred (?) and it was further reduced. She didn't know why, except that they were clearing a lot of All-Clad (across the board, copper core was on sale as well.)

This was a wish-list pan for me. And I couldn't pass it up at that price.
Any all clad SS lovers, get thee to sur la table.

are they Savory roasters?

go to flushing and eat your way around for a day. its a bit of a subway ride but worth it, IMO.

or if you don't want to venture reallly far off the island, it looks like you haven't been to chinatown, so maybe dim sum & then walk to brooklyn via the bk bridge?

i only have four bottom cabinets in my small manhattan kitchen. my KA sits under the sink as it is the only space tall enough for it. i bought one of those heavy cloth KA covers for it. and there it sits. heavy to get out? yes. but i'd rather get some exercise than have it take up 15% of my usable counter space.
as for the corner space in on my counter as the poster was asking above: it is my coffee "station". i have the drip, burr grinder, mason jar of beans, and capresso kettle. those are the only "things" on my entire counter. the extension cord sits curled in the waaaay back and that way i can just pull out the appliances as i need them but they all sit out of the way the rest of the time.

passion fruits, kaffir limes and leaves, a bunch of different types of risotto, aged balsamic.
the pasta and olive oil section is overwhelming. i saw a lot of things there I had never seen before.
the pat lafrieda ready made burgers are awesome. i buy the brisket and short rib varieties, and then mix 50-50.
excellent selection of fruit preserves, cookies, candies. vegetables are amazing, and a good place to go if you are looking for something hard to find. for everything else I'd go to union sq.
it would be a great place to go to make little gift baskets for the holidays.
gelato is amazing.

I just had an 'ah-ha' moment. I cleaned/organized/attacked my pantry today and some of the suggestions above made me have a moment. I live in NYC and my "pantry" consists of one set of floor to almost ceiling cabinets that are very deep but narrow (and for those I am very thankful, believe me). The recs above gave me lots of ideas for storage maximization, without a budget-busting trip to the container store. Thanks!

freshdirect sells it, as do most whole foods. agata and valentina up here on the UES sells it. gosh just thinking about it makes me hungry. used in on my turkey last year!

I have the capresso glass kettle. I have probably 4 square feet of counter space, but it makes the cut because A) it is pretty to look at and B) I use it daily.

Just for future reference some all-clad stainless (like the large multipurpose stockpot and the lasagna pan) is made in China. The boxes are typically red/black instead of the all-white boxes that the made in USA stuff comes from. Check to see where it is made. However, that's probably not the case with your example. Its likely that the different stores just have different sales. I know the 12" fry pan has been on sale a lot lately all over the internet (cooking dot com, for one). Just be aware that it is rather large in diameter and doesn't have a helper handle. If the fry pan is full and you're trying to transfer it to the oven, it gets super unwieldy, really fast.
It is more expensive (& more versatile in my opinion) but I'd recommend the 4 qt saute pan w/lid (it has a helper handle)

Aldea? I was there last week, entrees range from 20-30. W. 17th, I think. Food & service were excellent. Google it, a semi-current menu is online. Have a drink at Raines Law Room after. Its right across the street.
cheers

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Raines Law Room
48 W 17th St, New York, NY 10011

Aldea
31 West 17th Street, New York, NY 10011

What about Seasonal Restaurant and Wein Bar in Midtown? A sleek interior, yet quiet and romantic; we had an excellent meal. We were at Wallse about 2 months ago and had a phenomenal meal there as well (and we were celebrating a special occasion). I'd recommend either, without hesitation.
The menus at both restaurants are very in-season. Of course they will offer you your schnitzel and spaetzel, but they also highlight seasonal veg, seafood, etc. It will only be really rich if you want it to be. Have fun!