ATL Airport - One Flew South. Great Sushi, excellent wine list.

Hi Lau,

Here is my report from last week's sampling's:
FP and Kaiser- great as always. I stopped by the UES locations. I stopped by Kaiser first. Kaiser would not warm the croissant as requested. The server at FP warmed both croissant's (FP and Kaiser) for me so that I could compare the two (she was interested in the comparison as well). Hands down FP! The FP croissant has the correct ratio of Valrhona chocolate throughout the entire croissant. The Kaiser croissant is to date, my least favorite in the city. I wish I had a picture. I cannot describe in words how bad it looked and tasted. A tiny cube of waxy chocolate that did not melt during the baking process and the texture was similar to a pastry crust vs a croissant.
Ansel's - good but without the chocolate it is hard to compare. Cronut - insane. No words for this creature. Please try asap.
Bread's - my new favorite. The croissant is very good and I would compare it on a level to some of the few that I sampled in Paris. The Babka is amazing. I also sampled the cheese stick;decent. My next trip, Bread's will be my first stop.

I also stopped by TreeHouse. The spot carries several sweets from around the city. Dough Donuts, Pipcorn, Ovenly cookies. I purchased a bit of everything. The only rave was the chocolate chip cookie from Ovenly. The other items did not taste fresh. Perhaps they are not delivered daily?

Two Borrows Ladder or Butcher and Bee for lunch
Do not miss dessert at Hall's Chop House or Cristophe's Chocolates.

Yes. FP on Houston is the only FP location that serves the almond croissant with chocolate. This is my favorite of the FPayard's locations.

I agree with the comments on Ceci's croissant quality decline. I tried one two months ago...not good.

My upcoming visit will include stops at Tous Les Jours, Breads, Maison Kayser, and ?others I have yet to try?

I would love it if you could cover the almond croissant in a post. When I am in NYC, this is my "have to have". I have tried the following:
FP - love the chocolate,I ask for it warmed.
Ansel's - great, current favorite, I ask for it warmed
Dean and Deluca - not good
Mille-Feuille - not a fan
Petrossian's - ok, not worth a return visit
Ceci Cela's - ok

My next stops will be Bread's and Bien Cuit.

Perla for apps and wine
Minetta Tavern (across the street from Perla) for dinner
Tell them it's your 40th birthday!

Sit at the bar at McCrady's onThurs. The bartenders will take care of you, hopefully Morgan will be working. Ask for him.

Ordinary, Fig, The MacIntosh are excellent choices for dinner.

Butcher and Bee, Sweet Divine, and Caviar and Bananas are good lunch spots.
Do not miss Sunday Brunch at Halls.

Ordinary has better food and great atmosphere

Thanks! I ended up with reservations at Setia Easter Brunch.

My daughter and I are staying in Miami over Easter Break She has requested an brunch buffet: Price point does not matter; would like to stay in South Beach.
Here are my options thus far:
South Beach Bistro One LR - Ritz-Carlton - South Beach
Essensia Restaurant & Lounge
BIANCA
Dutch
Others?

If it is still there...Ann's.

Wed- Macintosh/Cocktail Club for dinner
Th-lunch at Green Door, dinner at The Ordinary
F-business lunch, dinner at Two Boroughs Larder
Sat-business lunch, cocktails at Gin joint, dinner at FIG
Sun-brunch at ___Halls_______, dinner at Husk

Do not miss the brunch at Halls. it is very good.
Friday night or Sat morning stop by Glazed Donuts. Christophe's and Brown's Court Bakery has excellent coffee and pastries.
Skip Rutledge. Two Boroughs is great. .

Have breakfast at the Essex House. I am not a fan of hotel breakfast however they have very good options on the menu and an upscale buffet.... it is a bit pricey. You can grab a window seat and enjoy your breakfast while gazing at Central Park. You will not be disappointed.

The food is good at Catch and decent at B&E depending on what you order. It is great for girls night out.

Also check out the Darby. Great music and the food is good.

Veg breakfast/lunch - Caviar and Bananas, Xiao Bisciut, Five Loaves, Verde

Sunday Brunch - Hall's. The desserts are great too. Carmel Cake is amazing

Vegetarian - MacIntosh veg plate, SNOB veg plate

Pizza - Monza, EVO

Desserts - *McCrady's - order all of them. The pastry chef is getting global attention. Out of the box, not typical desserts
*Cristophe for good sweet treats
*Glazed - good donuts

Friday night: Catch
Beauty and Essex for Saturday night

Not if it is hidden in everything in the US processed foods. I am a cancer survivor. Many of my docs disagreed on treatments, medicines, etc however the one thing that they did agree on was that sugar should be avoided at all costs, even limiting fruit consumption. Food for thought....PET scan that cancer patients receive....the dye that is injected into the body prior to the scan? The dye is made primarily from sugar molecules. The sugar aggravates the cancer/tumors which causes the "glow" on the scan, highlighting cancer. Learning this fact had a huge impact on how I viewed sugar. I cut sugar out of my diet. My skin, hair, energy, sleep changed for the better. I am now cancer free and I maintain my sugar free lifestyle. It is amazing how much sugar is in EVERYTHING in the US. People claiming that sugar is "ok" in some forms agave, rice syrups, etc and in moderation are simply justifying their addiction to sugar.

Frozen Very Cherry Blend
UnSweetened Almond Milk
Skinny Kettle Corn
Frozen Kale
Pumpernickel Pretzels

Coconut Body Cream

Food Glorious Food is the best in Pittsburgh!

Hi! Coming to the area with my daughter. Staying at Eden Rock and Marriott South Beach. Price points and traveling are not issues.
Questions:
Easter Sunday Brunch – stay at Eden or go to Biltmore Brunch Buffet; others?
Pizza – best NYC style pizza
Gelato – ?
Almond croissants – this one is for me. I love twice baked French Almond Croissants
Chocolate Babka – I am pushing it, right?

Which chicken dish is better – MGFD’s chicken or Bourbon Steak crispy chicken? Others that beat the two mentioned?

Love it! I was going with swearing and shopping however after reading your response I am jumping on board with you. Hot damn! I am hitting the mall today.

On our list of restaurants:
McCrady's - snacks and cocktails at the bar
Husk – yes for lunch or dinner, the bar is very cool
FIG – a must for dinner
The Ordinary (maybe just happy hour?) - Only happy hour, great atmosphere, very small bites
The Hominy Grill (better for brunch or lunch?) - breakfast or brunch only
Rutledge Cab Co (any reviews on this place yet?) - great for dinner, drinks, and atmosphere
And for cocktails (and poss food):
Macintosh (bacon happy hour - yes, please!! Stay for dinner?) Brunch is great or drinks and apps. Skip the dinner
Grocery (dirty pickle martini) – No. Bad food, bad atmosphere
Pearlz ($5 martini happy hour) – too many other options. Put this on your next trip list
Closed for Business – next trip list
Gin Joint – drinks only
Bin 152 – great wine list, very laid back atmosphere – perhaps next trip?
Is the coconut cake at the Peninsula Grill worth a taste? NO! I was very disappointed in the food and the cake. If you want sweets, check out Christophe Bakery or Glazed Donuts. The Carmel Cake at Halls is very good.
What else must we try while in Charleston? – Caviar and Bananas for quick lunch, very good local items for purchase
Halls ChopHouse – great atmosphere for girls. Sit in the bar area and have drinks and apps prior to dinner or go after dinner for drinks. Very fun. If you want steak, this is the place to go.
Stars – Rooftop bar is great. Skip the Vendue Inn or Pavilion. Too many tourists. Drinks only.

The Catch

I love both however hushpuppies that I love are sweet (similar to a funnel cake batter) w/o onions, peppers, etc served with honey butter. I have only found this version in a few restaurants in NC. Living in Charleston , I am still searching for a great hushpuppy!

Best Almond Croissant in the city.
NYC Chowers agree?

Stopped by a few weeks ago. I agree. It is not the same. I was so dissappointed. I enjoyed Grom's and Ansel's Bakery during the same visit to NYC.

I have dined alone near that area a few months ago. My evening of dining:
Drinks and apps at the Per Se Salon (they also provide a fab bread selection)
Wine and fish and a pasta dish at Lincoln
Dessert and tea at Boulud Sud

Thanks for the helpeveryone! You would not believe what I went thorough to search for Nutella/Red Velvet pancakes/french toast.
I found Brooklyn Diner’s menu item listed for red velvet waffles; alas they stopped serving them last month. I called a few additional spots only to learn that they serve them for brunch only or removed them from the menu(Co-Op).
In a panic (while the girls were at the Justin Beiber concert) I purchased a jar of Nutella from Duane’s. I gave the jar to the chef at the restaurant located in our hotel and suggested that he slather the Nutella on the pancakes and french toast. The girls were none the wiser and they ohhed and awed over every bite! The best part was that our breakfast was compt at our hotel. Mission accomplished!
On a side note I hit a few places:
Nomad – sat at the bar for drinks and apps
Paris Best – Bahn Mi
Ansel’s Bakery – wanted to order everything…almond croissant, DKA with vanilla gelato – I made a sandwich.
Eatlay – Pizza, cheese plate
Shake Shack – the girls ordered the Concrete Shake Attack…I thought it was horrible.
Grom – loved the hazelnut Gelato
MilkBar – cake truffles

Thanks Kathryn. Any clue on the pancakes in Chinatown? I am trying to avoid treking to Vanessa's.

I have my eating agenda set for the week; however there seems to be one glitch in the schedule. Shopsins is closed on Thursday due to vacation time. My daughter and her friend(they will be one of the two million screaming girl teens at the Justin Beiber concert in RFC….pray for me.... I am may need a drink at breakfast) are requesting nutella pancakes/french toast or red velvet pancakes/waffles. Price and location are not an issue, we will travel for great food.
Also, one addtioinal request...we will be walking thorugh Chinatown on Friday. Is there a spot that serves similar meat filled (duck) pancakes as Vanessa's Dumplings?