ida's Profile
French Quareter restaurant with great food that has a courtyard.
court of the two sisters is a great spot for dinner...the food is terrific and the atmosphere at night is simply lovely..
Bison Meat
the whole foods at columbus circle frequently has bison at the butcher area.
Pie
i second that big time...you just can't beat little pie company...i've never served (or eaten!) a pie from there that didn't get rave reviews!
Layer Cake with Meringue or Marshmallow Frosting
just about any decent bakery will do a special order for you if you give them a few days notice. two little red hens, billys, buttercup etc all do boiled icing and meringue icing and i even think buttercup has has a "devil dog" cupcake. abd the lemon meringue cake from eli's mentioned by another poster is absolutely out of this world. good luck!!!
Ribollita
whle i usually make it myself (extremely easy!), i've had some good bowls at felida.
stuffed mushrooms
i vary between these two stuffings:
1. sautee torn baby spinach and diced garlic in extra virgin olive oil and stuff mushroom caps. top with small amount of grated reggiano parmigiano and broil
2. chop up the peeled mushroom stems and mix with freshly made whole wheat breadcrumbs, coarse black pepper, a smidge of sea salt, oregano and a bit of grated reggiano parmigiano and bake
enjoy!!!
In Celebration of Spinach!!
you are so right...i love to sautee organic spinach in evoo and lots of garlic and then stuff it into a scooped out whole wheat heavily seeded italian hero..add a cold beer or a good barolo and life is good!
Best Cupcakes???
i think you're absolutely right...i had always bought pies there but just recently started trying their cakes and cupcakes and i was really pleasantly surprised. their icing is fablous...not too sweet and with real flavor and the cupcakes are the perfect size with creamy tasty filling and just the right amount of icing on top.
highish-end vegetarian-friendly restaurant
how about pure food and wine on irving place? not totally veg, uses great fresh ingredients and is pretty as well.
Does anybody else not "get" chocolate?
what a great topic! i'm a 46 year old woman who has never understood the chocolate thing either! maybe once or twice a year, i eat a dark chocolate truffle but it's not something i ever crave...give me a hunk of homemade lemon meringue pie or peach pie any day over chocolate!
Is "Sweet Melissa" in Brooklyn worth the trip??
it was really nice of you to post an apology..here's to good bakery experiences for us all (i could go for a hunk of lemon meringue pie right about now!)...
Is "Sweet Melissa" in Brooklyn worth the trip??
no, i wouldn't prefer pastries from cvc or eckerd nor do i wish sweet melissa's harm. isn't the point of chowhound to share opinions? no need for your attitude at all.
Is "Sweet Melissa" in Brooklyn worth the trip??
i had also always wanted to try that place and went there last week...i hated it! the woman behind the counter was arguing on the phone and with a server. i waited until she hung up and than asked some questions about items in the case (they weren't all labled so i didn't know what some things were). after 3 questions she huffed and puffed and said "is there anything else you need to know?". i selected a coconut cupcake, a cherry chocolate cookie and a lemon tart. the coconut cupcake had no flavor at all, the lemon tart had 1/2 teaspoon of lemon filling in it (yes, we measured it!!) and the chocolate cherry cookie had no cherries! i'd have to say it's not worth the trip...
Moon Cakes?
not sure what a moon cake is but whole foods sells something called moon pies...hope that helps.
