This Friday I will be arriving in Cinque Terre and from there I will be going to Lucca, Montalcino, Siena, and then Chianti. With the exception of Lucca, I will be in each area for about 2-3 days. I would greatly appreciate any recommendations. Also, I was considering going to Gambero Rosso in San Vincenzo...any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

Citarella on 6th ave and 9th street has great but expensive fish.

I recently went up to Maine for three days and I ate quite a bit of their local food - steamed lobsters, lobster rolls, lobster bisque, fried clams, etc... Most of my meals were served in a cardboard box that you pick at window after they call your number on a PA system. The average meal was easily $30 per person which leads me to my question: does Maine have the most expensive local food? New York is known for it's pizza and you can buy a fantastic slice for $2.50 and any of the best pies for under $20. Chicago is known for its hotdogs and pizza, both relatively cheap. AC is known for its subs $10-15 for a two-footer. So, does Maine have the most expensive food?

Just tried it for the first time last night at about 9. There were at least 30 people lined up at Grimaldi's...Ignazio's was 2/3 full. I had a small pepperoni pie. It was certainly above average, but i don't think I would suggest that anyone should go out of their way to eat here. I had a few complaints: 1) the crust lacked a certain elasticity that I love, 2) no bubbles on the crust, and 3) the pepperoni was neither crisp nor concave (instead it was limp and oily).

Has anyone else heard the rumor about Domino's opening up in a vacant store on Old Fulton Street right next to Grimaldi's??? Just kidding.

I won't refrain from commenting! The Dean & Deluca in the NYT building is horrible in every way. I have been working on 8th Avenue for years and was so excited for some new dining options, but Dean & Deluca could have been more of a letdown. In fact, the beef barley soup that I had there was so terrible, I called Dean & Deluca to make a complaint. The soup had been heavily thickened with corn starch had the consistency of bad cold hot & sour soup. The gumbo was no better. I actually really believe that they are doing a disservice to their brand by serving such terrible food. I also had a sandwich which pretty awful. The last time I was there I figured I would get a slice of pizza that they resell from Sullivan Street Bakery. First of all, they charged just under $7 for a slice! Second, they asked if I wanted it heated up. Now correct me if a I am wrong, but Sullivan Street Bakery would never reheat a slice of their pizza. The quality of the food they are selling is truly a joke.

Back from my trip to BA... ate lots of good steaks based on all of the recs I received. Can't pick a "best" steak, for there many delicious ones. La Cabrera was delicious, best value, and fun hip scene. At La Brigada, I had one of the largest steaks I have ever scene, and there was a great homey feeing. We had a 3 hour layover at the local airport so we took a cab to Las Lilas, gorged ourselves...lot's of fun. Also visted 647 and had the ojo do bife, it was well charred and tasty, but hardly the best steak in BA. I also had a fried fish dish there which was far better than the steak.

I was just in Salta. Tough place for vegetarians. There is a little storefront in the main town square that has great empenadas. This is not vegetarian, but there is another square about 6 blocks north of the town square, and on the north east corner of the square there is a sandwich stand that is open at night which has fantastic "milanese" sandwiches. Not to be missed.

Appreciate all of the input. We ended up going to Bouley and had a delicious lunch. Thanks again.

Picollo Angelo on Hudson Street has fantastic food and it is a great value. I think they have the best minestrone soup in NYC.

I will be in Buenos Aires next week and can't wait to eat some amazing meat. Where must I go? Thanks.

Thanks so much for your suggestions. Will let you know what I find.

My fiance and I are getting married at City Hall (actually the Municipal Building) this coming Friday afternoon. For lunch, we would like to a great restaurant to celebrate. Thinking of perhaps Jean Georges, Le Benardin, or Bouley, but I'm open to other suggestions. Thanks.

I will be travelling to Buenos Aires, Salta, and Iguacu towards the end of August. In Salta, I plan to be in the city for two days, Cachi for one day, Colome for two days, and Cafayete for two days. It seems like there are already quite a few posts about BA, but I was hoping that people might have some suggestions for Salta and Iguacu. Thanks.

I will be travelling to Buenos Aires, Salta, and Iguacu towards the end of August. In Salta, I plan to be in the city for two days, Cachi for one day, Colome for two days, and Cafayete for two days. It seems like there are already quite a few posts about BA, but I was hoping that people might have some suggestions for Salta and Iguacu. Thanks.

Any recommendations in the neighborhood?

There are plenty of great places in nyc where you can just grab a slice. Unfortunately, Times Square suffers from a major dirth of decent places to get a slice. In my opinion, the best slice in the Times Square area can be found at Bravo Pizza on 37th and Broadway.

L'entrecote

Ixocan has pretty good burritos. Has anyone tried the burritos at Pia Mayo?

Lamarca on 22nd Street and 3rd Avenue has a cheese/soup/sandwich shop next door (on 22nd Street) that is only open for lunch Monday-Friday. They have some of the BEST soups in NYC. I just wish this place was open for dinner and on the weekends.