We're going to be in Bar Harbor for my birthday in July. Need a great restaurant for Friday night birthday dinner . . .

My husband and I are going to be in Chicago next weekend. We're looking for a two semi-nice to nice places to eat: on Saturday night somewhere near Steppenwolf and on Sunday evening, early, somewhere near Union Station. Any ideas?

I'm in need of a caterer for our company's first-anniversary party. We're a fun group and our clients are hip and sophisticated. That's what I'm looking for in the food and presentation, too. Any suggestions?

This is the basic tomato sauce from Patricia Wells's Trattoria book. I make it often . . . couldn't be easier and you can dress it up any way you want.

28 oz can crushed tomatoes (San Marzano if you can find them)
1/4 c olive oil
garlic (as much as you want)
dried red pepper flakes (again, to taste)

Heat the olive oil, garlic and pepper flakes. When it's fragrant (and before the garlic scorches) add the tomatoes. Let it cook for 15 minutes or so. Serve and eat.

oh, and homemade guacamole is unbeatable

how about tapenade? good w/pita or bagel chips or crudite. ditto for hummus. homemade salsa w/chips is yummy. prosciutto and melon is always good. smoked trout or salmon with horseradish and crackers. finely chopped vegetables (carrots, cukes, tomatoes, roasted peppers, celery) w/shredded mozarella in a basil vinaigrette served w/toasted baguette rounds. bruschetta w/same, platters of salade caprese (sliced tomatoes, slices of mozarella, sprinkled w/basil chiffonade, EVO and balsamic vinegar), mini ham & cheese biscuits,

I think you SHOULD write a letter . . . just don't be whiny. Explain your disappointment in her employee's behavior, explain that you've loved the restaurant and recommended it to others and nicely ask if that's actually the restaurant's policy when its not packed. If she's any kind of businessperson, she'll want to keep your custom . . . and be happy to learn that her employee behaved boorishly. If you don't get a reply--or get one that's unsatisfactory--quit going there. Nothing will ever taste good to you there again, will it?

cheese or herb biscuits w/VA ham or roasted turkey; mustard/mayo on the side for make-your-own sandwiches

Peanut Butter and Honey Rice Krispy Treats
Heat 1 c honey w/1 c peanut butter on low heat until all melt together. Mix w/5 or 6 c rice krispys (or brown rice krispys--may be more costly). Press into baking pan and chill 15 min. Tasty! Unusual! No Bake!

I go for Grapenuts Flakes, which have similar flavor, but way, way less crunchiness. I also a like Kashi GoLean w/flax and honey.

I LOVE Fage. Had it first in Greece and was ecstatic to find it here as I don't like American yogurt. I mix the 0% Fat w/chestnut honey, sometimes w/pistachios, dried cherries or almonds. I also use it in place of sour cream and heavy cream. Adding to mashed potatoes is heavenly, much better IMO than sour cream. I also made some biscuits a few weeks back (using, as I recall, a recipe from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything), and they were stupendous . . . best I've ever eaten.

cocoa made w/Penzey's mix or hot milk w/a drop of vanilla or almond extract

It's not really cooking, but all my sisters and I started out making Jello for family dessert . . . always mixed in the same brown pottery bowl, using the ice cube "quick" thickening method. After that, chocolate chip cookies. I made my first from-scratch cake--unsupervised, as a surprise--using all-purpose instead of cake flour. My Dad asked for a big piece and, bless him, ate every yucky bite. Even I couldn't finish my piece. Taught me a great lesson about following directions, without destroying my confidence.

I love the Seeduction bread from Whole Foods. Not cheap, but oh, so tasty. I've even served it sliced and warmed at dinner parties to great acclaim.

I'm with you. I also DETEST that noxious "passion fruit" iced tea that was ubiquitous a few years back. Blech.

FAGE RULES! We ate it all over Greece,and I'm thrilled to find it in the grocery stores here. I even like the fat free.
Best drizzled with chestnut honey, even better w/dry roasted almonds or pistachios and dried Montmorency cherries mixed in.

I use it in place of heavy cream in soups, in place of sour cream in baked potatoes (it's WAY better than sour cream there) and made rosemary biscuits using it in place of buttermilk last weekend. Those biscuits tripled in size and were ethereal with a glass of wine as a before-dinner treat.

Second chocolate cake with chocolate icing. When I was in high school, my sister and I used to get an assorted dozen doughnuts (from Dunkins, I think), with at least four chocolate chocolates, take them back to her apartment . . . and. eat. them. all.
We'd wait a couple of hours, then go out to lunch.

Just the thought makes me queasy now, but it sure was fun (and seemed completely normal) at the time.

Second Jacques Torres. You can switch up the gift by adding the spicy hot chocolate mix, if she enjoys that.

Roasted vegetable meatloaf: diced zucchini, carrots, red onion and fresh rosemary roasted until slightly carmelized. Mixed w/ground chuck, fresh basil, fresh marjoram, fresh sage, panko crumbs, egg, basalmic vinegar, white wine. Topped w/pureed roasted tomatoes and garlic (roasted w/other veg) and little vinegar. Roasted for a little over an hour. Serve w/mashed yukon gold mixed w/a couple of T Fage 0% Greek yogurt, some butter and s&p. Just finished up the leftover ml in lunchtime sandwiches.

You could try Nonnas at 85th and Columbus, an easy walk from the Natural History Museum. It's a cozy Italian w/outdoor seating if the weather is nice.

I'd suggest the Fairway cafe, which sits above Fairway market, but I think it would be too frustrating. The cafe has very decent burgers, etc., though it can get very crowded. The market is (sort of) the NYC answer to Boqueria, but the food, etc. is all crammed under one roof and seems like it's alway chock full of quietly seething New Yorkers. Great prices and tons of really interesting imported food. Might be worth a peek in, but be wary of cart jams.

PF Changs tofu lettuce wraps and the dan dan noodles and the orange chicken.

I'd serve any of the fruit ideas mentioned and include a plate of of very high quality dark chocolate or maybe chocolate-covered espresso beans.

I haven't tried the Chocolate PB, but the hot one is REALLY spicy, which can be tasy on saltines.

When I was in grade school in LA, the cafeteria used to sell what we called "Peanut Butter Things," which were chewy, slightly gooey bar "cookies", which I think were made w/PB, cornflakes and sweetened condensed milk. God, they were good. Does anyone else remember these? Does anyone have a recipe??

My Mom's Shrimp Dip, which is, as I recall, cream cheese, mayo, celery, worcestershire sauce and bay shrimp.
Blue Cheese Ball: blue cheese and mayo mixed and rolled into a ball, then rolled in chopped toasted nuts
Chex Party Mix: All the un-sugar-coated Chex cereals, tiny pretzels, cashews and almonds tossed w/melted butter and worcestershire sauce, then baked.
All of these on the coffee table, along w/a box of See's Candy said New Years Eve in our house!

You might try Marseilles at 43rd and Ninth. Check their website to see if prices are in the ballpark.

Try Dash Dogs on the LES. They serve a good dog w/a great cilantro/onion salsa.

Lexington Avenue Candy Shop, around 81st and Lexington.

It's diner food, but the place has been there forever, and the malts are FANTASTIC! Very Old-New-Yorky.

Orso, fantasitc, but you must make reservations way in advance.
Marseilles, at 43rd and 9th, always reliable, but again, be sure you have reservations.
Thalia is pretty good, too

I love just going to the bar--preferably late or on a non-weekend night--and getting the gougeres and a glass of wine or splitting a dessert (the cookie selection is enough for three or four--truly!) and coffee and port.That's a great thing to do w/out-of-town guests . . . the place is just so swanky!