A Fork And A Suitcase

It's been a year since Supermoon Bakehouse opened its doors, so I figured that the time has come to taste those much lauded baked goodies.  Frankly, I wanted to let the crowds die out a bit, let the hype settle, since I was not going to stand on a long line to buy a croissant.  The only time that I did not mind standing patiently (for an hour) to buy pastry was in Paris, but that was for pastry made by Cedric Grolet who was voted The Best Pastry Chef in the World. Supermoon Bakehouse, a hip looking shop located on the Lower East Side, steps away from the Essex Street Market, does not look like your average bakery.  The pastries are displayed on a long slab of pink marble; the iridescent boxes are stacked against the wall opposite a pink neon Bite Me NYC sign.  A glass wall divides the shop and the working area allowing us to observe the bakers do their magic. Banana Split Sundae croissant. Since it was brutally hot, we decided to cool down with their ice cream.  I g

I have been a loyal British Air/Open Skies customer for quite a long time, and am not an overly picky person, but I really did not care much for this premium economy class. Thankfully, the flight from JFK to Heathrow was under six hours, and since it was a day flight, I felt no pressure to squeeze in a couple of hours of sleep in the seats that do not differ that much from regular economy class. The configuration in the premium economy cabin is 2-4-2, the pitch is 38" and the width 18.5".  The pitch in economy class is 31", width is 17.5", and business class is 72" and 20". A small pillow, blanket, a very basic amenity bag, and headphones were waiting for each passenger. I really feel that airlines, short of dragging a bleeding passenger off their plane, can get away with pretty much anything.  The floor space on this flight was ridiculous.  My choice was to either place my carryon in the overhead bin for the duration of the flight, or fig

I have decided that this summer I will try to explore breakfast spots in NYC.  So, I began at the place that is always packed - Clinton St. Baking Company.  I have been meaning to try their pancakes for a while, but dreaded the lines that I have heard so much about.  Well, my son and I got to the restaurant on a Wednesday morning, at about 11 and were seated immediately. Clinton St. Baking Company is located right off of Houston, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.  This neighborhood was once home to immigrants from Eastern Europe,  had a seedy period in the 70's - 90's, and is now a hip area full of boutiques, restaurants, and even a Whole Foods. CSBC is comfort food to the max, and a great place to satisfy your hunger for something more substantial than a poke bowl.  Did you know that they now have locations in Tokyo, Dubai, and Singapore?  There were certainly plenty of choices but I only had pancakes on my mind.  Besides a freshly baked pain au chocolat eaten on

I tend to get very focused, okay, obsessed, when I have a specific goal in mind.  It was time to plan our wedding anniversary lunch, and with a thousand of terrific possibilities that are part of the vibrant culinary scene in NYC, I went to work.  It would have been too easy to just "settle" for the best - Eleven Madison Park, Per Se, Le Bernardin , etc.  I wanted something different and unexpected; I wanted a challenge of finding a place that was unknown to us. I considered Aska, a spectacular restaurant in Brooklyn, I thought of heading in a whole different direction and going for some mean dumplings in Chinatown, but at the end I chose something that has always intimidated me: CAVIAR. Caviar Russe (one Michelin star), is located on the second floor of a four story building on Madison Avenue.  This beautifully decorated restaurant consists of an open kitchen, a large room with about 8 tables and a smaller private dining room.  We were there on a blustery hot summer day