02/25/08

The Laziest Lazy Day Option: The Runcible Spoon

Late February in the North-East: winter’s lost its novelty, the holidays are over, and all we have left is mud, bad weather and dirty, used-looking snow. It’s hunker down season, the time for Netflix and take-out way more often than is healthy or even pleasurable. Late winter thinking goes that, while delivery might not be fabulous, the option of trudging out to a restaurant (or even the grocery store) is worse. Mediocre, but convenient—our local, willing-to-deliver joints have a captive customer base.

Or do they? If you find that you’re eating too many take-out meals that you don’t even enjoy, purely because you can’t manage to shop or cook, there is a reasonable option. You can hire a personal chef....

02/18/08

A Note from Julia

Dearest food lovers,

We know you like to drop in for the latest buzz in the Westchester dining scene, but sadly, even foodies (even the best of us) fall ill at times. So stay tuned for our imminent return...!

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02/11/08

Love Bites

Let's see...what can we say about Valentine's Day that hasn't been said a thousand times already? Aphrodisiac foods? Done it. Valentine's Day candy? Been there. Valentine's Day restaurant specials? Please.

No, this week we'd like to go a little deeper and discuss what it is that makes a restaurant romantic. Believe it or not, romantic restaurants aren’t easy to create. Like romance itself, romantic restaurants are hit-and-miss—they can't be computer generated, and there is no formula. A truly romantic restaurant is defined by scores of subtle factors that all come together almost by chance. Sure, there are some common features in romantic restaurants, but we can’t tell you how many restaurants follow all the rules,...

02/04/08

A Bloom of One’s Own?

Just as we were moping through a dreary lack of controversy, we received this email from James Sklar, owner of the now-defunct Bloom Restaurant in Hastings-on-Hudson. We thought we'd post his letter simply because it's tantalizing. Sold? To whom? To re-open as what? Huh?

As the final page turns on Bloom, my head is filled with bittersweet thoughts. Creating such an ambitious restaurant was stressful and wonderful. I poured my heart and soul into every detail from the moment I signed the lease. While many restaurateurs are passionate about what they do, I don't think there has been anything like Bloom in the New York region. From the filtered water, the...

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02/04/08

Toxic Tuna Redux: Five Lower Mercury Fish Dishes

Okay, so the bomb has dropped. Bluefin tuna has mercury like the Titanic has water — but does that mean you can't eat fish? As we mentioned in last week's post, "Toxic Tuna (or, why Bottom Feeding Is Good for You)," some fish are higher in mercury than others. In fact, some tuna is higher in mercury than others, with yellowfin and albacore being less mercury-laden than the bluefin that tested highest by the Times. This week's

Posted at 07:59 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0