I was talking to Brian Galvin on the phone the other day, and he was telling me he’s so excited that Nantucket Bay Scallops are in season again. He’s right: they are just a jewel of a fish, so sweet, with a velvety texture.

“I love them — they’re delicious” he told me. “I eat them raw. They’re so sweet… they’re like candy.”

Brian will be preparing them as specials three different ways (but not on the same night) throughout the season, which can go until March, depending on the weather.

So if you head to Ocean House, you might find them simply sauteed wiht pine nuts, pancetta, extra virgin olive oil, lemon and fresh sage; or in a ceviche with lime juice, coconut milk, cilantro, red onion and jalapeno; or sauteed with butter and served over an autumn salad with julienned apple, shaved fennel, baby greens and walnuts with an apple cider vinaigrette.

(The apples and the cider, by the way, will come from Thompson’s Cider Mill, which Brian recently visited after learning that owners Geoff Thompson and Liz Bracken-Thomspon are customers at Ocean House!)

So head over to Ocean House to try one of these — and if you have your heart set on one particular special, call first to see if Brian is offering it that evening.

The 411 on Ocean House.

From a press release:

The 9th “Book & The Cook Series” at Plates Restaurant in Larchmont on Dec. 3rd features “Over the Rainbeau,” the new recipe book and lifestyle memoir of cheesemaker and farmer Lisa Schwartz and her journey from tending a pair of goats to building a multifaceted, sustainable farm, Rainbeau Ridge, in Bedford, NY. Together with food writer Judith Hausman and Lisa’s sister, the photographer Karen Sabath, the book combines tantalizing recipes, aspirational how-to’s and captivating photographs.

Chef-owner Matthew Karp has known Lisa Schwartz for several years.  “Shortly after we opened Plates in 2004, I heard there was a farm in Bedford making cheeses, I had to go see for myself.  We took the kids there on a Monday day off and met Lisa, her animals and experienced her suburban farm first hand”.  Since then, Chef Karp has used her cheeses at PLATES, has taught cooking classes in her teaching kitchen in “the barn”, and now welcomes her book to PLATES.  For the Book and the Cook Event, Chef Karp will feature her Double Decker Pumpkin Cheesecake for dessert (recipe below).

The evening will include 4 courses including the award winning cheeses of Rainbeau Ridge Farm, and is $55. per person. Optional biodynamic / organic wine pairing, tax and gratuity will be additional. There will be plenty of time for Q&A and dialogue with the authors, and books will be available for purchase and signing for 20% discount – just in time for the holidays! The evening begins at 7 pm.  For additional information and reservations.

My colleague Karen Croke and I went to lunch at the new Chat yesterday. It looks very similar to its sister, Chat 19 in Larchmont: a color scheme of black and red, mosaic tiles at the bar and big picture windows.

The difference here: a roaring fireplace. Read more of this entry »

A couple fun stories in today’s food section. Two local moms wanted to tweak their Thanksgiving staples, so we helped them by turning to the Culinary Institute of American in Hyde Park.

The results: Finding new ingredients for Thanksgiving standards. (Linda Lombroso/TJN)

Other stories:
The word on the bird: Tips and tricks for making a delicious turkey. (MCT)
Fairway in Paramus. (Mary Lynn Mitcham/TJN)
Two local woman make sweet potato pie for your T-day table. (Linda Lombroso/TJN)
Flavors of fall: entertaining with warm flavors. (MCT)
Pies and sides to go — plus, restaurants that are open on Thanksgiving Day. (me — with help from Leah Rae, Randi Weiner, Rebecca Baker, Marcela Rojas and Jane Lerner/TJN)

Cafe Barcel, the new restaurant in Nyack, was the hoppin’ place to be for food people on Monday night. I walked in to find Joe Printz, the owner of the Grape D’Vine in Tappan, at a table with his wife, Pam, and their daughter, Emma.

Then my husband and I took a seat at the bar next to James Phanor, the GM of X20 in Yonkers. Then Didier Dumas, the owner of Dider Dumas Patisserie across the street from Cafe Barcel, took the bar stool next to me.

While we were dining, Matt Hudson, the owner of Hudson House of Nyack, came in with his girlfriend and another couple.

All this name-dropping to say two things: I got to try dishes at Joe’s table and bites of all of Didier’s dishes, so I sampled even more than I ordered.

And — when you’ve got that many restaurant/wine/pastry people in the room, you know everyone’s hoping the food holds up. (Especially the chef, Kevin Reilly. More on him and owner Nidia Alexander on this post here.) They needn’t worry at all. Most everything I sampled was terrific.

UPDATE: I stopped by after writing this post and snapped a few photos of the interior:

Look for more photos at the end of the post.

My camera was on the fritz, so please excuse the quality of these iPhone photos. This is the Diver Scallops a la Plancha, Bagna Cauda Broth and Shaved Raw Vegetables:

There are four small, beautifully seared scallops under a gorgeous pile of carrots and swimming in a broth with tons of umami.

Cafe Barcel, the new restaurant on Nyack’s Main Street, opened on Saturday.

I haven’t had a chance to get there for dinner yet, but I did have brunch across the street at Didier Dumas. So while I was there, I snapped these photos so y’all could see the huge change they made, well, to Change:

They opened up the whole front of the restaurant. The windows open to the street. The bar is on the right side.

Previously: Cafe Barcel to Open Tomorrow in Nyack.

Good morning and happy Monday. Yesterday was a stunning day, wasn’t it? Saturday? Not really. I spent it at a car dealer buying a car. How painful.

So when we got home in the dark and the rain Saturday night, it was nice to light a fire and cook together with our neighbors. We started with a sip (or two) of Doc’s Draft.

Have you ever had this? It’s from Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery and it is stunning. I’d put it — and the pear cider, too — up against any from Normandy. It’s a nice aperitif, too, because it’s only 5.5 percent alcohol.

We made a very fall dinner. After reading Doug’s post on Brussels Sprouts over on Hungry Travels, I was inspired to make the Brussels Sprouts recipe from the new Momofuku cookbook.

I had already pointed out the Gourmet version of the recipe to Doug, but there’s one thing in the cookbook that wasn’t in the magazine: fried cilantro.

That and the togarashi-spiced Rice Crispies made for a nice texture and depth of flavor. Of course the fish sauce vinaigrette was kickin’-good, too.

It was such a nice dinner and the Brussels played nicely with the sweet of the acorn squash and the maple brine in the pork. We cooked the pork roast according to Peter Kelly’s recipe from last year’s holiday countdown series:

The next morning we — and half of Nyack, it seems — headed to Didier Dumas Patisserie for brunch. It was so gorgeous we couldn’t help but sit outside. My neighbor’s quiche Lorraine:

So good. And the crepes are incredible. This is the sunnyside up one, with spinach and bacon inside.

We also had a ham and cheese and a nutella-banana. Mmmm. But the best thing about eating at Didier Dumas? Dessert, of course:

After a good bit of exercise at Rockland Lake, we settled in for some TV watching and relaxing. I’d had a hankering for potato skins ever since I saw the recipe in Sam Sifton’s column in the Times magazine a few weeks back. So….

Good for you? No. Delicious. You bet.

Only one regret from the weekend (besides spending Saturday inside buying a car): On Friday, I had bunch of honeycrisps about to be not-so-crisp and so threw them in a pan with some sugar and cinnamon. (I was out of lemons so I used a bit of vinegar instead. The applesauce came out great!)

If I’d had time, I would have also made this applesauce coffee cake a friend pointed me to on Martha Stewart. Oh well, next time.

So to recap, a couple great recipes in this post:
Doug’s recipe for Brussels Sprouts.
David Chang’s Roasted Brussels Sprouts recipe, as adapted by Gourmet for Epicurious.com.
Serious Potato Skins by Sam Sifton. (Say that 5 times fast!)
Applesauce coffee cake on Martha Stewart.com.
And the roast pork by Peter Kelly. The link to that one appears to have expired, so I’ll see what I can do about finding that for you later.

Meantime, since I skipped Local Links last week, this is the first I’ve seen the New York Times has changed its restaurant review ratings. What are your thoughts on this?

Last week: Emily says The Tap House in Tuckahoe is “worth it.” (NYT)
This week: MH says Flames in Briarcliff is “worth it.” (NYT)

With that, here’s what people have been talking about this weekend:
Emily goes to Provisions in Pelham. (NYT)
The new Lemon Tree in Dobbs Ferry. (CH)
Rinku visits said Lemon Tree. (CIW)
The new Il Castello in Mamaroneck. (CH)
New cheese shop in Bronxville. (CH)
A new Mexican coming to Hartsdale. (CH)
Sharon goes to Rangoli in New Ro for Diwali. (TGL)
More Indian: Doug heads to Khan’s in Thornwood. (HT)

Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, the authors of the best-selling book, “Hello, Cupcake!: Irresistibly Playful Creations Anyone Can Make,” will be at the Rye Free Meeting Room from 10 a.m. to noon on Thursday, Nov. 19 to demonstrate, step-by-step, how to make amazing cupcakes for the holidays. More info, after the jump. Read more of this entry »

I’ve just reported on three new restaurant openings. Here’s a quick look, and links to the posts.

Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria Neopolitana opened November 2 in Yonkers. It’s the fourth outpost of the original, which opened in 1925 in New Haven. The coal-fired, brick oven pizza is popular the world over, and the clam pie and the original tomato pie are the signature dishes. Click here for the post: First Look: Frank Pepe’s.

A hip new cafe is coming to Nyack. Cafe Barcel, which has taken over the space where Change was, opens tomorrow, serving New American food with Spanish and Latin influences. The renovations were quite serious: owner Nidia Alexander brought some light into the restaurant with a wall of windows that open to the street, dismantled the old tiled bar and moved the new bar (made from Jacobean-stained dark wood), and removed the stone fireplace. The restaurant has dark wood floors and walnut tables. Chef Kevin Reilly, formerly of the Water Club in Manhattan, is preparing such entrees as Roasted Chicken with Preserved Lemon, Yukon Gold Potato Cake and Maple Glazed Carrots — and nothing costs more than $20. Click here for the post: Cafe Barcel to Open in Nyack Saturday.

Soul food is back. The family behind Yvonne’s Southern Cooking will be serving the same fried chicken, ribs, oxtails and other Southern dishes at its new restaurant, The House of Soul in Mount Vernon. They hope to open next Saturday. Click here for the post: House of Soul to Open Nov. 21 in Mount Vernon.

I’ve tasted 5 pies from Frank Pepe’s in Yonkers over two visits in the last three days. And I’ve learned a few things:

1. Frank Pepe’s, founded in New Haven, Conn., in 1925, inspires rapturous loyalty in legions of fans.
2. The pizza is different from the cracker-thin, Brooklyn-style a lot of us are used to.
3. Tradition is important to the owners — the seven grandchildren of Frank Pepe himself. They do things the same way as always, right down to the rectangular sheet pans they serve the pizza on. Even in this, their fourth outpost, they use the same recipes, the same suppliers and the same ovens — even the castings of the old iron doors.
4. Those pizza ovens, fired with coal, are awe-inspiring.
5. The white clam pie — the signature dish at Pepe’s — is an acquired taste.
6. The original tomato pie — the first pie Pepe’s ever served (and it’s still on the menu) — is not an acquired taste. It is light, delicious and instantly endearing from the first bite.

My first visit, Wednesday, was with two friends. I waited in line with everybody else (about 20 mintues) and ordered three pies, some wine, a pitcher of beer and two salads.

Then I went back yesterday and met Francis Rosselli, one of the seven grandchildren. I was allowed to go behind the counter into the kitchen — and I got some pretty cool photos of the whole pizza-making process. (Those are further down in the post.)

First, the Wednesday visit.

We ordered the white clam, a pepperoni and the vegetable:

Café Barcel will open tomorrow in the space where Change used to be on Main Street in Nyack. The restaurant has been completely redone. There is a wall of windows that open to the street, floors made of dark wood, walnut tables and a Jacobean wood bar.

If you remember Change (and before it, Hunter’s), you won’t recognize the place. The tiled bar is gone, and a new bar has been installed to the right when you walk in. The fireplace is gone as well. And those new windows will really open the restaurant up to the outside in summer.

The menu is New American with Spanish and Latin influences — and entrees cost $20 or less. For example, the pepper-crusted rare tuna is $20 and comes with a sweet pepper piperade and salt cod potato puree. The CB Burger is $12 and comes on brioche with Comte cheese with roasted sweet onion and adobo fries.

Kevin Reilly, the chef, was most recently the executive chef at The Water Club in Manhattan. Before that he was the tournant chef at Union Square Café and sous chef and executive chef at Zoe in SoHo. Reilly also was chef de cuisine at The China Grill and executive chef at The Silver Leaf Tavern.

Nidia Alexander, the owner, lives in Grand View. She is of Puerto Rican and Spanish descent and left the corporate world to open the restaurant. There will be a rotating series of exhibits by local artists and photographers on Café Barcel’s walls. (Stewart Lewis, a photographer from Upper Grand View, will be the first to display his art.) Alexander also intends to donate a portion of the restaurant’s art proceeds to the Rockland Family Shelter and other local charities.

The name comes from the Spanish city of Barcelona and the Puerto Rican town of Barceloneta, where Alexander’s family once lived.

Soon, the 411. Til then:
Café Barcel, 162 Main St., Nyack. 845-535-3133. www.cafebarcel.com. It’s open for dinner except on Tuesdays. (Good for those Monday nights when many restaurants in Nyack are closed.)

After the jump, the menu:

Jean Parker and her family — former owners of Yvonne’s Southern Cooking — will open The House of Soul in Mount Vernon Saturday, Nov. 21.

The restaurant will serve good, old-fashioned Southern dishes such as fried chicken, oxtails, smothered turkey wings and spare ribs. Chef Roy Dailey, who has been with the family for 15 years, will be in the kitchen.

The space, a former Chinese restaurant, has been completely redone. It’s painted rose and gold with chandeliers. There are white tablecloths topped with glass. (Those ribs get messy.)

Parker is the daughter of Yvonne Parker and was a former owner of Yvonne’s Southern Cooking in Pelham. The recipes, which her dad, Lawrence W. Parker, created more than 20 years ago, are the same.

“We’re just keeping his dream alive,” says Parker. The family comes from Alabama and Mississippi. Lawrence was a cook in the Bronx before opening his own business, Empire Foods in Pelham, in 1986. He died in 1994.

The House of Soul will do a buffet dinner on Thursdays, have live entertainment on Saturdays, and there’s a Gospel brunch buffet from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays.

The 411 coming soon. Til then:

The House of Soul
65 E. Prospect Ave.
Mount Vernon. 914-663-7685.

A great event for food lovers is coming up next weekend. The Russian Holiday Boutique at the Holy Virgin Protection Church in Nyack. If you’ve been to Nyack, you’ve seen that beautiful golden dome. Now the promises of what’s inside are not just intricate carvings and paintings inside the church — they are also delicious borscht, dumplings and pies.

I went last year and have been saving these photos for you all year long. The church:

Yes, I am a dork:

The first Beaujolais wine of the 2009 vintage is released the third Thursday of November each year. Here’s one event where you can taste the version from Georges Duboeuf.

On Thursday November 19 at 6PM Aries Wine & Spirits, 128 west Post Road in White Plains, will be hosting a Beaujolais tasting. Aries will be sampling the first wine of the vintage – George Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau 2009. This will be accompanied by hor’dourves and appropriate cheeses. 914-582-7021 or 914-946-3382.

My apologies for not posting much these past few days. I was on vacation, but also I’ve been working hard behind the scenes on a few cool projects.

First, this Friday, we’ll have an expanded, pull-out dining section in our Weekend section. We’ve got suggestions on where to make holiday reservations at the most beautifully decorated restaurants in the region. Buy the paper on Friday to have these great recommendations.

Perhaps you’ve heard of our holiday cookie swap contest? Well we just got some very cool prizes from Chef Central, which has also agreed to host our event. Submit your cookie recipe at LoHud.com/cookieswap for a chance to swap with other readers and win:

First place: a 5-quart KitchenAid Stand Mixer ($299.99 value)
Second place: a $100 Chef Central Gift Card
Third place: a 9-speed KitchenAid Digital Hand Mixer ($79.99 value)

And finally, there are two great features I’ve been working on for the JN in the coming weeks, including some back-to-basics Thanksgiving recipes for tomorrow’s paper, and, coming in December, a special drink series called the 12 Days of Cocktails.

Thanks for being patient while I put in my time on the print side of things!

The publicist for Morton’s tells me:

Andy Pettitte celebrated the World Series Championship last evening with a quiet dinner with his family at Morton’s The Steakhouse in White Plains. After a round of applause from surrounding guests, the celebration started with sparkling cider compliments of Morton’s. (Andy does not drink.)  They started with Caesar salads and crabmeat cocktail. Andy and the boys had single cut filets, while his wife and mom enjoyed Shrimp Alexander and Chicken Christopher, respectively. Andy’s dad enjoyed broiled salmon. They shared sides of mashed potatoes, hash browns and creamed spinach.  Andy rewarded himself with a Morton’s legendary hot chocolate cake. Andy was also very gracious and took pictures with  neighboring tables.  The family looked happily exhausted and were all looking forward to the ticker tape parade!

From an email blast:

Together with Duckhorn Wine Company, Trevi Ristorante invites you to attend a Wine Tasting Dinner on Tuesday, November 10th at 7:00 p.m. Frank Barbagallo will present new vintages from Duckhorn Winery,  one of the finest and most priced estates in Napa Valley.

Marcello’s Restaurant will host a special culinary event on Nov. 8, a meal designed not only to appeal to the taste buds but to help out those in need as well.

The info, from a newsletter blast, after the jump.

My wife Nikki and I are the writers behind the Italian food blog “Sunday Sauce” – SundaySauceNY.com. We are big fans of Liz Johnson and the Small Bites blog, so when Liz asked us to guest-blog about our experiences at the opening of Frank Pepe’s pizzeria on Central Ave. in Yonkers, we jumped at the opportunity. Thanks again Liz!

The bottom line is that Nikki and I enjoyed the two types of pizza we sampled at Frank Pepe’s this past weekend. We tried his famous clam pie, as well as his “original tomato pie” which is the equivalent of a pizza marinara – tomatoes, garlic, oregano and grated cheese which I believed to be pecorino.

I want to reiterate that we thoroughly enjoyed the two types of pies we tasted, however after we posted the positive review on Sunday, within 24 hours we started to get inundated with emails, a few comments on our blog and phone calls(!) by folks who tried it and were extremely disappointed. The re-occurring theme is that the pizza with tomatoes and mozzarella  is overly greasy and lacking taste.  One reader of Sunday Sauce sent the below picture of a greasy slice and box he had just bought at Frank Pepe’s.  To be fair, I have also included a photo of the clam pie that Nikki and tried on Saturday and really enjoyed.

Enjoy our review and update -  just go to http://www.SundaySauceNY.com.  Keep in mind that pizza preference is very personal, so I would advise that everyone just go out to Frank Pepe’s, form your own opinion and let us and Liz know what you think.

Ciao!

Jonny “Mangia” Giannettino

www.SundaySauceNY.com

A story about Kara and her cocktails will appear in tomorrow’s Journal News.  Here’s a sneak peek at the video, though. Be sure to watch til the end for an especially hilarious blooper by yours truly.

On Nov. 9, there will be a four-course dinner paired with wines at The Cookery in Dobbs, to benefit the Broadway Training Center in Hastings. Ned Towle of the Westchester Wine School will discuss the wines.

All the info, after the jump.

I’m off for a couple of days, so I won’t be able to get to the new Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria in Yonkers until next week. Lucky for us, then, that  Jonny and Nikki Giannettino of sundaysauceNY.com have agreed to guest blog their trip for Small Bites readers.

They have a few updates since they posted about their visit from the weekend. Apparently people have been sending them all sorts of comments on their experiences — good and bad! So check back later tonight for the upated Sunday Sauce Pepe’s report!

The indoor farmers market are coming back to the Westchester County Center on Sundays through the fall and winter. The dates are Sundays, Nov. 22 and Dec. 20, 2009, and Jan. 3, Feb. 7 and Mar. 28, 2010. Hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

More info, from a press release, after the jump.

A wine tasting to benefit  Burke Rehabilitation Hospital’s stroke, spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation programs, will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday (that’s tomorrow!)  in the Rosedale Room, Billings Building No. 4 at 785 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains.

The fundraiser features Stu Levine of Vino 100, White Plains, who will pour several dozen wines from California, Oregon and Washington State, in addition to picks from Austria, Italy, Portugal, Spain, France, Chile, Australia and New Zealand.

Silent auction items include tickets to the New York Jets—Atlanta Falcons football game December 20, with access to the stadium club; gift certificates for Westchester restaurants, spas and resorts; Broadway and New York Philharmonic tickets; and luxury gift and gourmet items. Reservations are $50 per person.  RSVP to 914-597-2848.

The Saw Mill Club, high-end gym and fitness center in Mount Kisco, has a new cafe: Willy Nick’s Courtside Cafe. The cafe is operated by Andy Vitrone and Jeff Goodwin, owners of William Nicholas, the gourmet take-out shop, and Willy Nick’s, the bistro. Both are in Katonah.

Chef Michael Juers will oversee both Willy Nick’s Courtside Cafe and William Nicholas. His bio, from the press release:

Chef Michael Juers, whose impressive resume includes work with restaurants like the 21 Club in Manhattan and Baja of Long Island, has arrived at William Nicholas in Katonah, bringing a delicious, international diversity to the menu. His own restaurant in Chapel Hill, NC, Fusions New World Cuisine, received rave reviews for its multi-cultural flavors and unique artisan dishes. Some of the new savory dishes at William Nicholas are: Asian Sesame Roasted Chicken – Mongolian Shrimp with Sesame Steamed Rice – Pork Loin stuffed with Fig & apricot & Pomegranate Sauce – Saffron Israeli Cous Cous with Mixed Vegetables.

Anyone is welcome to eat at the cafe. Willy Nick’s Courtside will also do the catering for private functions at the Saw Mill Club. The club’s address is 77 Kensico Dr., Mount Kisco. 914-241-0797.

The gourmet store, which celebrates its 20th anniversary on Nov. 23, is at 19 Edgemont Road, Katonah. 914-232-1949.

The 411 on Willy Nick’s.

Support Connection, which provides support and programs to people affected by breast and ovarian cancer, is holding a wine-tasting and buffet dinner fundrasier at Colonial Terrace in Cortlandt Manor at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10. Tickets are $50 and include entertainment by Butch Barbbell’s Streets of the Bronx Band and wines from Marco Vople, the owner of Marco’s Vino and Spirits in Cortlandt Manor.  All the info, from a press release, after the jump.

This press release just came over my email:

New York Firm Recalls Fresh Ground Beef Products Due
To Possible E. coli O157:H7 Contamination

(Released on October 31, 2009) WASHINGTON- Fairbank Farms, an Ashville, NY, establishment, is recalling approximately 545,699 pounds of fresh ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced on Saturday.

FSIS became aware of the problem during the course of an investigation of a cluster of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses. Working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state health and agriculture departments, FSIS determined that there is an association between the fresh ground beef products subject to recall and illnesses in Connecticut, Maine and Massachusetts. FSIS is continuing to work with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the Connecticut Department of Public Health, other state health and agriculture departments and the CDC on the investigation. Anyone with signs or symptoms of foodborne illness should consult a physician.

The products subject to recall include:

Good morning and happy Monday. I spent the weekend in the city and had a blast. Fried chicken dinner at Momofuku Noodle Bar; pizza at Co.; the Kandinksi retrospective at the Guggenheim and a walk along the High Line in Chelsea.

We started with drinks at Mayaheul, the tequila bar (it’s rather more like a tequila den, actually) in the East Village owned by master bartender and mixologist Phil Ward.

Who doesn’t like a little tequila before a platter of fried chicken. For my first round I had The Tequlia Gumption (Mescal and reposada tequila with maraschino, orange and bitters):

Our second round:

Then we walked around the corner to Momofuku Noodle Bar. To order the chicken dinner, you need to reserve online about a month ahead of time. It is the only way to get a reservation. A lot of people have complained about how difficult it is, but I’ve been able to get two reservations (one at Ko, one at Noodle Bar) in the past month by logging on on Saturday morning. I think it’s that people aren’t at work, so they’re not at their computers pressing reload, reload, reload exactly at 10 a.m. I’ve also noticed a few cancellations now and then, so it’s worthwhile to check often.

Anyway, on to dinner.

We started with pork buns. We couldn’t help it.

Pork belly, scallions, radishes, chili sauce. Heaven.

And now, the piece de resistance. Two and a half chickens. One half done Korean style, with chili paste and sesame seeds. The other half done Southern style, fried dark with spices:

You get pancakes (like crepes, actually), four sauces, and an amazing bowl of vegetables to mix and match with: radishes, lettuce, herbs, carrots and peppers:

(Excuse the blur.) Dinner:

Nearly done:

We couldn’t move afterwards. It was delicious. I would recommend going with at least six people. We went with four… and look at all the leftovers!

In the morning, we went to Smorga Chef, the cafe at the Scandinavian House for brunch. I had a perfectly delightful Lingonberry Soda.

I’m growing lingonberries at home, so I’m happy to find another use for them besides jam! This was like bubble tea in a way… the berries were clustered at the bottom and occasionally came up through the straw. It was just the right balance of sweet and tart, too.

My husband, who grew up around surrounded by Scandinavians in Minnesota, got the herring platter:

Many different herrings. It was tasty. He was happy with the lefse. I got the gravalax BLT:

It was disappointing. The bread had been pre-grilled, so it was cold. The bacon was also cold. I finally took the sandwich apart and just ate the salmon on one piece of bread. The potato salad alongside was nice, at least.

On our walk up to the Guggenheim, I came across the Cupcake Stop truck. Its Web site (cupcakestop.com) and Twitter account (twitter.com/cupcakestop) tell you where the truck will be. It’s one in the new breed of “fancy” street food vendors, and it was a finalist in the Vendy Awards this September.

I got a peanut butter and jelly mini cupcake.

It was pretty good, I must say. Not the best cupcake I’ve ever had; not the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich I’ve ever had. But as far as trying to be both at once: not bad.

The Kandinsky retrospective at the Gugenheim was mobbed. But well worth attending. The audio tour is definitely worth the time and effort. (It’s free.)

After a little rest, we headed out again. With some trepidation, we headed for the parade in the Greenwich Village. Crowds, rain, you know… I just wasn’t sure. I’m so glad we bailed when we did, and headed for a drink at Bar Veloce in Chelsea.

We watched from the comfort of our bar stools, enjoying a rose and a wheat beer, while the skies opened up and sent people in costumes scurrying for cover. I mean, it poured.

We got to see enough of the costumes parading on the sidewalk. I’m sure we missed out on the real deal, but hey, I’ve gone this long without seeing it. What’s another year?

We wandered through the brownstones in Chelsea, many of which were decorated with cob webs and pumpkins —

— until we wound up at Co. (pronounced Company), the pizza place owned by Jim Lahey of the Sullivan Street Bakery:

We shared a special, a lamb’s shoulder that had been roasted for 12 hours. It was amazing on that Sullivan Street Bakery bread:

Then we shared a margherita:

Look how fluffy and crisp the crust:

And a boscaiola, with tomatoes, mushrooms, sausage, onion and chili:

Totally terrific. I am so happy there’s such great pizza everywhere in NYC now. Now can we bring some up north, too? (I know we’ve got a few good places, but …..) For you pizza nerds, here’s a look at the underneath side of the crust:

The next morning, we had a cleansing juice at Josie’s on Third Ave:

Carrot, cabbage, arugula and ginger. It was very tasty. My husband got the eggs benedict.

They were fine, perfectly acceptable. I went for a Greek salad with salmon:

It worked for what I wanted: some greens and some protein. I wouldn’t go out of my way to go to Josie’s, but it’s cute, and if you’re in the area and your dining companions have varying needs, it’s a good place to compromise.

They’re known for organic, dairy free, gluten free, vegetarian, just about any kind of special needs anyone might have.

After that, we went for a walk on the High Line.

So beautiful. I love how urban and natural landscape can play so nicely together.

Have you seen garden writer Bill Cary’s blog post, story and video about the High Line? He did it over the summer… the link, here.

After our walk (and a nice while of people watching), we tried for a coffee or a drink or a snack at two new restaurants people have been talking about lately: Tipsy Parson and The Breslin. Our timing was off. Tipsy Parson is only open for dinner at the moment, and we got there around 2 p.m. The Breslin, on the other hand, is only open for lunch, and we got there as it was closing around 4. Curses, foiled again.

We walked back to the East Side and then caught a a supper-time train home. We spent our evening by the fire with a nice comforting bowl of pasta with sausage from Cerillo Fine Foods in the market at Grand Central Terminal. What a fun weekend we had!

And with that, here’s what people have been talking about while I was out gallivanting around!

Frank Pepe’s is open. (Reports welcome.) (CH)
Emily writes about wing night at Tavern at Croton Landing. (NYT)
New Thai in Sleepy Hollow. (WE)
Fried chicken in Westchester? (CH)
First reports on Limoncello in Mamaroneck. (CH)
Rinku loves the croissant at Chiboust in Tarrytown. (CIW)

From an email from Aries Wines & Spirits in White Plains:

In support of Cerebral Palsy, Aries would like to invite you to join us for an international food and wine tasting event. Aries is helping to setup and run A Taste of Westchester, on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 6:30 P.M.

The event will be held at the beautiful Westchester Renaissance Hotel on 80 Red Oak Lane in White Plains, NY. There will be more 20 restaurants featured along with 5 different beverage providers, combining to present you with food and drink from all over the world.

ll the wines personally selected by Aries will be available for ordering at a great discount and Aries will donate a portion of all sales to Cerebral Palsy.

Tickets are $100 per person. To make your reservations or to obtain more information, please feel free to contact Stephanie Russo at 914-937-3800 ext. 411 or Joan Colangelo at 914-937-3800 ext. 215. We hope you will attend and stock up on wines for the holidays in support of this worthy cause.

I exchanged a Q&A with Frank Bruni, the former restaurant critic for the New York Times, and it ran in Monday’s paper, advancing his screening tomorrow of “Moonstruck” at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville. He said he chose “Moonstruck” because the characters reminded him of his own family, and made him realize they’d be good “material.” Indeed they were.

If you haven’t read his book, “Born Round: The Secret History of a Full Time Eater,” sign up for this screening: you’ll get a signed copy. (Heck, if you have the book, sign up anyway.) His memoir is about his struggle with his first love, food, and it’s funny, smart, touching and very, very brave.

Here’s a link to the Q&A.

Here’s a link to the Burns Center for tickets.