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I'd love to know more about your tastes and those of your boyfriend. For instance, what distinguishes a culinary adventure and how does that differ from a fine dinner for you?

Blue Hill is frequently my first NYC recommendation to anyone really interested in food. Although the food is very subtle and delicate, I've had some of my most exciting meals there.

WD-50 is more obviously cutting edge in terms of technique and that seems to get in the way of some diners' appreciation of the taste. That should not be a problem for anyone into culinary adventures.

Of all the luxury temples of gastronomy in NYC, Daniel remains our personal favorite, but you won't go wrong with le Bernardin or Per Se.

A New York culinary adventure should included some local treats and probably some ethnic food. Suggestions for both are not likely to be in the fine dining category. I'll start with a pastrami sandwich at Katz's, and let me emphasize pastrami. I see all sorts of tourists at Katz's, clueless at what to order, who end up ordering turkey or chicken salad when they could get as good at their hometown diner. Unless you're arriving from Hong Kong, Vancouver or San Francisco, I'd recommend dim sum at Dim Sum GoGo.

cindyprice, As someone more likely to have a face full of whiskers than pimples, maybe I'm not the one to comment on frisee salad, but I think a good frisee salad with lardons and soft poached egg is well worth learning how to eat. I mean some people have trouble handling meat, fish and poultry if still on the bone when on their plate, but I'd hate to see restaurants cater to those who have issues with some dishes simply because those dishes require a bit of finesse on the diners part. On second thought, I think it would be a greater shame if restaurants removed all food that was messy to eat, no matter how good the diner's technique.

Perhaps bialys suffer loss of freshness all too quickly. If I buy a dozen bialys at Kossar's, there are never more than ten in the bag when I get home (which is why a dozen is never enough). Fresh and warm from the oven, they not only don't need toasting, but they don't need butter or cream cheese. An hour later, toasting is most helpful. As for bagels, it's been a long time since I've had one produced in Manhattan that didn't improve drastically with toasting. Maybe I should mail order from Queens.

No argument on Russ and Daughters for quality, but my subjective choice would be to include some smoked sable (black cod) and some herring in cream sauce rather than the fish salads. I'd also get a big fat whitefish over two chubs. In general I hate preselected gift baskets and while I've been known to have a jones for marshmallow twists (especially straight from the freezer) they're just not worth the cost of shipping.

The speed with which the pan heats is of less concern to me than how evenly the pan heats. Aluminumm is a good conductor of heat; copper is even better; steel is not as good and stainless steel is very poor conductor among metals. A heavy aluminum pan with a thin stainless steel lining is going to be a better frying pan over time than a stainless steel pan with a thin layer of aluminum. It's hard to tell if the butter burns in one spot first or all over at once. Nevetheless, a pan that responds quickly to heat is good, especially if it also cools down as quickly as it heats up. Hot spots can, and often do, develop over time. The plinking would lead me to suspect the pan was heating or cooling evenly. I'd worry about both hot spots and warpage over time, but I don't have the scientific background to provide good reasons for my worry.

Sometimes it's more economical to buy a cheap tool and replace it when it wears out than to buy a good tool once, but I find I tend to keep on getting by with the cheap tool long after it's stopped functioning properly. To protect myself, I've learned to buy better tools in the first place. On the other hand, it's often as easy to abuse good pans as cheap ones and the low cost pans may be good first choices for beginners learning to cook.

"two courses for $28 and have a Haagen Dasz bar for dessert"

Skip dessert with a pastry chef like Johnny Iuzzini in the kitchen at Jean Georges? On a more abstract level, I'd also argue that there's no such thing as a four star experience without an exceptional dessert to complete the meal.

Olives in Soho on Prince (btw Wooster & Greene St) makes a tuna sandy with Grilled Yellowfin Tuna (served with watercress and tomato on seven grain bread). I have to admit it needs seasoning, but if you want to be "healthy" it's a great way to go. My favorite addiction there is their Italian Hero. You won't go wrong with that sandwich.

At the Dumpling House, on Eldridge between Broome and Grand, $1 will get you a pint of the best wonton soup you've ever had, 5 succulent fried pork and scallion dumplings, or 4 tasty pork buns. A giant sesame pancake sandwich tips the scale at $1.25 for vegetable and $1.50 for tuna or beef, but its worth the extra quarters.

My cheap pans ALWAYS plink, and freak me out!

I grew up and New York, have lived in Denmark, the Netherlands and now in London, and have a Norwegian boyfriend, so I think I can relate a bit culturally. I think, from a Northern European point of view, the most 'exciting' and 'adventurous' foods in New York will be specifically New York-y foods (my boyfriend loves knishes and kishka and anything covered in schmaltz) and other 'ethnic' foods. Trust me, there aren't many authentic Chinese restaurants in Denmark, nor is there much good jerk chicken, soul food, or even inventive vegetarian food. There are, however, a number of restaurants that serve posh Modern European-type cuisine. So skip those kinds of places and spend an afternoon wandering around Chinatown instead.

I highly recommend finding an lunch or dinner at the James Beard House and dining there. You'll get to eat with a bunch of people you don't know, but the food is great, and you'll learn some things about James Beard you might not have known. When you're in the dining area, be sure to visit the restroom.