Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

If you have just one day, Reading Terminal Market is the most efficient use of your time. In 2 hours you can have a good meal, dessert, plus interesting food shopping and the requisite time spent staring at the Amish. You can hit all the major "local eats" points.
When I visited I had 2 half-days for sightseeing. I really wanted to go to Tony Luke's, but if you look on a map it's pretty far from the center of things. That would take a sizeable chunk out of your day.

Hot fresh bagel with a variety of toppings from which to choose. If not still hot, then toasted.

I thought the bundt pan was a great idea but then I thought, um, if you're the type to have a ramekin laying around, wouldn't you already have a bundt pan?
Well, maybe if you only have 1 pan and you have to make 2 cakes...

Start with J. Gold's 99 Essential map: http://blogs.laweekly.com/squidink/la-restaurants/google-map-jonathan-golds-99-e/
I personally recommend (and all are casual, ok for a baby):
East of LA (you must drive out there for a series of cheap and good eats in casual places that are ok with children): Din Tai Fung in Arcadia for soup dumplings, Golden Deli in San Gabriel for the best ever cha gio (Vietnamese egg rolls), Babita in San Gabriel for creative upscale Mexican

In/near Burbank: Porto's for Cuban sandwiches and baked goods

West LA: LA Farmers Market, which is not really a farmers market but has permanent stands with all kinds of goodies including a Loteria Grill mentioned above. Stroll and snack. Really fun.

Most importantly, the Santa Monica farmers market or any farmers market! In L.A. they are year-round, and I miss that. Make your NYC friends jealous with pics of the fresh fruit and sunshine!

Revisiting an old post for my first ever trip to Philly, coming up. Great! Now all my research is done. And we're equidistant from BOTH gelato locations. SO excited. yay!

Standardized test days in elementary school. In response to the "make sure you eat a good, healthy breakfast that morning" note the school sent home, my mom nixed our usual oatmeal and made a big breakfast of scrambled eggs and rice with either fried spam, fried bologna, or fried hot dogs. Good thing I was a smarty, because that greasy swim in my belly might have undermined my multiple-choice skills. But it's still my ideal breakfast. YUM!

that sounds AWESOME. When you're in the mood for something quick, cheap and greasy, I love a filet o'fish. But I hardly ever get it, because then I want some fries and if I get the whole meal I feel kinda gross afterwards. If it came like this, in a Happy Meal form, I would get this ALL THE TIME. Love it!!!

Deep-fried turkey (bought) and making one of those Southern-style casseroles that make vegetables really unhealthy, like broccoli casserole. I am going to Texas, after all.

mac and cheese. I don't measure anything but when I use gruyere and hit the right amount of moisture, it's soooo good.

oh my god, I thought it was just me and my inferior straw implementation abilities.

@ilovebutter: sugar ... evil ... diabetes ... heart disease ... then I saw your screenname and I cracked up.

omg no more mocha lattes??? Warm thick chewy chocolate brownie with a hint of coffee powder but no walnuts with espresso ice cream, crushed oreos, warm dark chocolate fudge sauce, toasted crushed hazelnuts, and topped with faintly sweetened whipped cream with dark chocolate sauce drizzled on top. And can I have my large iced dark chocolate mocha on the side, also topped with aforementioned whipped cream and chocolate drizzle?

In restaurants I eat American style, though I occasionally switch back to the European style I used for that year I lived in France without realizing it. In Europe I definitely only use European style. In Asian restaurants that use chopsticks, I use chopsticks.
AND in Filipino restaurants or at home I often use a spoon in the right hand, fork in the left. Yes, this is the aforementioned shovel style. And it's the absolute best way to pick up rice, meat, and sauce all in one bite. If people haven't seen it before, it freaks them out.
I have one nephew who prefers to eat with his hands (the way his grandmother eats at home) and it's just fine by his parents as long as he doesn't do it at school where everyone assumes it's bad manners.
Nothing wrong with learning all styles, it helps you understand a culture. For instance, French people are freaked out by American style because you put your hand in your lap while you're eating, and it makes them wonder what you're doing with that hand! European style always keeps both hands on the table.