Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

American's should realize what is going on here, and that this is not something to celebrate as being in the best interest of pizza or pizza lovers. The Associazione is nothing but a trade group of medoiocre pizza makers trying to restrict competition and protect their turf from superior competitors through bureacratic regulations administered from Brussels. It is an outrage that a tourist trap like Brandi (you will hear more German and Japanese spoken there than Italian) should be in a position to tell true artisans such as Da Michaele (which does not comply with the new Rules but serves a vastly better product) and others what they can call their pizza. In fact, its really an outrage that Italy has reached the low point of abdicating its sovereignty to Europe in allowing bureacrats in Brussels to dictate how pizza -- or anything -- can be made in Naples.

Pop Burger is in my opinion exceptionally poor. Instead of being troubled to cook you fresh burgers when you place your order, they instead pre-cook them, and throw them back onto the grill to reheat. The result is an overcooked and tastless hockey puck. The other slider place that engages in this practice, and ruins their burgers as a result, is Burke in the Box at Bloomingdales (is that place even still there). In any case, both of these places are amongst the worst in the City and give mini-burgers a bad name.

The frozen durians we get in the United States -- both whole and boxed -- are the merest shadow of the fresh fruit, particularly the more highly processed durian in the clear plastic boxes. They will give you a sense of what the fresh fruit is like, but no more than that. Many of the odor notes are entirely lost, and the pungency and taste in general are highly muted. Since part of the fresh durian experience is the extreme strength of these factors, you will of course not get this. Try it, but don't let your experience convince you, one way or the other, whether you like it or not.

Hopefully, irradiated fresh durians -- along with Thai mangoes and mongosteens -- might soon be allowed past the food police in the U.S., and we will be able to get the real thing here.

I'm sure that the gelato is fine, but it seems to me more than a little sad that the food situation in this town has gotten so bad that people will wait on line, and get so excited, over gelato made from a mix (as per the NYT article, nothing is made on premises, but the mix is shipped from Italy pre-made). For me, this is the real story behind Grom. Its a new low, not a new high. A victory for happy mediocrity.

If anybody wants to support a real artisinal -- or at least something approaching it -- product, the guy selling gelato in Chelsea Market actually makes the stuff himself.

I absolutely do not care, and shame on Land O' Lakes for joining in the anti-science demagoguery. There is no rational basis which has -- or can be -- stated by anybody against cloned foods. No scientific evidence whatsoever exists to prove or suggest that such food would be harmful, and the speculative musings of Luddites should not be confused with scientific proof. Such anti-cloning, sentiments are based not upon intellectual examination, but upon subjective aesthetic preferences. People are of course entitled to whatever aesthetic preferences they have, but neither anti-cloning, vegetarianism, or any other subjective aesthetic preference should be imposed on the public at large, particularly as these preferences will have the necessary affect of increasing human suffering and starvation.

Cloning stands to revolutionize food production by greatly increasing the quantity of agricultural products. This is a serious threat to the established agro-industrial order, which Land O' Lakes and their ilk are looking to protect. I have no interest in allowing Land O' Lakes and the dairy interests to keep the price of dairy products artificially high, with the massive barriers they have created to insulate themselves from compeitition (do you realize that there are goverment imposed floors on milk prices in the United States to protect these interests?). Land O' Lakes move is just a cynical attempt to keep the present dairy oligopoly intact.

Dude, forget those above, they suck. Seriously though Ruby Tuesday's is the only chain burger that I have eaten that will not only serve it rare, the way meat was intended to be eaten. but it is also Prime. They also have one of the best salad bars I have seen.
If you ever make it out to western Montana try a place in Hamilton called Naps, they will also serve your burger rare. One of the best I have had.

When you survey the remaining restaurants be sure to include Chili's! Chili's has excellent burgers! I can honestly say I've never had a bad burger at Chili's. Unfortunately Ruby Tuesday's depends on the location.........not very consistent between restaurants. I loved the food in Bessemer AL at Ruby Tuesday's but it was HORRIBLE at the one near Loudon TN.........
For fast food, Wendy's seems to be the best. For sit-down dining Chili's is my top pick........

I don't know if there is one nearby, but oddly enough I think Logan's Roadhouse (it's a steakhouse) has excellent burgers. Ofcourse I don't think they would cook it MR, but I think they still kick toosh.

I too recommend Fuddruckers. I am not sure if this franchise is back east but Hamburger Hamlet is also a Red Robin level burger place.

I think its also important to add that at Red Robin you can order your burger Protein Style. They serve this as a low carb option (no bun wrapped in lettuce) and with a salad instead of fries.

yes Eddies Sweet shop in Forest Hills! Are they still there? oh, for the good old days!