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zarela on 2nd avenue between 50th and 51st streets. It's a bit noisy downstairs at night (near the bar) but ask for a table upstairs near the window. cuisine is from oaxaca. amazing mole sauce. desserts to die for. great sangria and margaritas. sometimes zarela herself comes around and greets the guests.

I'm a devotee to peaty scotch whiskeys: Compass Box Flaming Heart and Ardbeg's Airigh Nam Beist (only have had a glass of it, but that baby's on my X-mas list) are my favorites.

Because I usually drink scotch at get togethers, a lot of women will join in with me. I've also found that women of my grandmother's generation (in their 60's, 70's, 80's) are more likely to be scotch drinkers. My own nana, actually, almost had a run-in with my brother in law a few weeks ago, over his putting ice in his scotch. "Ruins the flavor." (I totally agree.)

i like suenos in chelsea - i took my husband there for his birthday and the food was amazing. rosa mexicano is good too, though i wouldn't necessarily say romantic. if you feel like making the trek to brooklyn, mesa coyoacan in williamsburg has really great food, affordable prices and a great atmosphere - much smaller and more intimate than most of the other places that have been mentioned.

I can't understand why so many people like Ess-A-Bagel. They're among the worst bagels I ever had -- too large and too soft

I second La Esquina downstairs. You couldn't possibly get any trendier, and dark. The food is actually good as well.

la bagel closed - it's now a manhattan outpost of the LI bagel chain bagel boss. david's is a bit north of 16th, it's between 19th and 20th. i'm geographically biased because i live in stuy town, but if you can walk up a few blocks, david's makes a great bagel (and ess-a-bagel is one block up). for pizza, nino's on st. marks and A is always pretty solid. there are also 99 cent slices at mamani on 9th and A, which for dollar slices are pretty good. and stromboli on st marks and 1st is decent too.

David's Bagels on 1st ave near 16th (used to be on 1st near 14th) is my favorite in the neighborhood.

As for pizza, there are some good places on Ave B but that's probably too far for you. I've like the slices at the place that used to be Sal's (Ave A near 7th) and also at Nino's (1st ave, or is it A? near St Marks)

Motorino does whole pies to go. If you have a little patience, you can grab a square slice at Artichoke. Vinny Vincenz also does a good square slice and a decent gas oven regular round slice.

For bagels, I haven't found a good bagel in the neighborhood but I've heard that you can get smaller, more traditional bagels at 9th Street Bakery. They boil them and then bake them, the old-fashioned way. And there's the new bagel spot on 3rd Avenue that just opened up. 81 3rd Avenue Between 11th and 12th. A friend has reported a good experience there.

For fast meals on the go, I like Baoguette, BBQ Chicken and Crif Dogs.

Mark Bittman wrote an article on this in April 2008 - you can find it here.

You don't need a microwave, but it sure does make life easier. And it does a bang up job on eggplant - soft, tender, and way less oil than stovetop cooking.

So call me "crazy." I melt chocolate on the stove in a make-shift double boiler. And I don't use a food processor either (I enjoy slicing/dicing/dhopping with a knife).

Buy a new one. Fuses within the equipment usually only blow if there is an internal power problem. If you did not get a surge in the house that took out other devices, there may be a greater issue than the fuse. I came to the conclusion that most small appliances should be treated as disposable as the repairs usually cost more than a new machine, especially electronics like a microwave. Oh, and the screwdriver trick could be fun in another way, if the amperage is too high, or the screwdriver is a cheap metal, you can weld the screwdriver to the frame while discharging the capacitor. If you try it, where rubber gloves to insulate as well as the insulated handle, can't be too safe.

With kids in school and the running around it requires, the quick reheat times make it invaluable for reheating meals to get to conferences, games and other activities when every adult in the house works. Left over arroz con pollo tonight.

@dmcavanagh, What @BiereBeer was referring to is called a Capacitor, most all microwaves have one, and It works like this:

The capacitor is an invention that was used to store up an electrical charge (like a battery), and then discharge it into a circuit. This can be used to smooth out electrical impulses, or turn a constant electrical flow into a series of impulses. Capacitors hold electric currents even when not connected to any power source.

So you see, If you do not discharge the capacitor correctly, you may get shocking results when trying to replace a blown fuse in the microwave.

In case @ BiereBeer is interested here's how to discharge a microwave capacitor:

A capacitor is discharged by creating a short circuit between each of the two capacitor terminals, and between each terminal and the chassis. The chassis is the metal mounting (bare metal surface) of the capacitor. Read these directions thoroughly before you proceed.

With your microwave unit unplugged, touch the blade of a well insulated screwdriver to one terminal. Gently slide the screwdriver forward until it reaches the other terminal, holding it there for a few seconds. Be aware that this often results in a loud and startling 'POP'.

Repeat this procedure in order to create a short circuit between each capacitor terminal and the chassis (bare metal mounting plate surface). This same method can be applied to a capacitor having three, and not two, terminals.

Sorry, I know this was a bit off topic, but thought it germain to the discussion.