Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

There was a pizzeria on Vanderbilt Ave, around the west side of Grand Central Terminal, that had a delicious sauce on their pizza. Every once in a while you'd find a bit of chopped caper in it. Just a touch.

Tried a shake at Macdonald's (after not having one there in at least ten years), and it was ghastly. Sugar, sugar, sugar... and no flavor. Tossed it out after two sips.

mookleknuck: Blenheim Ginger Ale sure isn't half of what it used to be. They were bought out by the Six Flags people and they changed everything. Blenheim was made from mineral springs water, fresh Jamaican ginger, sugar and then carbonated. Today's ingredients read like the inventory of a chemical supply house, and they've moved away from the original spring. The flavor lacks the depth and complexity. Nothing more than another overpriced mediocrity, using the name of a once-fine product. Such a shame.

Bandit, by Three Thieves.

When they put cattle into a feed lot to fatten them up, what do they feed them: fat or grains? I rest my case.

An old favorite that I have been away from for far too long. The only people I've ever know who didn't have a good time and a very good meal were people who expected something that the Canal House simply isn't. Craig Claiborne of the NY Times gave it four stars years ago: Craig Claiborne "got it". Don't expect Le Cirque or Le Barnardin: the Canal House is not like that and isn't trying to be. Relax, enjoy, have a wonderful time.

A vegan in a French restaurant? France has three fats: butter, duck/goose fat and olive oil. A French restaurant that has a southern French slant should be no problem. I would speak with them in advance, in order to avoid the dreaded "the Chef can throw something together for you" response.

I flew for the first time when I was about 8 years old. The stewardess offered me a Virgin Mary, which accepted and enjoyed. I've been drinking tomato juice, almost reflexively, whenever I fly. It just seems to be a part of my travel ritual.

BananaMonkey: Thank you for the list. I've put together a few "do and don't" lists over the years, and yours is outstanding. Thanks for putting it together, and thanks for posting it.

Alas, Gourmet. I subscribed for over 20 years. I remember when it was one of America's best magazines, and actually was written for gourmets, not arriviste snobs who can't tell money from class. You remember, before Ruth Reichl decided to use her power as editor to show all those people who actually got invited to the Prom who was the big, important girl now! I remember reading Gerald Asher's (the finest wine writer writing in the English language) article every month, and wanting to go out, immediately, and buy bottles of the wine he was covering that month; she turned that into "six New Zealand whites to serve with Guacamole!". I cooked countless dishes from their pages, celebrating fresh fruits and vegetables of the season; recipes that called for asparagus in February and apples in March began to appear, along with overpriced hard-to-find (even in New York City!) ingredients. Sadly, Gourmet is now just another lifestyle rag, with wet-dream articles about restaurants you'll probably never eat in, and hotels you can't afford to stay in. Dangling all those expensive things in front of your readers and thinking it's "class" is really the same as leaving the label on the sleeve of a new jacket to show everyone that it really IS camelhair. Really! 100% See? See?

I agree, Simon: Scarborough is an ignoramus. Zbignew Brzezinski called him on it a few months ago: "You know, you have such a stunningly superficial knowledge of what went on that it's almost embarrassing to listen to you."

There was a restaurant on the southeast corner of Grand St & Bowery that made the most delicious, soul-satisfying Hot & Sour soup I've ever had. A big bowl was only $4. Sadly, the restaurant is gone, and I've not had a bowl since that has even come close.

I want quality over quantity: a dry aged Onglet! (hanger steak)