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chocolate brownies!

omu-raisu
(Japanese rice omelette)

how was your trip?

@MFSeattle - i believe mr. gabriel has moved to a new location.
See http://nymag.com/restaurants/features/59442/.

here are some more suggestions for place i like that i've done or think are comfortable to do solo...sounds like a great weekend to me!

sat dinner
- agree with recommendation for pearl oyster bar. if you go when it opens, hopefully you can be seated with minimal wait and it's less crowded.
- if you like sushi, shimizu is great and a great value.

sun lunch
- i think gazala place has better falafel than mamoun's.
- if you like thai, pam's real thai.

i like the idea of minetta tavern. a bit of cool ny. although i like blue smoke, i don't think it's very "ny." you can get better bbq and better bbq atmosphere in other cities.

dim sum in ny is not that great. maybe better than ohio, but i wouldn't go out of my way for it here. maybe check out some of the (non-momofuku) great ramen options, eg ippudo.

i don't eat hot dogs myself, but would skip gray's and go with crif dogs or google some of the other funky hot dog options. (actually, there's a great option at the bk flea, discussed below.)

if you don't mind traveling (work up an appetite b/w meals):
- wherever in harlem the gentleman behind charles southern kitchen if frying up chicken.
- great stuff in brooklyn, including franny's for pizza and wine, buttermilk channel. i haven't been but if i were on your trip i would scope: vanderbilt, any number of the great places in williamsburg.
- go to the brooklyn flea (sat in ft greene, sun in dumbo) and nosh from all the great food vendors, including mexican, "asia dog" for funky hot dogs, bakeries, great cheese, etc., while enjoying the people/vibe. if the weather's decent and you do sunday, you can walk across the brooklyn bridge. if you come to ft greene, let me know if you need a guide!

snacks, late night, etc
- stroll through chelsea market where you can snack on/from amy bread, fat witch brownies, the lobster place, some good gelato, jacque torres.
- otafuku
- blue ribbon bakery

I grew up in Japan where a staple, easy, homey meal is "ka-re." Most home cooks cook fresh meat and vegetables together with a boxed preparation of "ka-re" condensed sauce cubes. (Maybe I'm showing my age. They now make the sauce in non-cube form in pouches for even easier prep.) "Ka-re" has a complex flavor that I could never wrap my mind around as a child. It's a bit spicy, earthy, sweet with a velvety texture that ever Japanese kid knows.

It wasn't until I was much older, though, well after we'd moved to the U.S. and I was at an Indian restaurant that it hit me. The Indian curry I was enjoying was more robust and spicier than what I grew up on, but I started sounding it out in my head "curry, curry...ka-rry, ka-rry...ka-re, ka-re". The word and dish had been adopted, and modified, for Japanese tongues.

I didn't know, but I'd been enjoying a bastardized version of Indian cuisine from my earliest days. Thank goodness I've explored a bit to try the real deal!

i love cobblers, crisps, pies, etc...but don't often make them, primarily b/c of my hesitation w/ crusts. the few recipes i have saved to experiment with are of the "rustic" variety, since i suspect i'd have more success with a rustic, down-home preparation vs. a highly technical or elegant affair. all that explains why my current favorite fruit-based desserts are roasted/baked fruits (pineapple, pears, etc) with ice cream, yogurt, creme fraiche, etc. can't go wrong!