Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Carey: I'm sure you know this, but Cherry Jones is one of the giants of American theater. Saw her in Angels in America, The Heiress and Doubt.
Wasn't much of a 24 fan, but hear she did a fine job in that series.
This pie is an appropriate salute to her talents (sweet, no ham).

Always appreciate when a food blogger "takes one for the team"

Just revisited Adrienne's yesterday after a nearly two-year hiatus, triggered by a poor experience there. Got to say that pie was good...much better than I recall. Someone new in the kitchen? Maybe. But, the sauce is the thing on this pie and I suspect a new sauce formula since last visit.

Everyone has a favorite PG's pie. Mine's the arugula schmoogula (apologies for any misspelling, Paulie).

Half hour to get to the bar? $18 lobster roll.
Not me.

Hey, serious eats readers...as you get older, yes, birthdays are less and less monumental. But, if you're lucky enough to be in a long-term committed relationship, particularly if children are involved, you need an excuse every few months to remind yourself of why you're committed to that person. In that spirit, my wife (25 years next week...Le Bernardin for the 23rd time on our anniversary) and I use our birthdays and our anniversary as an opportunity to spend more money than we would otherwise spend, be waited on attentively, eat good food and stare into each other's eyes for a few hours, free of all worldly concerns. As for my birthday, for many years, it was La Caravelle. For the past three years, Corton. If you love good food, and if you have more than a passing interest in good wine, as you get older, make a date for a night out at a finer restaurant. At the very least, it'll give you something to talk about the rest of the year.

Minutes before he pronounced us man and wife, the rabbi (between bites of shrimp) pulled me aside and shared with me the ancient mystics' secret to a successful marriage:"two words," he said, "Yes, dear." I took that to heart and will be celebrating 25 years of wedded bliss next month. Adam, it's okay to have an activity you engage in without your wife (keep it clean, boys). For me, it's 14 Yankee games a season...and a few trips to DiFara a year without her.

Great video!
Wish I could have learned more about the measuring process. Was on a lobster boat of Mt. Desert Island, Maine two summers ago. That story about what happens to lobstermen when they violate the protocols remains as true today as it was in the past. Guys do cut traps, sink boats and whoop the asses of violators.

I feel guilty about waiting for buying my lobsters on sale for $4.99 a pound when you think about the hard work and expense lobsterment are enduring.

Notice the Maine blueberries: tiny, a bit tart and incredibly addictive. Those pies looked great and the little girl was delightful.

Nice memories of Slice gathering at Nomad (photo: 1:51 into video).
As always, two minutes with Paulie makes my day brighter.

Adam: I am deathly afraid of heights, but my family convinced me to join them on their journey up Le Tour Eiffel. It took me nearly a half hour after exiting the elevator to step towards the viewing platform. Once I got there, however, I was hooked. The orientation table, with a panoramic depiction of the Paris that lay below, was fascinating and, like other acrophobics, I found that looking toward the horizon and then gently rolling my gaze closer helped me get rid of that horrible feeling of being out of control. Can't say I noticed the pizza on the way up or down, but did notice that the Eiffel Tower has its own post office, where you can get a post card canceled with that treasured postmark.

I'm a big fan of Chef Julian Medina's Guacamole al Frutas (Toloache Restaurant and Taqueria Toloache, NY):

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/29/dining/29yearrex3.html

Fried clams at Jimmie's in Savin Rock, West Haven, CT.
If it's a nice day, get the chowder and fried clams to go and sit on the benches by the beach and eat.

The cheese plate at Jean-Georges currently consists of Comte and Mimolette. Don't miss it! A future feature on the making of Mimolette would be great.