A colleague recently gave me a Dolly Madison ice cream sandwich and boy was it yummy. We both liked the biscuit covering the ice cream as it was cake-like so chewy and firm at the same time.
I wanted to find out what other ice cream sandwiches readers could recommend.
The trick to keeping the price down is not to have wine or coffee. That way you can enjoy the meal and go to several different restaurants each year. I have had delicious meals at Eleven Madison, Park Avenue Summer, Crema (dessert disappointed). I look forward to it each year and have reservations at North Square, Perry Street, Artisanal and Le Perigord.
Sheer Bliss hands down. I have written about it before. The ice cream is creamy, delicious and highly addictive. My favorite is the Freedom - vanilla ice cream with pomegranate and blueberry swirls - not too sweet but oh, so yummy!
I haven't bought a bottled dressing in over 15 years.
Its so easy to whip up something at home. A standard one is red or sherry wine vinegar, shredded garlic and ginger, a dash of soya sauce, minced chives, salt and pepper and lashings of olive oil. Goes on everything from a simple salad to salad topped with blanched vegetables. So tasty that you could munch on it while preparing dinner.
A box of filled chocolates...always helps.
Make mine a thick strawberry with one or two pieces of strawberry on top and don't forget the whipped cream....yum!
I always take a bar or a tiny box of filled chocolates - summer or winter. It always makes the movie more enjoyable.
How about using good ole' vanilla ice cream? Yum yum!
A simple summer blueberry compote:
Put 1 cup of blueberries in a saucepan with 3 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Cool. Squeeze lemon juice on it to release extra flavor. Add to rest of blueberries from the pint. Eat with lemon yogurt or creme fraiche. Enjoy!
English chocolates are much tastier than American chocolates which are far too sweet with less of a "chocolatey" taste.
Go with an open mind and have a tasting and see for yourself.
Andre Soltner would be perfect.. However, a chef of the past, none other than Ferdinand Point.
Collegekid19 asked for an Italian restaurant. Del Posto is nice. I don't know exactly why, but, while there and even later, I kept thinking "nice!".
Inspite of the pitfalls, I love RW. I find that, if I arrive early (even without a reservation) for lunch and look well put together, I almost always get seated. On the one or two occasions when this strategy failed, I did get seated at my second choice restaurant.
I agree with the praise for Danny Meyer's restaurants. I go to Gramercy Tavern during restaurant week and during the rest of the year. I always feel welcome.
Besides Gramercy Tavern, I love Aquavit and Oceana. The salmon at Aquavit is transcendent. The food overall at Oceana is subtle, beautifully presented, and memorable.
One place to avoid is Grayz. This is a midtown restaurant owned by Gray Kunz, a celebrity chef. It is located in a former Rockefeller townhouse. Aside from the historical interest, I have little good to say about the restaurant.
The staff at Grayz resented serving an inexpensive meal. For each of three courses, there were only two selections. There was loud Hispanic music. The food was bad.
What can I say? Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
My favorite was Mesa Grill, Aureole was fine but they run a summer special throughout the summer, they may not even officially participate. Trying to get into Gramercy Tavern and Eleven Madison Park is just an exercise in frustration for me. I would've called a month in advance but just forgot about it and now both places are booked solid. This year I am going to Tabla with my sister, not my original choice but like others I feel Danny Meyer does the most honorable job with RW. We'll see how it goes.
I highly recommend River Cafe for lunchtime restaurant week. Great view, amazing food with several different options ( not just two ). And afterward you can walk over the bridge or lay on the grass under the bridge and enjoy a lovely day.
Restaurant Week is indeed a great *idea* but you need to be aware of the pitfalls:
- huge crowds and rushed service
- restaurants that cut corners (i.e., chicken and fish, none of the signature dishes, etc.)
- getting shut out of reservations since you didn't call 28, 30, or 31 days in advance
- the *really* high quality and popular restaurants usually do not participate
- restaurants that already have a prix fixe deal that is in that price range (Devi, Tocqueville, etc.)
I've always had a good experience at any Danny Meyer restaurant. As well as restaurants that typically don't have a large lunch crowd but are popular for dinner.
I highly recommend lunch during restaurant week because it is more affordable than dinner. But I did have a great time at Nougatine during restaurant week in February. The service was great and the food was generally the stuff you'd find on the regular menu.
@collegekid19--don't know if Ino does RW, but it's pretty inexpensive for a regular night out, and SO worth it!. We love love LOVE going there for the truffled egg toast and panini. Ino is one of my favorite spots in the city.
Restaurant Week is taking a beating here, and I think it's a great idea. My boyfriend and I are on a budget and don't get to eat at all of the fantastic places in NYC as often as we'd like. RW is a chance for us to try something that's normally out of reach. Once August hits, it's back to checking things off on the "Best Cheap Eats" issue of NY Mag! We love Restaurant Week! (almost as much as truffled egg toast...)
I'm with SE. Check it:
http://gastrogirls.wordpress.com/2008/06/24/nyc-resto-week-rears-its-head/
100% agreed on NY Resto Week.
I second Bar Room at the Modern -- had a terrific dinner last year. And Lupa for lunch; if I remember correctly, we got not three but four courses, all delicious. Worst was lunch at Asia de Cuba a couple RWs ago: it's a good thing the friend I went with and I like the same food, because get this, for the RW menu we could only order one dish from each course, to share! We couldn't believe it. The portions were decent, but it was just so bizarre. Don't know if that's still the case, but I would be wary...
Does Ino Cafe participate in restaurant week?
http://www.cafeino.com/
Has anyone ever eaten here? Worth a try?
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