Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Granted, the Whole Foods recipe is pretty lame, but surely you didn't buy just 5 strawberries at the market? Had I been making this I would have modified and put in a whole basket, most likely, especially after seeing the slices disappear into the mound of spinach as I worked...just got back from the greenmarket with a quart of strawberries all warm from sitting in the sun out there, and some spinach, most of which is destined for a fish en papillote, but seeing this is making me plot a small impromptu spinach-strawberrry salad on the side...

I have a couple bunches of kale in the fridge and intend to make "kale chips" tonight -- came across them in another blog (link below) and thought it sounded fantastic...might be an option for your leftovers.
http://28cooks.blogspot.com/2008/02/kale-chips-ive-been-seeing-recipes-for.html

mmm, Dinosaur BBQ in NYC! just down the street...

pretty crispy but not too much blackened

I saw this book pre-publication and tried the Velveeta fudge recipe -- my coworkers devoured it in 10 minutes flat and no one had any idea there was Velveeta in it. Nor did I tell them -- I cut the slices way bigger than the serving size, I'm sure! The Velveeta just gives it a super creamy texture. If you're a purist, obvs. avoid, but as people have said above, come on, this is fudge we're talking about, who wants it to be healthy anyway?

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.

I won a cookoff contest at the California Strawberry Festival in May with my recipe "Strawberry Gazpacho Salad with Tangy Lime Vinigrette" I would be happy to share it with anyone if they like...

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.

@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...)

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