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Oh shoot, I just realized you said you were looking for lunch - no idea what Blue Ribbon Bakery's deal is for lunch. Sorry! Are you graduating from Columbia? If so, Community Food and Juice is great, but I bet it'll be PACKED...

The tajadas (amazing plantains) and the arepa de pabellon! The papelon con limon drink is also good, and don't forget to try out their seriously delicious hot sauce!

My (Indian) family has always called those seeds "saunf" (pronounced kind of like "soanf"), although I think that may be the name of fennel seeds in general, not the sugar-coated ones specifically.

these links might be helpful:
http://manhattanusersguide.com/article.php?id=388
http://manhattanusersguide.com/article.php?id=649 (scroll down)

my old neighborhood! i second the recommendations for silver moon bakery (lovely pastries), hungarian pastry shop (skip the pastries, as they tend to be pretty stale and uninspired. also, the adjacent p&w sandwich shop is owned by the same people, so you can bring their food into hungarian - good, basic sandwiches and really friendly service!), community food and juice (same owners as clinton st. baking co.), and flor de mayo.

for grocery shopping, i liked fairway (i'd really recommend the harlem location instead of the one in the 70s - it's not nearly as insane/crowded. plus it has the cold room!); the newly-reopened westside market (broadway at 110th) is also excellent. in addition, i like the shawarma/falafel sandwiches at jerusalem (bway at 104th), the tortas at taqueria y fonda la mexicana (amsterdam at 108th), and the frankies at roti roll (amsterdam at 110th). i also really like pisticci (la salle and bway). i haven't personally been to malecon (amsterdam at 97th), but my catalan prof recommends their bacalao. i've also heard good things about metisse (105th and broadway).

in terms of bars, i used to love ding dong (columbus at 106th) because there was never anyone there (or at least no hordes of college students), but the last time i went by it was superrr packed and just a really weird, loud scene. a lot of my friends like la negrita (columbus at 109th).

grapefruit and papaya. i don't mind bananas plain, but i don't like them as part of a dish (especially smoothies!).

salad: roasted beets with pears, walnuts, and blue cheese

mains:
roast chicken
cornbread and broccoli rabe strata

sides:
maple butternut squash puree
mashed potatoes with asiago and parsley
sauteed chard with garlic
green lentils with mirepoix and sausage
herb-gruyere biscuits

desserts:
apple pie
flan

untraditional, i know, but so delicious!

i like the yogurt my mother makes at home, or fage. i usually end up buying trader joe's store brand greek yogurt, though, 'cause i'm a broke student. :P

My friends and I all love food and are all thin, but I think we have genetics and our youth to thank for that more than anything else. I, for one, have an enormous appetite and certainly don't practice the moderation mentioned by many on this thread, even though I know I should.

I don't particularly care for her cooking, but I don't hate her the way some people do. Sometimes I find it strangely soothing to keep her on in the background when I'm cleaning the kitchen (that voice has got to be kept at a suitably muted volume, though!).

Store brand Greek yogurt (Fage tastes better, but I'm a poor college student and TJ's is cheaper), the curried chicken salad (although I think they make multiple versions, one of which is by far better than the others... and which I can't find anymore), Italian-seasoned chicken breasts, frozen edamame, the list goes on. And ditto on the tomato and roasted red pepper soup - it's fantastic! My roommate and I don't like their store brand soy crisps or pita chips though, which is a bummer because those are our favorite junky/snacky foods.

I love, love, love Trader Joe's, but the lines at the Manhattan location are so ridiculous that I usually just wait for my fix until I'm back in San Francisco.

*sugar and whiskey. I knew there was a "preview" button for a reason!

Oh, and my mother's vegetarian chili. Anything hot with lots of lentils and/or beans often sounds good when the weather's bad.