Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

My very very favorite New York brunch is the $12 deal at Patois on Smith Street in Brooklyn. Not only do you get unlimited coffee, tea, and mimosas, but the poached eggs over duck confit hash is to die for.

I second Bob the Chef's. Sooo good.

In my nannying days, I made a lot of Annie's Mac and Cheese and chicken nuggets, but the little one (age 7) also loved proscuitto, Comte cheese, smoked duck breast, and chorizo.

I'm completely and totally obsessed with Muir Glen canned tomatoes. I exclusively use them for pasta sauces between October-May.

I have to say, I like Cracker Barrel Breakfast. Their "mama's french toast" is the best french toast I have ever had and that what keep's my hubs and I going back. The lunch and dinner menu is mediocre, but I say definitely head back for the french toast, and then see how you feel.

great going! just be careful that you don't make yourself feel TOO deprived or you'll bust out big time {ask me how i know}.

try to stay out of restaurants when you're not eating for work. make it a habit to pack your own {unprocessed} food. you have total control of what goes in it, and it's so much cheaper and healthier.

keep up the exercise. that's really key. and you might want to consider taking up the suggestion of going to weight watchers. they teach valuable skills like how to measure portions and how to keep track of what you're eating. one of my friends dropped 40 pounds using the WW points system and is keeping it off just by weighing and measuring her food and being vigilant about keeping track of what she's eaten. i've lost 50 pounds, i have 30 more to go, and have been thinking about doing it myself.

I think you did very well for your first week with the controlling and monitoring of your intake, and I'm glad that you were able to "taste, not devour" temptations like the bars!

Do you have a calorie limit per day and are you counting EVERY calorie? This (and excercise) is the only way.

Good start, though!

Jeez, Cheesecake factory and Applebees....Americanized famous dishes in unreasonable portions. Though I must say, if you articulate your distaste and dissapointment in a letter witten to the owners (via the corporate website) you can definitely score some free food vouchers. I wrote a letter to Carraba's explaining that I am a Philadelphia native living in Savannah, GA, and that I wish hey could raise the bar from salty shrimp (delicious, local versions of hich can be found in the river) and Subway loafs of bread. I got a 50 dollar voucher and a personal tour from the kind chef at Carrabas. All I wanted was for them to think about raising th bar.