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Cornbread Sausage Stuffing with Apples, straight from the Silver Palate

Patisserie Claude in the West Village has the best croissants in the city and is completely unassuming. Birdbath Bakery in the East Village is a branch of City Bakery, but is very quiet and little. Most of the baking for city bakery is actually done at this little place.

I was stuffed after one sausage. It's half a baguette and whole sausage! $5 for well-produced and local meat (a couple are made in-house too), homemade sauce, and quality baguette is a deal.

I had the same, exact problem. Flat as a pancake. No need, no Knead Photo-mess here:

http://readkitchen.blogspot.com/2008/03/no-need-no-knead.html

Slows Barbecue. Must go.

Great microbrew list, killer mac & cheese and deliciously dirty barbecue.

http://www.slowsbarbq.com/

watermelon, feta and mint salads, cold peanut noodle dishes, grilled jerk chicken, spring rolls, pita and yogurt sauces, greek salads, goat cheese and grape salads, mojitos...

Was so inspired by the whoopie pie hubub I made my own batch last weekend. Chocolate with chocolate chip cream cheese filling. Check the recipe out here:
http://readkitchen.blogspot.com/2008/04/makin-whoopie.html

Rising prices will be one of the major turning points into today's consumer economy. We cannot appreciate the wealth we have until it becomes unavailable, due either to a shortage or inaccessibility. It may be tough to swallow in the short term, but as potroast said above, we will (out of necessity) become more responsible, aware and resourceful.

There are obviously great spots in both cities, though I'm more familiar with Paris having lived there for a bit last year. Don't miss the falafel in the Marais, which is historically the Jewish quarter of the city. These winding and pedestrianized streets are chock full of great places, including Chez H'anna which is my favorite, but l'As du Fallafel is not far behind.

You must make it to Rose Bakery on rue de Martyrs which is in the 9th arrondissement. It's a fabulous breakfast spot run by an English woman (Rose) who has a lovely little book put out by Phaidon press called 'Breakfast, Lunch, Tea.'

Montmartre is full of little places, but I recommend Virage Lepic (the bend of Lepic) which is on the winding road up to Montmartre, and is a great taste of traditional peasant cuisine in a rickety place full of locals and two hilarious waiters. It's on the same street as Moulin de la Galette and Van Gogh's old digs. Check out le Coquelicot on rue des Abbesses, which has the most magical baguette you'll ever taste and some pretty good pastries too.

Pierre Herme cannot be missed, and don't you dare think about leaving without traversing one of the amazing markets. The president Wilson market near Alma/Iena is just beautiful. Stop in the Place de Tokyo while you're there.

Le canal St. Martin near Republique is a great area for little spots including la Verre Vole, a popular wine bar. My god, I will go on and on, but each of these spots is great for walking as well as eating (affordably I might add!).

If you're near Etienne Marcel there's a great pedestrian street with bakeries galore and spots for a beer. Try Dix Bar, an underground sangria joint on rue de l'Odeon or le Piano Vache and a hidden street in the Latin quarter.

Okay, I'm done! I promise! Oh, and crepes...the crepes are just divine. Get them at any busy crepe stand and you'll end up having 3. Have a wonderful time and beautiful meals. Eat lots of macarons for me!

Fresh goat cheese, figs, and prosciutto di Parma with a baguette from Le Coquelicot in Montmartre with a Sancerre.

A bowl of fresh pappardelle with morels, aged Parmesan and sugar peas. A chunk of Zingerman's grainy country bread dipped in spicy Tuscan olive oil with pepper with a Ridge Zinfandel.

Duck breast with cognac and maple syrup and an Oregon pinot noir.

A bowl of wild strawberries and blueberries with fresh whipped cream, a chunk of dark chocolate and a kabinett riesling.

Fontina and taleggio are excellent additions to the above, and yes to bacon! After a recent trip to Ireland, I will come away confidently report I had the best macaroni and cheese I've ever experienced at the Farmgate Restaurant above the English Market in Cork city. It was voluptuous, soft elbows with creamy Irish cheddar and thick-sliced Irish bacon. I'm going into waves of bliss as we speak.

Thanks so much for the great suggestions. I'll be reporting back on my blog www.readkitchen.blogspot.com in April with my finds!