Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Public does a "Sunday Supper" every week that's like a mini-tasting menu -- 5 courses, chef's choice, for $50. If you're looking to celebrate your greater food freedom, that could be fun! The menu a couple of weeks ago was very tasty and not too overwhelmingly huge, and like cg_ups said, the atmosphere is lively but not crazy loud (on Sundays at least).

To add to the Amsterdam recs, around 121st are fine Indian and Ethiopian restaurants -- the Indian is called Ajanta, I forget the Ethiopian name. Nothing out of the ordinary, but decent local food.

I actually tend to have much stronger feelings about grocery stores in the area. West Side Market (110) and Fairway (125), depending on what end of the neighborhood I'm in, are my go-to supermarkets. Avoid the Morton Williams across from Columbia at all costs -- it is just a dismal, crowded, unhappy place.

Oren's (112th/Bway) for delicious coffee, although there's no seating.

Samad's (111th/Bway) has good Middle Eastern ingredients and spices if your cooking tends in that direction. M2M (115th/Bway) has a so-so selection of Asian ingredients, but better than anywhere else in the area.

Something spicy and full (and red).

I'm not sure I can remember my first Indian meal, but one memorable first was my first time making paneer at home -- pretty easy, but I was highly amused by the process of wrapping the cheese in cloth and then flattening it (in my case, with a couple of heavy, non-Indian cookbooks)!

This sounds awesome. For those of us who don't read Chinese, can someone look at the website and post the addresses of the other locations of Great Wall? In particular, are there any that are slightly closer to NYC? If not, I might just have to take a day trip sometime soon...

Spicy Thai chicken salad with bean sprouts and mint -- so refreshing on hot days!

Victory Hop Devil, from PA.

Strawberry-rhubarb pie is also very much in my mind today, since I ate it for dessert last night!

Every time I get tacos delivered from La Mexicana on 107th -- unwrapping the foil, squeezing the little juiceless lime slivers over the meat, eating a good third of their contents with a fork before I could possibly fold up the taco and put it in my mouth... mmmm.

Leaves flutter, crowds mill
Await vinegar's quick tang,
tomato's warm glow

Taqueria y Fonda La Mexicana, 107th and Amsterdam. So good.

Filet