Ben and Jacks - Manhattan

Solitary Steak Ain't a Good Sign
In the go-go days of NY, you never would have found yourself alone in a steakhouse during Friday lunch. After a long wait to be seated, it would have been elbow to elbow combat and deafening table chatter. Fast forward to now: Ben and Jack's new location on Madison Ave between 28th and 29th. Same delicious steak you get from any good steakhouse minus the crowd. Matter of fact, it's downright scary how empty the place was.

Spot - Manhattan

Checking Out the New Dessert Spot
It's not every week that a "dessert guru" opens his new dessert bar while I'm in NY. Pichet Ong, of Batch and P'ong fame, opened up Spot to offer NYers a SE Asian take on dessert. I just happen to have a SE Asian girlfriend, so I was excited and worried at the same time. She's a tough cookie, pun intended....

Motorino - Manhattan

It Does Impress
As much hype as this pizza spot gets, I was surprised that it lived up to it. A few bites into the Soppressata Piccante I was unsure - until I hit one of the slices of salami. That's when it all came together - the airy, nicely burnt crust, the visible slices of garlic, the oregano....

Corossol - Paris

West Indian "Called Out to Me"
The Puffin is famous for her food selection routine. She checks out a place and if it "calls out to her", she'll eat there. Every now and then, her routine fails. We'd been right next to Corossol - at Chez Taeko - so many times, but she'd never shown the slightest interest. I knew better - if this place were half as good as any decent West Indian place in Brooklyn then it was going to be a find. I'm a real man, so I put my foot down and told her "you'll eat here and you'll like it, period." Yeah, ok, something more like "let's try it out sweetie-pie."

Stuart Friendly - Paris

What the Hell Does Hetero-Friendly Mean?
On a recent Sunday, the old lady and I were wandering in the 2nd near rue Montorgueil looking for a brunch. I'm never sure where we'll end up - we each sniff out places in peculiar ways. She looks em over, sometimes reads the menus and otherwise waits for a place to "call out to her." I favor places that are a bit different so when I noticed a sign in the window of Stuart Friendly that read "we're the premiere hetero-friendly restaurant in Paris", it was a lock. This hetero was hungry, friendly or not.

Au Duc de Montmorency - Paris

The Coolest Little Spot in the 3rd
Eating lunch here is like spending time with a friend in his kitchen. If I ever open my own restaurant, I would fashion it after this place. I settled on a lentil, chicken and sausage stew with rice and veggies.

Rice and Fish - Paris: CLOSED

Cali Sushi in the Second
October 2010 Update: this place has changed to Rice and Beans, a Mexican eatery run by the same crew but now serving tacos, burritos, etc.

Original Post
Globalization to the 2nd degree: a New Yorker and his Singapore girl got hungry in Paris and went to the sushi place run by the guy from San Fran. This isn't classic Japanese sushi but the California variety - note the stray rice grains. I tried something named OVNI: crab, tempura prawns, avocado and egg. These came together nicely when dipped in wasabi soy sauce.

Jean-Paul Hevin - Paris

Heaven's Got a Steep Cover Charge...
If you're ever shopping on rue St. Honore, make this your final visit. It ain't cheap by any means, so consider it a splurge. Jean-Paul Hevin is a master chocolate-maker who slings his creations in Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong. I'd been a few times to buy chocolate and macarons but this time I took the old lady upstairs for "tea." I mean, ok, they serve tea - but who cares about that, as I climbed the stairs to the tearoom I was humming the song "me and my sweet tooth."

Noctudine - Paris

A Real Winner for Lunch
Rarely in Paris do you find the combination of good, quick food, good service and free wifi. One striking exception is Noctudine, a small cafe that offers all of this seamlessly. I've eaten lunch there a few times and simply love the place. Below is my risotto with lardons. Other times I've tried one of the pre-made sandwiches, which they'll hot press for you until toasty warm. A variety of hot meals, salads and desserts are on offer.

Jean Millet - Paris

Firing on All Cylinders
We rarely cross from the right to left bank for eats. Not because we don't think there isn't good stuff over there, we're just kinda lazy. We made an exception to go check out Jean Millet, a patisserie in the 7th. Puffin saw it once while riding a Velib and made a mental note. We jumped the 69 bus for the short ride over. As soon as I walked in I had good vibes. Everything looked good. I ordered a Mont Blanc (chestnut cream cake) which was sweetly smooth and came with a section of chocolate picket fence stuck in its cranium.