• Fedora

    Fedora

    [From the 7/21/25 newsletter] We went with our friends Chris and Lance to the newly revamped Fedora on Friday night and had a lot of fun. I’ve been trying to drink less since my Parkinson’s diagnosis, but my doctor says I can drink “moderately,” so when everyone ordered the signature martini, I didn’t want to…

  • Classic Shrimp and Grits

    Classic Shrimp and Grits

    On a recent trip to Jackson, Mississippi, I had grits for breakfast at Elvie’s (served with coffee-rubbed pork and red-eye gravy) and fell in love. They were fluffy, they were hearty, they were the perfect base for a saucy topping.

  • Cafe Luxembourg

    Cafe Luxembourg

    [From the 7/24/25 newsletter] Last night we joined our pals Andy and Jenny Rosenstrach for a star-studded dinner at Café Luxembourg. Now only was Roger Bart from The Producers sitting behind Jenny, but Nathan Lane was sitting behind me and Craig! I’d wanted to go to Café Luxembourg since I read about it in Keith…

  • Jr. & Son

    Jr. & Son

    [From the 7/28/25 newsletter] On Saturday, we went with our pal Lucie to Jr. and Son and had a blast. Imagine your favorite Italian-American red sauce joint taken up to an eleven and you’ll get the idea. The garlic bread was dreamy, the salad with arancini (fried rice balls) brilliant, and this chicken parm was…

  • The View

    The View

    [From the 7/31/25 newsletter] On Monday, I met up with my old pal and roommate (and first season Amateur Gourmet cast member) Lauren at The View, the newly refurbished, Danny Meyer-owned rotating restaurant at the top of the Marriott Marquis in Midtown. We sat at the bar upstairs and caught up as we rotated all…

  • Cecchi’s

    Cecchi’s

    [From the 9/8/25 newsletter] We went to Cecchi’s for the first time on Friday night and it was gorgeous inside — the Art Deco, old-school, New Yorky restaurant of your dreams — only, it was so pretty out, we decided to eat on the patio. This weather is so wonderful, I wish I could bottle…

  • Win Son Bakery

    Win Son Bakery

    [From the 9/11/2025 newsletter] I met my pal Diana this morning for breakfast at Win Son Bakery in the East Village. She had the scallion pancake bacon egg and cheese — I named it my #1 restaurant dish of 2023 — but I’m trying to be good about exercising, and that’s a bit of a…

  • Penny

    Penny

    [From the 9/18/25 newsletter] Let’s talk about the incredible dinner we had last night at Penny. Craig and I have been meaning to try Penny forever and last night he was in the city so we made a plan to meet up there for some seafood. And some seafood we got! This is only half…

  • Seared Butternut Squash with Crispy Curried Chickpeas

    Seared Butternut Squash with Crispy Curried Chickpeas

    Some married people cheat when their husbands go out for the evening; I eat chickpeas.Craig doesn’t like chickpeas. He’ll eat them if they’re ground into a hummus, but presented in its original form, he’d almost rather eat anything else. I, on the other hand, adore them for their versatility: you can stew them, you can…

  • Fig Leaf Cordial

    Fig Leaf Cordial

    A few Sundays ago, I spied fig leaves at the farmer’s market for five dollars. I’m not the type of person who usually buys ingredients that I have no idea what to do with, but on this particular occasion, I figured: why not?