I started off on the Lower East Side this time, for breakfast at the Clinton Street Baking Co. They’re known especially for their pancakes and biscuits…

Blueberry Pancakes w/ Warm Maple Butter. The pancakes were good enough — if a bit heavy — but it was the warm maple butter that I finished… And maple + blueberry is good.

Another time that I was there, I got the Spanish Biscuit Sandwich, with Scrambled Eggs, Melted Jack, Tomatillo Sauce, Grilled Chorizo, and Hash Browns. This was a great way to start the day, but I prefer it when you can eat breakfast sandwiches with your hands. This one demanded a knife and fork, or else each chorizo would be gone in an extended bite and the biscuit would crumble all over the place. I liked how the tomatillo sauce anchored all of the flavors and textures, though.

Pistachio Brownie, Chocolate Chip Cookie, Vanilla Cupcake. I got these to go, but I was a bit disappointed. The cookie was bland (my feeling is that bread flour dulls the flavor of choc chop cookies, and I think there was bread flour in it; it’s usually used to contribute a greater chew), the cupcake dry, and the brownie was only decent and fudgy enough, although I loved the idea of the pistachios on top.

Vanilla Cupcake and Chocolate Cupcake from Sugar Sweet Sunshine bakery. The vanilla cupcake was the best of its kind that I had in NYC — moist, sweet, and tinged with vanilla… that’s all I’ve wanted all along. Plus, it was compact enough to eat in civilized bites, which is an under-rated good quality in a cupcake. All of their chocolate icings seemed to be made with ground almonds, so I didn’t try them — I like my chocolate pure for cupcakes. Unfortunately, the chocolate cupcake was dry.

Then to the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, at Bayard & Elizabeth.

Black Sesame and Red Bean Ice Creams. I was surprised that I liked the black sesame the best between the two. The flavor approached a mellow peanut butter. The Red Bean wasn’t very stongly flavored — I only tasted the red bean when I came across little pieces of them.

Raspberry Doughnut and Tres Leches Doughnut from the Doughnut Plant. Both very good, if a bit chewy and sweet. I really liked the ribbon of caramel-ish cream inside the Tres Leche, which made it even more moist and cakey.

Then I went down to the Financial District.

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My destination was Financier Patisserie on Stone Street. I had no idea that this wonderful street existed — packed with restaurants that have tables lined up on the street. Perfect for lunch on a sunny day.

Croque Monsieur w/ Salad. Speaking of perfect, I liked the Croque Monsieur a lot — which was perfectly heated and, in addition to the ham, was creamy on the inside and chewy/pungent on the outside. Even the salad was just right - the lightly anointed dressing was an acidic contrast to the creamy sandwich.

Napoleon and St. Honore. The napoleon was too dense and all around soft for me, but I loved the addition of rasperries to the St. Honore and the caramelized choux puffs, even if the choux was a bit tough.

And that was all the food I had until dinner… when I atoned for all the sugar and flour with Whole Foods sushi.

After our disappointing meal at Del Posto, I wanted to give the Batali empire another chance.  So, I went for a quick lunch at Lupa, his Roman osteria in the West Village. The restuarant has a great sidewalk patio with tables, and has a casual but stylish dining room.  I only had one dish — a very good dish — and would be happy to return to explore more.

Skate with Guincale, Corn, Red Onions, Parsley, and Radicchio.  I wish I could say that I ordered this as a mirror to compare it with the the unfortunate Pike with Spotted Radicchio, Pancetta, and White Corn Polenta that I’d had at Del Posto, but I did so unwittingly.   It was a happy coincidence, though — it was perfect, and erased the bad memory of that pike.  The skate was turgid, and the relatively simple garnishes came together in a kinetic way.

But I just had the most amazing puff pastry tart for lunch — baked with layers of crumbled soft feta, balsamic/thyme/oregano caramelized onions, kalamata olives, figs and tomatoes tossed in olive oil, and then topped off with Marcona almonds. It made me wish I had some plums to toss in…

I’ve always been curious about those restaurants in Chelsea that I think of as “boites.” They’re usually designed with clean lines, glowing lights, and colors that pop out cleverly. When you glance into them, you can see all the way back into their rectangular spaces. The patrons seem to be either coming or going to a club… in NYC or Europe.

So, I was happy to try out Sensa (at 6th Ave and 21st St) one afternoon when we were shopping nearby. With a menu that could be described as global, I was a little concerned by the lack of focus, but aside from one bad dessert, the food was very good and thoughtfully prepared. I usually don’t look out for big servings, but they were here and that was refreshing given the modest prices. And be sure to check out the cocktail list.

Warm Tomato & Goat Cheese Tart with Sweet Onions, Puff Pastry, and Saffron Sauce.  Cleverly constructed, and acidic, sweet, creamy, crunchy, juicy, and yummy.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin w/ Sage Roasted Potatoes, Goat Cheese, Creamed Corn, and Peach Chutney. The pork was so good that it didn’t need the very sweet chutney.

Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp, Tomatoes, Basil, Garlic.

Pulled Pork Pibil - Roasted Chilis & Oranges, Tomatillo Mayo, and Fries. Is it me, or is pulled pork everywhere nowadays? This was a very good version; I especially liked the hint of spicy orange.

Grape Caipiroska - Imperial Vodka, Grapes, Sugar Syrup. A caipiroska is usually made with limes, and if you used cachaca instead of vodka, it would be a caipirhina. Here’s a link about the whole caipi family.

This drink was fantastic, and made be think of a thought that I think a lot: “If grapes come ready to go and are so delicious, why aren’t they used more in drinks and desserts?” I’ve vowed to work on this. That reminds me — I’m back in Napa now and have the most amazing black grapes from the Sonoma Farmer’s Market. One grape contains a whole bouquet of grapeness, from sweet and perky to floral and dusky.

Nutella Panini w/ Coffee Crunch Ice Cream.  Satisfying.

One Large Profiterole - Chocolate and Banana Brulee Ice Cream, Black Cherry Sorbet, Chocolate Sauce. This description is what the menu said, but as you can see, there are three profiteroles and only one of the three promised ice creams present. I think that the choux pastry had been baked, cut, and frozen — it was matted on the inside cuts and was gummy. The ice cream was average.