55 Bar

The 55 bar is one of my favorite hangs. Several bands play there nightly. There is usually no cover charge for the early set, and reasonable covers later. This venue presents young players who are just starting out, as well as more established musicians. Many use 55 as a place to introduce/try out new material. The crowd varies from night to night. Sometimes the place is full of raucous regulars who gather at the bar to socialize; other times there are mostly serious, silent listeners soaking up the sounds. 55 would never win any decor awards, but the floor isn't sticky and I'm not afraid to drink out of their glasses. No food here, but you're welcome to bring your own. The bartenders are knowledgeable about the music and can tip you off to good players on the schedule.

Cafe LePerche, Hudson, NY

The confused service made the experience less pleasant than it would likely have been otherwise. We stopped in for a snack, got seated at a nice table in the back. The waitress suggested we go to the bakery in the front to see what they had available. We arrived back just in time to see another couple being seated at our table. It eventually got straightened out, but not before the other couple made a few cracks. My apple beignet was very tasty; the coffee was awful, tasted like the bottom of the pot, and I don't believe it was decaf. On the strength of the beignet and the attractive decor, I'd probably give them another chance, though I'd probably stick to tea.

Swoon Kitchenbar, Hudson, NY

Nothing like a day of wandering through galleries and shops to build an appetite. And on a chilly December day, the home-style split pea soup with ham was very warming and delicious. Served with a basket of crisp-crusted bread, it was a full meal. It reminded me of my mother's homemade soup, about as big a compliment as I can deliver. I want to go back, I loved the menu: Spanish wines, health margarita, tapas, pates, there are lots of things here that have my name on them. Very nice atmosphere, a nice place to sit, relax, chat.

Aurora, Williamsburg

We ate brunch recently on the enclosed patio of this hip restaurant in the heart of Williamsburg. The setting was charming, relaxing and rustic, almost like a mini-vacation. Very nice service, with three or four people bringing us our drinks, food, refills, checking in to see if we had everything we needed. The food was excellent. Two of us shared eggs florentine (perfectly poached eggs on a bed of sauteed spinach on sog-resistant focaccia) and duck confit hash, which was like the world's hippest riff on corned beef hash. Both dishes came with excellent home fries, I could have used a few more of them. But they also came with crisp green salads, lightly dressed in vinaigrette. The menu didn't mention the salad, so in addition to being tasty, it was a nice surprise. Coffee, bloody mary and juice were all good. Even though the place was busy, we were seated 15 or 20 minutes before our reservation time, and we no pressure to leave. The patio tables are nicely spaced, we could chat and not feel like we were oversharing with our neighbors.

Blue Star Cafe, Seattle

After wasting an embarrassing amount of time on the Archie McPhee site, I couldn't wait to visit the gag-gift mother ship. I discovered that an ideal McPhee shopping trip should have three stages: a thorough perusal of the wares, a meal and/or a drink next door at the Blue Star Cafe & Pub, where you can mull over the wondrous items you've seen, followed by a return to McPhee to begin throwing items like dill pickle-flavored toothpaste, buddha bobble-heads and inflatable fruitcakes into your basket.

The Blue Star brunch features sticky buns the size of your head, dozens of egg dishes served with a choice of spuds, fresh fruit, green salad, sliced tomatoes or cottage cheese; plus a choice of several kinds of toast, a scone or herb biscuit. Waffles, pancakes, cereal, biscuits and gravy, a big assortment of breakfast meats, burgers, salads, sandwiches and wraps round out the choices.

I almost got a halibut burger, but all the dishes coming out of the kitchen seemed to be breakfast and they all looked so good ... I got one of my fave combinations: turkey, spinach and mushrooms scrambled with egg whites, with red potatoes and a delightfully flaky herb biscuit. Good choice. No way could I finish it, especially since I had to sample the Grumpy Diner's chorizo, green chili, tortilla and pepper jack omelet.

The hearty and delicious meal gave me the strength I needed to march next door and stock up on an array of bacon products that even my doctor couldn't object to.

Orem's Diner, Wilton, Conn.

Roadfood guru Michael Stern kvelled about Orem's, so it seemed like a great place to stop on a Sunday drive. The place was jammed, and we didn't feel like waiting 15 minutes, but figured it would take us at least that long to find anyplace else (especially another Stern-approved destination).

I had a bacon, spinach, and feta egg-white omelet, intense and tasty. The thickly sliced crumbled bacon was crispy, salty, chewy. Lots of fresh spinach, still bright green, melding nicely with the creamy feta. The home fries, which Michael Stern singled out for praise, were so-so, with only a very few crispy bits.

Service was very fast, the plates arrived piping hot. Everyone who went past with a pot of coffee or a pitcher of water offered refills. We half-heartedly considered ordering juice or asking for Tabasco, but we were busy eating and talking so we didn't go out of our way to catch our waiter's eye. A minor gripe: I'd ordered my rye toast with no butter. The waiter must have thought I needed that extra nutritional boost to get me through the day, as the toast arrived with more than a schmear.

Orem's is a fine place to stop if you're in the neighborhood, but not so much better than an average diner that it merits a special trip. The food was good quality and very reasonable. It's a nice setting and everyone was very pleasant. Maybe it didn't totally thrill me because I discovered that morning that Jane and Michael Stern got divorced a couple of years ago. I'm taking it very personally.

Epstein's Deli, Hartsdale

More than once in the past few months I've remarked that I probably would have starved to death during the remodeling if it wasn't for Epstein's. Of course, there was never any danger of that happening, as I've gained something like a pound a week.

But still. Epstein's was a regular fall back destination, and their chicken noodle soup my most regular choice. The simple preparation of rich, homemade-tasting broth and thin egg noodles was warming, satisfying and delicious.

I didn't delve too much into the deli meats, I left that to the Grumpy Diner, who loves Epstein's pastrami and corned beef. I'd occasionally indulge in a potato knish (practically enough to feed a family of four!) or the absolutely wonderful whitefish salad. Their bagels I can take or leave -- too bready, not chewy enough. I prefer their rye bread; they have several kinds and it's all great. The chicken potpie is big enough to share and still have leftovers. (Who knew when I wrote this that potpie has become the favored food of the fabulous?)

Eat in, take out, early-bird special or late night snack. It's all good.