TGI Fridays is a Scam

J and I went to TGI Fridays last night in NYC. Being both Jersey-bred, we have a special place in our hearts for some of these chain restaurant staples… plus, there was a $50 gift card up for use. So, we went… we got one appetizer, each got an entree (mine was a salad and J got the Jack Burger), and a margarita each. Total bill: $80. How absurd is this? J was trying to convince me that it’s cheaper in NJ, but I can’t remember. So, if you happen upon this post from somewhere outside NYC, will you please tell me how much a Tostada Salad ($18) or the Jack Burger ($18) is in your city? We went to a fancy-ish dinner in the Lower East Side on Friday night to one of our favorite places, got an appetizer, 2 entrees, and a half-carafe of sangria and our bill was still significantly less.

A NY Top Chef Tour

As Eater pointed out today, all 7 NY chefs are still on Top Chef. So, I’m considering making the rounds of their previously-worked-at restaurants just for the hell of it. Here’s what the loop would look like:

• Andrew: Unfortunately, I’ve got to immediately count him out as he’s listed as “sous-chef in NYC” without any restaurant affiliation. Bummer.
• Nikki: 24 Prince; American Traditional food; Nolita; $$
• Spike: Mai House; Vietnamese food, Tribeca, $$-$$$
• Manuel: Dos Caminos; Mexican food; SoHo, Midtown East, or Gramercy; $$-$$$
• Dale: Buddakan; Asian: Southeast Chinese food; Chelsea; $$$
• Lisa and Mark: Public (I’m combing them here b/c I don’t think Lisa works anywhere now, and she did previously work at Public); American Traditional food; Nolita $$-$$$… I’m putting this last b/c technically, I’ve sorta eaten here already

Who’s up for a little Top Chef tour? And… how do you think having the cheftestants on the show affects these restaurants’ business?

Ready for a Three Way?

I’ve tried to order late-night from Insomnia Cookies before (yes… there are some times at 11pm that you just desperately need cookies and can’t even fathom walking to the corner deli). But, neither J nor I live within their delivery zone—from Broome St. to 14th St, and Ave. A to Washington Ave. But, according to Grub Street, they’ve opened a daytime restaurant on 8th St near MacDougal (obviously trying to capitalize on NYU dollars). And now I can try the glorious cookie pictured above aptly titled the “ménage à trois.”

Dinner with Barack

Make a donation  to Obama’s campaign in any amount between now and 11:59pm EST Monday, March 31, and you could join him and three other supporters for an intimate dinner.  If you win, please plan better interview questions than Tyra Banks.

(link thanks to SwissMiss)

What to Do with Leftover Peeps

I’m sorry, but how genius is this? It’s a Peeps S’more! Amazing. I want one right now. Check out Cakespy for their list of 5 things to with leftover Easter candy.

Cheftestant Strikes Back

A nice little Q&A with recent Top Chef reject, Valerie. Some insight into why she got the ax… and the truth about Andrew’s ADD.

Flying Decanters

Very beautiful new wine decanters from Riedel—the collection, including the Swan, Paloma, and Flamingo, are all inspired from the shape and form of birds (link via Cool Hunting). Each decanter (somewhat magically) holds one bottle of wine.

St. Patrick’s Day Shake

When I lived in London with Jo the MasterBaker, she introduced me to the very delicious Shamrock Shake from McDonalds. But this one looks even better (via YumSugar)! Celebrate St. Patty’s day with a shake instead of a beer!

Made Me Laugh

Saw this at SwissMiss. Click pic to enlarge.

Giant Cupcake Cakes

OK… Giant is an exaggeration, but they are pretty big. They’re also absolutely beautifully crafted. I can’t believe someone has the skills to create a cake with so much detail. We got a sample of these sent to the office the other day—the chocolate cake inside is a little too rich for me, and the price tag of $90 is definitely too rich for me, but I’m still happy to admire the beauty.

Top Chef is Back

Season premier last night—what did you think? It was good… I love when Bourdain is a judge. He spices things up a bit. And I kinda love Rocco as well, somewhat against my will. It’s hard to tell at this point who is talented and who is not, but I definitely think the chick they sent packing deserved it. Not only did she seem to make yucky food, her whole, “I’m not here to make friends” speech sounded a little too America’s Next Top Model-ish. Maybe she should go on that show next? If you want to read more about the episode, every single food blog is writing about it:

• Grub Street
• Eater
• The Kitchn
• Amuse Biatch
• YumSugar
• Or… go to the source and read Rocco’s Bravo Blog

Pretty Bacon Baskets

Friend and birthday girl, Dacshiesanddesign, sent me this link—it’s a BLT in a bacon basket! Looks pretty easy to make—you just weave the bacon strips on the underside of a muffin pan (see below). I was thinking this weekend, while making turkey bacon for breakfast, that it’d be good to make the baskets and then put some scrambled eggs in the middle. Might get messy, though. Must test this weekend. Click here for instructions.

Give Me Coffee!

I thought this was appropriate for this morning – the first since the dreaded spring-ahead Daylight Savings Time. Very funny coffee ads that made me chuckle this very-tired morning.

What the… ???

All the butter and sugar have officially gone to Paula Deen’s head and turned her crazy. Check out this recipe for “The Lady’s Brunch Burger.” Yeah, that’s ground beef, egg, and bacon on a glazed donut bun… what of it?

Pizza Going Up in Price

According to the NY Times, the cost of pizza is going up thanks to the price of wheat hitting a record high in the US.  At the Ray’s Pizza on East Houston, the price of a slice went from $2 to $2.35 in January, and the owner says it will go up to $2.55 in the next few weeks. This is bad, scary news for us New Yorkers. Cheap pizza is one of NY’s staples. But I guess we should’ve expected it—apparently there is the Pizza Connection, a link thats shows how the cost of a slice increases in direct proportion to MTA subway fare hikes. Damn you MTA!