While the tomato blight may be wiping out certain conventional breeds, heirlooms seem to be flourishing. We saw big, small, round, heart-shaped, knobby, red, yellow, green, orange, and purple tomatoes at the Union Square market today. They were everywhere. More
Today was opening day for the new Whole Foods on 97th Street and Columbus Avenue, and we walked through the doors at 8:30 a.m. First up: a latte from the coffee bar, followed by a long stare at the gelato counter (yes, a gelato counter). More
What did we find at the farmers' market this morning? Everything we love about summer: juicy tomatoes and peaches, bright yellow squash, a perfect plum for jam, and some funny-looking zucchini... More
Most of us know the biggies in our cities. In New York, we've got Union Square and Grand Army Plaza that are open year-round and have dozens of vendors. But there are lesser-known markets that pop up for a few months in summer, and sometimes we don't know there's one right around the corner until we stumble upon it. Let's make a list... More
One of the best places to find things to outfit your kitchen is Craigslist. That's no secret, but have you tried looking in the "business" section lately? Some of our most fabulous finds have been ones sold by businesses with too much inventory or ones who are closing their doors. Today, we did the legwork for you and found 25 of our favorite finds from all across the country! More
The New York City farmers' markets are still peeking out from under the blanket of winter. Ramps have arrived, but there's not much else in the way of exciting produce. There are, however, plenty of flowers to beautify your home and lots of herbs and baby lettuces to plant, if you're planning a garden... More
Where do you buy your meat? I think shopping a little more old-school by visiting a neighborhood butcher is such a bigger pleasure (and often a bigger savings) than buying meat from the grocery store.
In New York, I shop at Florence Fine Meat Market, a little storefront in our neighborhood that's been open since 1936. There's classical music on the radio, sawdust on the floor and just about all of the steaks are cut to order from meat pulled from the back. This means you can get the cuts you want (1 inch? 2 inches? You name it) and interact with the butchers themselves. I always get into a conversation about what to do with what cut, or where the meat comes from. And the prices are great.
Grand Central Market is a long, often very crowded arcade of food stalls on one end of Grand Central Terminal. We think of it as a pit stop for commuters, a mecca of prepared foods and last-minute dinner staples, which it is, mostly. But it's also the only place in the city you'll find Penzeys Spices, and there are other great sources for the home cook. We took a tour recently and got to talk to some of the vendors, taste the food (including some of the best bacon we've ever had—and we ate it raw), and discover a few surprises... More
We just got back from a visit to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where we stopped in at Whisk, a comprehensive, one-stop cooking shop (with charm to boot) that opened just a few months ago... More





Floral Drink Dispen...
