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Small Bites fans will recognize this post on dinner at the Hudson House, but we had such a good meal that I had to share twice. We went in to research the Jack Frost, which was featured in the 12 Days of Cocktails series, and to sample the cooking of Christopher Dunn, who has been in the kitchen for a while, but really seems to be hitting his stride. We tried three salads, one appetizer and two mains, and there wasn't a miss in the bunch. I think my favorite might have been the duck, but everything had great texture, balance and flavor. The duck confit salad was also a big winner:

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Small Bites fans will have already seen this post, but for SCF fans, here is a repurpose for ya: We shot the singing part of The 12 Days of Cocktails video at Peniche in White Plains. The white marble bar was a great setting to go from plain to over-the-top decorations as the song progressed from the first day of cocktails to the 12th.

So afterwards, naturally, we stayed for a few snacks. You may remember back in September, I announced the chef Christian Petroni left the restaurant to go to Barcelona in Greenwich. Don't worry: the food is still terrific. And Scott even added a few things — including a section of vegetable tapas, all of which were delishy.

Spinach with raisins and pine nuts:

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Last time we went to we went to the Mountain House on a Saturday night, we found it not very crowded, and refreshingly quiet. This time, we found it was super-crowded and very loud. I guess the moral of the story is that you never know what you’re going to find, except for very good pizza.

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On a warm fall Sunday morning, we headed downtown to our favorite pastry shop, Patisserie Didier Dumas. We got crepes and eggs and quiche, and met up with Kris and Tom and Irene, too. The only thing missing, as Tash noted, were the Bloody Marys. This was my crepe with egg:

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If you’ve been following Small Bites, you know about this trip and blog post on Frank Pepe’s, the famous pizza place from New Haven that came to Yonkers in November. In it, I said:

1. Frank Pepe’s, founded in New Haven, Conn., in 1925, inspires rapturous loyalty in legions of fans.
2. The pizza is different from the cracker-thin, Brooklyn-style a lot of us are used to.
3. Tradition is important to the owners — the seven grandchildren of Frank Pepe himself. They do things the same way as always, right down to the rectangular sheet pans they serve the pizza on. Even in this, their fourth outpost, they use the same recipes, the same suppliers and the same ovens — even the castings of the old iron doors.
4. Those pizza ovens, fired with coal, are awe-inspiring.
5. The white clam pie — the signature dish at Pepe’s — is an acquired taste.
6. The original tomato pie — the first pie Pepe’s ever served (and it’s still on the menu) — is not an acquired taste. It is light, delicious and instantly endearing from the first bite.

For those who missed the post, it’s definitely worth a read, with tons of photos and a lot of history about the restaurant. For SCF fans, here’s a Reader’s DIgest version:

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We celebrated Boo’s triumphant return from Paris by, what else? Having lunch. We headed to Vezzo, her favorite pizza place.

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Walking past Wild Edibles almost every day while staying at Boo’s, we couldn’t help but notice the oyster special: a dozen for a good price. Of course it being two months ago, I can’t remember what the price was, but I can tell you this: on Saturday, for our last meal of the staycation, we went.

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Vinegar Hill House is a restaurant in the Vinegar Hill section of Brooklyn. Former employees at Freeman’s opened it, so it’s got that funky hipster feel. To my mind, they’re trying just a little too hard with that. I mean, there are organ pedals above the bar. But the smoked trout, eggs and potaotes were delicious, so, no big deal.

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We have a new favorite restaurant. Locanda Verde in TriBeCa is what Greg called “the restaurant of the future.” It hits just the right balance between a neighborhood restaurant and special occasion restaurant, and there are none of the annoying trappings of high end dining — only the good ones. It’s casual without being sloppy. It’s fancy without being pretentious. The service is warm and friendly. And the food, by chef Andrew Carmellini, is utterly delicious.

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For lunch Friday, we head to Williamsburg: Marlow & Sons for pate and panini.

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After our Fried Chicken Dinner at Momofuku Noodle Bar on Friday, we got to thinking we’d rather like to try the ramen there, too. After all, we’ve been to Momofuku Saam Bar several times, but, except for the chicken dinner, never been to Noodle. So after our cocktails at PDT, we headed over. It’s not just noodles, either. We started with this beautiful appetizer of hamachi:

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We do love a cocktail. And they make a mighty fine one or two or ten over at PDT. I know that some SCF fans have seen several visits to PDT, but we’re always trying new drinks, so I figure one more post can’t hurt. Here’s one of the drinks, called the Master Cleanse:

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SCF fans may remember I’m working on a story about food trucks, and we paid a visit to the Rickshaw Dumpling Truck a while back. Today, for lunch, we’re hitting NYC Cravings, a Taiwanese truck specializing in fried chicken over rice.

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After a busy day exploring food in Flushing, we were looking for a simple supper. Mussels and some kick-ass fries at The New French seemed to fit the bill.

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Once you start poking around the Internet, it’s not so hard to quickly discover the best things to eat in a neighborhood. You’re never more than a few clicks away from knowing where to find juicy steamed duck buns; delicate, rich soup dumplings; and, to quote the New York Times, “noodles to boggle the mind.” SCF fans, here’s our trip to Flushing.

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On Sunday, we had a leisurely brunch just up the street from Boo’s place at Josie’s, a vegetarian-friendly and sometimes organic restaurant. It’s an OK neighborhood restaurant, one you like to have around if your best friend is vegan. But other than that, nothing too special.

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