Top Restaurants 2002 (NYC unless noted)
NYCity
#1 Lupa
#2 Jean Georges
#3 Jewel Bako
#4 Grand Sichuan Int'l Midtown
#5 Felidia
#6 Union Pacific

El Mundo
#1 Da Guido (Piedmonte, Italy)
#2 Taubenkobel (Burgenland, Austria)
#3 Zur Rose (Sud Tyrol, Italy)
#4 L'Astrance (Paris)
#5 Temple Club (Siagon)
#6 Altwienerhof (Vienna)
#7 Locanda Dell Arco (Piedmonte, Italy)
#8 Les Tonnelles (Loire, France)
#9 Indochine (Siagon)
#10 Walter Bauer (Vienna)

Special Merit/No Particular Order
The Minnow, Veritas, Sistina,
Fresh, Holy Basil, Al Di La
Manducati's, Willi's Wine Bar (Paris)
Tomasso's, Gramercy Tavern, Picholine
Locanda Vini Olii, Al Ponte (Verona, Italy)
L'osteria del Vignaiolo (Piedmonte, Italy)
L'Oste Scuro (Verona, Italy)
Il Gattopardo, Jaglhof (Styria, Austria)
Weininger (Vienna), Loibnerhof (Wachau, Austria)
Zur Blauen Gans (Burgenland, Austria)

Loibnerhof rocked as did Jaglhof in Styria but the last two nites were off the charts....Taubenkobel in Burgenland was one of the greatest wine/food/hotel experiences in my life and our finale at Altwienerhof in Vienna were the cellar was pristine was liquid heaven (the food was ok, the service slow, the clients seemed of the older and stuffier, but the wine made up for it, I have yet to experience such a purrfect set of wines)...

my friend bob said to go see : alex hay @ peter freeman 560 broadway #602 (till 12/21) "paintings of things like chicken wire, two sheets of toilet paper, the label from a cuban cigar ... and sculptures of oversized paper bags and a paper airplane. He basicly stopped making work in the late 60's when he moved arizona." (bob checked out our site extensively yesterday and may have recognized some of the contributers here including mr sustenance).

We are in the Wachau, we had some fine meals on the tour but the best is Bauer in Vienna (both wine and food), was excellent wine, service, food....Kornat is fresh fish, Steirereck is resting on past but fine wine and ok food, Wieninger Heurigen is not to be missed (fun room, some dishes super, nice wines at great prices)....we are off to Knoll family Loibnerhof.....

Souen Rocks, love that place...loaded up on tofu, brown rice, etc to help the upcoming "pig on pig wraped in pig with a side of fat tour"

HE'S back! New York Times restaurant critic William "Biff" Grimes, whose long leave from the paper sparked all kinds of dire rumors, will resume reviewing soon. His duties since last spring were handled by former $25-and-Under man Eric Asimov. Grimes, who was out "researching" the city's culinary history for a New York Public Library show he curated, was asked about his future during a panel discussion with top chefs at the library the other day. Beacon's Waldy Malouf asked, "So when are you coming back?" Grimes answered: "Soon - a couple of weeks."

bizz dinner at Picholine was fun but expensive, wines were very good but we had to npay to play, the apps and middle truffle couses and cheese outshined mains, but we were happy (very)....

Dream's work

BAD MEDICINE
The three largest ad agencies have spent tens of millions of dollars to buy or invest in companies that perform clinical trials of experimental drugs.

DISINFORMATION: THE INTERVIEWS
Robert Anton Wilson
Grant Morrison
Norbert H. Kox
Paul Laffoley
Douglas Rushkoff
Howard Bloom
Genesis P-Orridge
Joe Coleman
Peter Russell
Duncan Laurie
Kembra Pfahler

They're back! Late hummingbirds, that is. We don't know if it's climate change, or just more people noticing, but more and more western hummers are showing up in the east after fall migration should be over. Last year they were in Yonkers and at Fort Tryon Park; this year they're even closer. There's been a Selasphorus genus bird (almost certainly a Rufous) in Central Park for over a week now, and I just got word that there is a probable Calliope downtown at Battery Park City. Must go take a look…
(And don't forget the Yellow-breasted Chat that's been hanging out in Bryant Park.)

Sonic Boom in his Experimental Audio Research incarnation, is playing at Northsix on Friday. The "other half" of Spacemen 3, he could have been a pop star like Jason Pierce of Spiritualized, but he's too devoted to art-noise-drone, and continues to operate on a relatively small scale. Could be a thrill or a snooze; maybe both.

Paintings by Samoa

They saved Meinhof's brain, and now it's going back. New strategy against terrorism: autopsy first, then trial!

Harry Potter jellybeans. Mmmmm... Earwax.

Maybe you read about the LaughLab in last week's New Yorker. Finally checked out the site. A few laughs, and some interesting international differences in what people find funny. If you really want to knock 'em dead, 103 words about a necrophiliac duck should do it.

lunch at Aquagrill had more just ok parts than great parts but I have never loved this popular place.....dinner at Chimichurri Grill was great, the owner is nuts, very fun to hang with, the staeks purrfecto, best empenadas in town....

This wasn't what I was looking for, but it came up on two unrelated searches, so I'm posting it. Besides, you've got to love a blog called eschaton, though if you think you know where the name came from, you may be wrong.

here's some happy news...the earth's polarity is going to switch, and everyone's gonna be screwed.

This'd be a biggie for Osama and the Bush Administration.

the market these last weeks has had the grape people, they come every fall, we had 5 different grapes, one of the best market treats (oh and our little kitty likes the Delaware variety, pulp only).....

that pumpkey is too funny

When the gods want to punish you they deliver not one but two post election newspapers to your house, which feature the smiling? Trent Lott front page and center. So I have an extra one if anybody wants one. Actually two extra. Going once...going twice...gone with Monday's trash. On the bright side, I had a bit of good luck at work on Friday.

This place sounds good....and expensive....