Yesterday, the Times dining section had an article about matches, "A New Old Freebie: Restaurant Matches Return" by Katrina Heron.  Basically it's about the effect of smoking bans on the availability of matches in restaurants.  And matches are apparently making a comeback for a variety of reasons.

Personally, I love matches and I don't smoke and never have.  I love the ones that come in the small boxes, not the fold-over type.  I use them to light candles at home and it's cool to remember the place where you got them when you use them.  Some of my favorite match boxes are from the Ritz - Paris, Hotel de Russie - Rome, Parc - Philadelphia, Rouge - Philadelphia, Jean Georges - New York, King Cole Bar - New York....

For the truly match-crazed you can buy some really beautiful ones at Touch of Europe. Set of 3 boxes for $8.99.  I like the Eiffel Tower, Fleur de Lys and Letter.  But I get so many cool matches at my various restaurant outings, I certainly don't need to buy any... It's tempting though.

In today's NY Times Restaurant review, 'Culture, Staged on a Plate', Sam Sifton gives Marea 3 stars.  Marea is in the former San Domenico space on Central Park South.  The chef is Michael White, formerly of Fiamma and Vento. He and his partner Chris Cannon also have Alto and Convivio. 

In the review, Sifton recommends: Ricci; lobster and burrata; slow-poached egg; fusilli; spaghetti; Dover sole; steak; langoustines.

You can take a look at the full menu here.

Pictured Below: the Dover Sole and Fusilli with Octopus braised in red wine.

Images: Michael Falco for the New York Times

Here's a good find for a fun and tasty Halloween gift.

Vosges 'Day of the Dead Skulls' Chocolates

Set of 3, one of each: red fire, barcelona, bianca.

The red fire flavor is ancho & chipotle chillies, Ceylon cinnamon in dark chocolate. The barcelona flavor is hickory smoked almonds, grey sea salt in deep milk chocolate and the bianca flavor is single origin Venezuelan white chocolate.

They are usually $8 each, but the mixed box of 3 is $21.  Vosges has 2 New York stores now, one on Madison Avenue and 83rd Street, the other in Soho on Spring St. between Greene and Wooster.  Hot chocolate is back in season, so that's another good reason to stop by one of their shops - - the "haute" hot chocolate is available by the glass.  I like the aztec with chili and cinnamon!

I've already mentioned that I'm a pumpkin girl... I always love it when the year turns into Fall and pumpkin flavored this and that start popping up everywhere.  I stopped into Williams Sonoma this weekend to pick up a dish soap...and upon walking into the store I was enveloped by the most delicious pumpkin spice scent!  I walked directly to the back of the store where they have the store kitchen and do their sampling and sure enough, they were baking (and sampling) both pumpkin waffles and pumpkin bread!  Yay, score!  Being from Vermont, I am a waffle/pancake person to the very core (of course with real Vermont maple syrup).  The pumpkin waffles were very tasty.  Thanks to my tiny NY kitchen however, I do not have a waffle iron, so I didn't get the waffle mix.  The pumpkin bread was very moist and was even still warm... oh, my - I am such a sucker for warm bread!

Spiced Pecan Pumpkin Waffle Mix, $14.95.  You can also use it for pancakes.

Pumpkin Spice Quick Bread Mix, $10.95

They also have again this year the Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter, $9.95.  I've bought this in past years.  It's a great spread or you can use it to make a pumpkin pie.  I'm not sure why anyone would do that though, when you can buy canned Libby's pumpkin and use your own spices and the pie will cost far less than $9.95 to make, and taste just as good...

These things make great Fall gifts, if you are going over to someone's house and want to bring a little something... 

I've been going to Fiorello's (1900 Broadway, betw. 63rd and 64th) for so long I can't even remember the first time... For a while I had the great fortune of living about a block away, so I got to the know the place very well.

During warmer months they have a large outdoor eating area directly across from Lincoln Center so it's a wonderful place for the view and people watching. What I love the most though is eating inside at the antipasti bar.  The amazing team back when I used to go there all the time was Richard, Cleber and Elvis... they treated their regulars so well, always so welcoming and gracious.  You start with perhaps a proseco or a quartino of white wine... then they bring the bread basket!  Oh, the bread basket... with focaccia and this super thin paper-like crispy bread, YUM.  The antipasti bar itself is just amazing, they have vegi, seafood and meat items.  I'd always have the vegis and the seafood. My favorite thing on the antipasti bar is the shrimp and scallop salad with endive and radicchio.

The thin crust pizza is also FABULOUS.  It can be hard to eat at the bar though unless you get the prime corner spot (the one further from the door) that gives you a bit more space.  The pizza is a bit pricey at $25 for a margherita -  - but it is made with real buffalo mozzarella.  It's super, super thin - I love that!

They have a great wine list, and as mentioned above they serve the glasses in quartinos, so it's nice, a glass + a bit more.

Between the delicious antipasti and the pizza, I hardly ever made it to the real main courses!  Oh, especially because you must leave room for dessert!  As far as I'm concerned they have the BEST profiteroles in the city.  They bring out a little copper pot of hot dark chocolate sauce and pour it on right in front of you... MMMMmmmm!!!   Here's a link to the dinner menu.

I'll be going back soon!

Yay for us pumpkin lovers, Red Mango has introduced Pumpkin Spice for Fall.

It's a pumpkin and cinnamon flavor, all natural with 90 calories per 1/2 cup.  It will be available through Dec. 31st.  Click here for their store finder!

Luke's Lobster has opened in the East Village at 93 East 7th Street. Opened by a father and son from Maine, they're bringing us some seriously insane lobster rolls!

Photo: Lee Clower for The New York Times

They use only the claws and knuckles which in my opinion is the best part of the lobster... the tail is not as tender.  The roll has 4 oz. of lobster and is $14.  The most brilliant thing about it is that they offer them with butter, mayo and seasoning OPTIONAL!  Fabulous... there is nothing worse than beautiful lobster meat smothered in mayonaise!  They also have a smaller 2 oz. version for $8.

Cafe Boulud (20 East 76th Street at the Surrey Hotel) reopens today for dinner. It had been closed for renovations.  Starting October 9th it will also be open for lunch.  The interior is a refreshed contemporary design and will feature a new bar area - Bar Pleiades and also two new private salons for up to 14 guests each.

So glad to see they've reopened - who'd have guessed that Chanterelle, who also closed for renovations, would never reopen...

The New York Times reported this morning that Conde Nast will be closing Gourmet magazine!

This is rather shocking news!  Conde Nast also has Bon Appetit, and to me, Gourmet has always seemed to be the better magazine.  Also, Ruth Reichl (the former New York Times food critic), happens to be the editor in chief of Gourmet magazine.  For real foodee people, Gourmet is THE food magazine.  This is very sad, I guess my subsciption and everyone else's will get converted into Bon Appetit.

Wow, can you believe it's 4th quarter already?  This year is going by so quickly...

The end of the year is a big gift-giving season, from the holidays to hostess gifts, I think it's good to have some extra gifts on hand for "emergency gifts".

Here are some sets available at Sherry Lehmann that are great gifts.

Veuve Clicquot Traveller's Gift Case (Yellow Label Brut 750 ml with 2 glasses) $59.95

The travel case with handles can be used  for wine, or you can remove the inner lining and use it as a bag for other things.

They also make this adorable rose version with a half bottle (no glasses) $39.95.

And this one by Pommery, Brut Royal Gift with two glasses, $32.95.

(picture with flutes not available)

Cheers!