Wilkens Fruit & Fir Farm

The apple harvest is over, but you can still enjoy its fruits at this charming Yorktown Heights orchard. The two large sheds on the premises house Tricia’s Treats and the Farm Market. At Tricia’s, you can feast on apple strudel and drink hot cider. Also of note are the fresh cider doughnuts and steaming hot, flaky-crusted apple pies.

If you prefer to make your own apple concoctions, you can go over to the Farm Market, which sells ten different varieties of apples. The spacious shelves of the Market are also laden with apple butter and apple cider.

The trees that line the Taconic Parkway are in full fall splendor. A nature-lover in my car informed me that the amount of sugar in the leaves controls the vibrancy of the colors. (I certainly feel more vibrant with sugar in my veins as well.)

Wilkens Fruit & Fir Farm: 1335 White Hill Road, Yorktown Heights. (914) 245-5111.

“Breaking News” at Elio’s

Although Peter Jennings was sitting at a nearby table, the current event I found most important was the pasta special of the evening: homemade egg fettucini topped with slivers of freshly shaved white truffles. The truffles’ woodsy flavor added a hint of mystery to the luxuriant buttery tumble of pasta. Our waiter, Evaristo, proudly maintained that the butter and truffles were the only seasonings in the dish. “It’s a much different taste than truffle-infused olive oil,” he said. I nodded in agreement, my mouth full of pasta.

If the fettucini with white truffles was a front-page event, the penne with cauliflower merited at least a Page Six mention. Chewy pasta tubes were accented with flecks of anchovy paste and mixed with bread crumbs, cauliflower, parsley and deep green olive oil.

All in all, a newsworthy evening!

Elio’s: 1621 2nd Ave. (212) 772-2242.

Cheese and Crackers

This cold, rainy weather we've been having gives me the munchies. Today I satisfied my cravings with a sophisticated version of cheese and crackers.

I knew that the eminent Agata and Valentina would offer a wonderful selection of cheese, and there was an exciting new arrival: Le Peilloute Goat's Milk Brie from Fromager D'Affinois. I paired the Brie with Pane Croccante (rustic, irregularly-shaped crackers seasoned with basil, garlic and red onion). Now I am quite prepared for a rainy day. You will understand if I don't answer the phone.

(But perhaps you are an NYU student who studies on cold rainy days. I imagine that you rarely venture above 14th St., and that you can't study on an empty stomach! If so, stop by Bites, the tiny take-out at the corner of Bleecker and Lafayette. Tell the friendly gent that you crave a melted Nutella ciabatta snack ($3), walk away happy, and ace those exams.)

Agata and Valentina: 1505 1st Ave. (212) 452-0690.

La Maison Du Chocolat

Some people have friends in high places; I have friends in decadent places. In a happy coincidence, one of them works at La Maison du Chocolat. So, I decided to conclude a recent sweets expedition with a visit to this chocolate salon.

My earlier discoveries of the day were Deep Mountain pure Vermont maple candy (flavors: maple, ginger, coconut, pecan, hot pepper and blueberry) at the Rockefeller Center Greenmarket, and the latest seasonal additions at the below-mentioned Minamoto Kitchoan - kabocha manju (sweet squash cookie) and matcha kintsuba, or fudge flavored with the strong green tea that usually accompanies Japanese sweets.

Although my favorite chocolate bar in the entire world is London's Max Brenner's Chocolate Bar, I found plenty to be delighted about at La Maison Du Chocolat. One side of the shop is reserved for all manner of truffles with enticing names (among them, "Rigoletto", a caramelized buttermilk truffle which truly had me singing an aria). The other side features chocolate pastries and monster-sized "bouchées" (chocolates which are practically as large as a sandwich). My giant "Rocher" praline was a study in contrasting textures: crunchy almonds, silky chocolate coating and a chunky rich chocolate center. I also sampled a wonderfully dense pistachio marzipan bouchée.

I added a 35% cacao "Mérida" (see, those enticing names again) bar to my collection of goodies, and my friend hooked me up with a bag of "samples". Unfortunately, they are now depleted, which means that I must return very soon. Maybe I will try the milk ganache flavored with mirabelle plum, or the mendiants: little treasures of orange and lemon zest, roasted almonds and hazelnuts, and of course, chocolate. Or perhaps I will sign up for a two-hour tasting session with Robert Linxe, the creator of La Maison. (If you are interested in such an extravagance, call (212) 265-9404.)

La Maison Du Chocolat: 30 Rockefeller Center. (212) 265-9404.

Bio-Dynamic Pork

For those of you New Yorkers who live high on the hog, grassfed bio-dynamic pork is now available. The hogs are raised naturally without hormones or antibiotics. The high-quality meat is sold at a price far less than at the Union Square market. Purchase options include traditional salty hams, German sausages, smoked sliced bacon, and maple sausage links. For more information, E-mail Sophia.

The Best Of...

This is the time of year that New York's venerable weeklies reveal their "Best Of" lists. The Village Voice, New York Press and Citysearch dispense much good advice, and listed below is Salli's rather short contribution of superlatives. In some cases, these are not food recommendations, but curiosities.

Best Way to Happily Surprise a Friend
Dessert Delivery (they'll deliver the same day if you call before 3:00 p.m.)
360 E 55th St. (212) 838-5411.

Most Daunting Menu
Sweet-n-Tart Café
136-11 38th Ave., Flushing. (718) 661-3380.

Best Place to Stuff Oneself with Antipasti
Il Mulino (check out those giant stalagmites of Parmigiano)
86 W. 3rd St. (212) 673-3783.

Most Enthusiastic Proponent of Pavé d'Affinois, an Extraordinarily Buttery Soft Cheese
The Cashier at Ninth Avenue Cheese Markets
615 9th Ave. (212) 397-4700.

Most Artistic Meal Presentation
Kai
822 Madison Ave., (212) 988-7277.

Biggest Statue of the Buddha
Tao
42 E. 58th St. (212) 888-2288.

Tastiest Frites
B. Frites (CLOSED, oh well)
1657 Broadway. (212) 767-0858.

Friendliest Sushi Bar
Japonica (they remember your name and offer extra bowls of rice)
100 University Place. (212) 243-7752.

Most Mismatched Chairs
Caffé Rafaella (This location has closed)
134 7th Ave. South. (212) 929-7247.

Most Satisfying Lunch Splurge
Caviarteria (try the "pastrami" salmon) (CLOSED; looking for new location per 6/25/08 phone call)
502 Park Avenue., (212) 759-7410.

Best Place to Watch Gorgeous Yuppies
Park Avalon (CLOSED)
225 Park Ave. South. (212) 533-2500.

Best Fried Oysters
Pearl Oyster Bar
18 Cornelia St. (212) 691-8211.

Most Bizarre Schedule
Ferdinando's Focacceria Restaurant
151 Union St., Brooklyn. (718) 855-1545.

Best Music During Sunday Brunch
Coffee Shop (Brazilian jazz)
29 Union Sq. West. (212) 243-7969.

Most Delicious After-Dinner Biscotti
De Grezia
231 E. 50th St. (212) 750-5353

Greatest Amount of Icing Flowers on a Cupcake
Cupcake Café
522 9th Ave. (212) 465-1530.

Best Place to Celebrate Your Hungarian Grandma's 85th Birthday
Caterina's
316 East 53rd St., (212) 355-5360.

Most Chivalrous Service
Gramercy Tavern (written about below; spectacular food, too!)
42 E. 20th St. (212) 477-0777.

Salli's Favorite Macrobiotic Restaurant
Ozu (try the raspberry tofu cheesecake)
566 Amsterdam Ave. (212) 787-8316.

Best French Onion Soup
La Bonne Soupe
48 West 55th St. (212) 586-7650.

That's all, folks! All this typing is making me hungry!

Beyond Teriyaki

Recently, a dear friend of mine spoke of her fondness for Japanese food. "I love chicken teriyaki, beef teriyaki," she maintained. But as you may know, the infinite variety of cooked Japanese and Japanese-American foods goes way beyond teriyaki!

If your stomach is growling while you walk through Midtown on a late afternoon, you might stop by Café Zaiya. Like Yagura, the adjacent Japanese grocery, it features assorted cooked items. Today, the buffet included fried almond-encrusted shrimp, broiled whole pike mackerel, simmered autumn vegetables in a soy sauce, and batter-fried Chilean sea bass. The boxed meals of the day were una-don (eel over rice) and nikujaga (Japanese beef and potato stew). Some items on the regular menu are spicy cod roe spaghetti, tempura udon, and tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet). Try to save room for the intriguing desserts, which range from green tea madeleines to chestnut mousse to an man (steamed rice flour buns filled with sweet red bean jam)!

Café Zaiya is a bustling little place; if you would like to relax in more of a drawing-room ambience, head over to Ya Bowl. Mien Eto, the pleasant owner, told me that her intention with Ya Bowl was to open a place where people could actually relax in the middle of Times Square. She manages to achieve the impossible in a cozy room that recalls the charming cafés of the European-influenced Harajuku section of Tokyo.

As you can presume by its name, Ya Bowl specializes in one-bowl meals. On a recent visit I enjoyed the fresh water eel simmered in sweet soy sauce, garnished with shredded egg and pickled ginger. Also on the menu are a Korean barbecued beef bowl and a chicken cutlet curry. Ms. Eto raved about her desserts, but I had already eaten dessert before lunch that day (shame on me)!

As we come into cooler weather, I also enjoy inhaling a big bowl of steaming hot noodles at Soba-Ya, with toppings as diverse as sardines, fried tofu, mountain vegetables, and shrimp tempura. Across the street, Otafuku offers artery-clogging takoyaki (six chunks of fried dough with octopus) and okonomoyaki, a fried eggy pancake which is filled with seafood and cabbage, and then covered with bonito flakes and mayonnaise. Further downtown, there is the recently opened Win49, which compensates for its lack of seating (2 stools) with its varied assortment of tasty items. Among the delights here are many different bento boxes with fried cutlets and yakitori (Although this is a column about cooked Japanese foods, I must also note that Win49 offers a $6.50 chirashi-zushi (scattered sashimi over rice)!

In summary, you have many options besides teriyaki, so start eating!

Café Zaiya: 18 E. 41st St. (212) 779-0600. Ya Bowl: 125 W. 45th St. (212) 764-3017. Note: Ya Bowl will be closing at the end of July '03. Soba-Ya: 229 E. 9th St. (212) 533-6966. Otafuku: 236 E. 9th St. (212) 353-8503. Win49 (Closed as of 2006): 205 Allen St. (212) 353-9494.

Vegetarian Dim Sum House

This relative newcomer to Chinatown is decorated with illustrations of the Buddha. After finishing a large meal, I wondered if I resembled an incarnation of the fat, smiling god.

All edibles are strictly vegetarian, although you can also order various fruit milkshakes. I enjoyed a mango milkshake while I took in the formidably long menu. Braised "chicken" with lily flowers? Or sweet and sour "fish"? Finally I decided on the vegetarian mock shrimp dumplings, the hot and sour soup, and the lemon "chicken". The dumplings were gelatinous rice flour pockets stuffed with rice and chewy "shrimp". A very tasty and sour soup was served in a gigantic bowl, full of bits of red chili, tree ears, large chunks of tofu, and scallions. After polishing these appetizers off, I attempted to tackle the lemon "chicken" made of Chinese yams. The "chicken filet" was served in a pleasingly tart lemon sauce, but seemed to taste more of potato than chicken! But no matter; I left happily stuffed, feeling like I had at least contemplated nirvana.

Vegetarian Dim Sum House: 24 Pell St. (212) 577-7176.

Bakeries: Balthazar and Sullivan Street

Whoever says that man does not live by bread alone has never visited the Balthazar Bakery or the Sullivan Street Bakery (Note: The original location of Sullivan Street Bakery is now Grandaisy Bakery. The quality is still excellent.)

Just one bite of the pain au chocolat at Balthazar alone disproved this theory for me! But of course I didn't stop there. After admiring the various tarts, I ordered the unctuously rich chocolate cajeta (Mexican goat-milk caramel) tart, a buttery scone, and one of the best chocolate-chip walnut cookies I have ever tasted. A Brie sandwich was perfection: a chewy, butter-slathered baguette generously topped with Brie. Sun-dried tomatoes were a delightful accent in the pain bagnat, which also included the usual hard-boiled egg, black olives, lettuce and tuna. In another nice touch, the slices of fresh tuna were seared and crusted with black pepper.

You may wonder how I made it over the Sullivan Street loaded down with so many goodies! Well, I managed. At Sullivan Street, I tried the legendary tortino di cioccolato, basically a glorified (and glorious) brownie, as well as two different kinds of cheeseless pizza; potato and mushroom. In each case, the vegetables were very thinly sliced and redolent of olive oil and herbs. Sullivan Street also offers a wonderful crusty olive loaf.

Balthazar Bakery: 80 Spring St. (212) 965-1785. Sullivan Street Bakery: 73 Sullivan St. (212) 334-9435.