Lippy

I've had only one item from Breads Bakery, 18 E. 16th Street, half a block from the Union Square Greenmarket, but it was so good that I am eager to try some others.  The bakery got some press when it opened a couple of months ago.   It's a branch, sort of, of an Israeli bakery owned by a man whose parents were from Denmark and, as one would guess from that pedigree,   the sweet pastries looked good, but it was the small "Jerusalem baguette" that I couldn't resist.  It was about 5 inches long,  sharply pointed at both ends,  lavishly coated in sesame seeds and better than any sesame bagel I've ever had.  I think it comes in a larger size, too. 

Very convenient to Film Forum, in a space on the corner of Varick and Clarkson that has held a number of restaurants over the years, is Clarkson, which I can't decide is a bar or restaurant.  There are regular sit-down tables in the back room, but the front is dominated by a huge horseshoe-shaped dark wood bar, with some high tables along the edges of the room.  Ranitidine and I needed a bite, so we took our chances and were pleased, he with his duck confit, me with my diver scallops.  We took guesses as to how many scallops would be served in my $30 portion and I was correct, with "3."  They were big and perfectly cooked, garnished with a trumpet mushroom, pea shoots, a few English peas and mint, if pricey.   R. loved his confit, but I didn't taste it.  He had a dessert that was halfway between a flan and a creme brulee and would have been better if it had been one or the other. 

The service was nice, the noise level bearable.  We will no doubt be back. 

There haven't been any formal reviews yet, but Eater did a little news story a while back and the Observer had an interview with the owner -- also of Jules, Le Singe Vert, et al.  The descriptions of the decor (also on the website) are pretentious, but entertaining.  Never mind.  The place is comfortable and the food is promising.   Rebecca Weitzman is the chef.

http://clarkson restaurant nyc

http://www.nytimes.c...88.html?hp&_r=0

http://www.huffingto..._n_2991607.html

http://cityroom.blog...0/?ref=nyregion

I was working at the NYC Parks Department when she was born.  Her name was chosen from hundreds submitted in a contest sponsored by the Parks Department and the Daily News.  The News did the first winnowing; a colleague and I picked five of those and Commissioner August Hecksher chose "Pattycake."  Patty seemed to recognize me even after she moved to the Bronx.

http://www.telegraph...ed-aged-65.html