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shake shack :-)

wu liang ye is on 86th between 2nd and 3rd and is pretty good chinese, it is sit down and is definitely better than any take out in the area. they are known for their szechuan food although i have never had that, just the americanized staples. it isn't as good as what you will get in other parts of the city though, i'm sure.

ginger ale, toast, scrambled eggs if you think you can stomach them. the most important thing is breaking the no food barrier, after that you will be fine. also even though it is disgusting, gatorade will make you feel better.

carmenere from chile

peanut noodles are a really good and cheap option, because they can be served cold and you can fill it out with pasta. there are lots of recipes online but we like to make a peanut sauce with natural peanut butter, soy, sriracha, garlic, rice wine vinegar, and then mix it with noodles (either rice noodles or whole wheat pasta). add whatever vegetables are in the house, we like cucumber and peppers.

I just saw olive oil mayo from hellmans in the grocery store yesterday, might be worth a try?

Definitely How to Cook Everything, it just gives so many basic ideas that you can be creative with.

what about otto? there is plenty of room for a pretty large group, you can make reservations, and the food is easily shared. there are a lot of good vegetarian options as well, but fun delicious things for meat eaters.

I think the best way to save money on food is to plan ahead very carefully. While it can be constraining, it is much more economical to plan meals, buy what you need for those meals, and stick to them rather than buying lots of things that end up getting thrown away. Also, living in new york, i don't know if this is the case in minneapolis, we have found that trader joe's is a life-saver. We buy five pounds of frozen chicken for $7.99 which lasts for a few weeks. While there are definitely some things that are expensive, if you seek out the deals there you can do really well. We spend about $50 a week on groceries for four adults, so that is not bad at all.

for what it is worth, my boyfriend won me over with his favorite meal that he made for me on our first date. it was chicken with thyme in a white wine butter sauce and mashed potatoes. the meal was very simple but i loved that he cooked for me and that he showed me something he really loves.

fransk hot dogs in denmark, so delicious!

what about tortilla espanola, it is simple potatoes, onions and eggs and I am sure you can find a good recipe online. it is wonderful room temperature even though it doesn't seem like it would be. bring along some piquillo peppers and manchego cheese and it would be amazing.

you could go to casellula, on 52nd which is a great wine bar and you will definitely be there early enough to probably avoid a crowd