Bouchon Bakery

Lunch with a view: Swallow your pride, go to Manhattan's midtown mall (aka the Time Warner Center) and take a seat at Bouchon Bakery. If there's a line (which there always is), stand firm, put your name down and be patient. There are dozens of stores to eat up your time: Cole Haan, J. Crew, Williams-Sonoma, etc., before your appetite eats you. Trust me. It'll be worth it.

My last Bouchon Bakery trip with Fashionista was my third time to Thomas Keller's eatery, and normally I don't rewrite about places I revisit, unless there's a darn good reason. Well, Fashionista's grilled cheese was so fabulous, on thick brioche bread, I couldn't resist posting it. The toasted bread was so smooth and perfect it was like a piece of art. Gooey fontina cheese dripped off the side and it was just the right dunking size for the hot tomato soup.

Bouchon Bakery is one reason why lunch is slowly outpacing dinner as my favorite meal. Nothing beats the hot sandwich and soup combo, not even my roasted turkey one below, which I thought was a good idea at the time, until I saw Fashionista's plate in front of me.


As the weather report reminded me this morning, it's going to be a brisk and cold week, so go unlayer and dethaw at Bouchon Bakery. Your tummy and your heart will thank you.

10 Columbus Cir., 3rd fl, nr. 58th St.
212-823-9366