The Farmer’s Market the weekend after Thanksgiving is always a bit of a downer. Some farms have taken the week off. Others have packed it in for the winter, much to the chagrin of those of us who visit the Farmer’s Market year-round. So I’ll give thanks to the farmers that were there this morning, hawking beautiful produce like these leeks.

Although they are related to onions, leeks are a very different product. They must be cleaned extremely carefully, because sand and dirt often gets in between the many layers. Once cooked, leeks have an amazing sweetness that works well in soups and stews. Or you could do like the ancient romans do: aliter porros.

Happy Thanksgiving from Eat to Blog! Now get off your computer and go spend time with your family and friends.

I’ve eaten at Otto twice now, and both meals have been mediocre. I don’t know what the problem is — the restaurant is always packed and busy (we saw John Leguizamo eating while we were there recently) but the food just doesn’t add up. I had a pizza the first time I was there, which was only so-so, but a friend told me that the pasta was great. And so when I was there last week I ordered a seasonal-sounding pasta, penne with butternut squash, hazelnuts, and smoked ricotta. It was an incredibly bland dish for such robust ingredients. I ran into the friend who recommended the pasta later that day and he had eaten the same dish at Otto only a few days before. He concurred — the dish fell flat.

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Jess & Garrett ate at Le Bernardin, one of NYC’s most celebrated restaurants. Click the quote to read their impressions.

…the impeccable service starts and the amuse bouche arrives–a velvety salmon tartare that has us requesting more bread before the waiter has even left the table. “

In a winter market the root vegetables seem to dominate the scene. Collard greens are a note of bright green among the muted colors of potatoes and squash. Collards take a lot of cooking, but the flavor is worth it. As a vegetarian I have had a lot of success thinking outside of the box when cooking with collards. I’ve cooked it with pasta, but my favorite use was when I stuffed the leaves the same way my family always stuffed cabbage. Although the collards gave a bit more texture to the dish, the added flavor made a huge difference.

Jess & Garrett sampled the Greek fare at the tiny restaurant Kefi. Click the quote to read their write-up.

Kefi, a Greek restaurant on the Upper West Side, only takes cash, does not accept reservations, serves wines that non-Adriatic folks have never heard of… and can seat fewer people than our apartment. So why, when we left there at 7 on a recent Saturday, was there a line at least 20 people long waiting for tables?”