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The outdoor dining area at at Doma Na Rohu on Seventh Avenue South is demarcated with lovely pots of early-blooming forsythia.

As early spring temps soared toward an unseasonable 80 degrees, restaurateurs across the city hastened to push tables and chairs out onto the sidewalk pavement to attract outdoor dining enthusiasts. And come they did, as nearly every outdoor seat this afternoon was taken. Making FitR wonder, How did they all get off work for such a long interval?

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Deals are to be had on designer garlic.

Austere are the pleasures of area farmers' markets in winter, and the mother of them all, the Union Square Greenmarket, is no exception. The number of vendors has shrunk by about half, as have the number of pedestrians making their way through the L-shaped parking lot -- making shopping more of a pleasure, especially for those who favor seasonal and local eating .

The stock of summer and fall vegetables has been largely decimated, and supplies of tomatoes, broccoli, and brussels sprouts have given way to root vegetables, alliums, and hardy fruits. Indeed, apples, pears, carrots, onions, garlic, and kohlrabi now share space with vendors hawking dairy products, meats, and wines from Long Island.

Here are some pictures taken in the Union Square Greenmarket right before sunset yesterday.

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driftstrollwander.wordpress.com

It's Christmas morning and the presents are stacked under the tree. How do you think they got there? Santa brought them, of course, but do you think, with the billions of people all over the world, he could do it by himself? Of course not! Here are some of the cute animals that helped him.

And here's a Merry Christmas to you and yours from Fork in the Road!

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Diana Emiko Tsuchida

Lincoln Memorial by Baked Ideas

If you want to check out some serious architectural feats that you'd love nothing more than to take a fork and knife to, bundle up and mosey on over to lobby of the luxurious Le Parker Meridien Hotel (119 W 56th Street). From now until January 3, you can gawk at their annual display of gingerbread creations, featuring the creative talents of local bakeries and restaurants who were challenged with representing a global landmark.

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Bouchon Bakery -- The croissant is lighter than most at Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery, with an open texture and a slightly sweet aftertaste, you could easily eat two or three of these. 10 Columbus Circle, 3rd Floor, 212-823-9366

Fork in the Road ate loads of croissants in pursuit of the 5 Best Croissants in NYC, and here are a few of the runners-up, in no particular order. It really was a blast tasting so many croissants within a 48-hour period, and now we're in the kitchen making the leftovers into bread pudding as the wind howls like a banshee outside.

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Sundermann

The complimentary "tasting glass."

If you didn't know, The Village Voice hosted Brooklyn Pour on Saturday at Skylight One Hanson. With a sold out crowd showing up to 100+ brewers, a variety of food trucks, and a whole lot of love for suds, it's safe to say the event was a success. Of course, Fork in the Road was in attendance, so we snapped a few photos for you to enjoy.

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Liz Barclay

Brown butcher paper rolled out and ready to go...Don't forget the Old Bay!

[See More Photo Essays: Roberta's Desserts from Pastry Chef Katy Peetz | Lonestar's Locavore Tacos]

Crab lovers headed to the Chelsea Piers this past weekend, strapped on their bibs and got their hammers ready for Hammer and Claws, an all-you-can-eat crab fest.

Truckloads of blue crabs were brought in from Maryland and doused with Old Bay and other seasonings. To complete the enormous spread, there were side dishes of potato salad, slaw, cornbread, pickles, corn on the cob, and unlimited beer from Abita.

It was madness, but it wasn't a senseless crab massacre: A portion of the proceeds went to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, to support the Bay's protection and restoration.

Here's a look at the action:

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Liz Barclay

Katy Peetz of Roberta's

[See More Photo Essays: Lonestar's Locavore Tacos, Coming Soon]

When you think of Roberta's you probably think of blistered pizzas and a wood-burning oven. But here's a reminder from Fork in the Road: the desserts are complex, beautiful, and fabulous. They're the work of pastry chef Katy Peetz, who joined the Bushwick restaurant as pastry chef last February. I watched as Peetz made her cherry-hyssop semifreddo, and broke down the steps of her process. Peetz poaches the cherries in an anise-hyssop syrup, then purees them. She mixes that with blanched egg yolks and whipped cream from Maplehofe Farms in Pennsylvania. As Peetz pointed out, the tangy cherry flavor is the ideal match for the sweet and earthy anise flavor of the hyssop.

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Rao

[See More Photo Essays: Scenes from the Red Hook Ball Fields | A Glimpse of Tokyo's Doughnut Plant]

Grub Street reports that Bouchon Bakery alum Wayne Surber, and his wife Tracie Lee, have plans to grow their locavore taco stand into a 40-seat café. This is good news. I sampled their delicious chorizo and scrambled egg tacos at the New Amsterdam Market this past weekend, along with a fine tamarind pork belly, and a juicy black bean and cheese (3 tacos, $10.50). Tortillas, made with fresh masa from Harlem's Hot Bread Kitchen, were being pressed to order, and the line of hungry customers was long, but moved quickly.

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Line for the Big Gay Ice Cream truck, West 8th Street near Astor Place, 4:15pm