Oscar Wilde, the gastropub, has the longest continuous bar in New York City, at 118.5 feet.

There’s a cocktail and spirits list almost as long—such that if we lived or worked in the neighborhood, we’d be tempted to head to the bar every day after work and work through the list.

The restaurant celebrates the acclaimed Irish writer (1854-1900).

The venue should become a tourist destination for literati. If you don’t foresee a trip to Dublin to see the stunning Oscar Wilde Memorial Sculpture in Merrion Square in Dublin, then Oscar Wilde restaurant in New York City is an opportunity to capture yourself with bronze Oscar Wildes.

There are two photo ops with Oscar: one inside with a standing bronze (photo #1), the other outside, seated on a bench (photo #4).

These bronze Oscars are even better photo ops than Real Oscar’s tombstone, a popular destination in Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris. It is beautiful piece of modern sculpture, but not an image of Wilde (and now, it’s surrounded by a glass wall to keep [more] people from further defacing the monument with lipstick kisses).

But back to the gastropub Oscar Wilde: The interior is a showplace. One expects to see a motion picture or period televisions series in production.

An almost incalculable number of artifacts have been gathered—clocks, marble mantles, fireplaces, carved columns, candelabra, chandeliers, lamps, statuary, paintings, prints, newspaper holders, painted/stained glass, objects d’art. They cover almost every inch of wall space.

You can photos of the rooms here..

The eclectic furnishings look like they may have been a part of Wilde’s milieu—and many could have been, gathered throughout the U.K. and Paris. Others come from points around the globe. The Victorian-style wallpaper was handmade in Mexico, some hand-carved marble is from Vietnam.

An Irish Writers Wall pays homage to the other greats: Beckett, Joyce, Shaw, Yeats, etc.
 
 
DINING AT OSCAR WILDE

While you may have stumbled back into Victorian England visually, don’t expect a corresponding bill of fare.

Oscar Wilde’s food menu does feature traditional dishes such as cottage pie, striped bass, moules frites and Skellig cheddar from Ireland (on a grilled cheese sandwich).

But patrons are more likely to order contemporary items that Wilde never envisioned:

 
There’s something for everyone.

[2] Specialty cocktail menus include both Victorian and Prohibition favorites.

[3] Broccomole: broccoli purée mixed with guacamole. A hit!

Broccoli is puréed into guacamole, served with taro chips: a great marriage of ingredients.

Oscar Wilde is located at 45 West 27th Street, between Broadway and Sixth Avenue.

It’s open from 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m., 7 days a week. There’s a private events room. Phone: 212.213.3066.
 
 

 
[4] Have a drink with Oscar, at Oscar Wilde’s in New York City. Irony: In 1919, following the Volstead Act, the building became Prohibition Enforcement Headquarters. It was later discovered—purportedly—that the federal agents’ phones were bugged by the mob.
  

[2] Baileys is one of a number of pumpkin liqueurs available in the fall (photo courtesy Baileys).

But we overlooked all the other uses for the seasonal spirit. Here, some ideas from Fulton’s Harvest Pumpkin Pie Cream Liqueur. There are many more here for your perusal.

You can substitute apple or spice liqueur for the same seasonal touch.
 
 
BREAKFAST: PUMPKIN FRENCH TOAST RECIPE

You can add a topping of diced apples for a festive brunch dish. Instead of the apple garnish, you can substitute a few roasted pumpkin seeds, toasted nuts, and/or dried fruit: cherries, cranberries, raisins.

Ingredients For 4-6 Servings

 
For Serving

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the apple topping: dice and sauté in butter with a splash of pumpkin liqueur and a dash of pumpkin pie spice. Cover for warmth and set aside.

2. MIX together the milk, liqueur, eggs and brown sugar

3. MELT the butter on a hot griddle or in a pan. Dip the sliced bread into the batter and allow it to soak in, turning if needed.

4. PLACE the battered bread on the griddle and cook until the first side begins to turn golden brown. Flip and repeat on the other side.

5. TOP with the apples or other garnish, or serve them on the side. Serve with butter and syrup.

SNACK OR DESSERT: CARAMEL FRUIT DIP

You can dip fruit, or top desserts with this boozy caramel dip. You can also use it as a garnish with cake or pie…or make [adult] cookie sandwiches.
 
Ingredients

 
Plus

 
Preparation

1. BLEND the cream cheese, brown sugar and powdered sugar with a hand mixer. Add the vanilla and the liqueur.

2. BLEND in the caramel sauce and scoop into a serving dish. Top with the Heath Bits.
Cut up apple (of your choice) to serve with dip.
 
 
DESSERT: PUMPKIN LIQUEUR ICE CREAM #1

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. BEAT the eggs with an electric mixer at medium speed. Gradually add the sugar while continuing to mix. Add the liqueur and condensed milk and mix well. Add the half-and-half and mix well.

[4] There’s a good supply of store-bought pumpkin ice cream…but it doesn’t have liqueur (photo courtesy Dolcezza Gelato).

Soften store-bought pumpkin or vanilla ice cream until you can swirl in pumpkin liqueur. Mix and return to the freezer until ready to serve.
  

Chef François Payard has put a seasonal twist on the ubiquitous avocado toast: sweet potato toast!

We love avocado toast, but sweet potato is a good seasonal variation.

Chef Payard suggests that you top your morning toast with a layer of caramelized onions, balsamic vinaigrette and sliced roasted sweet potatoes. We re-created the recipe: It’s easy.

 
And although Chef Payard makes some of the most delicious pastries in the world, he starts the day well. Use whole wheat or mixed whole grain toast, he says.

Make it a crusty loaf, we say.
 
 
RECIPE: SWEET POTATO TOAST

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. BAKE the sweet potatoes. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pierce each potato several times with the tines of a fork and place them on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Bake until al dente, about 35-40 minutes (test with the tines of a fork or the tip of a paring knife). When ready to serve…

2. REMOVE the skins and slice the flesh into 1/2-inch circles.

3. TOAST the bread. Spread the caramelized onions on the toast. Layer the potato slices on top; drizzle with the vinaigrette; garnish with the herbs and serve.

Balsamic vinaigrette can be as simple as one part vinegar to two parts oil. Olive oil is classic; but if you like playing with different flavors, try an infused oil, a nut oil, or whatever you have on the shelf.

For a more complex recipe, try this:
 
 
RECIPE: DELUXE BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE combine the vinegar, mustard and garlic in a small bowl.

2. ADD the oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly; or emulsify in a blender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
 
Variations

October 31st is Halloween, and November 4th is National Candy Day. What’s a calorie-counting candy lover to do?

Here are some of your best candy choices.

Note that this is not permission to gorge on anything on the list. You should limit yourself to 150-calorie portions daily—and limit gorging to lettuce and celery.

> The history of candy.

> The history of 1000+ other foods and beverages.

> See all of the candy holidays (below).
 
 
BEST CHOCOLATE CHOICES

 
 
BEST HARD CANDIES

Nutritionist Joy Bauer recommends hard candies, “because they automatically pace you. They take a while to finish (as long as you suck or lick, not chomp!), so you get to savor the sweetness for a bit and stretch your sugar calories.

“As long as you limit yourself to a few pieces, you can’t do that much damage,” she concludes.

Joy’s comments on her favorites in the category:

 
 
BEST CHEWY CHOICES

 
 
WHAT ABOUT SUGAR-FREE CANDY?

[2] Chocolate lovers: Chocolate-covered nuts are a better choice than chocolate bars (photo of chocolate- and cocoa-covered almonds courtesy Charles Chocolates).

[3] The best choice may be chocolate-covered strawberries: low-calorie fruit and a thin coating of chocolate (photo courtesy Balducci’s).

[4] The chocolate coating on York Peppermint Patties is very good, and two or three minis do the track (photo courtesy Hershey’s).

[5] Coffee lover? These coffee-coated espresso beans (photo courtesy Superior Nut Store).

Most healthcare professionals advise that it be limited to diabetics and those with other special needs, like too much tooth decay. Here’s more detail.
 
 
THE YEAR’S 60+ CANDY HOLIDAYS

 
Sixty-plus candy holidays! Wow, that’s a lot of candy!
 
________________
 
*There are other types of candy that come on a stick besides lollipops: candy kabobs, marshmallow pops, and Sugar Daddy, for example.

Other sweets on a stick that aren’t candy, per se, include cake pops, candy and caramel apples, cheesecake on a stick, chocolate-dipped bananas and other fruits, cookie pops, fruit kabobs, and popcorn balls.

†White Day is observed on March 14, a month after Valentine’s Day. People give gifts of chocolate to those they love, respect, and/or admire. The holiday began in Asia, but has since traveled across the globe.

‡National Snickers Day has never been registered as an “official” holiday, but a blogger movement established September 6th as the date; other bloggers claim it’s September 7th. The brand itself suggested that “every day is National Snickers Day.” It is, after all, the world’s best-selling candy bar, with nougat, peanuts, and caramel enrobed in chocolate. Trivia: Introduced in 1930, it’s named after the Mars family’s favorite horse.
 
 

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

Add even more fun to Halloween festivities for family and friends…for party hosts…for your workplace:

Make a Halloween cake with a NordicWare cake mold. It requires no more time and talent than pouring a cake mix batter into the mold.

The molds are artfully embossed, creating “cake sculptures” that need no added decoration. Of course, you can add your own touches with icing, edible glitter, spider candies, etc.

Beyond Halloween, the skull molds also work for El Dia De Los Muertos. In photo #4, one home baker created a classic decorated skull design.

NordicWare’s Halloween cake pans include:

 
The pans have a nonstick finish that guarantees easy release, and a lifetime guarantee.

There are also cookie stamps: a set that includes a black cat, pumpkin and spider.

They’re available at many retailers including Williams-Sonoma, plus online at Amazon and NordicWare.com.

You can use any cake recipe you like. Particularly seasonal:

 
But sure, go for the brownie batter, the chocolate ghost with white icing, or other family favorite.
 
ADD A SAUCE

You can add a sauce for a more elaborate dessert:

 
The best approach is to put the sauce on the plate first, then set the cake on top of it. You won’t cover up the design elements.

Have fun with it!
 
 
MORE USES FOR THE CAKE PANS

Use the cake pans to mold other foods:

[3] A ghost centerpiece (photo courtesy Nordicware).

[4] Skull cakelets, decorated for El Dia De Los Muertos (photo by Nozomi | Williams-Sonoma upload.