More About the Menu for Hope

Is it straight? 

Folks, this is the third time we've posted about Pim's Menu for Hope, that great on-line fundraiser, and our own contribution to same.

We've been traveling. The site's been down. There's a bad moon rising. Forgive us.

Menu for Hope benefits the United Nations World Food Programme, and is run by Pim of the Chez Pim blog. Every year, dozens of food bloggers contribute prizes to the fundraiser. You, the lucky reader, place a $10 bid on the item of your choice. If you want to skew the odds in your favor, place more than one bid. If you like a lot of different prizes, bid on all of them. Believe us, there are some fabulous offerings, all of them worth way more than $10.

Bidding is open from December 14 through December 25. Winners will be announced in the middle of January. Almost all of your money goes to this extremely worthy cause.

And now, you may ask, exactly what the deuce is Annie offering?

Well, if we say so ourself, it's pretty darned valuable. For we are offered two nights (two nights!) at the Glamorous Chelsea Studio which we rent out through AirBnB. See the studio here.

The Studio is a comfortable nook for one person or a couple. It is fully and even extravegantly furnished, with a queen-sized bed, linens and towels, a comfortable work space, a flat-screen TV with cable , Wi-Fi, a land line, and a small but comfortable kitchen including a full-sized refrigerator, pots and pans, utensils, and a full pantry. (Also a warm, clean, pleasant full bath).

And there's more. More, which the average guest can only dream about! We'll fill the fridge and stock the pantry with fruit, veggies, cheese, eggs, milk and cream, and anything else you might want or need for your 48-hour stay. (No fair asking for a dismembered haunch of beef; we're acquainted with Julie Powell, but we don't like to push). This is more about your supplying your own Breakfast and Room Service on a lavish scale.

Even better, we will have a highly intellectual and businesslike phone conference with you a few weeks before you arrive, and based upon information received we will write a foodie itinerary for you. Are you crazy about pizza, but a little strapped for dough? We'll send you to the crossroads of Delicious and Cheap. Want to feast like the Trumps do, but don't know which four-star restaurant gives the best value for your money? We'll help you figure that out too. Want to have a real, genuine New York deli meal...or the best Mario Batali has to offer...want to eat at a restaurant run by a Top Chef contender... or eat breakfast, lunch and dinner Tom Collichio style? We can tell you where to go, how to get there, and (in our opinion) how best to order. And we can also tell you about the best foodie bookstores, markets, and events available during your stay.

Please note that you have to get yourself to New York City, and you pay for your purchases yourself. All we're offering is the room, the contents of the fridge and pantry, and the advice.

The two-night stay can occur at any time when the apartment has not already been booked. (We personally would recommend September, that "Autumn in New York" where the season is just getting started and the Greenmarket is at its best. But it's up to you, of course.)

First you have to bid. So please go to http://www.chezpim.com and bid on UE06. And may the best reader win!