Despite being sick all weekend, I did manage to pull myself together to go have lunch with my mom and sister downtown on Saturday. We’d been planning it for weeks, and fortunately, by the time Saturday morning rolled around, my immune system was amenable to my leaving the house.

I’m going to be totally honest and admit that it takes a lot to get me down to Soho on a Saturday (or anytime, really), when  it’s teeming with a maddening combination of tourists and well-dressed hangover monsters who will walk right the f*** into you.

That said, there are some damn-good restaurants in Soho, so when my mom suggested Mercer Kitchen, I was totally game. Though I wouldn’t put it on my list of all-time favorites, I’ve enjoyed it every time I’ve been. The highlights this time was the yellow watermelon salad (with goat cheese instead of feta—nice!) and perfectly cooked salmon, which came in a cherry tomato vinaigrette over corn pudding. Oh, and a glass of prosecco, which seems to be my drink of the summer. The three of us had a really nice time. It’s so rare that the three of us can get our schedules to coordinate, so it was great to catch up a little.

What was the last restaurant meal you had? New Yorkers—do you know any places in Soho I should check out?