*Photo courtesy of the NYTimes.
In these trying times, I wish I was in New York. With a job. That would allow me to eat at these restaurants.
The NYTimes, penned by Frank Bruni, no less, has an article on how the previously hard-to-get restos are now going off their high horses and joining the masses in being one with the credit crisis:
Battered hard already by the recession and petrified of what’s to come, restaurants are talking sweet and reaching out in ways they didn’t six or even three months ago. They’re cutting special deals, adding little perks, relaxing demands and making an extra effort to be accessible.
They’ve seldom wanted you so bad, so they’ve rarely treated you so good. If you can still afford to dine out, you’re likely finding yourself enfolded in what the restaurateur Stephen Hanson— who recently closed two Manhattan restaurants, including Fiamma — describes as a big, tight embrace.
They now have specials, deep discounts and friendlier service.
Oh, to be able to eat at those restos. The mere thought of being able to walk in and afford the food on the menu boggles my mind.
When I was in the States, eating at really fancy restos for me most of the time meant that someone else was paying. I made a pittance, my salary just enough to cover rent, transportation and the bare necessities. I was lucky I had very generous relatives and some generous friends.
Sometimes, my friend Miki and I would splurge. Most of the time, splurging would mean the eat-all-you-can Korean barbeque bonanza at this hole in the wall called Guirim in Koreatown.
For $20 (initially, until it reached $30 right before I left), you could eat the best Korean meats, perfectly marinated, which you cooked on your table top grill.
The side dishes were equally unparalleled: of kimchi (which I didn’t touch), dried sweet and spicy eel-like fish, pickled radish, mung bean sprouts, K-style potato salad, and spicy squid, to name a few. The sides came in little round saucers, a little bit bigger than the ones you use for condiments.
And to top it all off, they made the very best steamed egg I have ever had in my life, which tastes seafood-y.
Another hole-in-the-wall we used to frequent was Noshi Sushi, an unpretentious Japanese restaurant just a few blocks from where I lived. Despite its rundown garage appearance, Noshi Sushi drew in a hip crowd. One time, Vince Vaughn was dining there the same time we were. And I could have sworn the other people who were there were Hollywood types.
I first learned to appreciate sushi in that place. Previously, I would only eat the cooked food in a Japanese resto. But Noshi’s food was so basic and so pure, pared down compared to the flotsam and jetsam of fusion Japanese that has become California’s claim to fame (hello, California roll?). If memory serves me right, Noshi doesn’t even have California roll on their menu.
My usual order would be the Nigiri Sushi, a mix of different sushi. The only thing I hated about it was the octopus, which I nearly choked on one time. I would also regularly order the chicken or beef teriyaki and the tempura.
Anyway, this food post has made me nostalgic. I have to go through my stock photos and maybe post them here one of these days. The food that I digested years ago. Hehe.
