Good eatin'

One thing I like most about NY is the quality and quantity of eating. Not that Philly didn’t have great restaurants, but people didn’t seem to make meal-time quite the priority they do here. In just a few months I’m able to think fondly back on multiple memorable meals. Here’s a listing of where some of these meals took place, if you are in town and looking for a bite...

Barking Dog: One of the first places Andi and I stumbled upon, their claim to fame is that Aidan wore a Barking Dog shirt in an ep of Sex and the City (actually a cute one, where Carrie accuses him of hoarding deo and being a “crazy bag man.”). Really great brunch.

Inoteca: A cute Italian tapas place in the LES. Generous glasses of wine. Also, good for people watching: our waiter reminded us of an ancient Greek lutist, and a table of new money males visually lusted after a small group of new bottle blondes displaying themselves by the bar.

Alta: Oh. My. God. Props to L. for telling me about this place. Every tapas dish that J. and I tried was like another step to food nirvana.

Press 195: I love me some paninis, and these were perhaps the best that I’ve tasted. Man, I’ve been planning to go back (it’s in Park Slope) ever since a quick pre-writing group dinner, but BK’s kind of a hike for sandwiches. Soon though. Soon.

Bread: Also great paninis, and much closer to home (or at least work). As O. mentioned, it’s also filled with amazingly attractive people.

El Paso Taqueria: I think this is my fave place so far, perhaps because it’s one of the few restaurants in SpaHa that people will travel to specifically from downtown. It’s tiny and always packed on the weekends. But the homemade guac, the fajitias, the burritos…delish.

Joy Burger: There are lots of places to get a good burger action in NY. However, there really is something joyous about Joy Burger—the cute 60’s era tables and chairs, the array of free toppings, the friendly dude behind the counter who asked about our lives and welcomed us to the neighborhood. The burgers come in several sizes—splitting a large and a salad with a friend makes for a great and cheap meal.

Old Devil Moon: This was all thanks to my girl J. Great brunch spot in the East Village that a certain charming musician frequents. The décor is great: X-mas lights, a giant moose head, a disco ball, etc. And you can even order a cake from the affiliate group the Masturbakers if you’re so inclined.

Café Steinhof: Another BK eatery, this place offers Austrian comfort food and music and movie nights. We ended up there on Monday night, when the only choices are goulash and trout. (That’s an easy one.) For $6, that’s one of the best meal deals around.