NYC Food Memories

Like many folks who grow up seeing it only on television, I’ve always had a thing for New York City. For years I longed to visit, but as a West Coast suburbanite without much extra money, I had to settle for San Francisco and Seattle to get my fix of urban life. Their shared foggy, maritime, hippie-to-grungy vibes felt right to me. Still I wanted to see what New York was all about. When I was thirty, the stars aligned and I finally took my first trip there. I’ve been back four more times since then.

Why am I thinking about it now? Well, it’s been a little over two years since my last trip, which is long enough to give me the itch to return. It is also very dreary right now in early January, so my mind wanders off to sunnier, more exploratory times. I’m drafting this after having an excellent meal at one of Portland’s higher-end restaurants, triggering my sense memory. While I’ve done a lot of things in New York besides eat, eating is one of the best parts of vacation. Here’s a trip down foodie memory lane.

2013 - Queens - Goat Curry

It was my first night in the city with my friend Jenny, who lived in a studio apartment in Jackson Heights, a neighborhood with a heavy South Asian presence. She recommended we use Seamless to order delivery from a restaurant called Himalaya Yak. I was familiar with food delivery apps—I think Caviar was operating in Portland at the time—but had never had such an exotic variety to choose from. I ordered the goat curry to be adventurous, having never eaten goat before. It came as a rich, brown stew with a side of rice. The chunks of meat were tender, some of them still on the bone. It tasted somewhat like beef but with an extra tang, as well as the spice from the curry. I don’t normally go for spicy food, but this was very good, and after all, when in Rome…

2013 - Queens - Gyro

I could be misremembering the situation. I know there was a night when I wanted to go out to a show in Manhattan, but my friends chose to stay behind. It may have been that night when I didn’t make it back to Queens until 1:00 or 2:00 AM, and I was hungry, and there was a gyro cart on the street corner advertising itself with neon lights and an enticing smell. I just know that I was very excited to have hot street food available at that hour. That cart was far from the only place open. Jackson Heights was filled with the smell of food at all hours, mostly from Indian restaurants, making it feel alive and inviting. I don’t remember what was in the gyro or how it tasted, but that wasn’t important.

2013 - Midtown Manhattan - Vodka Tonic

The Russian Vodka Room was a recommendation in my “Not for Tourists” (but definitely for tourists) guidebook. I think my friends and I picked it because it seemed spiritually adjacent to the Russian Tea Room, where Carrie had a famous date in “Sex and the City”. We sat in a dark booth that looked exactly the way you would expect in a Russian lounge, and perused the longest list of vodka flavors I’ve ever seen. As a drinker who mostly likes whiskey and gin, I enjoyed the novelty. I picked a fruit-infused vodka with tonic water, and relished feeling fancy in Manhattan.

2015 - Greenwich Village - Pasta with Burrata

I was visiting a friend who was busy with classes at NYU, so I had a good amount of time to explore the city alone on a clear day. Somewhere on Greenwich Avenue, among the streets jammed together at odd angles, was an Italian restaurant with sidewalk tables. I people-watched and ate a dish of fusilli with big dollops of burrata. It was my first time eating burrata, the supremely soft mozzarella-like cheese. I couldn’t get over the way it melted in my mouth. Now I can hardly resist it when I see it on a menu.

2015 - Gramercy Park - Black Coffee

After touring Union Square and admiring the posh buildings around Gramercy Park, I wandered a few blocks to find Irving Farm NY on a residential street. It’s a coffee shop on the ground floor, one of those places that sits just a couple steps down from sidewalk level. Inside it was dark and modern, with enough plants to make it feel homey. I lingered for a while with my cup of coffee, watching a light stream of folks coming and going, listening to bits of their conversation. I felt like part of the neighborhood, which is my favorite way to be in a new city. The coffee was wonderful; I bought a pound of their beans to take home.

2016 - Queens - Chinese Takeout

In the winter of 2016 I had a temporary breakup with my partner, but we were still living together while he looked for a place. It felt like an opportunity to be spontaneous and take myself to New York for Christmas. My friend in Queens would be traveling and needed a cat-sitter, which I gladly volunteered for. I had never been alone on Christmas, normally choosing to be with my parents. This year I called to wish them a happy holiday while eating Chinese food in my friend’s apartment. Mixing traditions, I also went to Manhattan to see the decorated storefronts and watch ice skaters in Central Park. I had fun, but quietly wished my partner was with me. (There’s a reason we later got back together.)

2018 - Upper West Side - Omelet

I brought my partner to New York with me this time, house- and cat-sitting again for my friend Jenny. She now lived in a tiny studio near Central Park West. In the morning I preferred to get up as early as possible to start my daily tourism, and sometimes that meant leaving my husband in bed. So one day I set out for breakfast alone, walking a few blocks past Dunkin Donuts to a cafe that had decent reviews on Google. (I can’t remember its name.) I was in the ravenous early stages of pregnancy, so I ate all of my generously portioned spinach omelet and potatoes. The omelet was plump and actually tinted green throughout from the spinach: that's what I remember most, plus the fact that I loved it despite not enjoying cooked spinach in general. (I think I ordered it for the nutritional value.) I also savored the opportunity to read a book and drink the single cup of coffee I allowed myself per day.

2018 - Greenwich Village - Calzone

After visiting Washington Square Park, my partner and I had a meal nearby at La Lanterna di Vittorio. The host led us through a very narrow, dark (as I recall) restaurant out to a back patio that felt like an arty greenhouse with plants and lanterns hanging everywhere. I got a calzone, perfectly baked and filled with savory cheese and sauce. Pizza was on the menu too, but I think my body was crying out for maximum bread. There is something gratifying about the textural contrast involved with melty cheese oozing out from between two layers of crust.

2022 - Flatiron District - Multiple Courses

The biggest treat I gave myself during this vacation that was already a treat (getting to be on my own for three days, as a mom) was a dinner at Craft. I had been watching “Top Chef” lately and thought it would be fun to eat at the restaurant owned by its head judge, Tom Colicchio. Reservation for one, at the bar. I did my version of dressing up, which was wearing a casual dress paired with the same sneakers I used to walk all over the city. The restaurant was very nice but not stuffy; otherwise I wouldn’t have felt comfortable. I chatted a little bit with the bartender while working through multiple plates: burrata with stone fruit and balsamic vinegar, parmesan gnocchi, halibut with cherry tomatoes. The stone fruit and tomatoes were a nice nod to summer, which was nearly over but still present in the 70-degree September weather. Everything was simple, classic, and prepared perfectly. The service was friendly too—not overly chatty, giving me space do crossword puzzles on my phone—so the experience was totally worth a splurge. Since I was too full for dessert, I ordered donuts with dipping sauce to go, and ate them later while watching Netflix in my hotel room.

The Rest

Brownies, babka, Thai noodles, lobster ravioli, cold brew coffee, cocktails, McSorley’s ale, bagels, knishes, Middle Eastern ouzi, English tea sandwiches, honey toast, diner omelets, pizza by the slice. It’s impossible to recount all the meals, drinks, and spontaneous treats. I’m excited for the next time I get to eat my way across the city. If you’re reading this, drop me some recommendations.