Everyone has wish lists right? It's not just me that makes up outrageous dream scenarios like "If I could have a permanent home anywhere and two vacation properties, I would live in (fill in the blank), have a beach house on (fill in the blank), and a rustic retreat at (fill in the blank)".
I know how the listing for my dream New York City apartment would read: 2 bedroom, exposed brick, private rooftop access, chef's kitchen, high ceilings, hardwood floors...I could go on.
I also have a restaurant wish list of gastronomic temples that I must visit before I leave this earth. There are a disproportionate number on that list that are right here in Manhattan and while I've managed to check a few off that list, I don't exactly have the bank account that will allow me to pop into Per Se, Daniel, or Le Bernardin anytime soon. Those have to be saved for special occasions because in all likelihood, I will never be pulling in the kind of cash that permits Tuesday night dinners that cost more than a car payment. And that's okay because how sacred is a temple if you can get in any time?
For now, I've learned to make other kinds of wish lists. Mike would call it the New York bucket list because it's our list of things to do while we live here since we know we won't live here forever. We did the same thing when we knew we only had a year left in San Diego - made a list of everything we wanted to do but hadn't and everything we had done before and wanted to do again. It was a great little personal guide book for those days when you can't decide on what to do, can't agree on anything, or just can't find the creativity to come up with something. Our New York bucket list is pretty food heavy. So while we may not be able to afford a four course meal cooked by a culinary master, we can still enjoy the roots of this city's vibrant dining scene. I've learned two things in my recent transformation into Stingy MacFrugal. First, it's insanely easy to walk into a bar or restaurant in Manhattan and spend $12 on a drink or $75 on a mediocre meal for two. Second, it's also insanely easy to get ridiculously cheap meals that are exponentially more delicious and interesting than the $75 dinner date. And by cheap I mean, a pocket-full-of-change cheap. Here are some recent finds that have kept our bellies and wallets full.
1. Raffetto's
We are kicking ourselves for not discovering this spot sooner since it is exactly 3 blocks from our apartment, on Houston between Sullivan and MacDougal. It's an Italian specialty shop that makes fresh pasta, cut to order. You can get a pound of plain egg pasta cut into pappardelle or tagliatelle for little more than $2. So for the same price as a box of Barilla, you can have fresh, tender, toothy noodles. The plain is best for more complex sauces, but you can order pasta flavored with things like saffron, rosemary, black pepper, and squid ink that work beautifully tossed with some butter and parm. They also make delicious ravioli and tortellini stuffed with everything from wild mushrooms to pumpkin to lobster for about $5/pound. Everything else you would expect to find in an Italian specialty shop is here: sausage, cured meats, cheeses, housemade sauces, prepared foods, and quality imported oils, tomatoes, grains, and anchovies that are a must for a good Italian pantry.
2. Jackson Heights, Queens
One hour walking around this seriously mulit-culti neighborhood and we had spent about $10 and eaten food from 6 different countries. We followed the $1 Jackson Heights eating walk outlined in Time Out New York magazine (a great weekly guide to what's happening in the Big Apple) and were rewarded with savory Columbian pastries, steamy, spicy tamales, and aromatic veggie samosas. Stepping off the subway onto Roosevelt Ave is somewhat transformative as you realize just how big New York City is and how many different kinds of people call it home. And not just call it home but make it like the home they came from. With each block it was like a new pocket of Latin America, China or India. It kind of feels like the world is at your fingertips and you can just reach out and eat it.
3. Picnicking
While we are certainly not the first to discover the joy of the picnic, we've been packing our meals into a small soft-sided cooler (with a San Diego Chargers logo, of course, courtesy of my sister) and taking lunch or dinner al fresco. Our recent picnic spots have included: Brooklyn Bridge Park, which sits below the bridge on the Brooklyn Side of the East River (pasta salad and spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline), Central Park for free Summerstage concerts (Jimmy Cliff and a bag of summer cherries), Prospect Park in Brooklyn for their Celebrate Brooklyn free summer concert series (Ozomatli and watermelon salad), and Washington Square (street musicians, a drum circle, and sangria).
4. Any bar on MacDougal or Bleecker.
While we typically avoid the madness of MacDougal and Bleecker street bars because they cater to NYU undergrads and tourists, we sometimes get lured in because we live right down the street. Some are less douchey than others but all have drink specials so cheap, I sometimes think I am back in Buffalo. Draft beer for $2, pitchers for $5. You can't even get a beer for $5 in a most places here. So we stop in from time to time with a deck of cards or a set of dominoes and ignore the crappy Top 40 tunes, bartenders who look like Jersey Shore extras, and general lack of character (from the bar and patrons) because a $2 beer is a $2 beer. Best bang for our buck: Off the Wagon and the Fat Black Pussy Cat.
No comments:
Post a Comment