The bright red facade belonged to a travel company that has decamped down Broadway. Removal of that company's signage revealed blocky letters, painted on brick, in an old-timey typeface, and a name that has the ring of a restaurant or a watering hole. More I don't know; do you?
The Place
Surviving signage at 2280 Broadway (at 82nd St.), Manhattan
Shwe yin aye — literally, something that cools and refreshes — is probably just as effective on a Yangon street as it was on a blacktop schoolyard.
Continue reading "Rakhaing Thingyan Burmese New Year Water Festival" »
Can't decide between pasta and pizza?
The usual phrasing is "sti skara" — "on the grill" — preceded by the Greek name of your favorite fish or other protein. Traditionally the fire would be fueled by charcoal, but how it was handled at Niko's, I can't say: This Mediterranean Grill is toast.
"Fish in skara"
At the former Niko's Mediterranean Grill and Bistro
2161 Broadway (at 76th St.), New York
Bomboloni, reloaded.
The William T. Sherman elementary school, the site of this colorful mural, is highly regarded for its diverse student body and eclectic approach to education — note the dinosaurs, the Norse longboat, the multi-millennial skyline — and for its dedication to healthy meals for its students. At least in the eyes of the muralist, there's also plenty of room for sundae fun.
"A Gift for the Children"
Attributed to "LYNAS," 1976
Outside the William T. Sherman School (P.S. 87)
160 West 78th St. (Amsterdam-Columbus Aves.)
Needs more chocolate.
There's just one napkin assigned per place setting, but it's cut from sturdy cloth.
(This venue is closed.) If you have a taste for it, you may as well get a good version of American Chinese.
Compared with the smashed-flat style of the Shake Shack several blocks away, Fairway's burger was heftier and much more loosy-juicy. On the other hand, Fairway's bun wasn't toasted — mine was marred by a fender-bender, too — and the shoestring fries weren't crisp enough. But where the Shack's cheeseburger is American-only, Fairway offers five varieties, including the blue cheese shown here. (Burger with fries, $7.50 at lunch, plus a buck per topping; $12 at dinner, two toppings and fries included.) They're such different animals it's hard to pit the two burgers head to head, though I intend to try.
Fairway Café and Steakhouse
2127 Broadway (74th-75th Sts.), second floor, accessible by steep stairs or crowded, cranky elevator
212-994-9555
www.FairwayMarket.com/restaurant.html
The pumpkin is mashed mighty thin.
Not cranberry.
On the square: It's lighter than it looks.
Each morning one of Manhattan's more colorful produce trucks makes its way to the Upper West Side from North Bergen, New Jersey (previously Paterson, as still shown on the side panel). Hardly an easy commute, but just a hop and a step when measured against the journey from Chechnya, the Turkish proprietor's previous home.
The selection of produce offers nothing so exotic. But budget-minded street-food fans, please note: As dessert or snack, the banana provides its own biodegradable "packaging" and doesn't need to be washed; just peel and eat. Though on the street I've seen bananas priced as dear as 35 cents apiece, here they're four for a dollar.
Musa Durgun produce truck
Parked on West 71st St., near the southeast corner with Broadway
Morning till evening, except in inclement weather
Despite the white pubescent fuzz, one tough character.
It's disappointing to discover that something as small as a blueberry still has a pit.
Tucked behind the Beacon Theater, this tiny walk-down pizzeria offers a number of options from points south, including one sandwich that may be found nowhere else in New York.
My toughest challenge used to be making my way to this small, downstairs, side-street bakery before it closed in early evening.
(This venue is closed.) Comfort food can make adults act like such children. Tell me if this doesn't sound immature: Three grown men dismiss the idea when I order dessert, then when it arrives, grab their spoons and eat half my peanut butter and jelly cupcake.
Actually it was jam, raspberry jam, deep inside a firm but fresh cake that sat a little lower and wider than the cupcake norm (so it was diminished, but never toppled, by a multiple-spoon excavation) and that was crowned with wonderfully fragrant, light peanut butter ($4.95). Also credit the pastry chef for the rich, cushiony biscuits that accompanied batterless fried chicken, giblet gravy, and mashed potatoes ($13.95); bring a basketful and I could eat them, without adornment, all evening long.
Gus and Gabriel Gastropub
222 West 79th St. (Broadway-Amsterdam Ave.)
212-362-7470
Hard to believe it's a relative of the ugli fruit.
Thank you!
