Usually the setting is far afield, the server, someone whose best language is not yours. You've settled on an intriguing menu item, but your server is wary that you'll take a taste and make a fuss, and steers you away. "That's only for _____ people" (fill in the blank with the name of the hometown crowd) is a common formulation.
"You know that's salty" is a gentler warning. Though the menu says as much, the servers at Barney Greengrass may reinforce the message when you order lox scrambled with eggs and onions ($15, including a bialy with cream cheese). You won't go wrong by ordering one of the tamer scrambles, with nova or sturgeon, but some mornings, salty is just the kind of sustenance your body needs. Often these are the same mornings that your mouth craves something fizzy; Dr. Brown has a variety of cures, such as Cel-Ray ($2.75).
Barney Greengrass
541 Amsterdam Ave. (86th-87th Sts.), Manhattan
212-724-4707
www.BarneyGreengrass.com
Closed Monday
