Fiat Café

I don't usually think of SoHo as a place for cheap eating.  Sure, you can find plenty of cafés in the area that aren't overly expensive...but a straight up deal?  Not so much.  I am singing a different tune now that I've found Fiat Café.  Pretty much nothing on the menu costs more than $8.50.  Considering it costs a minimum of $7.99 for me to buy burrata at the grocery store, an appetizer of burrata with cherry tomatoes, basil, and olive oil for $8.50 is a steal.  Since I can't make it any cheaper myself, paying cash only does not seem like an inconvenience anymore.

In addition to the burrata, we also ordered an antipasto platter (prosciutto, sopresatta, braseola, parmesan, and olives) and two carpaccio salads (one beef, one salmon).  The portions were sizable enough that we couldn't finish all the food, especially after snacking on the bread and very flavorful olive oil.  And everything was good.  For that price I wasn't expecting too much.  Frankly, I just needed to get burrata in my stomach as soon as possible because I'd been craving it for weeks and didn't care about much else.  But all the food was fresh, simple, and seemed like what my [imaginary] old Italian grandmother would throw together for a light lunch when we come inside after a long day of playing outside.

  

Bobwhite Lunch and Supper Counter

The menu is small at Bobwhite Lunch and Supper Counter.  They're pretty much telling you "get the fried chicken, dummy!...but in case you're a vegetarian we got catfish, too."  So that's what Albert and I did.  We both ordered the fried chicken platter (only $11.50), which comes with three pieces of chicken, a biscuit, and some really good cole slaw (and I am picky picky about my cole slaw).  We also ordered sides (average $4) of mac and cheese and collards to split.  The mac was nice and creamy and the collards were good, though they could have used a teensy bit of vinegar (I still ate all of them).

The food is great and the prices are pretty cheap for such a large dinner.  But the best part was just a small little thing that most people probably won't notice; and if they do, they may find it strange.  Before our meals arrived, the waitress brought a bottle of hot sauce and a bottle of honey to the table.  Albert, bless his heart, is a Yankee and was very confused by the honey.  The hot sauce can go on the chicken, the collards, pretty much anywhere...but what to do with the honey?  It's great on biscuits, obviously, but that, my friends, is the condiment that will make your fried chicken better than it's ever been.  You get sticky and crispy all at once.  If you don't eat your fried chicken like this, you are missing out.  Just bringing honey to the table made Bobwhite one of the most authentic Southern spots in the city.

Rathbones

In all the times I had been to Rathbones, it was only ever for drinks.  I actually always wondered who would possibly ever eat there - the food can't be that good.  This is a place where softball teams gather after a game and fans go to watch sports on the many tvs.  It's neighborhoody, a little divey, and looks just like the local watering hole it started as 30 years ago.  Turns out, they do actually have great food.  And really amazing deals.

Tuesdays are 2 for 1, not just on the drinks but on the burgers and sandwiches as well.  Considering nothing is all that expensive to begin with, this is a steal.  Nothing was going to stop me from ordering the burger.  I didn't even need to look at the menu.  Albert has been pushing to add Rathbones' burger to the list as a contender ever since we started scoping out the best burgers in the city so it was absolutely necessary for me to try it.  That said, when someone suggested getting a large order of wings for the group to share, there was no arguing from my end of the table.

Many burgers have a gimmick, and in this case it was the bun.  Instead of a regular bun, they used an English muffin.  I thought it was a great change of pace.  It's just a bit sour and its pockmarks soak up the burger juice nicely.  The wings were also very good, especially if you request them extra crispy like we did.  The large comes with 16 wings and is only $9.95.  Can't beat that...except you can.  On Tuesday they do $0.35 wings.  Do you understand how many wings that'll get you?  All the wings.

 

Kumo Sushi

After drinking all day we picked dinner on Saturday based on...more drinking.  We stumbled into Kumo Sushi in the West Village for all you can eat sushi + all you can drink sake and beer.  The price came to just over $40/person and the food and drinks kept flowing.  I thought the giant pitchers they placed on our table were filled with water.  I was wrong.  It was sake.  Giant pitchers of sake and beer means sake bombs are a given.  $40 + tax and tip may sound steep, but when you consider how full and tipsy you'll be by the time you leave I would say it's quite the deal.

  

Otto's Tacos

The bright orange sign made me wonder if it was legit, but Albert really wanted to check out Otto's Tacos.  I want to say the reason I agreed was solely because he asked me to, but the real reason was twofold: I started reading a lot of good reviews about their LA style tacos on homemade masa tortillas and I heard about a secret menu.  The reviews offered validation and the secret menu made me feel special.  Like I was a gatekeeper.  Don't tell me you wouldn't want that honor.

The menu is small but it's really all you need.  My favorite of the regular menu tacos was the shrimp.  The shrimp has been marinated to be a little tangy and spicy and it comes with a serrano crema that really set the whole thing off.  Thankfully, that crema also made it's way onto the Gorgon.  The Gorgon is the secret menu item at Otto's, but I'm telling you about it now so I guess the secret's out.  It's a deep fried taco that's much larger than the regular menu tacos so you won't need to order as much as you think.  The tortilla is puffed up like a greasy peacock and filled with carne asada (good char on the meat), guac, that crema, onions, and cilantro.  It may not be on the menu, but it's the best thing on the menu. Wink wink.

Gorgon in the back

Good Beer

For Albert's birthday I gave him monogrammed beer mugs and then took him to Good Beer so he could put them to good use.  As his present, he got to build two custom 6-packs and enjoy a beer flight.  He was like a kid in a candy store.  If a craft beer ships to NYC, you can bet Good Beer will have it so Albert ran around the store stocking up on new IPAs to try.

What I love about Good Beer is that it turns into a store/bar hybrid.  I had only ever been inside during the day when everyone is just picking up beer to drink on the weekend.  When we went at 9 PM on a Friday night (it stays open til 10), there were plenty of people there for no reason other than to drink.  And why not?  When they have about 12-16 (I did a bad job at counting) beers on tap all for $6/pint, it's a great place to grab a drink.  The flights come in sets of four (you can pick any four from the ones on tap) for an equivalent of 2 beers at $8 total.  The bottles and cans are reasonably priced as well.  Nothing was more than $3, which makes it much cheaper than the Whole Foods beer room.

Since there are few tables, most people just threw their scarves and coats on the window sill and placed their flights precariously on shelves around the store.  It's a great, low key place to grab a drink just before or after dinner as you get your East Village evening started.  If you have any beer loving guy friends, this is a great place to introduce them to.

Agave

Here's another one to add to your drunk brunch list, folks: Agave.  $25 gets you an entree plus bottomless mimosas, wine, or frozen margaritas.  Bazinga!

I ordered the Southwestern eggs benedict and thought it was a great twist on the traditional.  The English muffins were topped with firm tomato, avocado slices, poached egg, and a chipotle hollandaise sauce.  It's not spicy (I actually added some hot sauce to mine), but it was a nice switch up to the regular eggs benny.  Avocado is a nice switch up to any dish.  Basically, if you ever want to make people fall in love with a normal boring dish, just add avocado to it.  Everyone cleaned their plate - and not just because their taste buds were masked by the ever-flowing booze; the food was just tasty.  The flavors aren't hardcore Southwestern so even pickier palates will find plenty on the menu to enjoy.

  

Julia's Empanada's

After a long bus ride, I was starving by the time I got to DC.  I needed food and I needed it immediately.  Thankfully, Liz lives in the bustling Adam's Morgan area so even though it was 12:30 AM, there was plenty of drunk food to be eaten.  Even completely sober Julia's Empandas were delicious.  I couldn't decide which to try so I ordered two: the Jamaican (Liz's recommendation) and the chorizo (which became my favorite with its curry seasoning).  You really only need one to fill you up since they are larger than typical empanadas so two put me over the edge but I didn't care.  They weren't too doughy and they were each filled with enough meat that the dough threatened to tear under the pressure.  One could definitely serve as a full meal for $3.59.  I only regret not trying one of the fruit filled ones.  I guess I'll just have to schedule another trip to DC.  Bummer.

 

Pig and Khao

My brother set the bar extraordinarily high before his annual NYC visit.  He told me I needed to find us a restaurant 1) with food he can't get in Savannah (that's not Chinese or Korean), 2) is not in an outer borough, 3) is reasonably priced, 4) would knock his socks off.  They said it couldn't be done, but that's just the kind of challenge I live for so I made it happen.

I was able to satisfy every requirement on my brother's list with Pig and Khao.  Located in the Lower East Side, Pig and Khao serves Thai and Filipino influenced cuisine that is incredibly inventive for a price that is more than simple.  By simple, I mean low.  The dishes labeled as small plates may seem expensive at around $13-$15, but they are not typical tapas size as we expected.  We ordered four of them along with an order or two of coconut rice (a mere $3) for five people and it was plenty of food.  We also ordered two drinks a person and our total bill came to $150.  Food and alcohol for 5 people for that price is a pretty good deal, but not as ridiculous of a deal as the $15 bottomless PBR, done self-serve style in the back patio area.

So I made good on the price condition but the real concern was getting my brother and sister in law unique food.  I did even better in this category.  We ate pork head served with a slippery, saucy egg.  It was fatty, sweet, and salty.  Definitely can't get pork head in Savannah - it's not like it's on tons of menus in New York either.  It was gone moments after it was placed on the table.  We debated getting another order immediately but decided to wait until after we tried the other dishes that were on their way from the kitchen.  It's a good thing we did because the following dishes were also spectacular.  The pork jowl was served with cilantro, mint, watermelon, and chicharron.  When all elements were eaten together the sweet and cool watermelon did something with the spicy pork jowl that got me all sorts of confused and excited.  I know it sounds like a lot of pork, but you haven't even heard about the pork belly yet.  It was served with a poached egg in a salty broth that didn't mushify the crispy skin.  Finally, we ordered the curry fried chicken special that was served with a pickled watermelon rind salad.  The sauce was sweet and unlike the curry flavor I was expecting and the skin was crispy enough to satisfy our whole table of Southerners.

Don't go to Pig and Khao because you heard a former Top Chef contestant is running the kitchen.  Don't even go because you read the 2-star review in the New York Times.  Go because I'm telling you the food is exciting and non-traditional, the price is right, and though they have great $11 cocktails on the menu, they're not above kegs and beers in cans.

String lights, solo cups, and a keg on the patio...just like college...

Defonte's of Brooklyn

Defonte's is a Brooklyn institution.  It's an old school Italian sandwich shop where you shouldn't dare ask for substitutions on these large sandwiches that look like they could feed the whole firehouse.  These are manly sandwiches at girly prices (nothing over $11).  The Manhattan branch may be a little shinier but from what I hear, the food is just as good as the original.  It's a no-frills place and the sandwiches thrive on the simplicity of good ingredients and classic Italian combinations.  I went with the Hot Roast Beef.  The meat was sliced paper thin and piled onto a soft roll with a thin layer of fried eggplant and fresh mozzarella.  I split my sandwich up into two meals partly because it was so large and partly because I wanted to have the experience of eating it twice.

Fish

Designing custom lipsticks can work up an appetite so after creating some custom shades, Karina and I headed to Fish for some supper.  I've walked by this West Village seafood spot plenty of times but never walked inside.  Why not?  Because seafood, particularly shellfish, is expensive when you're not in a place like Savannah.  All I had to do, however, was walk inside and see their daily special written on the board.  It would have been enough to hook me (that's a fishing reference, fyi).  For $8, you get 6 oysters or 6 clams and a glass of house wine or PBR.  A glass of wine alone would cost $8, as would 6 oysters.  This is a STEAL in the seafood world. 

We each started with the special and then shared an entrée for a perfectly sized meal.  We went with the fish and chips.  The cod was nice and flaky, piping hot, and perfectly battered.  And they were kind enough to split it for us before even bringing it to the table - points for service.

Zunzi's

After appearing on a Travel Channel show naming it one of the best sandwiches in America, there is always a line at Zunzi's in Savannah for The Conquistador.  The description may not wow you (baked chicken with lettuce, tomato, and sauce on French bread) but there's something magical that happens when the white and pink sauce comes together over the tender tender chicken.  It looks too big to bite but just try it because then the sauce will drip out and when you put the sandwich back down the bottom of the bread will soak it up.  It's a massive sandwich for just under $10 and well worth the wait.

Il Bastardo

Steph loves to go to Il Bastardo because it's easy for her to get to from Hoboken and they apparently do a rowdy, dance party brunch. It's hard to imagine that when you're eating lunch there on a random weekday (which I was fortunate enough to do thanks to a pre-memorial day off work), but the lunch deal gives you an idea of how crazy it can get.  Who wouldn't go nuts over a $10, 2-course meal?  I went with the caesar salad to start and the chicken paillard for my entree.  Both were well prepared, simple, Italian staples.  But here's where it goes from mild to wild: just $16 for unlimited wine.  Yes, please.

Ikea Cafeteria

What if I told you I just went to a great new restaurant but it's a little out of the way?  I'm sure you would ask just how far out we're talking.  Well, it's in the middle of nowhere in Brooklyn, and I had to take a subway and shuttle to get there.  Most people would reserve a trek like that for a James Beard nominee or whatever restaurant the latest Top Chef winner has just opened.  Me, I make that trip for Ikea.  

I was on a mission for night stands that I plan to kiss with a little DIY tenderness and food was the last thing on my mind.  Once I arrived I realized my grumbling stomach needed to be tended to and this may be my rare chance to finally try the Ikea food court.  I am completely sold.  Some food is better than others, but one quick glance and you can figure out which items to go for.  I'll give you a hint: go with the meatballs.  Nothing is more Swedish than meatballs and they do a fine job.  For $4.99 you get a huge plate of about 20 meatballs, lingonberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and gravy.  That $4.99 is the combo price, which means you also get a side salad or soup (the salad is measly; go with the soup, especially if it was the sweet butternut squash and apple that I had) and a fountain drink.  Other than those characters in the Dragon Tattoo series, it seems like all Swedish people are super nice.  They were happy to offer a taste of the meatballs before I committed and allowed me to trade my fountain drink for an elderflower juice box.  My drink choice was both because I'm not a Pepsi fan and because elderflower sounded extra Swedish.  It was the exact opposite of Pepsi, and by that I mean it was good.  It was Vitamin Water-esque and tasted like Sweden.  Sweden tastes like melting snow and efficiency.

I love my night stands, but Ikea could stop producing furniture altogether and I would still be happy.  Even McDonald's looks expensive next to this lil restaurant whose meal is much more well-rounded.  It seems a little extreme to go all the way to Ikea for lunch, so make up some bogus excuse about needing new throw pillows and get you some Swedish meatballs, pronto.    

Aunt Carrie's Clam Cakes

Because laying on the beach wasn't relaxing enough, we spent our last afternoon in Rhode Island just driving around looking at typical New England streets.  We had zero plans and just went wherever the sights seemed worthy.  For me, worthiness is often related to food, so I wanted to make sure we tried some authentic New England seafood.  I missed out on the lobster roll, but I did try a Narragansett specialty I had never heard of: clam cakes.  I envisioned crab cakes made with clams, but discovered they were more like fried dough in funnel cake batter.  Basically, they're New England hush puppies with a faint essence of clam flavor.

We picked ours up from Aunt Carrie's, which [according to local Sam] is supposed to be the best.  They recommend dipping them in clam chowder but we were still too full from breakfast.  That was a big mistake on our part because I could tell how good it would have been.  They were also a cheap snack: less than $4 for half a dozen huge balls of fried dough.  If you are trying to convince yourself these aren't terrible for you, you'll have a hard time as you try to wipe away the grease that results from pulling these straight out of the deep fryer.  A heavy snack like this doesn't seem easy to handle on a hot day, but greasy fingers are no trouble when you get to wash them right off in the ocean.

Riptides

I get to cross a state off my list now that I have spent a weekend in Rhode Island.  Rhode Island never happened to come up in conversation while I was growing up so I pretty much forgot it was a state.  I remember someone joined my high school senior year from Rhode Island and I asked him a million questions about what the littlest state was like - as if he was a foreigner.  Unfortunately, he was one of those strong silent types and gave me nothing I could work with.  My questions about the mysterious state were finally answered this weekend when a group of my fellow Birthrighters planned a little reunion.  Sam, one of the boys from our trip, invited us to his place in Narragansett and we made it quite the beach getaway.

The Boston and NYC contingency Megabussed it into Providence where Sam picked us up and took us to his home in Narragansett, about 40 minutes away.  I absolutely adored the New England architecture in this quaint beach town.  All those cute shingled houses looked like they allowed the sea air to flow in and out through osmosis as the gulls circled overhead.  We lived beach life to the fullest by waking up at 5:30 AM to catch the sunrise over the ocean, peoplewatching on the beach (both trashy beach-goers and good looking lifeguards provided ample viewing pleasure), and hitting up the waterside bar at night.

After our sunrise excursion on Saturday morning, the rest of the group went back to regain a few precious hours of sleep, but Jill and I were up and moving.  We had spotted the cute little Grinnell Inn on our way back from our beach walk and decided to walk back there for some breakfast at their restaurant, Riptides.  The second we walked inside, we realized it was one of those dandy local diners they love to re-create on TV.  I was suddenly on the set of Gilmore Girls.

This place had all the local beachy charm we were hoping to find.  Everyone was so cheery at 7:30 in the morning!  Because we sat down before 7:30, our waitress asked if we were here for the morning special.  I figured a special might mean they would throw in a side of toast on the house since Jill and I were already marveling over the cheap $10 max prices.  But no, the special includes 2 eggs cooked any way, homefries or fruit, and toast for - get this - $2.49.  What?!  This exists?!  It does and it was good, just as you would expect from a good local diner.  What they do throw in on the house, regardless of time of day, is a sample of their cinnamon bread pudding with the most wonderful crust.  

The meal was so good, we went back the next day.  Though we arrived after the breakfast special, our meals were still inexpensive and we expanded beyond the typical and ordered omelettes and breakfast burritos.  Both days, we played the peg game and Trivial Pursuit while we sipped on bottomless coffee for $1.95.  Breakfast out is a relaxing experience.  Breakfast out by the beach will put you in a Zen state.  

 

Soho Park

Soho Park, on the corner of Prince and Lafayette, is the closest thing to a relaxing beer garden that you can get in the busy Soho area.  Though it might be a madhouse around Balthazar and topshop, it's nice and chill in this gazebo.  Most everything is under $10 and the portions are sizable.  I ordered the nicoise salad that was fresh, though it had been prepared in advance.  My dining companions each ordered huge sandwiches that looked much better than the food you normally eat at picnic tables.

The food is very good, but eating it as the sun peeks through the ivy is glorious.

Corsino

It had been far too long since I had hung out with my work mentor, Ira.  I still hold a grudge for him leaving me all alone at our agency to take a hot-to-trot job on the client side, but it was time to push that aside when I needed his discerning eye for decor.  I had to run some errands on the West Side so I suggested we meet in his West Village neighborhood for brunch, which made him very happy since he does not share my love for the East Side.  He suggested Corsino, and I jumped at the chance to try 'inoteca's sister restaurant.

My scrambled eggs with asparagus, prosciutto, and fontina were perfect, especially when piled on top of crunchy toasted flatbread.  Asparagus really should be incorporated into more dishes instead of just roasted and served on the side.  Ira scarfed his baked eggs so I'm assuming they were good, but he's a germaphobe who doesn't share food so I wouldn't know firsthand.  Everything always seems so pricey in the West Village so I was happy to see my bill with tax and tip came to about $11.50.   

The atmosphere is laid back, particularly in the Summer when all the fancy West Village folks have jetted to the Hamptons.  It was the perfect setting for me to pick Ira's brain about apartment decorating.  And brunch just seems like the right meal to discuss decorating, don't you think?  

Las Ramblas

Tapas tends to add up, which is why I was shocked that our bill at Las Ramblas was startlingly cheap.  Five of us went to this tiny West Village spot to celebrate Beth's birthday and even though we paid for Beth's portion of the tab (which included six dishes and a pitcher of sangria) it only came to $15/person (plus tip).

The first dish to come out was the tortilla espanola, what they call an omelette with aioli.  It was like a giant slice of layered potato cake - a gratin held together with egg instead of cheese.  Based on the description, this is something I have always overlooked on Spanish tapas menus so I'm glad one of the girls made the executive decision to order it for the table.  It was my favorite for the evening and I will definitely gravitate towards it on future tapas outings.  My second favorite dish was the shrimp in a white wine and garlic sauce.  The shrimp were fine, but I would have just ordered the sauce for bread sopping.  The patatas bravas were wonderful as always.  I'm not sure why people forget to order this at Spanish restaurants.  Perhaps it is because it is often listed under sides instead of with the other dishes, but the pimenton aioli that is always drizzled on top makes these potatoes anything but ordinary.  Calamari is a crowd pleaser, and these were not overly breaded, though they didn't stand out.  The chicken empanada was good but not as special as the other dishes.  Finally, we ordered a spinach dish that was basically the cheesiest creamed spinach I've ever had...which means it was some of the best.

It's rare to get out so cheap at a tapas place.  Rarer still to manage such a feat in the West Village.  Las Ramblas may not be as good as someplace like Boqueria, but the deal factor makes it zoom several spots up on the tapas list.

      

Cafe de la Esquina

I've never been to La Esquina, but I am now one step closer having been to Cafe de la Esquina.  It may not be in Manhattan, but a quick subway ride to Williamsburg affords you a restaurant in a cool old school dining car (a hipster's take on the 50s) and a big outdoor area with lights strung through the tree branches.  It's true: a tree does grow in Brooklyn.

The weather was perfect for margaritas outside so Matt, Jen, and I sipped away while Avery washed her hair with a lime wedge.  She ended up with a great "There's Something About Mary" look that attracted all the waiters' attention.  After our drinks, we decided to order a few tacos to share.  We tried the grilled fish with chipotle mayo and salsa (you'd be a fool if you didn't use the plate's garnish of pickled red onion on this one), the steak with onions, and the carnitas.  All were good but I may have liked the fish the best, followed by the carnitas.

The tacos were only about $4 and came two per order.  Even better, our happy hour margaritas were only $5 apiece which makes this meal a steal and a half.  Basically, you're getting the same amazing La Esquina food but with a gorgeous outdoor area where you can stretch your legs.  And we all know margaritas taste better when you can lounge while you drink.