Fly away for a feast

There comes a point in a person's life when they must simply pack their bags and see themselves off to another land, to another feasting.

I did just that.

And I've returned a profoundly happy woman.

There's a glimmer of that holiday glow; she's enlivened, replenished and restored. But most evidently, she's rotund. Rosily so - by that, I mean not overly so; just enough to grab and squeal with cheer.

They say sampling the food of a country, or in this case: a city, should alert your tastebuds to the wonder of its culture, its people. If that's so, then New York City is jubilant, unruly, sophisticated, radical, refined, archaic, health-conscious, excessive and proud.

Nay, you cannot possibly put a neat little label on the sort of cookery that's unveiled in this city. NY is a true pastiche of the future and the past, of the avant-garde frame of mind happily thriving beside the stubbornly venerable.

There were days when there I sat, drooped over a rusty bar stool with sticky, excited fingers, I intermittently switched from devouring meltingly moist pork tacos flecked with blistering crimson spices to sucking in air like a drowning goldfish - this all joyfully occuring at the back of a spectacularly gaudy Mexican grocery with the friendliest of staff (so authentic they barely speak English); other times I sat straight-backed in posh nosh pearl-cream surroundings with pinkies pointedly stuck out (not out of smugness, mind you, but of simple jest), ooh-ing and ahh-ing over artfully drizzled platters of coral lobster and faintly flushed grapes.

Most days, however, I would scrounge about the sometimes spirited and sometimes murky streets, seeking the busiest lunch cart, finding myself high on creamy white garlic sauce, then turn away or blink, and there I am nibbling on the crispiest golden fries I've ever set eyes on.

This is the real New York - one that is multifaceted and brimming with soul. And as I slump here mistfully, still trying to come to terms with what I had witnessed, I know no other way than to say this: NY is, at its mazy mingly core, a generously portioned motley of the extravaganza sploshed with a quiet appreciation for the rustic and age-old.

And I urge you - no I demand you - to embrace it for yourself.

*** A vast majority of the photographs in this post are credited to my sister. Some, too, were glimpsed through the eyes of my cousin. Both were, blessedly, my eating partners.
** This post previously appeared on its sister film and food blog, Musings & Morsels.

Recommended eateries (in no particular order):

- Tehuitzingo Deli Grocery (Mexican)
695 10th Ave (between 47St & 48th St)
New York, NY 10036

- Le Bernardin
155 W 51st St
The Equitable Building (between 6th Ave & 7th Ave)
New York, NY 10019

- H & H Bagels
2239 Broadway (between 79th St & 80th St)
New York, NY 10024

- Quality Meats (upper end steak house)
57 W 58th St (between Avenue Of The Americas & Grand Army Plz)
New York, NY 10019

- Baohaus (hip and casual Taiwanese/Chinese)
137 Rivington St (between Norfolk St & Suffolk St)
New York, NY 10002

- Gray's Papaya (Hot dogs)
2090 Broadway (between 72nd St & 73rd St)
New York, NY 10023

- Pop Burger (the crunchiest fries I've ever devoured)
14E 58th St (between W58th St & 5th Ave)
New York, NY 10022

- Shake Shack (Burgers)
366 Columbus Ave (between 77th St & 78th St)
New York, NY 10024

- Zabar's (a deli that still astounds me)
2245 Broadway (between 80th St & 81st St)
New York, NY 10024

- 53rd and 6th Halal Cart (Middle Eastern food cart - be prepared for a line)
53rd St & 6th Ave
New York, NY 10079

- Shang (Asian fusion)
 187 Orchard St
The Thompson LES Hotel (between Houston St & Stanton St)

- Kyotofu (Japanese fusion/desserts)
705 9th Ave (between 48th St & 49th St)
New York, NY 10019

- Peter Luger Steak House (be certain you have the dessert as well)
178 Broadway (between 6th St & Driggs Ave)
Brooklyn, NY 11211

- Pó (Italian)
31 Cornelia St (between 4th St & Bleecker St)
New York, NY 10014

- Aquavit (Swedish/Scandinavian)
65E 66th St (between Madison Ave & Park Ave)
New York, NY 10022

- Daisy Mays (American Bbq/Southern)
623 11th Avenue
New York, NY 10036

- Rigoletto Pizza (NYC style pizza - do not, I repeat do not, forgo the dips)
208 Columbus Ave (between 69th St & 70th St)
New York, NY 10023

- Xi'an Famous Foods (Regional Chinese - so spicy you may consider specialised pills afterwards)
Golden Shopping Mall
41-28 Main St
Basement #36
Flushing, NY 11355

- Hallo Berlin (German soul food)
744 9th Ave (between 50th St & 51st St)
New York, NY 10019

- Ariana Afghan Kebab Restaurant
787 9th St
Apt 3N (between 52nd St & 53rd St)
New York, NY 10019

- Katz's Delicatessen (hearty pastrami sandwiches)
205E Houston St (between Avenue A & Essex St)
New York, NY 10002

Happy eating,
Jenny