Eclectic Monday Dining

Monday was more social for me than customary for a first day of the work week.  And it led to adventures in dining, so representative of the range of offerings in New York City on a typical day (if eating too much is typical for you):

1.  Breakfast of croissant and nonfat latte at Joe Coffee on the UWS.

2.  Lunch of chicken over rice from an Indian food sidewalk lunch cart.  You know those carts and trucks you see all over Midtown Manhattan dispensing food?  Worth a try, at least once.  Some are really good, but I will admit that it's not something I ever think about on my own; it's not on purpose so much as I have a longtime irrational concern over my inability to select the ones that would not give me food poisoning.  By default, therefore, I guess that means lunch truck dining is the most social of dining experiences, because if you never do it alone, you and your more-adventurous-eater-friend will buy the food and take it to a nearby pocket park on a nice day to have your little al fresco New York cheapo lunch experience.  I don't recall the name of the particular cart from Monday's lunch, but it was located at the southwest corner of Sixth Avenue and 47th Street (look for the long line - that's always good general advice when considering the lunch cart option); also, it had signs posted all over the cart that it "has won many awards!"  And a perfect patch of tree-shaded pocket park was just across the avenue.

3.  Afternoon iced latte and doughnut at Schiller's, as reported yesterday.  Yeah, I didn't exactly choose the "healthy option" for #3; some might say likewise about #2 and #1, mais je ne suis pas d'accord!  Taking a typical American defensive posture when it comes to food, I'll have you know that I ran two loops around the Reservoir that morning and walked all over town the rest of the day....so there.

4.  And, to top it all off, a great dinner and wine at Gabriel's near Columbus Circle.  This is what happens when a dear friend from college comes to town and unexpectedly has time for dinner - it's worthy of a celebration like Gabriel's, not to mention that we both have a marvelous excuse - our sons are graduating from high school this week!  But who needs an excuse?  What a lovely, clubby-in-a-good-way restaurant!  And with no reservation and a smile to Gabriel, the attentive owner, at the door, voilà, a table for two was ready for us in the always full and bustling dining room, where I (healthfully) chose the broiled bronzino in a leek broth.  Ha!  AND, we passed on dessert.  Next time...

Schiller's

I keep going back.  My magnetic response to the Lower East Side, which I don't know so well that I would know all the streets without a map, always draws me back to the corner of Rivington and Norfolk (not quite the heart of the LES, either, though they may beg to differ).  Especially on a nice day when they open all the black metal shutter-like doors onto the street, I get to enjoy the breeze, the sunshine and the passing sidewalk scene, all at the same time while indulging in great food prepared by the executive chefs of Balthazar (without the noise, crowds, begging and waiting to get a table).

This is Schiller's Liquor Bar.  They have everything I could ask for in a restaurant/bar, as you can see below.

They take reservations so, even if busy, it doesn't feel like a mob scene at night.   And during the day, it's such a sweet pleasure.  For some reason, even on late afternoon weekends, it doesn't have the all-day brunch crowd that drowns many restaurants.  I love coming here in the afternoon, especially in the summer and especially by bicycle (where I can keep my bike nearby like a puppy, just outside the open doors), for a burger or salad or just one of their cakey donuts and a Stumptown iced latte. 

They also serve a great Pimm's Cup (there's a beautiful long bar here, too), and their wine list is categorized by "Cheap," "Decent" and "Good."  But this is not gimmicky place.  It's casual and easy and feels like the opposite of a see-and-be-seen place, as you might otherwise imagine for a Keith McNally restaurant (Balthazar, Pastis, etc.).  Schiller's is the neighborhood bar and café I wish I had in my neighborhood, where I could sit and linger all day (and, if the free wifi isn't enough, to encourage me further, magazines and newspapers from all over are hanging from wall racks on both sides of the front door).  Dining alone is just fine, and it's a fabulous stop to rest the feet and shopping bags while wandering the constantly evolving LES.