New York and its Restaurants – Rises, Falls, Fables and Passion

For generations, New Yorkers have loved eating out. We will try just about anything. Bring it on. Let’s see what it is. Let us take a look at what’s in your kitchen.

New York changes the incoming, new cuisines, and in turn these cuisines change New York. We could start with the pizza, which has mythical origins both in Italy and here in New York. Both are so Italian and so New York – at the same time - that we don’t even notice it. And then there is the bagel, which has taken on a life of its own, and of course The Deli. Nowadays, it’s the Pad Thai that has been New York-ified, dressed up and taken out for dinner at fancy eateries all over town. New Yorkers love their restaurants and clamor for more. We talk an awful lot about them, sometimes as if they were people not places.

“Vong is really sexy,” a young woman says. “I’d like to look that good.”

When Po opened, a friend of mine said, “I’ve been waiting weeks to get inside and check her out.”

Passion: It drives so many of us to do so many things, sometimes wonderful and unforgettable, and other times just plain stupid. The same goes for restaurants.

When Cello first opened, it was on the fast-track to becoming one of the city’s most be-loved, romantic venues. Passion was all over that place. Too much passion. The break-up there was straight out of a novella. Tears, rumors, heartbreak – it was all played out in the dining room. But like scorned lovers after therapy, we have all moved on.

Rises: Sometimes, out of the blue, a venue pops up on the map, suddenly, with little fanfare or explanation and it is the next big thing, the talk of the town, the place of Great Expectations. A great review from the New York Times can solidify the dreams of a new venture, keep its tables booked for weeks on end, and generate even more press. A bad review, well…. (current rising stars: Le Cercle Rouge, the Queen’s Hideaway, the Fatty Crab) />
Falls: Sometimes, a restaurant just implodes for no reason anyone on the outside can detect. Often, there are financial concerns that overwhelm an owner. Sometimes, there is a titanic clash of egos between the principals. Other times, the spark of interest in something new just dies out as imitators pop up all over town. (Celebrity-inspired venues like NYLA can send a shiver down your spine.) And what do you do once the trend in your new idea is no longer trendy? (Current trends: Designer Eggs – Ova Delecta; Pad Thai; heirloom tomatoes; Ninjas?)

Fables: Once upon a time there was a cook, not just any old cook, but a brilliant cook. And his father said, “Look, son, there’s more to life than cookin’. You need to be the owner. Now, take the family car and sell it, and use that money to open up your own restaurant.” Well, we all know that the cook came back with a bag of magic beans. We can believe in the beanstalk or not, but the magic beans are always in the bag, waiting.

Tags:   pad thai, passion, pizza, trendy

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Posted on 10/27/2005 ( Permanent Link )
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