Vegetarian Food is a Fine Thing Indeed!

This has to be my favorite Finer Things meeting, ever. When our group first came to New York, rude waitstaff that slammed water glasses on the table and yelled at us for bringing a group of hungry friends to an establishment that supposedly serves food had so rubbed us raw that we practically teared up when the friendly hostess of Quantum Leap smiled and warmly welcomed us to her restaurant (Phew! Long sentence!). "This had to be some sort of facade," we thought. "No one in New York is this nice--especially at a cafe!" We were proven wrong, and it thus made our Finer Things adventure enjoyable for both the carnivores and vegetarians in our cheery little group.

A look at the what I ordered (Soba noodles with Dumplings):


Quantum Leap offers a variety of different vegetarian dishes--anything from hamburgers to tamales. Apparently they're brunch is amazing (and cheap). Guess the club should consider doing breakfast outings as well!

Funny story about this picture. Our waitress kept on mentioning how I had ordered the last iced tea. We all thought that meant that they ran out of tea and would have to buy some more later that day. Apparently, though, it was the last batch of tea leaves that the restaurant has had since they first opened, and so can no longer offer that particular kind anymore. Thus the sad face:




To Recap:

Quantum Leap
226 Thompson St
(between 3rd St & Bleecker St)
New York, NY 10012 (212) 677-8050

Bottom Line: Friendly servers/staff that are always willing to bring another chair for the large group in the back automatically makes this place a Greater Finer Thing, maybe even a Greater Finer Thing! (The cheap food doesn't hurt, either!)

Ethiopian Cusine--with Cream Puffs for Good Measure

What better way to kick off a Finer Things Club (or, for the sake of this blog, a Greater Finer Things Club) than Ethiopian food? The dishes are begging for large groups of curious graduate students to huddle around them and scoop up their contents! For those that may not know, Ethiopian food is eaten with the hands--often in conjunction with flavorful bread. A Finer Thing, indeed!




Doesn't it look good? All of our orders are presented on the same plate, so it can be a problem if somebody's a vegetarian/vegan in the group. A good idea for our next trip would be to have vegetarians sit together so that they won't have to endure having to eat around the meat dishes that the rest of the group orders...


After Ethiopian, we decided that some dessert was in order. And giant cream puffs seemed like the perfect idea! Beard Papa's has some of the best cream puffs in the city--although the finer things club recommends eating this particular treat outside in the park (as there is limited seating in the actual store). Luckily, the one we went to was right by the square on Carmine Street and 6th Avenue, so there was a place for the bunch of us to sit and not get in anybody's way.




To Recap:

Meskerem Restaurant

124 Macdougal St (Make sure to look down)
New York, NY 10012
Phone (212) 777-8111
www.meskeremrestaurant.com

For dessert we grabbed cream puffs at:

Beard Papa (multiple locations around the city)

5 Carmine Street
(between Avenue Of The Americas & Bleecker St)
New York, NY 10014
(212) 989-8855

www.muginohousa.com

Bottom Line: Accommodating to large groups and cheap lunch fare = A Greater Finer Thing.

Japanese Food at Hagi!

Because of the snow, not many people showed up for our impromptu excursion to Hagi, a tucked-away pub among a strip of Japanese restaurants. Despite its mysterious location, the wait time to sit five people ended up being a good two hours. What makes this particular place so special among its peers? While endless streams of people stomped their way down the stairs to Hagi, restaurants nearby offered immediate seating. Our conclusion? The food + great deals = the full Japanese eating experience. I highly recommend getting the yellowtail sashimi (the freshest I've ever had) and the okonomiyaki (Japanese pizza). A little sake doesn't hurt, either!

I wouldn't recommend this place for larger Finer Things club meetings, though (it was hard enough sitting 5 people in the cramped/crowded room). Here's a shot of the quaint interior (the monthly specials are listed next to the TV):




To Recap:

Sake Bar Hagi

152 West 49th Street
lower level (it's easy to miss)
Midtown NY
(212) 764-8549

Bottom Line: Great food, but the long wait and the lack of seating for large groups =A Finer Thing.

Cafe Veselka...errr Ukrainian East Village Restaurant?

It seemed simple enough--I decided to plan this week's lunch. Ukrainian food sounded like it wouldn't be too exotic for everyone's delicate palates, and I had just the place in mind:

Cafe Veselka

Located on 2nd Avenue between St. Mark's and 9th street, this busy little corner cafe is open 24 hours. The first time I was there, the place was practically empty (mind you, it was around 3 A.M. or so), and I thought it would be a good location for a large group of adventurous eaters to try out. As the "coordinator" for the week, I got to the cafe early to give the staff a head's up about our incoming group (they apparently do not take reservations). The cafe at that time was bustling, but not overly so, and the three separate servers I spoke to all reassured me that seating 10+ people would not be a problem.

Liars. By the time the rest of the club arrived, the place was packed, and none of the wait staff gave us the time of day. Despite being given the cold shoulder, our cheerful group was unperturbed--we'd find pierogis somewhere! Funnily enough, the restaurant next door (literally) was offering Ukranian fare as well:

Ukrainian East Village Restaurant

Unlike the typical diner/cafe atmosphere of Veselka, the Ukrainian East Village Restaurant was a solemn, old-world inspired affair. Upon walking in, the entire group felt like they walked onto a set for a family-drama type film. We stood around for a what seemed like ten minutes, taking in the decor and debating whether or not anybody worked there. Finally, our waitress arrived and, obviously annoyed at the sight of 10+ of us trespassing on her territory uninvited, immediately spat, "You should have made reservations, you know." We were bewildered. There were only 6 other people in the restaurant.

Despite this discouraging greeting, the Ukrainian East Village Restaurant turned out to be enjoyable after all. After having a drink slamming fit, our server became more pleasant--we had started to grow on our waitress (by making sure to be super polite to her to appease her anger). The food turned out to be a good deal--a plate of 5 large, boiled pierogis (your choice of meat, potato, cheese, or vegetable) and a cup of borscht (cold or hot) ended up being a total of $8 on the lunch menu. Other than pierogis and borscht, other popular dishes that we ordered included potato latkes (served with sour cream and apple sauce), cabbage soup, and french fries. Complimentary bread baskets were provided. In the end, we were stuffed and satisfied. Next time I go, though, I'll make a reservation.

So, to recap:

Fourteen hungry people looking for Hungarian food at...

Veselka Cafe (We didn't get in, but it's 24 hours)

144 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10003

veselka.com

and...

Ukranian East Village Restaurant (We got in, but the lady yelled at us)

140 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10003
(212) 529-5024 (better make reservations)


Bottom Line: Cheap place for lunch with lots of room for large groups = A Greater Finer Thing.