I Want Pay-By-The-Bite

Eating when traveling can be a mind field. For someone like me who eats exactly the same thing for breakfast everyday and relatively the same thing for lunch in some form of a salad, when I am out of my own kitchen I get nervous. To top it all off I really like to get what I pay for. Yes, some might say I am cheep. Add to the equation the fact that I like to eat three meals everyday and don’t bother snacking.

Given all my quirks, eating in New York City makes me crazy. Yes, it is a great food city. Any kind of cuisine you want and the best of it can be found here, practically everywhere you look. And lots of the foods I try and avoid are surrounding me. Yesterday on my big walk in the space of two blocks I passed a mini cupcake store and regular sized cupcake store and a cupcake ATM. Are you trying to kill me NYC? Thank god I was moving fast.

Last night Russ’ team dinner was at our perennial favorite Union Square Cafe. Since we had a group we had a pre-set family style meal. I had chosen the menu from the list I was given but had no idea the giant portions they would serve. I had a little of the salad, green apple, greens, pecorino with walnuts to die for, skipped the frito misto seafood, had one air pillow of a ricotta gnocchi and a spoonful of the pasta with guanciale, Brussels sprouts and black pepper cream that was deemed by the Italian experts at the tale to be better than any pasta any of us have had anywhere, even Italy.

As if all that was not enough the main course of roasted Amish Chicken, glazed carrots, roasted spring onions and a sinful parmigiana bread pudding arrived. I don’t know what Amish do to chicken, but clearly denying them of electricity pays off. The rest of the table had a warm brownie custard and I had decaf.

I ate only a bite or two of the things I did try but paid for thirty three bites. The waiter kept asking if we wanted to wrap things up. Not an option when staying at a hotel. It was yummy, too yummy, but I would have been happy with just the salad.

This morning I went to breakfast and had a $38 egg white with a dash of regular egg omelette. I did not eat the tomato, potato, salad or toast. If I was allowed to just buy the bites I am eating I would be much happier.

Today in the freezing cold Susan Beatty and I finally were so cold from walking that we sought out a refuge for lunch. We ended up in the grill in Bryant park. At last warmth and the perfect meal for me. A tiny kale salad with one section of grapefruit, three pecans, one fig and some port vinegar reduction. Susan looked at it and said, “that is not much of a lunch.” At least I actually ate all I was given and did not let it go to waste.
It was perfect, except for the price. It is New York after all.