If I still smoked weed, I’d be eating truckloads of it.” “Never thought it was possible to have a craving for lemon yuzu tarts before eating one here. No idea how that works-do they turn up outside the emergency room with boatloads of ramen? Kind of hope so.” You can also buy a meal for a relief worker.
If you eat in, you get a frozen grape at the end, which might not sound great but just is. We get the nameko, the hamaguri, the washugyu tataki, the chawanmushi. About the best ramen I’ve had in the city in the last 10 years or so. “The new hangout for the old Souen crowd. We get the chicken with salsa verde with a side of potatoes cooked under the chicken (fucking incredible, truth be known) and some sides with some chocolate mousse.” I wouldn’t be surprised if this off-shoot extends way beyond things getting back to normal this place would do well in any neighborhood. “Left Bank restaurant seems to have turned itself into this beautifully named takeout rotisserie chicken joint. We get the same thing over and over, the three chili chicken, sautéed snow pea shoots, and the crab rice (which seems to have disappeared). That with a bit of ingenuity (become a fish market!) and lateral thinking (open a bar outside your place!) we’re going to get through this stupid time.” More than that, for me, walking past that place was a sign things are returning to normal. The restaurant itself has turned into a fish market so you can get beautifully cut up pieces of fish to cook yourself as well as the take-out menu. “Not a place I’d been to before the lockdown (sorry) but last week we walked past and there was a little group of people sipping beers through straws under their masks chatting outside on the sidewalk waiting for their take-out. I had the oil, which is ‘powered by over 30 different secret spices,’ delivered to me across state lines, and I can honestly say it was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life.” They’re not doing takeout at the moment, but their incredibly enterprising CEO Jason Wang-who was nominated for a James Beard Award this week-had the brilliant idea to package and ship their hopelessly addictive, top-secret chili oil. It’s a chain of Northern Chinese restaurants that specializes in hand-pulled noodles and other incredibly fragrant dishes from a region of China whose cuisine has been historically overlooked in the West. “I’ve been out of the city since mid-March (much to my embarrassment), but I’ve still managed to get a taste of my favorite restaurant in all of New York. It’s a perfect little place, and I can’t wait to go back.” They always have sections of the Times for you to read, and there’s a really cute backyard, which comes in handy, because there are, like, five small tables inside. It has the world’s best vegan mezze plate (if you’re not vegan, which I’m not because I’m not insane, get it with an order of halloumi). “My boyfriend and I used to go every Sunday for lunch. They’re literally one of four numbers in my speed dial and are still coming through with my favorite Italian Reds.” “My wine takeout, which is arguably more important. I’m desperate to keep them around to outlive this shutdown.” Now, they’re doing delivery groceries and pre-order market goods. “In the pre-Corona world, I go there every morning before I head to 265 Canal. But I just found out they’ve started doing vegetarian meals too, so maybe this is the moment.” I stopped eating red meat almost ten years ago, and I’m on the razor’s edge of doing away with poultry, and the thing I’d miss most is P ‘n’ T fried chicken.
For example, I know for a fact that this Friday they are delivering to Planned Parenthood. So you can “donate a bucket” while you order and it goes to a great cause. Not only do they have the very best fried chicken for takeout and delivery (get the chicken biscuit), but they’ve been using customer donations to supply delicious meals to health workers at area hospitals.
“I’m so inspired by my NYC mainstay in Williamsburg. While our city heals and we continue to long for the days of dinner parties and alfresco lunches, the Interview editors share their most beloved New York restaurants that are still open for business-from clams in the West Village to mezcal negronis in Bed-Stuy. With the current state of the coronavirus pandemic, most of our favorite eateries have been shut down, while others fight desperately to stay afloat. Restaurants are not only places where New Yorkers go to find physical nourishment, but they are also hubs where friends meet, families gather, and Tinder dates become more-than-one-night-stands. Takeout is to New York City as water is to plants: essential. Photo by Nadia Lee Cohen and Charlie Denis for Interview‘s 2018 Winter issue.
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