Perhaps because of the weather, Texas has a huge Vietnamese population, Houston especially, way more than New York, even comparable to Los Angeles. During my previous visit to Houston, I had some very authentic Vietnamese dishes. Some of which the Vietnamese restaurants in New York don’t offer. Like Uchi, Elizabeth Street Cafe is highly praised by local food magazines and travel websites. I came across tons of posts of this place on the internet. The place is adorable. Without a doubt, I put it under my “absolutely must visit” list.
Category: <span>Cheap Eats</span>
(start the day with a good breakfast, TEX-MEX style)
Magnolia Cafe has been a stable in Austin. Over 50 years in business, opens all the time. If there is a thing as 24/8, this will be it. In fact, there’s a neon sign on the window highlighting “sorry, we’re open”. Obviously there’s a market, there is a need to call for the place to open all the time. This kind of dinning establishment has been dying in NYC. So happy to see that it has not extinct like dinosaurs yet. Yes, indeed, we need food 24/7. I felt like I should have a shirt made that says “sorry, we are hungry all the time” to echo the message.
It was quiet on this side of west village. Barely any traffic on this particular late summer night. When we arrived at Carma, it was empty. We didn’t get to sit in the patio, as it was booked for a private party, but it would be an awesome place to hold one. It is a rather interesting setting, the bar is all the way inside, and the dining room is divided by a load-bearing wall. Dimmed lighting bouncing off the brick walls, it is warm and cozy.
Marumi, the first sushi place in New York I fall in love with. It begins when I was a fresh grad who have no money, bold enough to sold my car and move to New York City with no job prospect in sight. I would work 20 hours a day, have only a plain bagel with no cream cheese for lunch (well, cream cheese cost extra $0.50 at the time). Drowning myself in cheap coffee and smoke way too much to keep myself awake and not feel the hunger.
It wasn’t until my second Christmas in New York that I felt I can live here, not only survive. It was that winter, a friend invited me to a birthday dinner at Marumi. Right there, it was love at first bite. A favorite was discovered. That was 2002. It’s been almost 15 years now, and I consider myself a loyal regular at Marumi.