Back to the Cafeteria

I don't live in NYC but Amy does. So, every few months I try to get in there to see her, have dinner and catch up. I was supposed to go two weeks ago but she had a meeting and I had the E. Coli or whatever it was that was ailing me. I was able to go last week and just didn't get a chance to talk about it.

Poor Amy, with all the amazing restaurants in NYC, I literally make her go to the same one, Every. Single. Time. I love, love, love, Cafeteria- http://www.cafeteriagroup.com/about.php. I can't even tell you exactly why I love it- It's LOUD as hell. You could possibly lose your voice yelling above the music. It takes forever to get a table, and a lot of the time, the service is for complete crap. Last year, I convinced my friends Stephanie & Jenn to go there when Jenn was pregnant.  Our waiter told his name was Jack Daniels. We actually all ordered something non-alcoholic for a beverage. I ordered just a diet soda so it looked like a diet soda. They both ordered some kind of berry lemonade. When they got the drinks, they didn't look like a mason jar like they were supposed to be in, but they did look like they could be berry lemonade. Yeah, they were both berry mojitos. More than VERY alcoholic. Hi, pregnant person. Major liability. He wasn't even really sorry- so it was more about major asshole. (And no, Jenn didn't drink it. We realized it with a sip each). Jenn had to say something to get us comped for drinks after that. It should have been automatic. And the last time Amy and I were there, the bartender was so rude to us, right away, it was baffling.

BUT, the good points- it's the gayest of the gay that work there and they're either smokin' hot or super funny or both. The hosts are usually the funniest. One time, I was able to trade my red velvet cupcakes I'd just gotten from Magnolia to the host for a quicker chance at a table. It went from a 45 minute wait to ten minutes. The butter for the bread biscuit tastes like it has sugar in it, every entree I've had has been fab, and depending on what you get, it's not too hard on the wallet. I finally committed their "Blue Plate Special" menu to memory so I know next time I have to come in on a Thursday. That's Honey Roasted Turkey-
Buttermilk Whipped Potatoes-Sauteed Green Beans-Rosie's Cranberry Sauce and Pan Drippings night. That is my absolute favorite meal there.

Anyway, Amy and I usually end up there for about 3-4 hours and no one seems to care (except my kid who seems to think I only live to put him to bed & gives B tons of shit when I'm not there). I never feel rushed. We got to sit outside this time so it wasn't AS loud. They have a mouthwatering dessert menu where I'd like to dive head first into almost everything on it.

Amy also lives in what I happen to think is THE coolest area ever. She lives in the teens, in Chelsea. There is ALWAYS parking on either her street or the one next to it. There are all kinds of fun places around her. I had to park around the block from her apartment this time, for the first time in the past four times I'd been there, so I got to see some new places I've never seen. I saw this place Lulu's- http://chelsea.everythinglulu.com/page.asp?content_id=23526. Well, I've never met a dessert place I didn't want to try. It's very sleek, minimal, etc. But, FUN stuff. They have their own versions of "twinkie"- chocolate covered, chocolate covered "yodel", and all kinds of spectacular looking cakes. I could only grab what I thought would fit nicely in my pocketbook through dinner without getting destroyed or destroying my bag. I got a chocolate covered "twinkie". I ate it the next day for dessert and yeah, it was good. I had shared Amy's berries & cream at Cafeteria that night after dinner and didn't think I really needed the twinkie.

For dinner I had their Wedge Salad to start and the Chimichurri Grilled Hanger Steak, Heirloom Tomatoes, Crumbled Gorgonzola Polenta Fries and Basil Aioli for the entree. It was SO good. I didn't even have enough to take home. I always have enough to take home, anywhere. But, they don't overload you, which is good for me.

I highly recommend Cafeteria, Lulu's, Chelsea, and...well, Amy.

So, thanks, Amy for a great night of food and awesome conversation. Not rain, nor snow, nor sleet nor hail will keep me from coming to see you. I cherish every minute. It was the night before the WGirls auction so I'm honored I wasn't bumped for last minute preparation.