Tag Archives: Lunch

A Letter To My Sister Regarding Upper East Side Sandwiches

Dear [redacted],

I have a confession: I wasted three years on bad sandwiches. Although I visit the Upper East Side once a week—for the museums, not the boutiques!—I have struggled to find acceptable lunches. Dean & Deluca? A dirty water dog? Once, I stooped so low as to eat a cinnamon raisin pretzel from the cart outside the Met instead of wandering Madison for more wholesome options. After the Whitney Biennial, I had a salami and cheese sandwich at Neil’s Coffee Shop. Squished between slices of spongy rye, the soft pink meat (like a little finger sliced open and made pate, or a slimy alien fillet) was no Hebrew National. To my left, a 75-year-old army vet ate a raw hamburger with a fork and knife. The claustrophobia depressed me. I will also admit to the occasional eclair at La Maison du Chocolat. There is no shame in excess confectionary, though the subsequent walk across Central Park induced light-headedness, a mild stomachache, and hallucinations. I saw hundreds of Santas and sexy elves heading down Park Avenue. Later, I learned that a charity encourages people to dress up like Santa and get drunk—a portion of proceeds go to the cause! Three boozy Santas accosted me on the subway. I accepted the ho-ho-hoing and the whole pseudo-psychotic episode as just punishment for poor lunching habits. As you prepare for a move to New York—albeit not my New York, but the New York of my dreams, somewhere south of Columbus Circle, a land Columbia students only know from rumor and rain-soaked copies of the Village Voice—I am writing to caution you against settling for improper and depressing sandwiches. Finally, I have found a paninoteca perfectly suitable for post-museum lunches. Via Quadronno, an inconspicuous restaurant on 73rd Street, will save you years of wasted eating. At the risk of sounding disingenuous or pedantic, I will suggest that Via Quadronno’s paninis stimulate the spirit like a good linger before some Roman sarcophagi. Just as a man, who having lived his hours in solitude discovers true love in the twilight of his years, I now feel immeasurable regret. What lunches I have squandered! Continue reading

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Filed under Columbia University, Dining Suggestions, New York City, Restaurants

Seven Things To Eat In New York City Over Spring Break

With spring break looming over the horizon—for Columbia students, all mayhem commences tomorrow—I’ve received a number of queries along similar lines:

“I’m going to be in New York over spring break. Where should I eat?”  Continue reading

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Filed under College Life, Columbia University, Dining Suggestions, New York City, Restaurants

The CatManDo Packs Value Into Lunch Box Deal

Nathan S., Macalester College

The reason I stepped into the CatManDo Himalayan restaurant on the corner of Grand and Macalester streets was because I saw a huge sign advertising a “$6.45 LUNCH BOX” in the window. I had also had a very good introductory experience to Himalayan cuisine earlier in the year, so I was anxious to gain some more knowledge and new tastes. As soon as I entered, I observed a very inviting, cozy atmosphere infused with smells coming from the kitchen. A friendly waitress greeted me and showed me to the buffet where the boxed lunches were located. She handed me a box and encouraged me to fill it up with anything from the buffet I desired. Continue reading

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Filed under Macalester College, Nathan S., Restaurants, Reviews, Saint Paul

Freshman Year Food Regrets

Freshman year notoriously features binge eating, a total devolution of nutritionally sound habits into junk food feasts, and a sense of total culinary apathy. I’ll admit, I have a few food regrets and resolutions for college life in the future: Continue reading

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