![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTFpbBf39si2Hx6F0TfMaGdc1Z34F1KnqcKEcCBDN4I19hG_SRUVH72E3dOADEZJLsv1tEbZjTmYdXUTiYWnKL-MNmps83YgWmrn1it3snwfvh5GJs5xS4x6411AehLQbicJajdZWyq4A/s320/chinatown+and+midtown-2.jpg)
Granted, there are a million restaurants in the Big Apple. I was there over Thanksgiving (thankfully missed the Macy's parade).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXlyQriS_yivEuk6JBHtF0ikGap1gNN8Je8ZOYAUJb7Ujn7jnwswYSwQANn1JLb4Amf2wATpQHeg2Zop5N7Ht9x35y1GJBaJmZThH-g2m7rGkRlXDZvzsmkxUN0oIU8WQqhsVYNAkL4_w/s200/chinatown+and+midtown.jpg)
Not counted among the official eateries, I had a hot dog in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and my wife had a falafel from a vendor on 28th Street.
The Dim Sum lunch in Chinatown got us through the day before T-day.
But two restaurants served up really good food, reasonably priced, with a pleasing but contrasting ambiance and histories worth reading.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU221_xMh5Z8irgQ48WafltskuLgTcE6Rsq-lNhph_pkGdIbVthM8a7ZHbZNthyphenhyphenNWGlljQZ0cmmt2_aBzjsRJnJRs6NBIQW_NOipNMF0dIyIsWkq1uQiNTOrNKAcdPFdtSH0cIwDU_cIc/s200/chez+Napoleon.jpg)
In the theater district, Chez Napolean (
http://www.cheznapoleon.com/) was a cozy, real-life French bistro style place with fantastic Prix-fixe dinners, low key service, affordable house wine, and a remarkable story. Chef Grand-Mere Marguerite saved her native village from an end-of-war carpet bombing through an act of heroism.
For me, being able to step out of one city and into another simply, by entering a regional or ethnic restaurant, rates high among my eating experiences.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw4ywIrSFIpfxvvBO1EkQs_Z3Euvg-1DGM81aekwK3nP8clx-vp-oRITLFG_PmAyhnDYDAjA8K1_yO5S7SCxV45rOe96OHtMPiWQ1Duizy4CvWqen_TGWxJlLifLf5J9QNmVPLYvs_xCE/s320/nov+20_094.JPG)
On Thanksgiving Day, prior to having dinner with my cousins in Brooklyn, my wife and I took the Q train to Coney Island. I had grown up near there, eating in the original Nathan's, and had ridden the terrifying rides at Steeplechase such as the Cyclone and the Wild Mouse.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBG__4d0hqCIb5w3DbIzhLczPrDFVMWbAtjX8JlWG85eCz0dsfcUW1hlOMz8kk6QkK5miSOkYvyElZmYkIHc5d5c0yXia4FI0F7wlNnT8MCiPy5K-78XG6GpRb0L-zESiK92LRUhOHrWk/s200/nov+20_093.JPG)
We strolled along the Coney Island-Brighton Beach boardwalk in crisp sunshine and stopped in at Tatiana's for bowls of Russian soup. I had borscht and my wife had a mushroom soup, both perfect.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO_CGVfYcpBK0bgWdLYcD-CdvuyV2kVEbfMqRhYMdnonlE8hDHrCpTgkJzM35BkCK_h6vN-ArqNWTpLF90n5DpJzW9WHma7DHeAsKR3R9mB7OrsyNVF7TwayCQR7h_Pe8u0DLPiktAYqk/s320/nov+20_092.JPG)
The semi-outdoor seating kept us on the boardwalk in spirit if not completely exposed to the 35 degree air. The soup warmed us and the dark bread delivered the full Russian/Brooklyn experience.
The mint tea was nothing short of beautiful.
Later, we arrived at my cousins for a home-cooked dinner and a great reunion.
No comments:
Post a Comment