A few weeks ago I met up with some friends in
Noho after work. Labeled with what one would perceive
as just a cute nickname, Noho perfectly represents
the place that it stands for — the little area that is
north of Houston Street. It’s a fabulous part of the
city, just blocks from some of the best shopping in the
world, Greene, Prince, Spring and Bleeker Streets, and
home to the best-dressed people I've ever seen. just
walking down Broadway to get to work each day, I feel
like I pass at least five models, two athletes, a designer
and maybe an actor or two. and that’s at eight thirty in
the morning.
In addition to the incomparable shopping, which can
endanger your wallet, especially after a stressful day,
Noho is also known for it’s fresh and trendy food.
As a side note, nothing in this area is cheap in any
respect. Sure, you can find a delicious meal at a good
price, but that requires some seeking out. It’s great to
have a few reliable places that will provide you with
exactly what you want, but let’s be real, you’re in NYC,
if you stay in one place you’ll miss out on so many more.
So this particular night, we decided to try somewhere
different. We walked through Washington Square Park and
past Waverly Place on the hunt for a cute eatery that none
of us had ever been to. apparently, starting our hunt to find
dinner at 8 o’clock was the first mistake we made that night.
Everywhere we went had a wait that sounded torturous to our
impatient stomachs. Finally we came across a place that, from
the outside, looked so fun that we couldn’t pass it up.
[ Things I Learned #2: Do not be a naïve city-goer.
Choosing a place to dine requires more thought than a
love for the atmosphere — at least look at the menu before
you sit down. ]
Through the window of the small Pilipino restaurant
a fun, colorful atmosphere seduced us. The interior was
packed with people, but there was also the option to dine
out back in the romantically lit-up garden. There was a
younger hip crowd at the bar that was bordered with orange,
yellow and red lights. None of us had ever tried Pilipino
food. We were pumped.
In retrospect, we should have left after waiting that
first half hour. Something didn’t feel right. After one full
hour, our stomachs were still growling, my friends and I had
rationed off my water bottle, and I felt like my shoulder was
going to fall off because I was still carrying half the
contents of my desk in my bag.
An hour and a half later. Finally, we are brought to
our table. Well, our request to dine in the garden had
been forgotten — or entirely ignored — and we were
stationed at a table in the corner near the kitchen and
bathrooms. Whatever. We were starving. we examined the menu
as quickly as possible. After much indecision, I selected
an entrée with greens, chicken grilled in coconut oil and nuts.
Even in times of despair, I make it a priority to keep
up a classy etiquette. So, I waited for the waitress to
leave before I started to laugh at my food. It turns out
that I had misunderstood the menu (no shame, I had never
even seen half of the ingredients before). I had ordered a
chicken soup. Served in a coconut.
I’m glad you’re laughing. It was actually pretty good.
Nothing like I had wanted or attempted to order, but it
wasn’t a total failure. There are pictures in my Photo Album
if you want to see it for yourself. But I should’ve stopped
there. Unfortunately my friend and I decided to share a
traditional Pilipino desert. There were two classy looking
ladies at the table next to us celebrating a birthday, and
their desert looked to die for. Sadly, though we asked for
exactly that, we were brought something different. I describe
it as a grand $10 bowl of cereal, milk and flakes with a couple
of tapioca-like balls on the side made out of some sort of
vegetable. We were almost in tears from laughing at ourselves.
OK, so maybe it wasn’t what we were expecting. But we did
try something new! We got to experience a pretty cool crowd
and atmosphere, and a new kind of food. That itself is a
success. That’s what the city is all about!
Don’t forget to check out the pictures in the Photo Album!
Thanks for reading,
stay classy! xx