Inside the Current Issue

Eat Here Now

Forget 365 Express - If you like your food good (and cheap), check out these GC-area eateries

Elizabeth Alsop

Like many new students, I arrived at the Graduate Center this Fall brimming with ambition, excitement, and a single, all-consuming question: Where to eat? Since then, undaunted by mounting responsibilities and dwindling resources, I've committed myself to uncovering the best food to be had within walking distance of the GC. Here are some preliminary findings. Please consider this list a work in progress - I plan to add to it as the year goes on. But in the meantime, I hope they will provide you with some happy alternatives to the shrink-wrapped sandwich or the "Student Lunch."

1. Sophie's Cuban Cuisine
179 Madison Ave at 34th St, (212) 679-3500; M-F, 7:30am-7:30pm
Cheap, quick, and just around the corner, this cafe is a boon for hungry students. Sit down for the homemade daily specials ($8), or better yet, get a freshly toasted Cuban sandwich ($6) to go. In Sophie's collective hands, the traditional smorgasbord of ham, roast pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, mayo, and mustard is transformed into something so satisfying it makes you want to stop and thank the culinary wunderkind that dreamed up the combination in the first place. As an added bonus, Sophie's Cubano is tightly assembled, making it both a tidy and tasty lunch option.

2. Woorijip
12 West 32nd St, (212) 244-1115; open 24/7
The next time hunger strikes just as you're putting the final touches on that 11th-hour paper, head a few blocks south to Koreatown, where you'll find a congeries of round-the-clock options. But if you're not feeling up to the task of tableside barbecue, Woorijip, a cute Korean deli/cafe, provides a likeable and low-key alternative. This storefront spot (whose name means "our house") is like a culinary three-ring circus, combining a buffet and noodle bar with an unusually fresh and ample array of prepared foods. The thrust is pre-packaged portions of Korean home cooking, from favorites like Bibimbap, Kimchee, and Japchae, to less familiar offerings like blood sausage, do-it-yourself Fishcake Soup, and a sprightly combination labeled simply, "Korean Breakfast." Avoid the Americanized offerings (e.g. spaghetti) in favor of one of the many of more authentic choices - Dak Jook ($3), for instance, a hearty chicken porridge, does wonders for a head cold, while a container of beef over rice ($4.50) makes for a more substantial tuck-in. If you're looking to eat-in, head to the noodle bar in back: order and pay at the window, find a place, and wait for your made-to-order meal. Have a big, steaming bowl of unusually spicy Ramen ($6), or try the Soft Tofu Stew ($6); other options vary daily. Best of all, each meal comes with an appetizing array of panchan, the small vegetable side dishes that traditionally accompany a Korean meal. If all else fails, there's a hot-water spout, handy for mixing up a Styrofoam bowl of instant noodles bought on premises. Added bonuses: the self-serve coffee machine that dispenses serviceable brew for 25 cents, and a counter up front that provides the perfect perch for people-watching.

3. Mandoo Bar
2 West 32nd St (bet. Broadway and 5th), (212) 279-3075; Daily, 11:30am-10:30pm
Mandoo Bar is like a little dream in lower midtown, its sage-green walls and low lighting providing welcome sanctuary from the bustle outside its doors. Settle in at one of the wooden tables with some reading, and enjoy the good food and equally good service. For those who enjoy some heat, Yuk Kae Jang ($5) may be the best soup you've never heard of, a spicy, bracing broth packed with shredded beef, scallions, and bits of egg. The signature mandoo (steamed, boiled, or fried dumplings) can be stuffed with pork, vegetables, or seafood; an order of the Combo Mandoo ($10) will net you four of each. On a recent visit, the simple Mool Mandoo ($8) were just right, the dumplings tender, the filling fresh and bright tasting. A cup of green tea - the perfect foil to these highly flavored morsels - rounds things out.

4. Waldy's Pizza
800 6th Ave (bet 27th and 28th), (212) 213-5042; Daily, 11:30am to 11pm
It's uncertain what side chef Waldy Malouf would take in New York's ongoing Slice vs. Whole Pie debate, since, in a welcome gesture of equanimity, his new upscale parlor lets you have it both ways. Pizzas here are available in "half," regular, and large denominations; a half would be plenty for the average appetite - particularly if he or she has put away several handfuls of the tart, briny olives on offer at the condiment bar. Purists like myself will probably gravitate towards the Pizza Margarita ($5.50 for half), but for those more amenable to exotic toppings, the menu offers infinite opportunity for fiddling. Understand that this is pizza in its thin-crust incarnation (a strange but growing phenomenon in the city), so the standard here should be crispness. By this measure, Waldy's does a decent job, producing a crust that - while a bit overburdened - is notably crisp, with just the right amount of underside char. Savvy diners, however, may forego the pizza altogether, in favor of some Wood-Roasted Penne ($5.50 for a small portion); the version with Roquefort and Croutons is particularly good, a sort of Franco-Italian take on Mac 'n Cheese. As you wait for your order, flick through one of the copies of the NY Post that are usually lying around, or watch what may be New York's only snip-your-own-herb bar in action. And as you leave, take a moment to appreciate one of Manhattan's last verifiably "seedy" neighborhoods: where else can you get high-end pizza next to cut-rate handbags, Halloween decorations, and "genuine human hair" wigs?

5. Shake Shack
Madison Square Park, near corner of Madison Ave and 23rd, (212) 889-6600; Daily, 11am to 8pm until December
On my most recent visit to the Shake Shack, Danny Meyer's ongoing encomium to fast food, I overheard a woman ahead of me try to soothe her toddler-age son. "I know you'll miss the ice cream, sweetie," she cooed, "but they'll be open again next year." Cold comfort, I'm afraid. The Shake Shack's seasonal hiatus is a blow to anyone who loves hot-dogs, burgers, fries, and what could be the best frozen-custard this side of Wisconsin. And judging by the lines that that snake around this outdoor kiosk during "peak" times, this is a lot of people. It's hard to overestimate the advantage we, as graduate students, have in being able to frequent the Shake Shack during off-hours, or all hours, really. (In fact, my own experience suggests that arriving at odd moments will actually increase your chances of spotting local celebrities.) But I digress. The real draw here is most definitely the food: versions of American roadside standards that are fresher, tastier, and just real-food-ier than the originals. The Shack Burger ($4.15) in particular seems to have been bred for all the best traits in the burger species: a rich, meaty little patty; a size-appropriate, soft-yet-sturdy bun; crisp slices of L and T; and, to top it off, a secret mayonnaise-based sauce that just WORKS. The Chicago Dog ($2.77), a juicy, snappy frank with lots of texturally diverse toppings, has its own distinct charms. Whatever you do, just don't walk away without a cone of the vanilla frozen custard - the bigger, the better - which I feel strongly to be the sine qua non of frozen dairy: smooth, dense, creamy, and eggy, in the best possible sense of the word ($3 for a double dip). While the weather is still only crisp, the outdoor tables provide an equally good spot for eating, studying, and chatting, and the green surroundings do you good after a long afternoon in the library. Coming soon: Breakfast starting October 17th.

6. Bagelry
429 3rd Ave (at 30th), (212) 679-9845; Daily 6:30am-6:30pm
I know this one's a bit further afield - but would I really send you even a few short city blocks if I didn't think it was worth it? These are great, old-school New York bagels: dense, chewy, and (unlike the many imposters masquerading behind coffee-shop counters these days) smaller than your average subway car. Although they claim their cream cheese is Philadelphia, it somehow tastes better than that, slightly tart and without the trademark gumminess. Recently, I discovered that a salt bagel with a "schmear" ($1.85) was just the thing to replace all those electrolytes you lose by studying. Coffee, too, is better than the bodega average. Sitting and sipping at one of the sunny outdoor tables, it's easy to feel that one has attained the full complement of creature comforts, if only for a short while.

7. 'wichcraft
Bryant Park (near the corner of 42nd and 6th), (212) 780-0577; Daily 11am-4pm
Tom Colicchio is New York's reigning king of sandwichery and, as a result, many of his multi-dimensional creations come at a price. Nevertheless, there are bargains to be had - among them, the platonic ideal of PB&Js: two layered tiers of (crust-on) Pullman bread, crunchy peanut butter, and slicks of strawberry-rhubarb jam. Two takes on grilled cheese are similarly spot-on, particularly the gruyere with caramelized onions ($5.50). If it's payday, splash out on the warm corned beef on rye ($9.50), an admirable rendition of the Reuben. Either way, take a minute to spend the best $1 of your life: order a peanut-butter sandwich cookie, and for just eight bits, sample one of the best baked goods this city has to offer; chocolate and lemon versions are exceptional as well.

8. Crestanello Gran Caffe
475 5th Ave (bet 40th and 41st), (212) 545-9996; M-F 8am-8pm, Weekends 10am-7pm
If you find yourself feeling peckish at the NYPL, cross the street to Crestanello, the elegant American outpost of an Italian cafe chain. Although coffee is middling, the kitchen prepares a Caprese I'd be willing to pit against the best in the town. Because this classic combination so often gets bungled, it's a relief to see it done properly: Slices of fresh, salt-flecked focaccia sandwich a respectable slab of mozzarella, a slice or two of tomato, and a scattering of shredded basil. At $7.50, it's a little steep, but well worth it - especially considering how smug you'll feel for having had the good sense to buy it.

Elizabeth Alsop is a student in the Comparative Literature program.