The
Microliving Guide to Cheap Eats
You're
hungry. You're poor (or possibly just a penny pinching cheapskate,
either way you are looking for a bargain). You are too much of a food
snob to patronize the increasingly ubiquitous dens of unholy
gastronomic terror that afflict our modern society otherwise known as
fast food franchises. What's a choosy beggar like you or I to do?
Luckily, Microliving has a few suggestions! Below you will find a
brief but (hopefully) valuable food guide to some of North America's
notable cities. As I am able to travel and experience more I hope to
expand this section and I invite others to post their own favorite
delicious and budget friendly gems around the world.
New
York City
Despite
having become an entrenched Chicagoan, I have a deep love and
nostalgia for our nations most populous, most dense, most frantic and
eclectic city. Every time I go back there I find it has transformed
itself into something different, sometimes beautiful, sometimes
hideous, always exciting. The two occasions that I called this city
my home, I was hopelessly poor, toiling away at low wage jobs first
as a prep cook at a fine dining restaurant and later as a bookstore
clerk. Living in a city like New York on a pauper's wages can be very
demoralizing. Thankfully, the city that never sleeps provides many
epicurean delights for the financially distressed. You just need to
know where to look.
Mamoun's
First
stop is a Greenwich Village classic. If you find yourself with an
empty stomach and a mostly empty wallet in lower Manhattan, there are
few better options to fill your gaping maw than a $2 falafel sandwich
from this amazing little hole in the wall just steps away from
Washington Square Park. Mamoun's is the ultimate Microliving eatery
as it manages to exist in a space no larger than the walk in closets
of the wealthy elite that live around the corner on Washington
Square. Mamoun's is proof that size isn't everything as they offer
one of NYC's best falafels for one of the lowest prices around. Since
1971 they have been serving up cheap, tasty middle eastern food to
hungry New Yorkers from their location at 119 MacDougal St. in the
Village and have since expanded to the uber hipstery, previously
seedy punk rock St. Marks Place. I recommend the original location.
Warning: long lines are known to form during certain hours.
Fortunately the staff are well prepared for this eventuality and
manage to whip out falafels with a fierceness that enables them to
satisfy even the most impatient and ravenous NYC crowd. An added
bonus to the Mamoun's experience is observing the giant musclebound
falafel guy work in what is no doubt the worlds smallest commercial
kitchen. http://mamouns.com/
B&H
Diner
What
can I say about B&H? It's like walking into a tiny, cramped piece
of classic New York full of amazing Jewish classics like potato
latkes, challah french toast and delicious hot borscht. Despite the
mostly Jewish menu, this place seems to be staffed exclusively by
wiseguy Hispanics, proving my Tejana girlfriend's theory that behind
the widely varied cuisines found in North American restaurants there
is always a Latino. Despite not being eastern European grandmothers,
these guys make a great latke and a really tasty blintz, and they
usually manage to entertain you while they do it by relentlessly
chiding their customers in a good natured way. Don't get me wrong,
this isn't Ed Debevic's. That is to say its not some hokey rehearsed
schtick but an authentic expression of that celebrated New Yorker
attitude. Not only is the food amazing but it's very cheap for a sit
down meal in Manhattan. They have specials like a knish and a cup of
soup for $7.50 and a giant serving of latkes complete with the
obligatory sour cream and applesauce will only set you back about
$6.75. Another bonus is its very vegetarian friendly (they claim to
be vegetarian but offer lox and flounder, no skin off this omnivore's
teeth). You can find this wonderful East Village Gem at 127 2nd
Ave just south of St. Marks Place.
http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/b-h-vegetarian-restaurant/
