Despaña

My daughters and I may have found the perfect spot for a wintertime snack. Not that this tiny Spanish delicacies/sandwich/tapas shop on the eastern edge of Soho is anything new... in fact Despaña has been slicing serrano and such for almost two years now. But after our first visit last week, there's no way we're waiting that long to stop in again.

First up? Tons of free samples of things we really like to eat: several hams, lots of olives, four different kinds of balsamic vinegar, y muchos quesos ricos. Anyway, when we finally made it to the cramped cafe area in back, we went straight for the bocadillos, Spanish-style heros served on crusty, chewy ciabatta. Any one of the ten or so choices sounded good, but we decided to split the Gallego, pressed and served warm, the serrano ham, chorizón and melted arúa ulloa cheese delivering an intensely flavored, perfectly balanced sandwich experience.

For dessert we opted for a double order of churros and hot chocolate, the doughnutty sticks moist and covered in sugar; the sweet cocoa beverage refreshingly liquid, rather than the trendy (though admittedly delicious) sludge most places seem to be serving these days. All in all, this was a totally satisfying snacking adventure.

Despaña is located on Broome Street between Lafayette and Centre. It was pretty empty when we were there, around 3:00 on a Friday afternoon, but I can imagine on weekends having to wait for one of the six stools in the back. The counter workers are all extremely helpful and friendly.

Rheon Cafe

A new quick-bites place—tasty food, counter (as opposed to waiter) service, lunch or a seriously fortifying snack for under $10— is always welcome in any part of town... but in a walking-around neighborhood like Soho, it can mean the difference between grumpy pretend-shopping and a fun, goofing-around sort of day.

All of which is why I was so eager to try Rheon Cafe, with its (somewhat tenuous) Morimoto connection... and so disappointed when Debbie and I showed up at 3:45 last (opening weekend) Saturday and were told that they had already shut down the kitchen. I mean, c'mon guys! The only thing on your menu is cold sandwiches! Anyway, we suffered through a couple of croissants—my chocolate-drizzled pastry looked inviting, but was plasticky and stale; Debbie's regular was, as she put it, "horrible"—marveled at the totally-blew-it, cheesy design, and left thinking, well, that's that.

Two days later, however, I found myself solo and starving in the same nabe, and thought, heck, maybe they're actually serving food this afternoon. And they were. And, I must say, it was pretty good. Totally over-sauced, true, but definitely good. There's only five sandwiches available now (the owner promises 30 varieties, coming soon, so maybe they'll actually use the brick-oven fire that now roars pointlessly at counter's end), and they were out of one, so in one visit I sampled a full 50% of the menu.

First up: half a Roasted Duck sandwich, topped with crispy romaine, cucumber and miso sauce. The meat was tender and juicy, so there's definite potential here, but the whole thing was completely overwhelmed by what seemed like a whole bottle of the sweet, sweet miso. Ask them to please go light on the stuff, or give it to you on the side, and you may have a winner. Next I tried and thoroughly enjoyed the Beet Soup, which was thick and creamy and warm and completely about the beets. Finally I had half of a Grilled Portobello sandwich, which came with many of those canned roasted red peppers, and a ton of chipotle sauce, which I happen to really like, so although this was a total mess—the fillings slipping all around and out of the hardish bread—it was a deliciously satisfying mess. All the sandwiches, by the way, are served on a decent flatbread, which their PR claims is baked on-site, but at least for now that is not true, as Debbie and I watched them unload several crates of frozen loaves on Saturday. Heated up on-site, perhaps they meant?

Rheon Cafe is located on Spring Street between Sullivan and Thompson. They seem to be open only until 4:00, or perhaps 5:00. Closed Sundays.

Grandaisy Bakery on West 72nd

I've gone out of my way more times than I care to admit these past couple of weeks to sample the serious baked goodness they're serving at the new Grandaisy, an offshoot of the Soho original and a delicious new addition to what's fast becoming a major treat zone in the West 70s (think also: Grom, the just-opened Jacques Torres, Beard Papa, and, if you're so inclined, Crumbs).

So far, these baking wizards can do wrong. Three times already I've been back for their Ossi di Morte, beautiful crackly meringues studded with almonds. Get a couple on-the-go with, say, a cup of coffee, and you've just made your day so much better. Or share the love and bring someone gorgeous a dozen in one of their pre-packaged bags.

Last night I polished off a Tortino di Cioccolato, which is basically just your dream brownie come true: crunchy on the outside, rich and fudgy in the middle, with a distinct cocoa flavor AND a hint of almond, probably from the crushed up biscotti they use for texture. I had half right after dinner, solo; the other half at around 12:30 topped with coconut ice cream. Yes, it was totally worth it. Even more incredible, however, is the Tortino di Ciliegie, a chewy, buttery cake infused with frangipane (basically marzipan), topped with sour cherries, all sitting in a shell of chocolate. Seriously, it may look pretty innocent, but this is amazing.

Grandaisy is located on 72nd Street, just east of Broadway. They also serve several kinds of paninis, which sound great but I haven't tried, as well as a large variety of rolls and loaves of bread. I had an green olive roll yesterday for lunch and it was excellent.

Supermac

The early reviews were mostly pretty tepid, and it's not really in a neighborhood I get to, well... ever, so although they specialize in one of the all-time great foodstuffs, I had never been to Supermac in the year or so since it opened its doors. Until, that is, last night, when a weird confluence of events put me right smack in front of this tiny, mod, supremely orange and bright spot, right when I was in the middle of starving to death. And I must say I was impressed.

I ate two things, both totally satisfying. First, if someone offers you something called Mac & Cheese Nuggets, you're sort of morally obligated to try it, right? So I did, and these deep-fried delights—served with standard-issue barbecue and ranch dips—were crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside, fun, flavorful and filling, which is about all you could ask of such a thing.

Like its great East Village counterpart S'Mac, the heart of the Supermac meal lies in the many varieties of Macaroni and Cheese, here offered in two sizes, all served in a hot ceramic skillet. The Mac Cheesesteak looked appealing, as did the Chipotle Shrimp, and the Ala Carbona, but in the end I opted for the B & G mini mac (which was plenty), a toothsome platter of firm pasta, smoky chunks of Applewood Bacon, plenty of salty Mozzarella, and a deftly delivered hit of rich Gorgonzola. Fresh, lively ingredients, thoughtfully combined and balanced well: someone back there in that minuscule kitchen clearly knows what they're doing.

Supermac is located on Seventh Avenue between 30th and 29th Streets. The beverage selection is small but interesting (Teany teas, for example), and for dessert, your choice of higher-end sugarbombs: Crumbs cupcakes or Rice to Riches pudding. There are only about ten seats—obviously they've geared up more for take out/delivery—but the young man working behind the counter understands that the more enthusiastically you engage with your customers, the more pleasant and entertaining your own workday experience.

Whole Foods Market at Columbus Circle

One of the great quick-bite spots in the city may be more supermarket than restaurant, but with its large hot and cold salad bars, dessert bar, baked goods (I always enjoy the muffins, and the cranberry almond cookies are excellent), brick-oven pizza-by-the-pound, plenty of immediately comestible fresh fruit, pre-made sandwiches and wraps, and—what I usually end up getting—eminently serviceable sushi, the prepared foods section at Whole Foods is reliably good, fairly inexpensive, and features enough of a selection to please a crowd.

Any of the locations will do—Union Square, Bowery and Houston, Chelsea—but I've dined most often at the Columbus Circle store, if only because of the lack of quick-bite competition in that part of town. Plus they have a Jamba Juice in the seating area, which Bo and Co like a lot, and so usually split a smoothie.


Now, I know none of this is a news flash to New Yorkers... but did you know that the completely renovated Columbus Circle Fountain is actually a surprisingly pleasant place to hang out and eat your food? That it's nicely-designed, relatively clean and comfortable? That the dozens of water jets that ring the interior not only keep the whole space relatively cool, but they also cancel out virtually all of the traffic noise from the surrounding rotunda? Well, it's true. Really: I can't believe they pulled this off so successfully.


The Whole Foods Market at Columbus Circle is located at 59th Street and Broadway, in the lower level of the Time Warner Center.

Paris Sandwich

How many Banh Mi places are there in Chinatown? Yeah, I have no clue either. But what I do now know is this: Paris Sandwich offers a thoroughly satisfying version of that vinegary Vietnamese delight, making it an excellent quick-bite option if you find yourself hungry in that part of town.

Only about six months old, clean, cheesily-decorated and super casual, Paris is the sort of friendly, family-run place at which you may find the counter worker's children reading and coloring at one of the tables, waiting for mom to get off work (and they'll happily share their table with you until another one opens up). More important, as Co and I discovered on our way to the HP7 party last week, the food is first rate, especially at these prices.

We started with a trio of Shrimp Summer Rolls, which were appropriately light and nicely flavored. Nothing revelatory, but definitely well handled. I also ordered a Green Tea Waffle as a starter, which was freshly baked, sweet and delicious, and had no business being listed under "appetizers", but did turn out to be a perfect dessert.

While we were wolfing our rolls, they were making the Bahn Mi, which you're then called to come pick up at the back counter. Co had the Shredded Chicken, marinated and moist, with the requisite pickled carrots and radish, a few sprigs of cilantro topping things off. I went for the classic Pork Roll and Pate, done up "spicy", and I loved every bite. I think what really elevates Paris's Banh Mi are their baguettes, which are baked on premises, and arrive warm and soft and crusty.

Paris Sandwich is located on Mott Street, about half a block up from Canal. Our dinner for two ran us about $12.

Empanada Mama

I've mentioned Empanada Mama on Scoboco before, and how it's one of my favorite Quick Bite places in town, either for an on-the-go snack (empanadas make excellent ambling food), an inexpensive sit-down lunch, or a fun, tasty pre-theater dinner, such as the one I had with Mom, Debbie and Erika in April before The Year of Magical Thinking.

Anyway, I was reminded again last Saturday how much I (and my daughters) like this place, when the three of us squeezed in a meal between the MoMA and a movie. On this day I wandered a bit across the menu and tasted disappointment, but if you stick to any of the over 30 varieties of empanadas—wheat flour or corn, fried or baked, savory or sweet—you're pretty much guaranteed happiness.

For example, the Broccoli and Cheese Corn Flour Empanada: Co and I get this every time, unable to resist the sweetness of the corn, the salty cheese, the firm broccoli. Co also loves the lively Cuban, on Wheat, which houses the usual ham, pork and cheese. The Reggaeton is delicious (roast pork, sofrito, yellow rice, peas) as is the Cheese Steak, and the Brasil (ground beef with onions, peppers, olives and potatoes), and the Pernil (spicy shredded pork), and the Chorizo.

Bo tried the Pizza for the first time, and devoured it, declaring a new favorite. Even the garlic-laden Viagra (shrimp, scallops and crab), which I had in April, is so good that it's almost worth the discomfort of those around you for the rest of the night. For dessert we've enjoyed the Guava and Cheese, the Figs, Caramel and Cheese, and the Belgian Milk Chocolate with Banana. Obviously, these are not your empanadas of yore... but if you purists out there can stomach a few cutesy names and Hot-Pocket-esque combinations, you're in for a treat.

Like I said, they do serve other dishes here, too, but I'm not sure it's worth the risk. In April my Chicken Arepa was great; in June, tired and stale. But the worst mistake in my dozen or so visits has to be Saturday's Italian Parsley Salad, which, for $6.95, was basically exactly that: a mountain of parsley, getting no support from the scattered grains of bulghur wheat nor from the alleged lemon and oil dressing. Stick to the right side of the menu, then, and you'll do fine.

Empanada Mama is on Ninth Avenue between 51st and 52nd Streets, a short (10- to 15-minute) walk to most Broadway theaters. Apparently there are other locations in Queens, where co-owners Socrates Nanas and Javier Garcia grew up, but I've never been.

Dirty Bird To Go (Revisit)

Scoboco got a big bag of takeout from Dirty Bird To Go a little over a year ago, maybe a week after it first opened, and we were completely underwhelmed: by the service, by the selection, and, especially, by the food, which we thought at the time to be "stunningly bland."

But given the pedigree of the owners (Southern folk late of Jake's Luxury Oyster Bar), the nagging feeling that I went too soon, and am now missing out (the place couldn't have survived this long if it were still serving food as poor as we experienced that day, right?), and, most important, the fact that fried chicken happens to be one of my favorite things in the world, I knew I needed to give these birds another chance. Which happened last Friday evening on my way to play with Pablo. And man am I glad I did.

I ordered the two piece Buttermilk Dipped Free-range Fried Chicken, requesting dark meat. The pieces were smaller than I would have liked (there was a moment of real sadness when I opened the carton in Williamsburg and saw my slim pickings), but they tasted terrific: juicy, crispy, full-flavored, fresh, and genuine. A truly top-notch fried thigh and leg. And my Macaroni and Cheese side dish was equally excellent, though again perhaps a little stingy in the size: the pasta had some bite; the cheese was nice and, um, cheesy; the whole thing a savory, creamy delight. The one mistake here was the Unleavened Shallot Cornbread, which was dry, sullen, and overwhelmed with onion.

Dirty Bird To Go is located on 14th Street just west of Seventh Avenue. Though primarly a take-out place, there are few stools inside and a bench out front, making it a definite Quick Bite consideration if you're passing through the neighborhood.

Villa Pizza

Two of my favorite movie theaters in Manhattan—stadium seating, plenty of leg room, excellent sound, a few monster-sized screens among the 38 total—happen to be across the street from each other in one of my least favorite parts of town, 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues.

When you're inside the theaters, it's all good. Outside? Yeah... not really. And if you need to grab a quick bite before your show—a not unusual situation, and one that Bo, Co and I found ourselves in last Saturday evening—then what? Are you going eat at McDonalds? Yoshinoya? How about, god forbid, Chevy's?! I've tried them all, to much intestinal discomfort.

Enter Villa Pizza, which serves up surprisingly good and satisfying slices, both thick "Sicilian" style as well as regular NYC foldables, right on the corner of 8th and the Deuce. I've now eaten here several times since last winter and the pizza's been consistently decent (pizzafficiando Debbie was the one who first suggested it, and also gave it her approval): the Sicilian has a pleasing crunch, the regular is not too greasy; the ingredients are fairly well balanced and actually have some flavor; the sauce is not too sweet, not too garlicky; the place seems busy enough that you needn't fear the meat slices, which actually have a nice, safe spicy-ness to them.

The atmosphere is as unlovely as you'd expect—and not helped by the inevitable flies that come through the wide-open front door—but the food-court sensibility and cafeteria-style service definitely provide for a speedy meal. In other words, this restaurant knows its job, and it does it well.

Villa Pizza is on the corner of 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue. Sicilian slices, with toppings, cost around $4. They also serve steam-table things like pasta and chicken wings, as well as make-your-own salads, but I have never felt the urge to go there. The two movie theaters mentioned are the AMC Empire 25 and the Regal E-Walk Stadium 13, both of which are right nearby on 42nd St.

Dash Dogs

I forget how satisfying a snack a piled-high hot dog (or two) can be. But when I started feeling peckish while shopping the Lower East Side last Sunday, the Dash Dogs flag caught my eye, and I thought I'd give it a try. And let me tell you, these puppies were perfect: filling and flavorful, the buns soft yet firm, the all-beef dogs hefty, charred, crunchy, and tasty enough to hold their own under the weight of the toppings.

The menu features lots of "Signature" combos (which you can apply to sliders, too) or you can mix-'n-match add-ons and create your own. I went for a two-Signature special (comes with soda, all for $6.50), and ordered "The Johnsons", an admittedly unoriginal but nonetheless classically good dog topped with sour pickle wedge, sauerkraut, and spicy mustard; and the beautiful, aptly-named "Infamous Stoner", a total mess loaded with chili, melted chesse and crushed fritos. That the whole thing was ridiculous (and much better suited for a much younger stomach) didn't lessen my eating enjoyment one bit.

Anyway, it's easy to imagine this place at 2:00 am, crowded with spillage from the bars (in fact, one wall is covered with Polaroids on which are written such captions as "Cathy, DRUNK!!") and, yes, these definitely would make for excellent munchies. But there's something even more decadant about ducking into Dash Dogs at 3:30 on a sunny afternoon and downing a couple of quick ones. Next time I'm bringing Bo and Co.


Dash Dogs is located on Rivington Street between Essex and Norfolk. They're open until 4:00 am on Thursday through Saturday; midnight every other night. Click on the Signatures menu at left to enlarge.

Swich

It seemed like Bo and Co had a hundred days off in January (ok, it was seven, but still...), and so on one of those days I decided: we're going out to lunch. Which is why on a recent freezing Monday afternoon the three of us found ourselves tucking into a delicious hot sandwich-y feast at the Swich, a new, cool place on 8th Avenue, right up from 15th Street.

Swich serves creative, hot-pressed sandwiches (or "deconstructed" salad versions thereof) and that's pretty much it. I had the Trojan Horse: rosemary focaccia filled with ground lamb, tomato, tzatziki, and fresh mint. It was juicy, hearty, full-flavored, as tasty a sandwich as I've had in a long time. Co played it safe with the Cuban, and was rewarded with a well-made version of the classic: marinated pork, swiss cheese, boiled ham and pickle chips on fresh french bread. Bo devoured her Tuna-na-na, starring white albacore with marinated artichokes and olive tapenade on crunchy 7-grain bread. I had bites of both, and both were terrific. We all split a bag of Swich's "Internationally Famous Potato Chips", which are made on premises, and are thin, crunchy, a delight. We also shared a Homemade Banana Lemonade, which was less interesting than it sounds, and not really worth the $3 price tag. For dessert? A totally unecessary but nonethless scrumptious something called Edible Happiness: basically a grilled dark chocolate, white chocolate and Nutella sandwich.

The atmosphere here friendly-hipster, there's one big communal table, the music is loud and pretty good, and one of the flat screen monitors plays SwichTV, which seems to be devoted solely to staffers doing goofy things. Bo and Co liked the place a lot, and we all agreed that it's a welcome, inexpensive, quick-bite addition to that neighborhood.

Caracas Arepa Bar

First, get those street-fair, pancake-looking arepas out of your head. These are not those.

For a few years now the tiny Caracas Arepa Bar (on 7th Street, just off 1st Avenue), has been making the hungry happy with their delightfully crunchy, intensely flavored, consistently delicious Venezuelan corn-cake sandwiches—arepas—and they recently opened a slightly larger, full service establishment a couple of doors down. I revisited the old place about a month ago (even though it's now called "take-out", they still have the three or four tables up front), and took Bo and Co to the new restaurant on a recent Saturday evening. And I must say, you'd be hard pressed to find another kitchen in town that cooks up such simple, inexpensive food with so much love.


They've expanded the menu quite a bit, it seems, but though we definitely enjoyed our Tequeños (deep fried white cheese sticks), our vinegary salad with a generous pile of hearts of palm, and—to a lesser degree—our chicken soup, the thing to get here remains the arepa, in all of its guises. La Reina Pepiada (chicken with avocado salad), La Pelua (shredded beef with paisa cheese), La Jardinera (eggplant with sundried tomatoes, carmelized onions and guayanés cheese), De Pabellón (shredded beef with black beans, sweet plantains and cheese): they were all a huge hit with Scoboco. And you absolutely have to get a Papelón con Limon to drink, which the menu describes as a "natural blend of sugar loaf and lime" and is unbelievably refreshing, and, as Bo pointed out, has a distinct, inexplicable chocolate finish, and is unlike anything we've had before.