Yuva Indian Lunch Buffet: The Outpost Report

"Frontier" Indian cuisine is what the strangely Southwesternish logo
of Yuva promises. 58th between 3rd and 2nd. I think I've been here
before, for dinner. However, this is the lunch buffet I'm about to
engage in.
Impressions when I'm done.

The Joys Of California Fast-Food Tacos: Rubios

Yesterday I wandered down to the Embarcadero branch of Rubios after
flying in for a one-night gaming press event.

New Yorkers know nothing of the joy of cheap, delicious chain tacos.
Chipotle I despise, because I prefer the baja fish taco. For 5.80,
Rubios offers up two fish tacos, fresh chips, and some nice-flavored
beans. And you get a massive salsa bar. You can't get this in New York.

It's funny because when I lived in San Diego I was a taco snob and
rarely set foot in Rubios, preferring indie establishments. Now it's
manna from west-coast heaven.

In-n-Out is good, but let's not forget the fish tacos.

Airport Food San Francisco

Eating at a grill by AA gate 66, SF airport. Veggie scramble and bland
potatoes.

It's 6:45 am, and I see people drinking beer.

Detritus of a Bagel: Lenny's

Lenny's Bagels ("we're not just bagels") on 98th and Broadway. I
usually have an everything with a quarter pound of whitefish salad
(don't order the sandwich, it's more expensive), but today I had a
smear of vegetable cream cheese instead.

Not bad for $2.50. However, Absolute Bagels on 107th is far better.
But it's not around the block.

New Northern Thai restaurant: Far Upper West Side

Spotted this on 103rd and Broadway. Called Sookk. For a moment, I
thought it was Middle Eastern. It claims to have Bangkok-style
Northern street cuisine.

Decor looks nice. Am very curious. Decently priced lunch specials. The
new Upper West Side is being born before our eyes.

Inside the Norwegian palace

Eighteen dollars on a Wednesday gets you a full smorgasbord buffet of
gravlax, fish pudding, cheese, herring, and other Scandinavian snacks.
Waffles and preserves. Cloudberry cream. And it's in a church, which
is unusual. A brief sermon is delivered at some point, but politely so.

It was my Norwegian friend Charles' birthday. And he always likes
coming here.

Come yourself, up until May. Maybe I'll see you sometime.

Lunch with the Norwegians

Yesterday, I ate at the Norwegian Seaman's Church, at 52nd between 3rd
and 2nd. This is it on the outside.

Food of Yesterday: Subway sandwich, 97th and Broadway

I caved and ate a foot-long tuna sub with spinach and all the other vegetables. Subway has a few tables, occupied mainly by strange-looking single people, or nannies, or the nearly homeless. I eat with a vacant look in my eyes. I hadn't eaten much that day. I am one of those single vagrant folk myself.

Subway is filling after a half a sandwich. Then you forget you're eating it, and suddenly the sandwich is gone. I can't explain it.

The staff here are quiet, like they're keeping a secret. I always feel like the joke's on me. The line is also odd. It begins at the end of the narrow store, so you have to push through to get on it. It's like a two-dimensional idea in a one-dimensional universe.

By the way, welcome back to the Wandering Chew. I'll be posting now, semi-regularly.

A.J. Maxwell's Steakhouse

In midtown, near Rockefeller Plaza.

We went for lunch the other day. Eaten: the house special salad, a mix of string beans, bacon, sliced shrimp, vinaigrette, tomatoes and onions. Had sliced ribeye, cooked perfectly. Side order of hash browns, rich and crusty.

Key lime pie for dessert: moussy, light, not custardy. Chocolate mints afterwards.
It was raining.

The Best Saltines In Manhattan

I went to a doctor's office on 53rd and Lex, and on the 8th floor, which is radiology, there is a table full of saltines, graham crackers, and a gourmet coffee dispenser. The saltines are very fresh, and if you're in the area, you owe it to yourself to grab a packet. They're free.

I was there waiting for my mother, who is being helped through a surgical procedure.

Eating Out In Inwood: John's Fried Chicken

I just got back from a morning of wandering around Washington Heights and upward: first I had breakfast at Trie Cafe inside the Cloisters at Fort Tryon Park, then I left through the heather gardens and took the A up to 207th street, and decided to walk around Inwood.

My eating stop was at John's Fried Chicken, where I had a single fried breast. The serving lady didn't understand, and kept thinking I wanted the three-piece special. I felt like that scene in that Wayons movie: "just one rib." The piece arrived slightly mutated, containing an extra piece of something. It was way too large to just be a breast. And it came with two, small, fluffy mini-buns. And a little packet of salt.

I ate quickly and gave up halfway through. It was a little dry, and it tasted like it was coated in semi-sweet cornflakes. Another distressing note: one of the many odd combo specials featured a chicken breast, a "pot. ball", and a "meat pipe."

I have no idea what a Meat Pipe is, and I have no intention of finding out.