Depending on my financial status on any given trip to New York, I’ve gone from eating on the cheap (cereal in the hotel room for breakfast and dinner would be one extreme when I went to an NCTE spring meeting in 2000) to being significantly more indulgent.

Colin discovers the magic of breakfast on the go in Central Park.

Without a doubt, my favorite meal in New York is breakfast.  I’m a big fan of breakfast, so I was very pleased to discover that nearly every corner store and deli in Manhattan seems to have a grill and a cook ready to fix bagels, eggs, and potatoes to order.  I also loved how venturing out of the hotel for breakfast gave a glimpse of the sense of community in the neighborhoods of the city.  Without fail, I was the exception when I had to state what I wanted; everyone else was a regular whose order was begun as he or she approached the counter.

But no one else goes to New York for breakfast, so let me share some other food moments that have been highlights in my travels there…

My first non-scrimping meal in New York was a gospel brunch at a Southern-Soul-Caribbean place called Lola’s that was in SoHo at the time.  We went for Sarah’s birthday in 2000, and while the fried chicken was great and the entertainment fine, I did not care for the participatory pseudo-religious conga line I recall enduring near the end of the meal.  The place was a lot nicer than that image just made it sound.

Before pineapple became the topping of choice, it was mushrooms and black olives.

On that same trip, we ate at John’s Pizza, located in a beautiful converted church in the theater district. We returned there in the summer of 2007, and Colin clearly shared our enthusiasm for the food.  Also a big hit on that trip: Nathan’s hot dogs. Nathan’s was actually our first meal in New York on the family trip…South Street Seaport in that lame mall, but with a view of the Brooklyn Bridge.

A toast at the Telebar.

My favorite NYC food find to-date is, by far, a pub on the Lower East Side that’s British-themed in decor and fare. Telephone Bar and Grill serves perfectly-cooked fish and chips wrapped in The New York Times and a shepherd’s pie that’s equally delicious in its meaty and vegetarian incarcarnations.  If I lived in the city, that place would be my hangout.  Cheers!

Other culinary highlights in New York include a pre-jazz dinner at Blue Fin, where I had beforehand truthfully told the staff that we were celebrating our anniversary and Sarah’s birthday. We were treated quite well.

Also memorable: a lunch on my rainy last day in the city last spring with rising star and fellow Marion-ite Brian Patrick Murphy.  When I ordered crab cakes at the West Bank Cafe, I was warned that these weren’t like the crab cakes I was probably used to (as a Midwesterner, I assume).  In other words, they were full of actual crab, and they were amazing.

On that same trip, I discovered the one of the essential greatnesses of eating in New York.  At some point I decided that I was starving for empanadas.  I told myself I’d walk a couple blocks in search of some, but if I didn’t find anything right away, I’d ask somebody.  I turned the corner to a busier thoroughfare and within just a few steps I had taken a seat, ordered a beer, and a plate full of tasty Cuban food was on its way.

Full disclosure: We ate Nathan's twice on that trip, this time at Coney Island, a much cooler venue.

Other entries in the New York stories series:

• Vol. 3: The Brooklyn Bridge
• Vol. 2: Green spaces in the city
• Vol. 1: Central Park