Adventures in the City

Finding new places to eat often involves a fair amount of risk-taking and adventure. I must often push myself, and others, out of familiar and comfortable safety zones and embark on tiny adventures. Eating at Pies-N-Thighs last summer was, of course, a great experience. It was not only the food my family and I loved; we also adored the down-to-earth warmth of Sarah and her partners. During each visit there, I was transported back to Edisto, our favorite island in South Carolina. A whiff of Bobq, a tiny little Southern restaurant open Wednesday-Friday and located in one of Edisto's gas stations, would waft over me as I contentedly sat in Pies-N-Thigh's postage-stamp sized backyard. From my office, located in a bustling, commercial neighborhood at Marcy Avenue/Broadway in the shadow of the Williamsburg Bridge, the walk to the calm environs of Pies-N-Thighs, always made me feel as I'd taken a small trip. I generally followed the same route. Meandering through a tidy neighborhood of slightly faded, but well-kept brownstones and little Spanish bodegas, I always anticipated making the turn onto Driggs to get to South 5th street. At the corner, I would see the East River, with one perfect Weeping Willow tree silhouetted against it. As I walked down old sidewalks, some still covered with cobble-stones, I looked at old buildings built in the 1800s. It was a moment of pure bliss. With warmer weather again beckoning me outside for lunch, I am often at a loss of where to go. Pies-N-Thigh's is closed, but soon to re-open. I resorted to walking a loop from the South side over to Bedford Avenue. There is one beautiful garden on N. 5th Street, between Roebling and Driggs and the cherry blossoms were quite spectacular. So, I was quite thrilled recently when Mr. D. (a former therapist on my program) met me for lunch and insisted that we visit Tipico bk. Located on S. 1st Street, just past Roebling, Tipico bk is a Paraguayan restaurant. It is small and personal in space, but big in generosity and spirit. When Mr. D. and I visited there recently, we were initially the only customers. I ordered an iced cocido, a brewed yerba Mate tea, and Mr. D. had a glass of fresh Mango juice. I ended up adding milk to my cocido and found that I enjoyed the slightly bitter taste. After finishing the tea, I experienced a moment of true acuity -and felt a sense of being very clear in my body. (I googled yerba mate when I got back to work and discovered that it is prized for exactly that: providing energy and clarity without the buzz or heart-beating impact of coffee. Yerba mate contains less caffeine then tea/coffee, according to the site I consulted.) While Mr. D and I were eating, a gaggle of Paraguayans arrived. As I observed them interact, I was reminded of the excitement of living in the E. Village during the early 1980s. Two of the young women were dressed stylishly, and without attitude; in skinny jeans and straw fedoras. They were clearly friends of the two proprietors and an easy camaraderie existed between them. One of the young women had an old Nikon around her neck. After we finished our lunch - I had a generous portion of beef stew over polenta (and took half of it back to work) and Mr. D had a chicken sandwich - we passed the young women sitting outside in the sunlight snapping pictures of a friend. It was a perfect moment. The next day, when it was warm and summer-like, I returned by myself to Tipico bk. I was greeted warmly by the same counterman. I decided to sit outside in the sun, at the one lone table in front. It was not a perfect view. The building across the street sported a sign saying "Police will arrest any loiterers" and the super looked at me quizzically as he desultorily swept the sidewalk. A garbage truck came rumbling down the street. It stopped momentarily in front of me to compress a few boxes and I was pleasantly greeted by both sanitation workers. Various people walked by, several of them loaded down with bags of groceries. One old lady with a cane turned back to examine me intently a few times, and then walked on. As I looked up, I caught the eye of a man in the window of the lone luxury apartment building on the street. He was sipping coffee and looking out his window. Yet, as I sat there eating my Acai (a South American fruit prized for it's anti-oxidant properties) with granola and bananas, I basked in the sun, content and at peace.