Quaint lunches, quiet dinners and a very specific fish request
Step right up for another Ask Becky, my monthly dispatch addressing your hyper-specific New York restaurant requests. This week, we have a reader looking for a daytime cafe that doesn’t feel like a chain, another seeking a quiet place for dinner with mom, and one looking for the best way to get in some omega-3’s. Want your question answered in a future newsletter? Send it over email to wheretoeat@nytimes.com, as submissions through this form or on my Instagram, where I’ll regularly post story prompts for you.
The best place to take a pauseBest cozy coffee shop to have a break, or a pause during the day: Great coffee, nice simple food, not a Starbucks standard place. — Maite L. There’s a brand-spankin’-new cafe in NoLIta that I’d like to direct you to, at the risk of giving up my favorite seat there. Café Mulberry, from the people who own the subterranean nightclub the Mulberry, has quietly opened and quickly become my favorite place for a laptop-free coffee break and a chic, French-y lunch. (They’ve also started dinner service, so do let me know if you happen to try it.) I’d go so far as to call this the polar opposite of a Starbucks: a tiny railroad-style space with cane chairs, marble bistro tables and a gallery wall of black-and-white photos, many taken at the club downstairs, in mismatched frames. The coffee is from the Brooklyn roastery Sey, which is to say it’s excellent, as are the pastries from Le Bicyclette. And, per your request, they make simple dishes like eggs with brioche soldiers, and a sky-high spinach quiche cloaked in Parmesan. See you there? 240 Mulberry Street (Prince Street), NoLIta
Are you mackerel-maxxing?I’m trying to eat more mackerel. Where in New York City can I find the best mackerel dishes? — David S. A valiant, if hyper-specific, goal, and while I have no idea what your motivations are, I do have a great recommendation. Izakaya Fuku in Jackson Heights, a high-vibe, little room with a handful of tables and tin barrels for stools. It has a number of preparations of mackerel, saba in Japanese, that will make your resolution a layup. If you love the unadulterated fishiness of mackerel, I suggest the lightly cured shime-saba with a bowl of sushi rice. Otherwise, come for the teriyaki-laquered saba set with rice, pickles and miso soup. Then stay for the izakaya’s playful pop culture touches: a manga-wallpapered bathroom, vintage Japanese beer ads as décor, and your check delivered in a DVD case. Mine was 2009’s “I Love You, Man.” 71-28 Roosevelt Avenue (72nd Street), Jackson Heights
Yet another request for quieter diningWhere are the lists of restaurants for foodies with noise levels that allow conversation? My mother is 79 but loves food, and also to actually hear her dinner companions discuss their dishes without yelling, or resorting to charades. — Haley B. Sounds like you need a Great Neighborhood Restaurant, and LaRina Pastificio & Vino in Fort Greene is one of the loveliest I know of. A few boxes it ticks: enough tables that you don’t have to fight tooth and nail to get a reservation, a something-for-everyone menu (heavy on pastas, delightful vegetables, simple proteins) and, as requested, some peace and quiet. Here’s what I loved the most from a meal at LaRina with my own mother: smoked spaghetti aglio e olio, branzino and broccolini with preserved lemon and Calabrian chiles, a fantastic radicchio salad with dates and celery, and some conversation free of shouting or charades. 387 Myrtle Avenue (Clermont Avenue), Fort Greene Read past editions of the newsletter here. If you’re enjoying what you’re reading, please consider recommending it to others. They can sign up here. Have New York City restaurant questions? Send us a note here. Follow NYT Food on TikTok and NYT Cooking on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest.
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