↳replying to u/johnsciarrino: my wife and i keep a list of our favorite places that have closed. it's a bit heartbreaking when we add to it but it's a nice reminder of time spent in places we loved. I just looked at it because of this post. Some highlights:
Pane e ciocolate - cheap and delicious italian food right across from pizza mercato. closed over a decade ago but my wife and i spent many a college date having dinner there after class. huge bowls of home made pasta for 10 bucks, opera sung live once a week, an espresso machine that looked like a steam locomotive and sfogliatelle to die for.
Parigot - down home country french food on lafayette, a few blocks above canal. two people could each have an appetizer, an entree and split a bottle of wine and the bill was always around a hundred bucks. such a no man's land for such a great place. owners got old and sold. new owners opened up a wholly unremarkable, mediocre, overpriced, soulless joint instead. now it's ed's lobster.
Cafe Loup; the sheer audacity of this 13th street institution makes me smile. total neighborhood place that a friend's dad introduced us to. the chicken skin chicharones will live in my mind forever as one of the best snacks i ever had. got busted for tax evasion, convinced the IRS to let them operate to pay it off, didn't pay anything off and then bailed in the night. it's now Cecchi's (which is pretty great too)
Blue Water Grille: what a landmark! live music, amazing seafood and their little loading dock balcony outdoor sea…
“I never thought the food was stellar at Blue Water Grill, but I liked it anyway.”