ADDRESS BOOK Aldea 31 W. 17th St. 212.675.7223 www.aldearestaurant.com Asian Taste 86 Halal Indonesian Fusion 8610 Whitney Ave. Elmhurst, Queens 718.779.8686 www.asiantaste86.com
There’s no place like home. Even the most seasoned traveler gets homesick. So, where can you find the comfort foods of home in the Big Apple?
Awang Kitchen 8405 Queens Blvd. Elmhurst, Queens 347.492.9264 www.awangkitchen nyc.com Banter 169 Sullivan St. No phone www.banternyc.com Bluestone Bowery Café 19 Kenmare St. 718.374.6858 www.bluestonelane.com Casa 72 Bedford St. 212.366.9410 www.casarestaurant.com Charley St 41 Kenmare St. 646.982.4951 www.charleyst.com Chinese Tuxedo 5 Doyers St. 646.895.9301 www.chinesetuxedo.com Cosme 35 E. 21st St. 212.913.9659 www.cosmenyc.com Estonian House 243 E. 34th St. 212.684.0336 www.estonianhouse newyork.com Fogo de Chão 40 W. 53rd St. 212.969.9980 www.fogodechao.com Good Thanks 131 Orchard St. No phone www.goodthanksnyc.com 38
BY JONI SWEET
To find out, we consulted some bona fide experts on homesickness—foreign diplomats. They spend years away from home, running the consulates in NYC. Like many travelers, these officials have learned that familiar flavors are often the fastest cure for homesickness. And lucky for them (and us!), this vibrant city has restaurants serving cuisines from every corner of the world.
GERMANY When German Consul General David Gill hankers after food from home, he heads to the Upper East Side’s Heidelberg, one of the oldest family-run German restaurants in the United States. “It has a classic German atmosphere that makes you feel like you’ve been transported to [a German] town’s oldest café with familiar sights, sounds and, most importantly, smells,” he says. “It’s the perfect spot on a cold winter night when you need a bit of German gemütlichkeit [good cheer] or coziness.” Another place that banishes homesickness for Gill is Zum Schneider in Alphabet City. “Zum Schneider has a year-round biergarten vibe, especially when a soccer game is on the big screen,” he says. “All of the waiters speak German. There’s no better way to feel at home than when you’re speaking your mother tongue and eating your favorite foods.”
AUSTRALIA Alastair J. M. Walton, Australian consul general, may not be able to find the open spaces and beaches that he misses in Australia here in New York, but he’s pinpointed a few places in the city to nosh on Down Under grub. “You only have to visit NoLIta, which has been dubbed ‘Little
Australia,’ to get your Aussie fix,” he says. “It’s incredible seeing the likes of Two Hands, Charley St, Bluestone Bowery Café, Ruby’s Cafe, Gran Tivoli and Good Thanks taking over the area.” Nothing beats an Aussie breakfast, and for that, Walton heads to Banter in Greenwich Village. “I also visit Chinese Tuxedo for its Australian-Asian fusion [cooking],” he says. “Lastly, we can’t forget about The Australian Bar and Restaurant in Midtown—the go-to for a parma [chicken Parmesan] or meat pie paired with live Australian sport.”
BRAZIL Barbecue is a big deal in Brazil, according to Marco Antonio Nakata, the country’s deputy consul general in New York. Servers cut a staggering array of beef tableside, and diners can also hit the buffet for salads, sides and fixins. For the most genuine Brazilian barbecue experience, Nakata makes a reservation at Fogo de Chão, across from the Museum of Modern Art. “When I’m there, I feel that I’m in a steak house in Brazil,” he says. “It has the right atmosphere and interior design.” But when Nakata craves something lighter (say, Brazil’s beloved cheese bread snack, pão de queijo), he pops into Padoca, a Brazilian bakery on the Upper East Side. And when he’s looking for Brazilian home cooking (and the warm hospitality of his motherland), he chooses Casa in the West Village. “Casa uses decorations from Brazil. The furniture, the color of the walls and everything reminds me of a traditional Brazilian home,” he says. Plus, the chef there prepares Brazil’s national dish, feijoada, a black bean stew that might just be the ultimate comfort food for Brazilian expats.
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The Australian Bar and Restaurant 20 W. 38th St. 212.869.8601 www.theaustraliannyc.com
TASTE OF HOME
W H E R E T R AVE LE R ® GU E STBO O K
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