Wikipages Blog

While I love many restaurants in the city, if someone asked me what’s my favorite, my answer would still come fast: Republic.

Republic is a popular stop for the young hip of New York. But I pride myself in having discovered it on my own. My first year in New York, after returning from a trip to London, I wondered if I could find a New York restaurant similar to Wagamama’s, my favorite London restaurant. The decor there is white, modern and stark, with long communal tables and benches. The service was short and snappish. And the food–huge bowls of delicious noodle dishes. I thought there must be something like that somewhere in NY.

So I did research. Looked up noodle shops online. I came across a review of Republic which likened the placed to Wagamama’s and I thought “this is it.”

Republic is firstly a good bet for dinner because of location. With so many subway lines, Union Square is convenient to get to from practically anywhere in the city. Right across from Union Square Park, Republic offers a great meeting spot and a park to stroll around in after your meal.

The place’s interior has a similar vibe to Wagamama’s: modern clean, simple. But a little more edgy. A little more color. A little more of huge photos of people eating noodles. And at their long cafeteria-style tables, there is a little shelf underneath where you can put your coat or purse. Ingenious.

The menu has plenty for vegetarians and meateaters alike. My favorite’s the Tofu Udon, with lovely miso broth, tasty seaweed, and delicious noodles. I’m getting hungry just thinking of it. But fear not, there’s chicken and beef available. And they make a yummy cosmo.

Then there’s the price. That dish I just described will fill you up for under $8. Not bad for a chic place in the city. Good to know that I don’t have to travel to London to eat cheap noodles at my favorite restaurant.

In the heart of the West Village is a little Italian place. But it doesn’t specialize in the usual starchy pastas or typical Italian carbohydrates. It specializes in gluten-free food, as stated in its name: Risotteria.

Risotteria is a tiny place with a funky vibe. The menu includes pizzas and various risotto dishes, catering to vegetarians. My favorite is the goat cheese risotto. Super tasty, though very filling. The food is relatively cheap and definitely delicious. The place can be crowded on a weekend afternoon, but it’s worth a bit of a wait.

It’s a perfect place to meet friends for lunch, particularly those that are vegetarian or on a budget.

At first, the warm weather disturbed me. I believe seasons should behave accordingly, and there should be snow now. But I have to admit, I stepped outside yesterday and I got that happy springtime feeling.

Ben and I decided to take advantage of the lovely unseasonal weather by going to Central Park. I love it there. The trees, the water, the…flowers? Yes, we saw flowers. In January. Very strange. We also saw stems, starting to pop out of the ground, possibly confused into premature growth.

We strolled around the pond and watched ducks frolicking in the water. A lovely spring day.

The only indication of the winter season, was the Central Park skating rink, still full of skaters. In the middle of a city in spring bloom.

In my former life as a preschool teacher, I worked on the Upper East Side. While I occasionally miss the kids, probably the thing I miss most is the area. I used to walk to Carl Schurz Park on my lunch hour and watch the water. And on nice days, I’d walk down through Central Park all the way to where it begins. And some days I would eat at one of the yummiest spots in the city: Lili’s Noodle Shop and Grill.

The place is a chain and there’s one in Tribeca, but somehow it doesn’t seem as nice to me. Lili’s has a full front window and a modern, Asian atmosphere. The service is speedy and the menu is delicious. It has this lovely bean curd in black bean sauce, which I attempted to make once for myself and utterly failed. And they have Jasmine bubble milk tea, which I am slightly obsessed with. The prices are decent, with a nice lunch special, including soup, rice and entree for under $7. A good place to eat with friends or alone after a stressful day of chasing after 3-year-olds.

Yes, I do miss the kids. But even more, I miss the Upper East Side’s peaceful charm and yummy noodle shop.