Introduction To "Out To Lunch"

We stayed at the Howard Johnson's on 8th Avenue, went on a Greyline tour of the city and took in a Broadway show... "Mame"...starring Angela Landsbury.

I fell in love with New York so hard I thought springs might start popping out of my head. Back on the farm, I filled out the subscription form that was in the New Yorker Magazine we had bought during the trip...probably the first farm boy from Henry County, Missouri ever to do so. Each time an issue came I'd read the little capsule description of Mame in the theatre section...I'd seen that!

So, in 1975, I enrolled in my classes at Pratt, and began, or I guess continued, the biggest and longest running love affair of my life...NEW YORK!

Over the years I've had the great good fortune to find a number of places to eat in this town that are truly wonderful...and not expensive. The best ones, in the most interesting neighborhoods will make up this column each month.

The places I'll write about cost under $10 per person (not counting tax, tip, wine/liquour), and are located in areas of New York that may be off the beaten path...places that may not be in the theatre district, for example. Places I'd like you to feel a part of...for a lunch or what may become a lifetime.

The lunches covered will usually be followed by a recommended stroll through the surrounding neighborhood and then perhaps a suggestion for dessert and/or coffee, or some other treat.

I've found that the best days for lunch in New York are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Museums are usually closed on Mondays (i.e. the Met) and Wednesdays are still matinee days and attract more people to the city. And on Saturdays and Sundays, you won't feel like you have the City to yourself.

Clint Brownfield is a globetrotting food and travel journalist who resides in New York City when between adventures. Among other publications, his work has been seen in Working Mother and Woman's Day.