dinner at Rustic LES

I’m meeting Jill for dinner.  My one criterion is cheap.  Hers is location.  She suggests the Lower East Side — convenient for both her to get to from DUMBO and me to get to from the UES.  I find a 25% off Groupon for a restaurant that sounds great.  I even love the name, Rustic LES.  Neither of us has ever been.

I am pretty familiar with Manhattan.  But still, there are some neighborhoods that feel as foreign to me as another country would.  The Lower East Side is one of them.

There is graffiti everywhere.

Some of it is touching.

Some of it is not.

The streets are scruffy and fairly desolate. The bars are not fancy.

And the locals are friendly.

The two below I ask directions of, and they couldn’t be more helpful.  They pose for a picture.  The one on the left asks, “Can I see it?  I love looking at myself.  I’m a pretty handsome guy.”  They tell me they are barbers at a nearby salon called Shotime. 

When I first see the sign I think it says Shotme.  I wonder if the absence of the W is deliberate or accidental.

I walk past the restaurant the first time.  It is easy to miss.  I pass another guy a few blocks later, and ask again for directions.  He, too, is helpful, and is happy to pose.  He is a tattoo artist.  Has been for the past twenty years. When I ask him to show me his tattoos he tells me he has none.  "I love to do tattoos, but I don't like to wear them," he confides.

The restaurant is tiny.  Three small tables that seat two, one table that serves four, and a small bar.  The bathroom is through the kitchen.

The food is good, but they are missing a few basics.  No soft drinks.  No cappuccino.  Only milk, no half and half.   Jill orders the red snapper special.

I get the fat-laden lamb burger with aged gruyere, duck bacon and belgium fries. 

When I meet Jill, we typically meet in our seats at either the movie or play we are seeing. Sometimes we’ll grab coffee after, but often we just go right home.  So it’s a real treat when we just sit and talk for almost three hours.

It takes me less than twenty-five minutes to get home.  Oh, and did I mention? The total tab was $20 each, including a 30% tip! 

Good food.  Friendly service.  Convenient location.  Low cost.  And outstanding company.  The perfect night out!