Solo Dining Adventures

27 y/o native New Yorker (currently residing in BK). This is a year in a journey of finding self, accomplishing the New Yr Resolution, while om nom noming.

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Puerto Viejo || 564 Grand Ave || Brooklyn

I made it! Last solo meal of 2012, happy new year to me!

One of the greatest things I learned this year was to be OK with silence and to make time for solitude. 

This has been a great year of new experiences and I'm looking fwd to more new (and revisiting the old) ones in 2013.

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Jack's Wife Freda || 224 Lafayette St || NYC

With the year coming to an end, I wanted to make my last solo meals count by revisiting old favorites.

Jack's Wife Freda was one of my earlier brunches this year, and I remembered it to be comforting and cozy. Perfect for a late Nov brunch. 

This time around, I sat at the communal table. Next to me, was a group of tweens. I'm pretty sure they had grown up in the city as well, but to listen to their convo.. their adolescent experience was (is?) completely different from mine. It amused me to think that despite our upbringings, here we were, in the end, at the same restaurant united by matzo ball soups.

Three cheers and a champagne toast to differences settled by food.

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The Quarter || 522 Hudson St || NYC

I think my last solo brunch of the year should be a favorite, or at least something outstanding / new. This wasn't it, as much as I wanted it to be.

or, maybe, I shouldn't force a solo meal right now just to see if I can do it.

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Nice Green Bo || 66 Bayard St || NYC

I've had more than a few solo dinners here over the last two months. Nothing incredibly reflective, just pure carbohydrate gluttony.

Why is Asian food so good? Doesn't matter if you go to expensive places like Mr Chow to keepin it real Chinatown places.

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Calliope || 84 e 4th St || NYC

Completely forgot to post this up last month. As part of my bday "celebration" last month, I went to this EV restaurant for brunch on my birthday. So, I splurged a little. Buttery scones. A glass of my favorite lambrusco.

This was a weird time for me. It was my first solo meal that I rushed to finish. (Sandy Kwok also to blame) and, the first time I didn't want to be in my own thoughts; I really missed B.

Anyways.

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How to... solo dine

Some of you have asked how I solo dine, so I've decided to write up a 'how to' based on my experiences.

For me, solo dining was about being more comfortable with solitude, silence, and my own thoughts.  Who says I can't date myself???

The Place & Time:

Because having the time to spend on myself is a luxury, I haven't held back on spending for my solo meals. I don't mean that I go to places such as Del Posto frequently, but I don't focus as much on the price tag when I order or choose a restaurant. I do have on my list to go to a super expensive spot at the 1 yr mark to celebrate (not disclosing where yet!).

Anyway, depending on your comfort and leet level as a solo diner, you'll want to pick a place that's smaller, more intimate, and laid-back. I've focused a lot of my meals in the SoHo/Nolita area based on proximity to my yoga class on Sat AM, but anywhere is game. I tend to pick restaurants that aren't on the main streets.

I've made a bucket list for solo dining: restaurant opening, dinner, hot spots, traditional chinese, super expensive restaurant, birthday celebration, and wk day / wknd dining.

The Attitude:

Own it, as in own your situation. Be confident with your table of 1.

Also, helps if you dress well. If you're going to be checked out anyway, you might as well be admired.

During the Meal:

Mostly, I try not to laugh at the conversations taking place around me.

But, I made a rule to try not to check my phone or read at the table so I could really focus on my own thoughts.

Also, be nice to servers. They give you free food.

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Bluebird Sky || 121 Baxter Street || NYC

I think I'm in a rut. Solo dining is supposed to be about me and time for me, not something I check off as having done.. as in.. "hurrah! first solo dining in sept!"

while yes, I'm glad that I'm finally at a point where solo dining is no longer a rare  accomplishment for myself, I need to re-focus on the goals I made in January.  Am I doing this for the right reason?

Speaking of focus, I'm participating in #wtfsept (what the focus) 30 day photo challenge with Lululemon. Thus far, it's been fun hunting for images to the focus word of the day. Today's word was #sweat and this was my entry: http://instagram.com/p/PJ7YGbBHsI/. I'm rather proud of my ingenuity.

"Lots of.." is on the agenda for this month so I need to find my focus asap. Work is revving up with planning season. I have some career changes I want to jump start. Chris's 21st bday to host. And, more yoga to practice.  Wish me luck... it's going to be a busy one.

As per usual (if you've been following on these last 9 mos), picture links out to the review

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Juventino|| 370 5th Ave || BROOKLYN

To compensate for last year's uproar in life changes, this year, I wanted to take my birthday experience solo. No fuss. No feelings to consider. 100% Leo self time.

So, to commence the wknd of me-fiesta, I started at Rockaway Beach and more or less meandered over to Park Slope. (I'm going to ignore the ! client calls / emails that were exchanged that morning because they were too traumatic)

Sidenote: I love the beach - especially the feeling of wet sand in b/t my toes and the pulling sensation on said toes when the waves rush back to the ocean.

I was starving (and sweating) when I finally arrived at Juventino, 5 min before lunch closed. In any case, it was a delicious meal (click on the photo for my food review). However, what I really liked best was that I was alone the entire meal. I didn't have to create a solo adventure in my head when it was physically real. 

I didn't do very much reflection of the past year or on turning 27 during lunch.. and that's OK. This brunch and day's experience was a kickstart into a fresh new year. There's no sense in dwelling on the past if I'm ten steps into the future is there?

So, hey there 27, I'm welcoming you with open arms and an open mind.

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Totto Ramen || 366 W 52nd St || NYC

What better way to start my solo dining in July than with a hot steamy bowl of ramen.. on an equally hot steamy day? Yum

Not too many transcendent thoughts during this meal though I should have had a lot considering how much Totto resembled a Native American sweat lodge in temperature.

Check, cult ramen restaurant! Check, solo dining! Check, making it to see B later.

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Shanghai Cuisine || 89 Bayard St || NYC

I love Chinatown - the smells (good & bad), street vendors, the number of people, and the colliding of everyone's lives.

I was craving a good bowl of beef noodle soup, Shanghai style, and Shanghai Cuisine was open late.. plus there was quasi outdoor dining. 

The meal and the restaurant were not particularly interesting, but I still enjoyed the solo meal. Partly because, Chinatown at 10pm had quieted down to a manageable noise volume. And also, partly because I felt scandalous for going against the Chinese grain - there are no solo meals in traditional Chinese culture as the extended family eats together.

And there you have it. My solo dinner, reduced to challenging Chinese norms that no one is keeping count of except me.

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Bistro Petit || 170 S 3rd St.|| BROOKLYN

By far, one of my favorite and probably truest solo dining this year in NYC.

I arrived for dinner en route to Radegast for Emily's, my room mate, jazz CD release party. (Check it out here: http://emilyashersgardenparty.bandcamp.com/album/dreams-may-take-you)

It had been raining off & on all day, and I was definitely taking advantage of the 'off' lull to walk over to Bistro Petit. This place is indeedpetitwith enough seating for 10 smooshed people indoors and another 10-15 people on their sidewalk cafe. I was seated outdoors, across a very fascinating / highly trafficked / slightly sketchy bodega.

Food was delicious, yelp post here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/bistro-petit-brooklyn#hrid:mRR7Ll_K2QW1zA1nWbjw0A. I over-ordered, as per usual. And, paid in cash which was new.

To get to the point, this was the truest solo dining experience because I was reminded how peaceful being alone could be.

Right before I ordered my meal, it started to pour. The unlucky / unsheltered diners sitting around me bolted and leaving me to bask in the moment of solitude amid the sound of rain pitter patter. (I know, what a poem mush) It was fantastic.  Equally fantastic was watching the number of people booking it on the streets.

Anyway, for a moment, in this busy crazed city of mine, I was all alone. Watching the seemingly innocuous rain fall. And it was wonderful knowing that there was something greater out there than the needs / wants of the city or of mine. Sometimes, nature happens.. and that's ok. Smile, breathe, and go slowly. We're all alone.

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Yunnan Kitchen II 79 Clinton Street || NYC

What a thought-loaded meal, I'll try to keep this post succinct.

I do believe I am biased towards Asian food. The two (of five! don't worry, I packed bits of each in to-go containers for B when he lands!) dishes pictured are the lamb meatballs and the tofu ribbon salad. Each of the dishes I orderded were different in texture and taste, making a great concert of food in my mouth.

Anyway, to more loaded items..

1. Half year mark of solo dining! Doing a quick inventory, I need to do more solo dining in NYC but it's hard; meals are hardwired in my head as a pleasant communal activity. Also, over the last 6 months, I've had a great dining partner who is just as eager as I am in broadening our culinary horizons. I will say that I am very pleased with the breadth of cuisines, meals, and continents (!) I've experimented in. While genial, I haven't chatted with servers and bartenders as much as I thought would happen. I think I'm OK with that. After all, this solo dining is supposed to be time where I surrender to my own thoughts and the food prepared for me. Moving fwd, I resolve to do at least 2 solo dining a month, of different cuisines and meals.

2. One of the conversations I overheard at dinner today was the subject of online dating, which brings me back to my m.o. since last October - "well, why not?" or more eloquently, "what would you do if you knew you could not fail?" (Thank you Dickinson CommServ) This quote has brought me to so many new experiences... from yes, online dating, co-chairing a committee at an organization of cultural significance, crossing the globe for solo adventures, and of course, solo dining....

3. Restaurants > Cooking, mainly as a result of my cooking rut. No matter how many magazines I get or recipes I read, I have more fun eating out than making my food.

Click on the photo for the review for YK, or ya lazies: http://www.yelp.com/biz/yunnan-kitchen-new-york#hrid:rWWV1h2lne1Mu7esj5tS_A

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Favorite paragraph:

It's also when the culinary kismet happens: a chance meeting with a future source or business partner, chatting up the waiter who might take you back to meet the chef, or waxing on with the bartender about their amaro selection — and getting to taste all of it.

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Back Forty West || 70 Prince St || NYC

Hello spring! Back to my 'solo brunch' in NYC after my very long solo trip through Asia. A lot of social catching up to do post-trip etc.. also laziness in going to my Saturday yoga practice didn't help. 

I've been getting some feedback on my blog entries, that they are too Yelp-y and less about my personal feeeeeelings. So, I will (attempt) describe my meal with more emo shadings.

Anyway, brunch at Back Forty West was a good ease back into my Saturday rituals. I was seated almost immediately upstairs - with the windows and the light wood, I felt like I was in an older friend's Americana living room.

The food I had was really good (pictured above). Go ahead, experience food envy. My neighboring diners did, not humble at all. I will take credit for the chefs.

I've noticed that while I don't read / play w my phone during these solo meals, I don't exactly 'reflect'. I just listen in to the most asinine conversation within hearing distance. I'm not sure if that's helping my goal of self discovery. I am collecting a lot of information on weird personal preferences, e.g., a friend wanting to split the two orders of bacon into separate dishes with her friend; you're all friends.. your baconz can share a plate!

Writing about food is making me hungry. And these days, I'm eating (as if) for 2. Just kidding.

Review of BFW if you're so inclined: http://www.yelp.com/biz/back-forty-west-new-york#hrid:_JpDyvLTf3H2a1stn53b8w

The end.

Joanie re-thinking self discovery Kwok

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Sums up what my goal for this year is...

Lonely is healing if you make it

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McDonald || iSquare || KOWLOON

Yes, I know. Stop judging. Going to and eating an apple pie at a foreign mcdonald is on my list. You know what, I’M judging you for not having this on your list. Apple pies are so much hotter, crispier, more cinnamon, more gooey, and less sweet outside of the U S of obesity.

Filling so hot, it’s Kwok

Ps. Really enjoying making these cheesy derivatives of my last name.

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Sky Crystal || ICC, Sky 101 floor || KOWLOON

And, this makes the 3rd meal today. I really am running with this solo dining business. But 3 is shabby, going to shoot for 5 tmrw. Challenge accepted.

The lift to the 101st fl reminded me of the harrowing flight to HK on China Southern Airways, except I was the only one freaking out this time. The restaurant has a great view of HK Island and the harbor.

Sky Crystal serves haute Shanghainese food. I tried their 10 course set menu w a few alterations, e.g., including xiao long bao. DUH. This img is of the tea smoked pigeon, which was a favorite.. and not because there’s now one less poop diving pigeon out there.

I think I’m really starting to relish solo dining. I think the pot of oolong tea and the glass of Jameson (neat) helped ease that in. ALSO, solo was a much better choice given the other table of diners as comparison.

Many thanks to the staff for indulging me and letting me be the last diner.

Yes, THAT Kwok.