Like most mass extinctions, New York City's massive diner, coffee shop and greasy spoon die-off has been unfolding slowly for decades, in plain sight. Blame rising rents, land values and food prices. Also, the aging of neighborhood “regulars," the challenges of passing on a family business and the tastes of a new generation. When arugula replaces iceberg, what results is -- yay! -- a “more curated dining experience.” And a lot less money in your pocket.
From New York Magazine:
Read Full Article »Ironically, in elevated restaurant circles, among the taste-making cooks who cater to the arugula generation, the rituals of the diner have never been more popular. “I love the lingo, I love the food, I love the waitress calling you ‘Hon' when you come in the door,” says Wylie Dufresne, who made his reputation as a pioneer of what used to be called molecular gastronomy, and is now applying that approach to the elaborately flavored doughnuts at his recently opened Williamsburg coffee counter.
