How To Get Your Spark Back
An actionable protocol to get you excited about New York City restaurants again
How To Get Your Spark Back
“What restaurants are you excited about right now?”
For the first time in a long time, someone asked me this routine New York City dining question — and I didn’t have an answer.
With a minute to check my map, I could name a few: Bartolo’s pintxos situation is intriguing, and people I trust have been hyping it up. I’m pumped for Il Leone to get rolling in Park Slope. I still need to try the other half of the menu at Bong. But even with those in the queue, the well feels drier than usual.
And apparently, I’m not the only one feeling this way.
Lately, I’ve been hearing the same story from friends, reading similar sentiments in group chats and newsletters. People are calling it a restaurant rut. New openings aren’t hitting like they used to. With prices rising, portions shrinking, and weeks of anticipation often ending in deflating, uninspired experiences, the opportunity cost of a mediocre meal feels higher than ever. All this to say: dining fatigue is real.
What’s interesting is that we now have more exposure to restaurants than ever. Every opening gets blitzed with coverage (although most of it seems to be regurgitated excerpts from press packages). Vertical videos showcase every dish on the menu before spots even open. There’s an endless churn of best-of lists, travel guides, and hyper-specific rankings. In theory, all this should make it easier to pick a place for dinner. In practice, it’s actually harder to make good dining decisions.
Similar to how LinkedIn-stalking the person you’re about to go on a date with ruins any excitement you might have felt (she went to Bucknell, ugh), being able to wrap your head around a restaurant before you ever step inside kills the thrill of discovery. The quiet allure, the charm of the unknown, are all but gone. We know too much about each other, and we know too much about our restaurants.
What’s becoming more essential — especially as the noise grows louder — is discernment. Thoughtful takes, sharp opinions, and perspectives grounded in experience. Good taste feels like a more valuable commodity than ever. Having trusted voices in your circle — more personal and particular than the Eaters and Infatuations — is the most important asset you can have when trying to eat well in this city. It’s one of the biggest reasons I’m on Substack — people here care deeply, and they take taste seriously. I rely on so many writers and sources to help me cut through the noise and surface spots that are actually worth it. Courtney Presley, Matt Rodbard, Lindsay Paulen, and Phoebe Fry, have all recently steered me toward great meals I might not have found otherwise. Just to name a few.
Of course, all of the above is a bit dramatic. It’s easy to pick apart the scene — the hype cycles, the algorithm-chasing, the $34 pastas. But even in a rut, New York still has the best dining scene in the country by a wide margin. When the new spots aren’t hitting, there are still countless tried and true dining experiences that amaze me.
So if your excitement about new restaurants is currently running low, just know you’re not alone. I put together a protocol that’s worked wonders for me — a handful of tangible moves I’ve made over the past few weeks that helped me get my spark back. Places and patterns that reminded me why I love this city, and the deep dining scene it offers.
How To Get Your Spark Back
Take a field trip
Pick an unfamiliar neighborhood, rally some friends, and make an afternoon of it. Ride the R train down to Bay Ridge and have a lamb-forward lunch at Yemenat. Head to Astoria for buttery, grilled scallops at Abuqir and warm, syrupy knafeh at Al-Sham. Choose somewhere slightly inconvenient — outside your usual orbit — and enjoy the journey.
Yemenat
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Since the New Year, I’ve been to Yemen Café on Atlantic Avenue five times. Even if I lived somewhere with far fewer restaurant options, say Tulsa, Oklahoma, I think this would be considered quite a f…
Visit a single-item restaurant
Sometimes, it’s the decision-making that wears you down. Not everyone can be as good at ordering as Austin Tedesco and Olivia Weiss. Go eat somewhere where there’s no choice to make. Paolina only has one thing on the menu — a stellar falafel sandwich, packed with fresh, crunchy veg and best doused in smoky hot sauce. At Kisa, all you need to choose is your main dish (get the stir-fried squid) — the full Baek Ban spread does the rest.
Falafel sandwich. That’s all they’ve got.
Dine solo, notice the details
A solo meal is the easiest way to get me back in a restaurant groove. When I’m on my own, I tend to notice even more details than usual. Last week, I cozied into the corner of Cafe Kestrel’s five-seat bar, admiring the mismatched frames of the artwork, watching the technique of the server stirring my Negroni, and eavesdropping on the date-night chatter of the couples to my left and right. Details are what make restaurants so special, and dining solo gives you the space to focus on them.
I love Kes
Book a big table and assemble a crew
I’m talking a grand feast at Eyval — a 6-top where you’ll order one of everything (and double up on the eggplant kashk bademjan). A Friday night mixed grill situation at Kiki’s. A backyard table at St. Anselm — hanger steaks all-around, pan-fried mashed potatoes, and bottles of chilled red.
Attend a dinner party
And talk to some strangers! I love meeting new people who are passionate (and opinionated) about food. At Studio Bumi, you’ll eat vibrant Indonesian dishes in a room full of curious, welcoming people. Club Crumbs is the most refreshing night you’ll have in NYC — a carefully curated and considered dinner party in Madeline Marcella’s incredibly tasteful West Village apartment.
Mean mean tablescape at Club Crumbs
Eat a lunch combo
Usually, my in-office lunch move is an uninspiring yet functional Naya bowl. But last week, I took a proper lunch break and carved my way through Midtown to Cho Dang Gol. As I settled in, I was delighted to find a $20 lunch combo: banchan (with refills!), kimchi stew, spicy chicken, and a hefty bowl of steaming rice. I ate so much. And still left with a carryout container packed to the brim, stained red by gochujang. For a brief moment in time, I felt like the smartest man in Midtown.
CDG. Best value in America???
Chill out on the bakeries
There’s a new one opening every damn week. You don’t need to go. You’re gonna stand in a gnarly line… for another cinnamon roll. It’s quick-hitting dopamine. A sugar rush. Fleeting and hollow. Just relax.
Go somewhere you know you love
It’s easy for time to slide away in New York. I’ll look up and realize I haven’t been to ‘ol reliable in over a year. For me, that’s Misi — perfect pastas and vegetables, tight service, a light-flooded room. A place that’s never let me down, and always feels well worth it.
Dive headfirst into a bowl of noodle soup
Self-explanatory. I always feel nourished and inspired after eating noodle soup. It can be any kind. Raku’s spicy tan tan is a long-standing favorite. Don Udon is a recent hit I’ve been loving. Di An Di still has the best pho in town. Even a humble, straightforward bowl of beef noodle soup from Super Taste will light you up.
Donny Udon, chewy and delicious
Stop trying to order the most popular items
You should still get a restaurant’s signature dish if it’s your first time, but stop using aggregators to build your entire order. Read the menu, think about what sounds good to you, and ask your server for recs if you really need help. If I see one more person glancing back and forth between the menu and Beli to crowdsource the order, I’m gonna lose it.
Take a sandwich to the park
Walk into Court Street Grocers, stare at the colorful menu of sandwich options until something speaks to your soul. Order it. Receive your blue and white checkered-wrapped beauty and head to the park. Crushing a turkey sandwich on a seeded hero roll in the great outdoors makes me feel like I’m on cloud nine.
The fellas, ready to head to Prospect Park
Make a list of the spots you’d miss if you left NYC
Whether you’re gonna be a NYC-lifer or not, slow it down and think about it. What would you crave if you lived on the opposite coast or overseas? For me, it’s Cervo’s, Le French Diner, Kafana, Hart’s — the spots that make New York feel like New York. It’s easy to take them for granted when they’re down the street. But you’ve gotta make the most of them while you’re here.
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Someone check on Mike Chau
Loved this one Lorenzo