Here I am in New York, after a mere three months of moving back home to Dubai. Bittersweet as anyone could expect – close friends, familiar streets, my hide-away coffee spots, and of course, the overcrowded restaurant scene, literally bubbling over with celebrity chefs, famous haunts, flashy newcomers, and eclectic food fads that leave hour-long lines of salivating – and uncommonly patient – New Yorkers snaking around some otherwise inconspicous place selling something as fundamental as pizza or cupcakes. I miss that youthful energy, creativity, constant discovery, and even the eloquent narcissicm (has anyone tracked the number of NY food blogs and sites out there?), that makes a foodie out of someone like myself , someone who’d enjoyed her meals, but was never really part of the ‘hunt’ for the best restaurants, never before subscribed to the strong, virtual and cyber-linked community of fellow-food lovers, was never privy to any intricate food analysis beyond ‘that awesome four-cheese pizza from Mad Greek’s on campus.’ (which was still undoubtedly one of the best four-cheese experiences I’ve ever had)
To make up for my silence since my last entry on Apres, I’m going to spend the next few posts sinking back into my beloved New York food scene…pizza, mexican, greek, haute cuisine, banh-mi, cookies, and everything else that I crave for, dream about, and still indulge in vicariously through the TastingTableNYC updates that grace my email inbox every evening. Here’s to the city that made a foodie out of me!