Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
I met longtime food writer Robert Sietsema at the 6th & B Community Garden earlier this summer.
While enjoying a simit from C&B Café, Robert tells me about moving to the area. He lived for 13 years on 14th Street between Avenue B and Avenue C starting in 1977 when he paid $150 monthly for a four-room railroad apartment with a toilet in a closet. (It was rumored that Sylvester Stallone may have lived in the tenement building, now a co-op.)
"NYC was aflame when I arrived," said Sietsema, originally from Dallas.
Sietsema was a rock star — or, as he says, a micro-celebrity — for 14 years playing (bass, guitar, keyboards) in Mofungo.
"If you weren't carrying a guitar around the East Village, there was something wrong with you," he says of the time.
He also started a rock star food fanzine called Down the Hatch, which focused on under-the-radar spots.
The Village Voice took note of the zine and offered him a job as a part-time food critic, which soon turned into a full-time gig.
Sietsema, who currently works at Eater on the NYC beat, considers himself a consumer-focused reality-based food photographer and, in the past, had to pay cash mostly to avoid detection when on the job.
He says he can now use his credit card, as he believes no one cares as much about the reviewer's role, which has been entirely eclipsed by the social media influencer.
An adventurous food consumer, Sietsema admits that he will eat anything, though he doesn't care for brains (although he happily tries other organ meats).
As we debate where the official borders of the East Village are, I ask him for some of his favorite local dishes:
• Mushroom barley soup with buttered challah bread from B&H Dairy Kosher, 127 Second Ave.
• Pork katsu don from Beron Beron, 164 First Ave.
• Egg and chorizo sandwich from C&B Café, 178 E. Seventh St.
• Three mezze with a glass of wine from Café Mogador, 101 St. Mark's Place
• The spicy redneck from Crif Dogs, 113 St. Mark's Place
• Falafel sandwich from Mamoun’s Falafel, 30 St. Mark's Place
• A bowl of pho from Sao Mai, 203 First Ave.
• Pierogi with sauteed onions from Streecha Ukrainian Kitchen, 33 E. Seventh St.
• The slightly sweet cheese slice at Stromboli, 83 St. Mark's Place
• Potato-filled flautas with salsa verde at Zaragoza Mexican Deli & Grocery, 215 Avenue A
Sietsema says the East Village is one of the best food neighborhoods in the city and across all socioeconomic levels.
What’s missing from the local food scene? A good masala dosa.
You can keep up with Robert on X (formerly Twitter)
24 comments:
You know a guy's hardcore EV when he gets pierogified at Streecha! Although I would say their stuffed cabbage is even better.
Great list!
I prefer the lentil soup at B&H, green tea & a shot of wheat grass for dessert.
It's great to see part of Robert's face! Since I like to read his favorite food lists on Eater! Nice food list! Great photo Stacie Joy, Thanks! EV Grieve is the Best Blog!
Haha this list is the most east village thing I’ve seen on a long time!
Not that anyone is asking, but I would have to add potato momos at Cafe Himalaya and the potato breakfast burrito at Downtown Bakery (err whatever it is now called)!
I second the potato burrito at Downtown Bakery, and would also add the drunken noodles from Terra Thai and the basil rice from Sabieng.
i have been reading him for years and really appreciate his excellent writing and his many forays into budget eateries, which i am super into. thanks for this story, grieve/stacie joy!
Also, matzoh brei ay B&H!
🤙
...And what are the "official borders of the East Village"? I say 14th Street and Houston Street north & south and Avenue C to the east (past that it's Loisaida).
As for the west, that's where the trouble is: if you say it's The Bowery and Third Avenue then you exclude Astor Place, which cannot be right; if you say Lafayette Street and Fourth Avenue, you are including parts of NoHo and Greenwich Village proper.
No one would label the Bleecker Street subway station or the Public Theater or the Grace School as East Village institutions.
Such a fan of this guy's writing and lack of pretension. Also, his shirt.
14th to Houston, Broadway to the river.
North of 8th St, East Village goes to University.
👍🏼👍🏻👍🏽
What a FUN resource this list is! Sietsema is a great and creative critic-- I almost always laugh (with) or am stunned by his Eater stuff. Keep eating, Mr. S, and telling us about what we can't miss.
+1 to noodles from terra thai
A true east village dude
Ahimsa Garden has a great dosa but they closed their 10th st location. There's another Gramercy-ish that delivers at least to 16.
A nice deep dive list!
Thanks Grieve! Great list! Great Robert and Stacie. I want a podcast!!!
The Washington Post’s restaurant reviewer is Tom Sietsema — has to be related! I like his reviews too.
@ anon 9:53 from Aug. 13
Tom and Robert are distant relatives...
Tom once wrote this: "We both find it amusing that two guys with such unusual shared last names are also in the same unusual line of work."
Robert is a true treasure for New York, along with the late Jonathan Gold of LA. No nonsense, deeply educated writing about exotic and special restaurants - none of the trendy, short-lived concepts that New Yorkers generally gravitate to. We hope you keep you keep at it for decades Robert!
Post a Comment