The Horn & Hordart commercials used to claim “you can’t eat atmosphere,” probably why fancy million-dollar interiors never impressed us, also probably why we did Krystal’s Cafe, the best Filipino restaurant in Manhattan. It wasn’t just the tokwat baboy and the Kare kare that filled our gut and took our breath, it was also place. Simple tables, nice waiters, cheap food. We spent $40 for two, and no way could we finish. Went home with four doggy bags.
We weren’t done. We crossed First Avenue for coffee at below-street-level De Robertis’s Caffe. We love that below-street-level Italian stuff. So checkered table cloth. We walked past glass canoli cases that, had we not overeaten, would have stopped us, till we reached the back room. To our dismay, the booths were gone, replaced by tables. We love booths because they make everything taste better. When we die, we know heaven will be a diner with booths. Manhattan is losing booths.