oh, I found the car crash story. it was a Telephone Company van. the story “Eatery gets unscheduled call from phone company” was in the issue for 4 October 1979 on the front page.
The ads in the Spec archive are an invaluable memory prompt.
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Ah, there we go! Found a reference to La Bella China in The Daily Spectator archive: " a Chinese/ Cuban/Dominican storefront (La Bella China) where everything tastes like the Special Fried Rice (a bargain at $1.75)" [1 September 1977, p5] so we were both correct! both Cuban and Dominican, according to the article in 1977. Since I’d have been there between 78-80, that sounds about right. Also, the description of the food sounds right! It wasn’t going to win any stars from Michelin, if you know what I mean. But a plate of food and a coffee for $2 is what made me a regular.
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Our son was kept alive on calories from Amir’s, which he called “Amir’s Falafel Palace”,
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talking about Amir’s brought back the memories! how I loved their falafel on pita with tahini. and right next to Pizza Town! but that reminded me of another pizza placed that I loved which I believe was called Amal’s Pizza, down broadway south of La Bella China. I want to say around 104th street? the place was great, very clean. they had a whole wheat crust pizza, and all vegetarian options. the walls had framed photos of famous gurus, and the proprietor was a Sikh who wore a spotless white turban. they also had fresh ground veggie juices you could custom order, like carrot juice, beet juice with celery or whatever you wanted. loved that place, too!
as the years went by I was more likely to order the kefta kebabs, but I did like that place!
There was huge classic deli on the east side of “the street” that made the most fabulous brisket sandwiches. We were introduced to them via portions leftover from son’s airplane food. Husband and I tracked them down when in the area but I’ve forgotten the name. I seem to remember enjoying ours on a bench in the parkway in the center of the street. Totally concentrating on our sandwiches → not noting details.
Mama Joy’s?
Just a grocery store, when I was there.
Yes! Mama Joy’s!
There was a large deli section in the back when I was there. Was the first place I ever ordered a bagel with a schmeer. A frat brother of my had a part time job working at the deli. I recall he said that they did insane amount of lunch time business.
Yes, I remember that. But I read “huge classic deli” and pictured Katz’s or Carnegie.
certainly more people bought sandwiches there and at TA-KOME than bought the tiny jars of mayo, snack foods and other stuff they needed for eating in their dorm rooms at a time when food service was closed.
I never tried the sandwiches from these spots. As a student, I preferred to spend my scant eating bucks either in chinese places or the hungarian pastry shop etc (it had a real hungarian baker at that time) or cooking over a hotplate in my dorm room. when I finally got a kitchen I went to real grocery stores and ate real well on the $10 a week subsidy my parents provided.
Neither of these. It was. IIRC, a double-frontage, sandwich station on the north wall
Mama Joy’s was a treasure trove! From kalamata olives to perfect cheeses. They even had splended imported beers, like Spaten, and dry white wine at reasonable prices. One memory of that place around 1980: the main cashier had lost an arm and had a sort of metal hook that he could use to ring the cash register. He was dextrous and hard-working. A fine fellow!
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Does anyone recall a restaurant on Broadway called something like “delices la cote France,” or perhaps Provence? It was upstairs and served a very good onion soup.
Delices La Cote Basque?
https://www.nytimes.com/1981/11/27/arts/restaurants-2-french-choices-modern-and-funky.html
Welcome to Hungry Onion!
If it’s Morningside Heights you have in mind, you might be thinking of Au Grenier, which was on Broadway between 111th and 112th Sts., above Samad’s Deli (still in business), and is briefly mentioned here:
https://www.nytimes.com/1982/09/26/realestate/if-you-re-thinking-of-living-in-morningside-heights.html
No, but I recall those places – I lived at 532 111th Street in 1979-80. The restaurant I’m thinking of was on the other side of Broadway and closer to Columbia University.
No, the place I have in mind was very nice but not so fancy.
