118 West 57th Street between Sixth and Seventh
212/245.5000
about $25 for two, with two drinks, without tip

Behind the heavy curtains next to the front desk of Le Parker Meridien hotel is a hole-in-the-wall burger joint that serves no-nonsense burgers, French fries, milkshakes, beer and soda. They proudly declare that “If you don’t see it, we don’t have it!” The staff has a no-nonsense attitude to match the burgers they serve. They call out your name and you get your burgers wrapped in paper, your fries in a brown bag and your drink in a plastic cup. Thank you very much.

Le Parker Meridien burger joint has been one of those (not-so)-secret New York City places that has been written numerous times throughout the years but still enjoys a certain anonymity. And when you’re finally there, you can’t help but feel glad that you’re a part of something so New York.

96 Walker Street on Centre
212/343-8625
about $20 for two, without drinks, without tip

If you only have $5 to spare, XO’s congee is pretty good. I order my usual favorites: sliced pork or fish.

With decent congee on the menu, I don’t know why they try to westernize everything else. XO is probably the only place in Chinatown that serves spaghetti as an alternative to rice. Their rice dishes are only good when you’re in a drunken stupor and they will definitely make you wonder why you ordered them in the first place after several hours.

Everything comes in some kind of thick brown sauce that reminds me of a poor man’s stew, cornstarch and soy sauce galore. But at least they’re civilized enough to be served with two stalks of green vegetables.

1250 Broadway on 31st Street
212/564-6845
about $60 for two, with two drinks, without tip

Manhattan’s Koreatown pales in comparison with the one in Flushing, Queens and it certainly is embarrassing compared to the one in Los Angeles. Kang Suh is one of the more established restaurants on 31st Street between Broadway and Fifth or Koreablock. It’s also one of the restaurants I choose from when I’m with a group of friends who want barbeque. Kalbi or beef ribs are expensive in Manhattan and Korean restaurants, Kang Suh included, charge so much for so little meat but we tend to forget that we’re being ripped off after a few bottles of OB and at least an hour’s worth of barbeque smell in our clothes.

Kang Suh’s pan chan or side dishes include kimchi, anchovies and spinach

What I usually go for at Kang Suh however is their yuk kae jang, a spicy beef broth soup with bean sprouts and green onions served with noodles and rice. It’s enough to clear your sinus and make you forget that it’s winter outside.

The boy likes their daegoo muhri tang, or codfish soup also served with a bunch of vegetables and sometimes with clams and shrimps.

508 Broome Street between West Broadway and Thompson
212/965-1515
about $25 for two for lunch, with two drinks, without tip

I always come to Karahi when I’m in the mood for more than one helping of chana saag (creamed spinach with chick peas) and tandori chicken and lamb vindaloo and aloo gobhi (cauliflower and potatoes). Not to mention kheer, their rice pudding flavored with fragrant cardamom and pistachios.

Karahi’s buffet costs about $8.95 a person which is pretty standard for SoHo lunches but if you can eat like me, it’s a steal. The restaurant caters to the neighborhood during the day and their dishes are consistently delicious. They know not to make them spicy without sacrificing the most important Indian flavors so that we can all go back to our offices and work for five more hours. There are work days that call for a long, heavy, Indian buffet-style lunch and then there are days that call for a lazy afternoon with a full stomach.

Update, August 2006:
Karahi has moved to 118 Christopher Street but still has the same phone number.

100 Allen Street between Delancey and Broome
212/941-1818
about $25 for two, without drinks, without tip

When I’m craving congee, I usually run to Congee Village for their $3 hot bowls, either served with pork, chicken, duck, fish, hundred-year-old egg or a combination of all of them. Congee is a type of rice porridge cooked the Chinese way, slowly and with water until the rice has a thicker consistency. It’s comfort food and it reminds Filipinos of their own version, arroz caldo.

Congee with hot chili oil

Congee Village also carries a lot of Chinese food outside their congee selections. I usually order the sautéed lotus root served in bean paste sauce or the assorted vegetables cooked Buddhist style to match. If you like hot pots, their casserole with salted fish is excellent. But skip on these soupy buns.

They’re always stuck on the wooden bowl, they rip apart when you pick them up and you’re left with soupless buns. Get them at Joe’s Ginger instead.