bork, bork.
Martin has alerted me to a tragedy of semi-epic proportions:
Ulrika's is closing on Saturday.
Ulrika's, for you non-New Yorkers, is a Swedish restaurant in the city that is a million times less swank than its upscale cousin Aquavit. Aquavit may have Marcus Samuelsson, the hottest of hot chefs, but Ulrika's has hot waiters. Also, it has a non-intimidation factor that was much appreciated on the several times I went there. My dad and I have reminisced more than once about a dinner involving fish, fish and more fish (an array of herring, salmon, I forget what else) and a sampler of aquavit that was divine. Stacy and I used to joke about going just to drink at the bar and ogle the waiters, but, hey, it was in the 50s, and we are downtown-&-Brooklyn girls; north of 23rd is like a different country.
Aquavit is fancy and very good when someone's parents are springing, especially when someone's elder sister says "Hey, let's get Bailey's!" when the menfolk are having some special menfolk-drink and thus you get after-dinner sweetness and giggles. Christer's is less pretentiously nice and also good, especially when your parents are in town for your birthday or other occasion.
But Ulrika's was just right for going to with friends - it felt like going to a nice restaurant but without the attitude, and with much more reasonable prices. Also, if I remember correctly, they sold Bilar, which made me endlessly happy (it was there or the Swedish church, where my little blonde self was always afraid they would try to speak to me in Swedish and I'd have to shake my head and mutter the three or four phrases I knew at the time over and over again, backing out slowly in embarrassment).
So alas, my secret dinner plans for my eventual, hopeful birthday trip to NYC have been dashed. If you're in NYC, go raise a glass and eat some herring for me.
ETA: Curse my out-of-town-ness! Martin has just informed me that Christer's has been closed for something like six years. Sigh.
Ulrika's is closing on Saturday.
Ulrika's, for you non-New Yorkers, is a Swedish restaurant in the city that is a million times less swank than its upscale cousin Aquavit. Aquavit may have Marcus Samuelsson, the hottest of hot chefs, but Ulrika's has hot waiters. Also, it has a non-intimidation factor that was much appreciated on the several times I went there. My dad and I have reminisced more than once about a dinner involving fish, fish and more fish (an array of herring, salmon, I forget what else) and a sampler of aquavit that was divine. Stacy and I used to joke about going just to drink at the bar and ogle the waiters, but, hey, it was in the 50s, and we are downtown-&-Brooklyn girls; north of 23rd is like a different country.
Aquavit is fancy and very good when someone's parents are springing, especially when someone's elder sister says "Hey, let's get Bailey's!" when the menfolk are having some special menfolk-drink and thus you get after-dinner sweetness and giggles. Christer's is less pretentiously nice and also good, especially when your parents are in town for your birthday or other occasion.
But Ulrika's was just right for going to with friends - it felt like going to a nice restaurant but without the attitude, and with much more reasonable prices. Also, if I remember correctly, they sold Bilar, which made me endlessly happy (it was there or the Swedish church, where my little blonde self was always afraid they would try to speak to me in Swedish and I'd have to shake my head and mutter the three or four phrases I knew at the time over and over again, backing out slowly in embarrassment).
So alas, my secret dinner plans for my eventual, hopeful birthday trip to NYC have been dashed. If you're in NYC, go raise a glass and eat some herring for me.
ETA: Curse my out-of-town-ness! Martin has just informed me that Christer's has been closed for something like six years. Sigh.