It’s a well-known fact that the time between 3 and 5 o’clock in the afternoon is a liminal space (as well as the scariest time of day to ride the subway — all of those teenagers!). It’s too late for lunch, too early for dinner. But it’s the Goldilocks hour for a little treat. That could be an afternoon latte and a big, warm cookie. Or a Caesar salad and a plate of French fries.
This is not to be confused with the New York Happy Meal — a martini and fries — as coined by E. Alex Jung of New York magazine. It’s simply an offshoot of “little treat o’clock.” Shopping spree in SoHo? Caesar salad and fries. Post-matinee snack? Caesar salad and fries. Just because? Caesar salad and fries. Here are three of my favorite places to grab that magic combo, just about any time of day.
Et tu, Cluny?
The West Village is a hot topic of discussion this week. It has changed in ways that few people can completely wrap their heads around, but there are certain restaurants that I have to believe will last forever. The nearly 20-year-old Cafe Cluny is among them. How could a charming, corner restaurant on a tree-lined street not outlive us all?
Cafe Cluny’s bar is a whisper of a thing, but it’s democratic (first come first served). You can grab a seat any time of day because it’s a cafe in the truest sense of the word. As servers in black-and-white striped shirts swirl around the room, order the Little Gem and endive Caesar salad with Parmesan crouton crackers. And if you know anything about either of those greens, you know they’re not romaine. They’re classy and understated, and can be eaten in just one bite, which is apparently asking a lot these days. That little salad with the platonic ideal of French fries that Cafe Cluny serves — crispy, orange-gold and served in a metal cup — simply can’t be beaten.
284 West 12th Street (West 4th Street)
No monkey business here
Then there’s the in-your-face Caesar salad at Monkey Bar. This 89-year-old bar is just around the corner from the Museum of Modern Art, which makes it a most excellent stop after an afternoon of taking in Van Goghs and Monets. Plus, it’s much cheaper than lunch at the Modern.
It’s here, under dim lighting and an Edward Sorel mural of Jazz Age celebrities, that you’ll want to dive into the restaurant’s smoked whitefish Caesar. It turns out that this Jewish deli favorite not only carries a salad, but should maybe be in all Caesar salads from now on. Sorry to anchovies! And did I mention the potato chips? Sorry to croutons as well. I’ll be honest: Monkey Bar’s French fries needed some work the day I visited — crispier, please! — but they still make a fine companion to that genre-defying salad; the same way Pinky made a fine companion to the Brain.
60 East 54th Street (Madison Avenue)
Where you’re most likely to find me
There’s always a nonzero chance that I’m at the Fly. Even when I’m not there, I’m thinking about it and my three favorite things to order: the generously dressed, perfectly classic Caesar salad with crunchy breadcrumbs, the heaping basket of paprika-dusted fries and the saucy rotisserie chicken sandwich, which I’ve argued is the restaurant’s best entree. People always seem surprised but I promise, it’s better than, like, half of the fried chicken sandwiches out there.
If you order those three things, plus a spritz, I can guarantee that you will have the meal of your life. And it’s oh so accessible: The bar at the Fly wraps all the way around, and another long bar is tucked along an exterior wall. You’ll be in and out in an hour or so, dreaming of future little treats to come.
549 Classon Avenue (Fulton Street)
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Nikita Richardson is an editor in the Food section of The Times.
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