Whenever I tell people what I do for work, their first question is: How did you get into food? I wish I had an interesting answer like, “I was reading Gourmet in the womb,” or that I came from a family of adventurous eaters. But neither is true.
I have always loved to eat, and to eat well. The first sticky, hot summer my sister and I lived in New York City, we made it our mission to find an authentic croissant. We grew up eating melted Cheddar cheese sandwiched inside a Costco croissant, but we wanted more. We wanted better. The croissants at the original location (now closed, sadly) of Ceci-Cela in SoHo completely changed our perspective and that’s likely the moment that set me on my current path.
Starting next week, that path is changing. I will no longer be co-writing “Where to Eat: New York City” — because I’m taking over as editor of the newsletter. Here’s the plan: Three weeks out of the month you’ll hear from Luke Fortney, who I knew for years as a tireless, enthusiastic reporter at Eater New York and now have the privilege of working with on exciting undertakings like updating our best pizza list, which he approached with energy and enthusiasm. And Becky Hughes, who has brought incredible warmth and humor to the newsletter, will stay on writing once a month.
For my part, I’m going to keep making sure that we continue to bring the absolute best eating guides in New York City to your inboxes and web browsers, like the best croissants list we dropped today. The reporter, Mahira Rivers, visited 114 bakeries and ate more than 200 croissants across the city to determine the 21 best. (My sister and I would have loved to have this list in 2013.)
I haven’t been this excited about the future of “Where to Eat” since we first hit send on March 22, 2022 — and I promise you all are in for a treat. For now, here are some of my favorite moments from my time behind the keyboard.
The time I went hunting for a Staten Island hot dog
One of my saving graces in my time writing this newsletter has been having a car, a rarity here (and my incredible editor, Mark Josephson). Nothing fancy: It’s a 2003 Toyota I’ve had since I was 19. Behind the wheel, I hunted down bites in Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island, including Skippy’s, an elusive hot-dog truck on Staten Island. (Google says it’s “permanently closed,” but it’s not. During the summer, Skippy’s operates most days from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., unless it’s raining.) Once I found it on my second trip over the Verrazzano, I spent the afternoon sitting in the truck with Dawn LaVigne, the third-generation owner, hearing about all the birthdays, engagements and childhoods she’d witnessed from that truck. It was one of a handful of real, touching New York City moments I’ve had while penning this newsletter.
1952 Hylan Blvd #1942 (Seaver Avenue)
All the times I was able to help y’all out — and vice versa
The origin story of “Where to Eat” is that as we came out of the pandemic, I wanted to learn where to dine out again — and you all seemed to be thinking the same thing. Along the way, you sent highly useful questions, like how to dine in a Covid-conscious manner, where to go based on dietary restrictions and where to eat in the Theater District or near Lincoln Center. (Marseille and Cafe Fiorello!) But you were also generous with your restaurant knowledge, sharing your favorite cozy spots, telling us about your No. 1 restaurant in the city and beloved sandwiches, and occasionally emailing me to let me know you’d be gate-keeping a restaurant. Sad, but understandable, I guess.
Marseille, 630 Ninth Avenue (West 44th Street)
Cafe Fiorello, 1900 Broadway (Lincoln Plaza)
Every single time I got to write about dessert
The second “Where to Eat” newsletter was about restaurant desserts, and from there I was able to consistently cover sweets in the city, one of my favorite subjects. There was an East Village bakery crawl, an all-ice cream edition, an ode to eating dessert at another restaurant, a more spread out bakery crawl, a call to order a big slice of cake and more. I really love an elaborate sweet, but ultimately nothing beats an affogato at Roman’s. Not once did anyone complain about me writing so much about dessert, and to that I say thank you falettinme be mice elf agin.
243 DeKalb Avenue (Vanderbilt Avenue)
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Nikita Richardson is an editor in the Food section of The Times.
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