Cafeteria - NYC Style Comfort Food

Dan, a JAM high school friend, was coming to NY for some job interviews this week. Being the first time we would be able to hang out in NY, I knew I wanted to pick somewhere memorable yet not too NY to eat. Keeping in mind budget, deliciousness, and the fact that Dan would be eating a steak dinner as part of his interview process the following day, I selected Cafeteria.

Upon our arrival, we were told for two at around 730 at night the wait would be 20-25 mins (it ended up being about 10). We were seated at a small table towards the bar, given our menus, and left to our own devices. Luckily as a fairly frequent Cafeteria-goer, I gave Dan some recommendations and we quickly made decisions, ordering both drinks and dinner when our waiter arrived. I order a wild berry mojito ($12, raspberry vodka with muddled mint, limes, syrup, and blackberries) and the fish 'n chips ($17), and Dan ordered a Heineken and the daily special, a Roasted Turkey Dinner ($16, turkey with garlic mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and green beans).

Our drinks arrived shortly, my mojito delicious, which actually surprised me as I've had an assortment of mango, strawberry, and other flavored mojitos that are really gross and cloyingly sweet. It was almost as good as the cocomojitos I had with JAM and Natalie that weekend, which I thought would be impossible to come close to. It was decently sized, with chunks of blackberries swimming amongst fresh mint leaves and two large lime sections. Dan's beer, well, was consistent.

Then our food arrived! Dan's first (which he gamely photographed below):

Dan devoured every bite and said that it was good. High points included the fact that the cranberry sauce was on top of the gravy, turkey, and mashed potatoes, which meant it was mixed together well in every bite. The turkey was moist and barely required the use of a knife.

My fish 'n chips were delicious too. The fries had been flavored with parmesan cheese and some parsley and were extremely crispy and hot. The were especially delicious with the ketchup, which helped to mellow out the cheesy flavor. The fish had a nice, crisp batter around it and when broken apart was in large flaky, moist pieces that at times required a fork to scoop up to eat. The tarter sauce was tangy but I prefer more relish in my tartar sauce, so it was more reminiscent of mayonaise than tartar sauce.

The slaw was in apple cider vinegar, which I could taste, but the cabbage was shredded very thinly so it was at times very stringy in my mouth. It also could have been crunchier.

All in all, I give my wildberry mojito and fish 'n chips a 3 out of 3 JAMs