Falling for La Follia – NYC

Carrie Bradshaw once said, “Women come to New York for the two L’s: Labels and Love.” Unfortunately I think it’s easier to find love than it is to think of Carrie’s dating disasters without rolling your eyes. But all antics aside, Carrie was a woman with wisdom beyond her Yves (St. Laurent).

I came to New York for the L’s too, but it didn’t take me long to figure out I could only afford one. The one followed by an O, not a V. But unlike Carrie, I found something better than an inconsistent flake of a man who leaves me at an altar in front of thousands of people. (Yes, I get that he was sorry, but that man was a waste of a Vivienne Westwood).

The love I found in New York was for the food. Restaurants crowd every nook and cranny, and the city that never sleeps buzzes with food as much as it buzzes with life. Eating in New York is never a necessity, it’s a choice every time.

I’d be lying through my van Cleef if I denied falling in love with the labels first. Designers like Piccholine, Craftbar, and Café Boulud were the first to catch my famished eyes, but raiding thrift stores proved far more fun, and it was in searching for places like La Follia where I found my unexpected loves.

I found La Follia while wandering through Murray Hill. I had no idea where to have dinner so I figured I’d walk toward Momofuku and see what popped up along the way. This explanation has nothing to do with my review of the restaurant, but since no sane person actually wanders through Murray Hill, I felt compelled to explain lest you think I’ve lost my mind.

I’ll never really know why my friend perked up when we walked by La Follia, which is forgettable-appearing at best, but the menu had us at salty prosciutto tempered by fresh fig. After a few Proscuitto Wrapped Figs, we were hooked.

Despite the surplus of cute little nook-restaurants, when most people picture New York they see the shiny billboards of Times Square or the towering megaliths of Lincoln Center and MSG and head for the Bubba Gump. La Follia gets lost amidst the light, but after too many designer places, it becomes the go-to we seek for simplicities like the Arugula and Beet Salad.

La Follia embodies the sweet little things we forget after too many nights under the city lights. But even a New York sky has stars if you take the time to find them. They’re easy to miss, but sometimes they sneak up on you like hearty spirals of Cavatappi with cauliflower and parmesan…or a new exhibit at the Met.

When it comes to food, New York has it all. If it’s the restaurants with designer labels you seek, look no further than the cumulative 62 Michelin Stars, but if you’re mining for gems like La Follia, you may need to dig a little deeper. But whatever you’re looking for, you’ll be sure to find in New York. Just make sure you find what you love.