Like Saturn, I’ve returned.
Welcome to another edition of The Scoop (le scoop en france). It’s pop girl spring, which is putting quite the pep in my step. We’ve got so many fresh beats and so many podcasts to listen to about said beats. It’s an auditory buffet of epic proportions! It’s the Olympics of Sound! The eardrums are thrumming! The AirPods will be pushed to strike if we don’t let up soon! Taylor Swift actually said “you know how to ball I know Aristotle” and I LAUGHED OUT LOUD. It’s absurd. Anyway, unrelated to music, I wrote a heck of a lot about three fun NYC spots below, so we’re going to make like a Tree (Paine) and leaf (control the narrative of this ‘sletter).
Thank you to the three of you who understand that clunky joke, and this is the Scoop:
Semma
The key to getting into trendy restaurants in New York is using the lengthy wait your advantage. Trendy spots require a little flexibility, but that’s not a dealbreaker if you scout a cute little wine bar/ stationery emporium/ oversized Harry Potter store nearby to pass the time. Enter: SEMMA. This place has been on my list for ages because I’m such a fan of Rowdy Rooster and Adda, which are owned by the same group. It’s in a great location on the same West Village block as hot chocolate kingpin Mah-Ze-Dahr, so there are a ton of options to pop into to pass some time.
Semma specializes in South Indian food that’s best devoured as a set of shared plates. After being quoted a 90-minute wait and getting seated after just under an hour, a dear pal and I enjoyed a smattering of perfectly seasoned, cozy dishes. The gunpowder dosa had this amazing cheesy quality to it, and the vegetable soup and other little bits to dip in were just sensational. We also loved the attu kari sukka, which is this fall-of-the-bone tender lamb dish with the perfect kick. It had a beautiful char to it, and my only critique was that it was hard to pick bites up off the plate, which was basically a cross-section of a tree trunk and didn’t have a lip (we survived). I had almost no stomach space left to enjoy the mirchi ka salan (stuffed long peppers), but the few bites I managed were sensational and majorly spicy. And, as if the great food wasn’t enough, everyone at Semma was unbelievably kind and welcoming. Not a standoffish soul in the bunch!
Parla
The best ice cream in New York is the pistachio/ cherry/ chocolate soft serve at Parla on the Upper West Side. It is dense and flavorful and fresh and creative, but not in a try-hard way. The rest of Parla’s menu also hits, with delicious square and round pizzas, a bowl of expertly brined marinated olives, a smattering of shareable pastas, and a snappy little cocktail menu to round things out. My menu highlights (in addition to dessert ofc) are the deconstructed caesar and the hot hunny pie with ranch and vodka sauce on the side to dip in. Plus, the vibe at Parla is positively buzzing. It’s always a good level of crowded, filled with 20/30somethings hanging out at the bar or enjoying a few shared plates. It’s the kind of restaurant that proves people who think everything worth doing happens below 14th have never known what they’re talking about.
Coqodaq
Coqodaq is That Girl right now. It’s getting a lot of press, and they’re definitely trying to cultivate a sceney, exclusive vibe. That kind of place isn’t usually my lane, but I’m delighted to have experienced the extremely fun fried chicken dinner nonetheless. The first thing to know about Coqodaq is that your odds of walking right past it are roughly 99.99%. There’s no sign, just some scaffolding and an incredibly dark entryway with a doorman standing at the ready. Once you enter, you’re greeted by a GLORIOUS tub of sinks and fancy soaps before you even hit the host stand. If I could put this setup in every restaurant I would. What a treat to wash your hands with some luxe suds after you get off the train.
Now, onto the nosh: Coqodaq really leans into the high/ low of it all, offering chicken nuggets with caviar and pairing a riotously expansive champagne menu with various iterations of Korean fried chicken. The gem of this menu is the Bucket List, which (for just $38) comes with chicken consomme, fried chicken in two sauces, an assortment of bon chon, a side of noodles, and froyo to finish. The crispy, moist chicken was the star of the show, made exponentially better by the accompanying dipping sauces and pickled veg. Is it a place you need to wait hours for? No, but once the hype train leaves this station, it’s absolutely worth paying a visit.
and some good old fashioned reading
this small-town college basketball story is very charming // the daily northwestern is doing a great job covering the pro-palestine encampment that students built thursday // why is everyone trying to run a marathon? // they graduated into gaza’s war. what happened to them? // discourse on whiny media discourse // a profile on the source of many of my best tabs
okay, that’s literally all she wrote for the day. thanks so much for joining me!!! 😎see ya next time.😎