Chat n’ Chew was a beloved restaurant on East 16th Street right across from the original Union Square Cafe in New York City. (Photo above courtesy of InvitedNYC.com) They had a kitschy vibe with 50s decor and served gooey grilled cheese sammies, crunchy topped mac and cheese bowls, kitchen sink salads that had greens, grilled chicken, ham (I of course 86’d mine), cheddar, blue cheese, olives, tomato, artichoke hearts, green beans, roasted red peppers (also a no), cucumbers, and a hard-boiled egg. But my go-to was always Uncle Red’s Addiction– blossom honey dipt fried chicken that came with skin-on smashies with brown gravy & garden veggies. I washed down that whole mess with a majorly thick chocolate shake. OMG– total heaven. Not only was the food delish, but I dined there often with family in the late 90s, friends in the early 2000s, and eventually my son closer to 2010, and no matter the company, we always had a blast discussing all the memorabilia on the walls. So basically we went there to talk and eat, hence the genius of Chat n’ Chew. (Photo below courtesy of Grub Street.)
Breaking bread has always been my way of connecting with people. Young or old, slim or “watching,” experienced banker or CPA rookie, urban dweller or suburban commuter– everyone has food in common. And once you’re sharing a meal with someone, they tend to relax a little. Then you share something about yourself and maybe they do too? The appetizer comes and perhaps you indulge together… And of course the food is great since I’ve probably picked the place and suggested the menu (ha!), so there’s that to discuss on top of the already lively conversation.
My whole Jen’s Little Black Book concept started as a fun guide for restaurant recommendations in Midtown cleverly disguised as a corporate giveaway. And although most of the readers knew all the places I wrote about they were excited to have a pocket-sized reminder suggesting where to go and what to order once they got there. Handing out the books even became a bit of an ice breaker since business lunches were sometimes awkward– I might not have known the person too well, they might have taken one look at me and decided to park their trusty phone right next to their steak knife as cover if they felt an uncomfortable silence coming or if my probing questions were just too much for them, or maybe they exhibited some questionable table manners. They might have been on a special diet which meant no breadbasket for me and the possibility of sharing dessert just went right out the window. (Those people lost me at hello.) With the thousands (yes, thousands!) of business lunches I’ve hosted, trust me I have seen it all.
And I can’t share every story with you, but I can tell you that I’ve witnessed a serious wrestling match between a man and a stubborn piece of steak gristle. (The gristle lost by the way and I gag just thinking about it.) I’ve seen a woman throw back three glasses of Merlot and house an entire “personal” pizza in under 60 minutes. (The menu was being kind calling it personal, honey, but I’m glad you opted for all that bread to absorb at least some of the alcohol.) And I was present when a guest of mine ordered $135 worth of sushi by himself for himself. (Holy edamame, Batman!) I slurped a measly miso soup to balance out the tab and added 3 guests to the lunch when I did my expenses so as not to get fired for inviting a haza to lunch. (That’s Yiddish for pig!)
Whether you’re ingesting a staggering selection of sushi, pigging out on personal pizzas, or stabbing a stubborn sirloin steak, mealtime is a great time to build a relationship while learning a lot (sometimes too much) about your dining companion. In my case, I’ve been able to make some great friends while chatting casually at the lunch table. I have only one universal rule of thumb– if you’re going to chat while I chew, you can trust that I won’t chomp and tell.
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