Simon McCormick Layne Mosler’s quest for culinary delights prompted her to ask cab drivers about the city’s best food finds, like pork soup dumplings at Grand Sichuan.Layne Mosler is always on the hunt for a good, cheap meal. Back in 2007, she realized that taxi drivers often stumble upon fast food finds in their forays around the city so she started asking them for suggestions and doing taste tests herself. Her culinary escapades have taken her around the globe from Berlin to Buenos Aires and are chronicled on her blog, TaxiGourmet.com.
Last January, Ms. Mosler decided to join the ranks and became a New York City yellow cab driver, working a 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. shift three days a week.
Ms. Mosler took us on a tour of her favorite East Village eateries last week. Dressed in a taxi-yellow shirt, she said she
chose these East Village eateries because they remind her of her travels. Of course, they’re perfect for a cabbie—or anyone else—trying to catch a tasty, cheap bite in a hurry.
Wechsler’s Currywurst
120 First Avenue
www.currywurstnyc.com
Why Wechsler’s?
I like it better than what I tasted in Berlin. Here, it’s a little more cured and the sauce they make is a proprietary sauce. In Berlin, they sprinkle curry powder on it and smother it in ketchup.
What about the atmosphere?
If you want to hangout after work and have a really good meal before you get your night started, this is a good place to begin things. I’d come here after I finish my shift, because when we’re on duty, we don’t want to be eating food that’s super heavy. It’s quick, it’s simple, it’s satisfying.
Caracas Arepa Bar
91 East Seventh Street
www.caracasarepabar.com
You lived and worked in Latin America so what makes Caracas standout for you?
I have a lot of Columbian friends who introduced me to arepas, which are ground corn cakes. I was really excited to try the Venezuelan version, so when I tried these, they pretty much rocked my world.
What’s your favorite Arepa?
Arepa De Pabellón. It’s got shredded beef, black beans, white salty cheese and sweet plantains so there’s a good mix of sweet and savory. They also give you a mango salsa that rocks it.
Is this good cab food?
I could do this if I could find parking. They’re pretty quick about getting your food. It’s not too heavy. It would satisfy me for a few hours while I’m on duty.
Simon McCormick Ms. Mosler with an Arepa De Pabellón at Caracas Arepa Bar. She’s fond of a “mango salsa that rocks it.” Buenos Aires
513 East Sixth Street
www.buenosairesnyc.com
Why did you pick this place?
I have an obsession with empanadas. I got to taste the most spectacular empanadas I’ve ever had in my life at a festival in Argentina. I’ve sort of been haunted since then. The empanadas here aren’t as good as in Argentina, but they’re some of the best that I’ve found in New York.
What sets these empanadas apart?
A lot of the ones you find in the city are fried, which is just … no! Here they’re baked. You miss a lot of the flavors and the filling when you fry them.
Punjabi Grocery and Deli
114 East First Street
What do you like about this place?
It’s perfect for cabbies. It’s cheap, fast and they have a bathroom, although it’s disgusting. They also have the mini Red Bull cans. One of the things that’s not very glamorous about being a cabby is that going to the bathroom is a serious issue. We can’t be drinking Big Gulps, so those little Red Bulls are perfect.
What’s the best thing to get?
The black bean stew or any bean stew they have. Nothing here costs more than $6. They make the food in Jamaica, Queens, then they bring it out here and they zap it in the microwave. But the food is so good that it survives the microwave zapping.
Grand Sichuan
23 St. Marks Place
www.thegrandsichuan.com
How did you hear about this place?
An 8-year-old passenger recommended this to me. I asked her what her favorite food was, and she said soup dumplings at Grand Sichuan.
What do you like about the pork soup dumplings?
It’s very comforting food. A dumpling in itself is comforting and when you add soup into the mix, it adds to the whole comfort factor. It’s a place I’d go if it’s been a day of bad fares or getting lost. You bite off a little bit of dumpling, and you suck the soup out.
We know you spend much of your time after your shift scoping out new restaurants. How do you begin your day?
I drink a strong cup of black coffee and make myself a quesadilla. An hour or two into my shift, I stop at Roasting Plant for an espresso or, if I can wait until 9 a.m., La Colombe in Tribeca for a macchiato and an almond croissant.
