LONELY WHITE GIRL

Have you ever had a booty-call IGNORE your advances?! Totally harsh, right? Well, it happened to me for the first time yesterday, and in the spirit of having my late-night plans botched I had to look for a replacement activity. Luckily, an acquaintance of mine was celebrating his birthday down at The Back Room on the Lower East Side. I'm glad I went, because the bar, on Norfolk and Delancey, was EXCELLENT, with the exact kind of trappings and trimmings I go for. Wood burning fireplace? Check. Mixed drinks served in tea cups? Check. Bouncer carding me very intensely because he just can't believe I'm over 21? Oh yes...Oh thank you bouncer...Check.

I had the house drink: a Cherry Bourbon Manhattan, which disappointed me. It was basically a regular, slightly bitter Manhattan with a single cherry in it. ONE cherry?! THAT IS NOT GENEROUS! I am a GIRL and if something promises the taste of cherries it better have FIVE cherries in it or closely resemble a Shirley Temple. This did not. But there's something about putting alcohol in a coffee cup that confuses the mind -- I drank my cup of disappointment as quickly as I would a mug of Chock Full O' Nuts, and it was at this point that I became INCREDIBLY HUNGRY.

I think I spent a good hour convincing my party to leave and get some food. NO ONE wanted to go! That's when I knew I was surrounded by a bunch of dingbats: when not a single soul wanted to give up his precious drinking for a trip to Chowtown USA.

So I took matters into my own hands. I left. And I knew EXACTLY where to go at 1:30am for my meal: PUNJABI!!

Punjabi is a 24-7 Pakistani counter on Houston between 1st and 2nd, and it caters primarily to cab drivers who need a quick, cheap meal in between shifts. It also caters to ME, because there's no place I'd rather go spend $2 late at night than at my beloved Punjabi. I've seen drunk hipsters there, but last night I was surrounded by Pakistani cab drivers. It was great. For $2, you can choose from about 6 different vegan entrees over rice. I'll admit the microwaved styrofoam presentation isn't much to look at, but $2 isn't much to spend. I always get a combination: something spicy and wet, and something mild and chunky. Last night I had spicy lentils and a potato cauliflower curry combo, and it was perfect. Punjabi also has samosas and cucumber and yogurt salads, but I've never needed more than my $2 bowl. If you're feeling adventurous (and I was, once), try the Thums Up, their version of Coke. It is totally harsh but, unlike some disappointments, in a really great way.