Podcast Summary: All Of It (WNYC)

Episode: "A History of New York City Told Through its Restaurants"

Date: April 15, 2024
Host: Koosha Navadar (in for Alison Stewart)
Guest: Alan Sytsma, Food Editor, New York Magazine

Brief Overview

This episode explores New York City's rich social and cultural history through the lens of its restaurants, focusing on the newly-released "Yesteryear" issue of New York Magazine. The host, Koosha Navadar, and guest, Alan Sytsma, delve into how eateries have shaped the city’s life and identity, centering on personal stories, memories, and the distinctively communal role restaurants play in New Yorkers' lives. Listeners call in to share their own nostalgic tales about beloved establishments, past and present.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Why Restaurants? – The Editorial Choice

• The annual “Yesteryear” issue reflects on NYC history; this year, the focus is restaurants.
• The quilted giraffe article's success last year inspired the idea.
• The editorial process shifted from covering 'dishes' or 'chefs' to highlighting 'scenes' and guests.
• Alan Sytsma: “It almost became less of a food story, less of a restaurant story, and really just a story about the city's history, which is what we always want the issue to be anyway.” (05:23)

The People Behind the Places

• The concept solidified around a photo of Mark Twain at Delmonico’s, which unlocked the approach of showcasing events and parties, not just establishments.
• Inclusion of writers and culture experts who contributed personal vignettes about iconic nights and regulars.

Subcultures & Scenes: Punk, Artists, Bartenders

• Special focus on the diversity of restaurant-goers, from punks in the East Village (e.g., Lechko’s, The Cauldron) to legendary artist haunts and celebrity regulars.
• Alan Sytsma: “Everybody has to eat somewhere… there’s gonna be so much color and, you know, experience from this that you never even think about.” (07:52)

Call-Ins: Listener Memories [09:44–12:05]

• Katie, Larchmont: Reminisces about Goldberg’s Pizza and their unforgettable "smog pizza."
• Al, New Jersey: Shares family visits to Grotto Azzura in Little Italy—classic Italian fare and peaches in wine.
• Susan, Connecticut: Describes traditions forged at Jean's on 6th Avenue, including uncanny bartender memory and annual reunions.

The "Regular" and the Third Space [12:21–14:08, 17:00–18:21]

• Sitsma highlights Jean’s as a classic “regular’s bar,” emphasizing the unique NYC phenomenon of restaurants as extensions of the home due to small living spaces.
• Explains that restaurants are more than eateries—they’re workplaces, gathering spots, and hubs of neighborhood life.

The Enduring Allure of Disappearing Haunts [14:08–]

• Alan’s personal nostalgia for WD50 (experimental, now-closed), suggesting these places linger in collective and personal memory long after their closure.
• Texts from listeners reveal widespread longing for lost mainstays like Odessa, Angelica’s Kitchen, Florent, and artist bars like Cedar Tavern.

The Unique New York Restaurant Culture [17:00–18:21, 28:59–30:09]

• NYC's “third space” concept is more pronounced because of lifestyle—compact homes make public gathering places vital.
• “We live in tiny spaces. We take restaurants as... more than just places to go eat for us. We work there, we live there.... underneath it all, we’re still sort of that tavern town.” (Alan Sytsma, 17:00)

The Impact of Change – Gentrification and Shifting Cityscapes [28:59–29:49]

• Urban renewal, development, and rent increases cited as common exclamation points on restaurant stories—closure and reinvention are part of the city’s DNA.
• Alan reflects on a photo of a father and son in a now-demolished mall, calling it "the ghost of New York past."

Nostalgia for Eras Never Lived [21:42–22:47]

• The magazine’s approach elicits a collective nostalgia, even for times readers or writers didn't experience directly.
• Alan: “It just sounds like this wild restaurant where you could get a chili dog or frogs’ legs and everyone was... crammed in together… it would have been nice to just spend a night there.” (referring to Maxwell’s Plum, 22:03)

Then & Now – What’s Changed, What’s Improved? [23:08–24:35]

• Alan discusses how apps and media hype push diners to the latest thing, eroding the sense of “regulars” and true scene-building.
• “Restaurants don’t have the time for financial reasons, media reasons… to really build that network of regular customers that creates a scene.” (23:35)
• Today’s food quality is probably higher on average than in the past, despite the lost sense of “home.”

Today’s Third Spaces and Building Connection [25:58–26:55]

• The idea of the “regular” is evolving but persists—establishments like Jean’s maintain tradition, with tight-knit communities and even legendary bartenders.
• Alan emphasizes the importance of giving back to the scene—being a valued patron is a two-way street.

Celebrities, Fame, and Restaurant Culture [30:09–31:21]

• Restaurants as stages for the famous to be seen, with stories from Fat Joe, Julia Fox, and others woven into the narrative.
• Sytsma: “If you’re a celebrity, you want to be seen, right? You want to be out, you want to be where the party is… and you’re going to get treated really well.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It almost became less of a food story, less of a restaurant story, and really just a story about the city's history, which is what we always want the issue to be anyway.”
  — Alan Sytsma (05:23)

• “There’s going to be so much color and, you know, experience from this that you never even think about.”
  — Alan Sytsma (07:52)

• Katie on Goldberg’s Pizza: “25 years later, I still think about that pizza.” (09:44)

• Al on Grotto Azzura: “As little kids, even peaches and wine... These voluptuous peaches in wine, fabulous Italian food, and it was just an event.” (10:34)

• Susan on Jean’s: “Went back [the next year]… the amazing bartender served our drinks without even asking... It’s been magical. We’ve gone every single year.” (11:18)

• “We live in tiny spaces…. underneath it all, we’re still sort of that tavern town…”
  — Alan Sytsma (17:00)

• “The sense of community, it absolutely still exists here. You just have to kind of, you know, know where it is.”
  — Alan Sytsma on today’s restaurant scene (26:55)

• On NYC always changing:
  “New York is always changing and it can't be stuck in the past.... we just got to revisit some of these moments in time.” (29:49)

• On celebrity and restaurants:
  “If you're a celebrity... you want to be where the party is... and you’re going to get treated really well.” (30:24)

Timestamps of Important Segments

• 03:25 — Alan Sytsma introduces the inspiration behind the restaurant-focused "Yesteryear" issue
• 07:42 — Discussing East Village punk eateries and subculture intersections
• 09:44–12:05 — Listener call-in stories: Goldberg’s Pizza, Grotto Azzura, Jean’s
• 13:15 — Alan shares his own nostalgic memory: WD50 and experimental NY cuisine
• 17:00 — Why restaurants are “third spaces” in NYC
• 18:21 — Callers share family stories from Belmore Cafeteria, Luchow’s, and the Auto Pub
• 21:42 — The nostalgia of eras never lived and the wild energy of dining scenes like Maxwell’s Plum
• 23:08 — The effect of digital reservations/app culture on local regulars and community
• 25:58 — Are third spaces still alive? Alan discusses the shifting sense of communal spots
• 28:59 — The impact of city change, memory, and gentrification on collective nostalgia
• 30:09 — Role of restaurants in celebrity culture in NYC
• 31:23 — Close of the main segment

Conclusion

The episode is a poignant, vibrant celebration of NYC’s restaurants as sites of communal memory, social change, and cultural continuity. Through Alan Sytsma’s editorial journey and listeners’ emotionally rich stories, the show paints a living tapestry of the city—one that is both perpetually changing and full of longing for “the way it was.”
Restaurants are more than where we eat—they are where New York lives.