Any Sabrett Hot Dog cart would do me fine.

Plenty of good cheap Indian eateries on %th and 6th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues. Venieros on 10th (or 11th?) St. for Italian pastries and coffee; Ukrainian restaurants on 1st and 2nd Avenues.

Chinatown

You cannot go wrong with Dumpling house in Chinatown.

Brunos on 1st avenue, and 16th, I think 16th, opposite Beth Israel Hospital is good for a fast lunch. @janbb took my answer for Indian food, I think 8th or 9th is St. Mark’s? Lots of trendy little paces there.

Oh, and Sabreet hotdogs are the best, mentioned above.

@JLeslie – It was probably East 6th Street between St. Mark’s and 1st Avenue. The running joke in NYC about those restaurants is that they all share a mega-kitchen.

@aprilsimnel Hahaha. When I am in NY I stay with family mostly, and do a lot of food shopping at the grocery store. I don’t even know the names of the restaurants I do go to, I just go to the Chinese place around the corner from my aunt, Mariellas pizza, a Health food place my sister likes, etc. All downtown. Near Bloomies I love Eggplant Parmesian at Fresh Basils, I think it is on Lex between 56 and 57? Also love China Grill in midtown, even though it is a chain. There was some other Italian place on University now that I think about sotuh of Union Square that my husband and I like, my sister hates it.

Ah, Buona Sera.

@aprilsimnel I think you are correct. My sister thinks it is for old people or something. Not trendy enough for her.

Yeah, I hardly go above 14th Street anymore! I know all those good downtown spots. Can’t afford ‘em all, (yet) but I know them.

And by the way, @sruffini, speaking of LES and tasty and cheap, you need to try out this place, called Jadis. It’s a wine bar, but with wonderful, very reasonably priced wines (Nothing over $10 a glass, really), lovely crudites and yummy small plates. I can’t think of when I spent more than $20 there. Obviously, earlier in the week is better to go. So if you need a place for that hot date, sorted!