I still hold out hope that one day Manhattan will get an IKEA. It’s probably futile, but a guy can dream, right? The funny thing is, I don’t even care about the furniture. I just want an IKEA Cafe! In my eyes, the cheap furniture shopping world is divided into two seperate groups. Those who have gotten over the fear at eating in an Ikea, and those who haven’t.
There are a few stages that every Ikea shopper goes through. First, denial. You see the signs for the food and laugh. “Who the hell would eat at Ikea? That food looks gross!”. Then, after a few times of going to Ikea (you never get everything done in one trip), the curiosity starts to seep in. “Well, it is pretty cheap. It can’t be that bad, right? It’s just so damn cheap!” Finally, you submit. It helps if you forget to eat before going shopping- in which case you end up being starving after navigating through the gigantic store, with no other food options.
I went through all these stages, and when I came out on the other end, I had discovered a new weakness… swedish meatballs. Covered in gravy and topped with lingonberries, they are perfect for anybody who loves the sweet and salty combo. And at around $4 for ten meatballs, it couldn’t be any cheaper. Awhile back I wrote about a fancy Swedish meatball sandwich at FIKA Swedish Espresso bar. Super delicious (but expensive), I lamented that there was no equivalent to Ikea in Midtown.
After writing that, a tipster recommended that I check out F&B Gudtfood, a “European Street Food” chain on 52nd btw. Lex+3rd. Founded by one guy from Germany and one from England, they wanted to start a place where you could get all the street food they enjoyed in their travels around Europe Fancy hot dogs, fish and chips, frites with different dipping sauces, and of course- Swedish meatballs.
I finally made it over to F&B to see if I had found an Ikea replacement. What they’ve got, pictures and a +/- after the jump Read more »
Posted by Zach Brooks at 8:39 am, June 21st, 2007 under 52nd btw Lex+3rd, German, Salads, Swedish.
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