Eats
Village’s Lucky Lee’s survives controversy
BY GABE HERMAN
Chinese restaurant Lucky Lee’s
got extensive media coverage
when it opened in the Village
this April, but not for the reasons it had
hoped for.
The owner Arielle Haspel, a Manhattan
nutritionist who is white,
advertised the eatery as a place for
“clean” Chinese-American food
that wouldn’t leave diners feeling
“bloated and icky.”
The name Lucky Lee’s had a stereotypical
connotation, and the restaurant’s
decorations included bamboo
and jade aesthetics.
There was instant backlash on
social media and accusations of
cultural appropriation.
Haspel apologized soon after in
a New York Times article, saying
changes were being made after listening
and learning, and she added,
“Shame on us for not being smarter
about cultural sensitivities.”
Several months later, Lucky Lee’s
is still serving to customers at 67
University Place, between East
10th and 11th Streets. The name is
the same, but the controversy has
The vegan ‘Shrooms and Broccoli dish.
died down.
As for the food, Lucky Lee’s offers
a menu that is free of gluten, dairy,
wheat and corn. Non-GMO oils are
used, and there is no refined sugar,
MSG or food coloring in the food.
They also don’t cook with peanuts,
cashews or pistachios.
The limited menu includes chicken,
PHOTO BY GABE HERMAN
beef, shrimp and veggie dishes.
There’s baked sesame chicken,
chicken and broccoli, baked General
Tso’s chicken, kung pao shrimp and
the vegan ‘shrooms and broccoli.
There are jasmine rice and brown
rice options, or riced cauliflower for
the especially carb-averse.
The food is tasty and clearly comes
from fresh ingredients, though too
much sauce in the dishes can take
away from other flavors. The portion
sizes are rather small, based on a recent
afternoon order.
Main dish prices range from about
$11-18, which isn’t too bad, but
would be a better deal with bigger
portions.
Lucky Lee’s has decidedly mixed
reviews on Yelp, having three stars
out of five overall.
Some reviewers really liked the
food, and there are some five-star
reviews. Others, however, found the
dishes to be bland.
“I wanted to like this place so
much,” one woman wrote. “As someone
who’s allergic to gluten and tries
to eat well, I’m always excited by new
gluten free options. But the food was
actually inedible. Given the number
of places that are now able to make
things gluten free, I’d skip this one.”
With the mix of good and bad
reviews, however, Lucky Lee’s is
worth a try for those interested in
the food, now that the controversy
has died down.
More info can be found at
luckyleesnyc.com.
Reporter tackles the Five-Boro Pizza Challenge
BY ALEX MITCHELL
The Five Borough Pizza Challenge
is much more than just a foodie’s
quest to slice out some territory
in each corner of New York City — as
a matter of fact having pizza time is the
easiest part of the day.
Its true contest is in traveling throughout
the fi ve boroughs without driving
a single block, instead having to rely
on a hybrid of public transit, walking,
and even bicycling for many competitive
triatha-eaters that signed up for this
amazing race.
Promoting use of the city’s public transit
is actually why and how the annual
challenge, which completed its fourth
running on Saturday, Sept. 28, had
originally begun.
“A friend of mine and I thought one
day, ‘Let’s see if we can hit each borough
for a slice’ and we travelled around the
city only using busses, ferries, subways,
bikes, the works,” said Joe Cutrufo, the
challenge’s organizer.
After a few successful runs, he decided
to open it up to the public, donating its
proceeds to Transportation Alternatives
(Cutrufo serves as its commuications director)
to raise awareness of the car-less
transit options in NYC.
In the name of good and honest journalism,
PHOTO VIA TWITTER/@PEDESTRIANTOM
Shirts given out at the starting
line of the race
I joined the 175 esteemed challengers
on the prowl for pizza via public
transit that weekend, ambitious to put
my navigational skills to the test.
The day began in Lower Manhattan
at Isamu Noguchi’s iconic ‘Red Cube’
sculpture on Broadway; that’s where
the unknown fi ve pizzerias scattered
throughout the boroughs were fi nally
disclosed to us racers.
My objective was to scarf down slices
at Puglsey Pizza in the Bronx, Paulie’s
Pizzeria on Staten Island, Rizzo’s
Fine Pizza in Queens, Norm’s Pizza in
Brooklyn, and Sofi a Pizza Shoppe, in
the heart of Manhattan’s Sutton Place,
all before a rendezvous at the Financial
District’s Clinton Hall to cross the
proverbial fi nish line.
My strategy was to start in the Bronx,
span southbound to Staten Island,
then over to Brooklyn and Queens, fi -
nally returning to Manhattan hopefully
by nightfall.
They told me I fi nished in the top
60 contestants as I stood holding the
challenge’s iconic, wooden pizza peel
— feeling proud of my achievement as
a fi rst timer.
“The top fi nishers actually bike most of
the race,” Cutrufo explained, mentioning
that this running was the Five Borough
Pizza Challenge’s largest turnout yet.
All in all, it was an exhilarating challenge
and you can guarantee that I’ll be
gunning for fi rst place in 2020.
212 - 254 - 1109 | www.theaterforthenewcity.net | 155 First Ave. NY, NY 10003
To Life by Eve Lederman
October 3 - Oct. 13, Tix $12
Thur, Fri, Sat 8PM, Sun 3PM
Ludwig & Bertie by Douglas Lackey
October 3 - Oct. 13, Tix $15
Thur, Fri, Sat 8PM, Sun 3PM
Singin’ in the E.R. by Ruby Lynn Reyner
October 3 - Oct. 13, Tix $18
Thur, Fri, Sat 8PM
Theater for the New City’s
Village Halloween Costume Ball
Thursday, October 31, 2019, Tix $20, 4PM - 1AM
Schneps Media October 10, 2019 27
/www.theaterforthenewcity.net
/luckyleesnyc.com
/www.theaterforthenewcity.net
