14 Amazing Tasting Menus for $125 or Less
New reviews of 63 Clinton and Atoboy, plus new menu details for Danji, Dirt Candy, Falansai, and elsewhere. And an essay on the Trump Tariffs
Dear Friends!
Like so many food journalists, I’ve been thinking about the Trump Tariffs — and what they mean for our wallets and our society. So please enjoy this (mostly) free essay, followed by our (paywalled) guide to the city’s best budget tasting menus.
Think of this long newsletter as a ‘zine. If you find yourself bored, just keep scrolling!
The Great Uncertainty
Honestly, I was hoping to review a posh restaurant today. A chef’s counter spot.
Then, I started paying closer attention to Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs. And I decided this isn’t a time for unbridled excess. For either restaurants or for people like us who eat at them quite often.
Just a few days ago, the new trade policies had Americans prepping for price hikes at the grocery store and at the liquor store. At restaurants and at cafes.
There’s a practical limit to making everything domestically, as any high school senior studying economics knows. Unless we suddenly found a way to mimic the climate of Colombia’s “coffee triangle” in Milwaukee, or unless we imported hundreds of coconut trees into downtown Cleveland, the cost of dining out would have probably gone up under Trump’s proposed tariff regime.
Actually, it likely still will.
Yes, our president hit the pause button on some of the toughest levies. But his 25 percent auto, aluminum, and canned beer tariffs are still in effect. And Trump has doubled down on his trade war with China, with duties hitting a whopping 145 percent. Those taxes could force up the price of everything, from your shiny new iPhone, to that cheap tank top you wore before a bad first date at Bungalow 8, to all that frozen cod we keep eating.
Trump also instituted a universal import duty of 10 percent. That could push up the price of perishable goods, like your shrimp from Vietnam, your plátanos from Central America, and your favorite chile crisp that you order from — let’s be real — Amazon.
That last example might not sound like a big deal to an affluent suburbanite catering their own cocktail party. But really, if you’re a neighborhood Asian market or Thai spot that buys all this stuff in bulk, you’ll probably have to pass along any higher costs to your customers.
Things will get even trickier if Trump unpauses his steeper tariffs.
Any business thrives on stability. But for restaurants operating on ultra-thin margins — who can’t hire MBAs to find efficiencies, or lobbyists to argue for exemptions — a sudden and unexpected rise in costs can be devastating.
Behind the Paywall: Where to Enjoy a Chic Meal Without Going Broke
Review: 63 Clinton on the Lower East Side is a deal at $112
Review: Atoboy, a Korean stalwart still slaps
New menu details for Dirt Candy and Danji
Affordable tastings at Rezdora, Noz Market, and elsewhere
As for consumers, I doubt folks will start eating out a lot less anytime soon. But…