say cheese!

Restaurant: Say Cheese (Note: They deliver!)

Address: 649 9th Ave Frnt
New York, NY 10036
(212) 265-8840


“I was just born this way.” I say that a lot. It’s my standard comeback to comments like, “Wow. I can’t believe you can live without eating Chicken. It’s the best… seriously, why do you do this to yourself?” or “I hope you don’t mind that I’m eating these really awesome octopus tentacles right now. I hate when people get offended at what I eat for moral reasons.” To that, I simply say “No morals…” followed by my self-given tagline, “I was just born this way.”


One of my personal favourites is when friends joke (I hope), “All I’ll say is this. If you ever turn vegan, I will never speak to you again.” Sadly, vegans and veggies have a hippie stigma and are notorious for “having a problem” under the guise of “having a cause.” But as a vegetarian from the womb, knowing shockingly little about the joys of meat (a year ago I asked a friend what ham was. Shh), I can tell you with absolute certainty that I have no problem over-eating my fair share of non-lettuce centred meals. While I do listen to Cat Stevens, everyone knows I like my occasional dose of Britney. Though I admittedly try, I’m no hippie. And I could never be a vegan. Why? CHEESE. Why will I drop whatever I’m doing for some Brie and baguettes? I was just born with a penchant for cheese.


Naturally, Say Cheese caught my eye immediately. It’s a small unassuming eatery-- extremely casual, and overwhelmingly enticing. Everything on the menu features a cheese as its star. Save the salads. But who chooses salads over cheese? Only those hippie vegans, right? My friends and I moseyed over for a lazy Sunday lunch, and thankfully the slightly-nicer-than-fast-food atmosphere was very conducive to our silly moods. My friends enjoyed mozzarella sticks and a “Presto Pesto” sandwich (which had Chicken in it. Not offended, see?), while I had a classic grilled cheese and tomato cheddar soup (melt-in-your-mouth scrumptious for a total of only $5!). I mean, maybe I was just really hungry. So anything would have tasted good? All I know is that it was comfort food in every way mixed with fits of laughter. A lot of yum for my buck.


I’ve always been of the “anything tastes fine if you add enough salt” mentality. If no salt, a sharp cheese fixes anything. Any hole-in-the-wall is a great time if you’re with the right company. If you’re sitting there thinking yes, YES, and yes… get yourself to Say Cheese.