Belle Burden has understandably grown tired of discussing the dissolution of her marriage, which is at the center of one of this year’s most thoughtful and heart-wrenching books, “Strangers.” (Ms. Burden first wrote about the subject in a widely read Modern Love column in 2023.) Though she happily credits that relationship with expanding her food horizons, she says she was born into a family of “real eaters.” She grew up on the far east side of the Upper East Side and dined at classic restaurants, like the tiki-themed Trader Vic’s at the Plaza Hotel, which Donald Trump closed in 1989, calling it “tacky.”
Since 2002, the lawyer-turned-author has lived in TriBeCa, which she still considers one of her favorite neighborhoods for dining out, making the occasional visit to the West Village or Midtown. Read on for why she doesn’t believe eggs should be eaten outside of breakfast hours, how Chinatown figured into her love story and why restaurants that refuse to seat diners without the whole party present seem “ungracious.”
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Belle Burden’s New York City Dining History
What was the first restaurant you remember eating at in New York City?
J.G. Melon on Third Avenue. (We call it Melon’s in my family.) My father and stepmother took me there after school on Friday afternoons. I’d get a bacon cheeseburger with cottage fries.
What New York City restaurant do you miss the most?
Trader Vic’s in the Plaza Hotel. It was dark and mysterious and fun. There was a dish I loved called Cho Cho — beef skewers you cooked at the table. I had a collection of the umbrellas they put in my parents’ rum cocktails. Happy times.
If a friend asks you for a restaurant recommendation in New York City, where do you send them?
My cousin Trevor’s restaurant in Bed-Stuy: Little Grenjai. It’s so good. He did a big trip in Thailand and met a Thai woman, Pias, and they fell madly in love. My son actually quarantined with them for part of Covid and helped him with an underground catering business in the Hamptons.
Or something classic like Indochine, the Odeon or Mr. Chow. Mr. Chow used to only be on 57th Street. I always know that I’m going to have a good time and I will have a good meal. They greet you so warmly, it’s easy food to share and it feels very festive because the waiters are in black tie.
What historical New York City restaurant do you wish you had eaten at?
Le Pavillon. My father had his 21st birthday party there in 1962. It was one of those classic French restaurants like La Caravelle and Le Grenouille. There was nothing experimental about it. It was very classic in a Julia Child kind of way.
What is the most romantic or cozy restaurant in New York City?
The Waverly Inn. I’m not dating that much, and I’m divorced, obviously, but I think of it as so cozy on a winter night. I had my book party there, which was in January, and I just love that the fires are going and it’s candle lit.
What is the most underrated New York City restaurant?
It’s highly rated but under the radar: Chambers, on Chambers Street, which I moved to in 2002. We moved in when my son was 7 months old and now he has just turned 24. I kept walking by the restaurant, and it would look crowded. And I just was like, huh. I finally made a reservation and went with my daughter. We were just blown away.
What New York City restaurant is on your bucket list?
Torrisi. I just keep hearing that it’s so great, and I can’t get in. So that was the first thing I thought of. Also 4 Charles Prime Rib — I can’t get in. My son seems to get in, I don’t know how, but I have not been to either one.
If you were leaving New York City forever, where would you have your farewell dinner?
Altro Paradiso. I meet my friend Carin there a lot. I think the food is so good. I love the atmosphere of it. They make great cocktails. The menu changes seasonally. And I love that room, so I think it would be a great place to have a party.
Where did you enjoy your favorite meal this year?
I took my daughter and four of her friends who are studying abroad in Paris to Localino, a small Italian restaurant. It was their recommendation, and it was amazing.
What is your favorite New York City neighborhood to dine out in?
TriBeCa. I would say I did not love going out with kids when they were little little. That was not so much fun, but we did it. We would go to Edward’s, which is the place across from the Odeon, because it was a little more casual. We did a lot of Serafina. There is a place that I loved — that I almost put instead of Trader Vic’s — which was on Chambers Street called Ecco. They closed right before the pandemic, but it was classic, old-school Italian. There was also place on Duane Street called Blaue Gans that was Austrian, and they loved that.
What’s the most important or memorable moment to have happened to you in a restaurant?
Having my first soup dumpling at a restaurant called Shanghai Cuisine in Chinatown. It was my second date with the man I would marry. It felt like a whole new world was opening up to me.
He introduced me to all these new places and tastes, and one of those is Chinatown. We would go there a lot, to eat both Chinese and Thai, and he also gave me my first oyster at the Oyster Bar in Grand Central. He brought me to Asia for the first time and to Hong Kong and to Bangkok and would be excited for me to try things. Food can be so romantic and also so expanding.
Belle Burden’s Dining Habits
What dish do you always order if it’s on the menu?
A classic Bolognese.
What ingredient do you eat around or avoid if it’s in a dish?
Big pieces of garlic. I don’t love a really intense garlic taste. It stays in my mouth. Also, trout roe. It’s a leftover pickiness, I think, from childhood.
What is the best time to sit down for dinner?
6 to 7 p.m.
How long would you be willing to wait for a table at a restaurant you really wanted to go to?
If in person, 30 minutes.
Linger after a meal or pay the check and leave?
Pay the check and leave. When it’s over, it’s over.
Who do you go out to dinner with most often?
My children and Carin. She goes by Maria in my book, and she’s been such an extraordinary friend to me. We love to eat and to have a cocktail, so she’s a really fun person to go out to eat with. She’s someone that I love to go out in a group with or just the two of us.
What do you look for in a dining companion?
Someone who loves to eat. I come from a real foodie family, really food obsessed. We are real eaters; it’s definitely a part of our family culture, I would say. And we all like to cook, too, and I think it’s actually the Burden family in particular. No meal should be wasted — there should be no throwaway meal.
What restaurant dish has become too expensive?
A good steak.
What restaurant dish do you wish you could make at home?
Din Tai Fung’s chocolate soup dumplings. I am obsessed with them. They are exactly like soup dumplings in appearance, but they’re filled with melted dark chocolate. There’s just something about the combination. They serve it with salted whipped cream. They’re warm and you dip into the cold whipped cream. It’s so good.
Do you order dessert?
I’m a baker myself, so I always order dessert. I go seasonal: a fruit cobbler in summer, sticky toffee pudding in winter. Nothing too complicated.
Family-style or order just for yourself?
I only like to share with people who like to order a lot. Splitting a branzino and a salad four ways leaves me sad and hungry.
Do you ever dine at restaurants by yourself?
Yes, but more often when I’m in another city. I love going to movies and plays by myself, and I enjoy eating alone for the same reason — the experience is yours alone, unaffected by someone else’s opinion. I bring a book with me.
Do you order off the cocktail menu, or do you order the same drink everywhere?
I order one of two drinks: a skinny margarita with no salt, or a Cosmopolitan.
What is your stance on spiels from your server?
I’m fine with it. They’re doing their job.
Restaurant pet peeves?
I don’t like it when they don’t seat you until your entire party has arrived. It feels ungracious. When people actually seat me and ask me what I want to drink, it just feel so lovely.
Lightning RoundIs brunch good or inherently evil?
Evil. I do not understand this generation lining up for everything. I would never do it. I see these lines for Bubby’s, which is a perfectly fine place, but I walk by them and I’m like, it’s not that good. And I just don’t like eggs at midday. I like eggs in the morning.
Bagel order?
Bacon, egg and cheese on a lightly toasted sesame bagel.
Are there any taboo dinner subjects?
No.
Do restaurant grades matter to you?
Yes.
If you had a restaurant, what would you call it, and what type of food would it serve?
I would call it Babyface for my daughter Georgia. She would be the chef. She likes Italian and Japanese, so maybe a fusion of the two.