The Little East Side

A hundred years ago, when the Lower East Side was home to an impoverished immigrant population, entire families crammed themselves into shoebox tenement apartments. Nowadays, space is still at a premium here which might explain why there are three Lilliputian restaurants of like name within in spitting distance of each other. Are we on the verge of a Blink moment or is it just because everything is within spitting distance of each other in this neighborhood? We take a look at the L.E.S. Mannie, Moe and Jack of small dining establishments and ask, is the Lower East Side is too small for the three of them?

Tiny's Giant Sandwich Shop: The first of the small fries, Tiny's caters to the sandwich crowd. After moving in to a closet-like space on Rivington in 1999, the joint expanded to more luxurious digs a couple buildings down in 2006. Nothing's really changed though, except a miniscule bump in prices. The Spicy Rizzak, despite the inherent douchebaggery of the name, is still a delicious, hot combination of warm turkey, bacon, melted cheddar cheese, onions and chipolte mayo. The faux Philly Cheesesteak isn't as good as a vrai Philly Cheesesteak but it's by far the closest vegetarians are gonna get. Sandwiches are around 8 dollars.

Little Giant: Kevin Gregor, the owner of Tiny's Giant Sandwich Shop, is a really nice guy but his smile fades at the mention of Little Giant, the nearby restaurant on Orchard and Broome. Gregor recalls going in to congratulate the owner's when the restaurant opened in 2004. According to Gregor, they gave him the cold shoulder. As he left, Gregor says, he couldn't help but toss a sarcastic jab: Hey, Nice name...Real creative. But Gregor has no need to be nervous. The people who pay 8 bucks for lunch aren't the same ones laying down 10 dollars for a watermelon salad or 23 for scallops & summer succotash, by far the best dish on the menu, an entrée of dayboat scallops, succotash of roasted corn, local peas, fava beans & cherry tomatoes, roasted tomato vinaigrette. The 35-seater is truly little but so well designed--by the owner's bro--that it feels spacious, indeed giant.

Teany's: It is amazing such a wet-noodle pop star as Moby could create a warm a place as Teany's but that's just what the gnome did. Moby opened up shop in 2002 serving tea and vegetarian sandwiches. This is Gregor's biggest competitor. Not only does Moby's star power outshine Gregor's (not hard) but the sandwiches rival Tiny's. Especially delectable are Teany's Turkey Club, which the menu bills, not untruthfully, as possibly "the best sandwich on the planet."

Part of what makes the L.E.S. the L.E.S. is the sardine-like cramming of its people. The same goes for restaurants. Teany's, Tiny's Giant Sandwich Shop and Little Giant might not be brothers but they are like a large family, cooped up in a small apartment, cousins elbowing for a place at the table.

Tiny's Giant Sandwich Shop
Little Giant
Teany

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