The Mini Meg Ryan Restaurant Tour
I'm always that annoying person pointing out obscure movie or TV filming locations to people that mostly don't seem to care. It's cool, I get that not everyone will be as thrilled with my "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" tour as I think they should be, but I never want to not point something out that could potentially be of interest.
Recently my friend Jim — who is relatively new to the city like I am, and therefore still excited about mildly touristy things — suggested that we go to Katz's Deli on the Lower East Side for dinner. Established in 1888, Katz's is probably as famous today for its role in When Harry Met Sally as it is for its enormous pastrami sandwiches.
Katz's is, of course, where Meg Ryan, aka Sally, famously (and very loudly) goes through the motions of faking an orgasm, prompting a fellow diner to deliver the famous line "I'll have what she's having." It's actually an enormous restaurant, especially by New York standards, and I can't imagine a scenario where you wouldn't be able to find a table. We went at 7 on a Wednesday night and only about a fourth of the tables were taken.
The exact table where Meg and Billy sat, however, is usually occupied, and although I'd been to Katz's twice before I had never been able to sit there. There is a big sign hanging above the table so there is no question as to which table it is — we lucked out and it was actually available when we went.
Because I'm a nerd, it annoys me slightly that the sign declares that this was the spot "where Harry met Sally," because that's not technically accurate. I get the point, of course, but I wonder if that's ever bothered anyone else (probably not)?
We actually watched the scene on my phone while we were eating, and the great part about Katz's is that it pretty much looks exactly like it did 25 (!) years ago, and probably 25 years before that. I did notice that the soda sign has changed from 80 cents (in 1989) to $2.65, proving that not everything can stay the same forever.
A few weeks earlier my friend Grace suggested that we go to Cafe Lalo for dinner, which I'd never heard of until she added that it was the cafe from You've Got Mail. Speaking of Meg Ryan romantic comedies, You've Got Mail is definitely my favorite of the bunch, so of course I said yes.
Cafe Lalo is on West 83rd Street between Amsterdam and Broadway and it's an absolute dream. It's very obvious why it was chosen as a filming location, and it looks even more magical in person than it did on film. The floor-to-ceiling windows look like they open, and I imagine that it's even more wonderful in the summer, although it was a great place to warm up on a brutally cold night.
They have a very large menu, but you only have to glance at the bakery case to know that pasties and baked goods are their specialty. I had a piece of lemon tart that was a delicious as it was beautiful, and a cup of coffee, which came with an adorable mini piece of Toblerone chocolate. The interior has changed slightly in the 16 (!!) years since You've Got Mail came out but I still felt a thrill waiting for Grace to arrive like I was Kathleen Kelly and she was Joe Fox. What I wouldn't give to step inside of Kathleen Kelly's Upper West Side dream life — but being able to have a coffee and pastry at Cafe Lalo anytime I wish isn't a bad way to start.