While standing on a red-carpet line the other night at a Vacheron Constantin watch party at the IAC building, we heard a reporter ask Ne-Yo a typical red-carpet question: “What’s your favorite restaurant in New York?” This was his very atypical answer: “Café Metro.” The reporter smiled blankly, but we were struck with a mixture of awe and disbelief. Sure, the chain’s fattening lunches are tasty enough if you’re a midtown luncher, but the place is pretty pedestrian, and they put all the day’s specials on display so you can see them getting more dried out and disgusting-looking as the day goes on. The idea that an internationally known and probably pretty wealthy singer would actually enjoy eating a meal with a plastic fork out of a plastic bowl, surrounded by depressed office workers, was a little hard to take. We had to clarify.
Café Metro? Really?
Oh yeah! I love it. It’s near the London, where I stay from time to time.
What does it for you? The make-your-own pasta bar?
Love it. The low-carb wheat pasta. Love it!
Seriously? What about all the amazing restaurants in the city?
I ate at Mr. Chow’s the other night. And there’s another Chinese food restaurant. I can’t think of the name. I like Café Metro. I’m not difficult to please.
I assume you eat at Subway constantly?
No, Quizno’s. I prefer Quizno’s.
Any other lowbrow food choices we need to know about?
I was a huge Jack in the Box fan, but I think they only have it on the West Coast.
