Niko J. Kallianiotis for The New York Times
FOOD ENTHUSIASTS Gerhard and Meredith Dobler planned future meals.
In the shadow of the shimmering Citigroup tower in Long Island City, Queens, number crunchers, artists and city employees duck into LIC Market for a casual meal. Last week an exotic guest — black truffles — shared menu space at the two-year-old restaurant with favorites like the slow-cooked pork sandwich ($8) and roasted tomato soup ($5). The Italian truffles run Alex Schindler, the chef and owner, $830 a pound, he said, but he buys only four or five ounces at a time — enough for about three days of specials, the star ingredient drowning neither the dish nor the wallet. And though certain Manhattan restaurants present their truffled entrees on golden plates that diners can take home, Mr. Schindler takes a more bourgeois approach: basic white china stock from Fishs Eddy. He puts the plates in the dishwasher after his patrons have eaten them clean.
IN THE SEATS Gerhard Dobler, 58, a senior risk manager at Citibank, and his daughter, Meredith Dobler, 24, who earned her master’s degree in education and lives at home in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., while looking for a teaching job.
WHY THEY CAME For the truffles. And for a rare father-daughter lunch. Mr. Dobler eats food from LIC Market nearly three times a week, but he usually takes it to his desk. Both food enthusiasts, they enjoyed the restaurant’s four-course $80 Trufflemania dinner in November. They made a date as soon as Mr. Dobler learned the truffles were back in town.
ON THE PLATES Black truffle risotto, with Grana Padano, parsley and shaved truffle ($28); and black truffle fettuccine, butter, chives and shaved truffle ($28). The Doblers were among many in the quaintly cramped 14-table dining room ordering the week’s specials. “The risotto was just the right texture. It wasn’t mushy, not too hard,” Mr. Dobler said. “And then, with the aroma from the black truffles, you get all the senses bonding together.” Ms. Dobler said she enjoyed the simple preparation of the fettuccine: “There are not a lot of ingredients and they are not really fighting each other.” Too full for dessert, they ordered coffee ($2 each for brewed coffee and a decaf Americano).
WHAT THEY TALKED ABOUT Truffles again. They evaluated their food with unpretentious precision, switching plates more than midway through the meal. They were thrilled that the lunch lived up to expectations. Future meals were also discussed: They decided their weekend menu would include beef with broccoli stir-fry with oyster sauce and a variety of mushrooms. Mr. Dobler promised to soon make his daughter’s favorite, beef Bourguignon. The conversation veered toward the inevitable: Ms. Dobler’s job search. Mr. Dobler offered networking suggestions and encouragement. “He told me to keep trying, don’t give up, even if you don’t get an interview right away,” Ms. Dobler said. She acknowledged that it would be hard to afford truffles on a teacher’s salary, adding sweetly, “That’s why I have my dad.”
