Cafe Edison

I often work nearby, and I don't know why I bother eating anywhere else in the Theater District. There are at least six kinds of soup available daily, served in overflowing bowls that make a more than generous meal at a very reasonable price. Beef barley is my fave, though last night I had chicken noodle. It was almost like a stew with a lot of large pieces of boneless chicken, egg noodles and fresh, diced veg in a rich, salty stock. Gazpacho is tasty, though the spices reminded me of cocktail sauce. Recently I've become a fan of their whitefish salad sandwich, try it on rye. And the Grumpy Diner recently had a Ruben. Not my thing, but the corned beef was lean and flavorful. Breakfast is pretty good, too. But don't go just for the food. Affectionately known as the Polish Tea Room, Cafe Edison is a hangout for Broadway types, from character actors to stage hands to hoofers to old-school producers. Eavesdropping on their gossip, deal-making and chatter is a lot of fun, a theater version of the comedians hanging out at the Carnegie Deli in Woody Allen's "Broadway Danny Rose." You might overhear tales of flying into Willie Nelson's ranch, or heated discussions about why Santa Fe really needs a little theater company, or complaints about the dumbest lines ever requiring straight-faced delivery. The cafe used to be the hotel's oval-shaped ballroom and still features ornate plasterwork and moldings. Kind of a high-low contrast with the formica tables and fluorescent lights. New York used to be full of quirky, inexpensive places like this, but they have gone the way of affordable rentals. Unlike other reviewers, I've never been told to sit at the counter. I almost always eat by myself, always get seated at a table and am always treated very nicely. My whitefish did arrive on white bread the other day. Too much white on white, but the room was busy and I opted to be a sport about it. I'll eat again. I'll even eat there again.