Vegetarian Delights of NYC: Spinach Pie From Paradis To Go

Paradis to Go's pneumatic spinach pie

Paradis to Go is a glinting pearl among the plentiful swine that crowd the Fourth Avenue dining world, a tiny cafe that does bustling take-out business thanks to a short but superlative stable of sandwiches, salads, and daily specials. Among those daily specials is the spinach pie, a creation that's about the size of a 45 and fat enough to put on the axel of a Datsun.

This is the Queen Mary of spinach pies, grand, stately, and proudly occupying its own serene realm. The filo crust is shiny and pliant, and is filled, tunnel of love-style, with a farmers' market worth of pureed, carefully seasoned spinach. The top is dusted with dried herbs, and tastes most strongly of oregano. Best of all, the whole thing can be torn apart like a soft pretzel, making it even easier to marvel at the the tender yet flakey crust, which dissolves on the tongue and sheds fat shards down the front of your shirt that should be salvaged and eaten, regardless of whether or not anyone's watching.

Paradise typically proves to be elusive, and, fittingly, so do the spinach pies: though they're usually available on Mondays and during the weekend, their schedule is subject to change. Call ahead and hope for the best: once you've tasted this bit of utopia, you'll be ruined for anything else.

114 Fourth Avenue, (646) 416-6709