La Fonda del Sol

Photograph: Daniel Krieger

So this was your stomping ground?I was a weekend regular. I was married with young children living outside the city, so I would come in to eat.… I couldn't wait [for the reopening]. I wanted to see if the place would remind me of the old La Fonda.

Does it? Coming back brings up good memories. It reminds me very much of the original—the chairs, the lighting… The whole restaurant was more like the downstairs bar. It was less formal.

What drew you there all those years ago? I was attracted to the type of food [the restaurant] was offering at that time. I saw that La Fonda had a combination of Spanish and Argentine foods. I'm an Italian from Argentina. That's what I grew up eating. I remember empanadas and short ribs. There was a stuffed veal matambre. It's been 40 years, so I don't remember all the details.

Was La Fonda ahead of its time? It was completely new. It created a lot of excitement in New York and was popular for many years.

What do you think of that trend toward nostalgic restaurants? I don't like that New York lost the classic environment of a restaurant. In the '60s there were restaurants with 20 jackets hanging behind the host stand [for guests]. They'd look at you up and down and say, "Here, try this one." Today you can go anywhere wearing jeans and a T-shirt.

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