Earlier in the week we needled the Bronx Tourism Council for not doing all they could to invite visitors to the borough. But because we are a loving, caring, sharing blog, we're going to throw them a bone this week in Missed Connections.
Maybe these tips will inspire online visitors to be a participatory tourist and date a local! Start at one of these borough hot spots:
Yankee Stadium :: Enjoy the classic home of the Bronx Bombers with all its sticky glory for one more year before they move, uh, across the street. 161st St. and River Ave.
The Rambling House :: We will not invoke the Show That Must Not Be Named, but it is possible to meet a cute fireman at this Irish bar and restaurant. 4292 Katonah Ave.
Tremont Diner :: Bust out your sundress where Rudy Giuliani and Robert DeNiro have been spotted chowing down. 3007 E. Tremont Ave.
You can find a greasy spoon just about anywhere. What you can't always find is Vic & Irv's. While kids in downtown Rochester were inhaling garbage plates covered with potato salad and baked beans, those finishing out a day at the Sea Breeze amusement park on the shores of Lake Ontario were wolfing down red and white hots, ground rounds and the best onion rings this side of the... Well, anywhere.
The food is simple. The recipes are classic. Vic has been mixing his killer hot sauce by hand since The Stand first opened 73 years ago. To last anywhere this long you've got to be doing something right. At Vic & Irv's it seems they're doing everything right. Rings and fries are hand cut daily. Hots and rounds are made to order. Barrels of dill pickles line the counter tops and shakes are made from hand-dipped custard instead of just plain ice cream. Vic & Irv's even sells both Coke and Pepsi. Good gravy, could it get any better than that?
On a recent trip to Los Angeles, a few of us NYC-dwelling editors discovered a startling truth -- every restaurant closes down around 10 p.m., just the time we Easterners are finishing up work and post-work drinks and preparing to eat.
After scouring every Cheesecake Factory-style restaurant in a 20-mile region, we stumbled upon what we later learned to be an LA institution, the open-all-night Original Pantry Café. Around since 1924, city mayor Richard Riordan bought the place to save it from demolition a few years ago. It's known for a limited menu (think steak and eggs) that diners read off the wall, and insanely fast service. The restaurant, though it only has 84 seats, serves up to 3,000 people daily.
Its location, on South Figueroa Street is close to both the Staples Center, Dodger Stadium, and L.A. Convention Center.
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by egw
