Mitch Broder respects his elders: venerable chop houses, hot dog stands with aged neon signs, timeworn diners, classic bookstores. A journalist who has spent two decades writing about the city, Broder, a Westchester resident, pays tribute to 50 such Manhattan establishments in his new book, “Discovering Vintage New York.” “These are places that really take you back in time in some way, either in their look or their feel,” says Broder. This is his vintage New York.
1. La Bonbonniere, 28 Eighth Ave., at West 12th Street; since 1932
“It’s like a roadside diner in the West Village. It’s the kind of place where you know you’re going to get a great breakfast — even if it’s dinner. It’s a homey kind of place, run by these two people who just love it and take care of it. It used to have a great cat who would rub against your legs and jump into your lap as you were eating, but the Health Department didn’t enjoy the cat as much as the customers.”
2. House of Oldies, 35 Carmine St., at Bleecker Street; since 1962
“It’s this tiny little record store, and it’s outlived Tower, HMV, the Virgin Megastore and just about every other record store in New York City. And it’s still selling pretty much the same records it sold when it opened. Its specialty is records from roughly the ’40s through the ’70s, and it’s never sold anything but records — never a tape, never a CD. There are all these old albums and 45s on the wall.”
3. Marie’s Crisis Café, 59 Grove St., at Seventh Avenue; since 1925
“It’s a dinky place with a little bar, and it’s the best place I know of to cheer up immediately. There’s a little upright piano and guy at the piano who knows every show tune ever written, and virtually any time from 5 in the afternoon on, you walk in and you’re at this party where all the guests are singing show tunes. It’s one of the best shows in the city, and you don’t have to buy a ticket.”
4. Keens Steakhouse, 72 W. 36th St., at Sixth Avenue; since 1885
“It’s packed with city artifacts, the most striking of which are the thousands of clay pipes that are mounted on the ceiling in perfect rows. You can look up at them and imagine that you were a member of the Keens English Chop House Pipe Club, whose members included Albert Einstein, Teddy Roosevelt, Babe Ruth and Buffalo Bill. And they have really good steak — one of best filet mignons I ever had.”
5. Café Carlyle, 35 E. 76th St., at Madison Avenue; since 1955
“The Carlyle captures the Manhattan of dreams, all cocktails and caviar and Cole Porter. It’s cushy and plush, with the murals on the wall and the grand piano. Of course, it’s very expensive, but it’s the kind of place that’s worth it to try at least once. There’s hardly any place left to go for that kind of experience.”
6. The Donut Pub, 203 W. 14th St., at Seventh Avenue; since 1964
“One of the last independent donut shops in the city. It’s been redecorated, but it still feels like an old place; it has that long counter where you sit with a bunch of strangers. The donuts are some of the best in the city, and the proof is that they keep knocking out Dunkin’ Donuts — they’ve moved in nearby three times, and they keep going out of business.”
7. Marchi’s Restaurant, 251 E. 31st St., at Second Avenue; since 1929
“They serve one meal — a five-course northern Italian dinner — and they’ve been serving it every single night for about 60 years. It’s run by the Marchi family, and you’re sitting in the former home of the founders — they started it in their apartment, and their son and daughter-in-law now run it. It’s a great bargain — you get this five-course dinner for around $50. And they have one of the greatest outdoor gardens in the city.”
8. Papaya King, 179 E. 86th St., at Third Avenue; since 1932
“There are many, many knockoffs, but this is the original. You walk in, and within seconds you’ve got two hot dogs and a tropical fruit drink, and it costs $5. And it’s a very good hot dog — they have that snap and just the right flavor. The other thing I love about it is the signs on the wall, with all these ‘facts’ about the health value of their food. There’s one that says, ‘Babe Ruth once ate 12 hot dogs between games of a double header.’ It may not be exactly the truth, but that’s part of the fun.”
9. Hungarian Pastry Shop, 1030 Amsterdam Ave., at 111th Street; since 1961
“It has the feel of a thinking man’s place. It’s got these dim, glowing sconces with paintings in between — it’s almost library-like. It’s near Columbia, and people come in there to ruminate, to debate, to write — even the graffiti in the bathroom is intelligent. It’s been in the same family since 1976 and was recently passed to the son. At the time I interviewed him he was agonizing over whether to allow Internet access; he felt it could hurt the vibe.”
10. Strand Book Store, 828 Broadway, at East 12th Street; since 1927
“It’s the last survivor of an area that was known as Book Row, which had close to 50 bookstores at its peak. It started on Eighth Street, and moved to Fourth Avenue, where Book Row was, then it moved to its current location in 1957. They finally did some renovations there a while back, after years and years, so it’s a little fixed up, but it still has an old bookstore feel. If you love books, you can’t lose there — you can just hunt and hunt.”