Now, this really bites!
Another piece of classic Old New York will disappear tomorrow when the venerable hamburger paradise Prime Burger at 5 E. 51st St. will fire up the grill for the last time.
“I’m feeling very emotional about this,” owner John DiMicele, 53, said yesterday.
“I’ve been here 36 years . . . from high school to here. My dad bought this in March of ’76, I graduated in June and I’ve been here ever since,” said DiMicele, whose cap and gown are still hanging in his office.
The building’s new owners have other plans for the first-floor space, across from St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and told DiMicele he had to clear out.
The 74-year-old Midtown hot spot originally opened as Hamburger Heaven in 1938 and was renamed Prime Burger in 1964.
In 2004, the prestigious James Beard Foundation named it one of America’s best classic restaurants.
The tender, juicy burgers drew a loyal clientele of Midtown working stiffs, politicians and Hollywood stars.
Now, Arthur “Arty” Ward, 79, of Parkchester in The Bronx, will hang up his apron after waiting tables there for 60 years.
“I came here for a few hours to get away from my wife. Now I’ll be bugging her,” he quipped. “It’s life, I feel sad, but no anger.”