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Photos of the Day: Mayor Bloomberg at Tom’s Coney Island

Posted in Food & Drink, News, Photography, tagged Alliance for Coney Island, Bruce Handy, Coney Island, Mayor Bloomberg, Tom's Coney Island, Tom's Restaurant on November 18, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Mayor Mike Bloomberg and City Councilman Domenic Recchia Jr on the Coney Island Boardwalk. November 18, 2012. Photo © Bruce Handy/Coney Island Photo Diary via flickr

Tom’s Restaurant, which “soft-opened” in late September on the Coney Island Boardwalk, miraculously escaped damage from Hurricane Sandy and is one of the few restaurants open in the neighborhood. This morning, owner Jimmy Kokotas welcomed Mayor Bloomberg and Coney Island City Councilman Domenic Recchia for a breakfast meeting with the Alliance for Coney Island and Community Board 13. Coney Island photographer Bruce Handy was there and shared his set of photos via flickr. Seen in the photo below to the right of the Mayor are Dennis Vourderis, Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park; Jimmy Kokotas, Tom’s Coney Island; Jon Dohlin, New York Aquarium and Judi Orlando, Astella Development. Nicole Robinson-Etienne, New York Aquarium and Valerio Ferrari and Alberto Zamperla, Luna Park, have their backs to the camera. The Mayor’s Office later tweeted: “Today the Mayor met with Coney Island small business owners to talk about rebuilding…”

Breakfast Meeting at Tom’s Coney Island: Mayor Mike Bloomberg, City Councilman Domenic Recchia Jr with members of Alliance for Coney Island and Community Board 13, November 18, 2012. Photo © Bruce Handy/Coney Island Photo Diary via flickr

In the days after the storm, the newly formed Alliance launched the #ConeyRecovers initiative which has brought in hundreds of volunteers and dozens of partners to help with relief efforts in the community. Tom’s has been a hub of activity, serving as a command center for volunteers and a host for breakfast meetings about storm relief for local business owners. While the Boardwalk businesses were untouched by the storm and a few have managed to reopen, Ruby’s Bar does not have electricity and Paul’s Daughter and Lola Star Boutique lack meeting space. Though Tom’s opened near the end of the amusement park season, the restaurant is expected to initially remain open at least nine months of the year. If Tom’s hadn’t been here, the meetings of the past few weeks would have had to be held in another neighborhood since most of the other restaurants, from the original Nathan’s and Gargiulo’s to Dunkin Donuts and McDonald’s, remain closed due to flood damage.

Breakfast Meeting at Tom’s Coney Island with Alliance for Coney Island and Community Board 13, November 18, 2012. Photo © Bruce Handy/Coney Island Photo Diary via flickr

Photo of the Day: The Weekday View from Ruby’s Bar

Posted in amusement park, Food & Drink, Photo of the Day, Photography, tagged Boardwalk, Coney Island, Ruby's Bar on October 3, 2012| 2 Comments »

View of the Coney Island Boardwalk from Ruby’s Bar. September 28, 2012. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

When we dropped by Ruby’s Bar on Friday, the sun was shining and then there was a sudden shower. Pretty soon the sun was shining again. A group of friends from Chicago, Florida and North Carolina led by a Bushwick native who’d brought them to see his Coney Island popped in for drinks. They posed for a souvenir snapshot in front of Ruby’s wall of photos.

Melody, who opens Ruby’s around 10:30 am, says weekdays bring tourists from all over the world. Most of them ask why the rides aren’t open, but others are seeking rarer sights: “A group from Sweden came in the other day looking for the Elephant Hotel,” Melody said. They were more than a century too late to see the elephantine colossus, which burned down in 1896, but Coney Island is still worth a visit on an autumn day.

Coney Island’s beach and boardwalk and surviving landmarks– the Parachute Jump (Brooklyn’s Eiffel Tower), the Wonder Wheel, the Cyclone and the terra cotta palace that was Childs Restaurant–are always ready for their close-ups. After Labor Day, the rides and attractions at Coney’s amusement parks are on a weekend and holiday schedule. This week, the rides will spin for five days in a row, weather permitting. Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park, Luna Park, Scream Zone and the Cyclone will be open beginning on Wednesday for the start of the Sukkot holiday through Columbus Day.

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Opening This Weekend: Tom’s Restaurant in Coney Island

Posted in Food, Food & Drink, tagged Boardwalk, Brooklyn, Coney Island, local, New Restaurant, opening, Tom's Coney Island, Tom's Restaurant on September 21, 2012| Leave a Comment »

The long-awaited opening of Tom’s on the Coney Island Boardwalk is planned for this weekend, the manager at the restaurant’s Prospect Heights location told ATZ. We phoned Tom’s for confirmation after hearing from a friend who is a regular customer that Saturday was the day. Characterizing Saturday’s debut as a “soft opening” with the grand opening yet to come, the manager said “we’re trying to work out some last-minute details. Worst case scenario it will be Sunday. That’s why we’re not publicizing it.”

The full menu will be identical to that of the original location with the addition of seafood entrees~~, but their famous pancakes and some other items may not be available this Saturday.~~ Asked if we could go in and sit down and order an omelette and coffee, the manager said yes. Sounds like a plan for Sunday brunch! In this Brooklyn Independent Television segment on the popular Tom’s of Prospect Heights, owner Jimmy Kokotas says a combination of “the homey feeling, the service and the food” have made his family’s restaurant a neighborhood favorite since 1936.

Tom’s Coney Island is located on the Boardwalk at the corner of Stillwell Avenue. Though it is opening near the end of the amusement park season, the new restaurant is expected to initially remain open at least nine months of the year. The former location of Nathan’s and Cha Cha’s Club Atlantis (as well as the original Club Atlantis) required by far the most work and investment of any of the rehabbed Boardwalk stores. Due to structural issues, the place had to be completely gutted and rebuilt, including the roof and some of the brickwork. Windows were installed in the west wall. A new roof deck for alfresco dining will have spectacular views of the beach and boardwalk. Nathan’s moved to the Boardwalk and West 12th Street and Cha Cha’s relocated to the north side of Surf across from the original Nathan’s.