Food & Drink | Amusing the Zillion

Archive for the ‘Food & Drink’ Category

Happy First Anniversary to Tom’s Coney Island!

Posted in Food, Food & Drink, tagged anniversary, Boardwalk, Coney Island, Tom's Coney Island, Tom's Restaurant on September 23, 2013| Leave a Comment »

First Brunch at Tom’s Coney Island. September 23, 2012. Photo © Bruce Handy via Coney Island Photo Diary

“We are going to have a small gathering at the store this afternoon at 4pm to celebrate our 1 year anniversary,” says Jimmy Kokotas, owner of Tom’s Coney Island. One year ago today, September 23rd, the Boardwalk outpost of the popular Prospect Heights restaurant opened for business after many months of construction. Coney Island resident and ATZ contributing photographer Bruce Handy was one of their first customers and sent us the above photo of his first brunch.

Tom’s on the Coney Island Boardwalk. November 17, 2012. Photo © Tricia Vita via flickr

“I had two eggs over easy, home fries, whole wheat toast and coffee, all good,” said Bruce, whose photos of Tom’s first Sunday brunch he posted on his Coney Island Photo Diary. Are they serving pancakes yet? “Not sure, guy next to me had waffles,” he said. Since then, many eggs over easy, pancakes, sandwiches and wraps have been served at the Boardwalk establishment, which is open year round. “We will be staying open through the winter from 8-5, 7 days a week,” Jimmy Kokotas tells ATZ. “We are currently open 8-7 till daylight savings begins.”

Spinach and feta cheese omelet, Tom’s Coney Island. Photo © Tricia Vita

What a year it’s been! A little over a month after Tom’s opened, Superstorm Sandy struck and flooding from Coney Island Creek devastated the neighborhood. The Boardwalk businesses miraculously escaped damage and Tom’s was of the few restaurants open in Coney Island. In the days after the storm, Tom’s became a hub of activity, serving as a command center for volunteers and a host for breakfast meetings about storm relief for local business owners and organizations.

Happy 1st Anniversary and many thanks to Jimmy Kokotas and family and Tom’s staff!

Tom’s Coney Island, 1229 Boardwalk (at Stillwell Avenue), Brooklyn, NY 11224. Phone 718-942-4200

Post-Sandy meeting of neighborhood business owners at Tom’s Coney Island. November 5, 2012. Photo © Tricia Vita

Subway Cafe to Replace Furniture Store on Coney Island’s Surf Ave

Posted in Food, Food & Drink, Real Estate, Redevelopment, tagged Chain restaurant, Coney Island, franchise, Joe Vitacco, north side of Surf, Subway Cafe, Subway Restaurant, Surf Avenue on September 11, 2013| 4 Comments »

1,700 sq foot Subway Cafe with Tuscany-style interior coming to this building at 1019 Surf Avenue. Photo © Tricia Vita

Last year ATZ asked “Will Coney Island’s Surf Ave Become a Mecca for Franchises?” (December 19, 2012). The latest in a slew of chains and franchisees betting on the new, year-round Coney Island is a Subway Cafe with a “Tuscany-style interior” featuring sofas and a fireplace. Broker Joe Vitacco signed a lease yesterday with the restaurant chain for the 1,700 square foot cafe at 1019 Surf Avenue across the street from Luna Park.

Just how pricey is Coney Island’s Surf Avenue? The building at 1019-1039 Surf was purchased for $3.1 million by 1019 Surf Ave Acquisition LLC in March for $3.1 million, according to Property Shark. Vitacco says the buyer was Russian multi-millionaire Yakov Yakubov, who also owns Loehmann’s Plaza in Brooklyn.

First introduced as a restaurant concept in 2008, the Subway Cafe’s decor and layout aim for a “coffeehouse ambiance” and is a little larger than an average Subway. The north side of Surf Avenue already has a Subway, located down the street in Stillwell Terminal, but it does not sell coffee. In addition to Subway sandwiches, the new cafe’s expanded menu includes baked goods, dessert items and coffee offerings. Part sandwich shop, part coffee bar, the Subway Cafe will be operated by franchisees with its lease held by the Subway Restaurant chain. They will take possession of a portion of the storefront occupied by the 11,000 square foot Lago Furniture. The furniture shop is on a month-to-month lease while tenants are sought for the rest of the space, Vitacco said.

Interior of one of the Subway Restaurant Chain’s Subway Cafes. The concept debuted in 2011

The furniture shops on the north side of Surf have long been in violation of the C-7 amusement zoning and are gradually being replaced by restaurants and bars. Dunkin’ Donuts (also in Stillwell Terminal), Coney Island Bar & Grill (formerly Bratva), Grimaldi’s Pizzeria, and Applebee’s will be joined next year on the north side of Surf by Johnny Rockets and Red Mango and Subway Cafe. As we noted last year, rides and amusement businesses aren’t about to make a comeback due to the skyrocketing rents since the rezoning. “I’m getting more inquiries than ever before,” said Vitacco, who would like to bring a seafood and steak restaurant to the neighborhood. “It means that people are thinking about it. But I call half the people I talk to tourists.”

Until the early 1980′s the north side of Surf Avenue was home to individually-owned penny arcades and a variety of rides including bumper cars, carousels and even a Jumbo Jet-style coaster. Philips Candy Store, now located in Staten Island, was the anchor of Stillwell Terminal from 1930 until 2000 when the terminal was rebuilt and they had to move out. By the time the last ride– Coney Island’s B & B Carousell —closed in 2005, the north side was known as the wrong side of Surf Avenue to locate a business because of the lack of foot traffic.

UPDATE January 29, 2015:

After post-Sandy construction delays, Subway Cafe finally has their sign up and is set to open a year-and-a-half after signing a lease

Sky Rapids Ride at 1223 Surf Avenue and Arcade at 1217 Surf Ave. Coney Island. January 1, 1979. Photo by Abe Feinstein via Coney Island History Project

Photo of the Day: Sweet Potato Fries at Ruby’s Bar & Grill

Posted in Food, Food & Drink, Photo of the Day, Photography, tagged Boardwalk, Coney Island, Ruby's, Ruby's Bar on September 7, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Did you know that Ruby’s Bar & Grill, the legendary watering hole on the Boardwalk, has sweet potato fries on the menu? Neither did we until a few weeks ago. Now it’s our fave after-work snack. Delicious with an ice cold beer at the bar made of vintage Boardwalk wood. Ruby’s remains open through the fall and part of the winter. Check their Facebook page for current hours of operation.