#TheCitythatDoesntSleep #TheOriginal #YankeeTavern #Est1927 #JoeBastone #AmandaBastone @AaronBoone @Yankees #Bronx #NewYork #Italian #American #CornedBeef Summer 2021

Amanda Bastone, Joe Bastone and Yankees Manager Aaron Boone

It's never been who you know, it's WHOM YOU KNOW and on occasion, Peachy Deegan takes the 4 to the Bronx to see Legendary Restaurateur Joe Bastone at Yankee Tavern!  This is his second feature; he was last featured in 2015:

https://www.whomyouknow.com/2015/08/the-city-that-doesnt-sleep-yankee.html#.YSfE0I5Kg2w

On a hazy hot humid day in the summer, Yankee Tavern is a beacon of All-American deliciousness that has proven the test of time.  They've been around since 1927 and we can't wait until they turn 100.  They are the oldest bar in the Bronx.

Owner Joe Bastone with the Homemade Beef Meatballs and Linguine

Of course everyone is vaccinated here.

Legend of Hospitality and best neighbor anyone's ever had in the Bronx, Joe Bastone graciously welcomed us with Mother's Milk, while he had a Schofferhofer (it's grapefruit.) We just heard someone say, "How Come Peachy's Not Drinking Guinness." Well, Guinness is better in Ireland but based on our first experience at Yankee Tavern, Mother's Milk from Upstate New York is better here because it's local and fresh.  Also, though we don't know them yet they appear to be Irish.

You should know Joe is a sponsor of the 161st Street BID (Business Improvement District) and in 1988 he started the Merchant's Association of 161st Street.  Another fun fact is that Yankee Tavern was in the Budweiser Bud Light Commercial from the last world series.

They have been open the entire time in this age of covid with takeout and delivery and personally, Peachy loves to eat in the restaurant itself which you can of course do now.

Yankee Tavern has been famous for having actual Yankees visit throughout the ages from Babe Ruth in the late 1920's to Joe DiMaggio in the 1940s and Mickey Mantle.  Yogi Berra and Elston Howard came for lunch.  Joe Bastone Sr. with three partners bought Yankee Tavern in 1964, and Joe Bastone Jr. took over in 1985.  Joe Jr's daughter, Amanda Bastone is a current manager.

Everyone knows it's bathing suit season, and even if it's not, salads are always an essential part of a dinner menu.  We applaud that there are seven total salad choices and more taverns should be like Joe; it's not an accident that this venue has been thriving since 1927.  Above, meet the Garden Salad with lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, celery and green peppers.  Also, we added the fantastic chicken marinated in honey dijon expertly grilled which is the right amount of pizzazz. 

Below, meet the Greek Salad which is also a winning classic with its lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion, green peppers and feta cheese.  They listened and per request by Picky Peachy there was not dressing.  We were entirely impressed with both salads.

Pictures do not lie and you should know we never edit them.

You excel like Joe, or you don't.

The menu is extremely comprehensive and any hungry person on earth could find at least 20 items they'd want to try here.  Under Heroes, Wraps and Paninis alone we believe we count 25 choices.  The Yankee Tavern Cheese Steak is absolutely gorgeous and don't hate it because it's beautiful: devour it.  The oozing succulent cheese steak absolutely hits the spot and paired with onions and peppers, it is a home run in your stomach.

The sauces that are freshly home made at Yankee Tavern are reason alone to order the pasta.  We had Meatballs with Linguine and the meatballs are made with 100% beef and just delicious.  If you are more in the mood for a sandwich you should know you cannot beat a Corned Beef on Rye and it might have been our favorite!

Yankee Tavern continues to be Highly Recommended and it is the only place in the Bronx ever to be recommended, and the only venue in New York City outside of Manhattan to earn a second review.

https://www.yankeetavern.nyc/

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The City That Doesn't Sleep: Yankee Tavern Sports Bar and Restaurant The Original Est. 1927 by Joe Bastone Our Coverage Sponsored by Bergen Linen

Owner of Yankee Tavern, Joe Bastone.

With Peachy cheering to NYCFC (we say they will make the playoffs!):

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 One of the saddest aspects of living in New York is that Peachy Deegan cannot go to Martin's Tavern every day.  We love the historic aspects of it and Billy's phenomenal dedication to keeping his family business alive and thriving; and obviously, the cuisine rocks (did you see Harry Truman's prime rib).  If this is your first time reading us, you should know that they boast a history back to 1933 and ever since, it has been run and owned by a Billy Martin (four of them, sequentially.  The first came from Galway).  We tell everyone that we believe exists in Washington how lucky they are that Georgetown is there (though in a perfect world, we'd move our favorite section of Washington right next to Central Park) and how lucky they are to go to Martin's Tavern as often as they like.

One of the happiest aspects of living in New York is the NYCFC and sadly for DC United, NYCFC made sure their most recent trip to New York was memorable (so if you are sad from Washington about your team, go see Billy to make you happy.)

Now clear your thoughts.

Being on time is paramount to success we believe, and we hate anything late, so we are almost never late, and the one time we can think of when Peachy was late was when she went somewhere last winter and the subway she was on broke down (you see we do not review the MTA.)  

We never, ever want to be late for a soccer game (so far, so good), so sometimes we are extremely early.  One day when we were, we explored the immediate area, and we met the absolutely terrific Joe Bastone, above in video format!  He did not know us and we did not say too much about how we also write on food.  Joe was already taking tremendous pride in his business, personally ushering people into his dining room (and may we say Joe puts the classy in the South Bronx with his dining room in the back) pre-game and Peachy was there as a soccer writer.  Yankee Tavern is packed and popular.   

Joe could not have been nicer, so at a later date we scheduled a post-game review.  Though Yankee Tavern is not in Manhattan, we think of Yankee Stadium and its immediate area as its own kind of principality because the soccer team has impressed us so much (have you bought your season tickets yet?).

To us, Yankee Stadium is for soccer.  And watching soccer makes us hungry! Joe and his place are one of the nicest surprises we've had this year, and you should know it is a destination in this spot.  A lot of big names and big brands you have heard of go there, and if you think we know a lot of people, you should look at the pictures on Joe's walls.  All pictures on the walls have been donated to the Tavern (because people love it there!).  Joe is not a name-dropper but you should know that one person that visited was George Steinbrenner.

You need to know that their kitchen is still open after a game until midnight or 1am depending on the day.

 First we will discuss the food.  It's casual cuisine done so well, and we truly did love everything we tried.   How many times have you heard us say that about a place we went to for the first time?  There's a reason this place has been here since 1927.  We can't wait for their centennial party!

 If you've read us before, you know Peachy Deegan was a connoisseur of the chicken parm grinder from Lower Dining Hall at Boston College.   She wasn't the only one that loved it, and the food at school was great.  It's a long way to Chestnut Hill though, and we found Joe's just as amazing on our first try.  The chicken was perfectly prepared and joined by fantastic sauce and mozzarella.  Did we mention Joe is Italian?

 Joe asked us if we liked pizza...of course!

 They make homemade pizza fresh and we'd highly recommend the Fresh Mozzarella with Plum tomato sauce.

 

 Yes you need to try this pizza.  We enjoyed every bite of it, even leftover for breakfast.  It is so good that you would have to be a nicer person than Peachy to share it.

 Their dough is homemade and a celebration of carbohydrates, which are a very good friend of ours! The cheese, however, was the best component.  Just look at it:

Yes, of course they make their own sauce and you will revel in it:

 

 

 As you can see, this is not bar food and if it were, we would not be writing on it!  Fresh vegetables arrive on a regular basis, and we enjoyed the Spinach Salad.  They were happy to put the dressing on the side (ranch and we liked it!), and the winning team of vegetables included in the starting line up: spinach of course, tomato, mushrooms and it also contained perfectly boiled eggs and delicious bacon.

 Then did we like corned beef Joe wanted to know?  Louder than saying how much you should be personally supporting the soccer team is our cry for how Irish American we are (have you heard of the Deegan expressway?  Did you know that Boston College was founded in 1863 by Irish immigrants?) and has been encouraged since birth.  We don't remember not liking corned beef, and guess who often had it at Shelly's Deli in the Hartford Civic Center prior to Whalers games...(which we were never late for either.) 

Clearly, you should have no concerns about going hungry near the principality Yankee Stadium.  The corned beef has been a staple of Yankee Tavern since 1964 and it comes from Desola Provisions of Hunts Point.  It is among the freshest we've had and it is perfect on rye with mustard and a pickle.  You don't have to wait for St. Patrick's Day to eat it either, and it's been our experience that Jewish people like it a lot too! 

 As with many other of our experiences, it is the Italians that are the ones that execute it best. (disclaimer: Peachy is not Italian.) 

Joe Bastone is an esteemed leader of his community, a terrific restaurateur and even more important, a nice person.   He is definitely the kind of person that should have a restaurant because he's got a cheerful, friendly personality.  

And for the history of Yankee Tavern?

The history at Yankee Tavern is just as outstanding as the food.  

Peachy's BC degree is in American History and maybe she's the first to make it professional American food history in life.  Another family started Yankee Tavern in the 1920's, and in 1964, Joe's dad, also Joseph Bastone bought the business with three partners.   From the 1920's to 1964, Yankee Tavern had several owners.  Both of Joe's parents are from Calabria, Italy and Joe himself was born only ten blocks away from Yankee Tavern. Here's Joe on the left, with his dad, on the right:

In 1966, the Joe we worked with on this visit started as a bus boy here at age 12, and the rest really is history!  Joe's a CPA by trade (we love smart people)...

The decor is original Art Deco with a Terrazzo floor.  Joe has expanded the spot multiple times over the years and you never know when he'll have a new business idea up his sleeve...

 Obviously, Peachy is drinking a Guinness.

 Yankee Tavern is for all sports!

Visit 72 East 161st street, literally across the street towards the Upper East side from Yankee Stadium!  They are an independent business, not affiliated with the Yankees...

 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Yankee-Tavern/138719899515635

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#TerrificTakeoutBrooklyn #InauguralReview #BonniesGrill @BonniesGrill by #ExecutiveChef #GeorgeKantaris @BuffaloBills

Well we guess Peachy Deegan is saying never say never.

It's not who you know and it never has been if you speak English.

It's Whom You Know. And this year we met George Kantaris who impressed us both on the Upper East Side and in Midtown earlier this year.  In fact, he was so talented Peachy actually went to Brooklyn.

Bonnie's Grill is located in Park Slope and opened in January 2000 by an entrepreneur from Buffalo, New York whose family name incorporated Bonnie.  In 2018, George bought Bonnie's Grill and has been the sole owner and Executive Chef ever since, completely reinventing the menu which in our humble opinion is super fresh.  Obviously this is our first time there and this is the first time Peachy has ever even eaten in Brooklyn.  Actions speak louder than words.  So far in New York city outside of Manhattan she only visits her buddy Joe Bastone at Yankee Tavern in the Bronx and her pal Edin Redzic at The Pizza Factory in Queens.  And now here.

Their bestseller is the Buffalo Wings, because of course this is Buffalo-originated.  Served with celery, carrots and Blue Cheese dressing, these are wing perfection.  We had them medium because Peachy does not want to be set on fire with her Irish taste buds.  If you prefer they also come in hot and measure in at 357k skoville units.  This place is a favorite of Bills fans...and yes of course the wings are made fresh.

Of course in the History of Whom You Know, our mission statement is essentially one and the same as the motto of Boston College (for obvious reasons): #EvertoExcel

If you are a Bills fan you know who is doing the Heisman Pose with Peachy in this picture in front of Fulton at Boston College.  (Photo Credit: M. and T. Curley)  Flutie was also featured here.

Nearly 14 years into doing this we still are learning new items to eat and here's one.  

Twisted Beef on Weck.

What is Weck?

Weck is a bun with salt and caraway seeds, and George reinvented this with an onion ring and fresh horse radish aioli.  Every bite announces quality and it melts in your mouth, which doesn't surprise us one bit as Peachy is still talking about the Corned Beef from Times Square Diner.

Salads are an essential component to any meal.

We applaud the eight salad choices on this menu and this is another aspect that sets Bonnie's apart from other Bars and Grills with far less competitive menus.  We started with the Spicy Tuna, above.  

The Tuna Salad is white albacore and made fresh on premises, as is everything.  Carrots, celery and pickles join the tuna party and the chipotle mayo is also made from scratch at Bonnie's which melds the items together.  Mixed greens, cranberries, celery, almonds, red peppers and Honey Mustard dressing which they put on the side for Ms. Super Picky round out this winning salad.  

Below, meet Chicken Bacon Ranch.

Who does not love BACON!?!!??!

Here, mixed greens, red peppers, olives, and sunflower seeds team up to form an ideal base for the perfectly sliced avocado and amazingly grilled chicken to perch on top of like the kings of the mountain they are here.  This is among the best ranch dressings we have ever had and for someone that doesn't like salad dressing 99.9 percent of the time, Peachy liked this salad dressing.  Which also was on the side per her request and they listened again.

Peachy cannot eat chili without thinking of the amazing Gerard Meagher at Old Town.  

We were delighted to try George's chili for the first time at Bonnie's and believe it to be quite competitive.  Flavorful and well-balanced, the Meat Chili is gorgeously garnished by cheddar cheese, and sour cream, joined by a tortilla.  There is great Americana memorabilia all over which we liked and don't miss the new Elvis movie!

We count eleven sandwich choices here not even counting the burger options.

The Twisted Beef on Weck was our favorite of the two we tried, but also solid was the Blackened Catfish, accentuated with spicy cole slaw and chipotle mayo.  The cole slaw is the best Peachy has ever had and that is because George makes it fresh.  In fact, she has never eaten cole slaw anywhere ever before and liked it.  For burgers, you can create your own burger or choose from their specialty burgers.  We chose the Classic Cheddar Cheeseburger, medium rare.

It was super duper juicy and arrives with Bonnie's Special Spice Rub giving it superlative flavor.  Lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles join the burger festivities:

As avid readers know, we do not ever edit pictures.

You excel like George, or we do not publish.

Finally, the ribs luxuriate in a three-day beer brine and we tried the half rack which were a carnivorous delight.

Bonnie's Grill is Terrific Takeout and we look forward to seeing them keep up the great work.

https://www.eatatbonnies.com/

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