A new eatery called Hamilton’s Soda Fountain and Luncheonette recently opened in Greenwich Village, on the corner of Marc Jacobs and Marc Jacobs, also known as Bank St. and W. 4th. It’s one of those new retro places that both attracts and repels me, first for its nostalgic verisimilitude, second for its twee self-awareness.
The real problem with most of these places is that they serve overpriced items for foodies who lust for fetishized fancywork. They also tend to fill up with the most irritating people on earth. So I approached Hamilton’s with suspicious curiosity. But after checking out their menu and finding it shockingly affordable and filled with plain basics, I tried the place out...
...At Hamilton’s, I was joined by an older lady, whose name I didn’t get, though she told me the story of her 50 years in the Village, and the flower shop she once ran, where gay men were her most appreciative customers and muggers strolled in with guns in their hands.
The lady was delighted to find Hamilton’s. “There’s no place left to eat around here,” she said. “The Village is gone. Only the buildings are left standing.” She read the menu like a good book, savoring each item. “Oh, chopped liver,” she said. “Pastrami! Egg creams and lime rickeys! I feel like I’ve been deprived of these things, and now here they are.”
She ordered the pastrami sandwich and a cream soda. Billie Holiday sang softly through the speakers. We talked about Brooklyn, tourists, and death. She told me about her rent-controlled apartment, how she outlived the landlord who never expected her to stay so long. “I’ll probably die there,” she said, “in another five years. That’s enough for me.”
If Hamilton’s keeps appealing to people like her, it’s a good thing for the Village. I just hope they don’t ruin it.
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I was hesitant to try Hamilton's. From the street It looks touristy and contrived. However, the menu was refreshingly simple, truly affordable .. service was lovely, open late, the interior is spare and fresh, and they have a $2 lime rickey. Great addition to the neighborhood for tourists, locals and all the old timers....
ReplyDeleteHope it has the staying power of Bus Stop and La Bonbonniere. -W
It's good to see you post something with a bit of hope and optimism despite your best efforts. :-)
ReplyDeleteThis sounds promising! My fingers are crossed and will check this place out soon.
ReplyDeleteYa know what this place is completely contrived. Total gimmick.
ReplyDeleteGo support your local diner or an actual luncheonette
If you can find one.
ReplyDeleteLa bobonierre and the village den are right around the corner
ReplyDeleteLime rickeys! I haven't had one since college. I know one place I'll be eating when I come home for Christmas.
ReplyDeleteI knew some Anonymous would give me shit for this.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy it while you can, 'cause they're not gonna make the rent selling $2 lime rickeys.
ReplyDeleteWould never have tried the place except for this piece, so thanks.
ReplyDeleteSince Plan A to save the real places is doomed, I'm willing to support places like this that are a kind of Plan B for New York.
Not against change of a certain kind, just against another glass box. Or a bank. Or a hotel. Or an NYU dorm.
We ate breakfast a week ago in the Bronx with our daughter-in-law (son long off to residency work). I won't name it. Just a diner with a great breakfast, cheap even by out-of-city standards, and an incredibly fast-talking, hyper-competent waitress. NYC lives.
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU for telling us about this place, Jeremiah. (I agree with Anonymous's "Plan A and Plan B" theory....)
ReplyDeleteI will try it eagerly next time I'm in that neighborhood.
This building belongs to the man who evicted Bookleaves bookstore so that the glitzy coffee bar could move in at 10x the rent. Hamilton's belongs to the coffee bar people, and they belong to the landlord.
ReplyDeleteSee you at the Village Den!