Royal Bangladeshi Restaurant

Royal Bangladeshi Restaurant on First Avenue near East 6th Street (ground floor space) which served inexpensive Bangladeshi food sadly permanently closed its doors in early June and Milon located just upstairs and to the left of Royal Bangladeshi closed in mid-March 2020 due to the pandemic. (Swipe left for 2nd photo in 2021 and last photo taken in June 2022 showing the ground floor restaurant space closed and for rent signage). Now the only remaining Indian cuisine restaurant open for business of the three former competitors , is Panna II.

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We have personally been customers of Milon since 1988 (it opened in 1982) and the family who owned the restaurant was so wonderful and not only allowed us to photograph the interior with its cacophony of lights and decorations but also sang happy birthday to us on many occasions when we celebrated at the restaurant over our usual chicken tikka masala and aloo paratha! We miss Milon but we’re comforted by the knowledge that Panna II took over Milon’s lease and uses their restaurant space as an “overflow” adjoining restaurant. The exterior photo and an interview with manager Moha appears in our book “New York Nights”.

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Let us know which restaurant you have dined at as they were all competitively friendly with one another.

#storefront #indian #indianfood #indianfoodie #bangladesh #disappearingfaceofnewyork #banglafeshifood #indianfoodbloggers #indianfoodlovers #indianfoodstories #eastvillage #eastvillagenyc #chickentikka #chickentikkamasala #parathas #paratha

In honor of National Ice Cream Day 🍨today, July 17th, we are highlighting Jahn’s Ice Cream Parlor in Jackson Heights, Queens.

In honor of National Ice Cream Day today, July 17th, we are highlighting Jahn’s Ice Cream Parlor in Jackson Heights, Queens. Jahn’s was founded by John Jahn in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx in 1897 and was later run by three of his children.

I (Karla) personally remember going to Jahn’s in the Bronx as a kid and having birthday parties there (I was born in NYC in August) and having their massive “Everything Else But The Kitchen Sink” sundae which had 30 scoops of ice cream & various toppings & was served in a ice cream bowl so big that it was more like bucket and could easily serve a table full of kids (it stated that it serves . Jahn’s once had 30 different locations across New York City and South Florida but now only the Jackson Heights location survives. It was purchased by the Moukas family in 1970 who still run it today and although it serves homemade ice cream and has its stained-glass Coca-Cola chandeliers inside, ice cream is secondary on its menu as it has expanded to include standard diner fare including tuna melts and burgers.

We hope everyone enjoys a delicious ice cream today and supports their local “mom-and-pop” ice cream parlor. We would love to know in the comments where you go to have your favorite ice cream flavor.

#nationalicecreamday #icecream #icecreamporn #icecreamsundae #icecreamsunday #icecreamsundaes #icecreamtime #icecreamlovers #icecreamlove #icecreamlover #icecreamshop #icecreamparlour #icecreamparlor #hotfudgesundae #kitchensinksundae

We have great news to share about Hildebrandt’s

We have great news to share about Hildebrandt’s, the classic Long Island luncheonette/ice cream shop which has been in business since 1927. When we visited this iconic shop this past April, it was struggling to survive due to a recent rent increase. We had an amazing lunch including a grilled cheese sandwich, hamburger & delicious homemade French Fries and homemade Ice Cream Soda (swipe left for 2nd photo of our strawberry ice cream soda and a black & white ice cream soda topped with their homemade whip cream) and swipe left for 3rd photo of the gorgeous interior). After hearing that Hildebrandt’s was in danger of closing, new owners have purchased the business and renegotiated a 10-year lease with the landlord and thankfully plan on keeping its iconic neon signage and gorgeous Vitrolite storefront and the interior of the ice cream shop, which has not changed much since they first opened.

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To watch our livestream video supporting @hildebrandts please visit link below or see direct link to our YouTube channel in bio & today’s IG story.

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https://youtu.be/N-HrzN1zXS4

Ellie’s 50s Diner on US1 in Delray Beach, Florida

Ellie’s 50s Diner on US1 in Delray Beach, Florida is sadly closing its doors today after 32 years in business.

We visited this family-owned retro style diner (swipe left for 2nd photo of interior lunch counter complete with glass blocks) to say goodbye and to have a delicious lunch (swipe left for 3rd photo of our “Love Me Tender” 10 oz Sirloin Burger and French Fries & our “Teen Angel” Grilled Cheese and French Fries which we had on their outdoor patio with our dog Hudson).

We also had a chance to speak with the owner, Ellie Smela (swipe left for 4th photo of Karla & Hudson w/Ellie) about why she and her husband Bob decided to sell the restaurant & property it is located on (swipe left for 5th photo) and retire and she told us that the primary reason they are closing is due to the high operating costs of running the business. Their produce bill alone last year was $3,000 a month but had recently climbed to over $4,500 a month and although they raised prices of every item on the menu by at least $1, it was still a struggle to stay viable. It is sad to see a family-owned small business close its doors, especially a beloved diner as New York City has also seen many diners close their doors in the past few years, but we are glad we had a chance to visit.

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To watch our visit to @ellies50s.diner today and see us speak with Ellie, please check out our JamesandKarla YouTube channel, see direct link below & in bio and IG story.

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https://youtu.be/9wOn8UjKXKQ

Mulberry Street Bar in the Little Italy 🇮🇹 of Manhattan

Tony Sirico, the actor who played “Paulie Walnuts” Gualtieri on the American drama series, “The Sopranos” died the other day at age 79. In his honor, we are highlighting the historic Mulberry Street Bar in the Little Italy of Manhattan where scenes from “The Sopranos” featuring the interior of the Averna Social Club were filmed. Mulberry Street Bar was a wonderful choice as it retains much of its original interior since it opened in 1908 including the towering ornate wooden back bar which is inset with mirrors as well as a pressed tin ceiling and inlaid tile floor.

#jamesandkarla #dinersdriveinsanddives #thesopranos #sopranos #tonysirico #pauliewalnuts #littleitaly #littleitalynyc #bar #mob #themob #pub #tavern

Barber

This is definitely a favorite storefront of ours even though it hasn't seen a customer in years. Not only do we love the wood and brick facade but we also the vintage broken barber pole outside and the disheveled blinds in the windows and the American flag covering the door. We wish we could have visited it while it was open but still admire its understated beauty.

#storefront #american #americanflag #disappearingfaceofnewyork #barbershop #barberlove #barbershop #americana #urbandecay #shopfront #vintage #decaynation #decayporn #decay_nation #decay_of_today #decaydream #decayed #patriotic #decayphotography #decayingbeauty #urbexdecay #patrioticdecor

Pete’s Tavern, Gramercy, NYC

Pete’s Tavern on Irving Place at 18th Street is one of NYC’s oldest continuously operating bar/restaurants. It was established in 1864, and become famous because O. Henry is said to have written the classic short Christmas story “The Gift of the Magi” while dining and drinking in a booth inside the pub. We visited Pete’s yesterday, to help support this historic spot as it was closed for an extended time during the pandemic. We ordered their amazing 10 oz grilled burger which comes with lettuce, tomato on a grilled brioche bun and fries (swipe left for 2nd photo) which is a very reasonable $18. In addition to our evening photo which appears in our book “New York Nights” we also have interviewed the restauranteur about the pub’s connection to O. Henry, and time as a speakeasy during Prohibition.

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To watch our livestream visit to @petestavernnyc yesterday and to see its gorgeous interior including the booth where O. Henry sat, please visit our JamesandKarla YouTube channel, see direct link below & in bio and IG story.

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https://youtu.be/HRbS-20A0Eg