ONE IF...........
Perhaps my favorite restaurant in New York City (back in the day) was an unobtrusive place (well, from the street) named "One if by Land, Two if by Sea" located at 17 Barrow Street in Greenwich Village.
Aaron Burr's former coach house, it is supposedly haunted. But who cares? It is know for it's signature dish of Beef Wellington and I can attest to the fact that it is splendid, a culinary delight!
Once inside, the room is magnificent...…. A grand piano and a fireplace were snuggled just inside the entrance next to the bar and many a celebrity (Liza, on occasion) would drop by to do a few tunes for the patrons.
There was always an enormous arrangement of fresh-cut flowers in back of the bar which helped it to attain the reputation as one of the most romantic restaurant in the city.
The main dining room had a balcony which overlooked it (for VIP seating and luckily we were given the honor on a few occasions - at that time we knew the owners.) In the picture below you can see the stairs (on the left) which led to this hallowed spot.
The next picture give a broader view of the main dining room with the balcony visible to the left.
And now, for the fabled story about that balcony. While I was not there, the night it happened it was witnessed by a friend of mine and corroborated by the wait-staff.
Jacqueline Susann (the author of "Valley of the Dolls" and a person that Truman Capote once called "a truckdriver in drag") was dining with Ethel Merman at one of the tables on the balcony. They were a bit boisterous with laughter and such. Suddenly there was crash of crystal breaking and Ms. Susann stood up and stormed down the stairs. Mid-storm, Ms. Merman also stood and shrieked (as only Ethel could), "I'm a c**t? You're a c**t." The stunned diners sat in silence until Ms. Susann had exited the front door and then broke into applause which Mr. Merman accepted with a slight wave of the hand and a bow. Now, you may call it Urban Myth, but I believe it. Just another delicious slice of the Big Apple.
Aaron Burr's former coach house, it is supposedly haunted. But who cares? It is know for it's signature dish of Beef Wellington and I can attest to the fact that it is splendid, a culinary delight!
Once inside, the room is magnificent...…. A grand piano and a fireplace were snuggled just inside the entrance next to the bar and many a celebrity (Liza, on occasion) would drop by to do a few tunes for the patrons.
There was always an enormous arrangement of fresh-cut flowers in back of the bar which helped it to attain the reputation as one of the most romantic restaurant in the city.
The main dining room had a balcony which overlooked it (for VIP seating and luckily we were given the honor on a few occasions - at that time we knew the owners.) In the picture below you can see the stairs (on the left) which led to this hallowed spot.
The next picture give a broader view of the main dining room with the balcony visible to the left.
And now, for the fabled story about that balcony. While I was not there, the night it happened it was witnessed by a friend of mine and corroborated by the wait-staff.
Jacqueline Susann (the author of "Valley of the Dolls" and a person that Truman Capote once called "a truckdriver in drag") was dining with Ethel Merman at one of the tables on the balcony. They were a bit boisterous with laughter and such. Suddenly there was crash of crystal breaking and Ms. Susann stood up and stormed down the stairs. Mid-storm, Ms. Merman also stood and shrieked (as only Ethel could), "I'm a c**t? You're a c**t." The stunned diners sat in silence until Ms. Susann had exited the front door and then broke into applause which Mr. Merman accepted with a slight wave of the hand and a bow. Now, you may call it Urban Myth, but I believe it. Just another delicious slice of the Big Apple.
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