Shalom Japan, 310 S. 4th St.
[Grabs you by the lapels] “Listen, mister, you’ve gotta — well, well sit down, here, now, make yourself comfortable, I’ve got to tell you something — listen, there’s this little place in New York City, name of Shalom Japan — can you beat that? Shalom Japan — and it’s just the most terrific little piece of something you’ve ever seen. This restaurant — it was started by a swell Jewish fella and a real nice Japanese gal, and they bring the food right out to you. Right out to you! You don’t even have to get up and leave the table. Can you beat that? Really, though. Can you beat it? I sure can’t. Why, just a few years ago it seems, we were all at war with each other, and here we all are now, sitting in a dining room together, eating a bowl of — a bowl of I don’t know what, only it’s just delicious. I think there’s some fish in it. I don’t know what kind of fish. Tastes great, and fills you up, too. Just terrific. Just tee-riffic.”
Russian Vodka Room, 265 W. 52nd St.
“They put pickles and garlic in the liquor here. I can’t say I understand it, but God bless ‘em. [voice becomes audibly choked up] God bless ‘em.”
Glady’s, 788 Franklin Ave.
“Sometimes, you know, sometimes a fella just wants to sit at a counter and eat a sandwich in peace and quiet for a few minutes, before he has to go back to his day, and isn’t it swell that there are so many places where we can do that now? Just sit in peace and quiet and enjoy a good sandwich. Nothing in the world like it. You can get that here. A chair all to yourself, a clean white napkin, a glass of milk and a mug of coffee and a sandwich for your lunch. And it’d be a real mistake to want to forget that, or to throw it away. A real mistake. Yes, sir. [quietly, almost to himself] Yes, sir.”
Whitman & Bloom, 384 Third Ave.
“We’re going to make a memory here tonight, I can tell. I can feel it in my fingertips all the way down to my bones. In a way — in some small way, I think they’re doing something important here. Satisfying a fundamental urge. It’s deep in the race, for a man to want to have someplace he can sit down and have four walls and a roof around him and take his hat off and have a pretty girl bring him a steak. No disrespect, miss, but you have the prettiest hands I’ve ever seen. Thank you. And this place…this place is helping them get that, in its own way.”
Glasserie, 95 Commercial St.
“You can get anything here. Just anything. They’ve got one meal that comes with potatoes and cheese and an egg on it. An egg, right on top of dinner. There are people who are dead right now. Right now! They’re finished living. But not us. We’re here, and we’re alive, and we’re young, and we’re eating potatoes with eggs on them.”
Tags: food, it’s a wonderful life, jimmy stewart, restaurant reviews
Oh, I want him to go to that place the 104 year old guy went to in the link roundup post from yesterday. It has egg creams! And caviar! That would never happen in Potterville, no sir, but just you take Ma Bailey to a meal like that, you’ll see how tickled she is.
“We’re here, and we’re alive, and we’re young, and we’re eating potatoes with eggs on them.”
I mean, that sounds as good a reason to be grateful as any.
This is essentially what I thought the first time I ate a hamburger topped with an egg. Livin’ on the edge.
I really related to that line
I did not think that the hyphen toast dot net would be the way I found out about new restaurants in my neighborhood, but life’s funny that way I suppose.
Right? Do something in Queens next, Jimmy.
Unpopular opinion time: I hate It’s A Wonderful Life.
It was worth it just to have the Fry and Laurie parody.
Excellent, excellent point.
And now I want restaurant reviews by Hugh Laurie-as-Rupert Murdoch-as-George Bailey.
I finally saw it for the first time two Christmases ago. I already knew the plot from cultural osmosis, so I was shocked and dismayed that it took SO DAMN LONG to get to the part with the angel dude. There’s like THREE HOURS OF NOTHING AT ALL HAPPENING.
However, it was all worth it when we got to the part where Jimmy Stewart is freaking out about his kids nagging him, and yells at his wife “Why did we have to have all these kids, anyway!?” I’m pretty sure it wasn’t intended as humorous, but I absolutely died laughing, and was then on #TeamPottersville for the rest of the film. It’s become my go-to quote when whining.
(It probably doesn’t help my perception of the film that I know Jimmy Stewart was a raging Republican.)
This is the only good thing to come out of It’s a Wonderful Life.
HAHAHAHA. SOULMATES AS PER USUAL.
Oh man, this just gets me, with no levels of irony. This especially:
“A chair all to yourself, a clean white napkin, a glass of milk and a mug of coffee and a sandwich for your lunch. And it’d be a real mistake to want to forget that, or to throw it away. A real mistake. Yes, sir. [quietly, almost to himself] Yes, sir”
I avoided watching this film for years and years (despite much urging from my parents at Christmas) because I thought it would be too saccharine, and my shrivelled and bitter heart would be bored by it.
When they finally snuck it in one year, the combination of 1) how it captured that each of life’s little necessary sacrifices, which seem so reasonable at the time, can build up and alter or stifle the dreams that you had, and that accepting this and moving on is inevitably bittersweet and 2) the sheer sincerity of Jimmy Stewart’s face and manner and just SELF, totally won me over. And now, sobbing, every year.
I’M NOT ASHAMED.
Was I supposed to get a little choked up reading this?
YOU ARE NOT ALONE FRIEND
POTATOES WITH EGGS ON THEM.
:sob:
This is, much like Jimmy Stewart himself, a bright light on the earth.
This is the best. I love Jimmy Stewart. I love It’s a Wonderful Life. And I really love this.
Jimmy Stewarts voice filled my head reading these and I DIDNT EVEN HAVE TO TRY. MALLORY YOU ARE MAGIC.
i can’t help reading the whole thing in a jimmy stewart voice, which makes it even more delightful. for some reason the jimmy stewart voice in my head is flawless, but the one that comes out of my mouth…less so
What is it you want, Mallory? What do you want? You want the apple pie? Just say the word and I’ll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey. That’s a pretty good idea. I’ll give you the pie, Mallory.
What is it you want, Mallory? What do you want? You want the apple pie? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey. That's a pretty good idea. I'll give you the pie, Mallory.
Glady’s is a few blocks from me! Though it’s kind of got a slick Pottersville vibe as opposed to a good old Bedford Falls sandwich counter..
This made me genuinely, unironically emotional. And I’m also now really looking forward to Christmas.
Glady’s sounds like the kind of restaurant we need more of these days. As does Glasserie. A good friend and I were just lamenting the dearth of family-run, greasy spoon type places in our area. We found a great diner (The Blue Jay, how adorable is that?) just a couple neighborhoods over, and I’m strongly considering relocating just to be closer to it.
George Bailey lassoes fork.
Oh my, I like I Jimmy Stewart. I like his own simple ways. My favorite line is “We’re going to make a memory here tonight, I can tell. I can feel it in my fingertips all the way down to my bones. In a way…”