Girls, Avoid This Clip Joint!!!!!!!

"'Times Have changed,'" asserts Reno Sweeney at the start of "Anything Goes," and I certainly agree. Darlings, in the now thirty plus years I have been working the Upper Amsterdam Avenue area, things have come and gone. But none more so than what has transpired at the corner of Amsterdam and West 68th Street.

During my youth, it was a charming, long standing, greasy spoon joint and bar, known as "Pat's." It was like something out of "The Iceman Cometh," loves, but the burgers, fries, anything there was fabulous. Lunch and dinner hours were packed!!!
And Pat and his wife, Jenny, were the real thing--a couple of Irish American working stiffs who worked themselves up from the waterfront, to here. When they eventually sold, they were (and still are) greatly missed by some, but, hopefully, it netted them a bundle, and a cozy retirement!!!!! But, lambs, let me tell you, things have been going downhill, ever since!!!!!!

"Brian's Deli" opened in its place, and I can tell you, their record has been spotty. In the beginning I used to get everything--coffee, sandwiches, even the salad bar--from there--with no impunity!!!! But, time went on, and practices lapsed; in the last five years, say, one of my coworkers and I were made sick, due to the salad bar--not badly, but just enough to ward me off from it forever. There was a rumor that fecal matter was finding its way into some of the trays. So it was sandwiches, where the staff wore gloves, from then on. And coffee, of course!!!!
It is hard to ruin that!!!!

I stuck to the cake treats for awhile, unharmed, until, about a month ago, one afternoon on my break, I went for the coffee--and the place had been closed by the Grand Marshall!!!!!!!!!!! Would you believe the salad bar was still sitting out, and remained there, for days???? Eewwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!! At first I thought it was health code violations, but we found out it was a landlord dispute; the owner had not paid the rent.

So many always suspected something was going on there--like drug deals, and white slavery!!!! The place is owned and operated by this slant-eyed ice queen of imperious Asian extraction, known as the "Dragon Lady," who reminds me of Bea Lillie as Mrs. Meers in "Thoroughly Modern Millie," while resembling someone out of "Terry And The Pirates!!!" And she is probably operating the same kind of joint, as Meers, so, I am telling you, girls, do NOT go in there, else you are liable to be sold into white slavery. And you should see the staff!!! Exploited immigrant labor; you know the kind, that gets picked up early mornings along Queens highways, or mentally impaired Down Syndrome guys, who look meancing enough to do any wicked thing Dragon Lady tells them to do!!! And very likely does!!!!!!

Save for coffee, I don't frequent this place, and I am telling you all not to. They ARE getting desperate; putting up signs advertising freebies and luncheon specials, which, indicates to me this place is on the way out, with Dragon Lady about to be deported to Shanghai!!!!!!!!!!!

Even Chung King had more class than these lowlifes!!!!!!

Dong! Dong!, darlings!!!! Back to Hong Kong they go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!