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Monday, January 25, 2010

My Trip To The Promised Land (A.K.A. "Arby's")



Yes, on Thursday after work I jumped on the subway and took the short trip to the new Arby's on Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn.



As I've mentioned before, Arby's opened in the landmarked space that once housed the white linen Gage and Tollner restaurant.  I must say, it's obvious the owner of this Arby's franchise spent a lot of money making sure the interior stayed true to its roots.  Here is how the space (with the famous gas lights) looked back when it was a restaurant serving Jimmy Durante and Marilyn Monroe ...



Not a bad preservation job.  The space is long - and the counter is all the way in the back, with the kitchen behind a wall.  In fact - you cannot see any food being made at all - including the delicious curly fries.  A "Runner" brings your completed order out of the kitchen and hands it to you.

The staff was really nice and enthusiastic.  There were also a bunch of Arby's "corporate" types (below) milling about, supervising Opening Day.  I wanted to walk up to them and thank them for doing such important work (yes, Biatches, I said IMPORTANT) but I didn't bother them.  I didn't want to interrupt while they made the magic happen ...



While enjoying my meal (Roast Beef, Curly Fries, Southwest Mini-Egg Rolls ... and DIET Dr. Pepper - insert chuckle HERE), I noticed they had a traditional Bell for customers to ring if they received good service.  Every time the bell rang, the staff would chant "Thank you Guest, you're the BEST!".  It was really cute.



So, on my way out the original wooden revolving door (above), you KNOW I rang that bell, and I rang it loudly and proudly.



And the staff thanked me and told me that I was "the BEST"!  Wasn't that sweet?!?  I can't wait to go back...

18 comments:

  1. Very elegant Arby's. Bell sounds like fun...reminds me of Husong's in Ensenada. When you leave the bathroom there, a pan falls to the floor and everyone applauds as you walk back into the bar...well, maybe, little different, but part of the ambiance and part of the fun experience.

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  2. It looks great!! Love the space.

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  3. man do I want a roast beef sandwich right now! I'm so happy for you TRanny...now you can have those fantastic curly fries whenever you want them!!! andhow cool is that Arby's?....niiiiiice.

    XOXOXOXOX

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  4. And yea verily he went into the Promised Land and it was good.

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  5. Now I know what I am having for lunch! Unfortunately, mine will be in a much less fabulous setting...

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  6. It looks great - I would so eat there!

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  7. That is so AWESOME! I love it that you love Arby's.

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  8. And now New York residents, Arby's staff and the rest of us take a collective sigh of relief!!!!!!!!! All is NOW right with the world.

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  9. Glad you again have a local decadence to frequent :o)

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  10. Well, it looks like your perseverance paid off! Not only did you finally get an Arby's, you got a Divalicious one!

    You totally shoulda talked to those corporate guys... you might have been able to convince them to scout locations in Hell's Kitchen!

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  11. um girl, I had something a little more special in mind than a trip to Arby's!

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  12. It seems you're influencing me: I ate at Arby's for the first time in years over the weekend! (last time was when I was living in NYC...it was on 6th Ave & 3rd St...is that still there?)

    I did enjoy the sandwich, though I didn't like the fries. Glad your Arby's makes you happy!

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  13. An Arby's in Brooklyn sounds dangerous...you'll have to take me there next time I come to NYC.

    And I totally understand ordering a diet soda. The aftertaste of artificial sweetener isn't nearly as nasty as the scum one gets on the teeth after drinking a soda filled with HFCS.

    XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

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  14. Very nice! Glad to know the ambience is equal to the food. ;)

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  15. Wow, it looks fantastic! They did a wonderful job restoring the landmark and making sure it fit into the neighborhood. But you TOTALLY should have talked to the Arby's Corporate guys and told them about your blog's Arby's love. You might have scored some freebies! :-)

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  16. Don't know if you saw this, but maybe you should dust off your resume. :)

    http://www.nrn.com/breakingNews.aspx?id=378818

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