There's been much grumbling afoot about the rainy June we've had in NY. Truthfully, I much prefer a few thunderstorms to crushing, moist heat. These are the choices, people! Don't get all blindsided-nostalgic about the beautiful summer days of the Tristate, 'cause really...there aren't any.
A dear friend/accomplice of mine popped over one stormy afternoon--Pour Some Sugar On Me (I know, it's clunky as all get-out, but you'd understand if you saw her) is exactly the kind of gal you want over on a bluesy day: She's cheerful, intrepid, with adventurous palate and a heavy gas foot.
PSSOM: So whaddaya wanna do, honey?
EF: <Screwed-up thinking face> I want to...drink...outside...in the rain...but not get wet.
And lo, we appeared at Dudley's in New Rochelle just before the sky went black. No matter! PSSOM had fulfilled my wish to a tee--Dudley's is dive set over a small harbor that leads to the Long Island Sound, with the look and feel of a City Island seafood joint.
As the rain started to descend in heavy plops, we were sitting safe and dry on a covered dock with picnic benches, sharing a pitcher of Blue Moon and looking over the menu.
Alas, the steamers were not at their best (there was a 1-funky-to-3-non-funky-clam ratio going on):
...and the bacon cheeseburger was nothing to write home about:
But it all somehow came together in a cocktail of humming satisfaction--the thunder and lightning, the low roar of rain slapping the surface of the harbor, the rhythm of shelling and dipping steamers in butter, the hot and cold give-crunch-drip that can only come from a burger (even a subpar one).
Would I recommend Dudley's to the gourmet-minded? Sadly, no. But if you're looking for a pint and maybe some wings, a breeze off the water, or a great place to watch a thunderstorm? Absolutely.
PSSOM: What 's next?
EF: Pie.
PSSOM: Pie, huh? <Flipping open her phone, scrolling for pie-savvy contacts.>
A trusted source came back with the suggestion of City Limits Diner in White Plains, so we zigzaged north in PSSOM's Subaru.
Score-and-a-half! City Limits subscribes to the individual 4-inch pie notion, so there's no threat of a lingering, runty slice. PSSOM went with the Banana Cream:
You can't see it here, but the inside of that flaky crust is lined lightly with chocolate, so that the bananas and cream filling don't sog through. 'Twas like dressed-up Nilla pudding, in the best of ways.
I went for the Key Lime:
Puckeringly tart, rich, not too sweet, with a well-executed butter-graham crust, my only wish was that they'd lashed my pie with whipped cream the way they had the Banana Cream Pie.
Strangely (but serendipitously!) City Limits is run by the Livanos Restaurant Group, who also run Oceana, Molyvos and Abboccato in the city (and Burger Deluxe in NJ). I'm sure PSSOM or The Man and I will be back to try and work our way through the temptingly hefty, multipaged diner menu.
But for now, props for helping pie whims materialize on a stormy evening.
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Dudley's Parkview Restaurant
94 Hudson Pk Rd
New Rochelle, NY, 10805
(914) 235-4445
City Limits Diner
200 Central Avenue
(at the corner of Route 119 / Tarrytown Road)
White Plains, NY 10606
Ph: 914 686 9000
F: 914 428 6012
CityLimitsDiner.com
Sunday - Thursday: 8 am - 11 pm
Friday & Saturday: 8 am - 12 am
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