Where the Heavyweights And Celebs Come to Dine on Tomahawk Steak

Old-time dining at DK. If Josh Taylor had pumped up and fortified himself with DK’s Tomahawk steak, before he was dominated by Teofimo Lopez on June 11 at Madison Square Garden, he’d probably still be the WBO’s super lightweight champion. But a fine time was had by all anyway when he stopped in after the main event.

DK’s owner, Denis Morovic, has been a fixture in Manhattan’s dining scene for over 30 years–all at the same Chelsea hot spot at 207 West 36th St, a few blocks from Madison Square Garden. First there was Murano, an Italian favorite. Then came Delmonico’s Kitchen. And today, there’s DK Restaurant. No matter the name, the restaurant’s always been a favorite, had a great chef, and gotten good reviews. It’s proximity to MSG made it a go-to for Billy Joel (after a Garden song-a-thon), Mariano Rivera after Yankee Games and Ron Duguay, in a bygone era of the NY Rangers. It was a lunch favorite when there was a full-fledged working Garment Center crowd.

Now, at long long last the restaurant business is picking up, especially in the evening. At 7 o’clock on a Friday, DK started getting busy. There was a party of 20 in the back. I think Josh Taylor may have been among them. I peeked in and saw plates and platters with plenty of carbs and plenty of protein.

The menu’s gargantuan. Seventeen pages online. My default, the long-boned Tomahawk, was perfectly prepared. Leftover meat and the long long bone (wrapped in aluminum foil) fit perfectly in a brown bag. Everybody knows no doggie’s going to get at it. My dining companion went light with filet mignon and grudgingly shared the spinach, whipped potatoes. And bread. Spinach was steamed. Potatoes remained hot as we devoured. Seafood plateaus, fish, chicken and all kinds of shared plates were on the menu. But we came for the steak. Note to Denis: We’ll be back.

A dog’s world–You can’t escape them. I wouldn’t want to. But they are everywhere. I’m talking dogs. The NY Post’s glossy Alexa special recently dedicated an entire insert to the best for doggies spas, hotels, swim schools, luxury jewelry, a canine behaviorist aka Dog Whisperer, fashion shoulder doggie bags which are definitely not intended for leftovers! And a pitch to adopt rescues. How could you not love Alexa!

And on the streets, stores and spaces of NY, at least in Manhattan, dogs are ever-present–on the streets, in stores, on buses, in business names even if there’s no dog connection. Think Barking Dog, a restaurant on 94th and 3rd Ave. where doggies get to dine outdoors. Barking Dog’s owner didn’t stray far and opened another restaurant La Vignola, a beautiful, trendy restaurant on 92nd and 3rd. And Papaya King, the premier place for hot dogs, moved across the avenue and fortuitously located next door to Bond Vet where doggies and other pets come for veterinary services. And there’s the Doggie Fashion Show sponsored by Super Happy Healthy Kids on the LES on June 25th, from 11 AM to 1 PM at PS 110, School Park, 285 Delancey St. A $20 donation benefits SHHK and doggies benefit from a goodie doggie bag. The dog-less, accompanied by a dressed-up stuffed animal and a $20 donation will get a goodie doggie bag, too. It’s a NY state of dogs. You have to love it. I do.

Proliferations–Hannah Goldfield’s recent New Yorker article titled “A Proliferation of Bakeries” reminded me of my interest in counting the number of pizzerias and coffee cafes opening in short spans of blocks in Yorkville. They open rather rapidly (after sometimes undergoing years before opening). Here goes: North of 86th St to 94th: Giacomo’s, 85th and 3rd, s/e corner. Replaced Munchies. Munchies was a stylish restaurant and wine bar with a pricey menu. Also had a very short shelf-life. Suffered, IMO, from misnaming. Munchies sounds like a casual restaurant or a food court or an uptown Dylan’s with all kinds of candy. At Giacomo, you can have a slice or a full meal. And they have coffee. Most pizza places don’t. Giacomo’s self-serve. Roma’s is back. This time to 3d between 87th/88th, east side of street. Their last location was at the corner of 88th/3d, replaced now with Yasouvlaki restaurant. Welcome back, Roma’s. Farther uptown, on 3d Ave between 91st/92nd, east side of street, is Il Cantuccio’s. On 3d between 93rd/94th, same side of street, is La Vita Pizza. All have similar menus. Prices vary.

The coffee cafe count, from 85th to 89th and Lex goes like this: 85th, Starbucks, s/e corner. Valley Roasters, n/e corner. Paris Baquette, 85th/86th, midblock, w/s of street. Eli’s 87th, n/e corner. Tal, 88th, n/w corner. Le Pain Quotidien, 88th, s/e corner. Patis (Kosher), 88th/89th, mid-block. Patisserie Vanessa, 89th, n/w corner. Corrado, 90th, n/e corner. All are self-serve. Some have sandwiches, soup, salads. All, well, have coffee. Definitely a post-pandemic NY landscape.