Posted By Patricia Beninato
on
5/5/2008 9:57:00 PM
Gray's Papaya is an only-in-New York institution. Sure, you can go just about anywhere and find a hot dog, but Gray's is unique. Unsuspecting tourists who wander into the place, particularly the midtown location down the street from Madison Square Garden, have been known to blanch and flee. Braver souls and those who want to experience good cheap eats Manhattan-style, however, crowd the place. Back in the eighties when I first started going to various Gray's locations, there weren't too many places near the hot clubs of the day where one could grab something quick to eat to soak up the overpriced alcohol after the clubs shut down at three in the morning. Gray's, open twenty-four hours, fit that need nicely and still does.
The hot dogs are good even when you're sober, with that almost crunchy crust that comes from skillful griddle cooking. I usually get mine with mustard and ketchup; if I feel I need a veggie of some sort I get sauerkraut on top. Although some people break with tradition and get a virgin pina colada or coconut champagne to go with their dogs, the purist will only ever get the papaya drink. It's frothy and light and not too sweet, a levels-higher better version of that old mall mainstay Orange Julius. It's not really a sit-down place although a couple of locations do offer seating, so everyone kind of stands around and eats and watches the ebb and flow of the crowd. Being New York, Gray's gets some interesting characters, and the later you're there the more ... um ... entertaining the crowd, shall we say. Since members of New York's finest also crowd the place, however, there's no trouble.
Once upon a time Gray's attempted to branch out into Philadelphia. It didn't work out, which wasn't surprising. You might be able to take Gray's Papaya out of New York, but you'll never take New York out of Gray's Papaya--and its many fans will be more than happy to tell you that.
