A Stroll on the Boulevard

By Lou Pastina

Each year the mermaid confers with alumni of hers from mermaid school. They spend a weekend in Manhattan regaling each other with tales from yesteryear. Which generally means I am left on my own here on the Rock. So, as in previous years, I decided to take a stroll and see what is happening out and about.

Since the 97th/98th Street music and food scene is now kaput for a while due to Whit’s closing and Smoke and Barrel’s fire, I decided to see what else is happening on Rockaway Beach Boulevard. Walking east on the Boulevard, I must admit the corner of Beach 116th Street has improved greatly with Pickles and Pies refurbishing their outside. Really makes a difference, and of course, the first thing you come to is Rocco’s. A great addition to Beach 116th street, but this was not my primary destination. My goal was to check out the new restaurant Rhythms on the Rock. The Wave did a very nice piece on the owners of this new start-up. I walked in about 6 p.m. and was overwhelmed by the amount of work that the owners put into this place. I remember previous incarnations in this location, and this one is the best. The owners Devon and Yvette Strachan were there and were lovely. They gave me a tour of their restaurant and it is stunning. They have a main dining area and bar, plus two other private dining areas, and are planning an outdoor area behind the restaurant. There has always been a lack of seafood places in Rockaway, but Rhythms corrects this issue. I had the crabcakes and octopus, and it was delicious. The place is doing a soft opening before summer kicks off, so now is a great time to grab a dinner before the word gets out how good this place is. They have a lot going for them, the food is terrific, they are very nice people, and they find themselves in the middle of a Boulevard that is rapidly changing. With the new condos going up on Beach 116th and Beach 115th Street, Rocco’s to their west and Tap That to their east, they sit in the middle of a new restaurant row. I am hoping for good things for them this summer.

But this was a stroll, and I continued to Tap That to welcome back John Agnello. They closed for the main part of the winter but recently re-opened to a full schedule of bands. Saturday night had the Other Three playing, and they were quite good. One of the complaints I had heard in the past was that the pour your own drink thing denied patrons the opportunity to get a “buy-back” from a bartender. But guess what? I found that not to be the case, as one of the ever-busy staff members bought me a round. The people here are nice too, and the food is great. It’s nice to have Tap That back and supporting live music especially with Thai Rock not being around anymore. After listening to the first set, I wandered back west toward Beach116th Street and stopped in Rogers.

I haven’t been to Rogers in a while; well, since at least when Brendan retired. The band was advertised to start at 8:30 p.m., and I was hoping that was right, but they didn’t go on until 9 p.m. When I got there, the bar was empty, but by the time Uncle Jack’s Band started, they had a full house. I have seen advertisements for this band, but never heard them. The six piece rock ensemble hit it out of the park. They played everything under the sun as well. Their harmonies were spot on, and the lead player knew his stuff. I was very impressed by them, so much so I stayed for their first set. Wandering out of Rogers with every intention of heading home, I remembered a text my daughter sent about something happening at the Rose Den on Beach 116th Street. So, I perambulated across the street to check it out. Amazingly, the place was packed tighter than a sardine can. I was able to get in because someone left, and I was treated to the last number of the Lilith Fair show that was put on that night. There were three women singing, one on keyboards and one playing a viola. They finished with the Rose, and it was an emotional high. Of course, that may have been due to the wines during the night too, but no, these ladies were extremely talented, and I was sorry I missed the rest of the performance.

It was only 10 p.m., and I had covered four locations within walking distance to each other, seen three bands, and ate a delicious meal. This really portends good things coming this summer. My advice is get out there and check out these places. We are blessed to have them.