The Redeye Grill and Rue-B
Live, from New York, it’s Saturday Night Cheeseburger! Starring The Red Eye Grill with a bevy of special guest stars and a stop at Rue B for Shawn Chittle’s birthday party and featuring the Ready for Prime Beef Player, Marty Wombacher. And now, please welcome our host, The Red Eye Grill!
My parents are coming to my apartment on Sunday, so this is the last time I get to pull the old spyhole joke, a bittersweet moment indeed!
And here we are at the Redeye Grill where we've got some special guests joining us...
Two of my nieces and one of their boyfriends came in to visit and have dinner with us. From left: Mom, my niece Caylin's boyfriend Greg, Caylin, Dad, my niece Cara and yours fooly. Cara recently became engaged, but her fiancée, John couldn't make dinner. Stay tuned for a photo of him on the next visit! And hello to Casie and Anthony in Houston!
This group saw us posing and had their waiter take a picture of them, so I went ahead and got one as well! It turns out they're members of the Manhattan Concert Productions and they invited us to a show on Sunday at Carnegie Hall, but we had other plans. Maybe next time.
And here we are at our table, we were seated right near a fireplace which was nice.
And here's my folks at the table and my dad in his infamous Bobby Knight sweater vest. I put my camera away after this so we could have a nice visit.
But I had to take it out to get a photo of this week's cheeseburger. Cheddar on top and bacon to the side, looks like a great burger!
And one last shot of our pretty waitress, Brittany serving dessert, fresh chocolate mousse and whipped cream. It was a great dinner and great to see Cara, Caylin and Greg! And now, I'm off to another location...
Rue-B in the East Village. There's a party here tonight to celebrate frequent TWM guest star, Shawn Chittle's 40th birthday. I invited my parents, but they were already falling asleep in their hotel room five minutes after dinner was done.
The bar is open, so let's go inside.
Wow, it's nice and dark in here and I can hear the tinkling of live jazz in the background. Kind of like a slice of New Orleans in the East Village. It's crowded, but not too loud or crazy in here. Okay, let's find the birthday boy!
Here's a slice of birthday cake, he can't be far away!
And here his is with his parents who came in from Flint, Michigan to attend the party, very nice people and nice to chat with some fellow midwesterners!
And here's Mr. and Mrs. Duncester!
The tables are all candle lit and it was a great evening.
More guests were seated on the other side of the front room, there was really a big turnout to celebrate Shawn's birthday.
There's a small bar in the center of the room and it was packed.
Here's a shot of the copper-topped bar from the other end.
And here's where the jazz music was coming from. A piano and bass duo were set up across from the bar.
Cool jazz on a fun night. Very nice!
One thing I love about Rue B is the place is loaded with classic and vintage photos, let's take a look at a few.
Jimi Hendrix is looking down at our table.
Here's Keef passed out among everyone else.
Why hello there!
Tough guy Robert Mitchum looks longingly at the drinks on the bar.
Here's a great shot of Dino!
And speaking of Dino, here's a great shot of the cast of "Ocean's Eleven" in the bathroom. And since we're in the bathroom...
Obligatory bathroom mirror shot! Happy birthday Shawn! See you all tomorrow!
My Meal
I had the Prime Burger which is the only burger choice on the dinner menu. It’s made with dry-aged beef and I got it topped with cheddar cheese. It’s served with hickory smoked bacon slabs and french fries on the side. I put the bacon on top and it was a delicious burger.
The Redye has a large and diverse menu with such entrees as: Cedar Planked Salmon; 3-Hour Braised Short Rib; Weiner Schnitzel a la Holstein and Prime Bone in New York Steak Frites. There’s also sushi and a full raw seafood bar where you can build your own seafood tower. A couple signature dishes of the house is their dinner Cobb salad and Dancing Shrimp which is coconut crusted jumbo Mayan shrimp with cajun seasoning, and it’s served with pineapple, orange and coconut sauces.
Cheeseburger Rating
Three Wimpy's, a great burger!
Redeye Grill
890 Seventh Ave. (Near 57th St.)
212-541-9000
Rue-B
188 Ave. B (Near 12th St.)
212-358-1700
Further Reading: New York Magazine, Time Out New York and Meet Up.
Redeye Grill, Rue-B, Shawn Chittle's Birthday Posted on Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 11:31AM
Reader Comments (25)
Marty, You should be the official spokesperson for the City That Never Sleeps. You have turned over almost every rock on Manhattan Island. I have to check out Rue-B, I love the lighting.
A busy & fulfilling evening ! Nice.
I wish I was 40 again :( ... hope Shawn enjoys his 40's as much as I am enjoying mine !
Some stories seem really interesting to the teller, but pretty boring to everyone else.
Here's one condensed,
Got locked out of apartment.
Rue B. was downstairs.
Waited hours for keys to show up.
Have unfairly hated Rue B. ever since.
@Danny the freelancer: I would love to have that title and I'm currently sending out query letters trying to get a backer for this blog and make it a reality! If you know anyone, please let me know!
@GENE: It was a great night out! As I told Shawn last night, "I don't remember 40, but then I don't remember last night, either!"
@csp: That's a sad Cliff's Note tale, for sure! Whey didn't you go in to Rue-B and have some drinks while you were waiting?
42 is the magic age...It's also the answer to the universe..
was my best year.. well maybe not but i like to tell myself that.
Shawn shares a BD with my dad and my dead dog Maggie.
good looking burger
so nice to see your folks..
Marty, Stop talking about NY menus! I'm starving and it's the best food in the world!...It's also, however, 6am on a monday down under, so I shouldn't be craving a SNCB right now. Maybe some coffee and toast should take the edge off.
@scp: Why can't everyone get to the point like you just did. Great story.
goddam that burger and fries looks good! Cool to see more of your family on here! happy birthday to shawn! a lucky guy with the coolest jacket in the world and the prettiest girlfriend around town! a lucky guy!
@Gidget: It was a great burger! Happy birthday to your dad and RIP Maggie!
@Clacky: Goddamn you get up early! Have a beer and go back to sleep, mate!
@Bobby D: The bacon made that burger, really tasty! And Shawn is a lucky guy and a great friend! Great to celebrate his birthday last night.
Rue B looks like a great dark bar. Shawn Chittle, happy birthday to you and you have a lovely girl there by your side. Just make sure you guys don't play " Rue B don't take your love to town". lol,,,,,and Marty, I certainly can relate to your parents wanting to chill out back at the hotel,,,,after a wonderful meal with family all around,,,good burger, made with prime beef, tasty?
Happy birthday Shawn! And your parents = TOTES ADORBZ!
Happy Birthday to Shawn! Dinner with family, drinks with friends, sounds like a great evening.
@Al: "Rue B don't take your love to town" Ha ha ha! Nice one, Al! It was a great night and a tasty burger! Tons o' funzo!
@Meleah: Thanks, Meleah!
@kari: It was a wonderful Saturday night!
Hey Marty! During the MAD days, one of the places you were going to visit for your Saturday Night Cheeseburger meals was Arthur's in my current hometown of Hoboken, NJ. You never did make it out here, so was wondering if it's still on your list?
@Peter: It's on the list for sure! Let me know via email if you'd like to meet me there and we'll check it out! It looks like a classic joint!
Sorry I'm late to the party tonight.
Happy Birthday Shawn!
(belated or otherwise)
What a crew you amassed for dinner!
Nuttin' like a 'Fame-y Gaithering' as dey say 'over by here'.
Love the photos that adorn the walls there.
Great stuff!
Fucking uneditable posts!
'FAMELY GAITHERING'
@"Boris:" Better late then never, Daddio! Sorry about the uneditable posts, but it always cracks me up when that happens to you!
Awwwww Your mom and dad seem like some of the coolest parents on earth! And an amazing looking burger to top it off! Hope you had a great visit with your family!! Looks like a great crowd!!
Great to see you on Saturday!! Rue B is fantastic!!
And aw, shucks guys! hahaha!
@Lindsay: As you can see, you've got some admirers out there! We had a great night at dinner and it extended into Shawn's party! Great to see you, Shawn, the Duncesters and everyone else! I feel blessed to have such great friends and family!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHAWN! Was that red velvet cake? Never tried it, but its mention always reminds me of "Steel Magnolias."
@Biff: That was red velvet cake, you should try it, it's delicious! I think you'd like it!
*jaloux* [cough, cough]
As for Rue B, ain't a fan either. Went there and after paying the check with credit card but left tip with cash but the owner chased us down Ave. B telling us we didn't leave a tip on the credit card bill, and we told him we left cash tip on the table, and a staff confirmed this and the owner just walked away without apologizing. Hope it was fun for youse, nonetheless...
@esquared: Sorry you had troubles there, it was a good night for us and everyone working there was really friendly. You may have caught him on a bad night.
Looks like a wonderful evening. I am so glad that your parents were able to join you for the cheeseburger.
Happy Birthday to Shawn. The bar looked like a very cool place to celebrate a birthday indeed.
@Tiki Bar Susie: It was a great evening and I had a blast at dinner and another one at the party!