Staten Island Restaurant Tour, Part XVII: Cinco de Mayo (Grasmere)

Grasmere Lake as seen from alongside the Staten Island Expressway.

Grasmere is the name of a village in England’s scenic Lake District as well as another lake, a train station, and a neighborhood in America’s scenic Staten Island. The latter was my destination for this episode of my comfort-food tour of New York’s Forgotten Borough. Well, one of my destinations. There were also the tacos at Cinco de Mayo.

Tacos y ajíes.

It’s always a tossup whether I’ll take a walk and eat, or eat and take a walk. When I’d previously ventured out to Old Town for Uzbek rice pilaf, my bladder won the toss. This time, my body let me take a quick turn around the lake before my Mexican lunch. Grasmere is located between the neighborhoods of Emerson Hill to the west, which I’m guessing is similar in terrain to recently visited Dongan Hills, and Concord to the east. The map below zooms them out of the frame to concentrate on Grasmere proper, tucked beneath the Staten Island Expressway and surrounding its eponymous lake:

Visual aid.

My route started at the Grasmere station of the Staten Island Railway, the borough’s one rail line. It’s the navy blue dot at left. A block past the restaurant (the red dot just below the blue dot) I turned onto map-unlabeled Lakeview Terrace, where a couple of aggressive boxers barked at me from a back porch as I got my first glimpse of the lake.

A pretty good panorama shot.

I did not linger to aim my phone camera at them. I wasn’t sure if the dogs were tethered to the porch but at least they stood their ground without leaping out at me. Did you know that Grasmere was the home of Cassius Marcellus Coolidge (1844–1934), the artist who gave us the Dogs Playing Poker paintings?

“Poker Game,” 1894.

Next stop was a cul de sac called Delphine Terrace. Along the way was a gracious McMansion (never thought I’d put both of those words in one sentence) with a faint echo of Beaux Arts in the white ornamentation on the red brick.

It reminded me of the Columbia University campus. A little.

While this home was less colorful, with its muted earthtones…

Yet homey.

…I did admire its lion and cat statuary, which felt like a good omen after the dogs. I like the kitties. Note the one climbing up the wall.

Sweet.

Available lake views were modest and I did not trespass on private property to get any closer to them. I was nervous enough to be walking, yet again, on streets nearly devoid of sidewalks.

Just a glimpse from the street.

The crocuses were out, a spring-is-sprung moment on an early March day. The New York metropolitan area has had an unseasonably mild winter.

Not that I’m complaining.

Here, for no particular reason, is a fine simple white house with chimney. I just liked it.

A peaceful idea of home.

My next stop was another cul de sac, Overlook Terrace. At the end, a fine lake view awaited, along with a No Trespassing sign.

But no dogs, thank heaven.

At this point I simply might have backtracked to the restaurant near the station. But I wondered if I’d get further views of either Grasmere Lake or the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge if I braved the route along the Staten Island Expressway, which slashes across the top of the island, dividing the North Shore from the other three shores. There was only one way to find out. I circled around the lake, heading east and north, on Windermere Road, Steuben Street, and Hylan Boulevard, passing Brady’s Pond Park, which Google describes as “public green space near private pond.” Another lake view was in fact available though I elected not to hurl myself down a steep clay slope to get closer to it.

Common sense prevailed. And the view was nice from up here.

Apparently some tragedies have taken place here on the lake. The sign warns: “Danger: Keep Off Ice. Ice Rescue Ladder.”

Gosh, what a thought.

I did snag some more views of the lake from Narrows Road South, which offers pedestrians safe passage along the expressway, including the lead panorama shot above. Here’s another…

Minus the pano.

…along with a limited view of the bridge, looking over the car sewer leading to it. Both are creations of Robert Moses, whose many other plans to blight the island are chronicled here. The bridge is a beauty, though. The previous SIRT episode on Old Town and its fabulous boardwalk has the definitive views of it.

Aggressively zoomed because the bridge was distant.

I finally circled back down Clove Road to Cinco de Mayo. On one side, attorney at law…

Law and cuisine.

…and on the other, the Sweet High Heavens Tobacco Shop. All your needs met in one short strip mall, also including the Chinese restaurant not quite pictured here. While I was eating at Cinco de Mayo, a guy ducked his head into the restaurant and asked directions to “the tobacco shop.” I pointed and said, “two doors down.” Like I was a native. So chuffed.

Smoke ’em if you got ’em, whatever they might be.

Inside the restaurant, an older man — possibly the owner? — was adjusting the sound system. The lady who took my order from the counter later turned on the system, treating me to some dreamy canciónes. A couple of rotating light wheels atop the speaker flung about colored dots of light like a little disco ball.

Music and light show.

Tap water was served in a colorful Cinco de Mayo bottle.

All the niceties observed.

The ají verde and the ají rojo have arrived. I ended up demolishing the green one at left. The red one at right had more of a kick and I treated it respectfully. I had a long trip home.

Precautions were taken.

The tacos were as beautiful as they were delicious.

Which is to say quite a lot.

Let’s take inventory, starting with the suadero (pork shoulder) taco.

Taco number one.

With pig meat on either side, I prudently picked pollo (chicken) for the middle course.

Taco number two.

And on the right, chorizo: mildly spicy Mexican sausage. If I come back, I’ll try the birria taco, featuring a Mexican stew, and perhaps some other options not explored this time.

Taco number three.

With a quick look back at the colorful interior…

Every color in the rainbow.

…including the broad-shouldered chef at work in the kitchen…

One of the people who keep NYC fed and running.

…I made my way, with happy tummy, back to the station and the ferry terminal, where live music serenaded my trip home. It had been another beautiful, peaceful, life-affirming day on the island.

Part of the continuing miracle that is my older-guy life.

There aren’t many restaurants near Grasmere Station but Cinco de Mayo was a winner. Having begun the Tour on the South Shore, and having now completed the East Shore leg, I’m about to move to the North Shore — packed with future eating adventures and neighborhoods to explore. North of the expressway the restaurant selection increases. I just don’t know which of many cool-looking places I’ll choose when I get to Clifton.

Previously on the Staten Island Restaurant Tour:

Part I: Angelina’s (Tottenville)

Part II: Fina’s Farmhouse (Arthur Kill)

Part III: Laila (Richmond Valley)

Part IV: Il Forno (Pleasant Plains)

Part V: Breaking Bread (Prince’s Bay)

Part VI: Woodrow Diner (Huguenot)

Part VII: Il Sogno (Annadale)

Part VIII: Riva (Eltingville)

Part IX: Marina Cafe (Great Kills)

Part X: Do Eat (Bay Terrace)

Part XI: Canlon’s (Oakwood Heights)

Part XII: Prince Tea House (New Dorp)

Part XIII: Inca’s Peruvian Grille (Grant City)

Part XIV: Colonnade Diner (Jefferson Avenue)

Part XV: Baci (Dongan Hills)

Part XVI: Chinar on the Island (Old Town)

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