Staten Island Restaurant Tour, Part XXVI: The Manor (Manor Heights)

Back into the harbor.

Yet again I cruised past Lady Liberty, where a dad was holding America’s hope for the future, as Google Maps and I pondered where I would go next on this comfort-food tour of Staten Island. Manor Heights, the Mid-Island destination for this episode, was the last viable eating-and-exploring neighborhood south of the Staten Island Expressway to be ticked off my list. A new sentry was on duty at the South Ferry Terminal, replacing Pete Davidson with both a pitbull and an attorney.

What a combination.

The NYPD cruised alongside us, keeping us safe and leaving a sweeping wake that was impressive even through the typically dirty window.

Harbor cops on the job.

I had been hoping for some hearty Albanian grub. Online images of the Dardania Cafe (also the Dardania Mini Mart Deli & Grocery) showed grizzled Eastern Europeans enjoying sausage-based cuisine. Sadly the establishment was not open today.

Always have a Plan B.

So I took a walk. The Orthodox Jewish community was in evidence in lettering on the sides of school buses as I walked down Brielle Avenue.

Diversity, Major Heights style.

After my meal, I’d see gentlemen with the big furry hats known as shtreimels. I nodded hello to some of them.

And they nodded back.

Not having gotten my Albanian food fix, I needed a place for a moment of quiet contemplation before moving on to the diner where I eventually lunched. A small park presented itself on Bradley Avenue.

Apparently unknown to Google Maps.

I contemplated somewhere in here and managed not to offend anyone.

Woodland island idyll.

The Falcons are the JV football team of Susan E. Wagner High School. I did not spot any overhead. However, I did look up the team and found the acronymic heart of S.O.A.R. Here is an abbreviated version: Speak Up/Out, Own, Apply, Resilience. Speak Out: Respectfully voice your opinion. Own: Claim responsibility for your actions. Apply: Use your skills to help yourself and your community. Resilience: Face challenges head-on and learn from your mistakes. Definitely click through to full text here.

Go Falcons!

No episode of the Tour would be complete without a pedestrian non sequitur, though I pretty much did this to myself by wandering down especially secluded Peru Street (which made me think of my Peruvian friend) adjacent to the Todt Hill Woodlands. It would have been convenient to enter the woods here but there was no entry point.

I claimed responsibility for my actions and turned back.

I did get a distant glimpse of the Bayonne Bridge, the northernmost span connecting Staten Island to New Jersey, in the distance between the roofs of two houses.

That stripe of grey on a field of grey-blue beneath the clouds.

Is the heavily zoomed version better? I prefer to think of it as painterly.

Impressionist view of the Bayonne Bridge.

Walking conditions got hazardous on Ocean Terrace, which cuts through Deere Park. This happened many times in South Shore neighborhoods. But it was not even the riskiest part of the episode for your stubborn pedestrian.

The worst was yet to come.

I wanted to explore the Staten Island Greenbelt Blue Trail before lunch. The previous moment of contemplation gave me a little extra time.

sThere’s the entrance between the grille and the signs.

Noting that this hiking trail began nowhere near a sidewalk — I guess people are supposed to levitate above the road en route there — I entered to the left of the sign. Barbecuing prohibited and dogs must be leashed.

Sign in English, Spanish, and Chinese.

At first it seemed like a nice little hike, one not unknown to Google Maps.

Piece of cake, I thought.

The trail was clearly marked with blue badge or blue paint. Here, both.

Belt-and-suspender signage.

The going got tougher as I decided to wander off the trail. Again, that was on me. The trail was taking me farther from my destination and the sight of homes through the trees tempted me off the (not thoroughly) beaten path. I paused for a self-portrait with some spiky cones and oak leaves.

Study of idiot and phone camera.

Home(s) at last, I thought, as I stumbled through the underbrush, with thorned bushes snagging on my Levis Rinsed Playa jeans. Between the sunlit patch at bottom and the street above was one of Staten Island’s many kills, or small streams. This was the first time I had leaped and scrambled over one. I did not try to record the historic moment, preoccupied as I was with not twisting an ankle or breaking my neck. I guess a Falcon team member would urge me to confront challenges head-on, but also to learn from my mistake.

Lesson learned.

With relief, I reached civilization. Heaven, thy name is sidewalk. Houses, thy style is low-slung and plain, which I kinda like. The pleasingly mature trees, something I saw little of on the South and East shores, were in leaf and lent Tillman Street a quiet dignity

Sun-dappled sidewalk with the trees of spring.

The Manor Restaurant, to give the full name, is both a diner and a banquet hall. There are separate entrances for the restaurant proper (left) and banquet room (right).

Door number one or door number two?

Entering through the left door, near the bar, I saw a banquet in full swing on the other side of the restaurant, so I could not be seated there — though as an elder, I’d have fit right in.

Elders feast.

That left two available tables, one behind the bar, one in front.

Between bar and window.

The back table was occupied, so by process of elimination, my table was this one with an excellent view of Manor Road with western and northern exposures through the blinds. Best one in the place, really. The front table got all the light. Actually shot the pic on the way out.

Hence the cleaned plate and balled-up napkin.

The shell steak sandwich with garlic butter came on fresh sourdough and was very tasty. A few chunks of gristle were too much for my choppers and I discreetly deposited them into the napkin. Still, a filling lunch, and I just might come back for the grilled chicken or a burger.

And more of those superb fries.

The ferry trip home featured a dude in a cowboy hat. Often the people watching is the best part of the scenery.

Not really a park ranger.

This concludes my survey of Mid-Island neighborhoods south of the Staten Island Expressway, which connects to New Jersey to the west and Brooklyn to the east. With the next episode I’ll be moving north of the expressway to explore neighborhoods on the North Shore, between the highway and the Kill Van Kull, which separates Staten Island from Bayonne, NJ. I hope to get better views of the Bayonne Bridge there. Otherwise, as usual, the area is a question mark. Who knows what I’ll find there.

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)

Part XVII: Cinco de Mayo (Grasmere)

Part XVIII: Phil-Am Kusina (Clifton)

Part XIX: Lakruwana (Stapleton)

Part XX: Pier 76 (Tompkinsville)

Part XXI: Chang Noi Thai (St. George)

Part XXII: Mike’s Unicorn Diner (Bulls Head)

Part XXIII: Melt Shop (New Springville)

Part XXIV: Da Noi (Travis)

Part XXV: Big Nose Kate’s Saloon (Rossville)

If you’re enjoying the Staten Island Restaurant Tour, please follow my blog by clicking follow next to my name at the top. Then subscribe to get emails on new episodes. You can also subscribe to the SIRT channel on YouTube. For offline reading, the first 21 episodes of the SIRT are available as an ebook. See you soon!