Iconic UES Diner, Green Kitchen, Opens 2nd Location On East 84th

How to start this article? Sometimes you get a little bit of writer's block, or perhaps the tremendous and delicious Mexican Omelette I just had at the new Green Kitchen on Second Avenue and East 84th Street has forced all of the blood flow from my brain to my stomach?

Green Kitchen has long been a neighborhood staple on First Avenue and 77th Street since 1931. It is a right of passage, if you have lived on the Upper East Side for more any appreciable period of time, that you have a Green Kitchen story. Many of those memories involve very late nights and a desperate need to soak up a tad bit too much alcohol. Mine is a bit different, as it was the 1970's when I moved to New York as a child and Green Kitchen was the reliable grilled cheese and french fries that I always craved. Later in life, the establishment became more of a comfort, comfort that not everything in New York goes out of business, and you can always go home again. Alright, I am getting too deep, wistful, and nostalgic. Darn it!

I am writing about a new Green Kitchen that opened at the end of last week, and rejuvenates the brand with a 2nd location. The northwest corner of East 84th and Second Avenue is what New Yorkers uniquely know as a "cursed corner". In just the past few years the space has housed a number of bizarre and shoddy attempts at serving food or drinks with themes ranging from Chinese to Mexican to what the heck is it! I'm not a gambling man, but if I had to bet, the bright, clean, and sharply renovated space is going to be a winner. The food is terrific, the portions are huge, and the price is right. The diner fare is perfect for the brunch crowd, the late night scene and seemingly everything in between. One of the owners, the son of a father/son team, Ari Kasimis, reports that business is already brisk and that with only a soft opening his weekend business rivaled the First Avenue original. Ari is thinking big. The new space will act as a model for expansion as he envisions more Green Kitchens that can serve hungry Manhattanites from river to river. Interestingly, in what has been a very tough climate for small business (rents too high), Kasimis found a landlord willing to offer a long-term lease at what he considers a reasonable rent, "the owner wanted to fill the space" he said. Given the history of that corner, it would be hard to blame them.

The restaurant has seating for 80-85 inside with large, comfortable booths and a fully stocked bar. Come spring, 28 additional seats will be available outside for which a permit has already been secured. From the looks of it, the seats will be in high demand and the cursed corner will finally prove prosperous. Good luck and welcome to the neighborhood!