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Richard Magat, Man in Manhattan: Without Reservations at the Polo Bar


By Richard Magat


Aug. 19, 2015:  Neither great wealth nor star-studded celebrity will guarantee you a prime-time reservation at The Polo Bar, the hottest new restaurant in Manhattan. As observed in New York Times, "It became the kind of hot place where even knowing the secret email is no guarantee of booking a table any time soon or even a seat at the bar."

"Pretty gatekeepers shoo tourists away from The Polo Bar's portals, standing guard with reservation lists studded with famous names and iPads bearing photo cues for identifying the kind of people too busy being powerful to bother cultivating face recognition," the review continued.

The Polo Bar is the latest iteration of the billionaire clothing czar Ralph Lauren, whose Polo logo adorns shirts, coats, blouses, etc., throughout the world. "The designer decreed that his restaurant feature the simple foods he favors," including "a fatty delicacy remembered fondly from his borough [the Bronx] boyhood," continued the reviewer. "'When I was a kid,'" Lauren reminisced, "'you could get a great corned beef sandwich downtown. . . . I suddenly thought to myself, I haven't had a good corned-beef sandwich in a long time. Let's work on that.'" The Polo Bar's $22 corned beef sandwich is "true to its roots in a city that . . . once had 1,550 registered kosher delicatessens."

Though neither wealthy nor celebrated, I decided to try for a reservation at The Polo Bar invoking the fact that Mr. Lauren and I attended the same high school, the storied DeWitt Clinton in the Bronx. He was Ralph Lifshitz at the time, and I did not get to know him because the school was so large (5,000 students, including James Baldwin, Richard Avedon, and Richard Rodgers).

When I phoned and mentioned that Mr. Lauren and I had been classmates, the gambit did not register. The receptionist did not ask for my name or the time I wanted the reservation for. I was told to call back the following day. I did, several times, and got nowhere.

I had much better luck when I phoned for reservations at a dozen Bronxville restaurants. Even the upscale places obliged, and the eateries that said they did not accept reservations said I was welcome anyway.

Photo by N. Bower

Government & History Directory

Bronxville Overview

Bronxville is a quaint village (one square mile) located just 16 miles north of midtown Manhattan (roughly 30 minutes on the train) and has a population of approximately 6,500. It is known as a premier community with an excellent public school (K-12) and easy access to Manhattan. Bronxville offers many amenities including an attractive business district, a hospital (Lawrence Hospital), public paddle and tennis courts, fine dining at local restaurants, two private country clubs and a community library.

While the earliest settlers of Bronxville date back to the first half of the 18th century, the history of the modern suburb of Bronxville began in 1890 when William Van Duzer Lawrence purchased a farm and commissioned the architect, William A. Bates, to design a planned community of houses for well-known artists and professionals that became a thriving art colony. This community, now called Lawrence Park, is listed on the National register of Historic Places and many of the homes still have artists’ studios. A neighborhood association within Lawrence Park called “The Hilltop Association” keeps this heritage alive with art shows and other events for neighbors.

Bronxville offers many charming neighborhoods as well as a variety of living options for residents including single family homes, town houses, cooperatives and condominiums. One of the chief benefits of living in “the village” is that your children can attend the Bronxville School.

The Bronxville postal zone (10708, known as “Bronxville PO”) includes the village of Bronxville as well as the Chester Heights section of Eastchester, parts of Tuckahoe and the Lawrence Park West, Cedar Knolls, Armour Villa and Longvale sections of Yonkers. Many of these areas have their own distinct character. For instance, the Armour Villa section has many historic homes and even has its own newsletter called “The Villa Voice” which reports on neighborhood news.

Bronxville Village "One Square Mile" Newsletter and Government Directory

Link to Village of Bronxville One Square Mile Monthly Newsletter

December 2024

Village of Bronxville Administrative Offices
337-6500
Open 9:00am - 4pm excluding holidays and weekends

Bronxville Police Department
337-0500
Open 24 hours

Bronxville Parking Violations
337-2024
Open 9:00am - 4pm excluding holidays and weekends

Bronxville Fire Deparment
793-6400

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