Free hot dogs. Free fried olives. Free truffle popcorn. Did we mention it was free?
Need I say more? I suppose I will, mainly for the sake of hitting my required word count. In, sorry, this economy, free stuff is the ultimate treat. Especially at a bar or restaurant, as the prices of food and drinks continue to rise and rise, seemingly with no ceiling. Even something small, like a bowl of cheese balls at a dive bar (ahem, the Levee) is a touch that makes you feel like a V.I.P., no matter where (or who) you are.
Free hot dogs with cheap beer
I do wonder how long Rudy’s Bar & Grill in Hell’s Kitchen can keep getting away with their prices. Should we be worried about them, financially, when they’re serving $5 beer-and-shot combos and $12 pitchers? They don’t seem worried, at least Baron Von Swine doesn’t — he’s a human-height pig statue, pantsless in a red tuxedo jacket, that cheerfully waves you in beneath the neon sign on Ninth Avenue.
The lore runs deep at Rudy’s, which is otherwise a classically sticky-floored dive — they claim to have been one of the first bars in New York to get a liquor license when prohibition ended. There’s cold, hard video evidence, though, that Anthony Bourdain enjoyed Rudy’s signature: a free hot dog with any purchase. Is it the most basic possible hot dog inelegantly smeared with ketchup and mustard? Sure. But remember, it’s free. (And, to Baron Von Swine’s relief, they’re beef.)
627 Ninth Avenue (West 44th Street)
The most luxurious possible gratis spread
It’s not always cheap beer and free dogs. Sometimes you have to shell out a bit more for your drink before you’re awarded the free food. Case in point: The Polo Bar in Midtown serves an immaculate spread of fried green olives, housemade potato chips and herby, warm nuts with the price of a drink (expect $16 beers) at the glowy, leather-boothed bar upstairs and, of course, the emotional warfare of trying to get a notoriously elusive reservation. (They’re technically on Resy, but calling or stopping by in person is the way to make it happen). Another no-cost luxury that makes you feel like a billionaire: When you move from the bar to the buzzy dining room downstairs (bedecked with horse photos and riding paraphernalia), a server follows, carrying your drinks on a tray. Baller!
1 East 55th Street (Madison Avenue)
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