“I went to Xavier High, and across the street was
a row of wonderful brownstones. I remember
thinking, ‘You know you’ve made it in New
York if you have a brownstone.’ “
When New Yorkers think of Al Roker, they think of soothing morning weather forecasts and friendly chats with Meredith and Matt – not police raids, big guns and hard drugs. But with the new Spike TV show that Roker created ,”DEA,” a searing real-life look at the agency, viewers will learn there’s more to this die-hard barbecue connoisseur and longtime Upper East Sider (who, yes, lives in a brownstone) than meets the eye. This is his New York.
1 Fairway, 2328 12th Ave., at West 132nd Street
“I love shopping at Fairway, especially the one up in Harlem. It’s crazy. You got Upper East Siders and folks from Harlem shopping. It’s a kooky place.”
2 Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, 646 W. 131st St., at Broadway
“Dinosaur was opened up by a former motorcycle guy. You go there, you’ve got folks from Wall Street to folks from Harlem, folks from the West Side, all sitting around eating great barbecue. It’s one of my favorite cuisines.”
3 The Cloisters, 99 Margaret Corbin Drive, in Fort Tryon Park
“It’s very peaceful. A very restorative place.”
4 Amy Ruth’s, 113 W. 116th St., at Lenox Avenue
“Great chicken and waffles. It’s not diet-friendly, but you’re not gonna eat there every day, so you might as well enjoy yourself.”
5 Rack and Soul, 2818 Broadway, at West 109th Street
“Just a great neighborhood barbecue place. Before you even get there, you can smell the wood smoke.”
6 American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street
“It’s one of the first field trips I remember taking as a kid, and I still remember the T. rex. As an adult it’s big enough, but when you’re a second-grader looking up, it’s as tall as the Empire State Building.”
7 Girasole, 151 E. 82nd St., at Lexington Avenue
“A small Italian neighborhood restaurant. We go there with our kids. They love it.”
8 Gracious Home, 1217 Third Ave., at 70th Street
“It’s like a more expensive version of a Woolworths. Every time you turn a corner, there’s just stuff. You can get everything from a flatscreen TV to a mousetrap.”
9 Fresco by Scotto, 34 E. 52nd St., at Madison Avenue
“The Scotto family is the first family of Italian cooking in New York City. They’re friends, and I consider them family. It’s great food – not your typical Italian, more Tuscan. I’ve never had a bad meal there.”
10 The River Café, 1 Water St., at Old Fulton Street, Brooklyn
“A very romantic place to have dinner.”
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