By Nathan Duke
New York Mets legend Darryl Strawberry will open his new restaurant, which will include memorabilia and a menu filled with everything from burgers to barbecue chicken, along 235th Street in Douglaston this week following his induction into the baseball team’s hall of fame.
Strawberry’s Sports Grill is scheduled to open Thursday at 42-15 235th St. in Douglaston on the former site of a steakhouse near the neighborhood’s Long Island Rail Road station. The eatery will be owned and operated by the former Mets player and Eytan Sugarman, who owns Manhattan’s Southern Hospitality restaurant chain.
“I’m so excited to have the opportunity to come back to my old stomping grounds,” Strawberry said of the restaurant’s debut. “This was truly a labor of love. I want patrons to experience the excitement of game day and really revel in the history of this great game with friends, while creating exciting memories and, of course, enjoying great food.”
Strawberry, who now lives in Missouri, joined the Mets in 1983 and helped lead them to a World Series championship in 1986 and the New York Yankees to three World Series wins in 1996, 1998 and 1999. The home run slugger also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants during the course of his 16-year career before retiring in 1999.
Strawberry’s 2,800-square-foot sports grill will have 160 seats filled with memorabilia from the slugger’s career, 17 high-definition televisions, oversized booths and a bar stocked with a wide range of beers on tap.
Some of the highlights include Strawberry’s original locker from Shea Stadium, cleats worn by the Yankees’ Charlie Hayes when he caught the game-winning out to clinch the 1996 World Series and pieces of Shea’s original foul pole.
Strawberry will occasionally pop up at the restaurant to greet visitors.
The grill’s menu boasts a variety of sandwiches, which range in price from $11 to $15, including a 10-ounce beef burger, lamb burgers and a grilled Portobello mushroom sandwich with guacamole.
Strawberry’s Sports Grill also features chicken wings, pulled pork sliders, salads, crawfish and cheddar hush puppies, buffalo shrimp, Philly cheesesteak egg rolls, nachos, jalapeno bottle caps, chicken breasts, fish tacos, quesadillas, Prince Edward Island mussels, baby back ribs and several varieties of steak.
Also on the menu are championship chili, which is made with ground beef and slow smoked brisket with red beans, peppers, red onions, shredded cheddar and sour cream, and the Grand Slam Appetizer Platter, which includes seven items.
The grill also offers several desserts, such as Bourbon-flavored pecan pie, deep fried Twinkies, banana pudding with Nilla Wafers, chocolate fudge brownie sundaes and milk shakes.
Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e-mail at nduke@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
