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Weekend Column: Robert Beck Ruminates Culinary on Gray’s Papaya

January 14, 2023 | 9:05 AM - Updated on January 15, 2023 | 2:03 AM
in ART, COLUMNS, FOOD
62
Gray’s Papaya. Painting by Robert Beck.

It’s Got The Snap
By Robert Beck

Gray’s Papaya is my favorite hot dog place for several reasons. Foremost is that it’s a dedicated hot dog eatery, not one of those restaurants with a hot dog listed on the menu in case that’s all your kid will eat. No no. Gray’s specializes. It’s all hot dogs. The exception is the egg, cheese, and meat sandwich on the breakfast menu, but you can get one of those with franks on it too. They also do it right. None of this boiled stuff (what my Brooklyn friend calls dirty-water dogs). These are gently cooked to a light, mahogany-brown patina. Delicious.

The store has personality. Give your order to the guy at the big grill, take a couple of steps, and it meets you at the cash register. Done. Sometimes it gets there before you do. I wanted to do a painting of the inside of Gray’s, but there is a logistical problem. Not only do things move quickly in there, but there’s no room, and I never see anyone who looks like they are in charge who I can talk to. Before I can ask somebody about asking somebody, I’m out the other end with my food. I wrote them but didn’t hear back, so I settled for an exterior view.

The dogs at Gray’s aren’t overly large. Unlike hamburger eaters who respond to size, hot dog eaters prefer their excess in multiples. That assures the proper balance of hot dog to roll and allows for one-handed face-stuffing. Proper form is to hold the dog by the end, with the bun-split facing up, or a two-handed cradle if the dog is loaded and both hands are free. Tilting your head sideways is permitted.

According to your correspondent (and many other hot dog lovers), these grilled, natural-casing dogs are the best in New York. At first, I considered the pairing with exotic fruit drinks to be odd, but now I’d rather have that than anything else. Two dogs with mustard and a papaya. It’s what Jambon au beurre is to Paris. Or maybe cheesesteaks to Philly. I take my dogs and plenty of napkins across Amsterdam to Verdi Square and enjoy the small, usually peaceful oasis of trees and benches surrounded by UWS frenzy. I hold one in my lap while I work the other. The casings have that snap. The papaya is sweet against the salt of the meat. I always get mustard in my mustache. That’s what napkins are for.

Read all our Weekend Columns here. And check out Robert’s website here.

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62 Comments
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Steevie
Steevie
22 days ago

The newsstand with the incredibly affable news dealer is not in the painting. Buying candy before the trip home on the M11 bus is part of the activity.

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Reply
Robert Beck
Robert Beck
22 days ago
Reply to  Steevie

I might have to do one just of him

7
Reply
DDion
DDion
22 days ago

Yep, the best place in NYC to get a dog. And you decide how much mustard you’re putting on. Only thing is the inflated price. I remember, not that long ago, when it was $2.50 for two dogs and a papaya drink. I remember farther down the road when it was a 50 cents special for 1. Them days are gone, but the great taste stays the same. May you never close shop.

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Reply
Lawrence Braverman
Lawrence Braverman
21 days ago
Reply to  DDion

How much are the dogs & juice these days? I think I stopped eating them back in the 75 cent days.

Speaking of ruminating:

I stopped frequenting that famous & well-loved den of delicious fried dogs not because of the taste, which was always dramatically excellent, but because I was trying to update and improve my dietary & nutritional profiles, and Grays, sadly, didn’t make the cut.

That decision was uninformed by any rigorous research but rather based on the hunch that fried & salt laden beef was not a stop on the road to better health.

Was I wrong?

Because I could easily slide back to that pungent den of fried & salt-laden beef with the greatest of gustatory ease & pleasure, though… based on my current health assessments, that decision would present even more problems, such as my inevitable reaction to the reflected image staring back from the full length mirror in my altogether, which would no doubt prove to be even more cringeworthy than it already is, the effects of advancing years being what they are.

7
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Bernard Zalon
Bernard Zalon
20 days ago
Reply to  Lawrence Braverman

You don’t have to eat there every day. or every week. I go a few times a year.

2
Reply
DDion
DDion
21 days ago
Reply to  Lawrence Braverman

Them dogs are grilled, not fried. Life is short, and if you are of the 75 cents per dog generation, you must be 60 and over. I’m not a doctor (even though I played a few on TV), but I say – go and have a few at Papaya King by all means. Enjoy & cheers

5
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watto
watto
21 days ago
Reply to  DDion

I remember a loaf of bread costing 39 cents … those days are long gone and will never return. Grays is still the best deal in town for a great dog or two! I’d love to buy one of Robert Beck’s paintings .. so representative of the wonderful Upper West Side!!

3
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Robert Beck
Robert Beck
21 days ago
Reply to  watto

Yeah. Thirty-five cents for smokes and twenty -five for gas, or was it the other way around. You can probably pay less (shudder) and I’m sure you can pay a lot more, but I think seven bucks for two dogs and a drink—two WORLD CHAMPION dogs—is not only reasonable, it’s compulsory.

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GeorgeCPW
GeorgeCPW
22 days ago

Robert Beck’s description is spot-on. Natural casings and two smaller dogs rather than one big one — excellent criteria. And his paintings are good too.

6
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Florence kranitz
Florence kranitz
22 days ago

Maybe consider taking a few photos while you are inside, but you’ve probably already thought of that (and probably don’t paint from photos)!

1
Reply
Robert Beck
Robert Beck
21 days ago
Reply to  Florence kranitz

Thanks Florence. A photo tells you what it looks like, but standing there for three hours tells you how it feels.

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Susan Shapiro
Susan Shapiro
22 days ago

A paean to Papaya King! Can’t think of anyplace that deserves one more! I’ve been eating their dogs for 40 years and they are still the best.

5
Reply
jeanzorn
jeanzorn
22 days ago

Do you ever sell any of your wonderful UWS restaurant paintings? This is at least the 2nd one that has made me think: I’d love to own that!

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E Lang
E Lang
22 days ago

Excellent piece.

4
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Robert Beck
Robert Beck
21 days ago
Reply to  E Lang

thanks

1
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Frank Salomon
Frank Salomon
22 days ago

When my office was on 54th Street & I worked real late, I would treat myself to a cab home and stop on my way to get 2 with extra mustard and sauerkraut and whatever the cabbie wanted on his. I was given a surprise 60th birthday party there with a big Sacher torte from Eclairs for dessert.. I go back to the hotdog war with a place
around the corner when the price dropped from a low of 50 cents to 35 cents. The last 20 years have seen more occasional visits but my granddaughter has joined the Gray’s fan club. Bonus: The owner had a big Bill Bradley banner up when he was running for President (maybe he was also a Princeton Man or a Knicks fan). Long Live Gray’s.

12
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Robert Beck
Robert Beck
21 days ago
Reply to  Frank Salomon

Nice

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julia davis
julia davis
22 days ago

Don’t leave out the free sauerkraut — it’s what puts the whole thing right over the top!

7
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UWS-er
UWS-er
22 days ago

I love this. The writing is as evocative as the painting. Really well done!

8
Reply
Robert Beck
Robert Beck
21 days ago
Reply to  UWS-er

thanks

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Rick Sheppard
Rick Sheppard
22 days ago

Good description of difference in hamburger eaters and hotdog eaters. Have walked past Gray’s many times but never stopped there. It’s a sure thing next time I am in NYC

4
Reply
Chuck
Chuck
21 days ago

Great artist. Where can I see other works, and maybe purchase?

1
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rob
rob
21 days ago

Wonder if some day the Papaya King will wed the Pastrami Queen just down the block on 72nd street and complete what would likely be an UWS “marriage made in heaven!” Fact is, the King shall always satisfy and the Queen can sometimes disappoint.

1
Reply
ellen cohen
ellen cohen
21 days ago

A wonderfully written essay and painting about the best hot dog place. Thank you!

4
Reply
Robert Beck
Robert Beck
21 days ago
Reply to  ellen cohen

You’re welcome, Ellen

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NewYorkerUWS
NewYorkerUWS
21 days ago

While admitting that food critics like Gray’s hot dogs (Eater’s being the most recent), the food stand is unfortunately a day-and-night blight on the neighborhood.

1
Reply
Kathy Hartzell
Kathy Hartzell
21 days ago

Mr. Beck, I am another fan of your writing and art. And, I too, would love to have one of your paintings on my wall – in the dining room or kitchen or wherever the scene dictates!
As a California transplant with limited UWS connections (so far!) i need to return to your stories (and art) and make a list of must visit spots!
Full disclosure, our place is on the UES, but that’s so we’re 5 minutes from the little grandkids! I do find favorite spots on the UWS, like my vac and sewing machine shop, Crown Services. Now that would be a place your easel would never fit!!!

3
Reply
Robert Beck
Robert Beck
21 days ago
Reply to  Kathy Hartzell

Thanks for the tip.

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Adam
Adam
21 days ago

Speaking of Grays’s-as-muse, there is a story called “The Hot Dog War’ by Thomas Beller, in the collection called the Seduction Theory, where Gray’s plays a starring role.

1
Reply
Carole Bolger
Carole Bolger
21 days ago

You are too hilarious and always the most obscure and understandable ways of seeing things. My 94 year old Mother also loved hotdogs there. Last time she ate one I took a great photo of her sitting on her walker seat inside the crowded place. She was happy as heck!

3
Reply
Robert Beck
Robert Beck
21 days ago
Reply to  Carole Bolger

When I go, I want it to be with that smear of mustard on my face.

1
Reply
Karin
Karin
21 days ago

Not a hot dog fan, but this makes me want to re-consider. Your painting is simply fantastic.

5
Reply
felicia Rosshandler
felicia Rosshandler
21 days ago

My brother Leo, who lived in Montreal, always made Gray’s Papaya his first top. whenever he visited. It’s New York to me, he used to say.

3
Reply
Robert Beck
Robert Beck
21 days ago
Reply to  felicia Rosshandler

He’s not alone

1
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larry k
larry k
21 days ago

Gray’s is, by far, one of the highlights of the UWS! “Two with” means 2 dogs with kraut! And I add the mustard and a grape drink…a little flavor with lots of water.Then, if there’s room, I stand at the counter looking out the windows watching New Yorkers walking past. A great experience and i love it.

3
Reply
Robert Beck
Robert Beck
21 days ago
Reply to  larry k

A seven-dollar ticket to one of the greatest shows on earth, meal included.

1
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Peggy
Peggy
21 days ago

Your words and painting make me want to walk down to 72nd St. right now. Gray’s has always been a favorite of ours. Thank you for brightening the day.

2
Reply
Robert Beck
Robert Beck
21 days ago
Reply to  Peggy

My pleasure.

1
Reply
Cheryl
Cheryl
21 days ago

Where can we see these paintings in person?

1
Reply
Tony
Tony
21 days ago

I used to go to Gray’s often (usually 2 dogs and a papaya) until one day at least a couple of years ago when the counterman soaked the bun with sauerkraut juice (not my thing) and refused to make good for it. I tried reaching anybody I could of authority there in various ways until I gave up and have been Gray’s dog-free since. Never again!

1
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DDion
DDion
21 days ago
Reply to  Tony

Your loss for a small and petty thing.

4
Reply
carol
carol
21 days ago

The egg-sausage-cheese sandwiches are stuffed!

2
Reply
Paul
Paul
21 days ago

I was there when a customer’s order for a Coke elicited a loud response from the counterman about the health benefits of fruit nectar as opposed to soda. “Ask your doctor…”

2
Reply
Jon
Jon
21 days ago

Born and raised UWS’er who has been eating these dogs my whole life. My mom taught me how to order the perfect dogs. Well done, cold roll, mustard and sauerkraut. Trust me and thank me later. 🙂

3
Reply
Ted
Ted
21 days ago

Gray’s Papaya is my favorite hot dog place but the buns have taken a quality hit of late.

1
Reply
Julia Fine
Julia Fine
21 days ago

I’m with you (sans mustache)

1
Reply
Tnic
Tnic
21 days ago

Well crafted. Thanks. I don’t even eat hot dogs. But now I want to.

2
Reply
Robert Beck
Robert Beck
21 days ago
Reply to  Tnic

Thanks

0
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Hank
Hank
21 days ago

While growing up in the neighborhood in the early 60’s, Gray’s was there serving Papaya juice but my goto place for hot dogs was the Nedick’s directly across Broadway from them.

2
Reply
Lawrence Braverman
Lawrence Braverman
21 days ago
Reply to  Hank

Wow a Nedick’s! Who knew?! As a kid I’d eat ’em in Paterson… ah the sound that sizzling grill made… man, if you liked a nice greasy burger it was either there or White Castle; Nedick’s with their pickle chips, White Castle for their sliders w/ fried onions… eat ’em by the bagful!

Ah the paradise that existed prior to anybody opening their trap about Health Concerns, Nutrition and all the rest of it…

It was like Eden then; back before the snake… and that apple.

2
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Kit
Kit
21 days ago

Gray’s Papaya is also great in student days when one may not have a budget for dining out…or much else. I like my dogs with relish, too. Long may Gray’s wave!

3
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Lynn
Lynn
20 days ago

Everyone who loves Gray’s Papaya should read Emma Staub’s This Time Tomorrow. The main character eats there all the time. If you haven’t read it, it is a very moving time travel story set on the UWS.

3
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Bernard Zalon
Bernard Zalon
20 days ago

When I’m sitting there looking out I feel like I’m on the Starship Enterprise.

1
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Bernard Zalon
Bernard Zalon
20 days ago

I made an etching of the outside with Sleepy’s and that Depression sign that used to be painted on the side of the building overlooking it. That corner is iconic. It’s like the Statue of Liberty or something…

4
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Bruce Weiner
Bruce Weiner
20 days ago

Can’t help but notice a coupla comments refer to our beloved hot dog place as Papaya King. Most of us use Gray’s Papaya, as their sign says. Anyone know the real difference?

1
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Robert Beck
Robert Beck
19 days ago
Reply to  Bruce Weiner

Papaya King is an East Side (oh no, I said it) competitor with it’s own history, and it’s own recipes (although the dogs were and possibly are still made by the same company). Think of them as fraternal twins. Last I heard, the skinny was that their building was going to be torn down. Seems to be a theme. But the references to Papaya King in the comments here either mistakenly calling Gray’s by the wrong name, misread of my column, or erroneously believe they are the same hot dog eateries, which is totally understandable.

2
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Elisabeth Jakab
Elisabeth Jakab
19 days ago

Lovely painting, so fine and evocative. Thank you, and thank you for access to your website – I greatly enjoyed seeing so many of your other wonderful paintings. I am more partial to the ones of the city – particularly moved by Sunday Cab and the one of the snowstorm (forgot the title).

1
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Robert Beck
Robert Beck
19 days ago
Reply to  Elisabeth Jakab

Blizzard. I apologize. The website is in dire need of updating, and I tend to favor painting instead. But I plan to create a section where people can see the images I’ve painted for the rag. This weekend I raise the curtain on my new studio on 79th, where people can see them as well. Come say hi.

1
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Marianne Wurlitzer
Marianne Wurlitzer
18 days ago

With you 100% except I still miss the fresh squeezed orange juice. That was the best combination ever. I understand about the price but still wish they would bring it back.

1
Reply
Robert Beck
Robert Beck
18 days ago
Reply to  Marianne Wurlitzer

That does sound delicious.

1
Reply
Nila R. Perez
Nila R. Perez
16 days ago

The reason for people sometimes calling this place Papaya King instead of Gray’s Papaya is that way back when (I believe) the man who runs Gray’s was originally a partner with whoever runs Papaya King. When they opened the location on West 72nd Street, I think it was actually called Papaya King. Then the two partners either had a falling out or maybe agreed to go their separate ways (not sure which). After that, the Papaya King owner objected to the West 72nd Street location having the same name as his UES establishment and that’s how the UWS location name came to be changed to Gray’s Papaya. This was the story I was told by my mother, who recalled what was on the West 72nd Street corner BEFORE Gray’s. FYI–for years it was a fairly large newsstand/candy store/smoke shop and then it was an Orange Julius for a time after that.

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Nila R. Perez
Nila R. Perez
16 days ago

If any readers here find yourselves watching a rerun of the famous Rhoda TV series episode where Rhoda gets married, there is a scene where she’s running down a NYC street in full wedding dress regalia and you can clearly see the West 72nd Street Papaya store in the background.

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Reply

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