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Health & Fitness

Proprietors of The Primeburger, a former Manhattan Institution, Open "The Prime" in Hastings-on-Hudson

The Prime in Hastings-on-Hudson was opened in November, 2013 by Mike DiMiceli, 59, and his brother John, 55, in the space formerly occupied by the Rainwater Grill.

Previously, the brothers were proprietors of The Primeburger, a Manhattan institution that closed in 2012 when the building in which it was located was sold. The Primeburger, located on East 51st Street across from St. Patrick's Cathedral, received recognition from the James Beard Foundation in 2004 as an "American Classic Restaurant."

Following the closing of The Primeburger, Michael, a resident of Ardsley, and John, who lives in Thornwood, began looking for a new restaurant site in Westchester County. After nearly a year, they chose the Hastings-on-Hudson location for The Prime partially because of its large seating capability, its multiple rooms and good availability of close-by parking.

One of the eatery's first customers was a local artist named Jeff Pucillo, very familiar with their hamburgers. A former patron ofThe Primeburger, Pucillo said "I went to have lunch at The Primeburger one day only to find it had closed. By pure chance the next day, while walking on Main Street, I stopped to talk to an owner of a new restaurant. To my surprise, he was a former owner of my favorite place in New York City for hamburgers." 

The Prime can seat 80 people at dinning-room tables, 30 seats are available in the bar area and 25 more outdoors on the front patio when weather permits. The bar area has ample standing room for about 40 people.

The DiMiceli family has had a long and serious affiliation with burgers. Tony DiMiceli, the brothers' dad, bought The Primeburger in 1976, eleven years after it was opened, and retained its name. (An eatery called Hamburg Heaven precededThe Primeburger at the same location.) Mike and John ran deliveries and helped out in the kitchen even before they were teenagers. "We were born into the business," John said. "And we couldn't stay away from it after The Primeburger closed," added Michael.

During all the years the DiMcelii's operated The Primeburger, not one drop of alcohol was ever served out of respect for the magnificent, world-famous church across the street. The Prime,however has a full-service bar.

The new Hastings-on-Hudson eatery purchases its beef from a meat supplier the DiMiceli family has done business with for more than 36 years.   

Eleven different burgers appear on the menu. While burgers are the "prime" attraction, the dinner menu ranges from traditional bar fare such as chicken wings to filet mignon and New York strip steak. 

Lunch, dinner, brunch and kids menus are available. The lunch menu includes sandwiches, wraps and the same burgers, salads and soup on the dinner menu. Children's meals are priced at $7.95 and include a main item (such as a burger or chicken fingers), waffle fries, soft drink and ice cream. 

Typical soup-of-the-day choices are black bean, vegetable, cream of mushroom and chicken.

The dinner menu includes

  • Many types of burgers. Burgers start at $8.95—all are accompanied by lettuce, tomato, raw onion and shoestring fries (see the complete list of burgers below)
  • A signature burger. "The Prime," an eight-ounce beef burger with lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles and housemade sweet pepperrelish ($12.95)
  • Entrées. Filet mignon, New York strip steak, hanger steak, three different chicken dishes, salmon, mahi mahi, crab cakes and pasta. Priced from $12.95 for penne vodka to $26.95 for an eight-ounce filet mignon with onion rings and peppercorn sauce or a strip steak
  • Special entrées. Change daily and include meatloaf and catfish
  • Starters. Chicken tenders, mozzarella sticks, spinach and artichoke dip, nachos, calamari, mini-meatballs, chili, and mac-and-cheese (priced from $5.95 for mac-and-cheese to $9.95 for fried calamari)
  • Sliders, wings and soup. Four slider choices: beef with cheddar cheese, pulled pork, chicken with pepper jack cheese or Philly cheese, priced at three for $8.95. Wings cost $7.95 for ten or $13.95 for twenty. Soup, priced at $5.95, includes lentil, French onion and a daily special.
  • Salads. Prices range from $5.95 for a house salad to $11.95 for a buffalo chicken salad with crumbled blue cheese, romaine lettuce and ranch dressing. The salad list includes classic Caesar, Hastings Cobb, beet and goat cheese and several more
  • Accoutrements. Shoestring fries, waffle fries, French onion rings, sweet potato fries, mashed potatoes, baked mac-and-cheese, vegetable of the day
  • Desserts. Apple pie ($5.95 or $7.95 a la mode), ice cream, banana split, sundae, cheesecake, chocolate mousse cake, red velvet cake and more
  • Beverages. Milk shake ($4.95), soda, coffee, tea, milk, espresso, cappuccino, hot chocolate and more
Burger choices at lunch and dinner
  • 5 East 51st Street. Beef ($8.95) or with cheese ($9.95)
  • Rockefeller Center. Bacon and Swiss cheese ($10.95)
  • Empire State. Chili and cheddar cheese ($11.95)
  • St. Patrick's. Avocado and blue cheese ($10.95)
  • Radio City. Mushrooms, Swiss cheese and caramelized onions ($9.50)
  • Little Italy. Marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese ($10.95)
  • 645 Fifth Avenue. Veggie burger ($9.95)
  • Grand Central. Turkey burger ($9.95)
  • 520 Madison. Gorgonzola cheese and bacon ($10.95)
  • N.Y. Pretzel. Spicy horseradish, hot mustard, pretzel bun ($9.95)
  • The Prime. Eight-ounce beef burger with lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles and relish ($12.95)
Burgers, salads and soup are priced the same at both lunch and dinner.

The Sunday brunch menu is extensive and includes omelets from $9.95, French toast with bacon ($8.95), Belgian waffles with chicken ($10.95), blueberry or chocolate chip pancakes ($8.50), Eggs Benedict ($9.95), Maryland crab cake sandwich ($10.95), bagel with cream cheese and lox ($12.95) and hanger steak and eggs ($14.95). 

The executive chef is Scott Karns, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.

On Valentine's Day, Friday, February 14, a special prix-fixe dinner menu is planned and each lady will receive a red rose.

On Wednesday evenings, live jazz is provided by Jazz Forum Arts from 7:30 to 10 p.m. with Mark Morganelli on flugelhorn and percussion, guitarist Vic Juris and Nilson Matta on bass. Live easy-to-listen-to music in the bar area on Saturday evening will be introduced in February, 2004. 

A bar-only menu and daily bar-only specials are also available in the evenings. 

The Prime is open seven days a week. Lunch is served Monday through Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. Dinner is served every day from 5 to 10 p.m. The bar closes on Monday through Saturday at 2 a.m. and at midnight on Sunday. Bar food can be ordered on Friday and Saturday from midnight to 1 a.m.

Sunday brunch is available from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday breakfast service will begin in February, 2014. The restaurant can accommodate private parties for up to 100 people.

The Prime, an American Grille, 19 Main Street, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, 914-478-1147, www.theprimeamericangrille.com
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