STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — George Plaitis, founder of Andrew’s Diner, has also been its engaging storyteller, resident magician, and charismatic host since 1999.
A native of Crete, Plaitis has built a restaurant career spanning about five decades in the United States, where Staten Islanders have become like brethren.
The spinach pie (front) comes with stuffed grape leaves. Zucchini omelette is filled with Swiss, thin-sliced zucchini and tomatoes plus crunchy hash browns. The Rocky Balboa is iron-packed with freshly sliced roast beef and melted cheese.
“I love my customers. I think of them as my family,” said Plaitis. On a recent weekday at lunchtime, a survey of guests in the packed house turned up loyalists from all points of the Island, including one native visiting from Delaware.
“I did the American dream,” reflected Plaitis, who immigrated to the United States from Crete in 1967.
His journey began dramatically when he “jumped ship” in Manhattan and spent four hungry days before finding his way into the food service life. By 1971, he had opened his first restaurant on 96th and Madison Avenue in Manhattan.
Savoring the Big Apple
Over the decades, Plaitis has owned nine restaurants across Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn before settling on the South Shore of Staten Island. He ultimately found his home in the Borough of Parks at 4160 Hylan Boulevard.
Desserts are house-made with some meant specifically for the younger guests.
For this entrepreneur, the diner represents not just a business but a life’s journey. He met his wife at a Greek dance during the Bicentennial celebrations at Rockefeller Center, and his family is deeply involved in the business. Konstantine, aka Gus, manages the operation. The diner is named after his son, Andrew. The menu even includes a dish called “Chicken Cindy,” named after his daughter who questioned why the diner wasn’t named after more family members. That sautéed chicken dish is topped with broccoli, fresh mozzarella and a bit of marinara sauce.
Andrew’s is famous for its pastrami sandwich, which Plaitis said rivals those at iconic New York establishments like Katz’s Deli. He learned the recipe in 1979 working at a Brooklyn restaurant. Since then, he’s kept the whole curing and cooking process to himself.
“I’m not gonna tell anyone because if I tell them what I do, they will probably open a restaurant next door,” he said with a smile.
Other signature dishes include moussaka, spinach pie, and matzo ball soup made with house-made chicken stock — a recipe Plaitis learned from Jewish chefs years ago. Andrew’s Diner is one of the few borough eateries with the classic item on its menu.
Matzo ball soup is served in house-made chicken stock.
The restaurant also is known for its “Balboa sandwich,” named after Rocky Balboa, featuring roast beef and garlic on a hero with mozzarella cheese.
On St. Patrick’s Day, the diner sells well over 100 corned beef sandwiches, often selling out by early evening. As a featured menu item, it’s a great draw for regulars.
Long-time Staten Islanders and Dongan Hills hairdressers Regina and Steve Zagaria agree. Steve attests, “The first time I had that corned beef sandwich at Andrew’s I was hooked. When I want corned beef, that’s the place.”
Corned beef is lean and cooked in pickling spices. Other than that, Plaitis is mum on its recipe.
Magic at the table
A review from the Staten Island Advance archives, written by former business reporter Bart Horowitz in 2002, praised the establishment for its “proprietor’s genuineness, consistency of the dishes, reasonable prices, and casual hometown appeal.”
The words have been as proven as Plaitis’ gift with keeping children entertained. Known to children as “the magician,” the proprietor’s schticks include making toothpicks jump and other sleights-of-hand illusions. He gives cookies to every child who visits. Cupcakes with googly eyes are baked in-house throughout the week, specifically for the little ones. The other house-made desserts are for the more mature palates — rice pudding, Napoleons, carrot and chocolate cakes, plus a knockout New York cheesecake.
Belgian waffles are an all-day menu item as are fluffy pancakes.
Plaitis challenges anyone to find a better slice in the Greater New York area.
As Andrew Diner celebrates its 25th anniversary this June, Plaitis remains grateful to the community that has supported him through good times and health challenges.
Some of the servers at Andrew's Diner.
“God bless you all,” he says, emphasizing the importance of health and the power of prayer from the community. The prayers and support helped him through his battles with cancer — 13 times. It’s the people around him who push him forward, he emphasized.
The Zagarias voiced a sentiment other Andrew’s fans have expressed recently. They said, “Happy Anniversary, Andrew’s Diner, and we wish you a hundred years more.”
Andrew’s Diner is located at 4160 Hylan Blvd., Great Kills and can be reached at 718-983-8544. The website is andrewsdiner.com and the business is open every day year round from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Pamela Silvestri is Advance/Silive.comFood Editor. She can be reached atsilvestri@siadvance.com.