Staten Island Restaurant Tour, Part V: Breaking Bread (Prince’s Bay)

It’s a train station. And a body of water. And a neighborhood. With a restaurant.

Between the southern shore of Staten Island and the Korean War Veterans Parkway lie several neighborhoods served by the Staten Island Railway, the Forgotten Borough’s only rail line. One of them is Prince’s Bay. Below the train station is a narrow enclave sandwiched between Lemon Creek Park to the west and larger Wolfe’s Pond Park to the west. My destination was Breaking Bread. I’ll cut to the chase — dig that steaming bowl of rigatoni pomodoro!

Bubble bubble, toil and…oh, I am so hungry!

Graced with small chunks of pork sausage and a sauce full of fresh or otherwise high-quality tomato flavor, it came with a generous tub of grated parmesan, which I deeply appreciated.

And emptied.

The bread basket was rudimentary but the bread was the kind of fresh that puts the comfort in comfort food.

Warm and lightly toasted.

When I asked for tap water, it was classily served in a bottle with lots of ice and a couple slices of lemon. Breaking Bread goes the extra mile, even for a penurious diner.

Study of tap water and moody teen dining out with family. I’ve been there!

I ventured down the area’s main thoroughfare, Seguine Avenue, to inspect the Seguine Mansion in Lemon Creek Park. The Greek Revival house was built by farmer and shipping magnate Joseph Seguine circa 1837–40. This back shot was as close as I could get to it.

If my reading of Google Maps was correct, this is the Seguine Mansion.

Here’s a publicity shot of the facade from the mansion website, shot during slightly greener weather. Members of the Seguine family continued to live there as recently as the 1950s. After a period of neglect, it was acquired in 1981 by George Burke, who restores historic properties, and is now the Seguine-Burke Mansion. It hosts events. I’d like to attend one sometime and admire the panoramic views of Prince’s Bay.

Courtesy of seguinemansion.org.

I am enjoying these day trips so much, I want to repeat several of them! A later visit might include the eponymous pond in Wolfe Pond Park and a second look at broad majestic Prince’s Bay, for which the neighborhood is named — it’s magnificent, but I’d just seen it during the previous day’s visit to Pleasant Plains. But I did stroll about and enjoy the neighborhood. This house has recently received much love, judging from the fresh coat of varnish on the porch woodwork. It’s either brand new or looks like it.

The flag is a nice touch. Many homeowners in the area fly them.

Fiery red vied with gold and green on this glorious blue-sky day.

Color! Color! Color!

Staten Island’s overhead power and utility lines are something I don’t see much of, living in a more urban neighborhood where all that stuff is buried. It’s more likely to go down in a storm — but also easier to get at and repair when something bad happens.

Part of the ambience.

At the Prince’s Bay SIR station, ornamentation framed a cloud.

Just for a moment.

And that’s it for Prince’s Bay, though I’ll surely return to enjoy these tranquil streets. Repeated train journeys along the SIR have convinced me that this neighborhood and adjacent ones are something of a scenic sweet spot. Episode six of the Staten Island Restaurant Tour will take me to Huguenot. From the train it appears to be a good-looking neighborhood and it features a few dining options yet to be explored in the Tour. Stay tuned!

Previously on the Staten Island Restaurant Tour:

Part I: Angelina’s (Tottenville)

Part II: Fina’s Farmhouse (Arthur Kill)

Part III: Laila (Richmond Valley)

Part IV: Il Forno (Pleasant Plains)

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