“No Sleep ’Til B-Side” — A New Paltz Food Hit
When driving into New Paltz, NY, many places catch your eye: a yoga center, a hostel, a metaphysical supply store. There’s your customary Dunkin’ and pizza places, as well as more offbeat Vietnamese and Indian restaurants.
Once you’ve reached the center of town, one particular spot might catch your eye. Not because of any mystical offerings or foreign cuisine but rather decorations that will get you talking while you dine.
Exterior drawings of smiling burgers, eggs and bacon will surely make you want to enter B-Side Grill with a hankering appetite, but after stepping inside, the true allure will become clear.
“I always thought that music and food go together,” said Lou Milano, owner of B-Side Grill.
The walls and ceiling of B-Side Grill are brimming with rock’ n’ roll vinyl, band posters, and the occasional guitar.
“Everybody can look on the wall and hear music as they’re eating, and it’s something to talk about,” said Milano.
“I really enjoy B-Side’s theme,” said Dom Edwards, a New Paltz resident. “There’s lots of ways to keep yourself busy while you wait for your food and a way to start conversations with whoever you’re eating with.”
B-Side’s theme makes it a music lover’s paradise that serves top-notch food. “The Meat Jagger” special, “Hotel California” burger and “Welcome to the Jungle” smoothie are menu items that coordinate with the Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and Beastie Boys memorabilia that line the walls.
“It’s nice to be able to look around and have things to look at,” said Mia Goren, a student at SUNY New Paltz. “To find artists you love on the wall is always a fun game.”
The rock’ n’ roll theme isn’t just for appearances. Milano shares that every so often, someone will feel inspired by the atmosphere and start playing one of the guitars displayed on the wall.
“I don’t mind if someone takes it down and plays it because that’s what it’s there for,” said Milano.
A lifelong restaurateur, Milano feels most comfortable when he’s at work. After working in pizza restaurants as a teenager, he got hooked and knew what he wanted to do in life.
“I really liked the atmosphere; I like the high pace, and that’s all I ever wanted to do was pizza and food,” said Milano.
One thing Milano is passionate about is ice cream. So much so that he went to ice cream school — yes, that’s correct, ice cream school. A week at Malcolm Stogo’s Ice Cream University taught Milano the ins and outs of ice cream and helped prepare him for his first restaurant, where they made their own ice cream for a decade. While the homemade ice cream idea has stayed in the freezer since opening B-Side in 2015, he hopes to start again next year.
An eye- and ear-catching theme certainly makes B-Side Grill a unique experience for the college students, locals and fall foliage seekers who frequent, but prices can be just as noticeable.
“[B-Side] is super good on pricing, especially compared to a lot of other places around here,” said Edwards.
“We’ve always tried to be affordable for everybody,” said Milano. “We try to keep the price points [where they are], but it’s been hard because the prices have been going up like crazy.”
Milano welcomes feedback on his prices, knowing it’s a crucial factor for patrons when choosing where to eat.
“A lot of time, I’ll hear, ‘Oh, your prices are good,’” said Milano, “or some of my friends will even say this might be too low; you could raise that if you had to raise one.”
After eight years in the community, B-Side Grill has become a New Paltz staple. The perfect meeting point for everyone in a hippie town who can break bread over [and under] their favorite tracks from the past.
