Crime Overkill

How many guys does it take to steal two iPhones, a $40 Metrocard and $31 in cash? Five, apparently, with a semi-automatic firearm thrown into the mix. A posse of five perpetrators accosted two young men on Amsterdam Avenue near West 68th Street at about 2:30 a.m. on Monday. The group showed the men the gun and racked the slide on the weapon, demanding cash and their phones. The perps made off with their loot—pretty paltry when split five ways—and fled on foot.

Faulty Memory, Missing Jewelry

A 60-year-old woman reported to police that the jewelry she had shown to her roommate and to one of her home health aides had gone missing. The woman said that she has had several aides at different times and could not remember to whom she showed the jewelry. She said that she kept the valuables in her bedroom safe but did not lock it. The missing items, which are worth a total of $3,579, include a $2,000 gold and diamond ring and gold wedding bands worth $1,000.

Happy Healthy Thieves

In the middle of the day last Friday, three brazen thieves—two women and one man working together—stormed a Rite Aid on Amsterdam Avenue and grabbed dozens of items off the store shelves. The trio made off with $3,042 worth of drugstore products.

Short on Cash

A 41-year-old man was arrested early Saturday morning after he was caught red-handed rifling through a stolen purse. The man had been drinking at a local pub and was caught without the funds to pay for his $69 bar tab at the end of the evening. He snagged a woman’s purse from her chair and snuck it into the men’s bathroom to snatch her credit cards, but was found out before he could do any damage.

Breaking the Lease

Some people just don’t read the fine print on their rental agreements. A woman reported to police last week that her tenant, to whom she had rented a fully furnished apartment, apparently didn’t understand that the furnishings were not hers to keep and move as she pleased. The lessee vacated the apartment and stole two televisions worth over $1,000, as well as the cable boxes, a lamp, TV stand and armoire, together worth $2,598.

Drinking Games

A pair of friends were drinking together at one of their apartments on West 62nd Street last Tuesday. All was going well until they got into a verbal spat, which quickly escalated to violence when the woman picked up a glass cup used for decoration and decided to use it instead as a weapon, smashing it into her male buddy’s face. The man suffered a laceration, severe bleeding and bruising and was rushed to Roosevelt Hospital for treatment.

Grocery Store Grabber

A woman was shopping at Trader Joe’s around noon last Friday, her purse in her cart as she searched for cheap produce. When she got to the checkout, however, she discovered that her wallet was missing. By the time she walked over to a local Citibank branch to report her credit cards stolen, the bank told her that someone had used her card to purchase a $510 computer at Best Buy.

My friend Barbara, who is a second generation Irish American, joined me for what turned out to be the fourth night of the American League

“Galway Hooker” has nothing to do with the oldest profession, but instead refers to a sailing boat used in Galway, Ireland.

playoffs. With a 12-by-9-feet high definition projection screen and 14 plasma televisions, we were going to get a taste of the sports bar experience. After some initial harried flyby service (the waiter brought us only one menu, and instead of the lengthy beer list I expected, he rattled off a half dozen beers), we mellowed out with our happy hour Blue Moons ($4). Barbara started chatting with our waiter to see where his accent was from (the Philippines). He was more attentive and we cut him some slack since he seemed to be the only waiter for the entire second floor, and had to keep running downstairs to the kitchen. Note to management: You need more than one person taking orders, especially on game night. Our guy even stopped mid-run to the first floor when he saw me looking for the bathroom and told me where to go.

We were getting hungry and although the goat cheese fritters ($11) almost lured me in, I decided to be a little healthy and shared the John Esty salad ($10) with Barbara. It had a couple of tweaks on the basic arugula salad, including grilled onions, avocado, red peppers and a spicy dressing. You wouldn’t think a pub would have an outstanding salad, but we both thought it tasted very fresh and left nothing on the plate.

After my brief flirtation with sensible eating, I followed with a big helping of the deep fried goodness of codfish and chips ($15). Barbara ordered the turkey meatloaf ($14), which was not a total winner. She loved the hot, buttered corn, but said the meatloaf, though chockfull of vegetables, was a bit bland and came to the table lukewarm. My fries were spot on, but I think the batter makes the dish; it would have been better with a crispier, thicker coating. We skipped dessert since we were loaded up with carbs and nobody goes to a pub for sweets.

We were finishing up just as baseball was getting underway. Neither of us is interested in the American League, but between the abundance of screens and the volume that reached every nook and cranny and probably the sidewalk, too, it felt like we were in the stadium. Don’t go to Galway Hooker expecting quiet conversation, but when you need to kick back with some beers and a burger, or relax after a few rounds of shopping, tie up your skiff on East 36th Street.

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Galway Hooker
7 E. 36th St.
212-725-2353
Entrees: $12 to $22