The Blazer Pub in North Salem is a love story in every way. Co-owner Alice O’Leary Kerrigan met her husband here — he was a customer — and her sister Colleen O’Leary Duffy, who’s also an owner, has been coming here since high school (the two grew up in Mount Kisco).
The love is practically baked into the restaurant’s DNA. In business since 1971 — and under O’Leary family ownership since 1987 (there are seven siblings, four of which have ran it at various stages) — it’s the kind of place where the owners, whether you’ve been here once or a hundred times, remember your order (or at least what you like to drink), and where numerous members of the wait staff have been here for decades.
More than a handful have been here over 35 years and have, in some cases, returned after having children and other careers.
It’s also the kind of place which, rare in the restaurant business these days (if anywhere), either Alice or Colleen will call you themselves — they keep a handwritten list — to let you know if your favorite soup special is on the menu.
Note the word “call”— there’s no texting or emailing here. And the list the sisters keep for those soup preferences is handwritten on looseleaf papers they meticulously oversee (and add to). They even keep a daily file for each other — in an old-school composition notebook — to keep each other abreast of what’s happened, who came in, who might have asked for a donation or any other news to know since they don’t always overlap days.
It’s that bygone personal charm that’s kept The Blazer Pub in North Salem going for 54 years. “We’re out of the box,” said Alice. “We’re not a normal restaurant.”
Not being “normal” also means no microwave, no freezer and no heat lamps.
The Blazer Pub is famous for its food
Most folks know The Blazer Pub for its burger, made famous in 2018 when self-proclaimed hamburger expert George Motz put it on the map (literally) in “Hamburger America,” a state-by-state guide to 200 of the country’s best burger joints.
The restaurant has seven kinds of burgers (think regular, with cheese, with bacon and cheese, with gorgonzola, with chili, etc.) but it’s the Celsus burger, an eight-ounce patty with two buns, Swiss cheese and bacon that Motz crowned king (though he added grilled onions).
Burgers come in an 80/20 mix (meaning 20% fat), are just a smidge under eight ounces and are sourced from the same company that’s supplied the restaurant since its founding. The Celsus, in fact, is named after Thomas Celsus Heavey, one of the original owners, who was known for his preference for Swiss cheese and bacon. It was Irish-born Thomas and Emer Heavey who founded the restaurant, naming it “Blazer” from a late 1800s western Irish tradition where hunters would burn down their temporary gathering huts after a day of foxhunting.
Just as popular as the burgers are the signature wings, with come “cooked, tossed in Buffalo sauce and cooked again” (as it says on the menu), as well as in barbecue, Buffalo or teriyaki sauce.
Chili is another top seller — with the same meat as the burgers — and features a propriety blend of seasonings.
The restaurant also has a variety of sandwiches, wraps, and Ruebens, along with fish and chips, salads and starters. Fries, which are listed on the menu as “smaller than small,” “small,” “medium” and “large” are also popular. Alice said they peel more than 400 pounds of potatoes a day, using Idaho Number One.
In another nod to the past (and to past owner’s food preferences), diners will also find the Rita B., a single grilled hotdog with “a little chili, a little cole slaw.” Rita O’Leary was known for her housemade slaw and, according to her daughters, used to drive it from her home to the restaurant before eventually handing the recipe over to the kitchen as the requests became too much.
Aside from being a gifted cole slaw maker, she also painted; one of her watercolors can be found hanging on a wall alongside other knickknacks.
The eclectic (but loveable) Blazer Pub décor
The hodgepodge of décor is also what makes The Blazer Pub so endearing. For those who haven’t been in a while, it hasn’t changed — and that’s the point. You almost don’t know where to look first thanks to vintage signs and old-fashioned trinkets that give the place a lived-in, homey feel.
An assortment of college pennants take up much of the wall space, with many put there by customers and wait staff. “We don’t even know where some came from,” said Colleen.
Yet, in the abiding spirit of the pub, all are welcome. And of course, they only amp up the nostalgic vibe which also includes two video games, one of which is Pac-Man, and the other a bowling arcade that requires quarters to operate (Colleen always has a bunch in her pocket to hand out.) Keeping to the old-fashioned charm, no games are allowed that promote violence.
Because their father, Dick O’Leary owned the Hartsdale Liquor Store and, years ago, liquor companies gave out beer mugs and steins as a form of advertisement, there’s also a hodgepodge of those as well as others donated by customers. The patches on the ceiling have also been something patrons have contributed to.
“So much of this stuff generates from the many wonderful conversations we have with people,” said Colleen. Case in in point: the antique water bottles, original milk bottles, donated by The Arena family.
Decorations tend to go into overdrive come the holidays which means lots of lights and cheer come the holidays as well as an overdrive atmosphere for St. Paddy’s Day when they also sell shamrocks to benefit Friends of Karen, a local non-profit providing emotional, financial and advocacy support for children with a life-threatening illness and their families. (The restaurant also makes thousands of pounds of corned beef that day.)
People are the ‘secret sauce’ behind The Blazer Pub
While the food has its accolades and the building has its charm — it dates to 1928 when it served as a rest stop along Route 22 — the O’Leary sisters believe the restaurant’s secret to longevity lies with its strong sense of community.
There are countless stories of people reaching out to others, of wait staff going the extra mile and, of course, of the sister’s own commitment to customer service by calling diners (whether regulars or not) to let them know if their favorite soup made the specials list.
“We really feel like you’re in our living room coming over to have dinner and drinks with us and we want you to leave with that feeling of wow, you’re important to us,” said Alice, who previously worked as a special education teacher.
“We pride ourselves on our family vibe that starts with us and goes all the way to the person peeling the potatoes.”
Added Colleen, who herself has a background in residential and commercial interior design and sales: “If we don’t know you, you would never know. Our goal is to always make you feel welcome.”
If you go to The Blazer Pub in North Salem
Address: 440 NY-22, North Salem, 914-277-4424, theblazerpub.com.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Wednesday; to 10 p.m. Thursday to Saturday.
Good to know: You can also only make reservations for six or more.
Merch for sale: The Blazer Pub also offers clothing and collectibles for sale including t-shirts, onesies, coffee mug and pint glasses.
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Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @jeannemuchnick or via the lohudfood newsletter
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Sense of community is secret sauce to this Westchester pub, in business since 1971
Reporting by Jeanne Muchnick, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
