In “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” which just launched its second season on Amazon, Tony Shalhoub plays a highly strung Upper West Sider. It’s a role in which he feels at home, since the 65-year-old — who played the title character on “Monk” and was up for a Tony for Broadway’s “The Band’s Visit” — has long lived there with his actress wife, Brooke Adams. On a good weekend, the Green Bay, WI, native tells MICHAEL KAPLAN, “we stay on the Upper West Side.” Here are his favorite spots, both uptown and down.
When the weather is favorable, we spend a lot of weekend time in Central Park. We have a Goldendoodle named Scoop, and before 9 in the morning, we can let him off the leash. We go to different ponds and down into the rambles. Afterward, for breakfast, I love the smoked salmon from Zabar’s, the sable from Barney Greengrass and the bagels from H&H. A great thing about the Upper West Side is that everything is at your fingertips.
We live across the park from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. That’s always a go-to for museum hopping. We were there recently, having lunch. The Dining Room, on the fourth floor, has fantastic scallops. For dinner, we favor a little Italian place called Celeste, which you have to know about to find — Stanley Tucci introduced me to the place — and they don’t take reservations. The appetizer of fried artichokes covered with fried parsley is a revelation. Then there’s the Turkish place, around the corner from us. It’s called Lokale, and we can bring Scoop inside. He’ll sit at our feet in the bar area and [staffers] bring him water.
Brooke and I are theater rats. Last night we saw “The Ferryman,” which was fantastic. Before that, we saw “The Waverly Gallery” with Elaine May. It’s better to watch the play than to be in it, especially when people I admire or have worked with are performing. In the Theater District, after the show, we go to Joe Allen or Bar Centrale or Un Deux Trois, which is a real theater hangout. You see everyone you know there.
Occasionally, we venture to the Village. A good friend of ours, Michael Wolff, is a pianist who plays at Knickerbocker Bar & Grill, where they have great french fries. We head down there a lot to see him. On Sundays, if the Green Bay Packers are playing, we go to MetLife Stadium. But I don’t go there unless the Packers are playing.
When I’m home, I like to tinker and fix things around the house. There’s a place, up the street from Zabar’s, called Basic Plus. They have things for the kitchen and bath and will sharpen your knives. It’s one-stop shopping, which I love. I last bought some LED light bulbs there. They have everything you need. Then you go there and buy things that you didn’t think you needed.