Pat's Hubba Hubba, also known as "Hubba's",
was a late-night
greasy spoon
A greasy spoon is a small, cheap restaurant – either an American diner or coffee shop, or a British or Irish cafe – typically specializing in fried foods or home-cooked meals. The term ''greasy spoon'' has been used in the United States si ...
chili restaurant located at 24 North Main Street in the village of
Port Chester
Port Chester is a village in the U.S. state of New York and the largest part of the town of Rye in Westchester County by population. At the 2010 U.S. census, the village of Port Chester had a population of 28,967 and was the fifth-most popul ...
in
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...
. Near the New York-Connecticut border, Hubba's caters to the local bar scene by staying open until 5:00 am on the weekends, and at least 3:00 am on weeknights.
History
The restaurant was originally known as "Texas Quick Lunch", and was owned by Edna Kaplan and operated by Mildred Meade. Pat Carta bought the storefront location of the former Texas Quick Lunch in 1989 and changed the name to "Ricks orange", the same as his original restaurant in the "Chickahominy" section of
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich (, ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the town had a total population of 63,518. The largest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast (Conne ...
. He expanded the menu from simple chili and
chili dog
A chili dog is a hot dog served in a Hot dog bun, bun and topped with a meat sauce, such as chili con carne. Additional toppings may include cheese, onions, and Mustard (condiment), mustard. The style has multiple regional variations in the Unite ...
s (known locally as "Texas hots") to variants including the popular
chili cheese fries
Chili con carne (also spelled chilli con carne or chile con carne and shortened to chili or chilli; ), meaning " chili with meat", is a spicy stew containing chili peppers (sometimes in the form of chili powder), meat (usually beef), tomatoes ...
.
By the early to mid-1990s, Carta opened a second location at 820 Cove Road, in
Stamford, Fairfield County, Connecticut.A third location followed, also in Stamford, at 189 Bedford Street, in the heart of the downtown bar district, now Capriccio Cafe. The restaurant in Port Chester is now owned by Carlos Magan and was renamed to simply "Hubba's".
Menu
![Patshotdog](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Patshotdog.jpg)
The main ingredient in most of Hubba's dishes was chili made with
ground beef
Ground beef, minced beef or beef mince is beef that has been finely chopped with a knife, meat grinder (American English), mincer or mincing machine (British English). It is used in many recipes including hamburgers, bolognese sauce, meatloaf, ...
, hot chili peppers, and little else. Hubba's chili
contains no beans, tomatoes, or vegetables of any kind.
Meals are served with "Hubba Water", tap water with a bit of
Hawaiian Punch
Hawaiian Punch is a brand of fruit punch currently manufactured by Keurig Dr Pepper, originally invented in 1934 by A.W. Leo, Tom Yeats, and Ralph Harrison as a topping for ice cream. It was started from an original syrup flavor called Leo's Hawai ...
added in.
[
]
Atmosphere
The inside of Hubba's is long and narrow. There are 13 counter stools bolted to the floor, where one can sit at the counter. Menu items are written in marker on paper plates, tacked onto the walls which are papered with dollar bills.[
]
Naming conventions
One note of contention among frequenters is the name by which the restaurant should be called. While most areas call the establishment by its present name, "Hubba's"; the residents of certain nearby communities, such as Larchmont
Larchmont is a village located within the Town of Mamaroneck in Westchester County, New York, approximately northeast of Midtown Manhattan. The population of the village was 5,864 at the 2010 census. In February 2019, Bloomberg ranked Lar ...
, Mamaroneck
Mamaroneck ( ) is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States.
The population was 31,758 at the 2020 United States census over 29,156 at the 2010 census. There are two villages contained within the town: Larchmont and the Village of M ...
, and New Rochelle
New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state of ...
, still use the name "Pat's". Old timers – that is, anyone who was a patron before 1989 – still call it "Texas Lunch", or alternatively, just "Texas".["A Multiple Road Trips Report, Roadfood.com Discussion Board](_blank)
Retrieved March 16, 2019.
In the media
*Included in Jane and Michael Stern
Jane Grossman Stern and Michael Stern (both born 1946) are American writers who specialize in books about travel, food, and popular culture. They are best known for their '' Roadfood'' books, website, and magazine columns, in which they find roa ...
's book, ''Roadfood: The Coast-to-Coast Guide to 800 of the Best Barbecue Joints, Lobster Shacks, Ice Cream Parlors, Highway Diners, and Much, Much More'' (2014), as a Top Pick. and in their website, Roadfood.com, as a "Must eat".
*Mentioned by Chris Stanley on the '' Ron and Fez Show'' on November 2, 2009, as having "amazing" food, especially the chili and RC Cola
RC Cola (short for Royal Crown Cola) is an American brand of cola invented by Claud A. Hatcher in 1905.
Royal Crown Ginger Ale was the first product of the RC Cola line, and it referred to the original ingredient: ginger. More ingredients we ...
.
*
*
*Singer-songwriter Billy Vera
Billy Vera (born William Patrick McCord; May 28, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, author, and music historian. He has been a singer and songwriter since the 1960s, his most successful record being "At This Moment", a US number 1 h ...
directly mentions the restaurant (referring to it as "Texas Lunch") and its chili dogs in the opening monologue of his 1981 (live) recording "Millie, Make Some Chili" (credited to Billy and the Beaters). The "Millie" in the song presumably refers to (Mildred) Meade, although Vera calls her "Millie Kaplan" in the monologue, reflecting her maiden name, as she was the sister of restaurant owner Edna Kaplan.
*Mentioned in a Bill Simmons
William John Simmons III (born September 25, 1969) is an American sports analyst, author, podcaster, and former sports writer who is the founder and CEO of the sports and pop culture website '' The Ringer''. Simmons first gained attention with ...
mailbag as a personal favorite for food after a late night pub crawl
A pub crawl (sometimes called a bar tour, bar crawl or bar-hopping) is the act of visiting multiple pubs or bars in a single session.
Background
Many European cities have public pub crawls that serve as social gatherings for local expatriates an ...
.[ ]
References
{{reflist
Port Chester, New York
Restaurants in New York (state)