Reality Bites: From Indie Flicks to Restaurant

You have to love being unique—if it works.

However, sometimes even better things come from endeavors that don't bear fruit.

"I was drawn to this small cafe the first time I came to Nyack, seeing the potential almost immediately," says Patti Aagard, current owner of Reality Bites. "The location was ideal, the size was perfect, and the name was—if nothing else—certainly memorable."

Here’s the scoop. Open since 2002, Reality Bites was originally created by an independent film producer as a movie cafe where indie films were shown on three big screen televisions while viewers lounged and watch from couches.

It didn't pan out, but Aagard—a restaurant industry veteran—was ready. Her grandfather owned Archie's Luncheonette on the lower east side of Manhattan in the 1950s, and her father was the proprietor of a variety of clubs and restaurants, most notably the Locale in Greenwich  Village (which he bought from Andy Warhol) and the African Room on Broadway in the theater district. Aagard got more involved in the 1990s when her family bought Broadway Joe's Steakhouse, also in the theater district. 

"It was serendipitous when we sold the business four years ago, that I found myself in Nyack," she said. "It was basically love at first sight. When Reality Bites Cafe became available, I bought the business."

With the exception of the name on the awning, very little of the original Reality Bites remains. Yellow tables, green walls and couches have been replaced by cocoa and burgundy colored walls, fairy lights and abstract artwork. This is Soho in Nyack, with a comfortable, sophisticated ambiance, a striking brick wall running the length of the café, three big screen televisions keeping diners up-to-date on current news, and DVDs of legendary rock bands like the Allman Brothers and the Grateful Dead shown weekdays when there is no live music.

However, Reality Bites is one of the strongest music venues in the village. Friday night jazz usually consists of live piano, bass and a vocalist; Saturday evening is classic rock, original and cover bands; and Thursday is alternative music nights, where singers, songwriters, and young jazz aficionados take to the "stage."

Okay, that’s décor and tunes. But what about food? Well, Reality Bites is Zagat-rated, and choices abound from the signature Reality Bites tapas, filet of sole stuffed with crabmeat in a shrimp sauce, filet mignon bleu, roasted chicken on the bone, curry chicken with almonds and apricots, and numerous vegetarian dishes. Visit at lunch time and you can feast on one of a number meticulously presented award winning entree salads, such as the "Make Your Own Reality Salad" with mesclun, cranberries, walnuts, bleu cheese, chicken & a homemade Vidalia dressing for only $9.75.

An extensive wine and beer list complements your meal, as well as signature, sophisticated cocktails and martinis. 

 The Reality Bites experience, open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner, is aptly described by Patti Aagard.

"Spontaneous events all the time," she said. "Friends reconnect, families get together, old acquaintances not forgotten—it seems the best 'unkept secret in Nyack' has been unveiled."